Excerpted from Dromund Kaas, Crown Jewel of the Empire by Adm. Rebeda Broles
Top Row, L-R: Aerial view of part of the Capital District, street-level view of the Cultural District, aerial view of part of the southern edge of the Kaas megalopolis
The continent of Kosqam is 70% covered by the Kaas megalopolis. Most often, when someone not from Dromund Kaas refers to Dromund Kaas, they are referring to the Kaas megalopolis. It is overcast much of the time, with frequent rain showers and lightning storms, though it certainly is not shrouded in “perpetual midnight,” as I heard from one breathless Republic soldier one night in a cantina. (The Republic dearly loves its breathless stories about the Empire, despite how few of them have ever set foot within our borders.) Whatever happened to the skies over Dromund Kaas, the worst of it is confined to the area over Kosqam, and consequently, Kaas City. The beaches at Jongaib, for example, certainly do not languish under gray, dreary clouds.
Second Row, L-R: Treetop view of the jungles surrounding Kaas City, water-level view of the cliff that forms the back of the Citadel
Kaas City is surrounded by dense, beautiful jungle, given that it is surrounded on all sides by water and straddles the equator. This jungle is home to an astonishing array of animal and botanical life (the Science Bureau is sure that we still haven’t catalogued them all), a counterpoint of chaos to the orderly efficiency of our city.
Seismic activity long before the Empire ever came to Dromund Kaas turned the northern end of Kosqam into imposing black cliffs, looming over both the continent and Yaikish Wâshleq. The Citadel was built in front of and into those cliffs, providing it natural defense. Mist often clings to the lower regions and the surface of the water there, and the more superstitious among us whisper not to sail too closely, for Calamity’s reach is long and the waters there are shallow.
Third Row, L-R: The northern half of Shikat Sahlaj, Dzizroqad, one of the beaches on Jongaib
Zaijaratif and the settlements on it were decimated when Dzizroqad, a supervolcano off its northern coast, first erupted in 137. The settlers that managed to escape refused to rebuild there, renaming the continent Shikat Sahlaj, “the Tears of the Lady.” It has remained less than half settled, and only on its southern end.
Bottom Row, L-R: Lightning above Kaas City, a walkway leading toward the Temple on Mognosk
Lightning storms above Kaas City are sudden and dramatic, often disappearing as quickly as they appear, though they do tend to linger over the Citadel and Mognosk, providing a breathtaking natural display for all onlookers.
Mognosk, the island across the Wailing that is home to the Temple, stands for the most part off-limits to all but Sith and those in the military stationed there as security (a four month rotating duty, only available to those who pass rigorous screenings). The temple was built from stone pulled from the quarry nearby, already standing when the Empire arrived on the planet.
