Ambria/Legends

Ambria was a small desert planet in the Ambria system, located in the Stenness Node of the Inner Rim.

Animal life on Ambria included herds of staga, small lizards called neeks, and the strange, evil dragons called Hssiss from Lake Natth, a place strong with the dark side of the Force.

It was home to the Jedi Master Thon shortly before the Great Sith War. In 4,002 BBY, Thon took Oss Wilum as his Padawan on Ambria, following the elimination of its life by a Sith Lord. In 4,000 BBY Thon took Nomi Sunrider as Padawan on Ambria. Also, it was the main war machine for the Sith Empire, creating warships for the Great Hyperspace War.

Destruction of Ambria
Originally, Ambria was a mineral-rich world, which boasted several indigenous sentient species, and a wide variety of fauna. Stenness Node was made up of a number of lucrative mining worlds, and it was not long before their corporations began to make use of Ambria's vast amount of natural resources. Over time, Ambria caught the attention of the mining experts in the Galactic Republic, who established bases there to extract the valuable ores and minerals the planet possessed. However, although Ambria had a breathable atmosphere and plenty of potential nourishment, few permanent establishments were ever built. This was because most species found the terrain too rugged and the climate unbearable to live in, as well as the fact that there were far easier operations to be set up on nearby planets in the Stenness system. Thus, Ambria was never colonized, and, by and large, remained uninhabited for millennia, except for the few native species that roamed the wastelands.

Things remained this way for centuries, until a Sith Sorceress made Ambria her home. Little was known of her origins, and even her name was lost to history, though her deeds had been recorded by the Jedi Order, and were stored in their great archives. She used her dark powers to enslave the native sentients, and used many of the planet's wildlife as war-beasts, aided by the dark side. She began construction of a great black obelisk infused with the dark side; it took her slaves spending over a century building it, though despite the time it took to be completed, her obsession never dwindled. Eventually, she had the chance to conduct the Sith ritual the obelisk had been built for. The exact nature of this ritual is unknown, though Jedi Scholars were able to make out a basic version of events. The Sorceress was not as powerful as she had believed, and her overconfidence proved her undoing. She called on more power than any individual had ever attempted previously, and it proved too complex for her to manage. She released an uncontrolled wave of powerful dark energy on the planet; it destroyed every living thing on the planet, which became totally infused with dark side energies.

Later, some time after the Great Hyperspace War of 5,000 BBY, several of the remaining Sith Lords sought refuge on Ambria, where they hid among the dark side energies in order to avoid persecution. They stayed on the planet for many years, until passing into the Force themselves, leaving yet more dark side spirits on Ambria. They remained embedded in the planet itself, preventing anything from growing on the desolate world. They sometimes inhabited the bodies of the Hssiss who frequented Lake Natth&mdash;they were the only beings who had survived the previous eradication of life on Ambria.

Thon's arrival
In time, a Tchuukthai Jedi Master named Thon would make the planet of Ambria his home. Little was known of Thon's origins; he was highly secretive and reclusive about where he had learned his vast array of Force abilities. After teaching the other Jedi on Ossus various powers they had not known previously, Thon departed to find somewhere more secluded and peaceful than the Great Jedi Library to train his students. He began wandering the galaxy aimlessly, letting the Force guide him. Eventually, Thon felt the presence of a number of dark side spirits, way out in the distance beyond his ship's scanners. Thon followed the dark presence until he arrived on Ambria, where he was immediately attacked by the malevolent spirits of the Sith. The Tchuukthai Jedi Master managed to repel them for a time, though soon his stamina became depleted, and he could no longer hold off the dark forces. However, Thon still had a plan, and led the spirits to Lake Natth; he swan out to the center of the lake, and allowed the dark spirits to consume him. However, with one final effort, the mysterious Jedi Master ensnared his foes in a wave of light side energy, confining them the murky waters at the bottom of Lake Natth. The sinister spirits were furious, and often possessed local reptiles, called Hssiss, and attacked any visitors to the planet. Although they had not been completely defeated, the dark side spirits on Ambria had finally been contained.

Thon set about exploring the rest of the planet, and had several foreign species of animal imported; the Jedi Master wanted to bring about the revival of the desert world. On his travels, he discovered a vast canyon with a particularly strong connection in the Force, where he used meditate during times of hardship. Thon built a small Jedi training compound, sparse in luxuries and decoration, where he lived, and, when they eventually came to Ambria, taught his Jedi students. He trained several students on Ambria over a twelve year period, including Oss Wilum, a fast-learning Vultan Jedi.

In 4,000 BBY, Wilum had all but completed his training, so Thon had fellow Jedi Master Chamma send his young apprentice to Ambria to hone his Jedi abilities under Thon's expert tutelage. However, Andur Sunrider never made it to Ambria. Upon arriving in the Stenness system with his wife Nomi and daughter Vima, Andur was attacked by thugs sent by Great Bogga the Hutt, the self-titled "ruler" of Stenness Node. Bogga had learned that Sunrider would be carrying an amount of valuable adegan crystals, given to him by his Master Chamma as a gift for Thon. Although Bogga's cronies were successful in killing Andur, his wife Nomi, a Force-sensitive being herself, lashed out with her late husband's lightsaber, killing one of Bogga's men. The others fled, and Bogga's efforts to steal the crystals had been thwarted. Nomi continued on to see Thon regardless of Andur's death, and when the Tchuukthai Jedi Master realized her Force potential, he decided to train her in the ways of the Force.

Bogga was still determined to get his hands on the crystals, and sent a pirate named Finhead Stonebone to Ambria to retrieve them and kill Thon. The Tchuukthai managed to halt Stonebone's first assault, but in an effort to make Sunrider use her lightsaber, he gave himself up to the band of pirates without a fight. Nomi had previously killed a man with her late husband's saber, so was reluctant to take a hold of such a potentially dangerous weapon. Thon allowed the pirates to shackle him, though a fight soon broke out between the pirates over who would present the adegan crystals to Great Bogga. Sunrider used this oppurtunity to use her battle meditation, an old Jedi art which influenced and affect the actions of others. While Stonebone's crew fought amongst themselves, Nomi rescued Thon, and together they drove back the pirates.

Soon after Sunrider finished her training, a war&mdash;known as the Great Sith War&mdash;broke out between the Jedi Order/Republic and the Krath; Thon was the only remaining inhabitant for the duration of the war. However, several other Jedi, fighting for both sides, visited Ambria midway throughout the war. Sunrider and Sylvar, a Cathar Jedi, came to see Thon, while another Cathar, named Crado, as well as Thon's former apprentice Oss Wilum, arrived on Ambria to kill the Master. They had been infected by Exar Kun, the Dark Lord of the Sith, and his lies and propaganda, and had been sent to the barren world to dispose of Thon. The Tchuukthai Master, however, and his two visitors easily defeated the Hssiss Crado and Wilum sent after them, and forced the Cathar Dark Jedi into fleeing, while Wilum was eventually redeemed.

There was little activity on Ambria for the remainder of Thon's life, and after the Jedi Master's death it was left completely uninhabited once again.

Inhabitants
Ambria originally had several sentient species, though no major settlements were ever known to have been built by these species. After its natural resources were discovered by the Republic, teams of miners inhabited Ambria, though no permanent settlements were ever established...

Hssiss
Hssiss originated as savage reptilian predators on Ambria, and were one of the few creatures to survive the planet's destruction. They lived in and near Lake Natth, where Thon had imprisoned the dark side energies that had plagued the planet for millennia. The dark spirits then began to possess the creatures, turning them into something much fouler&mdash;it was said that these "dark side dragons" aided those who used the dark side of the Force. Eventually, Great Bogga began to use them as body guards, and pitted them against those who had failed him. and when he realized how effective and vicious they were, he had them transported offworld and sold in bulk. Soon, Hssiss could be found all over the galaxy, especially on worlds where the dark side was strong, including Korriban, Mimban and Vjun.

In appearance, Hssiss looked nothing more than particularly vicious reptiles, about three meters in length, with a green, scaly hide. In addition to those three meters, they had a meter long tail, covered in rows of spikes which stretched up past their backs and onto their necks. When in the lakes on Ambria, they hunted in pairs, grasping their prey with their strong jaws and sinking dozens of teeth into the unfortunate animal's body, while the other Hssiss sunk its jagged claws into it.

Neek
Neeks were reptilian herbivores, averaging at about thirty centimeters in height, indigenous to the planet Ambria. They were non-sentient, and could often be seen congregating in flocks of about half a dozen, banding together for protection against the larger, carnivorous creatures, such as the Hssiss. Neeks served largely as food for these animals, though they did have an effective defense mechanism in the form of their lack of long amounts of sleep. They needed only two or so hours of sleep per day, allowing them to replenish their strength in shifts. Although they were generally pleasant creatures, neeks were known to be extremely paranoid and scatty, though this was also used to other's advantage: they were often used by scouts and explorers when venturing into new territories. The neeks would become jittery at the first sign of danger, as their visual and aural sense were far more attuned than most sentient species in the galaxy.

Neeks had a unique skeletal, and unlike most reptiles, walked on their hind legs, with smaller forelegs used as arms. They had small fingers used to pull up roots and vegetation, and had a large tail which gave them an extraordinary sense of balance. Gray in color, they could run over sixty kilometers an hour. Vima Sunrider used to play with them during her time on Ambria, and once chased them to the edge of Lake Natth. Her mother Nomi, however, used the Force to make the two beasts attack each other, and took her daughter to safety.

Staga
Staga were large, horned animals, brought to Ambria by Master Thon. They had a reptilian appearance, though some had large tufts of hair covering their backs. Their skin was green, and they had thick scales, a long tail and two large, curved horns. They were generally seen in packs of two dozen or so, and often stampeded, surrounded by clouds of dust. Thon tended to them, and kept them safely tethered outside his home. He did, however, allow them to wander during the day; he would call them back with hooting cries. They were transported to the planet Taanab after Thon's time, where they were used as a food source for the local population. Although Staga appeared relatively harmless, they had several defense mechanisms in the form of the sharp scales, which were painful for Humans to touch, and their long horns. They were trainable, and humanoids could ride them, but they were unruly mounts at best.

Meditative Canyon
Located in the Tiernvael Mountains, the Meditative Canyon on Ambria is a place with a strong connection to the Force. The area is drier and more barren than the rest of the planet, and because of the relentless wind storms that plagued the region, the Canyon remained largely unexplored for millennia&mdash;even the Sith Sorceress had not discovered it. Master Thon stumbled upon it as he sought shelter during a vicious storm while he traveled around the planet, and found that one of the walls had an usually powerful presence in the Force; it made the Tchuukthai Master feel calm and cut off from the carnage happening above ground. The ancient Jedi Master left once the storm had subsided, though he marked its location, and often returned to meditate.

The canyon was extremely vast, measuring over one kilometer deep, one kilometer long and half a kilometer wide. The inside walls of the canyon were lined with small caves, and a deep river lay at the pit of the canyon, twisting and turning to match the canyon's remarkable shape. Along the walls of the canyon and inside the caves, there were a great many stalagmites, some of which were covered in transparent crystals. Though the crystals had no impact on the Force, Thon, and other Jedi, used them to focus on during meditation. The canyon had several levels, each marked with a different strata&mdash;some had ledges and cliffs, while others had massive caves and tunnels. Throughout Ambria's history, none attempted to properly explore these rock formations.

Despite its connection to the Force, the canyon remained largely devoid of living beings throughout its history. During Thon's time on Ambria, the only creatures who ever explored the canyon were neeks and staga, apart from the Jedi Master and his apprentices. After Thon's time, many Jedi Masters used the canyon to occasionally escape their stressful existence, and during the Great Jedi Purge it served as an excellent hideout for renegade Jedi&mdash;Emperor Palpatine was unaware of its existence.

Sith Obelisk
The Sith Obelisk on Ambria was kilometers high, with a large spike that shot up into the sky. Built using much of the natural resources of Ambria, the Obelisk was a dark shade of black in color. It was constructed by the Sith Sorceress's slaves, and took over one hundred standard years to be entirely built. The Obelisk was erected in the wild, northern regions of the planet, near the great canyon discovered by Thon. When the Sorceress' failed ritual destroyed the planet, the Obelisk was destroyed, as were the Sorceress and her slaves.

Other locations
The Tiernvael Mountains were huge, steep mountains shrouded in shadow and darkness, located just north of the Ambrian equator. They were largely unexplored, though the canyon they were located next to was often used by Master Thon for meditation.

Behind the scenes

 * The PC game Star Wars: Rebellion mistakenly places Ambria in the Xappyh Sector of the Outer Rim.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War
 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Jedi vs. Sith
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Dark Empire
 * Dark Apprentice
 * Dark Apprentice

Notes and references
Ambria