Dromund Kaas is a planet that serves as the capital of the Sith Empire, one of the two playable factions of the videogame Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Description
Dromund Kaas is a murky, swampy planet covered in jungles. Constant usage of Dark Side rituals gives Dromund Kaas a dark and stormy atmosphere and barely any sunlight shines on Dromund Kaas, usually only enough to sustain an ecosystem and biodiversity that has adapted to nigh constant darkness. Storms are common and the planet has a depressing look to it.
Despite its dreary appearance, Dromund Kaas is but a rich and wealthy planet with many thriving cities, most notably Kaas City, the namesake capital of the planet itself.
History
Early History
Dromund Kaas was originally colonized by the First Sith Empire, but it was abandoned for reasons unknown.
Rediscovery
After the fall of the First Sith Empire at the end of the Great Hyperspace War, the surviving Sith, lead by Darth Vitiate needed a refuge to build a new Empire. Dromund Kaas was chosen because it was a world the Republic did not know about. After landing, and clearing enough forest for the first City to be built, Vitiate proclaimed himself Sith Emperor and chose 12 powerful Sith Lords to form his Dark Council.
Rebuilding in Isolation
For thousands of years, Vitiate and his people built massive cities of Dromund Kaas and rebuilt the Sith Army and Navy. New Sith Lords were trained at Dromund Kaa's Sith Academy. Eventually, the Jedi Revan and Malak discovered Dromund Kaas while pursuing the surviving Mandalorians after the end of the Mandalorian Wars. The two Jedi tried to defeat Vitiate but he defeated them and turned them to the Dark Side.
Vitiate sent Darth Revan and Darth Malak to find the Star Forge, a Rakatan Superweapon that could mass make fleets in mere minutes, allowing the Sith Empire to begin their invasion ahead of schedule. However, Revan and Malak broke free from the Emperor's control and founded their own Empire. Revan and Malak's Empire was defeated and the Star Forge destroyed. Malak was killed while Revan redeemed himself and left to find Dromund Kaas and stop the True Sith Empire from returning, but failed.
300 years later, the Sith Navy left Dromund Kaas and began their war against the Republic. The war lasted for 28 years and ended with an uneasy peace treaty between the Empire and Republic. In the ensuing Cold War, Dromund Kaas faced several internal crisis, including a slave rebellion, several bounties collected by Bounty Hunters, terrorist attacks and Sith infighting.
Points of Interest
- Kaas City
- Dark Force Temple
- Dark Temple
- Imperial Citadel
- Sith Academy
Gallery
Trivia
- Dromund Kaas (which was once spelled Drommund Kaas) first made appearance as the setting for the final 3 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. 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 within the Dromund System, while Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force mentions it being in the Thurra system. However, later in the book, Jedi vs. Sith correctly states that the planet is in the Dromund system.
- 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.