Ahto City: The Fallen Metropolis
General Lore
For millennia, the Selkath—a species native to the ocean world of Manaan—were isolated from the broader galaxy. They had no contact with other worlds and lived in relative peace, primarily focused on their highly advanced aquatic civilization. However, the Rakata, the creators of the Infinite Empire, came to Manaan and enslaved the Selkath, forcing them to construct monuments and serve the Empire’s vast, galaxy-spanning ambitions. After the fall of the Infinite Empire, the Selkath were left in isolation once more, but with an understanding of the larger galaxy and the myriad species that inhabited it.
Rising from the ashes of this dark period of servitude, the Selkath began to reforge their civilization, and with this newfound awareness, they decided to create a shining beacon of trade, diplomacy, and tourism. The result was Ahto City, a bustling metropolis built on the surface of Manaan, designed to serve as the heart of the Selkath’s interactions with the outside galaxy.
Ahto City became a thriving center of commerce, culture, and diplomacy. For a time, it was a place where both the Republic and the Empire coexisted in an uneasy but functional peace. The Jedi Civil War raged across the galaxy, but both factions needed kolto, the healing agent that Manaan produced in abundance. This mutual dependence allowed the Republic and Empire to live side by side in Ahto City, despite their ongoing conflict.
Unfortunately, the uneasy truce did not last. The Sith Empire, growing tired of the Selkath's neutrality, bombarded Manaan from orbit. The once-glorious Ahto City was heavily damaged, with much of the surface-level infrastructure destroyed. The Selkath, seeing the city reduced to a half-sunken wreck, retreated to the depths of the oceans, abandoning their capital and the world they had once sought to engage with the galaxy.
Today, Ahto City stands as a haunting reminder of the fall of a civilization’s aspirations, now submerged beneath the waves and largely forgotten. The Selkath have returned to their old ways, content with their isolation, and Ahto City remains a shadow of its former self, a relic of a time when the Selkath reached out to the galaxy and dreamed of something greater.
The fall of Ahto City is a reflection of the complex relationship between the Selkath and the galaxy at large. For the Jedi, Ahto City’s rise and fall carry deeper significance, especially in how the Selkath’s interactions with external powers shaped their destiny. Initially, the Selkath were forced into servitude by the Rakata, and later, they sought to build a city to engage with the greater galaxy. However, their innocence and isolation were shattered as they became embroiled in the conflict between the Republic and the Sith Empire, a war that ultimately led to the destruction of their city.
From the Jedi perspective, the Selkath's initial desire for peace and neutrality was admirable. Yet, they also see a tragic flaw in the Selkath’s reliance on an external power—kolto—as the cornerstone of their civic identity. By creating Ahto City, the Selkath sought to establish themselves as a central hub of diplomacy and trade, but this ambition led them to ignore the consequences of their position in the galaxy. Their city, once a beacon of prosperity, became a pawn in the greater conflict between the Republic and the Empire.
The Jedi see the Selkath’s retreat into the depths of the ocean as a natural response to the trauma inflicted by external forces. The bombing of Manaan by the Sith Empire was a decisive moment for the Selkath, one that left them with little choice but to abandon their grand aspirations and return to their more secluded existence. In this, the Jedi may find wisdom in the Selkath’s return to their roots, seeking to preserve their culture and lives through isolation rather than becoming entangled in the destructive wars of the greater galaxy.
There is a deeper lesson to be learned in Ahto City’s fall: the Jedi recognize that the pursuit of balance often requires a choice between external engagement and inner peace. The Selkath’s failure was not their desire for greater connection to the galaxy, but their over-dependence on forces beyond their control, which ultimately brought destruction upon them. For the Jedi, this serves as a reminder of the importance of self-sufficiency and the consequences of placing too much trust in external alliances without considering the costs.
Ahto City’s destruction is both a lesson and a warning for those who would seek to expand beyond their means, and a reflection of the Jedi’s own path of balance, where inner strength and wisdom guide their decisions, rather than fleeting desires for power or influence.
Ahto City was a thriving metropolis. At one point, large contingents of the Republic and the Empire lived side by side in Ahto City despite the raging Jedi Civil War. This awkward arrangement was made possible due to both sides’ desperate need for Manaan’s healing agent, kolto. More recently, however, the Sith Empire grew tired of Selkath neutrality and bombarded the planet from orbit, destroying most of Manaan’s surface structures–including Ahto City. The Selkath have since retreated to the depths, abandoning their once-great capital, now a half-sunken wreck.
(Codex Text - Star Wars the Old Republic / SWTOR)
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