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Environment of Taris

Before Darth Malak's orbital bombardment, Taris was a dying world. Industrial pollution had irreparably damaged the oceans, and chemicals and toxins poisoned the undercity's foundation. When the sprawling metropolis was reduced to rubble, countless pollutants were released into an already tainted ecosystem.

But this was not the end for Taris. For hundreds of years, the planet went without sentient interference, and the ecosystem began to adapt and thrive. Rich vegetation grew within the ruins, scaling steel towers and thrusting aside fallen skyscrapers. Animals--some native to the planet, some pets and lab specimens that had survived the bombardment--bred and repopulated the developing jungles.

Of course, some areas remain too polluted to inhabit--acidic lakes and radioactive sinkholes--but for the most part, Taris is an environmental success story and an object of fascination for scientists. The largest black mark remains the rakghoul plague, and the fear that it may one day spread to Taris's animal population.

Category: Lore

Planet: 16141008063347613517

XP Level: 16

FQN: cdx.​lore.​taris_rep.​environment_of_taris

Jedi Civil War

Also known as the Second Sith War and the War of the Star Forge, the Jedi Civil War is one of the darkest eras in galactic history. Three centuries ago, a pair of idealistic young Jedi named Revan and Malak led thousands of followers into the Outer Rim to do battle with an invading Mandalorian army. The Mandalorians were defeated--and Revan and Malak returned to the Republic not as heroes, but as conquerors.

Declaring themselves Dark Lords of the Sith, Darth Revan and Darth Malak began the ruthless subjugation of Republic worlds in the Outer Rim. The Jedi Council, which had been loath to take action against the Mandalorians, assembled an army to bring the traitors to justice. Darth Revan was captured during an attack by the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan and eventually turned back to the light side. Together Revan and Bastila defeated Malak, ending the threat.

Category: Lore

Planet: 16141008063347613517

XP Level: 16

FQN: cdx.​lore.​taris_rep.​jedi_civil_war

Malak's Attack

During the Jedi Civil War, a ship carrying Bastila Shan--a Jedi with the rare and powerful battle meditation ability--was shot down by Darth Malak's fleet over the world of Taris. Malak's troops descended on the world in search of Bastila, but she avoided capture with the help of Revan, Malak's redeemed former master.

Rather than permit Bastila to escape, Malak ordered his fleet to bomb Taris from orbit, devastating the entire world. The planet-wide capital city was razed and civilian casualties measured in the billions. Despite Malak's extreme efforts, Bastila and Revan were able to safely flee the world. Taris itself, however, never recovered. Three centuries have passed, and a handful of swamp-sunken ruins are all that remains of this once great civilization.

Category: Lore

Planet: 16141008063347613517

XP Level: 16

FQN: cdx.​lore.​taris_rep.​malaks_attack

Rakghoul Disease

Theories abound on the origins of this highly contagious and adaptable virus: it may be the creation of an ancient Sith Lord; a naturally occurring result of the industrial toxins released into Taris's oceans; or the spectacularly failed efforts of medical researchers to artificially engineer a broad-spectrum vaccine.

Whatever the origins, the effects are undeniably terrifying. Typically spread through direct contact with rakghouls, fortunate victims suffer acute onset of flu-like symptoms that can prove fatal if not properly treated. However, in roughly half the cases the disease causes the host to undergo a horrific mutation, actually transforming them into a rakghoul.

Virtually all humanoid species in the galaxy are susceptible to infection, and there are rumors that the Empire has undertaken efforts to weaponize the disease. Unsubstantiated reports of rakghouls on worlds other than Taris lend credence to this rumor... or indicate the disease is slowly spreading across the galaxy of its own accord.

Category: Lore

Planet: 16141008063347613517

XP Level: 16

FQN: cdx.​lore.​taris_rep.​rakghoul_disease

Republic Reconstruction

Although located on the Outer Rim, Taris was once a cosmopolitan cityscape said to rival Coruscant. But this shining light was snuffed out three hundred years ago by Darth Malak, who ordered his Sith fleet to bomb the planet into oblivion. In the aftermath of the attack, little remained but ruins and putrid swamps overrun by rakghouls.

Recently, the Republic has begun efforts to recolonize and restore Taris in the belief it will demonstrate a resolve and ability to overcome the destruction wrought by the Sith. Should this lost world be salvaged, it would become a symbol of hope for all those who stand against the oppression of the Empire.

The focus to date has been on cleanup, salvage and clearing sites for new colonies. Progress has been slow, and the morale of those stationed on the world is rumored to be dangerously low. But the Galactic Senate refuses to admit defeat, truly exemplifying the politicians' can-do spirit.

Category: Lore

Planet: 16141008063347613517

XP Level: 16

FQN: cdx.​lore.​taris_rep.​republic_reconstruction

Taris and Nonhumans

In the century preceding its destruction by Darth Malak, Taris experienced a devastating planet-wide famine among the working classes. In desperation, the poor declared war on the nobility, only to have their rebellion quickly and violently put down.

Since many of the rebellions' leaders were nonhuman immigrants, those in power sought to quell further unrest by enacting a number of harsh anti-alien laws. Nonhumans were banned from public office and forbidden to leave the lower levels of the city without special government permits. The institutionalized segregation of nonhumans inevitably fostered an anti-alien prejudice among the human population, though many Republic historians prefer to gloss over this unsavory fact.

Category: Lore

Planet: 16141008063347613517

XP Level: 16

FQN: cdx.​lore.​taris_rep.​taris_and_non_humans

Taris (Pre-bombardment)

Located in the Ojoster Sector of the Outer Rim Territories, Taris was an ecumenopolis founded at the nexus of several hyperspace trading routes. Prosperity led to a rapid population increase and the continued vertical expansion of the planet-wide urban sprawl. But with the discovery of superior trade lanes elsewhere, Taris's economic fortunes changed.

For the wealthy nobles living in the upper floors of the towering skyscrapers, Taris remained an urban paradise. As one descended, however, the standard of living dropped precipitously. Aliens and refugees were forced to live in the city's lower levels, supporting the upper classes both figuratively and literally. Near the surface, violent swoop gangs held sway over a terrified civilian populace beset by poverty and famine, and the sewers of the undercity were infested with rakghouls.

Ironically, many of those living in the lowest levels of Taris survived Darth Malak's bombardment, while the rich and powerful were almost entirely wiped out.

Category: Lore

Planet: 16141008063347613517

XP Level: 16

FQN: cdx.​lore.​taris_rep.​taris_pre_bombardment

The Promised Ones

The Promised Ones were the descendants of a small group of outcasts who fled the undercity of Taris for a self-sustaining underground colony known as the Promised Land. There they escaped the bombardment that decimated the surface of the planet, and survived for many generations.

As the centuries passed, however, the small tribe slowly lost members to rakghouls, starvation and radiation poisoning until they eventually died out completely. As a legacy, they left behind a series of holorecordings documenting their brave struggle.

Category: Lore

Planet: 16141008063347613517

XP Level: 16

FQN: cdx.​lore.​taris_rep.​the_promised_ones