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"Welcome to Dromund Kaas, where freedom goes to die, and legends are forced on the galaxy."
Vette[15]

Dromund Kaas was the third planet in the Dromund system, a star system in the Sith Worlds region of the Outer Rim Territories's Esstran sector. Originally a colony of the Sith Empire, its location was lost by the time of the Great Hyperspace War with the Galactic Republic, but the Sith Emperor led his people on a twenty-year odyssey that ended with the rediscovery of Dromund Kaas in 4980 BBY. The Emperor and the remnants of the shattered Sith society reconstituted the Sith Empire with Dromund Kaas as its capital, taming the planet's savage jungles and building up their Empire's strength from the skyscrapers of Kaas City. Dromund Kaas remained safe from Republic reprisal when the Empire launched the Great Galactic War in 3681 BBY, though a Republic invasion fleet assaulted the Imperial capital in 3640 BBY during the Galactic War with the Empire while a Jedi Knight fought and defeated the Emperor in personal combat.

The reconstituted Empire eventually dissolved before 2000 BBY, and Dromund Kaas' jungles gave way to murky swamps over the centuries as the planet's location once again fell into obscurity. A major battle of the New Sith Wars was fought on Dromund Kaas, and several decades later the rogue Sith Lord Darth Millennial established the Dark Force religion on Dromund Kaas after he rejected the Rule of Two and abandoned the Order of the Sith Lords. The Prophets of the Dark Side who followed Millennial's religion ruled Dromund Kaas for almost a thousand years before they incurred the wrath of Darth Sidious, causing the Prophets to abandon the planet for Bosthirda. Despite its relative obscurity, the planet became embroiled in the galactic conflict known as the Clone Wars, but the powerful influence of the dark side of the Force on Dromund Kaas continued to draw both Jedi and Sith to the planet over the next several decades.

Description[]

"I'm not sure I like the look of that swamp."
―Mara Jade[9]

Dromund Kaas was the third planet of the Dromund system,[4] a star system located in the Sith Worlds[3]—a region of the Outer Rim Territories's Esstran sector[2] that was enclosed in the nebula known as the Stygian Caldera.[1] Dromund Kaas had two moons and orbited the star Dromund,[4] and it lay along the Kamat Krote hyperspace route between the planets Jaguada and Bosthirda.[1]

Jungle Valley

The wilderness jungles of Dromund Kaas

By the time of the Great Hyperspace War with the Galactic Republic, Dromund Kaas was largely covered by jungles[5] and oceans.[4] When the survivors of the old Sith Empire arrived on the planet[16] in 4980 BBY,[17] they were forced to tame the seemingly endless jungles and fend off the planet's violent predators in order to establish their society,[16] and the planet remained largely jungles, oceans, and swamps other than the metropolis of Kaas City and other locations on the surface.[6] Dromund Kaas' atmosphere was also heavily charged with electricity to the point that lightning was a near-constant sight in the almost perpetually clouded sky; a result of the Sith Emperor's experiments in arcane and forbidden uses of the dark side of the Force.[5]

In the centuries after the Galactic War between the Empire and the Republic, the planet's jungles were largely overtaken by swamps and marshes, submerging most of the planet's solid ground. The breathable atmosphere became more stable, though it remained a wet and humid world with a varying climate.[4] Massive, dark-wooded trees grew in the swampy water, forming canyon-like groupings of foliage that were covered in vines and infested with the lizard-like ysalamiri creatures.[4] The planet was shrouded in a pervasive miasma of dark side energy,[18] and locations such as the Dark Temple[7] and the Dark Force Temple were the sites of intensely strong Force nexuses.[9]

History[]

Early history[]

"It's not the jungles that are dangerous on Dromund Kaas--it's the people."
Q'kal[19]

Vitiate claimed that Dromund Kaas was the true homeworld of the Sith species, but that claim was unverified.[5] At some point after the death of King Adas, the Sith Empire colonized Dromund Kaas. Sorzus Syn visited the planet while it was controlled by the Sith Empire.[20] However, its location was lost several centuries before 5000 BBY.[5]

Capital of the Sith Empire[]

"The survivors finally settled on the jungle world of Dromund Kaas. There, the Emperor revealed his vision to build a new civilization of unrivaled efficiency."
Gnost-Dural[16]
Dromund Kaas rally

The remnants of the Sith Empire arrive on Dromund Kaas.

The rediscovery of Dromund Kaas began in the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace War, when the Sith Lord Vitiate ordered his researchers and historians to locate a safe haven for the people of the shattered Empire. Once they succeeded in rediscovering Dromund Kaas' location, Vitiate summoned all of the remaining Sith Lords to his homeworld of Nathema and mentally enslaved them, using their strength to perform a dark side ritual that stripped the life from Nathema and made him immortal. Vitiate then gathered the remaining people of the Sith Empire and embarked on a twenty-year wandering journey that finally ended[5] in 4980 BBY[17] with the "rediscovery" of Dromund Kaas thanks to Vitiate's advice.[5]

Upon arriving on the surface of Dromund Kaas, Vitiate declared a reconstituted Empire with himself at the head that would one day return and take revenge upon the Republic. Under the guidance of the newly-created Dark Council,[16] a group of twelve Dark Lords of the Sith who each assumed leadership over an aspect of the Empire,[17] the new Empire gradually tamed their new homeworld and built their strength. Odile Vaiken, the Human who founded the new Imperial Military, led a military campaign into the wild jungle in order to clear the wilderness and make way for the Empire's capital, Kaas City. Vaiken himself slew a terentatek on the future site of the Imperial Citadel,[16] the building that would house the headquarters of the Sith Order and the Empire's Ministries of War, Intelligence, and Logistics.[21] From Dromund Kaas, the Empire gradually expanded their domain.

RevanMalak-SithEmperor

Revan and Malak confront the Sith Emperor on Dromund Kaas.

Around 3960 BBY, after defeating the Mandalorians at Malachor V, the Jedi Revan and Malak discovered Dromund Kaas. They confronted the Sith Emperor, but he dominated their minds, turning them to the dark side and anointing them as Darth Revan and Darth Malak. Revan was redeemed by the Jedi and slew Malak in the ensuing Jedi Civil War. In 3954 BBY Revan, his memory wiped, found his way to the Emperor's homeworld of Nathema, where he was captured by the Dark Councilor Darth Nyriss and the Sith Lord Scourge. Nyriss and Scourge were part of a conspiracy against the Emperor, and so Nyriss imprisoned Revan in her own estate on Dromund Kaas, with the Emperor unaware that he had returned. Four years later, Revan's protege Meetra Surik went in search of Revan and found Dromund Kaas. She rescued Revan, and they allied with Scourge. The three of them attacked the Emperor, but Scourge had a vision which prompted him to betray the Jedi. Scourge killed Surik, and Revan was captured by the Emperor. The Emperor purged the Dark Council to eliminate the conspiracy.[5]

Three hundred years later, the Empire revealed itself and attacked the Republic in the Great Galactic War, which ended in 3653 BBY with the Treaty of Coruscant. In the ensuing Cold War, Dromund Kaas was the center of several crises confronting the Empire. Around 3643 BBY, a large rebellion was secretly instigated by the Sith Lord Darth Baras. The Sith Lord Grathan declared himself the thirteenth Dark Council member and led a revolt against the Dark Council. Darth Baras sent his apprentice, the future Empire's Wrath, to assassinate Grathan's son Beelzlit.[6]

A Sith apprentice called Kallig discovered their ancient heritage in the Dark Temple when they encountered Aloysius Kallig, their ancestor. A Great Hunt also began around this time, and an upstart bounty hunter collected bounties on Dromund Kaas to enter. After winning the Hunt, that bounty hunter returned to Dromund Kaas to kill a Sithspawn which was attacking a Mandalorian camp. Finally, a group of terrorists led by The Eagle, and secretly backed by Dark Council member Darth Jadus, began attacking the Empire on Dromund Kaas. Imperial Intelligence assigned its newest agent Cipher Nine to deal with the terrorists. There was also a cult known as the Order of Revan, which worshiped Revan. An agent of the Empire infiltrated the cult and exposed its leader Tari Darkspanner.[6]

In 3641 BBY a new open conflict, known as the Galactic War, eventually started between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic.[6]

Fall of the Sith Empire[]

"Yet that is not why I stand before you. Instead, I can finally confirm what many have suspected for months: The Sith Emperor is dead."
"A Jedi strike team confronted the Emperor during a recent attack on Dromund Kaas. Now a joint SIS and Jedi committee has concluded that the galaxy's greatest villain is gone forever."
"This does not change the fight ahead. The Dark Council remains the true political power in the Empire. But it sends a message to the Sith and their followers: We are coming for you."
Supreme Chancellor Saresh and Satele Shan, in a HoloNet announcement[22]

In the Dromund Kaas operation, the Republic and the Jedi sent a fleet to attack Dromund Kaas while a Jedi landed on the planet and confronted the Emperor in the Dark Temple. The Jedi killed the Emperor's Voice, forcing the Emperor into a state of hibernation while the galaxy believed him to be dead.[23]

After the incident with the Revanites[24] and Vitiate's declaration of consuming all life on Ziost.[25] Dromund Kaas and the Sith Empire's leadership fell to the Dark Council, led by Darth Marr, who decided to outcast their former Emperor along with his entire power base except the former Emperor's Wrath, now Empire's Wrath.[24]

Bombardment of Dromund Kaas KotET

At the end of the war against Zakuul, Dromund Kaas was bombarded by the Eternal Fleet.

The Galactic War eventually ended by the brutal and unexpected invasion of the Sith Empire by the Eternal Empire of Zakuul, overwhelming the entire galaxy from the depth of Wild Space.[26] The Dark Council fell and only Darth Acina remained with no one powerful enough to challenge her. She became the Sith Empress and Dromund Kaas still remained the capital of the Empire.[27]

After the Invasion of Voss,[28] The Commander of the Alliance against Zakuul went to Dromund Kaas in order to negotiate the support of the Sith Empire to the Alliance in the war against Zakuul. However, the shuttle carrying Empress Acina and the Alliance Commander was shot down above the jungles of the planet. They survived the crash and had to fight together to escape the GenoHaradan assassins hired by Leontyne Saresh, the former Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. Acina and the Alliance Commander exposed the Imperial Minister of Logistics Gelmid Lorman as a traitor and eventually agreed to a truce between the Sith Empire and the Alliance.[27]

Near the end of the war, Empress of Zakuul Vaylin was killed during the Assault on Odessen,[29] But leaderless, the Eternal Fleet reverted to its primal programming. The Eternal Fleet warships attacked many inhabited worlds in an effort to eradicate all life in the galaxy. The bombardment of Dromund Kaas eventually ended when the Alliance Commander took control of the Eternal Throne during the Battle of Zakuul.[30]

Prophets of the Dark Side[]

"Its next round of rediscovery came by someone who rejected the Rule of Two, who thought that there was more than enough of the dark side to go around. He founded a religion that would become known as the Dark Force. There's an ancient temple there still. It was serviced for centuries by the Dark Prophets. It's so steeped in the dark side that it formed its own nexus-one so powerful it interferes with all weaponry and technology except for lightsabers."
―Luke Skywalker[18]

During the Light and Darkness War in 1004 BBY, Dromund Kaas was the site of a battle where the Brotherhood of Darkness landed an army to occupy the planet but they were repelled by a violent Republic counterattack.[1]

After the disappearance of the Sith Empire prior to 2000 BBY, it was effectively abandoned until it became a refuge for the rogue Sith Lord Darth Millennial sometime after 990 BBY.[3] Having rejected the Rule of Two, a doctrine that insisted there only be two Sith at any given time, Millennial sought to begin a new dark side religion on the planet, beginning what would later be known as the Dark Force.[4] Followers of this religion, the so-called Prophets of the Dark Side, would rule the planet for years, until its rediscovery by one Darth Sidious sometime before the onset of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY.[3]

These events, however, took place outside of the public eye, and Dromund Kaas was deleted, one among several planetary systems from the Jedi Archives. The legacy of Dromund Kaas was believed by most in the Jedi Order to be a myth, a story used by young Padawans to frighten each other; only rumors were heard of Dromund Kaas in the greater galaxy, and belief in its existence was held only by cultists and anti-Jedi conspiracy theorists.[4]

However, during the Clone Wars, Jedi Master Yoda, while investigating the gaps in the Jedi Archives, discovered that not only was Dromund Kaas real, but the more unsettling news that it was within the boundaries of the Old Sith Empire. It was believed that Yoda may have personally investigated the system, however any such mission would have been known only to the highest ranks of the Jedi, and any records of the project had been lost.[4] Despite this level of secrecy, the 327th Star Corps would later fight a battle on Dromund Kaas during the Clone Wars.[31]

Sidious, after enlisting the Prophets to his service, kept the planet's existence a secret. He would later use it as a testing ground for his Dark Side Adepts, and the planet remained known only to those few.

The Plan of the Prophetess KaD

The "Prophetess" Sariss was raised on Dromund Kaas

Roly Melusar's father tried to encourage the natives to rebel against the Prophets, but was killed by them. As a result, Roly Melusar developed a strong hatred toward any and all Force-sensitives.[32]

The planet was deserted when the Prophets enraged Sidious, and followed Kadann to Bosthirda.[4]

The New Republic and beyond[]

"Fortunately for us, there are a very few places on this planet with solid ground, so it will narrow our search. Unfortunately, that works both ways-if the Tribe is hiding out here, we'll be fairly easy to spot. We need to watch one another closely. If Master Katarn could be swayed, then any of us could. Not just Vestara."
―Luke Skywalker, about the Lost Tribe of Sith[18]

After the rise and fall of the Empire, Dromund Kaas was once more forgotten, until Jedi Knight Kyle Katarn learned of the planet from ancient inscriptions in 9 ABY.[4] Abruptly ending the training of his pupil, Mara Jade, Katarn located the system and battled many Sith abominations to reach the Dark Force Temple, where he succumbed to the temptations of the dark side.[4][9]

Dromund Kaas temple

Dromund Kaas during the reign of the New Republic

After he fell out of contact, Jade began to worry for the Jedi. Setting out for Dromund Kaas herself, Jade worked her way through both local monsters and many Sith traps, eventually finding Katarn's shuttle, and later the Temple itself. Within the ancient structure Jade fought stranger, more powerful foes than even the swamps had offered; strange, animated statues and the resurrected corpses of long-dead Sith rose to meet her, along with the dark side apparition known as Dark Mara. After a long, winding chase through the Temple's catacombs, Jade finally confronted Katarn. After dueling for a time, Jade lowered her weapon in surrender—an act of faith in Katarn's heart. Seeing this display, Katarn realized that he could not kill his own friend and ally, and was able to overthrow the dark taint of the Temple, and free himself from the clutches of the dark side, fleeing the planet with Jade.[9]

Katarn, along with Luke Skywalker and other Jedi, was later able to piece together some of the planet's history, including its role for Palpatine. Wary after Katarn's fall, Skywalker decided that Dromund Kaas was a danger that could wait until the New Jedi Order became stronger. With the aid of New Republic Intelligence, he was able to ensure that Dromund Kaas stayed a myth, as it had for millennia.[4]

Luke Skywalker, Ben Skywalker, Jaina Solo, and Vestara Khai traveled to the planet in 44 ABY in order to find the Dark Side Entity Abeloth. While there they were attacked by 10 Sith Sabers of the Lost Tribe of Sith led by Gavar Khai. Despite being outnumbered and the Sith being powered by the Force nexus of Dromund Kaas the Jedi managed to defeat all the Sith and Vestara killed her own father, who had fallen under Abeloth's thrall.[18]


Inhabitants[]

"Dromund Kaas is the Imperial Capital. Legions of Sith call it home. The remaining population is almost entirely Imperial military."
―Lord Scourge[23]
KaasCity-TOR

Kaas City

Dromund Kaas was, for the most part, an abandoned world, once the heart of the reborn Sith Empire it was now lacking almost anything in the way of sentient life.[3] The major exception to this rule was the lasting presence of the Prophets of the Dark Side, and even they were few in number, remaining mostly confined to their Temple.[4]

In the centuries between their founding by Darth Millennial and their rediscovery, very few even knew of the existence of Dromund Kaas, much less that of the Prophets, with only whispers of the Dark Force being spoken in the wider galaxy. However, after their indoctrination by Sidious, groups of Prophets were moved off-world: Supreme Prophet Kadann and the Dark Jedi Sariss, the daughter of Lord Cronal, among them. In turn, Sidious would use Dromund Kaas as a proving ground for his Dark Side Adepts, entrusting the Prophets with their early training.[4]

After enraging Sidious with one of his prophecies, Kadann pulled the Dark Force off of Dromund Kaas, relocating to Bosthirda. The planet would then remain, for the most part, deserted.[4][9]

By 10 ABY, the skeletal remains of Human or near-Human explorers were scattered across the swamps, picked clean by either time or native creatures.[9]

Locations[]

"That's an extremely dangerous place. And very, very strong with the dark side."
―Luke Skywalker[18]

Being a world of almost entirely sea and swamp, Dromund Kaas possessed very few notable locations with many falling into obscurity or destroyed by the time of the Galactic Civil War. The one major exception, however, was the Dark Force Temple. Located in the heart of the swamp, the Temple contained a nexus of dark side energy so powerful that it disrupted most types of weapons on the planet's surface, including blasters, rail launchers and various explosives.[9]

SithEmperorCitadell

The citadel on Dromund Kaas

Built during the original Sith Empire, the Temple was deserted shortly after the Great Hyperspace War of 5000 BBY. However, during the time of the Great Galactic War and the subsequent Cold War, Dromund Kaas was the base of operations for the resurgent Sith Empire. The Sith built buildings such as the Imperial Intelligence headquarters in Kaas City, but these settlements, like the rest of the planet, were deserted after the end of the Galactic War. Forgotten for nearly three thousand years, the Temple's location eventually fell into the hands of Seviss Vaa, a Sith Lord in the Brotherhood of Darkness, who passed the information on to Lord Kaan.[3]

After the instigation of the Rule of Two, Darth Millennial based his Dark Force religion there, where they would remain for nearly a thousand years, until the Prophets of the Dark Side relocated to Bosthirda, fearing the wrath of Darth Sidious.[4] The surrounding swamp would reclaim much of the Temple between then and 10 ABY, when the ruins were visited by Mara Jade and Kyle Katarn, the latter of whom briefly fell under the Temple's dark sway.[9]

Behind the scenes[]

Dromund Kaas (spelled Drommund Kaas) first appeared as the setting for the final three levels of Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith. In-game, the player (as Mara Jade) treks through the swamps and temples, eventually facing Kyle Katarn in the heart of the catacombs.

Mysteries of the Sith writer Ryan Kaufman originally intended Kyle Katarn to have discovered the planet accidentally during an ill-fated pirate raid, years before he realized its significance and returned.[33] However, this idea never made it into the final game, and was later discarded completely in The Dark Forces Saga.

There is a discrepancy regarding exactly where Dromund Kaas is located. The Dark Forces Saga claims that it is the third planet of the Dromund system; however, Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force first places the planet in the Thurra system, then, later in the book, in the Dromund system.[3]

In the novel The Old Republic: Revan, Dromund Kaas is referred to as "the long-lost homeworld of the original Sith species"[5], but Drew Karpyshyn, author of The Old Republc: Revan, said that that could be propaganda.[34]

Dromund Kaas lightning

Concept art of Dromund Kaas jungle for Star Wars: The Old Republic

Dromund Kaas appears in the game Star Wars: The Old Republic and its expansions as the capital of the Sith Empire and is a major hub for Empire-aligned players; its Republic counterpart is Coruscant, and is the first planet shared among all four Imperial classes. It is unique among all of the original faction-exclusive planets—the four starting worlds and two capitals—in that it can be "visited" by players of the opposite faction; the Jedi Knight class's Act III finale, "Doomsday," sees players infiltrate Kaas City and the Dark Temple, though the mission occurs in a closed instance rather than the open instance used by Imperial players.

Appearances[]

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Dromund Kaas

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 The Essential Atlas
  2. 2.0 2.1 StarWars Star Wars: The Essential Atlas Online Companion on StarWars.com (article) (backup link)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.28 4.29 4.30 4.31 4.32 4.33 WizardsoftheCoast "The Dark Forces Saga, Part 5" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  5. 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 The Old Republic: Revan
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Star Wars: The Old Republic
  7. 7.0 7.1 SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Dark Temple"
  8. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Jurgoran"
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
  10. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Sleen"
  11. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Vine Cat"
  12. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Yozusk"
  13. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Kaas City"
  14. SWTOR icon Dromund Kaas on The Old Republic Holonet (backup link) (content now obsolete; original version)
  15. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old RepublicVette's comment, upon the Sith Warrior leaving the Dromund Kaas spatioport for the first time.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 SWTOR mini Timeline 11: Rebirth of the Sith Empire on The Old Republic's official website (article) (backup link)
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 Fate of the Jedi: Ascension
  19. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Bounty Hunter Mission: "Huntmaster" on Dromund Kaas
  20. Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
  21. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Imperial Citadel"
  22. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel — Imperial Mission: "Revenge of the Archon" on Makeb
  23. 23.0 23.1 SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Jedi Knight Mission: "Doomsday" on Dromund Kaas
  24. 24.0 24.1 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Shadow of Revan
  25. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Mission: "Dead Center" on Ziost
  26. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter IV: The Gravestone
  27. 27.0 27.1 SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter II: Run for the Shadows
  28. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire — Chapter I: The Hunt
  29. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter VIII: End Times
  30. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne — Chapter IX: The Eternal Throne
  31. SWInsider "Guide to the Grand Army of the Republic" — Star Wars Insider 84
  32. Imperial Commando: 501st
  33. StarWarsDotComBlogsLogoStacked "Kyle and Mara: Making Mysteries of the Sith - Part II: Zombies of the Dark Side" — Look, sir! Zombies!Ryan Kaufman (author)'s StarWars.com Blog (backup link)
  34. DrewKDromundResponse (Flickr post (Email screenshot)) by Drew Karpyshyn on Flickr (December 3, 2011) (archived from the original on October 27, 2015)
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