Lyspair is one of two moons to the planet Antei. When the Dark Brotherhood moved to the system, Lyspair was chosen to serve as the home of the Shadow Academy. Nearly all Dark Brotherhood members call Lyspair their home at some point in their careers, and many return to take additional classes, while those incapable of advancing remain to serve as servants. Due to the moon's violent history, the barren wasteland was void of sentient life until the Academy was built. During the Eighth Great Jedi War, Lyspair was besieged by the Yuuzhan Vong, and Headmaster Anshar Kahn Tarentae ordered an evacuation of the moon. Three years later, it would be reclaimed during the Ninth Great Jedi War, followed by the construction of a stronger, more formidable Shadow Academy.
History
Originally, Lyspair was not a moon of Antei, but rather a satellite of Calabrex. Over three thousand years, the Antares System's gravitational pull slowly started to pull in the Antei System. When the Obscuration occurred in 2950 BBY, the destruction caused by the interruption of Taimat's ritual caused Lyspair to spin out from its orbit around Calabrex. By chance, it was caught in the gravitation pull of Antei, and recently settling into an elliptical orbit around the planet. It should be noted that the entire process is thought to have taken well over two thousand years, and is believed that Lyspair has only been in complete orbit around Antei for less than one hundred years.
When the Dark Brotherhood settled in the Antei System, Lyspair was chosen as the new home of the Shadow Academy due to its orbit around Antei and the barren landscape. Headmaster Pyralis established the first Shadow Academy, although it was little more than a prefabricated structure. During the reign of Headmaster Kaiann, however, an entirely new Shadow Academy was built as the institution grew in size. During the Sixth Great Jedi War, the Shadow Academy, and Lyspair turned into a battleground between those infected and not infected. The Shadow Academy suffered heavy damage, and was only partly reconstructed when the Seventh Great Jedi War occurred, although no actual fighting occurred on Lyspair.
When the Yuuzhan Vong invaded the Antei System, Praetor Dranik and Headmater Anshar Kahn Tarentae determined that the Shadow Academy must be evacuated. Per Anshar's orders, no actual fighting occurred on Lyspair. The last to leave, Anshar considered destroying the Academy, but instead left it intact. Lyspair remained in control of the Vong until the plague and arrival of Jedi Master Omancor Crask wiped it of nearly all its occupants. When the Academy finally returned to the moon under the leadership of Headmaster Aabsdu, they found the Academy in ruins. After clearing it of all remaining Vong forces, a new Shadow Academy was built; larger, stronger, but as mysterious and foreboding as ever.
Geography/Climate
Mostly covered by arid steppes and desert, Lyspair is, by all accounts, a desolate wasteland, the perfect place for the Shadow Academy. Rugged mountain ranges sporadically scar the moon's surface, but other than that the only major geographical landmarks on the moon are two large oceans, accounting for around 17% of the moon's surface. Steep cliffs hundreds of feet tall border the oceans, and it is on one of these cliffs that the Shadow Academy was built. In fact, several Headmasters were known for occasionally throwing annoying Initiates off the cliff to the raging water below.
Lyspair is marked by a 96 standard hour rotation, 48 hours of light and darkness. During the periods of light, the temperature tends to reach up to 40 degrees centigrade, but during the dark periods it rarely goes above 10 degrees. Due to this, Lyspair does not have traditional seasons, but rather a light and dark period.
The long periods of light and dark, along with the thin atmosphere, causes the climate of the moon to be largely dry, yet another test for young Initiates. While it does rain, it only does so moderately during the periods of darkness, and only enough to allow the growth of dry grasses.
Lyspair's atmosphere proves to be an Initiate's first real test. Consisting of oxygen and other gases, it is breathable, but is thinning than normal, and tends to cause fatigue quickly in those not physically hardened. Initiates are dropped forty kilometers (twenty-five miles) outside the Academy so as to weed out the weak.