Almas Academy The Almas Academy on Almas was an unorthodox Jedi training facility founded in 177 BBY . It was headed by the Almas Council . History . The re - discovery of planet Almas and the remains of Darth Rivan ' s sith fortress in 232 BBY led the Jedi Order to send a research team in 188 BBY . Unfortunately , one of the researchers , Kibh Jeen , fell to the dark side and began an orgy of destruction throughout the system that would last for seven years , until the Jedi allied with local power groups to kill their former comrade . Four years after this Dark Jedi Conflict , a small Jedi school was established on the other side of Almas to keep an eye on the Sith fortress . Over time , more students arrived , and the school on Almas became a full fledged Jedi academy , with Twi ' lek Jedi Master Nerra Ziveri as its headmaster since 119 BBY . He was succeeded in 56 BBY by his former Padawan , Lanius Qel - Bertuk . The academy was an experimental one . They accepted older students , a tradition which began with the local Tarasin . Eventually they accepted adults to begin training as Jedi , although those they accepted were carefully screened . The Almas Academy could never accept an applicant that had already been rejected by another praxeum . The Almas Academy was kept under scrutiny of the Jedi Council on Coruscant because of this experiment . The Council yearly sanctioned Almas students , occasionally sent Jedi Knights to teach in Almas , and particularly kept an eye on the potentially dangerous situation of the Fortress . Ziveri , on his part , believed that the best place to study the dark side is near it , and so the nearby Fortress was a boon , not a hindrance . As the Cularin system was quite isolated , the Academy attracted some Jedi who thrived in meditation and introspection . The Tarasins , who had their own traditions , were worried about their youngers studying far away from their local tribes or " irstats " , even with Ziveri making important changes to the study methods . Initially they believed that Tarasin Padawans would not graduate and the " Jedi fad " would disappear . As this did not happen , they decided to send a Force adept and Tarasin religious leader , Mother Missira , to become the resident irstat leader of Almas . Eventually she also became the Academy ' s chef . At some point between 56 BBY and 32 BBY , headmaster Qel - Bertuk bought droid E1 - 6RA to use her as the administrator of the Academy . In 31 BBY , the business conglomerate known as the Metatheran Cartel performed illegal activities in Cularin , but was discovered by locals . The Cartel blamed one individual manager , Velin Wir , for the crimes , and sent a new envoy , Thurm Loogg , to ask for permission to remain in the planet . Governor Barnab Chistor of Gadrin left the matter up to a vote . Several Padawans of the Almas Academy , along with E1 - 6RA , attended to the celebration , but abstained from voting , although many people had thought that the Jedi Order were going to vote as a block . Later that year , the Almas Academy sent representatives to the SoroSuub Anniversary celebration in Genarius . There , several diplomats and Jedi consuls were asked to mediate a conflict between Miim Te ' Suub of the SoroSuub Corporation and Thurm Loogg of the Metatheran Cartel . Clone Wars . During the first years of the Clone Wars , the Jedi of Almas Academy controlled Darth Rivan ' s old Almas Sith fortress , in the other hemisphere of the planet . A team of some 20 Jedi were sent to the Fortress , both to investigate the dangerous place and to keep it from the dark side sect known as the Believers . Jedi illusionist Treibeiu was assigned to the Fortress . During this time , the Fortress was raided by a team led by slaver Phylus Mon , who killed four Jedi and kidnapped two more . As three of those were missing in action , the Almas Academy organized a search effort , including non - Jedi just in case it was a bait to attract the more powerful Jedi in the Academy . The search was successful : The two kidnapped Jedi were found alive , but without their Force essence . Five other people , including Dark Jedi Karae Nalvas , were found in the same state . The Almas Academy was used to research this situation and try to find a solution . Accidentally , Almas Academy librarian Oden Malksch handled a piece of jewelry in Nalvas ' s body and possessed his body . Malksch / Nalvas now could lead one of the search teams to the place where the Force essences of the victims were being kept , to free them . After a successful ending of this mission , the Almas Academy also was the site of a celebration to honor the heroes . Destruction . Near to the end of the Clone Wars , the Dark Jedi Garth Ezzar led an attack on the Academy and succeeded in destroying most of it . The surprise assault was carried out by three starships , only one of which escaped the assault . Ashka Boda and Halagad Ventor coordinated a secret network of the Academy ' s survivors . Unfortunately for them , most were killed when Ventor gave away their hidden location to Darth Vader during interrogation . The absence of the academy strengthened the planet ' s evil energies , causing the citizens of the surrounding city of Forard to act violently and in some cases simply drop dead . The academy site became a nexus of evil , and the city of Forard was abandoned . Soon after the destruction , Inquisitor Valin Draco and his protege Raik Muun explored the deep ruins of the academy in search of Darth Rivan ' s holocron . They found the holocron , whose Gatekeeper taught them ancient Sith secrets , and also led them to the Qornah Holocron hidden within the academy . With this new dark union , the ruins became plagued by several other evil beings , including Dark lizard s , a t ' salak , a Nighthunter , Believers , Force illusion s , and Force parasites . Vhiin Thorla , an Almas instructor absent during the destruction , returned to the ruined academy with his Padawan Dorv ' Tilsta to search for survivors after escaping Order 66 . Deep in the ruins he dueled Valin Draco . Using the t ' salak , Raik Muun sent Dorv into a wild rage , and set him upon his Master Thorla . Thorla was forced to kill his own Padawan in self defense . Broken , Thorla was imprisoned in a Universal Energy Cage . A task force of Jedi sympathizers were sent to the academy ruins by Jedi Master Denia to retrieve the Qornah Holocron . They managed to free Vhiin Thorla , defeat Draco and Muun in the lowest levels , escape an ancient k ' kayeh dragon and deliver the Qornah Holocron to Master Denia . During this encounter , the academy ruins were further damaged , with the lower levels caving in . Structure . The academy ' s original building was a circular structure architecturally similar to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant . In the decades after its founding , eight rectangular buildings were built gradually around the central structure as more students arrived , especially after the influx of Tarasin students . As with all buildings on Almas , each of the buildings was sealed against the planet ' s atmosphere . There were sealed walkways connecting each outbuilding to the central building , as well as to the two buildings on either side of it in the octagon . Contemplative gardens of stone , sand , and kaluthin were arranged in the inner courtyards , as well as kitchens , classrooms and the places of trials . The outbuildings were used for residences , while the center building was for teaching and utilitarian uses . The student dorms were arranged by age , proceeding clockwise around the octagon . The Jedi instructors also had quarters in the outbuildings , and there were accommodations for visitors and , since Qel - Bertuk ' s time , places to study skills not directly related to the Force . Forard , the only city on Almas , was built around the academy . It was founded to support the academy , though it grew to where many of the residents had nothing to do with the Jedi . Curriculum . The Almas Academy ' s curriculum had a few changes from Coruscant ' s . There were not as high a teacher to student ratio at Almas , so Nerra Ziveri extended the time that students stayed in the group learning environment . All of the Masters spend time with the younglings . When a student became a Padawan , they did not immediately become an apprentice to a single Master . Instead , they spent time learning from a mentor in the academy , alongside other students . After an amount of time no lesser than three years with a mentor , the Padawan " graduated , " and could choose to continue to study at the academy , or apprentice with a Master from outside the academy . As the Almas Academy was a very closed environment , and the students were not going on missions with their Masters as Coruscanti Padawans were ( specially Tarasins , who were not prone to leave their system for a long time ) , Ziveri initiated a program called Jedi quest s : During their time at the academy , students were required to leave the Cularin system at least three times . Usually these were simple errands assigned by Master Lanius or the student ' s mentor . Depending on the task ' s complexity or danger , the mentor might accompany the student . Each student undertook a Jedi quest once per year since he or she was twelve years old . Those students which had graduated but stayed at the academy were required to take a younger student with them on their quests . The Almas Academy ' s placement on the same planet as a Sith fortress was to serve as a constant reminder of the dark side . A part of the academy ' s curriculum was the annual Ritual Tale of Kibh Jeen . Started by Nerra Ziveri , the Ritual was a yearly recounting of the story of the Dark Jedi Conflict , which also discouraged students from exploring the nearby Sith Fortress . Ziveri eventually started having one of the oldest students tell the story , and over time it evolved into the elder students reenacting it as a drama with one of the Masters portraying Jeen . Individuals . Headmasters : Teachers and Masters : Students : Staff : Behind the scenes . The differences between Almas and Coruscant were implemented so as not to restrict the options of Living Force players . So that players could multiclass into a Jedi class after 1st level , the Almas Academy accepted adults . Group learning and Jedi quests helped explain why Padawans would be having adventures without their Masters by their sides .