Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Dawn of Defiance
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. 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 Inquisitor Draco, who has fallen strongly under the sway of an evil Sith Lord Holocron Gatekeeper. After doing battle with Draco, the heroes should recover the Holocron and escape the collapsing academy, returning with the artifact to The Resurgence.
Campaign Update[]
Echoes of the Jedi opens some months after the last adventure, The Queen of Air and Darkness. The few Jedi who managed to survive Order 66 are in hiding, hunted down by the Emperor's Inquisitors and Stormtroopers- and by bounty hunters encouraged by the large sums offered. One Jedi was recently found inside Darga the Hutt's palace on Cato Neimoidia, but luckily it was by an organization opposed to the Emperor's tyrannical rule. Thus, Jedi Master Denia joined Senator Bail Organa's small rebellion, now headquartered in a secret fleet of ships spearheaded by the Nebulon-B Frigate Resurgence. The fleet's focus is the investigation of a top-secret Imperial military operation called the Sarlacc Project. The existence of the project has been revealed to Organa by an Imperial defector, Admiral Gilder Varth.
The heroes who rescued Master Denia have spent the past months investigating the Sarlacc Project and pursuing other ventures to further their individual careers, though they never lost contact with Senator Organa. However, Captain Sirona Okeefe, who transported the heroes aboard her ship The Banshee during their early adventures, has decided to part ways and take her chances with a more lucrative smuggling business. Left without a fast transport, the heroes should have been able to purchase their own starship in recent months, either with credits they acquired or by getting a bank loan. (If necessary, Senator Organa used his influence to smooth out any difficulty the heroes might have had and recommended a reputable banking institution. He might even have lent them the credits for a down payment, which could have unfolded as part of a side quest.)
For the heroes' new ship, you can use the stock Corellian YT-1300 Transport statistics in the Saga Edition Core Rulebook or the Ghtroc 720 Freighter statistics in Starships of the Galaxy.
Aside from furthering the training of Jedi heroes, Master Denia, now back to full health, has been meditating on the possibility of a link between the Sarlacc Project and the slaves rescued by the heroes (at the end of the last adventure). But her ability of Farseeing through The Force is limited, and she has encountered road blocks where there should be answers. One possible solution has been revealed to her: If she were to obtain a rare Jedi Holocron, she might be able to augment her Force abilities. By doing so, she could better assist Senator Organa and the heroes with their goal of foiling the Empire's nefarious plans. To accomplish this, she requests the heroes' help.
Unknown to the heroes, Inquisitor Valin Draco felt a strong tremor in The Force while they were all in close proximity over Bespin- a tremor the Inquisitor hasn't felt since in the presence of his old master. In the course of Echoes of the Jedi, the heroes will come face to face with the Inquisitor for the first time inside the ruins of the Jedi Academy on Almas. Although the meeting appears to be one of pure chance, there might be a greater force at work.
Over the course of the campaign's second act, the heroes will learn a bit more about Denia's past, her tutelage of Inquisitor Draco, and the Sarlacc Project. Additionally, this campaign arc concludes much like The Empire Strikes Back, with a series of bad things happening to the heroes. The events of this act are darker in tone but shouldn't be a series of nothing but down notes. The heroes should reel from their battles, but they also should have a chance to succeed and make progress.
Echoes of the Jedi will give existing Jedi heroes a chance to use their abilities to the fullest and allow new Jedi trained by Master Denia to practice what they have learned. But the adventure is not designed for Jedi alone. Heroes of other Heroic Classes will also contribute their unique talents and skills to resolve conflicts.
Adventure Background[]
Abandoned and half buried in the sands of Almas for more than a millennium, Darth Rivan's fortress has been recently invaded and pillaged by Jedi and Sith cultists. His tomes, amulets, and other artifacts have been stolen. Even the corrupt spirit of his failed apprentice Darsin, left behind as the stronghold's guardian, has been defeated. But Rivan's sarcophagus has been found empty.
In truth, the remnants of his dark influence has lingered for centuries in a diluted state in the cold, desert wastes surrounding the fortress, inching gradually toward the Force Nexus over which The Jedi built their academy. 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 recent destruction of the Almas Academy has strengthened this evil energy in this region. 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 with help from the now-independent Cularin Militia.
After months of interrogating Force-sensitive prisoners, Inquisitor Draco learned of a holocron in the Cularin System that supposedly contained ancient Sith knowledge. He swept the system for Jedi who might have survived the Almas Academy bombardment but did not find the refugees protected by Cularin's natives, the Tarasin. Draco 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, Draco went into the sublevels of the Jedi Academy, where he chanced upon a fortunate discovery.
Deep within the academy was the Sith Holocron he sought, which once belonged to the Sith Lord Darth Rivan. Moreover, the growing Dark Side energy on Almas had suffused the Rivan Holocron with a powerful evil. As a result, the Holocron's gatekeeper took on a life of its own, believing itself to be the actual spirit of Darth Rivan, and it gained the power to activate itself and act of its own free will. Draco learned much from the faux Dark Side Spirit, and he remained in the academy to study the Holocron further.
Master Vhiin'Thorla, a Twi'lek Jedi, who had been away on his homeworld when Order 66 took place, visited the Almas Academy with his Padawan in hopes of finding survivors. When Draco encountered them, a fierce Lightsaber duel ensued, and Draco's protégé Raik Muun used trickery to induce Thorla's Padawan into a murderous rage directed at his own master. Thorla was forced to kill his own Padawan in self-defense, and, wracked with grief, was easily captured. Draco imprisoned the Jedi Master in a Force-annulling Universal Energy Cage. For a week leading up to the heroes' arrival, Draco has conspired with the Holocron Gatekeeper to break Thorla and turn him to The Dark Side.
Opening Crawl[]
For Gamemasters who wish to have an opening crawl before the adventure, consider using the boxed text below.
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...
Part 1: Mission to Almas[]
Main Article: 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 The Queen of Air and Darkness. 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.
Part 2: Domain of Evil[]
Main Article: 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 Glow Rods to light the way. You should keep in mind the effects of Blindness for any area that is not illuminated. Beneath the heroes is a rubble pile that fell inside the shaft, blocking the path north to the hangar, but the south exit out of the turbolift is clear.
Once outside the lift shaft, the heroes find themselves at the intersection of two corridors that form an "L" shape. 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. The corridor going straight (south) has two blast doors and turns left about 30 meters down.
Part 3: Draco's Lair[]
Main Article: Draco's Lair
As the heroes descend into the depths of the Jedi Academy, they draw closer to the nexus of dark power surrounding Inquisitor Draco. You should emphasize the growing sense of dread the heroes feel, including a strong sense of danger for any heroes who use the Search Your Feelings application of the Use the Force skill.