Heart of Tythos
Widely accepted as the oldest preserved relic of the Jedi Order for over twenty thousand years, the Heart of Tythos is a Force-imbued nagamaki, believed to have been forged in the fires of the Great Temple of Vur Tepe by the Cathar Je'daii Temple Master Tem Madog himself during the legendary Force Wars of Tython. It is not fully known if Je'daii Temple Master Tem Madog indeed wielded the Heart of Tythos, and speculation among Jedi scholars, archivists and archeologists abound; archaic writings in the ruins of Kaleth suggest the Heart of Tythos was wielded by the assumed leader of the pre-Jedi Order, Rajivari, during the Force Wars and prior to his own fall to the Dark Side of the Force. Other theories suggest it was wielded by one of the co-founders of the modern Jedi Order and Je'daii Temple Master of the Great Temple of Kaleth, Kora Ryo. Still fragments recovered from Vur Tepe do suggest Tem Madog himself was the wielder, although all recurring theories as to the wielder of the Heart of Tythos are often open ended contemplations as the recovered accounts related to the usage of the Heart of Tythos give no details as to the gender, species or name of the one who wielded it, at the wielder's own desire. Due to this, some Jedi scholars believe that multiple Je'daii wielded the Heart of Tythos at different times during the Force Wars.
Isotopic and radiometric dating place the approximate age of the Heart of Tythos at 26,800 years, which coincides with the planetary conflict which engulfed Tython between 26,783 and 26,793 years ago. The explicit details of the Force Wars are obscured, although the descriptions of the wielder of the Heart of Tythos was preserved as the stories were etched into the walls of Kaleth and Vur Tepe both. According to its legend, the Heart of Tythos was forged during a time the True Dark Sons of Tython were brutally oppressing the adherents to the Ashla among the ancient Je'daii. As battle began destroying the once beautiful planet, the Heart of Tythos was forged from the grips of despair as Temple Master Tem Madog poured the Ashla and his very essence into his creation, meant to be a symbol as much as it was to be a weapon. A hope against the darkness surrounding and eroding them.
By the next passages, where the specifics of the wielder are lost, it was said that the bearer of the Heart of Tythos carried the will of the Force in their bones and the very light of Ashla upon their blade. Following accounts reveal that the bearer led the Je'daii armies against the True Dark Sons of Tython, claiming victory after victory, restoring Ashla's light to the dying fields and oceans of Tython. The final battlefield of Kaleth also tells of the bearer of the Heart of Tythos combating the final armies of the followers corrupted by the seduction of the Bogan, purging the dark taint from where they contaminated Tython and beckoning the Je'daii as they united, ultimately in what would be known as a series of revelations and reconstructions that would see the Je'daii transformed into the modern embodiment of the Holy Order of the Jedi Knights.
Following the Force Wars, Je'daii Master Rajivari fell to the Dark Side of the Force, and in the relatively brief conflict that followed, was believed to have been slain by the Heart of Tythos. For reasons unknown, this marked the end of the Heart of Tythos ever being used in battle, although Jedi scholars believe that its discontinued use by the Jedi Order marked the end of the decade of warfare and conflict. Others believed that the Heart of Tythos was a weapon of the light against the darkness, and as the last darkness had been purged for centuries following, it was simply no longer needed. Still other Jedi scholars speculated that the Heart of Tythos was attuned to a specific individual or individuals, and following their passing, the Force blade was simply impossible to use by anyone else. Nevertheless, recovered records and accounts do relay information on how powerful the Heart of Tythos was.
During the Hundred Day Battle of Akar Kesh, the Heart of Tythos was spoken of as releasing a "burning brilliance". Although this was referenced to multiple times as a literal glow, the texts within the walls of Akar Kesh also suggest it was not simply a display, but an attack. Writings recovered from the Great Temple of Kaleth also refer to the True Sons of the Tython fleeing or retreating from the Heart of Tythos' glow. Some Jedi scholars have speculated that the Heart of Tythos was capable of producing Force effects not unlike Force Light, which was a luminous exertion of the Light Side of the Force that purged the Force connection amongst Darksiders, reinforcing the explanation as to why the followers of the Bogan would shelter themselves from its glow.
Records within the deepest halls of the Mahara Kesh speak of the bearer of the Heart of Tythos shattering the blade of a possibly prominent member of True Sons of Tython during a duel, suggesting it was powerful enough to even be capable of breaking other Force imbued swords. Most spectacularly of all accounts is the mention of the bearer of the Heart of Tythos being said as becoming a "vessel of the light" when wielding the blade. Corresponding accounts with Jedi throughout history, documented experiences, and the strong implications that the bearer of the Heart of Tythos was alone in almost all texts of confrontations, have led some Jedi scholars to believe that the Heart of Tythos induced a sort of Oneness upon the wielder, enabling them to become pure forces of nature of the Light Side of the Force.
Like most Force-imbued swords, the Heart of Tythos was known to glow naturally, although it was known to have not been crafted from metal. While very few Jedi have ever laid eyes upon the Heart of Tythos, one passage found in the halls of Vur Tepe suggest the sword was crafted directly from crystal, most likely Force crystals. For reasons the Sages of the Jedi of almost ever generation of Jedi Knights cannot perceive, the Heart of Tythos no longer functions beyond its glow and natural cutting prowess, making it little more than a ceremonial item throughout the ages, locked deep within the vaults of the Tythonian Jedi Temple. Iconically, the Heart of Tythos has been a constant reminder to the Jedi Order that, just as the Heart of Tythos was placed away with the end of the Force Wars, that all weapons, even those of the Light Side, must be cast aside eventually in order for there to be peace.
Widely accepted as the oldest preserved relic of the Jedi Order for over twenty thousand years, the Heart of Tythos is a Force-imbued nagamaki, believed to have been forged in the fires of the Great Temple of Vur Tepe by the Cathar Je'daii Temple Master Tem Madog himself during the legendary Force Wars of Tython. It is not fully known if Je'daii Temple Master Tem Madog indeed wielded the Heart of Tythos, and speculation among Jedi scholars, archivists and archeologists abound; archaic writings in the ruins of Kaleth suggest the Heart of Tythos was wielded by the assumed leader of the pre-Jedi Order, Rajivari, during the Force Wars and prior to his own fall to the Dark Side of the Force. Other theories suggest it was wielded by one of the co-founders of the modern Jedi Order and Je'daii Temple Master of the Great Temple of Kaleth, Kora Ryo. Still fragments recovered from Vur Tepe do suggest Tem Madog himself was the wielder, although all recurring theories as to the wielder of the Heart of Tythos are often open ended contemplations as the recovered accounts related to the usage of the Heart of Tythos give no details as to the gender, species or name of the one who wielded it, at the wielder's own desire. Due to this, some Jedi scholars believe that multiple Je'daii wielded the Heart of Tythos at different times during the Force Wars.
Isotopic and radiometric dating place the approximate age of the Heart of Tythos at 26,800 years, which coincides with the planetary conflict which engulfed Tython between 26,783 and 26,793 years ago. The explicit details of the Force Wars are obscured, although the descriptions of the wielder of the Heart of Tythos was preserved as the stories were etched into the walls of Kaleth and Vur Tepe both. According to its legend, the Heart of Tythos was forged during a time the True Dark Sons of Tython were brutally oppressing the adherents to the Ashla among the ancient Je'daii. As battle began destroying the once beautiful planet, the Heart of Tythos was forged from the grips of despair as Temple Master Tem Madog poured the Ashla and his very essence into his creation, meant to be a symbol as much as it was to be a weapon. A hope against the darkness surrounding and eroding them.
By the next passages, where the specifics of the wielder are lost, it was said that the bearer of the Heart of Tythos carried the will of the Force in their bones and the very light of Ashla upon their blade. Following accounts reveal that the bearer led the Je'daii armies against the True Dark Sons of Tython, claiming victory after victory, restoring Ashla's light to the dying fields and oceans of Tython. The final battlefield of Kaleth also tells of the bearer of the Heart of Tythos combating the final armies of the followers corrupted by the seduction of the Bogan, purging the dark taint from where they contaminated Tython and beckoning the Je'daii as they united, ultimately in what would be known as a series of revelations and reconstructions that would see the Je'daii transformed into the modern embodiment of the Holy Order of the Jedi Knights.
Following the Force Wars, Je'daii Master Rajivari fell to the Dark Side of the Force, and in the relatively brief conflict that followed, was believed to have been slain by the Heart of Tythos. For reasons unknown, this marked the end of the Heart of Tythos ever being used in battle, although Jedi scholars believe that its discontinued use by the Jedi Order marked the end of the decade of warfare and conflict. Others believed that the Heart of Tythos was a weapon of the light against the darkness, and as the last darkness had been purged for centuries following, it was simply no longer needed. Still other Jedi scholars speculated that the Heart of Tythos was attuned to a specific individual or individuals, and following their passing, the Force blade was simply impossible to use by anyone else. Nevertheless, recovered records and accounts do relay information on how powerful the Heart of Tythos was.
During the Hundred Day Battle of Akar Kesh, the Heart of Tythos was spoken of as releasing a "burning brilliance". Although this was referenced to multiple times as a literal glow, the texts within the walls of Akar Kesh also suggest it was not simply a display, but an attack. Writings recovered from the Great Temple of Kaleth also refer to the True Sons of the Tython fleeing or retreating from the Heart of Tythos' glow. Some Jedi scholars have speculated that the Heart of Tythos was capable of producing Force effects not unlike Force Light, which was a luminous exertion of the Light Side of the Force that purged the Force connection amongst Darksiders, reinforcing the explanation as to why the followers of the Bogan would shelter themselves from its glow.
Records within the deepest halls of the Mahara Kesh speak of the bearer of the Heart of Tythos shattering the blade of a possibly prominent member of True Sons of Tython during a duel, suggesting it was powerful enough to even be capable of breaking other Force imbued swords. Most spectacularly of all accounts is the mention of the bearer of the Heart of Tythos being said as becoming a "vessel of the light" when wielding the blade. Corresponding accounts with Jedi throughout history, documented experiences, and the strong implications that the bearer of the Heart of Tythos was alone in almost all texts of confrontations, have led some Jedi scholars to believe that the Heart of Tythos induced a sort of Oneness upon the wielder, enabling them to become pure forces of nature of the Light Side of the Force.
Like most Force-imbued swords, the Heart of Tythos was known to glow naturally, although it was known to have not been crafted from metal. While very few Jedi have ever laid eyes upon the Heart of Tythos, one passage found in the halls of Vur Tepe suggest the sword was crafted directly from crystal, most likely Force crystals. For reasons the Sages of the Jedi of almost ever generation of Jedi Knights cannot perceive, the Heart of Tythos no longer functions beyond its glow and natural cutting prowess, making it little more than a ceremonial item throughout the ages, locked deep within the vaults of the Tythonian Jedi Temple. Iconically, the Heart of Tythos has been a constant reminder to the Jedi Order that, just as the Heart of Tythos was placed away with the end of the Force Wars, that all weapons, even those of the Light Side, must be cast aside eventually in order for there to be peace.