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| This school is already far different than any other Jedi Academy in the galaxy. We risk too much making any other changes. |
The Almas Academy on Almas is an unorthodox Jedi training facility founded in 177 BBY. It is headed by the Almas Council.
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 is an experimental one. They accept 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.
As the Cularin system is quite isolated, the Academy attracts some Jedi who thrives in meditation and introspection.
The Tarasins, who have their own traditions, are 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.