Great Sith War

"The Ancient Sith have spoken. Together, we will bring down the galaxy."

- Exar Kun to Ulic Qel-Droma

The Great Sith War, also known as the Sith War, the First Sith War, and the Exar Kun War, was a conflict which took place between the years 4,000 BBY-3,996 BBY. One of the largest engagements of the Old Sith Wars, the Great Sith War saw the rise of the Sith, once again in opposition to the Jedi Order. The roots of the conflict are traced back to the fall of Freedon Nadd from the Jedi way and to his ascension to Dark Lord of the Sith. Eventually his dark influence was discovered on the planet Onderon and the ensuing battle saw the Jedi temporarily break Nadd's hold on the remote planet. This fight against the resurgent power of the Sith was a warning to the Jedi that something terrible was on the horizon.

The influence of the Sith, however, again resurfaced during the Freedon Nadd Uprising, which managed to establish the means for the Krath to grow in power and influence. Using Sith knowledge that they had gained from Nadd and his followers on Onderon, the Krath instituted a bloody coup in the Empress Teta System and began a series of campaigns aimed at Republic space. After several defeats at the hands of the Krath, Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma advised the Jedi Order that he would infiltrate the Krath and destroy them from within. During his undercover mission, Ulic fell to the dark side and joined forces with another fallen Jedi turned Sith by the name of Exar Kun. Eventually, Kun was anointed the new Dark Lord of the Sith with Qel-Droma his apprentice, and together they ushered the galaxy into a new Sith age.

With their allies, Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma launched a series of deadly campaigns against the Republic, eventually making their way to the heart of the galaxy&mdash;Coruscant. Following this battle Kun and Qel-Droma launched an assault on Ossus, in an attempt to raid the planet of its Jedi artifacts. However, the battle of Ossus saw the defeat of the Sith forces, the capture of Ulic Qel-Droma, and the retreat of Kun to his base on Yavin 4. Broken and humbled, Qel-Droma agreed to lead the combined forces of the Republic and the Jedi to Yavin 4, in an effort to defeat Exar Kun. Under the combined efforts of the Jedi, Kun was defeated and the Great Sith War brought to an end.

Origins
"The Jedi who fall are the most dangerous of all."

- A line form a children's rhyme

Following The Great Hyperspace War the galaxy experienced nearly a thousand years of relative peace. With only a few minor brushfire conflicts arising, including the Gank Massacres and the Third Jedi Schism, the galaxy enjoyed the lasting peace which came with the defeat of the Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow. As the galaxy continued to experience no further contact with the remnants of the Sith Empire, it enjoyed a time of new galactic exploration and expansion. However, six hundred years after the collapse of the Sith Empire a young Jedi by the name of Freedon Nadd began his journey towards the Dark side of the Force. Nadd's fall to the dark side would leave a lasting dark influence over the galactic timeline, and would usher in the return of the Sith&mdash;though this time it would be in much more cunning and dangerous form then had been previously experienced.

Having grown frustrated with his Jedi training and feeling that his talents were being held back, Nadd traveled to various planets which he knew were imbued with ancient Sith energy. Leaving behind the Jedi academy on Ossus, Nadd traveled to Ashas Ree which laid deep within the heart of what once had been the Sith Empire. During his time on Ashas Ree Nadd discovered an antiquated holocron which had been created by King Adas, an ancient Sith warlord. Realizing that he had found something more valuable beyond measure, Nadd left Ashas Ree and continued deeper into the old Empire in search of further Sith knowledge.



Eventually he followed the Force to the jungle moon of Yavin 4 where Naga Sadow had, six hundred years earlier, exiled himself and created a cloistered Sith stronghold. Arriving at the primary temple Nadd was confronted by the primitive, but powerful, Massassi warriors who had accompanied Sadow to the moon centuries earlier. Using the Force, Nadd easily defeated the Massassi who attacked him. Awed at this man who displayed the same powers as their original master, the Massassi led Nadd to the bowls of the great temple where the remains of Naga Sadow rested, and where his spirt was waiting for an eager apprentice like Freedon Nadd.

Training under the former Dark Lord of the Sith, Nadd learned much and was eventually twisted completely towards the dark side of the Force. Believing that he had learned all he could from Naga Sadow, Nadd used his newfound powers to destroy his mentor's spirit, and left the jungle moon behind him. Proclaiming himself to be the new Dark Lord of the Sith, Nadd traveled to the remote world of Onderon, which was just outside of Republic space, and established himself as the king of Onderon. Nadd instituted marshal law and ruled from the walled city of Iziz with an iron fist. A policy which Nadd instituted, and which would exasperate his successor's for hundreds of years, was to banish all criminals outside the walls of Iziz to be killed by the savage beasts which lived there. Eventually, a number of these criminals banded together learning to survive, and domesticate, the wild beasts of Onderon. These criminals would eventually become known as the Beast Riders and would fight a guerrilla war against Nadd and his royal line.

Freedon Nadd secretly taught his children the ways of the Sith, and made sure that the his dark knowledge lived on throughout the Onderonian royalty, for the one day when it could be used against the Jedi. Even though Nadd died, his spirit lived on in his tomb deep below the city of Iziz, and it was there that he cunningly instructed his descendants in the Sith arts. Over the next four hundred years the Beast Riders would continue their war against the city of Iziz and its royal rulers, with the conflict escalating to new heights in the years prior to 4,000 BBY. Eventually, under the reign of King Ommin and Queen Amanoa, Onderon joined the Republic and, against the advice of Freedon Nadd, Amanoa requested the Jedi's assistance in ending the centuries old conflict against the Beast Riders. Little did the Jedi know that what they were to experience on Onderon would be the clandestine beginning of a massive war which would eventually engulf the galaxy years later.

First Battle of Onderon and the end of the Beast Wars
"The barbarians are swarming&mdash;order the wave gunners to hit them hard."

- An Onderonian soldier

As was the custom of the time, when a new planet gained membership within the Republic, the Jedi Order would assign a Jedi to become the "watchman" of the system. It was the watchman's duties to supervise the new systems transition into a Republic member-state, and to help with any local difficulties that the planetary governments might be experiencing. Upon Onderon joining the Republic, Jedi Master Arca Jeth was given charge of the new planet and directed to help end the Beast Wars which had plagued the planet for many centuries. As a test for his three young apprentices, Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma, and the Twi'lek Tott Doneeta, Master Arca sent them in his place to put an end to the civil war.

Once Master Arca's apprentices arrived on Onderon they were met by Queen Amanoa who asked the Jedi to help put an end to ongoing Beast Wars. During Ulic's audience with Amanoa and her daughter, the princess Galia, the Beast Riders staged a bold raid against the palace in which they abducted Galia. At the request of Amanoa, Ulic, Cay, and Tott set out to rescue Galia from the Beast Riders, but soon discovered that the raid had been an elaborate ruse: Galia and Oron Kira, Beast-Lord who ruled over the Beast Riders, were actually in love and planned to marry each other. Their marriage, they argued, would not only celebrate their love for each other, but it would also unify the Beast Riders and the city of Iziz, thus ending the centuries-long conflict.



Listening to what Oron Kira and Galia had to say, Ulic believed that they were sincere about wanting to bring peace to Onderon. However, it was not until Galia advised Ulic that she could no longer live in the presence of the dark side of the Force, that he began to seriously consider that something was indeed wrong on Onderon&mdash;Ulic had believed that Sith were all but extinct, and that they had fought their last war a millennia ago. As Ulic listened to Galia and Oron tell the history of Onderon, he learned that a fallen Jedi named Freedon Nadd had learned the ways of the Sith and established himself as the ruler of their planet. Following his eventual death his spirit stayed in Iziz and imbued the city with his dark side enery. Galia explained that Nadd's spirit had continued to teach her ancestors how to use the dark side of the Force; that it was because of his influence of manipulation that Iziz continued to grow in technology; and that it was this technology which allowed the Iziz defenders to constantly defend against the Beast Riders. Finally comprehending that the Sith had managed to return without the knowledge of the Jedi, Ulic, Cay, and Tott agreed to help lead an assault against the palace of Iziz&mdash;their plan was to dispose of Amanoa and install Galia as Queen of Onderon. This plan, however, was to only go into effect if Ulic was unable to convince Amanoa to cease hostilities and return to the light.

Nonetheless, when the trio of Jedi, along with Oron and Galia, arrived at the Iziz palace they were greeted with nothing but hostility from Amanoa. The Queen claimed that she would rather see her daughter die then be with an outcast like Oron Kira. After witnessing Amanoa give herself fully over to the dark side, in an effort to overwhelm the Jedi and their allies, Ulic and the others retreated outside the city and radioed the Beast Riders. Describing how Amanoa had shunned the Jedi's request for peace, the Beast Riders launched an all-out attack against Iziz. The resulting battle was a complete bloodbath, and both sides experienced heavy casualties&mdash;even the Jedi were not immune to danger, with Cay Qel-Droma losing an arm in combat. During the battle Amanoa began using her dark side powers to influence the minds of those on the battlefield, and turning the tide of the battle against the Beast Riders. However, the timely arrival of Arca Jeth, and his use his battle meditation, helped turn the tide of the battle back in favor of the Beast Riders. Following the dark side energy into the bowls of the Iziz palace to the sarcophagus of Freedon Nadd, Master Arca confronted Amanoa who was enthralled in the power of Nadd's spirit. Using the power of the light side, Master Arca drove off the dark powers, leaving Amanoa completely helpless without its power. Without the support of Nadd's power, Amanoa's withered body soon failed her and she passed away in the arms of her daughter.

With the death of Amanoa, Galia was proclaimed Queen of Onderon and the dark side presence of Freedon Nadd supposedly gone. However, the shadow of Freedon Nadd was not dead, only suppressed, and it still had a destiny to play in the galaxy.

The Freedon Nadd Uprising
"The Sith are destined to rise again. Nothing can prevent that."

- Freedon Nadd to Ulic Qel-Droma

Following the death of Amanoa, and Galia's ascension to the throne, Master Jeth recognized that a dark side pall was still hanging over Onderon. Realizing that the Sith power of Freedon Nadd was more powerful than first suspected, Arca Jeth, along with his three apprentices and Oss Wilum, attempted to remove Nadd's and Amanoa's sarcophagi off of Onderon to the beast-filled moon of Dxun for re-internment. However, during the procession of the remains, the Jedi found themselves under an attack led by the dark sider Warb Null. Null led the Naddists, a Sith cult that revered Freedon Nadd, in an attempt to capture the sarcophagi that the Jedi were protecting. While Cay Qel-Droma and Oss Wilum fought Null, a powerful dark side force assaulted Master Jeth and effectively neutralized him for the remainder of the fight. With Arca Jeth powerless, and the remaining Jedi preoccupied with Warb Null, the Naddists were able to steal the remains of Amanoa and Nadd and retreat aboard a war machine into the depths of Iziz.



Following the skirmish with the Naddists, Arca Jeth sought out the seemingly senile King Ommin at the advice of Galia who mentioned that Ommin was once a powerful dark side user, but that its use had destroyed his body. Upon meeting Ommin, Master Jeth was attacked and taken prisoner by Ommin, who was not as helpless as he had first appeared. During his internment, Master Jeth learned that Ommin had been provided with an unnatural vitality by the spirit Freedon Nadd, who was supporting Ommin through the use of Sith magic. During the attack on Master Jeth, Warb Null appeared to help in the fight. The ensuing skirmish witnessed the death of Null at the hands of Ulic, and the retreat of both Ulic and Galia away from Ommin's Sith magic. Master Jeth, however, was still a prisoner of Ommin and Nadd and the two Sith devised a plan through which make Jeth fall to the dark side. Their plan called for the torture Master Jeth to the brink of death, where they believed that he would be forced to call upon the dark side to save himself. At that point, Master Jeth's body would be destroyed and the Sith would raise the fallen Jedi as a dark side spirit, thus adding strength to their numbers.

Following the capture of Arca Jeth, Ulic Qel-Droma realized that he needed help with the Naddist Revolt and put out a call for Jedi reinforcements&mdash;in response to this, the Jedi leadership on Ossus decided to send a team of five Jedi to aid Ulic and the other knights on Onderon. The team consisted of an all volunteer group, and Dace Diath, Shoaneb Culu, Kith Kark, Qrrrl Toq, and Nomi Sunrider promptly left Ossus to lend aid to Ulic. Under the leadership of Nomi Sunrider, the Jedi relief team arrived on Onderon and managed to fight their way to where Ulic and the other Jedi were. Nomi led her team of Jedi in a charge against the more numerous enemy soldiers, projecting a Force shields around themselves, and utilizing Force battle techniques that the Jedi had developed throughout their history. However, during the attack, several of the Jedi realized that something, or someone, was blocking ability their various Force abilities through the dark side. Nomi tried to combat the influences she could feel, but the dark side being managed to overwhelm her defenses and knock her unconscious&mdash;during the attack, Jedi Knight Kith Kark was killed as a result of his Force shield being taken from him by the dark side. Following the fight, the two groups of Jedi met and joined forces. Eventually, the Jedi stormed Ommin's stronghold, launching their initial attack from the courtyard of the castle. Though the Jedi were able to defeat the guards, Ommin halted the Jedi attack by concentrating on his hatred and using its power to, again, overwhelm the Jedi. However, Ulic Qel-Droma charged the old man and slashed at him with his lightsaber, disarming and neutralizing Ommin. With the defeat of Ommin, the Jedi managed to free Master Jeth from the Sith torture devices.

Following the Sith and Naddist defeat on Onderon, the Jedi under the guidance of Master Jeth transported the remains of Freedon Nadd and Amanoa to jungle moon of Dxun where they were to be entombed behind enormous slabs of Mandalorian iron. It was hoped that entombing both sarcophagi on the wild moon would dissuade anyone from seeking out the Sith knowledge contained within.

The Krath Holy Crusade (3,997 BBY – 3,996 BBY)
"I'll bet they don't even understand what they've unleashed, and that makes them all the more dangerous."

- Cay Qel-Droma speaking of the Krath

During the Naddist Revolt on Onderon, two aristocratic figures arrived on the planet in search of Sith knowledge: Satal Keto and his cousin Aleema, who were the royal heirs to the Empress Teta system. Having grown up in a childhood devoid of boundaries and discipline, Satal and Aleema had grown into being spoiled, bored, and rich adults. To entertain and amuse themselves, they began dabbling in Sith magic and studying Sith artifacts that were recovered a thousand years earlier during the Great Hyperspace War. Musing themselves to be Sith initiates, Satal and Aleema, along with a group of fellow aristocrats, formed a society known as the Krath, named after a dreadful legend from their childhoods.



During one of the Krath's many illegal excursions to find Sith artifacts, Satal broke into a Coruscant museum and stole an archaic book which contained many Sith secrets. However, the book could only be deciphered by one who had been truly been trained in the ways of the Sith, or by an individual who possessed a Sith tool which could decipher the text. At the insistence of his cousin, who had heard rumors of a reemergence of the Sith on Onderon, Satal and Aleema traveled to the city of Iziz. Once there, the two Krath met with King Ommin who attested to having the tools necessary for translating the stolen texts. Giving Satal and Aleema a wealth of Sith artifacts, along with a unique Sith amulet, Ommin was able to translate the Sith tome for them. Once this task was done, Ommin left the two Krath and departed to deal with the Naddist Revolt, which was still taking place. However, Aleema and Satal were confronted by the spirit of Freedon Nadd who foretold the eventual defeat of Ommin at the hands of the Jedi. Nadd believed that the two aristocrats held the key to further his plans of resurrecting the Sith, and therefore decided to guide Aleema and Satal in their quest for Sith knowledge.

Departing Onderon, the two Keto's traveled back to their home system armed with their new Sith knowledge as well as the guidance of a Dark Lord of the Sith. Marshalling the military forces of the Empress Teta system, the Krath instituted a violent coup which placed them firmly in control of the system's government. The seven worlds of Empress Teta, however, did not take well to the brutal subjugation and illegal coup which had taken place. Rising up in rebellion against their new leaders, the seven worlds launched an organized resistance against the newly instituted Krath leadership. Despite this, both Aleema and Satal were delighted to have been given the chance to further test their new Sith powers&mdash;carefully organizing their efforts, the Krath were able to put down the revolts on six of the seven worlds under their control. Koros Major was the last world in the Empress Teta system to mount an organized resistance against the Krath, and word of their fight soon made its way across the galaxy.

Word of the rebellion, as well as the use of Sith magic, eventually made its way to Master Arca Jeth. Alarmed at the reports which claimed Sith participation in yet another conflict, Master Jeth traveled to the Onderon system where Ulic Qel-Droma, Nomi Sunrider, and many other Jedi were overseeing the peaceful transition of governing power. Upon his arrival Master Jeth briefed the Jedi on who the Krath were and how they had apparently obtained their knowledge of the Sith. Once he had explained the situation in the Empress Teta system, Master Jeth handed out assignments to several of the Jedi Knights gathered: Dace Diath, Oss Wilum, Shoaneb Culu, and Qrrrl Toq were ordered back to the Jedi assembly on Ossus. Once there they were to inform the Jedi leadership about the Sith involvement on Onderon, and how it was related to the coup in the Empress Teta system. Nomi was told that she would stay with Master Jeth in an attempt to refine her battle meditation. Once this task had been completed, both Nomi and Ulic would travel to Empress Teta system and take command of the joint Republic/Jedi fleet which would be organized for this specific mission profile.

Concurrent with the Krath takeover of the Empress Teta system, was the little-known Battle of Basilisk. This battle would eventually be known as the starting point of the time period which galactic historians would come to refer to as the Krath Holy Crusade.

Battle of Basilisk
The details surrounding the Battle of Basilisk are obscure at best, but what is known is that the world of Basilisk was invaded by the Mandalorians during their campaign of expansion. In response to this the Republic sent a relief force, under the command of Jedi Master Sidrona Diath, to the aid of the Basiliskans.

However, even with the support of the Republic forces the Basiliskans found their lines being overrun by the more numerous Mandalorians. Realizing that the they were going to lose the battle, the Basiliskans decided to poison their own planet so that the conquerers would not be able to use the planet. Before long, the planet of Basilisk fell to Mandalorians who, because the planet's surface was virtually destroyed, decided to abandon the world and continue their campaign of aggression. Nonetheless, the Mandalorians were able to acquire a sizable number of war droids which the technologically-minded Basiliskans had created, and would use them in future battles; the Mandalorians also captured a large number of the reptile-like Basiliskans, and through centuries of warface they degenerated into the Lagartoz War Dragons.

The battle proved to the Republic the danger posed by the Mandalorians and their aggressive tactics, and also saw the death of Sidrona Diath during the fighting.

Battle of Koros Major
"Ulic&mdash;the dark-side energy is intensifying&hellip;prepare for anything."

- Nomi Sunrider to Ulic Qel-Droma

In the months following the disastrous defeat on Basilisk, the leaders of the Jedi and Republic organized a joint task force to be sent to the aid of Koros Major, the last planet left in the Tetan system which was resisting the Krath coup&mdash;at the head of this fleet were the Nomi Sunrider and Ulic Qel-Droma. Under the leadership of the Jedi, the battle fleet departed Republic space and made its way to the Empress Teta system. However, when the joint fleet emerged from hyperspace, it found that its destination, Koros Major, was under attack by a large Krath invasion fleet, and it appeared that the battle was all but over.



At the behest of Ulic, Captain Vanicus, Fleet Captain of the joint fleet, sent out a 'cease fire' order to the invading Krath forces. As Ulic had expected, the Krath ignored the order and continued their attack on Koros Major&mdash;Ulic, likewise, ordered the joint fleet to move into attack positions. However, at first unbeknown to the Jedi, Satal had Aleema use her Sith powers to create enormous Force Illusions in the shape of Space grazers, lifeforms which had been extinct for thousands of years. Under the control of Aleema these illusions seemed to attack the Republic ships, scattering the joint fleet. At first, Ulic and many of the Republic officers expressed disbelief and concern at the Space grazers; but Nomi was able to sense through the Force that the grazers were actually Sith illusions and ordered the joint fleet to keep pressing its attack on the Krath ships.

Realizing they had underestimated the Jedi, and expecting them to run from the battle due to their fear, Satal and Aleema began their next plan of action. Still using Aleema's talent with Sith magic, Satal ordered a large number of Krath Chaos fighters to launch from his command ship and target the Republic cruisers. To confuse the Republic and Jedi ships of what they had planned, Aleema used her Sith magic to create more illusions, but this time of more Chaos fighters. As the Republic prepared to open fire on the advancing enemy fighters, Nomi again sensed that it was another Sith ruse. Reaching through the Force, Nomi was able to take control of Aleema's mind and force her to lose control over the illusions. However, even with the false Chaos fighters gone, the Republic ships realized too late that there were still many more real fighters heading towards them. Unable to raise their Particle shields in time, the joint fleet suffered severe casualties from the Chaos fighters as they rammed into the Republic capital ships.

Aboard the Republic command ship Reliance, which had had a Chaos fighter crash into its bridge, Ulic had been severly wounded by flying shrapnel. Not yet realizing that the shrapnel had been imbued with Sith magic, Nomi used the Force to tend to Ulic's wounds while Captain Vanicus ordered the joint fleet to retreat from the Empress Teta system. In response to the massive loss experienced by the Republic and Jedi at the Battle of Koros Major, the Jedi leadership ordered the Jedi assembly to assemble on Deneba where a conclave would be held to discuss the increasing hostilities resulting from the Krath.

Conclave of Deneba
"The Jedi prophecies predict a great conflict with the Dark side&hellip;"

- Shoaneb Culu during the Conclave of Deneba

In response to the threat posed by the Krath and their use of Sith magic, the Jedi called a large convocation on the planet of Deneba, to take place at Mount Meru. Thousands of Jedi Masters and Knights responded to the call and reported to the conclave which was under the direction of Jedi Master Odan-Urr. As the conclave began, Master Odan-Urr allowed Nomi Sunrider and Ulic Qel-Droma to address the assembly and tell the gathered Jedi about their experiences with the Sith arts both on Onderon, and the more recent battle at Koros Major.



Explaining the threat of the Krath, and the dangers that the reemerging Sith posed, Ulic proposed a plan to deal with the Krath and destroy the threat of the Sith. While many of the Jedi gathered on Deneba wished to escalate the war and use the Republic and Jedi's full military might against the Krath, Ulic believed that through infiltrating the Krath he could destroy them from within. Not wanting to see an enormous war claim the lives of thousands of innocents, nor the lives of many Jedi, Ulic argued his plan to the gathered Jedi assembly. However, many Jedi, including Arca Jeth, Dace Diath, and Shoaneb Culu, spoke of the dangers posed by attempting to infiltrate the dark side. Master Jeth advised Ulic that it was not possible to destroy the dark side, but merely contain it as Master Thon had done with the dark side on Ambria. Nonetheless, Master Jeth spoke to the assembly that through the combined efforts of the Jedi, they could create a wall of light which they could then use to push back and control the reemerging Sith.

While the Jedi were discussing which course of action to pursue, a Tetan Corsair had managed to disguise itself among the thousands of Jedi ships orbiting Deneba. At the order of Satal Keto, the corsair launched a large amount of Krath War Droids which rained down upon the assembled Jedi on Mount Meru. Concurrent with the Krath war droid attack on the assembly, the Jedi's servant droids, which had been sabotaged by Krath spies, also attacked the Jedi. The ensuing fight was a vicious affair and saw the deaths of many Jedi&mdash;however, many of the Jedi put up a ferocious defense and managed to push back the Krath attack. During the defensive actions, Master Jeth demonstrated the Force talent of Droid Disable which he had perfected during the Great Droid Revolution of 4,015 BBY. Despite the efforts of the Jedi defenders, some of their numbers were killed by the overwhelming droid attack&mdash;one such Jedi was Master Arca Jeth, who was fatally wounded from behind by a Krath War Droid. In the arms of Ulic Qel-Droma, Master Jeth passed on and became one with the Force. The Battle of Deneba hit Ulic hard and he was devastated by Master Jeth's death. As a result of this, he decided to go ahead with his proposed plan and infiltrate the Krath, vowing to bring them down from within, no matter what the cost.

Following the battle on Mount Meru, Ulic prepared for the mission into Krath territory and departed the Jedi assembly intent on succeeding.

The seduction of Exar Kun
"Surrender to the dark side or you will die."

- Freedon Nadd to Exar Kun

Meanwhile, far away from the conclave on Deneba, the young Jedi Exar Kun had turned from the light and began down the slippery path of the dark side. Kun believed that he could study the dark side and learn Sith knowledge without succumbing to its power&mdash;his ignorance, however, would have dire consequences for the entire galaxy. Exar Kun's fall and eventual rise to power as Dark Lord of the Sith would escalate the Great Sith War to new levels, and bring a new Sith age into prominence.

Kun was a talented individual, and strong in the ways of the Force, who began his early Jedi training under Master Vodo-Siosk Baas on the planet of Dantooine. Despite his master's teaching, Kun was an overly ambitious and curious student who secretly studied any available knowledge pertaining to the Golden Age of the Sith. Believing that the Jedi teachings had somehow lost their direction over time, Kun investigated clues from his studies of the Sith and followed these clues to the Sith legacy on Onderon.



Enlisting the help of a pair of Naddists from that planet, Kun traveled to the moon of Dxun intent on discovering any Sith secrets that laid buried in the tomb of Freedon Nadd. Encountering the heavy Mandalorian iron that Master Jeth had had Nadd's tomb forged from, Kun used his lightsaber to gain entry to the sarcophagus, where he found the the skeletal remains of the long dead Sith lord which were still clothed in Nadd's black armor. During his search of the tomb, Kun was stopped by the spirit of Nadd who warned the young Jedi that the dark side was dangerous, but rewarding. Before Kun could reply, Nadd revealed a series of scrolls written by Naga Sadow which had been hidden in a compartment under his remains, and advised Kun that a great destiny awaited him in the power of the dark side. Using the scrolls that Nadd had given him, Kun continued his exploration and search for Sith knowledge.

Following the words contained in the scrolls, Kun arrived on the ancient Sith world of Korriban to continue his search. Making his way to the Valley of the Dark Lords, Kun investigated a series of large crypts which contained the remains of ancient Sith Lords; however in a test from Nadd, Kun was nearly killed when a tomb he was investigating was caused to collapse around him. As Kun cried out in pain and for help, Nadd appeared and told him that he would save him if Kun surrendered himself completely to the dark side. Kun agreeed by making a hallow promise, but he was already too far down the dark path to make it back to the light on his own accord. The power of the dark side threw the collapsed stone off of him and filled Kun, healing his broken body, and left him laying naked on the sunbaked earth of Korriban. Frustrated at what had taken place, Kun let loose an awful cry in the Force which resonated across the galaxy and felt by all of the Jedi assembled on Mount Meru at the Conclave of Deneba&mdash;including Kun's former master, Vodo-Siosk Baas.

Still believing that he could learn from the Sith and not be tempted by their ways, Kun continued his exploration of the dark side&mdash;his fall, however, had already begun and several Jedi Masters, including Master Arca Jeth, could sense the currents of the Force change as Kun's choices began to influence galactic events, shifting them into something darker and much more dangerous than the Jedi had first believed.

Mission to Empress Teta
"At the last moment&hellip;when he attacked us&hellip;I felt something. Cay&hellip;Ulic is lost to us&hellip;I can feel it."

- Nomi speaking of Ulic

While Kun continued his journey into the mysteries of the dark side, Ulic Qel-Droma had departed Deneba for his mission to infiltrate the Krath. However, several months passed with no word reaching the Jedi or the Republic regarding his mission status. Among the Jedi who knew of the mission, several felt that Ulic might have allowed himself to turn to the dark side in order to destroy the Krath. As a result, Nomi Sunrider, Cay Qel-Droma, and Tott Doneeta devised a plan through which Nomi would be able to make contact with Ulic on the Krath capital of Cinnagar.

Ulic, unbeknown to the Jedi, had been unable communicate with his compatriots due to a variety of reasons. Though he was initially able to win the favor of Aleema Keto, her cousin Satal was wary of Ulic who was posing as a fallen Jedi Knight turned Krath sympathizer. Due to Satal's suspicions, Ulic was taken and subjected to grueling torture techniques beneath the Iron Citadel, and injected with Sith poisons&mdash;poisons which would eventually aid in his fall to the dark side. Nonetheless, Ulic survived the torture and was able to convince Satal that he was sincere in his devotion to the Krath; he was eventually made warlord of the Krath military forces.



Meanwhile, Ulic's Jedi companions had traveled to Cinnagar and managed to successfully insert Nomi near the Iron Citadel, where Ulic was staying amongst the other Krath leadership. Sensing Ulic through the Force, Nomi realized that the only way she was going to be brought before him was to expose her identity as a Jedi Knight and allow herself to be captured. Making her way to the Krath palace, Nomi ignited her lightsaber and was confronted by a number of Krath soldiers who she surrendered to. However, when Nomi was brought before Ulic, he was forced with a difficult decision&mdash;save the woman he loved from execution which he knew would ruin his cover, or allow himself to stay in character, and therefore treat the captured like any Krath warlord would.

Making the decision to stay in character, Ulic advised Aleema and Satal that he would personally execute Nomi the following morning. Following this announcement, Ulic attempted to contact Nomi in her prison cell through programming a servant droid with a hidden message for her. The message explained that Ulic intended to stay in his disguise for a while longer, in an effort to learn more of the Krath's plans, and hopefully more attacks against the Jedi. The droid, however, was intercepted by Satal and Ulic's hidden message discovered&mdash;angry that he had been right from the beginning regarding Ulic Qel-Droma, Satal immediately set out to order both Nomi and Ulic to be publicly executed. Not realizing Ulic's true motives, Nomi managed to use her battle meditation against her cell's gaurds, causing them to kill one another. The ensuing confusion provided her the opportunity needed to escape the palace and request aid from Cay and Tott, who were orbiting Cinnagar in the Nebulon Ranger. When Cay and Tott arrived to extract Nomi, the three Jedi agreed that they must attempt to try and rescue Ulic as well. Their plans, though, were almost instantly interrupted when Satal appeared in an attempt to stop the three Jedi from escaping. Prior to the arrival of Tott and Cay, Ulic had learned from Aleema that it was Satal's idea to attack the Jedi conclave on Deneba. Furious at this revelation, he rushed to find Satal, only to discover the Krath leader attempting to confront his three Jedi friends. Announcing to Nomi and the others that it had been Satal who had ordered the Krath strike on Deneba, Ulic gave into his anger and fought Satal in a fast paced duel. Overwhelming Satal's defenses, Ulic struck the Krath leader down, killing him in the thrall of anger. At that moment Nomi and the others attempted to convince Ulic to leave the planet with them, but he unleashed a wave of dark side energy which threw them away from him. Not believing what had transpired, the three Jedi boarded the Nebulon Ranger and made their way back to Ossus.

The rise of Exar Kun and destruction of Freedon Nadd
"I made certain his seduction was complete. Exar Kun will use the dark side, that is his true power now!"

- Freedon Nadd speaking of Exar Kun

Meanwhile, Exar Kun continued to delve deeper into his search for Sith Knowledge. Following his excursion to the Sith world of Korriban, Freedon Nadd directed Kun to the jungle moon of Yavin 4, where he would complete his training in the ways of the Sith.



Arriving on the jungle planet, Kun was confronted by the Massassi, who over the centuries had devolved into primitive shadows of the race they had once been. Due to the episode in the tomb on Korriban, Kun had since been unable to use the power of the light side, and refused to entirely accept power provided to him by the dark side&mdash;because of this, Kun was able to be easily captured by the Massassi and taken back to their main temple. Under the direction of the Massassi priest Zythmnr, Kun was to be sacrificed to an ancient Sith creation of Naga Sadow's. As Kun was on the verge of death in the grips of the giant creature, Freedon Nadd's spirit appeared to Kun and told him that save himself, he must concentrate on his anger and use it to free himself. Using the dark side to grab a Sith amulet from Zythmnr, Kun focused his anger through it and used it as a weapon to free himself through blasts of energy. Finally comprehending the power that Nadd had been trying to teach him, Kun fully embraced the dark side and agreed to follow the Sith ways with absolute conviction.

Kun proceeded to kill the enormous beast that had tried to kill him, and slaughtered his captors without hesitation. Nadd was pleased while he watched Kun give into his newfound strength, and believing that Kun was ready, ordered him to use his new Sith powers to create Nadd a new body. Kun, however, had grown agitated and tired with what he perceived as constant interference from Nadd, and as a result used his powers to destroy Freedon Nadd's spirit&mdash;removing its taint from the galaxy forever. By this point, Kun had fully embraced the dark side, and he set out to turn Yavin 4 into his personal fortress, using the Massassi as his servants. Enslaving the Massassi, Kun forced them to construct new Sith temples, and to repair the relics left from the time of Naga Sadow. Kun planned to use these temples and buildings for Sith ceremonies and rites which would help focuses his Sith magic, thus making it more powerful.

As his power grew, so did Kun's ambitions and thirst for conquest. Not content with the rule of a single remote moon, Kun reached out through the Force searching for other dark side users who might pose a threat to his newfound base of power. He eventually found them in the Empress Teta system, in the form of Aleema Keto and Ulic Qel-Droma&mdash;Qel-Droma, he realized, possessed great power in the dark side, and because of this must be destroyed in case he challenged Kun's right to rule. As a result, Kun set out for the planet of Cinnagar in an effort to confront both dark siders at once.

Second Battle of Empress Teta
"In my time, even as the Galactic Republic battles us to extinction, we now secure the future, when the Sith will take their revenge!"

- The spirit of Marka Ragnos speaking to Exar and Ulic

Following the return of Nomi Sunrider and the other Knights to Ossus, Nomi presented a plan to the masters that was aimed at extracting Ulic from Cinnagar&mdash;by force if absolutely necessary. The Jedi Masters, however, cautioned against the forceful removal of Ulic, arguing that it must be his decision to turn his back on the dark side, otherwise he would not learn from his mistakes. Modifying their plan to accommodate the wisdom of the Jedi Masters, the Jedi organized a task force, as well as the Beast Riders of Onderon under Oron Kira, and set off for Cinnagar to again confront the darkness of Ulic Qel-Droma.



Arriving at Cinnagar undetected, the Jedi fighters led the attack against the Iron Citadel which was the Krath headquarters. While Shoaneb Culu, Oss Wilum, and Dace Diath led the aerial assault, the Beast Riders transported Nomi, Cay, and Qrrrl Toq to the upper balconies of the citadel where the Jedi could sense Ulic and Aleema. Once the Jedi landed, both Qrrrl and Cay fought and defeated the Krath soliders who were gaurding Ulic, and Nomi attempted to reason with Ulic to return with them back to Ossus. Aleema, however, attempts to use her Sith magic to overwhelm Nomi's Force senses. Using her battle meditation to combat the Sith power, Nomi was able to neutralize Aleema and force Ulic to talk to her and his own brother Cay. Ulic, though, still harbored immense guilt over the death of Master Arca Jeth, and refused the pleas of his former friends for him to return with them. When Nomi and the others persisted to argue, Ulic unleashed the power of a Sith amulet that he possessed, and forced the Jedi away from him. Realizing that Ulic had indeed fallen into the trap of the dark side, Nomi issued a general retreat to those with her and the task force still fighting the aerial battle.

The retreat of the Jedi, however, was followed by the unexpected arrival of another threat&mdash;Exar Kun. Arriving on Cinnagar to kill those he perceived as threats to his newfound Sith power, Kun first attacked Aleema and knocked her unconscious through the use of Sith magic. The ensuing confrontation witnessed a fast paced lightsaber duel between Kun and Qel-Droma, and while each tried to best the other, more unexpected additions presented themselves at the Iron Citadel. The spirits of a number of long-dead Sith Lords appeared, including the spirit of Marka Ragnos, whose death had caused a power vacuum during the Golden Age of the Sith. Ragnos immediately put a stop to the duel proclaimed that the Sith would rise again and have their revenge on the Jedi; and that Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma would usher in this new era. Ragnos proclaimed that due to Kun's devotion to the Sith way and the power that he possesed, Kun was the new Dark Lord of the Sith. Ulic, likewise because of his free-will decision to walk the dark path, was appointed Kun's first and foremost Sith apprentice. With the alliance forged between Kun and Qel-Droma, they vowed to raze the galaxy and destroy both the Republic and Jedi.

Dark Reaper Campaign
Exar Kun's and Ulic Qel-Droma's first act as Sith Lords was to consolidate the space immediately surrounding the Empress Teta system. To accomplish this goal, Kun used one of the many relics of Naga Sadow's which he found on Yavin 4&mdash;the Dark Reaper. The effectiveness of the Dark Reaper laid within its ability to gather to it the Force by using the Force Harvester. The Harvester was the heart of the Dark Reaper weapon, and it destroyed anything within the Reaper's range by draining its Force energy and focusing it into beams which could then be used offensively.



Utilizing the Dark Reaper to aid him and the Krath forces he commanded, Ulic subjugated a large portion of space around the Empress Teta system&mdash;including the world Raxus Prime, in which the Dark Reaper killed thousands. When Kun devised a plan through which to destroy the Jedi Order using the Reaper, Ulic harbored a small amount of personal doubt; for reasons he could not understand, he still held close to him feelings for several Jedi, including his former love Nomi Sunrider, and his brother Cay Qel-Droma. Not wishing to see the Reaper unleashed on his old friends, Ulic covertly alerted the Jedi to the danger posed by the Dark Reaper, and advised them of ways to resist the Reaper's powers.

The Jedi confronted the Dark Reaper on the planet of Thule, which was deep within what had once been the Sith Empire. Using the information provided by Ulic, the Jedi task force was able to attack the Dark Reaper and able to defeat the enemy soldiers protecting it. Proceeding to disable the weapon, the Jedi broke the weapon apart, and took great care to hide the assorted pieces on a number of different planets. Finally, the Jedi hid the Force Harvester on the junkyard world of Raxus Prime, hoping that it would be be forgotten and not be used as a weapon again. Despite their efforts, both the Dark Reaper and Force Harvester would resurface thousands of years later during the galactic-wide Clone Wars.

During the time surrounding the Dark Reaper Campaign, the little known Battle of Ko Vari took place. However, the only details which are known about this battle is that it apparently involved the forces of the Republic and/or Jedi who fought the Krath within the region known as Hutt Space. Other than the participants, which history is even unsure of, no information has surfaced regarding this skirmish.

Battle of Kuar
"My warriors need another crusade. The Empress Teta system is in chaos, overstretched by their many conquests. The witch Aleema and her Jedi devotee Ulic Qel-Droma will fall under the fist of Mandalore!"

- Mandalore the Indomitable

While the Krath military, under the leadership of Ulic Qel-Droma, attempted to assert their control over neighboring systems, the seven worlds of Empress Teta appeared to be overstretched by their campaigns.



Attempting to gain honor by attacking the Krath, Mandalore the Indomitable led the Mandalorians in several raids inside Tetan space. Eventually, Mandalore attracted the personal attention of Ulic following a Mandalorian on an important carbonite smelting station under Krath command. Ulic contacted Mandalore and demanded the surrender of the Mandalorian army&mdash;Mandalore, however, wanted to duel Ulic in a one-on-one fight which would decide the fate of the seven worlds of Empress Teta. Having accepted the duel, Ulic offered his own terms to the outcome&mdash;that if he defeated Mandalore in battle, then the Mandalorian clans would fight under the war standards of Ulic and the Krath.

At the request of Mandalore, the two warlords and their armies gathered on Deep Core world of Kuar, on the Plains of Harkul. In an effort to make diminish Ulic's skills in the Force, Mandalore advised the Sith that the duel would take place far above the ground on a network of linked chains, and that Mandalore would be allowed to use his customized Basilisk war droid&mdash;Ulic, however, was not allowed any such was war mount. As the fight played out, Ulic was able to make the fight more fair by destroying Mandalore's Basilisk war droid thus forcing the Mandalorian chieftain to fight hand-to-hand. Nonetheless, Ulic was able to defeat Mandalore and gain his allegiance in the war against the Republic.

With the armies of Mandalore under his command, Ulic began preparations to further expand the war and escalate it to new heights.

Battle of Foerost
"Our enemy is Ulic Qel-Droma! We must report this to Coruscant at once. This is a dark day for the Republic."

- Captain Vanicus upon arriving at Foerost

With the warriors of Mandalore under his command, Ulic continued on with the plan for galactic domination that he and Exar Kun had devised. In an effort to weaken the Republic, Ulic and his military forces attacked the planet of Foerost, which housed one of the Republic's largest and oldest shipyards.



Using all advantages available to him, Ulic unleashed a blitzkrieg on the Foerost shipyards and managed to take the Republic forces that were present by surprise. Under the cover of Sith illusions conjured by Aleema, Ulic was able to sneak his real warships into strategic positions, and use his chaos fighters to pound the Republic defenses. While the space battle was taking place, Mandalore the Indomitable led his Mandalorian warriors through the corridors of Foerost's command station, destroying all opposition before him. With the combined coordination of the space forces and the Mandalorians, Ulic was able to quickly and decisively capture the Foerost shipyards, as well as the three hundred Republic ships that had been docked there.

With the three hundred acquired ships, Ulic and Mandalore immediately began preparations for an attack on Coruscant in an effort to topple the galactic government. However, part of Ulic's plan was to lead the Republic and Jedi to think that he was actually going to attack the outpost of Kemplex IX, which served as an important jump station in the Auril Sector. His plan succeeded in drawing the Republic fleet away from Coruscant, under the command of Captain Vanicus, therefore leaving it virtually undefended to an enemy landing force. With the galactic capital lacking the protection that its homefleet had provided it, Ulic gathered together the forces of the Krath and the clans of the Mandalorians and began his march to the center of the galaxy.

First Battle of Coruscant
"I'm going to prove that the Republic is weak and vulnerable, Exar Kun."

- Ulic Qel-Droma

The First Battle of Coruscant was a major offensive by the Krath to conquer the Republic during the Great Sith War. The attack force consisted of the Krath forces of Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma and the troops of Mandalore the Indomitable.

After receiving false information at Foerost, the main Republic fleet had been dispatched to Kemplex IX to thwart an upcoming ambush by Krath forces. Unfortunately, Ulic Qel-Droma had planted the information so that the fleet would leave Coruscant virtually undefended and open to an attack from his forces.

In a surprise attack, a combined force of Tetan Chaos Fighters and Basilisk War Droids swept into the city destroying the main defenses around the capital. Luckily for the Republic, a Jedi task force consisting of Cay Qel-Droma, Dace Diath, Nomi Sunrider, Qrrrl Toq, Shoaneb Culu, Sylvar, and Vodo-Siosk Baas had landed on the planet just prior to the beginning attack. Rallying the Republic forces, the Jedi were able to repair several of the turrets protecting the Senate Hall. With the Senate secure, Vodo led the Jedi to the adjacent Republic military command bunker, where he had sensed that the battle would be decided.

Meanwhile, Ulic Qel-Droma used the Republic's preoccupation with defending the Senate to take the Republic's War Room. Using the Force, Ulic coerced the commanders into giving orders for every Republic ship to converge at the Vento System Shipyards, which would destroy the entire Republic fleet. Not long thereafter, the Jedi arrived in time to capture Ulic.

Aleema, using her Sith illusions to help Mandalore the Indomitable capture the Republic Weapons Depot at the time, noticed the Republic's recapture of the War Room. Instead of trying to save Ulic, she ordered an immediate withdrawal, despite Lord Mandalore's protests. Aleema used the sudden loss of Ulic to reestablish herself as the leader of the Krath.

With the Sith withdrawal, Republic forces under Commander Netus quickly retook Coruscant. With the capture of Ulic, the Supreme Chancellor was quick to announce Qel-Droma's death-sentence for his crimes.

Battle of Vento
"Tell each admiral to deploy his squadron to the Vento system shipyards at the following coordinates&hellip;"

- Ulic to a captured Republic officer

The Battle of Vento was fought during the Great Sith War of 3,998-96 BBY, instigated by the Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma from the primary Republic military control center on Coruscant (located not far from the Senate Hall).

After capturing the facility using his Krath shocktroopers, Qel-Droma forced the captured Republic officers to issue a series of false orders to the fleet groups on station near the Republic shipyards in the Vento system, misleading one group into believing that another was a Sith attack force en route. Following this debacle, it is believed that a Krath force did in fact move in and secure the remnants of the system and the war matériel there.

The trial of Ulic Qel-Droma
"I don't plead with fools. You are puppets of a tradition pretending to be important. The coming of a golden age has no place for you. Your Republic is an empty, self-indulgent diversion&hellip;signifying nothing. The lost glory of the Sith will turn all of your supposed accomplishments to dust!"

- Ulic to the Inquisition

Second Battle of Coruscant
"Very well, let's go free poor Ulic. Perhaps he'll take my advice from now on when I warn him against rash actions, and we can show the Republic that they have no hope against us."

- Exar Kun

The Second Battle of Coruscant was a lightning strike carried out during the last year of the Great Sith War, 3,996 BBY. In the aftermath of fallen Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma's disastrous first assault upon the galactic capital of Coruscant, Qel-Droma ended up a prisoner of war, the result of treachery instigated by his lover, the Krath sorceress Aleema Keto. The captured Sith, awaiting trial and execution by the Republic Senate, did not realize that his newfound allies—the fanatically loyal Lord Mandalore the Indomitable and Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun—were already seeing through the haze of Aleema's betrayal, and were en route to Coruscant, intent on rescuing him.

Departing Yavin 4 aboard at least one large-scale capital ship with a sizeable force of Massassi warriors, Exar Kun and Lord Mandalore landed planetside on Coruscant, presumably fighting their way through the Republic soldiers and Jedi guarding the Senate complex, into the Great Hall where Ulic's trial was already underway. Once there, Kun utilized the dark side of the Force to utterly immobilize the entire Senate gallery, rendering them incapable of movement or speech. Ulic's brother Cay Qel-Droma ignited his lightsaber, intent on confronting Kun and the invading Massassi, but was restrained by Nomi Sunrider. The Jedi Sylvar, however, held no such compunctions, leaping headlong into the battle, intent upon recovering her life-mate Crado, now one of the Sith.

The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic attempted to battle Kun, but was instead enthralled to his will via the Force, and then thrown on the floor, presumably killed. Enter Master Vodo-Siosk Baas, whom likewise had made the trip to Coruscant, seeking to confront his former pupil. A fierce duel erupted on the Senate floor, Kun's double-bladed lightsaber against Master Vodo's walking-stick. Unable to sway his student back to the light side, Vodo was finally slain in front of the entire legislature, and many Jedi—past, present, and future.

Battle of Kemplex IX
"Let the three of us lead the counterattack on Kemplex Nine. We'll take command of the fleet."

- Dace Diath to Thon.

A significant event in historical terms, the Battle of Kemplex IX (fought in 3,996 BBY) was one of the major turning-points of the Great Sith War.

Following the successful strike against Coruscant and rescue of Ulic Qel-Droma from his Senate war crimes trial, Exar Kun and his lieutenants began planning the next phase of their war against the Old Republic. Beginning with a galaxywide pogrom carried out against the Jedi Order by its own students, resulting in the deaths of eight great Masters, a strategy was laid down to strike against a key Republic hyperspace jump-station at Kemplex IX in the Auril Sector.

With the capture of Qel-Droma, many of the Sith commanders under Aleema Keto questioned her right to take his place as de facto Krath military commander. Aleema sought to use the opportunity take the Kemplex IX station as proof of her leadership capabilities, with Crado as her battle overseer. Conceived by Ulic as a ruse to trick the Republic fleet into leaving Coruscant undefended, the ancient flagship of Naga Sadow—with its onboard Force-enhancing devices capable of wrenching out the heart of a star—was refitted in order to lead the assault. However, unbeknownst to Aleema or Exar Kun, Lord Mandalore the Indomitable secretly presented Ulic with evidence of his lover's treachery in the sudden withdrawal during the First Battle of Coruscant. Qel-Droma decided to keep Aleema in place as mission commander, but promised Mandalore that her betrayal would be repaid in full.

Launching the strike against Kemplex IX, the Sith battleship succeeded in obliterating all Republic defenses in the area. Word of the attack reached the Jedi enclave on Ossus—the only major planet close enough to render aid to the besieged station—and Master Thon gave the order for a counterattack against Kemplex, commanded by Dace Diath, Shoaneb Culu, and Qrrrl Toq. Arriving on the scene, the Jedi were horrified to discover all aboard the station dead, and the facility itself nearly annihilated. Detecting the ion-wake of Sadow's flagship, they headed into the nearby Cron Cluster, a stellar body of ten densely-arrayed stars. Opening fire on the Sith fleet, the Jedi ships were utterly unprepared for what happened next: Aleema, using the ancient technology aboard Sadow's ship, ripped the radioactive core out of one of the Cron suns, bathing the Jedi in gamma radiation, sterilizing the region in an instant.

Ulic's vengeance upon Aleema came to fruition in the next moments, however—having sabotaged the Sith device to ignite a terminal chain-reaction within the star, its destructive energies were triggered in a sudden supernova, unleashing a chain-reaction within the other nine nearby suns. Aleema, Crado, and the rest of the Krath war fleet were vaporized, Aleema herself realizing in her last moments that her treachery had finally been exposed.

The end result of this battle would be the creation of the Cron Drift supernova remnant, and an outspreading shockwave that would shortly reach the Jedi world of Ossus, its devastation forever ending an era of that Order.

Battle of Ossus
"Not enough... Given an entire year, we could not have salvaged enough. The rest will be lost forever."

- Tott Doneeta

The Battle of Ossus took place in the year 3,996 BBY, near the end of the Great Sith War.

During the Battle of Kemplex IX, a sabotaged ancient Sith device used to manipulate matter within the cores of stars caused the detonation of the nearby Cron Cluster stellar group, triggering a massive supernova shockwave in whose direct path lay the Jedi scholar world of Ossus.

A large-scale planetary evacuation was called, with military, civilian, and Jedi personnel alike struggling to escape the planet before the nova-wave arrived. The Jedi Masters planetside began a rescue operation focused upon salvaging as many relics, manuscripts, and other antiquities as possible from the enclave while there still was time. This would, in part, prove to be too tempting an opportunity for Exar Kun to pass up. Linking up with fellow Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma and reinforcements of Mandalorian and Massassi warriors, and redirecting Lord Mandalore the Indomitable's main battle group to Onderon, Kun launched a raid upon Ossus itself, intent on capturing the vast quantities of Jedi knowledge stored there.

With the evacuation already reaching critical levels, the Sith and Mandalorian ships converged upon the planet, targeting numerous civilian and military transport craft and engaging the Jedi defenses long enough for Kun to slip beneath the screens and land in the enclave. Among his first targets of choice was the residence of Master Ood Bnar, himself attempting to preserve a cache of antique Jedi lightsabers from the oncoming destruction. Engaging Kun and his Massassi, Master Bnar realized that his true skills lay not in combat, but in the powers of the Force. Drawing upon it, the Neti Jedi Master sealed the cache, metamorphosing into a great tree and thwarting the incredulous Dark Lord.

Not far afield, the Cathar Jedi Sylvar assaulted Kun near his ship, seeking revenge for her mate Crado's death at Kemplex IX, but was beaten by his elite Massassi guard. Cay Qel-Droma, however, sensed his brother Ulic's presence amongst the battling orbital and sub-orbital ships, and took the Nebulon Ranger to the skies in an effort to sway Ulic back to the light. Shot down by Mandalorian ships during the melée, Cay was forced to crash-land in the city, where the two brothers confronted each other for the very last time. Attempting to reason with him, Cay only succeeded in provoking Ulic's temper—the dark side surging within him, Ulic instigated a violent lightsaber duel, shearing off his younger brother's mechanical arm. Pleading with him, Cay tried to reach through to the Jedi deep beneath Ulic...but in one final surge of anger, Ulic slew his brother where he knelt.

As a final act of punishment and retribution, Nomi Sunrider imprisoned Ulic beneath a wall of light side Force-energy. Ulic was forever cut off from the Force and captured by the Republic, thereby becoming the last casualty of the battle. The stage would now be set for the final showdown with Exar Kun at Yavin IV and elsewhere.

$$Insert formula here$$====Battle of Al'Har====

The Battle of Al'Har occurred during the Great Sith War in the Al'Har system between at least one Jedi capital ship (very likely a transport vessel) and an unknown number of Krath warships. From what is known, the Jedi destroyed most or all of their opponents, but with their ship(s) sustaining heavy damage and crash-landing on the only world in that system, Haruun Kal.

Their descendants were undoubtedly the Force-sensitive "Korunnai" people, to whom Jedi Master Mace Windu belonged. This confrontation might have taken place in the year 3,996 BBY.

Fourth Battle of Onderon
"We have reached Onderon, the former home of the dark Jedi Freedon Nadd. We will conquer this place for our Lord, Ulic Qel-Droma, as ordered."

- Mandalore the Indomitable

Battle of Yavin IV
"Exar Kun, your dream of a Sith Golden Age is but a nightmare...from which we must now awaken."

- Thon

The redemption of Ulic Qel-Droma
"I cannot change the past. I meant to do good. But the dark side is slippery, as you yourself should know. I tried to hide. I tried to die. And finally, I tried to atone. You are not my judge, Sylvar. You are simply a pawn of your own emotions. I will not fight you."

- Ulic Qel-Droma

The Great Hunt
"The Great Hunt was organized by the Jedi Council shortly after the war against Exar Kun. Jedi were scattered throughout the galaxy, helping to rebuild from the devastation. Many Jedi vanished during this period, disappearing from a variety of worlds without warning. We did not know they had been slain until their mutilated bodies began to be discovered."

- Deesra Luur Jada

Legacy of the Great Sith War
"Will the Sith ever return? It's a probailistically historical inescapability. But, what makes you think they haven't already?"

- Lecture recording from The Lundi Series, Vol. 5: Historical Reincarnation

Brotherhood of the Sith
The Brotherhood of the Sith was a group of Dark Jedi who were led by the Sith Lord Exar Kun during the Great Sith War. Under the direction of Kun, a large number of Jedi made the decision to break away from the Jedi Order and study Sith techniques on Yavin 4. Mid-way through the Great Sith War, Kun's Brotherhood received the allegiance of the Krath, under the leadership of Ulic Qel-Droma, and would also gain the loyalty of the Mandalorian Crusaders under Mandalore the Indomitable.

The members of the Brotherhood of the Sith would eventually scatter with the defeat of Exar Kun and the end of the Great Sith War. Nonetheless, the legacy of the Sith would continue following Kun's defeat, with the next known Dark Lord of the Sith arising in the form of Darth Revan.

The Krath
The Krath were a secret dark side society founded by the cousins Satal and Aleema Keto during the time of the Great Sith War. Using the Sith knowledge that they had gained while studying under Freedon Nadd's spirit, Satal and Aleema initiated a deadly coup in the Empress Teta system, and established themselves as dictators. The Krath would eventually be infiltrated by the Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma who would try to learn their secrets in an effort to destroy them. Qel-Droma, however, eventually fell to the dark side during his quest, and was made warlord of the Krath military forces. Under the direction of Ulic and Aleema, the Krath would join forces with Exar Kun's Brotherhood of the Sith and wage the Krath Holy Crusade, which comprised a major portion of the Great Sith War.

Even though the Krath and their teachings were supposedly wiped out with the end of the Great Sith War, their legacy would eventually live on through Sebban Keto, a distant relative of Aleema and Satal Keto. Thousands of years after the end of the Sith War, Sebban re-established the Krath in Cinnagar. The history and legacy of the Krath would be eventually studied by Darth Sidious while he attempted to master the dark side of the Force.

Mandalorian Crusaders
The Mandalorian Crusaders hailed from the world of Mandalore, and were the first known group of Mandalorian conquerors. Though they had a supposedly long history, dating back to 7,000 BBY, next to nothing is known of their exploits before joining forces with Ulic Qel-Droma and the Krath during the Great Sith War. During that time, the Crusaders and their leader, Mandalore the Indomitable, swore their loyalty to Qel-Droma after the Sith Lord defeated Mandalore in a duel. Following that event, the Crusaders fought for Qel-Droma, and served him at many battles such as the Battle of Foerost and the First Battle of Coruscant. Though the would experience deception by Aleema, which caused them to lose honor during the First Battle of Coruscant, the Crusaders remained loyal to Qel-Droma and fought for him through the remainder of the Great Sith War.

Following the defeat of Exar Kun and the death of Mandalore the Indomitable, the Crusaders gained a new leader in the form of Mandalore the Ultimate, who reorganized them into the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. Under the leadership of their new Mandalore, the remnants of the Crusaders would once again find honor during the Mandalorian Wars.

Galactic Republic
The Galactic Republic was the democratic government which ruled a large portion of the known galaxy for approximately 21,000 years prior to the events of the Great Sith War. With the Jedi Order acting as the guardians of peace, the Republic was led by a Supreme Chancellor who presided over the members of the Galactic Senate. After surviving numerous wars and events, including the Great Hyperspace War and the Great Droid Revolution, the Republic found itself at odds with the Brotherhood of the Sith, along with their allies the Krath and Mandalorian Crusaders, who waged a galaxy-wide war against those who stood in their way. With the events of the Great Sith War reaching their climax in the year 3,996 BBY, the Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma, attempted to topple the Republic by leading a direct assault against the galactic capital of Coruscant. This battle would prove to be a turning point in the war, and several months later the Brotherhood of the Sith and their allies were defeated by the combined Jedi and Republic forces.

Following the events of the Great Sith War, the Galactic Republic would experience a time of relative peace and stability until the outbreak of the Mandalorian Wars, and later the Jedi Civil War. Though the Republic would continue to weather these wars and conflicts for several more thousand years, the efforts of Darth Sidious would eventually destroy the Republic and its ideals. With the rise of Sidious and his New Order, 25,000 years of Republic rule came to an end.

Jedi Order
The Jedi Order was a monastic order founded on their beliefs and observance of the Light side of the Force. Though their exact origins are unknown, it is commonly believed that their creation was around the year 25,000 BBY during the same time as the establishment of the Galactic Republic. They were eventually designated as the guardians of peace for the Republic, and through various wars and campaigns established their prowess in battle. Eventually, the Brotherhood of the Sith and its allies launched an enormous war against the Republic and the Jedi, hoping to establish a new Golden Age for the Sith Order. Through the determination and dedication of numerous young Jedi during the war, Exar Kun's dream of a new Sith age was brought to an end at the Battle of Yavin 4.

With the end of the Great Sith War the Jedi found themselves dealing with the after effects of Sith magic. The Great Hunt was a Jedi led effort to hunt down and exterminate the Terentateks, creatures which were believed to have been native to Korriban, and which fed off the blood of Force-sensitives. Following this, the Jedi Order fought in numerous more campaigns and wars, but were eventually destroyed during the Great Jedi Purge of which only a handful of Jedi would survive.

Freedon Nadd
"Once you accept it, the dark side is with you forever."

- Freedon Nadd

Freedon Nadd was a Human male who was a Dark Lord of the Sith during the time of the Galactic Republic. Beginning his career as a Jedi apprentice, he eventually became frustrated with the Jedi way and dedicated his efforts to seeking out ancient Sith knowledge.

Making his way to a number of Sith worlds, Nadd came into possession of an antique holocron and thereafter trained under the dark side spirit of Naga Sadow. Learning all he could from Sadow, Nadd killed his master and traveled to the remote world of Onderon where he usurped the planets rulers and established himself as King. Under his rule, Onderon experienced rapid growth and advancement, though it was all ultimately tainted by his dark side energy. Part of his policy was to banish criminals outside the walls of Iziz and into the wilderness of Onderon. These criminals eventually learned how to survive and tame the wild beasts of Onderon and launched a deadly guerrilla war against Nadd and his descendants.

Following Nadd's eventual death, his spirit lived on in his tomb underneath the palace in Iziz where he continued to teach his descendants the ways of the Sith. His spirit was finally vanquished by Exar Kun on Yavin 4 during Kun's search for Sith power.

Exar Kun
"Exar was a Jedi who was corrupted by ghosts of the old Sith, or so they say. He attempted to conquer the Republic and create a new Golden Age of the Sith."

- Jolee Bindo

Exar Kun was a Human male who left his Jedi training to pursue the Sith teachings during the time of Galactic Republic. He began his career as a highly talented Jedi apprentice of Master Vodo-Siosk Baas, but grew disenchanted with what he perceived as weaknesses of the Jedi way.

His descent to the dark side began with his curiosity of the Sith ways and he eventually sought Sith knowledge on the ancient planets of Onderon, Korriban, and Yavin 4. From all of these planets he learned valuable Sith teachings, and apprenticed himself to the spirit of the long-dead Sith, Freedon Nadd. Learning what he could from the spirit of Freedon Nadd, Kun used his new Sith powers to destroy Nadd so he could rule the galaxy unopposed. After the destruction of Nadd's spirit, Kun traveled to the Empress Teta System to eliminate another threat to his rule&mdash;the fallen Jedi, Ulic Qel-Droma. Ulic, however, turned out to be a worthy adversary and with the intervention of the spirit of Marka Ragnos anointed Kun the new Dark Lord of the Sith, and Ulic as Kun's Sith apprentice. With his new apprentice, Kun waged a brutal war against the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order, laying waste to the galaxy through several titanic battles. Eventually, Ulic turned away from the dark side and helped the Jedi defeat Kun at the Battle of Yavin 4. Kun, however, used his Sith powers to keep his spirit alive in a temple on the jungle moon's surface.

Exar Kun's spirit was eventually destroyed, nearly four thousand years later, by the combined efforts of the Jedi at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum.

Aleema Keto
"By the Sith power, I abjure you! May fear consume you! May your life force shrivel and die!"

- Aleema Keto

Aleema Keto was a Human female from the royal Keto family of the Empress Teta System. Hailing from not only a corrupt government, but also a corrupt family, Aleema was spoiled, bored, and rich. Along with a number of her friends, and her cousin Satal, Aleema dabbled in Sith magic and entertained herself with Sith artifacts from the Great Hyperspace War. She even convinced Satal to steal an ancient book full of Sith secrets from a museum on Coruscant&mdash;however, neither could read the text. As a result, Aleema and Satal set out in search of someone who could translate it, and eventually ended up on the planet of Onderon in the middle of the Freedon Nadd Uprising. Using her money and influence, Aleema and Satal were able to speak with King Ommin who helped them translate the text, and also gave Aleema an ancient Sith amulet. Eventually, Freedon Nadd realized that Aleema was but one key to the eventual resurrection of the Sith, and he offered to guide both Aleema and Satal in their rise to power.

Aleema would eventually become allies with Exar Kun, Ulic Qel-Droma, and Mandalore the Indomitable, and help wage an open war against the Republic and Jedi. As the war progressed, Aleema became the lover of Ulic, but her own ambitions were eventually her own downfall. Betraying Ulic and leaving him for dead during the First Battle of Coruscant, Ulic survived and convinced her to go to Kemplex IX and use an ancient Sith weapon against the Republic outpost. Just as Ulic knew it would, the weapon triggered a supernova which engulfed Aleema, killing her instantly.

Ulic Qel-Droma
"Being a Jedi will involve making such life and death choices. You'll have to face terrible ordeals. It is very easy to become trapped into a corner with nowhere to go."

- Ulic Qel-Droma

Ulic Qel-Droma was a Human male who served as a Jedi Knight during the days of the Galactic Republic. Having grown up on the world of Alderaan, he and his brother of Cay came from a family that was steadfast in the Force. Eventually, Ulic, Cay, and Tott Doneeta trained under the wise Jedi Master Arca Jeth on the planet of Arkania.

At the direction of Master Arca, Ulic traveled to Onderon and was instrumental in ending both the Beast Wars and the Naddist Uprising on Onderon. Following the events in the Onderon system, Ulic and his fellow Jedi were confronted by a new threat in the form of a galactic war. When the Krath threatened the Republic, and his beloved Master Arca was killed, Ulic attempted to infiltrate the Krath and destroy them from within. He was, however, unable to combat the allure of the dark side was was seduced by, first the Krath, and later the dark teachings of the Sith. Following his fall to the dark side, he joined forces with the newly anointed Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun, and was himself made a Sith Lord. Together, the two Sith laid waste to Republic and proclaimed that a new age was upon the galaxy. Following the murder of his brother, and his eventual capture by Nomi Sunrider, Ulic led the Jedi and Republic forces to Kun's secret base on Yavin IV, effectively ending the Great Sith War. After the Sith War, Ulic exiled himself to the snowy planet of Rhen Var, where he trained Vima Sunrider; he eventually met his death at the hands of the pilot Hoggon.

Nomi Sunrider
"He who learns the Dark Way will become infected with darkness. His judgment will become clouded and he will forget the good things he learned. If a Jedi persists in this attempt to bridge the two divergent roads, he will be torn apart in his very being."

- Nomi Sunrider

Nomi Sunrider was a Human female who served as a Jedi Master in the days of the Galactic Republic. As a young woman she married the Jedi Knight Andur Sunrider, and eventually Nomi gave birth to a baby girl, whom they named Vima. Following the murder of Andur, Nomi started down the path to become a Jedi Knight. She eventually completed her training under the Tchuukthai Jedi Master Thon, and was placed in charge of the Jedi relief mission sent to Onderon to aid in the Freedon Nadd Uprising. Along with several other Jedi, Nomi was able to help bring about the end of the Naddist Revolt, essentially putting an end to the reign of the Sith on Onderon.

Following those events, Nomi was one of many Jedi to participate in the war against the rise of Exar Kun and his apprentice, the fallen Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma. During the war, Nomi witnessed Ulic slay his own brother Cay and she used her powers to completely sever Ulic from The Force. Soon afterwards, the Great Sith War was brought to an end at the Battle of Yavin IV.

Following the devastation of the Sith War, Nomi was eventually made Head of the Jedi Order around the time of the Conclave of Exis Station. The details surrounding Nomi's death are not known, though her legacy was preserved in the histories of the Jedi.

Arca Jeth
"The enemy has found me, Ulic, but the enemy knows only darkness. I know something that enemy does not&hellip;I know the Light."

- Arca Jeth's final words

Arca Jeth was an Arkanian male who served as a Jedi Master and Watchman of the Onderon system during the time of the Galactic Republic. After establishing a Jedi training center on Arkania, he instructed Ulic Qel-Droma, his brother Cay, and the Twi'lek Tott Doneeta in the ways of the Jedi. He was also one of the first known Force users to use the ability of battle meditation.

In 4,050 BBY Jeth was part of a Jedi/Republic task force sent to the Hapes Cluster to eliminate the Lorell Raiders, who had developed a habit of preying on Republic shipping lanes. Following a Jedi victory over the Raiders, Jeth fought in the Hyabb-Twith Campaign and helped defeat the Nelori Marauders. During the Great Droid Revolution of 4,015 BBY, he fought on Coruscant and devolped a Force technique that allowed the Jedi to destroy the attacking droids using the Force. Much later in his career he would mediate over the Beast Wars of Onderon, and help defeat the spirit of Freedon Nadd. He was eventually killed at the Conclave of Deneba when the gathered Jedi assembly was assaulted by Krath War Droids.

In the arms of Ulic Qel-Droma, Arca Jeth became one with the Force.

Behind the scenes
Tom Veitch at first envisioned a slightly different version of the Great Sith War. He originally did not intend to include Exar Kun; Ulic Qel-Droma would remain a Krath general and engage in conquest for several years before joining with the Sith, and after his final defeat would never be redeemed and would die still in the grip of the dark side. This version of events was printed in the endnotes to the original Dark Empire comic issues.

However, starting with Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith, Veitch began changing his plans, first by including Exar Kun after hearing of Kevin J. Anderson's plans to use an ancient Sith Lord for his Jedi Academy Trilogy, and then by co-authoring Dark Lords of the Sith with him. Anderson would go on to write The Sith War and Redemption on his own, thus further changing Veitch's original plans. Veitch came to resent the intrusion, and claimed "Ulic Qel-Droma [was taken] from me and butchered."