View source for Temple of Exar Kun

{{Top|ffa|canon=Unidentified Sith temple}}
{{Structure
|image=[[File:TempleofExarKun.jpg]]
|name=Temple of Exar Kun
|constructed=[[3996 BBY]]<ref name="DLOTS4">[[Tales of the Jedi &ndash; Dark Lords of the Sith 4|''Tales of the Jedi &ndash; Dark Lords of the Sith'' 4]]</ref>
|destroyed=[[11 ABY/Legends|11 ABY]]<ref name="I, Jedi">''[[I, Jedi]]''</ref>
|location=[[Isle of Kun]], [[Yavin 4/Legends|Yavin 4]]<ref name="SWG:TToEK">{{SWGcite|exp=AED|type=poi|The Temple of Exar Kun|Yavin 4}}</ref>
|poi=
|rebuilt=
|builder=[[Massassi/Legends|Massassi]]<ref name="Dark Apprentice">[[Dark Apprentice (novel)|''Dark Apprentice'']]</ref>
|height=
|width=
|affiliation=*[[Brotherhood of the Sith]]<ref name="Dark Apprentice" />
*[[Cult of Exar Kun]]<ref name="Star Wars Galaxies">''[[Star Wars Galaxies]]''</ref>}}
{{Quote|This temple might be an archaeological find of great value, a monument of untold wonder, but it's also a monument to evil.|Corran Horn|<ref name="I, Jedi" />}}
The '''Temple of Exar Kun''', also known as the '''Tomb of Exar Kun''' or the '''Dark Temple'''<ref>''[[The Jedi Academy Sourcebook]]''</ref> was a [[Sith/Legends|Sith]] [[temple]] on [[Yavin 4/Legends|Yavin 4]]. It was located northeast of the [[Great Temple/Legends|Great Temple]].

==Design and Layout==
{{Quote|Within the temple lies the secrets to power. Only those that are strong enough to endure the trials will find what lies in the heart of the Temple. Those that are weak will guard the temple for the rest of eternity...|a Chiss male, to a spacer|<ref name="SWG:aCm">{{SWGcite|exp=AED|type=herald|a Chiss male|Yavin 4}}</ref>}}
[[File:Outer_Chamber.jpg|thumb|left|The outer chamber of the Temple]]
The temple was situated on a volcanic island called the [[Isle of Kun]] in the middle of a deep lake and it could only be reached on foot by stepping stones. These were set a few centimeters beneath the surface of the water, which forced all who crossed them to approach the temple with their heads bowed, so they could watch their feet.<ref name="I, Jedi" />

The temple itself was made from polished black-colored obsidian that was studded with [[Corusca gem/Legends|corusca gems]].<ref name="Dark Apprentice" /> It was etched with Sith hieroglyphics and pictographs, that translated as magic incantations to protect the temple and call doom to its defilers.<ref name="I, Jedi" /> At its apex was a large statue of the [[Sith Lord/Legends|Sith Lord]] [[Exar Kun/Legends|Exar Kun]]<ref name="Dark Apprentice" /> and outside, there was a small courtyard.<ref name="I, Jedi" />

Inside, the temple had just one chamber and catacombs beneath it. These consisted of a number of chambers, interlinked by tunnels. The last chamber contained the sarcophagus of Exar Kun, where presumably his body was intended to be placed after his death, although it is unknown if this actually happened, as he fused his spirit into the very walls of the Yavin 4 temples&mdash;possibly taking his body too.<ref name="Star Wars Galaxies" /> The temple also had a water cistern inside of it.<ref name="Dark Apprentice" />

==History==
Just before he fully embraced the [[Dark side of the Force/Legends|dark side of the Force]], the [[Dark Jedi/Legends|fallen Jedi]] Exar Kun came to Yavin 4, where he enslaved the native [[Massassi/Legends|Massassi]], who saw him as a [[God/Legends|god]].<ref name="DLOTSA">''[[Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith (audio)]]''</ref> He had them construct temples in his honor, one of which would later become known as the Temple of Exar Kun. Kun used the temple as a private retreat, where he went to further his studies of [[The Force/Legends|the Force]].<ref name="Dark Apprentice" />

[[File:Temple_of_Exar_Kun.jpg|right|thumb|Rebel troops discover the temple]]
Shortly before his death at the end of the [[Great Sith War/Legends|Great Sith War]] in [[3996 BBY]], Kun drew upon the life forces of the entire Massassi population to transfer his spirit into the temple, where his spirit resided for the next four thousand years.

The temple was rediscovered during the [[Battle of Yavin/Legends|Battle of Yavin]] by a [[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Rebel]] [[Naturalist/Legends|naturalist]] called [[Dr'uun Unnh/Legends|Dr'uun Unnh]]. He instantly realized that it was a Sith temple and was intrigued by the fact that, while all the other temples on Yavin 4 were worn and ruined, this temple showed no signs of aging at all. Unnh was killed shortly after, when his [[Speeder bike/Legends|speeder bike]] was hit by a crashed [[TIE/LN starfighter]], but details of the temple were recovered on his [[Datapad/Legends|datapad]], by a search team.<ref>''[[The Illustrated Star Wars Universe]]''</ref>

[[File:Hallway_of_Doom.jpg|left|thumb|The Temple's main hallway]]
In [[1 ABY/Legends|1 ABY]], [[Professor/Legends|Professor]] [[Walter Emanus]] led a [[Corellia University/Legends|Corellia University]] archaeological expedition to the temple and discovered a number of rare artifacts, such as the [[Valahorn]]. However, when their excavations uncovered the catacombs beneath the temple, they reawakened the spirit of Exar Kun. They became enslaved to the spirit and formed the [[Cult of Exar Kun]]. The [[Sith cult/Legends|cult]] based itself in the catacombs, until they were driven out by a team of [[Spacer/Legends|spacers]], sent by Professor [[Cornelius Wagglehorn]], a colleague of Emanus from the University. [[Jan Dodonna/Legends|Jan Dodonna]] and [[Luke Skywalker/Legends|Luke Skywalker]] were also present at the temple at some point during the excavation and a spacer aided them with a number of tasks in evacuating the base. The spacers were sometimes halted in the temple by Rebel soldiers who were possessed by Kun's spirit.<ref name="Star Wars Galaxies" />

Skywalker later set up a [[Jedi Praxeum]] in the [[Great Temple/Legends|Great Temple]] on Yavin 4 in [[11 ABY/Legends|11 ABY]].<ref>''[[Jedi Search]]''</ref> On his arrival, he could sense Kun's dark presence inside the temple, something that he hadn't sensed when on Yavin 4 before, when his Jedi abilities were less well developed. The spirit of Exar Kun was reawakened and set about luring his pupils to his temple, where he attempted to turn them to the [[Dark side of the Force/Legends|dark side of the Force]]. [[Gantoris]] and [[Streen]] traveled to the temple and while they were there, two corusca gems flaked off its walls and landed at Gantoris's feet. This was presumably caused by Kun, and Gantoris used them in the construction of his [[Lightsaber/Legends|lightsaber]]. Kun succeeded in turning Gantoris, but when he resisted, he destroyed him. Later, [[Kyp Durron]] and [[Dorsk 81]] journeyed to the temple. There, Kyp put his companion to sleep while he learned from the Sith Lord. Kun wanted to kill Dorsk on a whim, as a demonstration of his power, but Kyp prevented this, by asking the Dark Lord to teach him everything he knew.<ref name="Dark Apprentice" /> [[Corran Horn]] also visited the temple soon after and Kun promised to help him find his missing wife, [[Mirax Terrik Horn|Mirax]], if he became his student. Horn resisted, but Kun came close to breaking him, until [[Mara Jade Skywalker|Mara Jade]] arrived and temporarily distracted him. The Dark Lord then realized this, while the other [[Jedi/Legends|Jedi]] students worked to vanquish his spirit,<ref name="I, Jedi" /> which they succeeded in doing.<ref name="Champions of the Force">''[[Champions of the Force]]''</ref>

[[File:Throne_Room.jpg|thumb|right|The Temple's throne room]]
With Exar Kun destroyed, Kyp was redeemed to the [[Light side of the Force/Legends|light side of the Force]]. On Kyp's return to Yavin 4, Luke took him to the temple, to face a test similar to the experience Luke had in the [[Dark Side Cave]] on [[Dagobah/Legends|Dagobah]]. Instead of [[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Vader]], Kyp faced Exar Kun and passed the test, by refusing to strike him down with anger. Kun then resolved into Kyp's dead brother [[Zeth Durron|Zeth]] as a [[Force ghost]], much as Luke had seen himself in Vader's mask. Zeth's image was probably formed through the Force powers in the temple in which he appeared to teach Kyp an important lesson, though it is impossible to say for sure.<ref name="Champions of the Force" />

Shortly after, Corran Horn gained Luke's permission to destroy the temple, as he had seen firsthand how Sith writings had corrupted the [[Jensaarai/Legends|Jensaarai]] and he didn't want the writings in the temple to lead anyone else to the dark side. He attacked it in his [[T-65 X-wing starfighter/Legends|X-wing]], beginning by firing [[Proton torpedo/Legends|proton torpedos]] at the statue of Exar Kun. The fragments of this rained down, with some damaging the interior of the temple, while others plummeted into the lake. He then switched to [[Laser/Legends|lasers]] and targeted the exterior of the temple, strafing it back and forth until it collapsed and heating it up so that all the writings on it were destroyed. When he had finished, almost no traces of it remained.<ref name="I, Jedi" />

==Appearances==
[[File:Massassi_TemplesTEC.jpg|thumb|200px|Construction of the Temple]]
*[[Tales of the Jedi &ndash; Dark Lords of the Sith 5|''Tales of the Jedi &ndash; Dark Lords of the Sith'' 5]] {{1st}}
*[[Tales of the Jedi &ndash; The Sith War 2|''Tales of the Jedi &ndash; The Sith War'' 2]]
*[[Tales of the Jedi &ndash; The Sith War 3|''Tales of the Jedi &ndash; The Sith War'' 3]] {{Mo}}
*[[Tales of the Jedi &ndash; The Sith War 4|''Tales of the Jedi &ndash; The Sith War'' 4]]
*[[Tales of the Jedi &ndash; The Sith War 6|''Tales of the Jedi &ndash; The Sith War'' 6]]
*''[[Timeline 10: The Exar Kun War]]'' {{Hologram}}
*{{SWG|An Empire Divided}}
*[[Dark Apprentice (novel)|''Dark Apprentice'']]
*''[[Champions of the Force]]''
*''[[I, Jedi]]''

==Sources==
*''[[The Illustrated Star Wars Universe]]''
*''[[The Jedi Academy Sourcebook]]''
*{{InsiderCite|70|Gamescape}} <!-- 2003-08-15 -->
*''[[Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience: Prima Official Game Guide]]'' <!-- 2005-05-31 -->
*''[[Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Guide: Prima Official Game Guide]]'' <!-- 2005-12-20 -->
*{{SonyCite|url=players/content.vm?id=66934&resource=features|text=Aiding the Rebellion|archivedate=20111124013842}} <!-- 2007-04-6 -->
*{{SonyCite|url=players/news_archive.vm?id=67618&month=022008|text=Domain of Evil|archivedate=20111124011854}}
*{{SonyCite|url=players/news_archive.vm?id=67688&month=042008|text=Chapter 9: The Fury of Exar Kun|archivedate=20111124011732}}
*{{SonyCite|url=players/news_archive.vm?id=67707&month=042008|text=Dev Diary – The Tomb of Exar Kun|archivedate=20111124011657}}
*''[[Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide]]'' {{Imo}}
*''[[The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''
*{{SWGTCG|set=Galactic Hunters|cardname=Hallway of Doom}}
*{{SWGTCG|set=Galactic Hunters|cardname=Outer Chamber}}
*{{SWGTCG|set=Galactic Hunters|cardname=Temple of Doom}}
*{{SWGTCG|set=Galactic Hunters|cardname=Throne Room}}
*[[Star Wars Galaxies Memory Book|''Star Wars Galaxies'' Memory Book]]
*[[Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook|''Star Wars: Age of Rebellion'' Core Rulebook]]
*''[[Strongholds of Resistance]]''

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{SWGWiki}}
*[http://drawkin.com/swg-exar-kun Star Wars Galaxies - Exar Kun Dungeon], by SWG 2D/3D Artist [http://drawkin.com/about Christine Chugon]

{{Interlang
|pt=Templo de Exar Kun
|ru=Храм Экзара Куна
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Exar Kun's Temple}}
[[Category:Sith temples]]
[[Category:Sith tombs]]
[[Category:Yavin 4 locations]]