Dawn of Defiance - Chapter 4: Echoes of the Jedi

# STAR WARS: DAWN OF DEFIANCE EPISODE 4 - Echoes of the Jedi
Echoes of the Jedi is the fourth adventure in the **Dawn of Defiance** campaign, which will take heroes from 1st level all the way through 17th level in a continuous storyline designed to give both players and Gamemasters a complete *SW5e* experience. This adventure begins the second act of the campaign, which consists of four adventures: *Echoes of the Jedi*, *The First to Strike*, *The Core of Corruption* and *A Reckoning of Wraiths*.

By now, the heroes have been on a series of adventures together and should be well acquainted with one another. Several months have passed since the last adventure, and the heroes should start *Echoes of the Jedi* at 7th level and reach 9th level by the conclusion. With some modifications, this adventure can also be used as a stand-alone scenario or as part of your existing campaign. Over the course of this adventure, the heroes will visit the ruins of a Jedi academy on the planet Almas in search of a Jedi holocron, and come face to face with Inquisitor Valin Callus.

### Credits & Module Info
* **Original Sw5e Conversion:** Mishy
* **Adjustments & Scaling:** zeldafreak6245
* **Scripting:** J_Elliot, old_benn, & zeldafreak6245
* **Scaling:** 4 players 
* **Last Revision:** 5/10/2024
* **Maps:** [Click for Map Access](https://mega.nz/folder/ACE3CSAT#RhMP_P_QrnKCT4nrvVHBEA "Maps")

> ##### Enhanced Items: 
> These are the number and rarity of enhanced items to distribute as you see fit within this chapter. 
>*These totals are based off the enhanced item distribution per level found within Wretched Hives*
>
> * Minor: 2 Standard, 2 Prototype, 3 Advanced 
>
> * Major: 1 Premium, 1 Prototype

### What is Dawn of Defiance?
Dawn of Defiance is the name given to a series of 10 linked adventures that Gamemasters can use to create an entire campaign for their players. Set in the months after the events of *Revenge of the Sith*, the adventures in the **Dawn of Defiance** campaign are designed to provide players and GMs with the iconic *SW5e* experience, set against the backdrop of the tyranny of the Galactic Empire. The Dawn of Defiance campaign takes the heroes all the way from 1st level up to 17th level, and features an ongoing storyline that progresses over the course of the campaign. Each adventure can also be played individually, and should provide the heroes with ample challenges to gain two levels per adventure. Gamemasters should feel free to use the **Dawn of Defiance** adventures either as an entire campaign or as fillers for their own home campaigns.

If you are a Gamemaster wishing to run the campaign, read the GM’s Primer, which summarizes the overall plot of the campaign and the events of each adventure.
##### ***Warning! If you will be playing in a Dawn of Defiance campaign or in a campaign utilizing its adventures, read no further.***

> ##### Campaign Update
> Several months have passed since the events on Bespin. Since then you have continued to aid the resistance on various projects and missions earning a sizeable sum of **30,000 credits** *(each)* but gaining no new intel on the Sarlacc Project. 
>
> Two weeks ago, Sirona informed you of her decision to part ways with the resistance and take her chances with a lucrative smuggling business venture that she "couldnt' pass up". With the departure of Sirona and the Banshee, Senator Organa used his influence to secure a very competitive rate on the purchase of your new vessel, a Lancer Pursuit Craft. 
>
> 
>
> *The terms of the contract require a minimum upfront payment of 25% of the ship's cost (62,000cr if using the pre-built ship) as well as a 1,000cr payment each month for the next 5 years.* 
>
> 
>
> You spend the next few weeks registering, personalizing, and customizing your new vessel before rendezvous with the Resurgence in the Inner Rim.

**Total Free Downtime: 4 weeks**

You may choose to allow the party to build their starship from scratch or you may prebuild one for them. Regardless, after their new ship is obtained it must be given a name and assigned a pilot. This should be a great roleplaying opportunity for the party. Once all of this is completed allow each party member to resolve a total of 4 weeks worth of downtime activities as described in the "Wretched Hives" book.

\pagebreakNum

If you party does not want to construct a ship, you may use this statblock instead.

* The token and map for this starship were created by DroidCartographer, be sure to [check them out!](https://www.patreon.com/DroidCartographer/posts "title")

### Ship Images
* Lancer Ship Token
* Lancer Flight Deck

___
___
> ## Lancer Pursuit Craft
> *Tier 1 medium construct (starship), Freighter*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 12 (Deflection)
> - **Damage Reduction** 3
> - **Hull Points** 51
> - **Shield Points** 45 (directional)
> - **Shield Regeneration Rate** 8/round
> - **Speed** 300 ft., turning 150 ft.
> - **Reactor** 1/ round (Fuel Cell)
> - **Power Dice** d4
> - **Power Coupling** Distributed
> - **Central Capacity** 0
> - **System Capacity** 2
>
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|14 (+2)|14 (+2)|16 (+3)|10 (0)|13 (+1)|8 (-1)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** DEX +2, CON +3
> - **Senses** passive Scan 11
> - **Minimum Crew** 4
>___
> ***MODIFICATIONS*** 
> **Action**: Tractor Beam (2/recharge)
>
> **Bonus Action**: Navcomputer
>
> **Passive**: Class 4 Hyperdrive, Living Quarters, Hardpoint (2), Turret Mounting (2), Direct Controller (2), External Docking System, Storage Compartment, Escape Pods
>
> ***Piloted.*** The "Lancer Pursuit Craft" adds its crew's proficiency bonus to its attack rolls, as well as its Dexterity and Constitution saving throws, as long as the crew has at least one rank in any deployment.
>
> ***Evasive Maneuvers.*** (2/refitting) When the Glorious Chariot rolls initiative, it can immediately move. This movement happens before the initiative order is determined. Roll a d4 and multiply it by 50 feet, the Glorious Chariot then gains that many feet that it can move or spend to turn.
>
> ### Armament
> The Lancer Pursuit Craft can fire up to three weapons on its turn.
>
> #### Attacks
> ***Twin laser cannon. (fixed: front)*** Ranged Ship Attacks: +1 to hit, range 600/2400, one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+2) energy damage.
>
> ***Laser cannon. (Turreted)*** Ranged Ship Attacks: +1 to hit, range 1000/4000, one target. Hit: 8 (1d10+2) energy damage.

### Adventure Background
Darth Rivan's fortress has been abandoned and buried in the sands of Almas for more than a millennium. When the Jedi arrived on Almas, they built the Almas Academy over the foundations of the ancient fortress, not suspecting that a nexus of dark power was still present there. The recent destruction of the Almas Academy during Order 66 has strengthened the evil energy in this region. This dark energy is responsible for the death of the world’s kaluthin plant—which Rivan himself engineered so long ago—as death and decay slowly spreads outward from his fortress. The spread of the dark side across Almas has left behind a blight of withered kaluthin that is visible from orbit. The power of the dark side in Almas has also attracted other creatures that feed on the Force, and they have followed it to its source in the bowels of the ravaged Jedi academy.

The residents of the city of Forard, still reeling from the destruction of the academy at its center during Order 66, made an effort to go on with their lives, but they couldn’t escape the impact of the dark side. Over a few short months, many local citizens inexplicably became violent, crime rose far beyond what local police could handle, and some people simply dropped dead. Fear and death quickly left the city deserted as residents relocated to other planets in the system.

After months of interrogating Force-sensitive prisoners, Inquisitor Callus learned of a holocron in the Cularin system that supposedly contained ancient Sith knowledge. The Inquisitor arrived at the academy ruins and was immediately entranced by an intoxicating surge of the dark side. Attempting to locate the source of this power, the Inquisitor went into the sublevels of the Jedi academy, where he chanced upon a fortunate discovery.

\pagebreakNum

Deep within the academy was the Sith holocron he sought, which once belonged to the Sith Lord Darth Rivan. The Inquisitor learned much from the holocron, and he remained in the academy to study it further.

Before claiming the holocron, however, he encountered Vin Thorla, a Mirialan Jedi temple guard and the sole survivor of the temple's destruction. A fierce lightsaber duel ensued, and in the end, Thorla was captured and imprisoned him in a Force-annulling Universal Energy Cage. For a week leading up to the heroes’ arrival, Callus has been studying the holocron's dark secrets and attempting to break Thorla and turn him to the dark side.

### Adventure Summary
*Echoes of the Jedi* opens with the heroes being sent to the planet Almas, in the Cularin system, to retrieve an ancient holocron from the ruins of the Jedi academy that once stood there. The Cularin System, where Almas presides, is surrounded by a comet cloud preventing immediate access. The party must obtain a prototype sensor package from an imperial facility to allow their vessel to navigate the hazardous terrain. After retrieving the sensor they are ambushed by an old adversary- Igren Demos. After installing the sensor on their ship, the party can make their way to Almas. En route they are attacked by pirates, and eventually they make their way down to the surface of the planet. Delving deep into the ruined academy, they fight off evil dark side creatures, zealous followers of an ancient Sith lord, monstrous beasts, and the crumbling ruins of the academy itself. Finally they encounter the Valin Callus, who has found both a Sith holocron and a Jedi holocron amid the temple's ruins. After doing battle with the Inquisitor, the heroes should recover the Jedi holocron and escape the collapsing academy, returning with the artifact to the Resurgence.

### Opening Crawl
If you wish to have an opening crawl before the adventure, consider using the boxed text below.

Video Link: [Opening Crawl](https://youtu.be/t-fvdS-QS4Q "Opening Crawl")

Credit: zeldafreak6245

> #### STAR WARS : DAWN OF DEFIANCE
>
> Episode IV: Echoes of the Jedi
>
> It is a dark time in the galaxy. The Jedi Knights, peaceful guardians of the Old Republic, are all but extinct, exterminated by the Emperor’s sinister agents. 
>
> But a few Jedi still survive, exiled from the galaxy they once protected and leaving echoes in the Force behind. The Emperor has sensed these remnants and seeks to control them, leaving no chance for future Jedi to arise from the ashes.
>
> Most Jedi stay in hiding, some try to foil the Empire without revealing their existence, and others seek links to their former way of life, risking the wrath of the Emperor in hopes of re-igniting the flame of their ancient order . . .

\columnbreak

## Part 1: Mission to Almas
Before starting the adventure, you should bring the players up to speed about what their characters have been doing since the end of *Cloud City Royal*. Afterward, read the following text aloud to them. It takes place in a briefing room aboard the Resurgence , where Master Denia briefs the heroes on a new mission.

> You have been summoned to a briefing room, where Denia and former Admiral Gilder both await.  Gilder acknowledges your arrival with a nod of his head, and he says, “Your help to our cause in the past few months has been invaluable, and your dedication exemplary.  Our organization is better off due to your successful missions.  Unfortunately, through no fault of your own, we are no closer to the Sarlacc Project than we were after Bespin.  Now, however, Master Denia believes she may have found a way to further that cause.”
>
> Denia smiles, “Yes, let us hope so.  While studying at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, I learned about holocrons – recording devices into which Jedi stored their wisdom to pass on to future generations.  Some holocrons, such as the prized Tedryn Holocron of Jedi Master Ashka Boda, were tailored toward helping Jedi Masters penetrate the secrets of the Force.  Even beings already trained in the Jedi ways, like myself, would greatly benefit from such a source of learning.”
> 
> “I summoned you here because the Force has pulled together threads of knowledge to reveal the location of a holocron similar to the Tedryn of Ashka Boda.  I have found that during my comatose imprisonment, Master Qel-Bertuk attempted to contact me, and left a message for me.  He was trying to form a network of scattered Jedi survivors of Order 66.  Master Qel-Bertuk was once the headmaster at the Almas Academy in the Cularin system.  He hoped to find the the Qornah holocron at the Almas Academy.  I have not received any messages from him as to whether he ever made the journey, or whether he was successful if he did.  During Order 66, an orbital bombardment decimated the Almas Jedi Academy.  Years have passed, so common sense would suggest that any surviving artifacts have since been stolen. But the Force tells me that the Qornah holocron is still there.”
> 
> “The Qornah holocron is crucial to our cause, because I have sensed a link between the Sarlacc Project and the slaves that you rescued above Bespin.  But I have probed the Force tirelessly, and have at last reached my limits.  With the Qornah holocron, however, I might expand my ability to see through the Force and find the answers we seek.  Furthermore, I will be able to pass on the lessons it contains to a future generation of Jedi, thus coming one step closer to restoring peace and justice to the galaxy.” 
> 
> Your mission will be to go to the ruins of the Almas Academy and find the Qornah holocron.  However, it will not be as easy as simply jumping to Almas.  Almas is in the Cularin system, where there is a treacherous comet cloud surrounding the entire system.  We, unfortunately, do not have the coordinates for a safe path through the cloud.  But Admiral Gilder believes he has a solution.
>

\pagebreakNum

> Gilder steps forward, “Yes.  We will need to fit an advanced sensor package to your ship.  One specially designed to chart ever-changing routes through debris fields.  Unfortunately, nothing is available commercially.  But one of my past assignments was at a secret Imperial research station in the nearby system of Cirra.  There is an asteroid belt in that system, and the station is hidden inside.  The station’s specialty was creating prototype sensors, and being located inside an asteroid belt, it was geared heavily toward packages that could plot a safe route through ever-shifting obstacles.” 
> 
> “Now, I don’t think it would be best to go in with a frontal assault against an Imperial installation, especially when you need something intact from within it.  The Imperials don’t want to advertise their presence in the system, and as such, the station is not supplied via Imperial transports.  Instead, the station receives weekly re-supply via a civilian ship, the Dreary Duty.  It’s a Ghtroc 720.  It receives its goods on the planet Aram, in the same system, the first day of every week.  You will need to take control of the Dreary Duty, and take the ship to the Imperial research station in the asteroid belt.  Posing as the normal crew, you’ll enter the station, acquire a prototype sensor package, and return here, so we can install it onto your ship.  In my opinion, since the crew of the Dreary Duty are working for Imperials, they are every bit as expendable as those formally enlisted.  But Master Denia and Captain Verana have a… more lenient point of view.  They would prefer that you not kill the civilian crew.  In my opinion, this jeopardizes the successful entry to the station.  Alive, they could warn the station of your arrival.  Dead, obviously, they could not.  I leave that decision in your capable hands.”
> 
> “Do you have any questions?”

#### Likely Questions and Statements

**How can we locate the Dreary Duty?**

*Your best bet is to dock on the Aram and ask the locals. With a shipments this consistent I have no doubt that the 'Dreary Duty' is well known among most beings in town."*

**How big is the advanced sensor package?**

*"Unforunately the exact specifications are unknown to us. However, most sensor packages weigh in between 20 to 50 lbs and tend to be the size of a small shipping crate."*

**What sort of resistance should we expect?**

*The crew of the Dreary Duty is comprised of civilians. That said, I doubt they will offer much resistance if it comes to it. The imperial installation is another story however. My previous experience leads me to believe that there will be heavy imperial resistance if you are detected as intruders within the facility.*

**GM NOTE:** While the sensor package is indeed required- the imperials know that the heroes are coming. Admiral Gilder secretly informed Callus about the holocron's location and where the heroes are headed. The imperials are allowing the heroes to board the station without issue as to lure them into a trap. Unbeknownst to the heroes, they will once again encounter Igren Demos- now a dark jedi under the tutelage of Valin Callus. After his defeat *(possibly)* in Darga's palace Callus found Igren in critical condition, kept alive only by his rage and the dark side of the force. Impressed by the Neimoidian's innate force abilities Callus decided to teach him in the ways of the force, and even granted him a lightsaber. Eager to prove his worth, Igren awaits the heroes arrival...
___
> ### Almas
> **Region:** Expansion Region 
> **Climate:** Desolate wasteland, temperate kaluthin grasslands (high oxygen) 
> **Gravity:** Normal 
> **Moons:** 1 (Dorumaa) 
> **Length of Day:** 38 standard hours 
> **Length of Year:** 5,547 local days 
> **Sapient Species:** 66% Human, 14% Tarasin, 20% other species 
> **Government:** None 
> **Capital:** Forard (Abandoned) 
> **Major Exports:** None 
> **Major Imports:** None

Alternatively, they can make Intelligence (Lore) checks to see what they've heard about the planet in the past, or to dig deeper and uncover more information. A successful check reveals the information listed for the listed DC, as well as all DCs below it.

* DC 10: Almas is the fourth and outermost planet in the Cularin system. Over a thousand years ago, a plant named kaluthin took root on the icy, lifeless world, nourishing itself from large underground lakes. Over time, the kaluthin synthesized the planet’s poisonous atmosphere (composed in large part of methane and phosphorus) into enough oxygen to sustain carbon-based life. Still, prolonged exposure can be hazardous to one's health due to trace amounts of toxins, and respirators are strongly recommended.
* DC 15: The local nights on Almas are not determined by the distant twin suns. Wherever kaluthin grow, their phosphorus-filled leaves absorb the moonlight and make the surface of the planet glow. It takes a while for newcomers to adjust to the dusk to dawn cycles, which are determined by the kaluthin’s leaves being either spread open or closed.
* DC 20: A century and a half ago, the Jedi established a training academy on Almas. The town of Forard was subsequently built, forming a circle around the Jedi academy. The town was recently abandoned, however, shortly after the academy was destroyed. Now the academy ruins and the surrounding town buildings are regularly despoiled by salvagers looking for valuable loot.

\pagebreakNum

* DC 25: It is rumored that a Sith Lord created the kaluthin around 1,150 to 1,400 years ago, combining his knowledge of bioengineering with the power of the Force. The kaluthin ability to synthesize the atmosphere of an entire planet is still considered an amazing achievement today. Scientists have researched ways of transplanting the glowing grass to other worlds, but have met with little success.

#### Read-Aloud Text
When the heroes exit hyperspace, read the following text aloud.

**Travel Time = (24 hours x Hyperdrive Class)**

> ##### The Arrival at Aram
>
> You exit hyperspace and you see the planet Aram below. A light begins blinking on the cockpit console, requesting communication.
>
>*(When PC pushes the button)* 
>
> Aram's automated message begins to play: “Welcome to Aram.  You are required to contact spaceport control for landing procedures.  Frequency data is transmitting now.”
>
> *(When contacting control)*
>
> “The docking fee for your size of vessel is 150 credits per day. A spaceport representative will meet you to receive payment upon your arrival. 
>
> As you fly over the landscape, you see that the planet is mostly tropical forest, although vast tracts of forest have been cleared for farming. Upon receiving the appropriate clearance *(pilot)* gracefully lands the *(shipname)* in bay 19. As you disembark you are see a six-armed being (Xexto) standing by the bat entrance, looking bored.
>

The alien will ask how many days the heroes plan on staying and collects the appropriate funds before leaving.

#### Locating the Dreary Duty
The party can go about locating the Dreary Duty in several ways- how they go about it is up to them and your judgement as a GM. The following information can be obtained:
* The locals know the crew (Niv, Scarlett, Gib, and Watcher)
* The Dreary Duty is in bay 32.

> ##### Bay 32
> As you approach bay 32 you are able to make out some activity in the distance. The Dreary Duty is currently being loaded with cargo by labor droids.  A Sullustan *(Niv)* is watching the loading process carefully.  Near the loading ramp, a Zeltron, a Human, and a Gungan converse amongst themselves. They all look like they’be been around the block a few times. Nobody seems to have taken any notice of you yet.

\columnbreak

#### Obtaining the Dreary Duty
Allow the party to approach this situation however they see fit. Each crew member uses the "Crew Member" statblock if combat erupts. 
**Crew's background:**  They were once successful, fringe adventurer types.  Unfortunately they lost everything they had while gambling with a Hutt.  Now, just to make ends meet, they are forced to do these weekly milk runs for the Imperial station.

* If offered a sizable sum of credits (at least 10,000cr) along with a convincing argument and subsequent successful charisma check the crew may be willing to allow the heroes to use the ship without the need of bloodshed.

___
> ## Crew Member
>*Medium Humanoid, Balanced Neutral*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 16
> - **Hit Points** 33 (6d8+6)
> - **Speed** 30ft
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|12 (+1)|16 (+3)|12 (+1)|12 (+1)|14 (+2)|11 (0)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** Dexterity +5
> - **Skills** Perception +4, Survival +4
> - **Senses** darkvision 60 ft, passive Perception 14
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic, one other
> - **Challenge** 2 (450xp)
> ___
>
> ***Aggressive.*** As a bonus action, the initiate can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see.
>
> ***Rough & Tumble.*** The Crew Member deals one extra die of damage with its weapons (included).
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The Crew Member makes two weapon attacks.
>
> ***Blaster Carbine.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +5, Range 100/400ft, one target. *Hit:* 10 (2d6+3) energy damage.
>
> ***Techblade.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5, reach 5ft, one target. *Hit:* 10 (2d6+3) kinetic damage.

\pagebreakNum

___
___
> ## Ghtroc 720 "Dreary Duty"
> *Tier 0 medium construct (starship), Freighter*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 11 (Deflection)
> - **Damage Reduction** 3
> - **Hull Points** 51
> - **Shield Points** 45 (directional)
> - **Shield Regeneration Rate** 8/round
> - **Speed** 350 ft., turning 200 ft.
> - **Reactor** 1/ round (Fuel Cell)
> - **Power Dice** d2
> - **Power Coupling** Hub & Spoke
> - **Central Capacity** 2
> - **System Capacity** 1
>
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|13 (+1)|12 (+1)|15 (+2)|12 (+1)|10 (0)|13 (+1)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** DEX +1, CON +2
> - **Senses** passive Scan 11
> - **Minimum Crew** 3
>___
> ***MODIFICATIONS*** 
> **Action**: Tractor Beam (1/recharge)
>
> **Bonus Action**: Navcomputer
>
> **Passive**: Class 4 Hyperdrive, Living Quarters, Hardpoint, Turret Mounting, Direct Controller, Storage Compartment (3), Escape Pods
>
> ***Piloted.*** The Dreary Duty adds its crew's proficiency bonus to its attack rolls and weapon save DCs, as well as its Dexterity and Constitution saving throws, as long as the crew has at least one rank in any deployment.
>
>
> ### Armament
> The Lancer Pursuit Craft can fire up to three weapons on its turn.
>
> #### Attacks
> ***Twin laser cannon. (fixed: front)*** Ranged Ship Attacks: +1 to hit, range 600/2400, one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+2) energy damage.
>
> ***Laser cannon. (Turreted)*** Ranged Ship Attacks: +1 to hit, range 1000/4000, one target. Hit: 8 (1d10+2) energy damage.

Once the heroes control the Dreary Duty, read the following section aloud.
> It takes several uneventful hours to reach the asteroid belt. As you approach, you receive a communication: “Dreary Duty, you are cleared for approach.  Follow the transmitted waypoints.”
>
> As you follow the transmitted waypoints, you see that you are being taken on a relatively clear path through the asteroid belt.  Given the random movement of the asteroids, you suspect that this path will no longer be viable just minutes from now. 
>
> After a short flight you spot the station through your viewport. It is quite small for an independent station, with its width being only about 5 times the length of your ship. Your sensors detect only 2 quad cannons for its defense.  The cannons fire every so often, breaking up any of the larger asteroids that approach the station. You can see smaller asteroids bounce harmlessly off of its shields.
>
> As you enter the hangar, which you see is empty, the comm crackles, “Crew of the Dreary Duty: as always, exit your ship and wait in the lounge while we unload the cargo.  You will be notified when you are permitted to return to your ship.”

Igren waits until the heroes leave the hangar, then he deploys himself and his troops in a semi-circle around the entrance.

> The hangar door leads into a corridor ending with a sparsely furnished lobby area. You see a small turbolift on the far end of the room.

Turbolift Levels
* Level 1: Communications *(Locked)*
* Level 2: Manufacturing 
* Level 3: Hangar Bay & Lobby
* Level 4: Research & Development *(Locked)*

The controls to levels 1 and 4 are locked out by the control room. Only the controls to levels 2 and 3 are functioning. When the heroes take the turbolift to level 2, read the following.

> ##### Manufacturing 
> You exit the turbolift into some kind of lab and manufacturing area. There are all sorts of bits of electronics in the lab area, and tools stations make up the manufacturing area. Two crates are stacked near the turbolift door. Oddly, you don’t see a single person in the entire area.

Each crate contains a prototype sensor packed in foam, and each weighs 25 lbs. It is approximately 3 feet cubed in size.

\pagebreakNum

> ##### Back to the Hangar
> When you enter the hangar with your newly acquired sensor, you see half a dozen stormtroopers with blasters pointed at you. Behind them you see a jumptrooper with a captain's insignia on his armor, and a Neimoidian in black leather armed with a red lightsaber. You immediately recognize Igren Demos, Darga's Loyal Majordomo. He is glaring at *(XXX)*. “Callus said you’d be here. I am no longer powerless. I swore to myself that I would kill you for destroying my life- and now I have you.”
> 
> The jumptrooper speaks up: “You are hereby under arrest –“, but Igren interrupts him.  “No.  None of that nonsense.  Kill them all, but leave the *(PC Race)* for me.”

Customize this encounter to reference whomever Igren Demos hated the most in the party. That character will be the focus of his attacks. Example: "leave the *(Chiss)* for me."

**NOTE** The player carrying the package has disadvantage on their initiative roll.

#### Setup
* Map: Imperial Hangar

#### Encounter
* Stormtrooper x6
* Stormtrooper Captain (Jetpack) x1 
* Igren Demos

#### Loot
* Lightfoil [Red] 
* T-Cycler Reinforcer [Basic] - *(Standard, Minor)*

___
> ## Stormtrooper
>*Medium Humanoid, Any Alignment*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 16 (Composite armor)
> - **Hit Points** 18 (4d8)
> - **Speed** 30ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|11 (0)|12 (+1)|10 (0)|10 (-1)|10 (0)|10 (0)|
>___
> - **Skills** Perception +2
> - **Senses** Passive Perception 12
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic
> - **Challenge** 1/4 (50 XP)
> ___
>
> ### Actions
> ***Blaster Rifle.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +3 to hit, Range 105/420ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 1) energy damage.
>
> ***Stock Strike.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) kinetic damage.

___
> ## Jumptrooper
>*Medium Humanoid, Any Alignment*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 17 (Composite armor)
> - **Hit Points** 32 (5d8 + 10)
> - **Speed** 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (Jet Pack)
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|12 (+1)|14 (+2)|14 (+2)|10 (0)|10 (0)|12 (+1)|
>___
> - **Skills** Athletics +3, Perception +2
> - **Senses** Passive Perception 12
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic
> - **Challenge** 2 (450xp)
> ___
> ***Jetpack.*** Activating or deactivating the jetpack requires a bonus action and, while active, the Jumptrooper has a flying speed of 60 feet. The jetpack lasts for a maximum of 10 minutes.
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The Jumptrooper makes two attacks with its blaster rifle.
>
> ***Blaster Rifle.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +3 to hit, Range 105/420ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 2) energy damage.

\pagebreakNum

___
___
> ## Igren Demos (Dark Jedi)
>*Medium Humanoid (Neimoidian), Neutral Dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 16 (19 with battle precognition)
> - **Hit Points** 91 (14d8+28)
> - **Speed** 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|15 (+2)|18 (+4)|14 (+2)|10 (0)|17 (+3)|8 (-1)|
>___
> - **Skills** Acrobatics +12, Athletics +6, Perception +7
> - **Senses** Senses passive Perception 17
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic, Gamorrean, Huttese, Pak Pak
> - **Challenge** 7 (2,900 XP)
> ___
>
> ***Surprise Attack (1/rest).*** If Igren Demos surprises a creature and hits it with an attack on his first turn, the attack deals an extra 2d6 damage.
>
>***Cunning Action.*** Igren Demos can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
>
>***Relentless.*** Igren Demos has advantage on initiative checks, and gains a 10 foot bonus to speed on his first turn of combat.
>
>***Force Enhanced Attacks.*** Igren Demos's primary attacks are enhanced by precision and the Force, adding an extra 1d8 damage to melee strikes (included).
>
>***Forcecasting.*** Igren Demos is a 6th level forcecaster with Wisdom as his forcecasting ability (force save DC 15, +7 to hit with force attacks, 20 force points). He knows the following force powers:
>
>At-will: *saber reflect, force push/pull, force disarm, saber throw, burst*
>
>1st level: *slow descent, battle precognition, force jump, phasestrike*
>
>2nd level: *force blur, force throw*
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** Igren Demos makes two lightfoil attacks.
>
> ***Lightfoil.*** Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) energy damage.
>
> ### Bonus Actions
> ***The Way of the Acklay.*** Igren Demos enters a destructive stance for one minute. While in this stance, he adds +1 to any lightfoil damage rolls. Additionally, when Igren Demos hits a creature with a melee weapon attack, he can move up to 5 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

Once Igren and his men are dealt with the party must escape the station. The quad cannons now identify the Dreary Duty as hostile and will fire upon it as soon as they leave the hangar.

The party takes a total of 3 rounds to escape. Each round the following happens:
* Each quadlaser makes and attack against the Dreary Duty. There are two quad lasers (2d4 Kinetic), and each has a +6 to hit.
* The pilot must succeed a DC 15 Piloting check avoid the asteroids, suffering 4d6 kinetic damage on a failed check. They have resistance to this damage as long as they have shields remaining.

\pagebreakNum

After 3 rounds the PCs have escaped combat and are not pursued further. They may then bring the Dreary Duty back to Aram or keep it for themselves. Once the PCs have concluded their business on Aram they can return to the Resurgence with their prize.

**Travel Time = (24 hours * Hyperdrive Class)**

> ##### Back to the Resurgence
> While the Resurgence’s tech crews install the sensor package, Master Denia enters the hangar. “Congratulations on completing the preliminary portion of the mission.  Now, prepare yourselves for the true objective: finding the Qornah holocron.  I don’t know what you will find when you reach the Almas Academy, but I sense that it will be your most difficult challenge yet.  Thank you again for undertaking this mission, and may the Force be with you.”

Allow the party to take care of anything they need to do before leaving, though there should be a sense of urgency to recover the holocron.

> Several hours after leaving the Corellian Run, your starship exits hyperspace at the calculated point just outside the Cularin system. Exactly as you were warned by Master Denia, you notice innumerable comets of all shapes and sizes occasionally colliding with each other, forming an enormous cloud around the system. Fortunately, the sensor you acquired works as promised and begins to analyze their erratic patterns and calculate a safe path through the deadly hazards. Several tense hours later you emerge from the cloud unscathed. With the immediate danger now behind you, the viewport becomes a streak of stars as you jump into hyperspace. An hour later, you again emerge from hyperspace and the planet farthest from Cularin’s twin suns comes into view, lambent and mysterious: Almas. 
>
> The first thing you notice from orbit is the strange luminescence that emanates from the planet itself. The twin suns are too distant to illuminate the planet, and you are approaching from the side facing away from them. Yet most of the surface emits a faint glow, except for one dark spot where the Jedi academy happens to be located according to your nav computer.

Allow the party to RP a bit before running the next encounter.

### Almas
As soon as they near Almas, the heroes’ starship sensors start beeping, alerting them to a nearby ship. A modified consular-class cruiser was hiding in orbit close to planet’s moon Dorumaa and is now coming at them fast, with cannons and tractor beams trained on the heroes’ ship.

Since the destruction of the Almas Academy, the pirates of the Red Fury Brotherhood emerged as the dominant corsairs in the Cularin system. Inquisitor Callus cut a deal to have them patrol the orbit of Almas while he investigates the darkness saturating the planet. Policing duties have fallen to one of the Red Fury’s most hardhearted and arrogant swashbucklers, the pirate Reddjak. His menacing scarlet vessel, the *Blood Brother*, tries to ensnare and board the heroes’ ship within moments of its arrival.

### Seeing Red
#### Setup
* Map: Space Pirates

The fight starts with the heroes on one side and the *Blood Brother* with its 4 Z-95 Headhunter escorts. If the heroes' ship has been boarded, combat takes place in an interior portion of the ship. Otherwise, it takes place as a space battle between the *Blood Brother* and any ships possessed by the heroes. If there are more than 4 players in the campaign, consider increasing the amount of Z-95 Headhunters to match.

#### Read-Aloud Text
As soon as the heroes spot the pirate vessel in orbit, their ship’s subspace transceiver pings, and an image appears on their viewscreen:

> As you travel closer to Almas your ships sensors begin beeping rapidly. Sensors report a modified consular class cruiser on quickly approaching with its tractor beam and weapons live. As the ruby-dipped cruiser fills the viewport a light begins blinking on the cockpit console, requesting communication.
> 
>*(When PC pushes the button)* 
>
> Suddenly on your ship’s viewscreen, in all his preposterous glory, is a pointy-eared, male near-Human with thick, flaring eyebrows, a patch of fur on his jutting chin, and a razor-thin mustache that would be the envy of any holodrama villain. He’s wearing an open crimson blouse, strapped down at the waist by a gold sash, and he brandishes a menacing vibrorapier. His gloating smile says it all.
>
> “Let’s not waste time, you starforsaken spawns of space slugs,” the man says. “By the authority of the Red Fury Brotherhood, you’re now Captain Reddjak’s prisoners. Cut all power to your weapons and shields, and the Blood Brother won’t blow you out of the stars. Prepare for the pleasure of being boarded.”

\pagebreakNum

___
___
> ## "The Blood Brother" Consular-Class Cruiser
> *Tier 2 large construct (starship), Corvette*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 10 (Reinforced)
> - **Damage Reduction** 6
> - **Hull Points** 85
> - **Shield Points** 85 (directional)
> - **Shield Regeneration Rate** 10/round
> - **Speed** 350 ft., turning 250 ft.
> - **Reactor** 1/ round (Fuel Cell)
> - **Power Dice** d6
> - **Power Coupling** Hub & Spoke
> - **Central Capacity** 2
> - **System Capacity** 1
>
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|16 (+3)|9 (-1)|17 (+3)|11 (0)|14 (+2)|11 (0)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** STR +6, DEX +5
> - **Senses** passive Scan 12
> - **Minimum Crew** 400
>___
> ***MODIFICATIONS*** 
> **Action**: Tractor Beam (2/recharge)
>
> **Bonus Action**: Navcomputer, Damage Control System
>
> **Passive**: Class 3 Hyperdrive, Hardpoint (4), Turret Mounting (1), Escape Pods, Storage Compartment
>
> ***All Hands on Deck.*** The Blood Brother can take up to 5 non-fire actions on its turn. However, only one of these actions may be a helm action.
>
> ### Armament
> The Blood Brother can fire up to four weapons on its turn.
>
> #### Attacks
> ***Heavy Laser Cannon. (fixed: left, right, front)*** Ranged Ship Attacks: +5 to hit, range 300/600, one target. Hit: 12 (1d12+5) energy damage.
>
> ***Heavy Ion Cannon. (Turreted)*** Ranged Ship Attacks: +5 to hit, range 300/600, one target. Hit: 10 (1d10+4) ion damage. On a hit, the target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or it is ionized for 1 minute. As an action by a crewmember on their turn, the ship can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect early on a success. Ships larger than you have advantage on the saving throw.

#### *Blood Brother* Tactics
Reddjak would like to be able to claim the heroes’ cargo as booty by boarding their ship, and if the heroes are caught by the *Blood Brother*’s tractor beam they may have no choice. However, he’s already receiving a handsome compensation from Inquisitor Callus, so Reddjak will not hesitate to blast the heroes’ ship into smithereens if they struggle.

A ship is only as effective as its captain, and Reddjak is both overconfident and anxious to make a name for himself, making the *Blood Brother* vulnerable to hero ingenuity. The first thing Reddjak does is try to get a tractor beam lock on the heroes. If they try to escape, he aims to disable their ships. If the heroes flee, a pair of the *Blood Brother*’s Z-95 headhunters gives chase to the planet below, again taking aim at the heroes’ engines and trying to force them to land.

\pagebreakNum

___
___
> ## Z-95 Headhunter
> *Tier 1 small construct (starship), Attack Fighter*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 12 (deflection)
> - **Damage Reduction** 3
> - **Hull Points** 18
> - **Shield Points** 30 (directional)
> - **Shield Regeneration Rate** 6/round
> - **Speed** 400 ft., turning 150 ft.
> - **Reactor** 1/ round (Fuel Cell)
> - **Power Dice** d4
> - **Power Coupling** Direct
> - **Central Capacity** 4
> - **System Capacity** 0
>
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|16 (+3)|14 (+2)|10 (0)|11 (0)|14 (+2)|11 (0)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** STR +6, DEX +5
> - **Skills** Scan +2
> - **Senses** passive Scan 12
> - **Max Crew** 1
>___
> ***MODIFICATIONS*** 
> **Bonus Action**: S-Foils, Navcomputer
>
> **Passive**: Class 5 Hyperdrive, Hardpoint (2)
>
> ### Armament
> The Z-95 Headhunter can fire one weapon on its turn.
>
> #### Attacks
> ***Twin Laser Cannon.*** Ranged Ship Attacks: +5 to hit, range 300/600, one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+3) energy damage. Alternatively, the Z-95 can have the target ship make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 13 (2d8+3) energy damage on a failed save.
>
> ***Concussion missile launcher (fixed: front)*** (8/refit) The Z-95 fires a single missile exploding in a 150-foot-cube area at one starship within 600 feet normal range and 2,400 feet long range. Each ship in the area must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) energy damage on a failed save.

#### Red Fury Pirates (4)
The Red Fury Brotherhood is as cutthroat as they come. Reddjak has taken on many violent outcasts and turned the alien pariahs into stonehearted killers. These corsairs are trained to board in space with space suits or force their victims onto a planet surface where they can fight in the open. Complete with cybernetic eye patches, vibrorapiers, blasters, and a stench that could bowl over a bantha, these pirates are seasoned pros, anxious to loot their first catch of the day.

> These are pirates from straight out of the holodramas. Dressed in red and swinging vibrorapiers, they stink of Corellian ale and other unknown substances. The only thing missing is a cry of “Ahoy, mateys!” This motley collection of individuals flash their stained teeth as they start shooting at you.

___
___
> ## Red Fury Pirate
> *Medium humanoid, chaotic dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 15 (Combat suit)
> - **Hit Points** 45 (7d8 + 14)
> - **Speed** 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|12 (+1)|16 (+3)|14 (+2)|10 (0)|12 (+1)|14 (+2)|
>___
> - **Skills** Athletics +3, Perception +3, Stealth +5
> - **Senses** Passive Perception 13
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic
> - **Challenge** 4 (1,100 XP)
> ___
> ***Aggressive.*** As a bonus action, the pirate can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see.
>
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The Red Fury Pirate makes two attacks, one with its heavy blaster pistol and one with its vibrorapier.
>
> ***Heavy Blaster Pistol.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, range 45/180 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 3) energy damage.
>
> ***Vibrorapier.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 3) kinetic damage.
>
> ***Electrostun Grenade (3/Day).*** The pirate throws a stun grenade at a point it can see within 30 feet of it. Each creature within 10 feet of the point must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn't stunned. The grenade deals 6 (2d6) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
>
> ### Reactions
> ***Evasive Maneuvers.*** When the Red Fury Pirate is hit by an attack, it can use its reaction to add 2 to its AC against that attack.

#### Red Fury Pirate Tactics
The Red Fury Pirates are cunning and opportunistic fighters, often employing hit-and-run tactics. They attempt to overwhelm their enemies with a barrage of blaster fire while closing the distance to engage in melee combat with their vibrorapiers.

They prioritize targeting weaker opponents first, attempting to incapacitate or eliminate them swiftly. If the tide of battle turns against them, they're not above using their stun grenades to create an opening for escape. The captain is a skilled leader, directing their crew to focus fire on high-priority targets or exploit weaknesses in their foes' defenses.

\pagebreakNum

___
> ## Reddjak, Pirate Leader
> *Medium humanoid, chaotic dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 17 (Combat suit, Medium shield generator)
> - **Hit Points** 75 (10d8 + 30)
> - **Speed** 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|14 (+2)|16 (+3)|16 (+3)|12 (+1)|14 (+2)|16 (+3)|
>___
> - **Skills** Athletics +5, Perception +4, Intimidation +6
> - **Senses** Passive Perception 14
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic
> - **Challenge** 5 (1,800 XP)
> ___
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** Reddjak makes three attacks: two with his heavy blaster pistol and one with his vibrorapier.
>
> ***Heavy Blaster Pistol.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, range 45/180 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 3) energy damage.
>
> ***Vibrorapier.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 3) kinetic damage.
>
> ***Electrostun Grenade (3/Day).*** Reddjak throws a stun grenade at a point he can see within 30 feet of him. Each creature within 10 feet of the point must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn't stunned. The grenade deals 7 (2d6) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
>
> ### Reactions
> ***Riposte.*** When the Reddjak is hit by an attack, he can use his reaction to add 2 to his AC against that attack. If this causes the attack to miss, Reddjak can make one Heavy Blaster Pistol or Vibrorapier attack against the creature that attacked him.

#### Loot
* 12,000cr
* Respirator x5
* Stun Grenade x4

#### Conclusion
When the heroes defeat the Red Fury pirates, they can take time to survey the damage to their ship and repair it if they have a mechanic. They should then proceed towards the town of Forard and the academy.

**Note** The Blood Brother requires a crew of at least 400 to function at full capacity. When the party defeats the boarding party, the remaining crew of the Blood Brother begin to muster reinforcements. Be sure to let your players know that a ship this size is well-staffed so they do not try to overstay their welcome.

\columnbreak

### Landing
The nav computer instructs the heroes to land near the abandoned cluster of buildings formerly comprising the city of Forard. There is no spaceport control to direct them—the landing beacons have been extinguished for close to two years. Landing the ship is not difficult, since the terrain around the town is flat for hundreds of miles. However, if the ship was damaged during the “Seeing Red” encounter, the heroes should make a few Intelligence (PIloting) checks to land without incident.

If you are using Switch as a re-occurring character in your campaign he will contact the party at this time. Read the below text aloud.

> As you begin landing preparations a message appears on your ship's secure commscreen. 
>
> "Hello associates, while you are visiting Almas Academy I have a business proposition for you. My information banks suggest that the academy contains beskar, also known as Mandalorian Iron, somewhere within. Secure the beskar and deliver it to R5-27 on the Resurgence. I will transfer you 15,000 credits upon completion." 
>
> -Switch

*The party may be curious about how Switch knows so much about their plans and travels- this message gives a clue to just that. R5-27 is another one of Switch's associates and just so happens to be the same "familiar droid" that attends the mission briefings on the Resurgence.*

The ship’s sensors detect only a few life forms in the vicinity. The planet’s atmosphere is cold and has a very high oxygen concentration. The air contains traces of toxins (such as methane and phosphorus), and a DC 15 Survival check reveals that the heroes should wear breath masks, at least while outside the ruins, to avoid being affected.

If they ignore this warning or fail the Survival check, have the players make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, if they fail they take 2d8 poison damage and take one level of exhaustion from the toxic atmosphere. In addition, due to the large amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere, **players regain all their hit dice upon a long rest instead of only half.**

The academy ruins are located in the city center, and since kaluthin doesn’t grow in the immediate vicinity, the heroes must use glowrods (or ignited lightsabers) to light the way. Heroes who are force sensitive automatically detect a strong presence of the dark side as soon as they get just over half a mile towards the academy. Due to the dark side interference, the *Affect Mind*, *Mind Trick* and *Sense Emotion* force powers do not function.

\pagebreakNum

### Squibs . . . Why did it have to be Squibs?
The nearly circular city of Forard escaped the fate of the Jedi academy around which it was built. Citizens of the urban sprawl watched in horror and awe as fire rained down from the sky with remarkable pinpoint accuracy, utterly annihilating the academy. But if the people thought they were safe after this precision strike, they were dead wrong. With the destruction of the academy, a series of mysterious calamities befell the city, and now it remains all but lifeless.

Whether the heroes land in this area as part of the encounter with the Red Fury Brotherhood or come to it afterward, read the following:

> The city is empty of men, women, and children. Hostile winds whip through the lifeless streets and between the alleyways of abandoned buildings. Unlike most of the planet, here the unchecked kaluthin has taken over, growing up to 6 feet tall in some parts of the city. And yet, the plant fails to mask strewn debris and the occasional decomposing body—the calling cards of looters and bandits who plundered the city after the unexpected attack almost two years ago.
>
> As you walk through the discarded remnants of old lives, you notice the empty twin buildings housing the local children’s school. To your left, you see faded graffiti on the wall, below a sign that reads “Remembrance Hall.” A collective chill runs down your spines as you make out suspiciously red letters that say, “DEATH TO THE UNFAITHFUL." When you get within a 300 feet of the academy ruins, you realize that all the kaluthin inside this radius has died off. This area is as dead as the entire planet was millennia ago.

If a hero makes a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check with disadvantage, they notice that they are being watched, though he can’t determine who or what is spying on them. He catches only shadows or overhears noises of jostled metal and debris. These are Sith worshippers and their Dark Lizard pets that, up until the bombardment, had relegated themselves to Almas’ Sith fortress and its immediate vicinity, where the lingering presence of the dark side used to be strongest. The heroes will encounter a pack of Dark Lizards before entering the Almas Academy and the Sith “Believers” later within the ruins’ obscured depths.

As the heroes make their way to the city center, they reach the outer buildings that surround the Almas Academy—or what used to be the academy (see the map of the academy area on page 11). Extrapolated from the Coruscant Jedi Temple’s original design, only a few crumbling walls of the Jedi learning center are still visible.

As the heroes near what might have been the entrance to the academy grounds, a cacophony of barely intelligible voices assails their ears. When the heroes get even closer, they spot three rotund beings in space suits towering over five aliens that look like rabid canines with blue fur. A member of each group is engaged in a tug-of-war over what looks like the upper half of a tarnished silver protocol droid.

> “Get your unholy pseudopoda off this Holy Artifact, Squib,” the big one says.
>
> The little guy retorts, “From our cold, dead paws, you ugly Ugor! We got to this treasure first! Finders keepers!”
>
> “It is unfortunate,” the half-droid says, “that Jedi Knight Thorla never programmed me for a denouement of this particular design.”
>
> “Hey, you!” one of larger ones yells, popping off its helmet and turning part of its flabby amoebic body into an arm to wave you over “Hey you, tell these Squib sinners we found this Holy Artifact infinitely before them. Please!”

Scavengers. Given the scum that usually shows up in the wake of a battle or planetary catastrophe, these foragers seem relatively harmless. This should be evident to the heroes based on the exchanges they overhear. Based on the droid’s reference to his relationship with Jedi Master Lanius (whom Master Denia mentioned to the heroes), they should realize that the droid might have information that can help them with their mission. If the heroes do not catch on immediately, feel free to offer them other incentives to recover the droid for themselves, such as having the droid mention knowledge of the academy’s ruins (“This never would have happened if I’d stayed in the ruins!”) and so forth. When the heroes approach, all parties react with a degree of restrained but visible hope, each trying to share its side of the story before the others.

SplrMuck, the unicellular Ugor holding the droid’s left arm, explains that his group found the droid first, fair and square, dragging it out from the Almas Academy ruins. SplrMuck set the droid down in front of the academy entrance for just a second when he saw the heroes’ ship set down nearby. SplrMuck’s story, if true, seems to be news to Jiminaldomabbramsti (or Jimi)—the feisty Squib with a death grip on the droid’s right arm—and his furry compatriots. They work for the Squib salvager Squeerie, and Jimi insists that no Ugors were around at the time he found this “treasure” near the temple entrance. Possession is ninehundred-and-ninety-nine one-thousandths of High Squibbian Law, so if SplrMuck set the droid down, for whatever reason, it’s fair game. By contrast, Ugors have turned garbage gathering into a religion, and Ugorian Divine Law decrees that the first being to find a piece of junk consecrates it with his slime on contact, a mark of ownership instantly identifiable and respected by any other Ugor.

As for the half-droid himself, he explains respectfully that he is 7A39, or SevenAy, a former protocol droid for the Almas Academy. The heroes should not only feel inclined toward helping the hapless droid, but also recognize that SevenAy might have crucial information about the academy’s sublevels and perhaps the holocron they’re after.

The heroes have multiple challenges in their interactions with the scavengers, but only acquiring SevenAy or a special datacron is critical to the success of their mission. The heroes must negotiate with the Squib and Ugor parties for the droid. The following challenges show how the heroes can affect the outcome of the encounter.

\pagebreakNum

**Primary Challenge:** The heroes must either save 7-A39 so that they can question the protocol droid or obtain a datacron that will grant access to the computer inside the academy's control room. Although the scavengers begin the encounter hostile toward each other, each group begins with an attitude of indifferent toward the heroes, whom they hope can solve their dilemma. As both groups are really less interested in SevenAy than in getting as many credits as they can, they are receptive to any deal the heroes try to spin in exchange for the droid. If pressed, SplrMuck will give up his claim to SevenAy for 8,000 credits, and Jimi will settle for any spare breath masks the heroes might have (the Squibs didn’t realize that the Almas atmosphere was technically poisonous). Once the heroes have acquired SevenAy, the Squibs throw in a net, free of charge, so that one of the heroes can carry the half-droid on his or her back.

If the characters don’t barter for SevenAy, the datacron can be used instead to splice into the academy’s computer. However, the datacron won’t offer the same advice that SevenAy can. The droid has intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the academy, even after the attacks, and can provide directions and explanations of how some systems inside the academy work—for example, that the backup generator can power only one sublevel at a time.

**Auxiliary Challenge:** In addition to obtaining components for their ship, the heroes can haggle with the scavengers for other items. The Squibs have the following:
* a battering ram
* a box of eight glowrods
* a beat-up children’s holobook of Busteromuchmacho and the Vermillion Shadow (Vol. 3 in the Squib Jedi series)
* the hilt of a doublesaber that belonged to Vin Thorla, which will be of use to the heroes later; it contains no kyber crystal, and thus cannot be activated

Meanwhile, the Ugors have these items:
* a clone trooper utility belt (with a medpac and 50 ft of Fibercord cable)
* a Stokhli spray stick (identifiable with a DC 20 Intelligence (Technology) check)
* a “holy holocron”

If the heroes show excitement over the holocron, the Ugors demand, in exchange, either a sizeable sum (35,000 credits) or something precious to the heroes. If the characters acquire the holocron, they quickly realize that it’s a “holocron” in name only—a cheap marketing ploy used to boost the appeal of everyday datacrons. If the Ugors allow the heroes to inspect the “holocron” before sealing the deal, a DC 20 Intelligence (technology) check reveals that it is fake.

**Auxiliary Challenge:** Finally, the heroes should try to resolve the scavengers’ dispute peacefully, a successful DC 22 Charisma (Persuasion) check results in apologies from both sides for the misunderstanding. Give the players advantage on this check if they attempt to get the Squib and Ugor parties to understand each other’s sacred laws. If the heroes anger one or both sides, they fail the challenge.

**Ad-Hoc XP Award:** If the heroes successfully resolve the Squib-Ugor dispute, award them XP as though they had defeated a CR 6 encounter

> ### Stotkli Spray Stick
> Weapon (electrostaff), prototype (requires attunement)
>
> *Originally created by the nomadic Stokhli species on the planet Manress, Stokhli spray sticks served as effective long-range stun weapons, and were first employed for big game hunting. These weapons had enough power to knock out large animals like gundarks, making them very popular among big-game hunters.*
>
> You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon and this electrostaff's shocking DC increases from 13 to 15.
>
> Additionally, this electrostaff comes with an integrated net launcher, the net launcher has a minimum range of 60ft and a maximum of 240ft, a reload of 5, and uses traditional power cells as ammunition.
>
> A Large or smaller creature hit by a net is restrained and shocked until it is freed. A net has no effect on formless or Huge or larger creatures. A creature can use its action to make a DC 13 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. The net has an AC of 10, 20 hit points, immunity to all damage not dealt by melee weapons, and resistance to damage dealt by unenhanced melee weapons. Destroying the net frees the creature without harming it and immediately ends the net’s effects.

Squibs are small, furry humanoids with tufted ears. Their fur ranges from deep red to brilliant blue, and they have large yellow or red eyes. They are known for their fearless curiosity, shameless overconfidence, and love of haggling. They are enthusiastic scavengers, and often find fistfuls of credits in the detritus that others discard.

Ugors are single-celled beings. However, that single cell grows to be 6 feet across. An Ugor can extrude as many as thirty distinct pseudopodia, which serve as limbs, manipulators, or sensory organs. Ugors often have a “default” appearance, roughly humanoid, to deal with multicelled beings. Ugors see scavenging as their business and their religion. They are often selfish, unfriendly by nature, and concerned only with garbage and food. Lying and cheating are Ugor virtues, and they are highly competitive with Squibs, whom they consider their mortal enemies.

\pagebreakNum

___
> ## Salvager
> *Medium humanoid (Squib or Ugor), lawful neutral*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 14 (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** 39 (6d8 + 12)
> - **Speed** 30 ft. 
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|10 (0)|14 (+2)|14 (+2)|12 (+1)|10 (0)|10 (0)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws:** Int +3
> - **Skills** Perception +2, Investigation +3
> - **Senses** passive Perception 10
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic and Squib or Ugor
> - **Challenge** 3 (700 XP)
> ___
> ***Techcasting.*** The salvager is a 4th-level techcaster. Its techcasting ability is Intelligence(power save DC 12, +4 to hit with tech attacks) and it has 8 tech points. The salvager knows the following tech powers:
>
> The salvager knows the following powers:
>
> **At-will:** electroshock, mending, poison spray, ward 
> **1st-level:** tactical barrier, tranquilizer 
> **2nd-level:** cryogenic volley, infiltrate 
>
> ***Staunch.*** The salvager has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
>
> ### Actions
>
> ***Heavy Shotgun.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) kinetic damage.
>
> ***Heavy Shotgun Burst.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* 10 ft. cube, range 30/120 ft., DC 12 dexterity saving throw or 7 (2d4+2) kinetic damage.
>
> ***Electrobaton.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 2) kinetic damage plus 3 (1d6) lightning damage.

### Dark Lizards of the Sith
Immediately after the heroes resolve the conflict between the Squibs and the Ugors, all are besieged by dark side reptiles that emerge from behind the broken chunks of the academy tower. The heroes’ only warning before the assault is a spine-chilling snarl and SplrMuck’s gurgling vociferation, “Holy irrebducible garbágina!”

\columnbreak

### THe Believers' Pets
#### Setup
* Map: The Believer's Pets

The heroes should be more or less facing away from what’s left of the Jedi academy entrance, while the Squibs and Ugors face in the opposite direction. Large and small chunks of the academy ruins are scattered around all three groups. When the encounter begins, the Dark Lizards come rampaging out of the debris directly behind the heroes.

#### Encounter
* Dark Lizard x2
* Dark Lizard Alpha x1

#### Read-Aloud Text
When the Squibs and Ugors spot the onrushing horde of Dark Lizards, read the following:

> Your only warning is the gurgling exclamation, “Holy-!” from one of the Ugors, followed by a loud, inhuman growl. As you turn around, there, in Almas's perpetual twilight, appear horrors wrenched from the realm of darkness. Giant reptilian, slavering monsters, black as the void and just as soulless, burst from the concealment of the academy ruins, galloping toward you!

#### Dark Lizard 
The Dark Lizard is a species of reptilian hssiss drenched in the dark side to such to a degree that its eyes shine coral like those of a Dark Lord, and the ebony beast literally glows with darkness. Even its drool is black. Encased in its bony skull is a mouth filled with black stiletto teeth and a charcoal prehensile tongue (earning the beast its alternative sobriquet, “Dark Tongue”). Along the back of the creature’s 10-foot-long body run two rows of sharp spikes, and its four appendages end in huge ivory claws.

Popular as exotic pets among crimelords and other beings insane with power, Dark Lizards on Almas have found their masters in the Sith cultist Believers.

> The Dark Lizards’ hungry, inky tongues unfurl from gullets that seem bottomless, thanks to the 4-inch ebon teeth lining their mouths, which dribble tarlike drool. These beasts resemble living shadows, and only their ivory claws indicate that their origin is not supernatural. Their obsidian hides radiate incalculably vile energy. There is no sign of intelligence in their primeval gazes, only the brand of distilled evil—their eyes smolder with the orange-red glow of the dark side.

\pagebreakNum
___
> ## Dark Lizard
> *Large aberration, chaotic dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 14 (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** 67 (9d10 + 18)
> - **Speed** 40 ft., swim 40 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|16 (+3)|14 (+2)|15 (+2)|4 (-3)|12 (+1)|6 (-2)|
>___
> - **Skills** Perception +3
> - **Senses** Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
> - **Languages** Can't speak but understands commands in Sith
> - **Challenge** 4 (1,100 XP)
> ___
> ***Amphibious.*** The dark lizard can breathe air and water.
> 
> ***Keen Sight and Smell.*** The dark lizard has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight and smell.
>
> ***Sith-born.*** Dark forcecasters and Sith (species) have advantage on Animal Handling checks against the dark lizard.
>
> ***Pounce.*** If the dark lizard moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the dark lizard can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The dark lizard makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.
>
> ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) kinetic damage.
>
> ***Claw.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) kinetic damage.
>
> ***Prehensile Tongue.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: The target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be pulled to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the lizard. If the target is medium or smaller and fails the saving throw, the lizard can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.

\columnbreak

___
> ## Dark Lizard Alpha
> *Large aberration, chaotic dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 16 (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** 105 (14d10 + 28)
> - **Speed** 40 ft., swim 40 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|18 (+4)| 14 (+2)| 15 (+2)| 6 (-2)| 12 (+1)| 6 (-2)|
>___
> - **Skills** Perception +5
> - **Senses** Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
> - **Languages** Can't speak but understands commands in Sith
> - **Challenge** 6 (2,300 XP)
> ___
> ***Amphibious.*** The dark lizard can breathe air and water.
> 
> ***Keen Sight and Smell.*** The dark lizard has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight and smell.
>
> ***Sith-born.*** Dark forcecasters and Sith (species) have advantage on Animal Handling checks against the dark lizard.
>
> ***Pounce.*** If the alpha dark lizard moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the alpha dark lizard can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The dark lizard alpha makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.
>
> ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) kinetic damage.
>
> ***Claw.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d4 + 4) kinetic damage.
>
> ***Prehensile Tongue.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pulled to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the lizard. If the target is medium or smaller and fails the saving throw, the alpha dark lizard can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.

\pagebreakNum

#### Dark Lizard Tactics
The Dark Lizards might not be sentient, but they know a thing or two about hunting. They quickly try to corral the heroes and scavengers between them, making an effort to capture them with their prehensile tongues and if it succeeds, the lizards reel their victims in to attack them with their claws and bites. Alternatively, the lizards try to trample their victims and pin them to the ground, lashing at them with bite attacks.

#### Loot
* Blueprint: Flux Collimator - *(Advanced, Minor)*
* Blueprint: Medpac [Improved] - *(Advanced, Minor)*

#### Conclusion 
After the Dark Lizards are defeated, the Squibs and Ugors are so grateful they offer a 10% discount on their wares. *(They are business-beings after all!)* In addition, each of the beings offers the PCs a rare blueprint as a sign of their thanks. (See above)

> #### Features of the Area
>The surrounding academy debris can provide both cover and obstacles for the heroes. Additionally, at your discretion, any attacks that sufficiently damage a player might rip off his or her breath mask, causing the victim to suffer the ill effects of Almas’ atmosphere.

If the scavengers were receptive to the heroes before, they consider the heroes comrades now that they have shed dark side blood together. After killing the Dark Lizards, if the heroes had not already secured the items they wanted from the scavengers, all negotiations are now made at advantage.

Once the heroes have secured their prize (either the half-droid or the datacron), they can head directly into the Almas Academy ruins.

### Entering the Ruins
If the heroes do some reconnaissance outside, they can see that the ruins of eight rectangular buildings surround the tower like ragged teeth. The grounds between them and the main building used to be gardens, but are now littered with ferrocrete hunks of blasted wall and the remains of a military ship that crashed into the north side of the tower. Read the following text aloud:

\columnbreak

> Soon, you pass the outer buildings and grounds that surround the academy proper. The remains of the circular structure are immediately identifiable as Coruscani in design. The majestic white marble tower lies toppled on the ground. 
>
> Once you pass the yawning entrance, where the 16 foot-high double doors were ripped from their hinges by someone who valued only their material worth, you find yourselves in the entry hall. Even with all the surrounding devastation, the wonder of this place remains palpable. The few interior walls still standing are also made of white Selonian marble, lined with thick veins of silver that form into knots where wall and floor meet. Inlaid cases carved into the entry hall walls are set at about 3 feet off the floor. Dust-free spots inside them show that their contents were stolen rather recently.
>
> Only some sections of the ground floor remain accessible. Most of the corridors were blocked when the upper floors caved in during the bombardment. You must make your way over or under a row of once-dazzling columns at the hall center, now shattered into pathetic fragments. At the other end, past the cracked bust of a venerable Twi’lek Jedi, the only unobstructed path leads to the fountain chamber. 
>
> Once there, you find yourselves in a large, circular room, half of which is completely caved in. There are five marble benches lined up along the curving wall on the left and an exit at the other end, which leads to another dark corridor. While the farthest half is filled with debris, in the middle of the room sits a magnificent fountain. From its center extends an impressive sculpture of a large humanoid hand, palm out in a welcoming gesture. The work of art is cracked from the impacts it suffered during the attack. The fountain waters stopped bubbling a long time ago, and at the bottom of the dried-up pool is a dark, viscous substance that seems to slightly alter its shape. Must be a trick of the light. There seems to be nothing of interest in this former contemplation chamber.

If the heroes go directly to the exit, skip to the next encounter. If at least one hero tries to touch the black substance, add the following:

> As you approach the black substance that lies at the center of the fountain, a tendril of ooze lashes out faster than the eye can see, and a profound cold engulfs you for a second. Before anyone realizes what has happened, the puddle of ooze disappears down the fountain water shaft.

Each hero in a square that is adjacent to the ooze is attacked by one tendril. The attack is considered a surprise attack and cannot act in response. Have any adjacent players make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw and deals 1d8 points of psychic damage. The creature is a t’salak and will be encountered in the lower levels of the academy. It has been lying in wait as a sort of sentry, but it doesn’t use its powers on the heroes just yet.

\pagebreakNum

### Cave-In
The right path on the ground floor is pretty clear-cut. The holomap contained within SevenAy or the datacron is useful only once the heroes reach the sublevels. Still, if the heroes ask, the droid reveals that the inaccessible rooms on the ground floor used to be offices and classrooms, the lightsaber training room, and the grand lecture hall. The only way downstairs is via an empty turbolift shaft located past the fountain chamber and to the left. But before they reach it, the heroes’ passing causes a wall to cave in—a wall that was sustaining the ceiling by a hairpin.

> As you continue deeper into the academy a faint rumble from deep within causes the ceiling above you to splinter and crack causing chunks of ferrocrete to rain down around you.

The falling debris causes the players to make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw deals 4d10 points of kinetic damage with a successful save taking half damage. Any hero who fails the check by 5 or more gets caught beneath a lump of ferrocrete. A successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check will remove the debris.

> The dust settles and you are relieved to realize that the way you entered the academy is still accessible. A small but easily navigated section of the corridor is left relatively unscathed by the cave-in. Dusting yourself off you proceed deeper into the academy's depths.

If the heroes survive, they reach the turbolift shaft. It shows signs of recent activity, and heroes who make a DC 19 Wisdom (Survival) check will know that there were several humanoids who passed through here. If they succeed in a DC 22 Wisdom (Survival) check they also know that it was only in the past few days. There are no handholds inside the shaft. To descend, the heroes must climb down or use an item such as a fibercord rope. The turbolift shaft descends for 50 feet  before reaching the first sublevel.

**>> Surviving the cave-in and entering the first sublevel of the Academy is a level-up milestone. (Level 8) <<**

## Part 2: Domain of Evil
While the ruined ground floor above had at least some reflected light streaming in, the underground level is pitch black. As the heroes scurry down the empty shaft, they must rely on their own darkvision, glowrods, lightsabers or other sources of light to guide the way. Beneath the heroes is a rubble pile that fell inside the shaft, blocking the path north to the vehicle hangar, but the south exit out of the turbolift is clear.

> Exiting the turbolift you are engulfed in complete darkness, whatever dreary light reflected into the first floor of the academy is nowhere to be found.

* Map: Sublevel 1

Once outside the lift shaft, the heroes find themselves at the intersection of two corridors that form an “L” shape (see the map of sublevel 1). A thin coat of dust covers the floor, disturbed in places where several beings have recently traveled. The walls are constructed of reinforced white duraplast. The corridor going east leads to several small study chambers and the remains of a control room, before being blocked by a cave-in (see “Control Room,” below). The corridor going straight (south) has two blast doors (see “Generator Room,” below) and turns left about 75 feet down (see “Library,” below).

### Meditation Chambers
The meditation chambers all appear emtpy at first glance. However with the proper light source and some time the PCs can find a few valuables tucked away within the chambers.

For every 30 minutes spent searching the meditation chambers, have the players make a DC 18 Investigation check. Upon success the PC's find the following items. Each time the check is repeated, reduce the DC by 2. 
* Disguised Hilt *(Standard, Minor)*
* Ossus Dueling Lens *(Prototype, Minor)*

### Control Room
There is no power to this level, so the blast door must be opened manually. Heroes can jury-rig an external power source (such as a datapad or power cell) on a successful DC 17 Intelligence (Technology) check. They can also pry open the door on a DC 20 Strength check or simply break it down (AC 15, 18 hit points). If the heroes enter the control room, read the following:

> The blast door yields, and you find yourselves in a dark, dank room about 10 feet by 60 feet. On the opposite wall is a large, cracked transparisteel window with a view blocked by enormous boulders and slag. The far side of the room is also filled from floor to ceiling with rubble where the wall and window were not strong enough to hold back the collapsing academy structure. Below the window is a bank of consoles and computers; some have been damaged, with broken screens and severed wires hanging from underneath. But one console seems intact. It has a standard input for datapads and astromech droids.

The heroes might have turned on the power to this level (see “Generator Room,” below). If not, they can power up the console with an external source on a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Technology) check. If 7-A39 is with them, the droid suggests it to the heroes. If the check fails by 5 or more, the console short-circuits and requires extensive repairs. If the check succeeds, the computer turns on.

However, the Jedi had locked down the system with restricted access, so the heroes have to plug in either SevenAy (at his suggestion), the datacron they obtained from the Ugors or perform a DC 17 Intelligence (slicer's kit) check. The information that can be accessed includes a map of sublevel 1, descriptions of functions for each room (the most important of which is the library), and a dated log showing what vehicles were borrowed from the hangar (located behind the debris-blocked window) and by whom.

\pagebreakNum

Access to the map shows a stairway leading down at the end of the corridor outside the control room, but the heroes noticed earlier that this route is blocked. They must circle the perimeter of the meditation rooms and arrive at the other side of the blocked passageway to access these stairs (unknown to the heroes, that stairway is also blocked by debris; see “Storage Rooms," below). The last log entry, dated around the same time as the attack on the Almas Academy, shows that all vehicles were evacuated from the hangar due to an emergency.

To access information about the second sublevel, the heroes must succeed at a DC 17 Intelligence (slicer's kit) check. (See the map of sublevel 2 on page 19. Draw a version of the map that has no labels, and show it to the players.)

The heroes can issue routine commands, such as turning on the power and opening unlocked blast doors, for either sublevel, but they can do so for only one sublevel at a time. If they turn on the power, the ceiling lights flicker on in the corridor outside. However, the lights are very dim and strobe unpredictably. Be sure to describe this phenomenon to unnerve the heroes as they move about the sublevel.

### Generator Room
Halfway across the corridor, on the west side wall, are two blast doors. If the heroes turned on the power in the control room, the doors whisk open with the push of a button. If not, they need to be powered up using an external source or forced (see “Control Room,” above). Behind both doors, the rooms are of equal size, roughly 30 feet by 75 feet at its largest points. The first room used to be a repair and maintenance area. Salvagers have picked it clean, but some pieces of junk are still lying around, including empty fuel containers, damaged repair tools, and all kinds of nuts, bolts, and hull plates.

The second room houses the academy’s power generator, a huge cylindrical turbine. Close inspection reveals that it is damaged beyond salvation. A smaller turbine nearby is the backup generator, and it is mostly intact. It can be powered on from the computer in the control room or by connecting a datapad directly to it and issuing the activation commands. The backup generator has only enough juice to power one level of the academy at a time, and since the top floors no longer exist, the heroes can use it to power one of the two sublevels.

Once activated, the backup generator will run for six hours before shutting down for a recharge. But the heroes won’t know this, so you can surprise them with this fact once the approximate time has lapsed (or at any particularly dramatic moment). The largely empty room also has a functioning repulsor sled, which the heroes can use to haul their gear around or as a battering ram to beat down doors.

\columnbreak

### Library
The southern corridor parallels the one to the north, where the control room is located, except that it is not blocked by debris. This corridor is 110 feet long. Along its left (north) wall are numerous doors that lead to more meditation rooms, and in the center of the opposite (south) wall is a single door. The heroes can ignore the doors, swing left around the outside of the meditation chambers, and go directly toward the stairwell (see “Storage Rooms," page 14). Each meditation room is 10 feet by 25 feet and totally empty aside from a few personal effects, now caked with dust, that were left behind in a hurry. These inexpensive items (not worth more than 5 credits) might include a personal groomer, a planetary landscape holo-mag, and a recording rod loaded with relaxing music.

The most important area of sublevel 1 is the library, located directly across from the southern meditation rooms. The blast door to the library is locked, but it must be forced or powered on (see “Control Room," above) before a DC 15 Intelligence (security kit) check can bypass the lock.

The library is 40 foot by 40 foot room. If the heroes expect to find hints about the holocron that Master Denia sent them to retrieve, they will be greatly disappointed. Half the library has been blown away by blaster fire, while the rest has fallen victim to looters, Sith cultists, Almasians, and, finally, the Twelfth Brother. The Inquisitor learned the specific hidden location of the Qornah Holocron by torturing Vin Thorla and took the ancient teaching apparatus down to the deepest sublevel.

When the heroes enter the Jedi library, read the following: 
> This library isn’t as large as its austere counterpart on Coruscant, but the ruination that greets you is no less dismaying. Even in dim light, you can make out a room that once was filled from floor to ceiling with shelves that housed hundreds of holobooks overflowing with Jedi wisdom. Now, the repository has been pulverized into dust by blaster fire, and the shelves rest toppled at precarious angles throughout the chamber, shattered against research stations and the marble floor. The shelves are kept company by overturned chairs and damaged computers spitting sparks.  About 8 feet above you is an open second floor, where even more despoiled shelves, holobooks, and datacards lie. More bloodscrawled graffiti again attests to cultist desecration. The second floor has a catwalk that cannot be reached without a hoversled.  Beneath the walkway ledge, at the eastern wall, a wooden door has been splintered open. Framing it are two bronzium busts, presumably of noble Jedi, one of them decapitated. A small plaque identifies the bust as Jedi Master Qornah. The head lies on the floor, severed in half. Oddly, the inside of the sculpture appears to have sheltered something cubical.

\pagebreakNum

If the heroes inspect the bust of Master Qornah, they notice a hidden compartment that is in the shape of a cube 4 inches to a side—just the right size for a Jedi holocron, as described by Master Denia. Under torture, Vin Thorla told the Twelfth Brother exactly where to find the Qornah Holocron, and the Inquisitor cleaved the bust and claimed it.

The splintered east door leads into a study where older documents were held. Unlike datacards, flimsiplast burns easily (even more so in Almas’ oxygen-rich atmosphere), so the destruction here is worse. The study also served as the analysis room, and destroyed computers sit on collapsed desks.

If the players succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check to search the east room, they discover one scrap of durasheet that hasn't been burned. If they try to get a closer look, read the following:

> A cold breeze from the opened blast door behind you whips into the repository, sweeping up the burnt ashes of ancient Jedi texts. One item stands out, however. At a cursory glance, it appears to be nothing more than a scrap of durasheet, except that it seems to glow eerily. You head over to inspect it and find that it contains a solitary passage, written in a strange language.

The page is written in Sith. If none of the heroes know the language, they can have SevenAy translate it for them. The scrap is all that's left of a tome that belonged to the Sith Lord Darth Rivan. It was referred to as Rivan as "the creed of ruin". SevenAy translates as follows:

> “This appears to be a dead language. Yes, definitely—the Sith tongue is such a peculiar one. The passage appears to...oh my. Quite a bleak extract. It reads: 
>
> ‘There is no passion...there is solely obsession.
>
> There is no knowledge...there is solely conviction.
>
> There is no purpose...there is solely will.
>
> There is nothing...only me.’”

The heroes can make of this text what they will. It is likely their first clue to the presence of the ancient Sith temple beneath the Academy's foundations.

Behind the west wall is another room, hidden behind a bookshelf, with no visible entrance. The heroes can determine the existence of the secret room by comparing the map (which combines the three rooms of the library into one large room with no walls or doors) to the size and shape of the actual room. The heroes might also notice the distance between the library door and either end of the corridor outside. A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals that a hidden room exists behind the west wall, but not how to gain entrance. A successful DC 20 Wisdom (Insight) or Charisma (Insight) check to sense surroundings with the force reveals the entrance. Otherwise, a successful DC 17 Intelligence (Investigation) check to search the wall—coupled with a lot of patience—reveals the mechanism that activates the shelf.

The door has to be powered on or forced (see “Control Room," page 12). If the door is powered on, a successful DC 17 Intelligence (security kit) check allows the heroes to bypass the lock. Failing the check by 5 or more triggers a silent alarm, which alerts the Twelfth Brother on sublevel 2. Forcing the door automatically triggers the alarm.

### Army of Darkness
When the heroes find a way inside the secret archive room, they stumble upon a grisly scene. Approximately a dozen corpses of different species, all in various states of decomposition, lie scattered about the room. A descending stairway is in plain view at the other end. When the heroes jury-rig the secret door, read the following:

> As the blast door whooshes open, you're immediately hit by the unmistakable odor of decaying flesh. Strewn before you are about twenty cadavers, apparently of the Kel Dor species. Judging from the death grip that the deceased have on their weapons, you surmise that two different parties met here a while ago, possibly to cut a deal or as rivals of some sort, and wound up wiping each other out. 
>
> You spot the descending stairway on the other side.

If the heroes make an Intelligence (Investigation) check to examine the bodies, they don't find any valuables or salvageable gear, but they do make the following observations:
* DC 10: The cadavers are wearing matching space suits, each with the same logo on the shoulders.
* DC 15: Based on the positions of the cadavers and the blast wounds on them, the beings most likely died fighting one another.

What really happened is that the Kel Dor were part of an organized salvage gang called the Stalfonauts trying to loot the temple, and were driven to turn on one another by the maddening influence of the t'salak. This is the players' first warning of what may be to come.

The stairway on the far side of the room leads to the archives level below and was reserved exclusively for Jedi Masters. (There was a backup stairway access farther north that was sealed up like a bunker, but it is now blocked to the heroes, anyway). To reach it, the heroes must traverse the obstacle course of corpses. A successful DC 25 Wisdom (Perception) check, giving advantage if they inspect the room before entering, lets them notice motion sensors along the walls in the center of the room, a failsafe installed by the Imperials. If the heroes do not notice the sensors, they automatically trip them, and the blast door comes crashing down.

### Guardian Spirits
If the heroes are inside the archive room when the doors shut, they participate in the following encounter. If any heroes are elsewhere at the time, they will not be able to get inside until the encounter is over. The heroes have triggered a trap involving powerful parasites that animate the corpses of the dead in this room.

\pagebreakNum

#### Setup
The room is inhabited by two Force-sensitive parasites in the library archive room, where their telekinetic powers seemingly bring the corpses to undead life. These creatures are among the creations of Darth Rivan that have either hidden underground for centuries, or have recently been drawn back to the temple by the strengthening of the dark nexus there.

If any of the heroes fails a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, they are surprised as the encounter begins.

> An unexpected chill runs through your spine, and you hear moans coming from somewhere behind you. Impossibly, the cadavers that were littering the floor earlier are now shambling toward your group. Many of the corpses hold blaster pistols in bony hands that are blemished with chunks of spoiled flesh. You have to go through them to reach the stairs.

#### GUARDIAN SPIRIT (2)
Called guardian spirits due to primitive cultures’ belief that they were the spirits of the dead come back to life, these creatures are actually parasites with telekinetic abilities. The two parasites can each inhabit one corpse at a time (the Guardian Spirit statblock), giving the body a semblance of undead animation. Simultaneously, each parasite can also reanimate up to two other corpses without actually being in their bodies (the Animated Coprse statblock), but they do so less efficiently, and only to help kill the heroes.

The parasites cannot live outside of a host body for long. If the heroes kill a host body, its parasite inhabits one of the remaining animated corpses, turning it into a guardian spirit. If there are no animated corpses close enough to inhabit, the parasite has nowhere to go and is destroyed.

> You’re surrounded by the approaching corpses. Dancing light fills the cavernous eye sockets of their decomposing bodies as the Kel Dor corpse levels its blaster pistol at you. The undead horde charges.

___
> ## Guardian Spirit
> *Medium undead, chaotic dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 12
> - **Hit Points** 65 (10d8 + 20)
> - **Speed** 15 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|10 (+0)| 10 (+0)| 14 (+2)| 6 (-2)| 8 (-1)| 16 (+3)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** Wis +1
> - **Skills** Perception +4, Stealth +7
> - **Damage Immunities** poison, necrotic
> - **Condition Immunities** charmed, poisoned 
> - **Senses** Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
> - **Languages** —
> - **Challenge** 4 (1,100 XP)
> ___
> ***Corpse Transferral.*** When the body of the spirit is destroyed, the spirit automatically inhabits another corpse within 30 feet, replacing the corpse's stats with its own. However, any damage dealt to the corpse or conditions remain, and it does not recharge any once-per-day abilities. If no corpses are within range, the spirit dies permanently.
>
> ***Innate Forcecasting.*** The spirit's forcecasting ability is Charisma (force save DC 13, +5 to hit with force attacks). It innately knows the following force powers:
>
> At-will: force push/pull, shock 
> 1/day each: convulsion, force choke 
>
> ***Undead Fortitude.*** If damage reduces the spirit to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is energy or from a critical hit. On a success, the spirit drops to 1 hit point instead.
>
> ### Actions
> ***Blaster Pistol.*** Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) energy damage.
>
> ***Slam.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) kinetic damage and 3 (1d6) necrotic damage.

#### Guardian Spirit Tactics
Guardian spirits are very slow, so they use their numbers to their advantage. They flank the heroes, using the help action if necessary to guarantee hits on slippery targets. While they primarily will attack with whatever seems suitable at the time, they have no reservations about using their innate force abilities when appropriate. They keep attacking until they no longer have the limbs to do so.

\pagebreakNum

#### Animated Corpse (4)

___
> ## Animated Corpse
> *Medium undead, chaotic dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 8
> - **Hit Points** 22 (3d8+9)
> - **Speed** 20 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|13 (+1)|6 (-2)|16 (+3)|3 (-4)|6 (-2)|5 (-3)|
>___
> - **Damage Immunities** poison, necrotic
> - **Condition Immunities** charmed, poisoned 
> - **Senses** darkvision 60 ft, passive Perception 8
> - **Languages** —
> - **Challenge** 1/4 (50 XP)
> ___
> ***Undead Fortitude.*** If damage reduces the spirit to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5+the damage taken, unless the damage is energy or from a critical hit. On a success, the zombie drops to 1 hit point instead.
>
> ### Actions
> ***Blaster Pistol.*** Ranged Weapon Attack: +0, range 40/160 ft., one target. *Hit* 1 (1d6-2) energy damage.
>
> ***Slam.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +3, range 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 4 (1d6+1) kinetic damage and 2 necrotic damage.

> #### Features of the Area
> The library archive room contains shelves along the walls, a few desks in the middle, and a large table on the north side.

#### Conclusion
Once the corpses are eliminated, the heroes see small clouds of parasitic organisms rise out of them, searching for other host bodies nearby. If there are none within 30 feet, the parasites dissipate with a dying howl. Heroes need only wait a moment until the blast doors open to have easy access to the stairway leading down to sublevel 2.

After the heroes neutralize the infected corpses, they can proceed down the staircase. If some heroes were trapped outside the archive room during the encounter, the blast door becomes unlocked 10 minutes after the sensors were tripped. The stairway leads to the second sublevel of the Almas Academy. Once the heroes descend the stairs, proceed to sublevel 2, below.

If the heroes still have SevenAy with them, he tells them that he's had quite enough excitement for one day, and he would prefer to be left on the first sublevel until they return, if it's all the same to them.

### Encounter Map
See the map of Sublevel 2.

\columnbreak

### Storage Rooms
At the end of the corridor, past the meditation rooms and library, the heroes can turn left. At the other (north) end of this corridor, another cave-in blocks the utility staircase leading down, which the heroes might have seen on the map or learned about from SevenAy. Unfortunately, unless they want to spend a lot of time digging through the rocks (It would take roughly 12 hours of hard labor), the utility staircase is not accessible. The heroes might give up or look for another way down (see “Library," above).

Along the corridor, halfway to the utility stairway, are two blast doors. They are unlocked but need to be powered on (see “Control Room," above). The first room was a storage space for supplies— anything other than food that was needed by a small, self-contained community such as the Almas Academy. This room was heavily pillaged by thieves and salvagers, who left little behind but empty containers. Describe various containers of soap and torn articles of clothing.

If the heroes make a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, they also notice two surprisingly light, tiny strongboxes with each strongbox is 8 cubic inches in size, can fit in the palm of most people's hands and are made of smooth, black iron. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Lore) check reveals that the containers are made of Mandalorian iron (beskar), which was believed to be impenetrable by the Force. If the check beats the check by an additional 5, the heroes also know that the claim is false— the iron cannot stop the Force, but the strong alloy is resistant to many types of energy. The boxes have a very strong lock, equivalent to an high security lock and opening them requires a DC 20 Intelligence (security kit) check.

The second room is where the Jedi received and kept their food supplies. Most food has been stolen; the rest spoiled long ago. In the southwest corner of the room is a small kitchen where the residents prepared meals and processed foods. Describe some unidentifiable blackened mounds of rubbish, leftover kitchen appliances, a heating unit, a broken-down refrigeration unit, various utensils, and small spice containers.

#### Loot
* Beskar Strongbox x2

\pagebreakNum

### Sublevel 2
This sublevel can be reached only via the staircase in the library’s secret archive room. The other staircase down is blocked (see “Storage Rooms,” above). Upon reaching this area, the heroes immediately feel a deep unease that tempts them to turn back. Force-sensitive heroes must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or suffer the effects of the *Curse* force power when using Light aligned force powers. The effect lasts as long as they are on this sublevel. Expending 2 force points or a 1st level force slot will negate this effect. Also, the *Force Sight* and *Sense Force* force powers do not function within range of the dark side nexus that has developed here due to Rivan’s lasting influence. Species that rely on the force to see such as Miraluka are unaffected by the dark side interference for the purposes of vision.

Encounters are labeled on the map but don’t have to be followed in the sequence presented. The encounters marked “Crazed Believers” and "Dreambeast" can happen in any number of rooms at your discretion. You can decide that all unused rooms are empty or permanently locked, or you can detail them as you wish (see the note block below for suggestions).

> #### Sublevel 2
> Sublevel 2 contains a number of rooms that are not described in this adventure. You can choose to have them empty or locked, or you can detail them as desired. Use the following as quick examples: 
>
> **Surgical Bay:** The walls are sterile white. The room reeks of bleach and, faintly, mildew. A half-dozen tables clutter the center. Optionally, a blast door leads to a smaller nursery room. 
>
> **Research Laboratory:** Here, countertops and transparisteel cabinets contain various instruments and decayed samples of vegetation (such as lichens, fungi, kaluthin, and so on). 
>
> **Meeting Room:** This room contains several chairs and a large oval table with a broken holoprojector on top. Jedi Masters held important meetings here.

### Weapons Room
This room was visited recently, but the blast door controls were destroyed. Opening the door requires 1 hour and a DC 18 Intelligence (mechanic's kit) check.

If the heroes take the time to repair the door and open it, they find something surprising: a blaster shooting range. After all, lightsaber wielding Jedi have to practice their shooting skills, too. If the sublevel has power, several holographic targets appear when the heroes enter the room at the far end of the shooting range.

Another blast door leads to a back room. If the heroes have not restored power and unlocked the doors to sublevel 2, they must open the blast door manually (see “Control Room," above). If they do so, they find that the back room is an armory. Transparent plexi on the ground shields a small stream that runs along just under floor level. This room has 7 usable blaster pistols and 20 power cells. Everything else has either been stolen or rusted beyond use.

\columnbreak

### Refresher
This is a fairly standard washroom for both men and women. It contains effluvial rinsers as well as refreshers. Along the floor runs a narrow natural stream, covered by transparent plexi.

### Crazed Believers
As the heroes approach the west arch leading to the underground park, they are attacked by the first of many crazed Humans who wander this level, looking for blood. Feel free to run this encounter more than once in any of the labeled rooms.

**Critical Challenge:** The heroes must defeat the Believers cultists, who have fallen under the influence of the nearby t’salak. Most cultists have killed each other already, but the few remaining groups (as many as needed, in your judgment) wander about and attack the heroes on sight. They have been exposed to the t’salak’s touch so many times that the rage it induces is effectively a form of permanent madness.

**Auxiliary Challenge:** The heroes might try to subdue one or more Believers without killing them. They can accomplish this by grappling them and tying them up, stunning them with blasters, or rendering them unconscious. However, this doesn’t cure their madness, and as soon as they recover, the Believers will attack again. They must be alleviated of their delirium to be of any use. To do this, the heroes must make a DC 22 Charisma (Persuasion) to have the followers calm down. If the players provide a convincing scenario through roleplaying, give them advantage. If the *Restoration* force power is used, the follower's delirium is also lifted while the *Calm Emotions* force power will also temporarily restore their sanity.

**Award:** Alleviating the raging madness in one or more Believers provides the heroes with some information. The grateful victims negotiate their release by giving up details on the t’salak. They know where it is and what it does, but they do not know how to defeat it.

#### Setup
This encounter can be repeated several times throughout sublevel 2, but each time, only one group of Believers attacks the heroes. Use as many times as you feel appropriate.

#### Read-Aloud Text
When the heroes enter a room labeled “Crazed Believers,” read the following:

> As you turn the corner, you hear a cry of incoherent rage and see several beings lunge at you. They have demented looks in their eyes and are foaming at the mouth.

\pagebreakNum

#### Believers Cultists (3)
The Believers cult is a group of Sith worshippers that got its start in the Cularin system. They are males and females of different humanoid species, and they come from all walks of life. Some are even trained in the Force. They were aided in their organization by the Sith scholar Murk Lundi, and they had grown into a formidable force by the time of the Clone Wars.

The ones encountered on this sublevel have been driven mad by repeated attacks from the t’salak. They are encountered in small groups, though, since two large groups of Believers in the same room would kill each other. Many Believers have fallen victim to their crazed companions.

___
> ## Believer Cultist
> *Medium humanoid (any), neutral dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 12
> - **Hit Points** 22 (5d8)
> - **Speed** 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|10 (+0)|	14 (+2)|	12 (+1)|	10 (+0)|	10 (+0)|	10 (+0)|
>___
> - **Senses** passive Perception 9
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic
> - **Challenge** 2 (450 XP)
> ___
> ***T'salak Madness.*** The cultist has advantage on Strength checks, Strength saving throws, and deals an additional 2 damage with melee weapon attacks (included).
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The cultist makes two Vibrospear attacks.
>
> ***Vibrospear.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.

\columnbreak

#### Believer Cult Leader (1)

___
> ## Believer Cult Leader
> *Medium humanoid (any), neutral dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 13 (16 with battle precognition)
> - **Hit Points** 66 (12d8 + 12)
> - **Speed** 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|12 (+1)|	16 (+3)|	12 (+1)|	12 (+1)|	14 (+2)|	16 (+3)|
>___
> - **Skills** Persuasion +7, Deception +7
> - **Damage Resistances** energy, kinetic
> - **Senses** Passive Perception 12
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic
> - **Challenge** 5 (1,800 XP)
> ___
>
>***Leader's Presence.*** Allied creatures within 30 feet of the cult leader gain advantage on saving throws against being frightened. Additionally, once per turn when an ally the cult leader can see within 30 feet of it makes an attack roll or a saving throw, the cult leader can roll a d4 and add the result to the ally's roll.
>
> ***Forcecasting.*** The cult leader is a 5th-level forcecaster. Its forcecasting ability is Charisma (power save DC 13, to hit with force attacks). It has 20 force points. The cult leader knows the following force powers:
>
> The cultist knows the following powers:
>
> **At-will:** affect mind, feedback, saber throw 
> **1st-level:** battle prognition, force body, force jump, sap vitality, wound 
> **2nd-level:** stun 
>
> ***T'salak Madness.*** The cult leader has advantage on Strength checks, Strength saving throws, and deals an additional 3 damage with melee weapon attacks (Included).
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The cultist makes two Vibrospear attacks.
>
> ***Dark Shear.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.
>

\pagebreakNum

#### Believer Zealot (2)

___
> ## Believer Zealot
> *Medium humanoid (any), neutral dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 14 (combat suit)
> - **Hit Points** 55 (10d8 + 10)
> - **Speed** 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|14 (+2)	|12 (+1)	|12 (+1)	|10 (+0)	|14 (+2)	|12 (+1)|
>___
> - **Skills** Persuasion +3, Athletics +4
> - **Senses** Passive Perception 12
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic
> - **Challenge** 4 (1,100 XP)
> ___
> ***T'salak Madness.*** The zealot has advantage on Strength checks, Strength saving throws, and deals an additional 2 damage with melee weapon attacks (included).
>
> ***Reckless Fervor.*** At the start of its turn, the zealot can choose to gain advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls during that turn, but attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of its next turn.
>
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The cultist makes two vibrospear attacks.
>
> ***Vibrospear.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.
>
> ### Reactions
> ***Sacrificial Zeal.*** If reduced to 0 hit points, the zealot can make one final melee weapon attack as a reaction before falling unconscious.

#### Believer Tactics
Believers zealots attack with little strategy. They simply charge at the nearest target in their line of sight and engage in melee. Believers cultists use more straightforward tactics, trying to swarm individual heroes with melee attacks. Their leader has Battle Precognition already casted and activates Dark Shear before engaging in combat, using force powers as they go.

#### Loot
The cult leader is wearing several pieces of expensive jewelry indicating that they may have once been a being of status before the t'salak eroded their sanity. 
* Jewelry worth a total of 30,000cr
* A credit chip [Improved] containing an additional 65,000cr. *(DC 21 Slicer's Kit)*
* Ring of Apprentice Force Storing *(Premium, Major)*

**(Only provide this reward one time!)**

> ##### Ring of Force Storing
> The ring has the force power **force suppression** stored in it. This will give the players the ability to cast that power in a later encounter where it will be essential to do so. Even if they would have been able to cast it already, finding the item may put the power in their minds. The item can also be used throughout the rest of the campaign, if there are any forcecasters in the party.

#### Conclusion 
Once a Believer is incapacitated, the heroes can search him or her for items. Some of them might carry ID cards, datapads, or other personal items tucked in the pockets of their dirty and ripped vests. They carry whatever weapons they were able to find in their mindless wanderings.

#### Encounter Map
See the map of Sublevel 2.

> #### Features of the Area
> Believers can be encountered in several different rooms around the sublevel. Refer to the sublevel 2 section of the adventure and the accompanying map for descriptions.

### Underground Park
All water on Almas is underground, so the academy’s Jedi custodians reasoned that building an underground park with a running stream would be in tune with the will of the Force. The stream was discovered while digging the academy foundations. Instead of diverting it, the Jedi requested that the architects integrate the stream into the design—it was they who had intruded on the water’s natural course, after all. The Jedi then planted local trees and kaluthin and created a garden around the stream. Occasionally, they took blind coboko fish out of the pond that formed in the park center, adding them to the academy menu.

Of course, all the park vegetation is now dead, blackened by the intense presence of the dark side. The park also contains several bodies of Believers who managed to find the secret stairwell in the library and turned viciously on one another after encountering the t’salak. At the center of the room, beside the pool, is a large pump used to force water to the levels above. It looks like it hasn’t functioned in a long time. The heroes don’t have much time to admire the scenery, however. When they reach the park center, read the following text:

\pagebreakNum

> You walk into the impressive chamber, crossing a bridge than runs over a clear and soothing stream. To your left is a large pond, beyond which is an artistic elevation made of simple mud and rock. Disharmoniously, dead vegetation and dead bodies surround it all. 
>
> As you take in your surroundings, your companions suddenly disappear from view, and you are alone. Solid walls seem to have materialized out of nowhere and separated all of you, at the same time blocking the entrance from which you came. You feel a deep sense of dread when a cruel figure from your past appears right in front of you—someone you never imagined you would see again. You look around for a way out, but your feet don’t respond. You try to cry out, but the attempt yields no sound. As if in slow motion, the heartless figure prepares to attack.

This encounter is similar to Luke’s experience inside the cave on Dagobah. Each hero finds him- or herself face to face with his or her worst nightmare. The heroes are caught in a combination of a mind trick (which makes them believe that they cannot walk away or speak out) and a Force illusion (which makes them believe that they are facing an old enemy).

For each hero, choose a character or creature that poses a threat and has some significance to that hero. It could be an enemy, living or dead, from a previous adventure or even from the current adventure. It could also be someone from the hero’s past (for instance, an unlikable former employer or a cruel family member). Determine the appropriate encounter for each hero in advance, without worrying about statistics.

The effects of the dark side nexus permeating this place, in combination with the influence of the t’salak (which feeds on the heroes’ feelings of hate and fear), create this Force illusion. Heroes who make a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check realize that their enemy is an illusion, but this knowledge does not dispel the illusion. The twist is that behind each “illusion” hides one of the other heroes. The trap is designed to cause the heroes to fight each other unknowingly.

Prior to the adventure, ask the players for their character sheets, and record their most important scores (weapon damage dice, attack bonuses and types, defenses, hit points, Initiative and skills, and so on). Then, when each hero faces an illusion, describe what weapons or items the opponent carries—in other words, the weapons or items used by the other hero. There is no need for an illusion to wield the same exact weapon as the hero behind it, but the weapon should resemble something in the same class (such as a vibrosword, blaster, lightsaber, and so on).

If the number of heroes is uneven, one of the heroes is met by a crazed Believer instead of by another hero (for statistics, see “Crazed Believers,”). In this case, the Believer hides behind the illusion of a friend, such as Senator Organa, Master Denia, or even one of the other heroes.

Explain to the heroes that they are all inexplicably isolated from one another. Ask for initiative rolls, and record the results beside each hero’s name. As soon as an attack occurs, use player who is opposite them as a target. If the attack hits and damage is dealt, record the number. Pretend that the next initiative turn belongs to the opponent of the hero just attacked, describe the attack, and reveal the damage dealt. If one hero is fighting a Believer, this fight can be incorporated with the others in order of initiative but treated as regular combat.

Allow each character a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check at the beginning of their turn to realize that something is not right. Success indicates that the hero can tell that what he sees before him is not real, though it looks as if it could become real at any moment. If a matched pair of heroes goes for 3 consecutive rounds without attacking each other, the entire illusion is dispelled for the whole group, and the angry t’salak attacks.

#### Encounter Example
Here’s an example of how this encounter could be run. Assume that the party contains five heroes, so four of the heroes fight each other, while the fifth fights a Believer. 
 - Vor’en the soldier (Init 20) versus Arani the noble (Init 14)
 - Kelko the scout (Init 16) versus Sia-Lan the Jedi (Init 28)
 - Deel the scoundrel (Init 24) versus a Believer (Init 8)

##### Round 1
Sia-Lan is up first, and she‘s face to face with Count Dooku. But Sia-Lan makes her Perception check and knows that Dooku is dead, so she realizes that the encounter must be a trick. She decides not to attack.

Next, Deel finds himself facing one of his friends, Kelko, who runs madly toward him. Deel asks him what is going on, but his voice is mysteriously soundless. He fails his Perception check and doesn’t realize that it's a trick.

Next, Vor’en fails his Perception check and thinks that he’s run into a stormtrooper. He pulls out a blaster and fires at the enemy, striking Arani and dealing 8 points of energy damage. (From Arani’s perspective, she’s shot by an old friend, who wields a hold-out blaster that she gave him long ago.)

Next, Kelko (who also failed his Perception check) takes out his two vibrodaggers to attack a green, tentacled alien that he once encountered on Zlarbv IV. He slashes at it, dealing 12 points of kinetic damage to Sia-Lan. (From Sia-Lan’s perspective, Count Dooku attacks her with two lightsabers. The Jedi doesn’t understand what’s happening—she was sure that the appearance of Dooku was some kind of trick!)

Next, Arani succeeds on her Perception check and tries to convince the phantom that she is no threat, but he doesn’t seem to hear her. She has to defend herself, so she pulls out her own blaster and shoots him, dealing 12 points of energy damage. (From Vor’en’s perspective, he’s shot by the stormtrooper.)

\pagebreakNum

Finally, the Believer acts, rushing Deel and pummeling him to the ground, dealing 15 points of kinetic damage. (From Deel’s perspective, he’s being attacked by his friend Kelko. Has he gone crazy? Regardless, Deel decides that he must defend himself.)

##### Round 2
Sia-Lan can’t believe it. Count Dooku just attacked and nearly killed her. Maybe “Dooku” is a clone, a doppelganger, or something else, but whatever it is, Sia-Lan was hurt for real and must defend herself. She ignites her lightsaber, preparing to attack Kelko . . .

### Oozing Madness
#### Setup
The heroes can enter the underground park via one of two arches. The t’salak is hiding behind the pond on an elevated slope at the room’s northern side. The heroes must cross the pond to get to the creature, or shoot it from a distance (which is a much wiser option).

#### Read-Aloud Text
> Evil. That's the first word that comes to mind as you look at the featureless pool of black ooze. Suddenly, a tendril snaps at you, attacking from the creature’s central mass, almost too fast to see. You barely avoid it, but as you dodge, the creature tracks you move for move. It seems filled with hate and bent on pure destruction.

#### T'salak
A Force-sensitive creature of unknown origin, the t’salak is an oozing, black mound of evil. The t’salak has no sensory organs but leaves no question as to its strength and cunning; it lashes out with sticky tendrils that have surprising accuracy and power. Filled with chaotic thoughts born of malignity, the t’salak can induce a blinding rage in its targets just by touching them, permeating their souls with darkness.

#### T'salak Tactics
The t’salak moves toward the heroes and tries to hit them with its tendrils to induce rage in them. The creature hopes that the heroes will be too distracted by killing each other to attack it, so that it can go back to its hiding place.

> #### Features of the Area
> The lake in the middle of the room is an obstacle to the heroes as it counts as difficult terrain. Once across, they can climb the slope on the other side. To reach the area where the t’salak is hiding from across either stream area, the heroes must climb up the 7 foot high muddy hillock that forms the north shore of the pool. It is slippery, requiring a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. There are some slim trees scattered about the gardens, but they provide very little cover or concealment.

\columnbreak

#### Conclusion
The t’salak cannot be killed by solid objects, but it can be wounded and is highly susceptible to cold and vacuum. Unless the t’salak is trapped within a container imbued by the Force or made of Beskar or finally in a cold vacuum while it is inert (0 hit points), it regenerates itself and attacks anew.

#### Encounter Map
See the map of sublevel 2

___
> ## T'salak
> *Medium aberration, chaotic dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 16 (Natural Armor)
> - **Hit Points** 136 (16d8 + 64)
> - **Speed** 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|18 (+4)|	14 (+2)	|18 (+4)	|10 (+0)	|16 (+3)	|12 (+1)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws:** Con +7, Wis +6
> - **Damage Vulnerabilities** Cold
> - **Damage Resistances** Energy and kinetic damage from weapons
> - **Condition Immunities** Blinded,  Charmed, Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Poison, Prone
> - **Senses** Blindsight 60 ft.
> - **Languages** —
> - **Challenge** 7 (3,900 XP)
> ___
> ***Induce Raging Madness.*** When the t'salak deals damage to a creature from a melee attack, the creature must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 16). On a failed save, the creature must make at least one attack against the closest ally on its turn. The creature repeats this save at the end of its turn, with a successful save removing this effect.
>
> ***Regeneration.*** The t'salak regains 5 hit points at the start of its turn. When reduced to 0 hit points, the t'salak becomes an inert puddle for 5 minutes. After 10 minutes, it returns to maximum health unless it is contained inside a container made of beskar, a container that is force-imbued, or exposed to a vacuum.
>
> ### Actions
> ***Tendril.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 4) psychic damage.
>___
> ### Legendary Actions
> The t'salak can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The T'SALAK regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
>
> ***Attack.*** The t'salak makes one attack with its tendrils.

\pagebreakNum

### Jedi Prisoner
At some point, the heroes reach the room where Master Vin Thorla is held. If they pass the room without entering it, they are attacked by the nighthunter that guards Thorla. The blast door is open, and the Twi’lek Jedi Master’s powers are kept in check inside a Universal Energy Cage designed to contain Force-users.

### Callus' Best Friend
#### Setup
The heroes are attacked in the corridors outside the prison room. The nighthunter lunges directly at them and runs away when hurt, only to attack again from another direction.

#### Read-Aloud Text
When the heroes near the room where Master Thorla is held prisoner, read the following:
> Crouched in front of you are 7 hulking feet of quadrupedal, ravenous instinct. The crimson predator is a nighthunter, believed to be as extinct. Any doubt as to whether this is another illusion is dispelled, however, when it bellows a spine-tingling howl.

#### Nighthunter (1)
Perhaps it’s the blood-red, blaster-resistant hide. Maybe it’s the claws, which are nearly as long as the fangs protruding up to its eyes and down to its chin. Or maybe it’s the fact that these creatures ambush their prey using the Force. Whatever it is, nighthunters give even Jedi pause.

The Force-using predators have been hunted almost to extinction, but the one guarding Master Thorla shares a peculiar history with Callus. The creature hunted the injured Inquisitor in the aftermath of the Battle of Parein II 4, and they nearly killed each other. However, after wounding the nighthunter, Callus nurtured it back to health, and the beast bonded to its savior.

> The creature’s hide looks blaster resistant. Five immense fangs jut out and over both of its lips, almost concealing its face, except for its two tiny, hungry eyes.

___
> ## Nighthunter
> *Medium beast, chaotic dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 15 (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** 75 (10d8 + 30)
> - **Speed** 40 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|16 (+3)|14 (+2)|14 (+2)|3 (-4)|12 (+1)|6 (-2)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** Str +6, Dex +5, Con +5
> - **Skills** Perception +3, Stealth +4
> - **Damage Resistances** Energy, fire
> - **Senses** Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
> - **Languages** —
> - **Challenge** 6 (2,300 XP)
> ___
>
> **Stealthy Predator.** The Nighthunter can take the Hide action as a bonus action during combat.
>
> **Natural Camouflage:** The Nighthunter can cast force camouflage at will.
>
> ***Keen Hearing and Smell.*** The Nighthunter has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The Nighthunter makes one claw attack and one bite attack.
>
> ***Claws.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 9 (2d4 + 3) kinetic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
>
> ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 3) kinetic damage.

#### Nighthunter Tactics
The nighthunter runs at the heroes, makes its attacks, and runs away before they retaliate (the heroes can make attacks of opportunity). The beast circles around, uses *force camouflage* and stealthily comes back from another direction, perhaps several rounds later. You can create tension by having the heroes make Perception checks if they are not searching for the nighthunter. They might think it’s gone and proceed with their exploration, only to be attacked in a different area.

> #### Features of the Area
> Use the corridors around the prison room. If the heroes find refuge inside a room and lock it, they prevent the creature from attacking. But they must come out eventually, and the nighthunter is very patient. The room in which Master Thorla is detained doesn’t have a working blast door.

\pagebreakNum

#### Conclusion
After defeating the beast, the heroes can enter the room it guarded. If they examine its body, they will discover an Imperial logo branded on its flank--possibly their first clue that agents of the Empire are present on Almas.

Having dealt with the Nighthunter, read the following:

> The door is completely open. In fact, burn damage all along the 12 foot-wide entrance appears to have enlarged it. A pulsating glow within lights up the darkened room. Inside, you find a spherical energy cage floating on repulsorlifts. The glow comes from a force field that surrounds the portable prison, and behind the bars lies a crumpled humanoid form.
>
> The figure is wearing dirty robes that were once white and gold. They are now tattered and sport numerous burn marks. A plain white mask covers the figure's face, making it difficult to tell whether he's awake, unconscious, or dead.

This room also contains a thick plasteel table on which are scattered two yellow kyber crystals and an assortment of intricately carved keys. Thorla is in very bad shape, both physically and mentally. His body is emaciated, and he sports several burns and cuts. To run this dramatic encounter, you must understand the Jedi’s backstory (see the sidebar on page 32). The heroes might suspect that the prisoner is a Jedi and decide to free him. Thorla is, in fact, conscious, but will not respond to questions. He is suffering from severe survivor's guilt, and, having been tortured by the Callus for several days, has nearly fallen into despair.

The Universal Energy Cage was designed specifically to contain a Force-user’s powers. Casting Force powers while in the cage is impossible. The cage’s functions are controlled by a handheld remote that is currently in the Callus’ possession. The cage has no visible controls, and the only way to open it is to destroy it, which endangers the life of the prisoner within. The Universal Energy Cage has a damage threshold of 10 and 55 (5d10) hit points. The cage is also built with a contact shock field, and every time the cage receives damage from an attack that deals 25 damage or more, the Jedi inside receives a nonlethal shock that deals 9 (2d8) lightning damage (see Vin Thorla's stat block on page 32). This effect also occurs when an attack is below the damage threshold. When this happens, Thorla yelps in pain, but does not otherwise react.

Once the Jedi is free, whether he is conscious or not, the heroes notice that his skin is charred in multiple places, showing that he has suffered many shocks. He has three levels of exhaustion, which can only be removed by receiving extensive, long-term medical and psychological care. If Thorla is conscious, he does not run away or try to escape, but he won’t answer the heroes’ questions, either, wanting only to be left alone. He’s been fighting off the Inquisitor’s attempts at turning him to the dark side and has fallen into deep despair.

At first, the freed Jedi merely slumps to his knees and remains still, ignoring the heroes' questions. If they prod him, attempt to remove his mask, or otherwise sufficiently annoy him, he looks up at them and sighs, "Why are you here? This place is cursed. I am doomed to remain here, but you should leave while you still can."

This encounter is a chance for heroes with investment in Charisma (Persuasion) to be very useful. The heroes will have to succeed on a DC 21 Charisma (Persuasion) check to convince Thorla to open up to them. However, there are a few things they can do to reduce the difficulty of this check. The DC cumulatively decreases by 2 if the heroes do any of the following:

* Return Thorla's lightsaber hilt to him (if they obtained it from the Squibs)
* Demonstrate that one of them is a Jedi (merely claiming to be one is not enough--they must activate their lightsaber or display Force powers in order to convince Thorla it's not a trick)
* Mention that Master Denia is alive
* Mention that the t'salak has been defeated
* Heal Thorla's injuries

On a successful check, Thorla becomes friendly to the heroes and answers their questions. See the sidebar for information about Thorla's backstory, which he conveys to the players if asked. He also tells the heroes that he suspects that Valin Callus and his apprentice are in the archives room in the southwest corner of the sublevel.

This is an opportunity for the heroes to roleplay and try to convince Thorla not to give up hope. It is up to the DM to determine how difficult this is, what checks are required, and whether the case the players make through their roleplay is convincing enough. Their goal should be to convince Thorla that they will help him to clear the temple of monsters and defeat the Inquisitor, and beyond that, that there is still hope for the Jedi to return (thanks to Denia's survival, and the presence of any Jedi players in the party).

If they succeed, read the following:

> Thorla takes a long, deep breath. "You're right. I shouldn't give up hope. I was alone for so long...but now I know there are other survivors. The Jedi may still return. And this temple may still be restored." He picks up the kyber crystals from the table, inserts them into a slot in his lightsaber hilt, and activates one of the blades, which shines as a glowing beacon of certainty. "I swore that I would defend this temple, and I will." He looks at the heroes with gratitude. "I'm glad to have you to fight by my side."
***

Thorla accompanies the heroes for the remainder of the adventure.

\pagebreakNum

___
> ## Vin Thorla, Jedi Temple Guard
>*Medium humanoid (Mirialan), lawful light*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 13 (16 with battle precognition)
> - **Hit Points** 58 (9d8 + 18)
> - **Speed** 30ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|12 (+1) |16 (+3) |14 (+2) |10 (+0) |14 (+2) |12 (+1)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** Dex +5, Wis +4
> - **Skills** Acrobatics +5, Perception +4
> - **Senses** Passive Perception 14
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic, Mirialan
> - **Challenge** 5 (1,800 XP)
> ___
>
> ***Forcecasting.*** Thorla is a 6th level forcecaster. His forcecasting ability is Wisdom (force save DC 12, +4 to hit with force attacks, 18 force points). Thorla knows the following force powers:
>
> At-will: *saber reflect, turbulence, force push/pull, force disarm, sonic charge, burst* 
> 1st level: *slow descent, battle precognition, phasestrike, force throw* 
> 2nd level: *stun, phasewalk, force barrier* 
> 3rd level: *Force Suppression, knight speed, sever force, force repulse* 
> 
> ### Actions
>***Multiattack.*** Thorla makes two attacks with his doublesaber.
>
> ***Doublesaber.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +7 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. *Hit* 12 (1d8+4) energy damage.
> ### Reactions
> ***Double Bladed Strike.*** Thorla can attack twice when making an opportunity attack.

> #### Vin Thorla, Jedi Temple Guard
> A green-skinned Mirialan, Vin Thorla studied at the Almas Academy as a Padawan. He wasn't trained by Denia, but he knew her, and the two were good friends despite their difference in age. Several years later Denia transferred to the jedi academy on Coruscant to assist with training an influx of younglings.
>
> When Thorla was knighted, he chose to enter service as a Temple Guard, swearing to defend the Almas Academy with his life. He always took this sacred duty very seriously.
>
> When Order 66 was called, a fleet of Republic cruisers in orbit over Almas unleashed a bombardment on the Jedi Temple, destroying it and killing nearly all the Jedi. Vin Thorla and SevenAy happened to be in the lowest sublevel of the temple at the time, and thus survived the attack. The Empire believed the job was finished, and withdrew from the system.
>
> Thorla was too cautious to emerge from the temple and reveal himself to the locals, but he had SevenAy venture out a few times to gather news, and eventually learned of Order 66, the fall of the Jedi Order, and the rise of the Empire. Thorla felt that it was unfair that he had lived when all the others had died, but he decided that the best thing he could do with the opportunity the Force had granted him was to remain in hiding and uphold his vow to defend the temple, in the hopes that the Jedi would one day return to rebuild it.
>
> As it turned out, he had his work cut out for him. The demise of the Jedi on Almas shifted the balance toward the dark, and dark creatures bred long ago by Darth Rivan, as well as Believer cultists and their pets, began to lay siege to the temple. Thorla fought valiantly to keep these dark invaders from defiling the temple's sacred ground, but it felt like a losing battle--no matter how many he drove back, more always came. Over the months, he began to lose hope.
>
> A few days ago Valin Callus, the Twelfth Brother, came. He and his apprentice dueled the exhausted Thorla, defeated him, and imprisoned him in the Universal Energy Cage. Tortured by the Inquisitor, Thorla was close to breaking by the time the heroes finally freed him. Before he was freed, Thorla was compelled to reveal many of the Temple's secrets to Valin Callus, including the location of the Qornah Holocron. This only adds to his feelings of shame.

\pagebreakNum

### Part 3: Callus' Lair
As the heroes descend into the depths of the Jedi academy, they draw closer to the nexus of dark power surrounding Inquisitor Callus. You should emphasize the growing sense of dread the heroes feel, including a strong sense of danger for any force sensitive players.

### Archives Room
When the heroes reach the archives room (whether they found it themselves or were informed by SevenAy or Vin Thorla), they find the door tightly shut. The door is warded with the Force, making it very difficult to force open. The only way to unlock it is using one of the keys found in the room with Vin Thorla (this prevents the heroes from wandering into the archives room too early).

If the heroes enter the archives room, read the following:

> You find yourselves in a large dusty chamber. Leaning against the smooth walls are cases containing fascinating and rare artifacts and weapons that were of interest to the Jedi. It is surprising that most of them seem untouched.
>
> The most glaring features of the room are the far wall and floor, which have crumbled away to reveal a cavernous opening that leads into a dark tunnel. This obviously wasn’t part of the room’s original design and seems to be a consequence of the orbital bombardment.

This chamber was forbidden to Padawans. It was where the Jedi Masters kept their most precious Force artifacts, as well as tomes of forbidden lore. It also contains the entrance to the underground caves where the Inquisitor is probing the Sith holocron. To keep intruders from interrupting his studies, the Inquisitor left behind some of the deadliest henchbeings in the galaxy to guard the cave entrance. Several creatures await the heroes here, as motionless as statues in their hiding places among the shadows. Masters of stealth, these steely, grayskinned warriors are all but undetectable in the dim light.

If players decide to investigate the room they will discover a stand with an open tome on it. The page it is open to describes how a Sith holocron can bond to a Force user and grant them additional power. It also explains that the only way to disrupt this connection is with the force suppression power.

As the heroes enter the archives room, have them roll Wisdom (Perception) checks against the creatures’ Dexterity (Stealth) checks, with disadvantage unless they have some form of light. If the heroes succeed, one of their light sources or pure chance illuminates what appears to be a five foot-high statue resembling a gargoyle in one of the corners. This is enough warning for the heroes to avoid being ambushed, and a second later, six repulsive “statues” pounce on them from all sides. If the heroes fail their roll, the players are affected by the surprise condition as combat starts.

If the players are not surprised and make a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Lore) or DC 25 Intelligence (Nature) check, they can identify the species of their attackers. These squat killing machines are called Noghri, aliens seldom seen away from their home planet. The entire room is considered to be heavily obscured unless the players bring light along from lightsabers or glowrods.

### Death Commandos
#### Setup
The archive room has no light sources. Even if the heroes restored power to the sublevel, only the faint light from the corridor comes through the open door. The various shelves and cases do not offer cover. The Noghri are perched on marble columns in the far corner of the room.

#### Read-Aloud Text
When the heroes arrive in this area, read the following text aloud:

> It’s darker here than in any of the other areas you’ve visited so far. A chill breeze hits you from directly in front. How can there be a draft in an underground level? On the map, this room shows as an “L” shape, but you can’t see anything at all around the bend. As you advance, you have the sneaking suspicion that you’re being watched.

#### Noghri Warriors (5)
The gray-skinned and compact Noghri are among the most recent and deadly additions to the Imperial ranks. Though an acute xenophobia has begun to manifest within the Galactic Empire, Darth Vader readily recognized the value of the species during a visit to their homeworld Honoghr. When the five foot-tall warriors proved a match for his 501st Legion stormtrooper escort, the Dark Lord immediately found a way to enslave the species. Destiny arguably brought the two together, for the Noghri’s frightful faces so resemble the masked visage of their new master, the likeness seems uncanny.

Dubbed “Death Commandos,” the Noghri are perfectly evolved killing machines—quick, quiet and deceptively strong. In unarmed combat, they excel at stava, their martial art named after a ferocious native predator, and they wield Stokhli spray sticks or simple knives with deadly efficiency. Vader bestowed Callus with this squad of Noghri assassins in gratitude for the Inquisitor’s assistance in torturing the captured Jedi Knight Halagad Ventor.

> In a flash, you are assaulted by aliens that look like gargoyles. They are short and blindingly fast.

\pagebreakNum

___
> ## Noghri Warrior
> *Medium humanoid (Noghri), lawful dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 14 (combat suit)
> - **Hit Points** 45 (6d8 + 18)
> - **Speed** 40 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|14 (+2) |16 (+3) |16 (+3) |10 (+0) |12 (+1) |10 (+0)|
>___
> - **Skills** Stealth +6, Perception +3
> - **Senses** darkvision 60ft, Passive Perception 13
> - **Languages** Galatic Basic, Honorghran
> - **Challenge** 3 (700 XP)
> ___
> ***Assassinate.*** The warrior has advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat yet. Additionally, any hit it scores against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit.
>
> ***Stokhli Spray Stick.*** The Stokli Spray Stick has two modes. As a bonus action, the warrior can switch between modes.
> 
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The Noghri Warrior makes two attacks with its staff.
>
> ***Staff Mode.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 3) kinetic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 1d4 lightning damage and become shocked until the end of its next turn.
>
> ***Integrated Net Launcher Mode.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: The target is shocked and restrained until it is freed. A net has no effect on formless or Huge or larger creatures. A creature can use its action to make a DC 13 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. The net has an AC of 10, 20 hit points, immunity to all damage not dealt by melee weapons, and resistance to damage dealt by unenhanced melee weapons. Destroying the net frees the creature without harming it and immediately ends the net’s effects.

\columnbreak

#### Noghri Warrior Chief (1)

___
> ## Noghri Warrior Chief
> *Medium humanoid (Noghri), lawful dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 16 (fiber armor)
> - **Hit Points** 75 (10d8 + 30)
> - **Speed** 40 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>16 (+3) |18 (+4) |16 (+3) |12 (+1) |14 (+2) |12 (+1)|
>___
> - **Skills** Stealth +8, Perception +5
> - **Senses** darkvision 60ft, Passive Perception 15
> - **Languages** Galatic Basic, Honorghran
> - **Challenge** 5 (1,800 XP)
> ___
> ***Assassinate.*** The warrior has advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat yet. Additionally, any hit it scores against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit.
>
> ***Noghri Martial Arts.*** The Noghri chief deals an additional 1d6 with its Stokhli Spray Stick in staff mode (included).
>
> ***Stokhli Spray Stick.*** The Stokli Spray Stick has two modes. As a bonus action, the warrior can switch between modes.
> 
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The Noghri Chief makes three attacks: one with its staff (melee or ranged) and two with its claws.
>
> ***Staff Mode.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d6 + 4) kinetic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or take 1d4 lightning damage and become shocked until the end of its next turn.
>
> ***Integrated Net Launcher Mode.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: The target is shocked and restrained until it is freed. A net has no effect on formless or Huge or larger creatures. A creature can use its action to make a DC 13 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. The net has an AC of 10, 20 hit points, immunity to all damage not dealt by melee weapons, and resistance to damage dealt by unenhanced melee weapons. Destroying the net frees the creature without harming it and immediately ends the net’s effects.

\pagebreakNum

#### Noghri Warrior tactics
The Noghri use the darkness to their advantage. First, they try to capture the heroes in a net from their Stokhli spray sticks. If they stun or incapacitate the heroes, they bring the prisoners before Callus. Otherwise, the Noghri fight fiercely to prevent intruders from interrupting Callus, but they will be reasonable if they see that they are outmatched. They prefer to fight in melee, using their stealth and martial arts to devastating effect. If the heroes try to escape by entering the tunnel, the Noghri give chase.

#### Loot
Each Noghri has 1000 credits each for a total of 6000 credits.
* 6,000cr

#### Conclusion
If the heroes defeat the Death Commandos, they are free to enter the tunnel leading down to Callus’s location. The heroes can retain the weapons wielded by the Noghri.

#### Encounter Map
See the map of sublevel 2.

> #### Features of the Area
> The Noghris' small size allows them to perch on 13-foot-tall columns in the farther part of the room, an area inaccessible to the heroes. The room also contains some ancient Jedi items, none of which offer much help to the heroes aside from a few wooden shields and lances. The items are held inside transparisteel display cases along the south and north walls.

#### Nearing the Nexus
When the heroes investigate the opening in the far wall, they see that the crumbled floor and wall have revealed a tunnel. It slopes downward into utter darkness, and the rocky ground is made slippery by the natural spring that runs across the second sublevel of the academy. The slope is 5 feet wide and 60 feet long, prompting two DC 20 Strength (Athletics) checks to get down. A player with a climbing speed only makes one check. A hero who fails a check by 9 or less suffers a minor slip but does not fall. A hero who fails a check by 10 or more also causes a rockslide, dealing 2d10 points of kinetic damage to himself and anyone below him. If the heroes have no light source, they must move even more cautiously and make an additional Strength (Athletics) check.

If the players have rope, they may use that to lower themselves down instead, avoiding the checks entirely.

#### Enter Callus
When the heroes arrive at the bottom, Valin Callus is waiting for them, literally surrounded by darkness. He holds a glowing blue cube in one hand and a glowing red pyramid in the other--the Qornah Holocron and the Sith holocron, respectively. As the heroes approach, read the following:

\columnbreak

> You make out a figure in black armor and a flowing cape. You recognize him from the message you received many months ago after your adventure on Bespin: Inquisitor Valin Callus. He is flanked on one side by a stern-looking female whose lightsaber gives a red tint to their surroundings. There is a glint in the Inquisitor’s eye and a chilling smile on his lips, as if he already knows more about you than you know about yourselves.

Hiding behind rocks on both sides of the Inquisitor are four black-armored Imperial shadow troopers. A player who manages to pass a DC 21 Wisdom (Perception) check can barely make them out in the darkness. Valin Callus has his apprentice flanking him, red lightsaber ignited.

Inquisitor Valin Callus is a methodical villain. His preferred method of dealing with his enemies is to convert them to his cause. The Inquisitor knows that to have reached this far, the heroes must have defeated challenges that would have sundered less formidable foes. He addresses the heroes as follows:

> "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. You've narrowly avoided me three times before-- on Felucia, on Cato Neimoidia, and in the skies over Bespin. But now, the Force has finally brought us face to face.
>
> "I sense a familiar presence--an echo in the Force. I sense that you have been with my old master...Denia.

The players will probably have questions. Play the conversation out as naturally as possible, eventually leading to the Inquisitor's offer for the heroes to join him. If they try to attack immediately rather than waiting to talk, the Inquisitor can threaten to destroy the holocron if they don't hear him out.
* **You trained with Denia/You were a Jedi??** "Yes, I was once a Jedi Knight, even a commander during the clone wars. "Valiant Blade" is the nickname my troops called me then. I, too, once believed that balance could be found by denying the dark...denying part of myself. I go by a different name now, The Twelfth Brother."
* **Why did you join the Empire?** "The Empire provides order, stability...balance. Is that not what we all want?"
* **Give us the holcron!/What's that red pyramid?** "Yes, you came here for this holocron, did you not? And perhaps you didn't know about this one. The Force has a funny way of maintaining balance. A Jedi Temple, built on the ruins of an ancient Sith fortress...the light and the dark, always keeping each other in check."
* **You keep talking about balance. What do you mean?** "The Jedi claim to care about balance, but they deny the darkness...deny something that is found in all of us, whether Jedi, Sith, soldier, smuggler, noble, rogue, or romantic. True balance can only be found if you know both the dark and the light."

\pagebreakNum

Whenever it feels natural, read the following:

> The Inquisitor looks at you almost entreatingly. "We need not be enemies. I sense much imbalance in you...much fear and uncertainty. That is what comes of denying one half of yourself. Join me, and I will show you how to use both the dark and the light. You have my word, you will not be harmed if you accept my offer."

Though Valin Callus’s offer is sincere, it’s highly unlikely that any of the heroes will take him up on it. However, this could be an opportunity for some dramatic storytelling. Perhaps one of the players has grown bored with her character. If so, collaborate with her in secret ahead of time so that her character joins the Inquisitor’s retinue for a devastating twist, similar to Vader’s revelation of Luke’s parentage in *The Empire Strikes Back*.

In all likelihood, the heroes reject the Inquisitor’s supplication or simply attack him. Once they do, the disquieting glint in his eye returns, as if he’s foreseen their response. The Inquisitor stows the holocrons on his belt and ignites his lightsaber, his apprentice takes up a protective position in front of him, and the shadow troopers prepare to snipe from their hiding spots.

### Shadows of the Empire
#### Setup
The heroes start on the east side of the map, at the exit from the tunnel that leads back to the sublevel 2. The opponents are near the opposite side, at the end of a ledge that is 40 feet by 10 feet. The Inquisitor Apprentice is in front of Valin Callus, and the four shadow troopers are hiding behind rocks, aiming at the heroes. There is another, narrower ledge on the south side of the map, but if the heroes take that route, the shadow troopers shoot at them. In the center of the room are two cavernous pits, at the bottom of which lies a body of water.

#### Read-Aloud Text
If his invitation to join him is rebuffed, Valin Callus attacks with his minions.

> A hint of disappointment briefly flashes across the inquisitor's face. "Very well." Callus secures both holocrons to his belt and ignites his lightsaber. "Prepare to meet your destiny."
>
> 
>
> The inquisitor glances at the woman next to him.
>
> 
>
> "Aspirant--kill the Jedi, and you will finally be promoted to a full Sister of the Inquisitorius."

\columnbreak

#### Inquisitor Valin Callus
Nearly 6'5 tall, with closely cropped hair and a lantern jaw, Callus looks every bit the heroic Jedi he once was. The former Padawan of Master Denia, Jedi Draco embraced his role as a Republic commander in the Clone Wars wholeheartedly. However, at some point during the conflict, his heady determination to defeat the Separatist threat evolved into something pernicious, and he turned to the dark side.

The Inquisitor arrived in the Cularin system in the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Assiduous. However, unable to traverse the comet field in the vessel, the Inquisitor and his entourage made the journey to Almas in a Scythe shuttle, tucked safely away at what’s left of the Forard spaceport.

#### Valin Callus' Tactics
During this encounter, Valin Callus keeps his distance, allowing his apprentice to engage the heroes in melee. He uses *animate weapon* on his Great-saber, and tries to debuff groups of heroes with his *affliction* and *plague* powers.

\pagebreakNum

___
___
> ## Inquisitor Valin Callus
> *Medium humanoid (Human), lawful dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 18 (battle precognition)
> - **Hit Points** 200 (20d8 + 100)
> - **Speed** 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|20 (+5)|18 (+4)|20 (+5)|16 (+3)|16 (+3)|20 (+5)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** Str +10, Dex +9, Con +10, Wis +8
> - **Skills** Acrobatics +9, Athletics +10, Deception +10, Insight +8, Intimidation +10, Perception +8, Persuasion +10, Stealth +9, Survival +8
> - **Senses** Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 18
> - **Languages** Galatic Basic, Bocce, Dosh, Honoghran, Huttese
> - **Challenge** 10 (5,900 XP)
> ___
>***Aggressive.*** As a bonus action, the Dark Jedi can move up to its speed toward an enemy.
>
>***Form: Juyo/Vaapad (Recharge 5-6).*** As a bonus action, the Dark Jedi can designate one creature within 30 feet as its prey. For 1 minute, the Dark Jedi has advantage on all attacks against the creature.
>
>***Form: Shien/Djem So.*** When Valin Callus hits a creature with a melee attack, and another creature is within 5 feet of the original target, he can choose to deal 3 energy damage to the second creature.
>
>***Legendary Resistance (1/Day).*** When Valin Callus fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
>
>***Sith Holocron.*** Valin Callus' body is charged with protective Force energy. Unless the damage from a single attack or effect equals or exceeds 15 points, the he takes no damage from it. If Valin Callus takes an amount of damage from a single attack or effect equal to or greater than its damage threshold, it takes damage as normal. A damaging Force power of Light alignment that exceeds this threshold deals double damage.
>
> ***Forcecasting.*** Valin Callus is a 10th-level forcecaster. Its forcecasting ability is Charisma (force save DC 18, +10 to hit with force powers, 30 force points). He knows the following force powers:
>
> Callus knows the following powers:
>
> **At-will:** force push/pull, force disarm, mind trick, saber reflect, saber throw, seethe, shock 
> **1st-level:** *battle precognition, dun moch, fear, force jump, force reflect, slow descent* 
> **2nd-level:** *affliction, animate weapon, force sight, improved saber throw* 
> **3rd-level:** *choke, force lightning, force repulse, plague* 
> **4th-level:** *drain life* 
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** Valin Callus makes three Greatsaber attacks.
>
> ***Inquisitor Greatsaber.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 5) energy damage.
>
> ### Reactions
> ***Parry.*** Valin Callus adds 6 to his AC against one melee attack that would hit him. To do so, he must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.
>
> ### Legendary Actions
> Valin Callus can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Callus regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
>
> ***At-will Power.*** Valin Callus casts one of its at-will powers.
>
> ***Attack.*** Valin Callus makes a Greatsaber attack.
> 
> **Forcecasting (1 legendary action per power level).** Valin Callus can cast a force power by spending a number of legendary actions equal to the power level.

***Note: The Sith holocron portion of Callus' statblock does not have any effect until he channels its power in part 2 of the fight.***

\pagebreakNum

#### Shadow Troopers (4)
It’s believed that when the curse “Emperor’s black bones” was coined, it was at the sight of these ashen-armored soldiers. Imperial shadow troopers might be mistaken for regular clone troopers, except that their stealth armor and red visors give them the appearance of demonic silhouettes. They are trained for reconnaissance and occasionally serve as guardians to vital facilities and personnel. Inquisitor Callus reasons that if they’re good enough for the Emperor’s secret Utapau storehouse, they’re good enough for him.

Unlike that of other stormtroopers, shadow trooper armor retains its distinctive pre-Imperial appearance. There is talk of eventually streamlining shadow trooper armor, but for now, their scarlet T-visors remain a haunting reminder of Palpatine’s bloody ascension to the rank of Emperor. Like all other stormtroopers, shadow troopers cannot be bribed, blackmailed, or seduced. Any such attempt automatically fails.

> The shadow troopers’ scarlet T-visors give the impression of demonic silhouettes, but their coordination and synchronization of movement reminds you that that these clones are highly trained killers.

___
> ## Shadow Trooper
> *Medium humanoid (Human), lawful dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 14 (combat suit)
> - **Hit Points** 22 (5d8)
> - **Speed** 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|10 (+0) |16 (+3) |12 (+1) |10 (+0) |12 (+1) |10 (+0)|
>___
> - **Skills** Stealth +7, Perception +3
> - **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
> - **Languages** Galactic Basic
> - **Challenge** 1 (200 XP)
> ___
> ***Cunning Action.*** On each of its turns, the trooper can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
>
> ***Sneak Attack.*** Once per turn, the shadow trooper deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of the trooper that isn't incapacitated and the trooper doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll.
>
> ### Actions
> ***DC-19 Stealth Carbine.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d12 + 3) energy damage. Additionally if hidden, the trooper makes a Dexterity (Stealth) check contested by the targets’ Wisdom (Perception) check. On a success, the trooper remain hidden.

\columnbreak

#### Shadow Trooper Tactics
The Shadow Troopers attempt to remain hidden and shoot at the heroes, using their cunning actions to hide if the players manage to figure out where they are.

#### INQUISITOR ASPIRANT
The inquisitor Aspirant, a red-headed near-Human, wears plain black armor. Not being a full Sister yet, she's not permitted to customize her armor as true Inquisitors do. Neither has she earned the right to wield the Inquisitors' spinning doublesaber, instead making use of a plain red lightfoil. Violent and ambitious, she's determined to score a kill today.

> The fire-haired woman stalks toward you, clad in a plain version of the Inquisitor’s attire. She appears Human, but something about her says otherwise. Then you see it. Callus’ gaze shows ruthlessness and calculation, but this dark adept’s entrancing, green-slitted pupils harbor only murder.

___
> ## Inquisitor Aspirant
> *Medium humanoid (human), neutral dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 16 (battle precognition)
> - **Hit Points** 113 (25d8)
> - **Speed** 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|11 (+0)|16 (+3)|10 (+0)|13 (+1)|12 (+1)|16 (+3)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** Dex +5, Cha +5
> - **Skills** Acrobatics +5, Intimidation +5
> - **Senses** darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 11
> - **Languages** Galatic Basic
> - **Challenge** 4 (1,100 XP)
> ___
> ***Forcecasting.*** The apprentice is a 9th level forcecaster. Her forcecasting ability is Charisma (force save DC 13, +5 to hit with force attacks, 21 force points).
>
> The apprentice knows the following powers:
>
> **At-will:** enfeeble, force push/pull, saber reflect 
> **1st-level:** battle precognition, curse, slow descent, wound 
> **2nd-level:** animate weapon, force throw, phasewalk 
> **3rd-level:** knight speed, sever force 
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The apprentice makes three lightfoil attacks.
>
> ***Lightfoil.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 10 (2d8+3) energy damage.

\pagebreakNum

The Inquisitor's apprentice will attempt to block the players from attacking the Twelfth Brother at first, deflecting any attacks the heroes make at her and standing in front of him. However if the players do not approach and stay at range, she will charge them and engage them in melee combat, focusing on Vin Thorla and any other Jedi in the party.

#### Loot
* Lightfoil {Red}
* 2,800cr
* DC-19 Stealth Carbine x4 *(Uses stats of a Nightstinger Rifle)*

#### Conclusion
If Callus is reduced to fewer than half of his hit points, or if all of his allies are dead, he retreats to another cavern for the final encounter.

#### Encounter Map
Map: Callus' Final Stand

> #### Features of the Area
> Aside from ignited lightsabers, this room has no light source. The shadow troopers have the advantage of darkvision. A few large rocks scattered about the cave can offer concealment, or they can be lifted with the Force and thrown at opponents. Anyone standing too close to the openings in the center of the area risks falling over the edge.

### Behemoth from Below
At any point when Callus finds himself below half of his hit points, or if his apprentice and shadow troopers are dead, he retreats to a back entrance that opens into an immense cavern that is spectacularly lit by bioluminescent, multicolored lichen coating the walls. Callus retreats onto a natural rock overpass bridging a wide chasm that appears as bottomless as it is black. Even in while retreating, the Inquisitor still tries to push players off the ledge. He is prepared to make his last stand here as long as he deprives the heroes of the object they desire—the Qornah Holocron.

However, there is one factor the Callus hasn’t accounted for. The howl of rage produced when the Sith holocron is severed from him awakens the largest, darkest beast of all--the k'kayeh dragon, which has grown to a massive 200 meters (as big as some space slugs) since Darth Rivan first created the monster more than a thousand years ago.

The k'kayeh is much too large and too powerful for the heroes to kill. The best they can hope to do is drive it off before it devours them all.

#### Read-Aloud Text
When Valin Callus starts his turn below 50% of his maximum health read the following text aloud: 
> "Enough of this!" Callus shouts as he grabs the sith holocron from his belt. "The time for games is over." A shockwave of dark side energy explodes out of the holoron causing you to stumble backwards as the inquistor retreats deeper into the cavern at inhuman speeds.

\columnbreak

#### Setup 
This encounter begins with Callus entering the room and moving to the middle of the large stone bridge that stretches across this canyon. After the events described in the boxed text below, the heroes should be at the entrance to the cavern, with Callus across the bridge, waiting for them.

#### Read-Aloud Text
When the first heroes enter the cavern where this encounter takes place,
read the following text aloud:

> Callus makes a stand midway on the overpass traversing the black gulf. A red lightsaber hisses in his right hand, angled down and away from him; the sith holocron clutched against his chest by his left. Immense dark-side energy now pours uncontrollably from the holocron, feeding into its new master. Callus' feet begin to lift a few inches from the ground as a torrent of dark-side energy swirls around him. The holocron begins to glow and crackle. Tendrils of red lightning spread over the Inquisitor's body. His wounds begin to close and his eyes acquire a sickening gold hue, and his voice plummets in pitch as he shouts "Witness the true power of an ancient sith lord!", allowing himself to be fully engulfed in the torrent of energy.

#### The Sith Holocron

While the Sith holocron is bonded with Valin Callus, the "Sith Holocron" portion of his statblock becomes active. Make it clear to the players that these effects are coming from the holocron by describing tendrils of red lightning deflecting the heroes' attacks, and electricity flaring up whenever he is forced to make a saving throw.

The only way to sever Valin Callus's bond to the holocron is by casting the *force suppression* power on him. One of the players might be able to cast this power normally, or the players can use the *ring of apprentice force storing* to do so. Vin Thorla is also able to cast the power if the players ask him to.

If the players didn't see the tome in the archives room and don't figure out what they need to do, Vin Thorla prompts them after three rounds of combat.

When *force suppression* is cast on Valin Callus, the red lightning dissipates with a blinding flash and a chilling howl of rage. The DM can determine what happens to the holocron. You could choose to have it shatter when the bond is broken, removing it from the story. Alternatively, you could let the heroes recover it. You could represent it as a *holocron (journeyman)* that contains dark Force powers of your choice, or you could have it play a more narrative role, serving as a source of temptation for Jedi players in the future.

* As a failsafe, if the party is out of spells Vin Thorla will cast force suppression instead. If Vin Thorla is dead or not present, then the holocron overloads after 5 rounds.

Read the following section to the players after they cast *force suppression* or the holocron overloads.

\pagebreakNum

#### Read-Aloud Text
> Just as all hope seems lost, the sith holocron on the inquisitor's belt begins to crack and fracture. 
>
> "No!" Callus shouts "You will obey me!" 
>
> Several more beams of light begin to pierce outwards from the holocron causing the cracks to grow in size and intensity. Unable to its imminent destruction, Callus hurls the holocron into the abyss, just moments before it explodes in a chilling howl of rage. The seething energy once engulfing him immediately disperses and Callus drops to the ground on one knee. "No..." he mutters under his breath, breathing heavily.
>
> Then a sound like rolling thunder causes the caverns to shudder, as if the planet itself were growling in fury. Abruptly, as if the sky’s been turned upside down, two blue bolts of lightning the size of starfighters explode toward you from below.
> 
> One of the seething electrical masses smashes into the ceiling high above, producing a shower of man-sized boulders. The other mammoth blue bolt sideswipes the bridge, missing you by a mere meter.
> 
> On the heels of that unnatural lightning comes a monster straight out of your nightmares—200 meters of golden sinew and obscenity, led by a gaping maw lined with teeth bigger than the tallest Wookiee.

#### Inquisitor Callus Tactics
The Inquisitor knows that, alone, he could easily be overwhelmed by a group of heroes. As such, he takes a much more defensive position than he did in the previous encounter. He casts the rage power and summons his greatsaber back to his hand. Callus stays away from the ledge as much as possible, and while under the effects of the holocron he is immune to being moved against his will.

The Inquisitor uses *saber reflect* and Parry when appropriate to deal with any attacks that get by his AC, hoping to draw one or two melee attackers to him at a time so that he can whittle them down rather than face a barrage from all of the heroes at once.

\pagebreakNum

___
___
> ## K’kayeh Dragon
> *Gargantuan aberration, chaotic dark*
> ___
> - **Armor Class** 18
> - **Hit Points** 145 (8d20+32)
> - **Speed** 40 ft., swim 40 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|20 (+5)|10 (+0)|19 (+4)|12 (+1)|11 (+0)|15 (+2)|
>___
> - **Saving Throws** Str +8, Dex +3, Con +7
> - **Damage Resistances** Energy and kinetic damage from unenhanced weapons
> - **Skills** Athletics +8, Deception +5, Perception +3, Stealth +3, Survival +3
> - **Senses** passive Perception 13
> - **Languages** can't speak but understands Sith
> - **Challenge** 6 (2,300 XP)
> ___
>
> ***Amphibious.*** The k'kayeh dragon can breathe air and water.
>
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.***  The k’kayeh dragon can use its Frightful Roar. It then makes three attacks: one with its claws, and two with its bite. It can use its devour instead of its bite.
>
> ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, 15 ft., one target. *Hit:* 9 (1d8+5) kinetic damage. If the target is large or smaller, the target is now grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and the k'kayeh dragon can't bite another target.
>
> ***Claw.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 9 (1d8+5) kinetic damage.
>
> ***Force Lightning Breath (Recharge 5-6).*** The k’kayeh dragon exhales force lightning in a 90 foot cone. Each creature in that cone must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
>
> ***Devour.*** The k’kayeh dragon makes one bite attack against a Large or smaller creature it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target takes the bite's damage, the target is swallowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the k’kayeh dragon, and it takes 14 (4d6) acid damage at the start of each of the k’kayeh dragon's turns. If the k’kayeh dragon takes 25 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the k’kayeh dragon must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the k’kayeh dragon. If the k'kayeh dragon dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone.
>
> ***Frightful Roar.*** Each creature of the k’kayeh dragon's choice within 90 feet of it must succeed a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the k’kayeh dragon is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the k’kayeh dragon's Frightful Roar for the next 24 hours.

#### K'kayeh Dragon Tactics

The k'kayeh dragon is angry at being awoken, but it senses the Inquisitor's alignment to the Dark Side, and thus chooses to focus its attacks on the heroes. When the k'kayeh is reduced to 0 hit points, it does not die--rather, it decides that the heroes are too frustrating to be worth its time. It releases any heroes it has grappled and dives back into the abyss, taking out its anger on the foundations of the temple itself.

> #### Features of the Area
> Most of the combat will take place on a large stone bridge with no railings. Any heroes pushed off of the bridge must attempt to catch themselves or they will fall into the abyss.

#### Loot
* Qornah Holocron
* Greatsaber +1 {Red} *(Prototype, Major)*

\columnbreak

#### Conclusion
When the heroes deal the killing blow to the Vallin Callus, he drops the Qornah Holocron at his feet. With a gasp, he goes wide-eyed and tumbles from the side of the bridge into the abyss. As the Inquisitor plummets into darkness, the k’kayeh dragon (if it's still present) descends into the abyss once more, presumably after the body of the Inquisitor. With the Inquisitor defeated and the holocron recovered, the heroes need to escape from the collapsing academy with haste.

The Inquisitor also drops his doublesaber before he falls, and a hero can pick it up if they wish.

> Callus lets out a gasp and his eyes go wide and he stares at the mortal wound in his chest. His lightsaber and the Qornah Holocron clatter to the ground as the inquisitor stumbles backwards before plummeting into the darkness below.

\pagebreakNum

### Leaving the Echoes Behind
The giant dragon causes major tremors, and the academy’s foundations, already weakened by a major bombardment and several months of misuse, start to collapse. This is a good time for the heroes to exit.

Describe the ground shaking and falling rocks at random points. Reuse the fallen debris from the *Cave-In* section a few times as the heroes make their way back up toward the surface. Appropriate points on the map would be the tunnel leading to sublevel 2, the stairs leading up to sublevel 1, and any corridor on sublevel 1.

If the heroes survived their encounter with the Inquisitor relatively unscathed, feel free to run more encounters on sublevel 2. For example:

* Some Believers might have escaped the heroes’ first trip through
the level.
* The nighthunter or the t’salak might have survived.
* The library on sublevel 1 might have some guardian spirits still
roaming around.
* Some Dark Lizards might still be stalking the ruins on the top
level.

These encounters should be run in the corridors, delaying the heroes from escaping and creating a rising sense of urgency. If none of these encounters is appropriate, or if the heroes overcome the challenges easily, they might encounter more pirates as they return to their ship.

Once the heroes climb up the turbolift shaft and are out of the ruins, read the following:

> As you run through the ruins of the academy’s ground floor, the remaining walls of the fountain room and the columns in the entry hall collapse around you, showering you with dust. As you leap for the exit out of the academy, huge clouds of dust billow into the air, obscuring your view as the ground quakes and devours the ruins.
>
> As the dust clears, you could not have imagined how good Almas’ toxin-filled air would feel in your lungs. It’s a good thing you rescued the holocron, because no one will be able to go back down there for a long, long time.
> 
> Master Denia will be grateful that you’ve recovered the holocron. You should return to the *Resurgence* soon, before more Imperial agents come looking for the missing inquisitors.

The heroes shouldn’t have too much trouble reaching their ship. If it needs repairs, they have to perform the work uninterrupted for a few hours. The *Assiduous* is still in the system, but it is outside the comet field. The heroes detect the Star Destroyer once they clear the comet field, but the ship is too far out of weapons range to attack. The heroes could not detect the ship on their way in because the Imperials were stationed in Cularin’s shadow. But now, not having received a report from the Inquisitor in several hours, the *Assiduous* approaches the limits of the system to launch another shuttle. It does not pursue the heroes, but it attacks if they are daring enough to come within range.

\columnbreak

#### Vin Thorla

If Thorla survived the adventure, he feels a strange sense of relief as the temple's destruction frees him from his vow. If the players invite him to join the Rebellion, he says that he doesn't feel ready to openly fight against the Empire yet--rather, he and SevenAy will travel the galaxy, looking for other abandoned Jedi temples to cleanse, and hoping to find more Jedi survivors there. If the players invite him simply to visit the *Resurgence* and see Denia, he gladly accepts, and the two Jedi have a heartfelt reunion.

Thorla tells the heroes that he is forever in their debt. If you wish, you can have him return as an ally later in the campaign.

### Concluding the Adventure
When the heroes leave the Cularin system, they can reach the last known coordinates of the *Resurgence*. The trip back takes one day, giving the heroes time to rest, treat their wounds, and study the holocron. Any non-Force-sensitive heroes find the cube unresponsive, but a Force user can conjure the holocron’s gatekeeper, Master Qornah, who answers a few basic questions but insists on the presence of another Jedi Master.

When they finally approach the Nebulon-B frigate, the heroes receive a communication from Captain Verana asking if their mission was successful. He greets them as they dock underneath the large ship and walks them to their quarters. When the heroes are ready, they are instructed to go to the briefing room to meet with Master Denia.

Denia asks the heroes for the holocron and activates it. She then listens as the heroes recount their adventure. If the heroes tell Denia that the Twelfth Brother was her former apprentice, she is shocked, and then saddened. Gathering her composure, she states the following:

> “This sounds like quite an ordeal you experienced, and whether you follow the Jedi ways or not, you have contributed greatly to the enlightenment of the Force. With this item, I will seek answers about the slaves that you rescued at Bespin, and hopefully some clues about the Empire’s Sarlacc Project. I am also curious about the creatures and evil forces that you encountered in the academy, and if I find information about them, I will advise you. But now if you’ll excuse me, I must meditate.”

If any of the players are level 7 in a forcecasting class who have an appropriate background, Jedi Master Denia will officially make them a Jedi Knight in a ceremony before the next chapter.

**>> Completing this adventure is a level-up milestone. (Level 9) <<**

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        border-right: 0.2em solid #000;
        border-top: 0;
        border-bottom: 0;
        padding: 0.25em 1em;
    }
    
    .phb .descriptive p {
        font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;
        display: block;
        padding-bottom: 0;
        line-height: 1.25em;
        padding: 0 1em 0 2em;
        text-indent: -1em;
    }
    
    .phb .descriptive p+p {
        padding-top: .4em
    }
    
    .phb .descriptive em {
        font-style: italic
    }
    
    .phb .descriptive strong {
        font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;
        font-weight: 800;
        letter-spacing: -0.02em
    }
    
    .phb pre+.descriptive {
        margin-top: .7em;
    }
    
    .phb p+p {
        text-indent: 1em;
    }
    
    .phb table {
        font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;
        font-size: 1em;
        width: 100%;
        margin-bottom: 1em;
        line-height: 1em;
    }
    
    .phb table em {
        font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;
        font-style: italic;
    }
    
    .phb table strong {
        font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;
        font-weight: 800;
        letter-spacing: -0.02em;
    }
    
    .phb table thead {
        font-weight: 800;
    }
    
    .phb table thead th {
        font-size: 0.875em;
    }
    
    .phb table tbody tr td {
        padding: .3em .1em;
        font-size: 0.8em;
        min-width: 2.5em;
    }
    
    .phb table tbody tr:nth-child(odd) {
        background-color: #eee;
    }
    
    .phb table tbody tr:nth-child(even) {
        background-color: #fff;
    }
    
    .phb .classTable {
        background-color: #fff;
        border-top: 0.2em solid #000;
        border-bottom: 0.2em solid #000;
        border-left: 0;
        border-right: 0;
        border-image: none;
        padding: 1em;
        font-size: 1em;
    }
    
    .phb .classTable h5 {
        font-family: 'Russo One', sans-serif;
        font-weight: 400;
        text-transform: uppercase;
        margin-bottom: 10px;
    }

code {
 padding: 2px 4px;
 font-size: 90%;
 color: #000;
 background-color: #fff;
 border-radius: 2px;
 max-width: 95%;
 word-break: break-all;
 }
 
 a:-webkit-any-link {
 	color: #000;
	}
	
	.phb:after { content: ""; }
</style>