Ch. 11: Ku'ar Danar: Prophet of Darkness

Over five millennia after the Sith went into the Second Dormant Period, in a completely different area of space, the being who would come to be known as Ku'ar Danar was discovered around 7,350 BBY. The exact circumstances of his discovery have been lost to history, but he was supposedly found as a young child in the possession of a pirate or slaver who wanted to sell him because he belonged to an unknown species. Danar was found to be extremely force-sensitive and was taken into the Jedi Order to train.

He is said to have been just over two meters tall with pale, translucent skin that always seemed to glow with its own internal light. He had long flowing hair and a delicate face with almost no nose and glowing silver eyes. Most unusually, he has three pairs of petal-like wings sprouting from his back. He could use these wings combined with the force levitation ability to fly. He was said to have been extremely beautiful and he did not seem to age once he reached what appeared to be his species version of early adulthood.

When he grew up, his strange appearance and incredible force potential made many Jedi wonder just who and what he was. Many stories began to circulate that he was a being who hailed from the Force itself. Perhaps he came from this alternate plane of reality, but why? Others believed that he was the result of some strange genetic experiment, possibly conducted by the Arkanians. Still others thought that he was a being who hailed from another galaxy. As a child, he possessed abilities on par with those of Jedi masters, and when he grew older, many regarded him as one of the most powerful members of the Order. Many suspected that he could become one of the most powerful Jedi of all time. He had a muscular build but was said to have had low stamina. In combat, he wielded a Jedi sword as lightsabers were new and unreliable in that era.

His story begins around 7,120 BBY. At this time, he was over two centuries in age but still looked very young. The previous Jedi Grand Master had died and many suspected that he would ascend to lead the Jedi Order. However, the rest of the council chose a human who was barely over a quarter his age and much weaker in the Force. Supposedly, when he discreetly asked one of the other most senior members of the Council, a thousand-year old Neti named Uro Koo, what the Force had said about him, the ancient master replied that the Force had simply chosen the human instead. Danar was then told that if he would take a seat and meditate upon the Force, he would understand.

While he did not do anything publicly, in private those who knew him said that his pride was severely hurt. He knew that he was the most powerful Jedi in the Order and he believed that he was the wisest and could live a thousand years as the Order's rightful guardian and protector. He was utterly baffled at how and why the Force would choose anyone else, much less some human who was like a child compared to he. He thought it was outrageous and unfair. How could he have been the best Jedi on the Council and not be the Grandmaster?

He felt as if he needed a break from the life of being a Jedi. As a result he asked the Council if he could lead an expedition into the unknown regions supposedly to navigate the hyperlanes and set up a Jedi outpost. He said that the Force had something waiting for them out there, but he could not see what. The Council accepted, and he set off.

A small group of Jedi went with him to the edge of known space, and they kept going. They used the Force to navigate the tangled hyperlanes as they pushed farther and father out. It is here that the historical records get fuzzy. Apparently, they landed on Korriban where they learned from and studied the Sith tribes. On one of the expeditions, the Jedi found themselves in a cave steeped in the dark side. Something caused the cave to collapse and Danar stayed behind to keep it up with the Force, but right when the rest of the party escaped, his strength, being leached by the dark side, gave out. He was crushed under the weight and the Jedi thought he had died. However, they could not return for the body as vicious Tuk'ata and their Sith masters launched an attack. The Jedi took their ship offplanet and returned to the greater Galaxy.

Danar was furious at them leaving him. To save his life, he did the only thing he could do: he drew heavily upon the dark side of the cave to sustain his life. The Sith sensed his commitment and power and they dug him out. The broken and bloody Danar was bandaged and taken care of by the Sith shamans. After the accident, his wings were broken and he was left with no way off Korriban. He pledged himself to the Sith teachings and learned all he could from them.

It is unknown how technologically advanced the Sith as a society were at this time. Due to the sheer amount of leftover technology from previous eras, it is likely that they were a strange hybrid of primitive and spacefaring technology. As a result, it is possible that they had access to hyperdrives. Somehow Danar was able to escape Korriban decades later. He eventually made his way back to the greater galaxy. He was able to conceal his dark side aura and find the Jedi.

The Jedi welcomed him in and he told them all about his journey, or at least a version of it. However, after a while he began to teach them many of the things he had learned from the Sith. He taught them the nature of the dark side. Because of his reputation as a great Jedi and their overall unfamiliarity with the dark side after so long of not having a major war against its followers, Danar's influence was able to spread far and wide by the time they decided to move against him. In 7,083 BBY a Jedi strike team was sent to capture him. The team was composed of six Jedi Masters, two of whom were on the Council. The Jedi found him on Dantooine, not far from the site that the Jedi planned to build a new training facility on. The records say that he was investigating some type of crystal cave, but they are obscure as to his real intention. The Jedi confronted him on the plains. It is unclear what exactly happened, but days later the bodies of the Jedi were found lying on the plains, many of their weapons half buried in the mud. It is unclear how they died. Some are said to have been partially disintegrated, while others appeared to have been killed by having their bodies chopped to bits as if by a lightsaber- even though Danar never wielded a lightsaber. One was found to have sustained no visible injuries whereas another appeared to have clawed his own eyes out, as under his nails was dried blood and gore. Most of the Jedi's eardrums were found severely damaged. A few bodies showed signs of blunt force trauma, and the surrounding land looked as if a tornado had touched down not too long ago. One trail of footprints left the killing field, but these ended when the soft ground gave way to a rocky mountain.

They never found Danar as he vanished. Years later the Dantooine training facility was built in honor of the Jedi who had died. Danar was remembered in the campfire stories that Jedi padawans would tell each other at night. In all, things seemed like they would soon go back to normal. However, it was not to be. For decades, and some would say even centuries leading up to Danar's return, the Jedi had been debating what it meant to be a Jedi. Some came believe that the Jedi teachings were flawed. Others debated what powers or mindsets should or should not be allowed. Danar's appearance only added fuel to the fire. Decades later in 7,003 BBY, the Jedi Order formally split, an event that came to be known as the Second Great Schism. Danar meanwhile had gone back to Sith Space to work on one of his own projects, something that would be the greatest display of Force power the galaxy had ever seen.