Tulak Hord

1. Who is Tulak Hord?

Tulak Hord, known as “Master of the Gathering Darkness” and “the Lord of Hate”, was a Dark Lord of the Sith during the early Sith Empire. He led large armies and excelled in both the dark side of the Force and lightsaber combat making him almost unbeatable. In battle, Hord wore a black mask, which made him very frightening.

Hord wielded an orange lightsaber. After his death, the lightsaber, along with many of his artifacts, was lost.

However, the Sith Lord Darth Marr found the lightsaber on the planet Dromund Fels before 3678 BBY, just before he joined the reformed Sith Empire’s ruling Dark Council.

2. Biography

Tulak Hord, a Force-sensitive male, was a devoted student of the dark side and a disciple within the early Sith Empire. As he ascended the ranks, Hord instilled fear in his rivals even in his youth, mastering lightsaber combat and the manipulation of the Force. In his early years, Hord faced a Dashade named Khem Val in an honorable duel, with Val later becoming his most loyal ally.

Hord gathered a vast army of followers, and with Val by his side, led a terror campaign against rebellious forces on the planets Yn and Chabosh, successfully crushing them. During this campaign, a Sith named Aloysius Kallig sought to serve him, but Hord dismissed him. Refusing rejection, Kallig challenged and defeated Hord’s top general, leading to Hord’s decision to accept him into his ranks.

Kallig then led Hord’s forces to several victories. Throughout these battles, Hord utilized Sith rituals, draining strength from his enemies and drawing power from it. His victories earned him titles such as Lord of Hate, Master of the Gathering Darkness, and ultimately, Dark Lord of the Sith. He remained undefeated, eliminating anyone who dared oppose him. Despite Kallig’s success bringing him great power, Hord began to fear that Kallig could become a dangerous rival. To prevent this, he arranged for Kallig’s assassination, forcing Kallig’s family into hiding afterward.

Lord Hord continued his deep exploration of Sith sorcery, authoring numerous texts and creating his own holocron. He was rumored to possess the secret to eternal life and hid much of his knowledge in remote, difficult-to-reach locations, ensuring only the worthy could obtain it. After discovering and conquering the Dromund system, it was believed that he conquered over a hundred worlds for the Sith Empire. His only known apprentice, Ortan Cela, proved worthy during Hord’s life, learning much from the powerful Sith Lord.

Valuing his bond with Khem Val, Hord placed his faithful servant in suspended animation inside a stasis chamber deep within the heart of what would later become Sith Lord Naga Sadow’s tomb on Korriban. Not long after this, Hord was killed by his apprentice, Ortan Cela, who stabbed him in the back. Cela’s Dashade servant, Veshikk Urk, consumed the Force energy of the dying Sith Lord.

After his death, Hord’s devoted followers constructed a large tomb for him in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban. Within the tomb, they buried his writings, holocron, and mask alongside him.

3. The Lasting Legacy of Tulak Hord

Following the end of the Great Hyperspace War and the Republic’s bombing of Korriban, much of Lord Hord’s history was lost or destroyed. Although his tomb remained intact, it was filled with traps designed to deter looters and test those seeking knowledge. By the time of the Jedi Civil War, several centuries after the Sith Empire retreated into the Unknown Regions, Jedi Padawan Revan successfully navigated the tomb’s traps and retrieved Hord’s mask. Revan also discovered several treasures within the tomb, including three rare lightsaber crystals: an amethyst, a firkrann, and a bondar crystal.

Before leaving the planet, Revan encountered Sith Master Jorak Uln hiding in the tomb. Uln, having been overthrown by Master Uthar Wynn as Headmaster of the Sith Academy on Korriban, had descended into madness. He captured Revan and his companions, intending to torture them before execution. However, with the help of captured Sith apprentice Mekel, Revan and his allies overcame and defeated Uln. Later, the exiled Jedi Meetra Surik also explored the tomb during her travels, but found it looted and its entrance collapsed.

With the Sith Empire’s resurgence, some of Hord’s artifacts were rediscovered. Before joining the Dark Council, Darth Marr uncovered Hord’s lightsaber hidden on Dromund Fels. During the Galactic War, Hord’s spirit was one of several Sith apparitions that briefly manifested on Yavin 4.

During the Cold War, a Sith Inquisitor acolyte named Kallig, a descendant of Aloysius Kallig, awoke and freed Khem Val. Although initially hostile, the Dashade eventually saw the young Sith Lord as a worthy successor to both their ancestor and Tulak Hord.

4. The Overwhelming Power of Tulak Hord

Tulak Hord was famous for his unparalleled dueling skills. Centuries later, when questioned by Meetra Surik, Kreia stated that Hord was “the greatest lightsaber duelist among the Sith Lords,” and remarked that his prowess was “remarkable even for his time, when many true lightsaber masters existed.” Kreia also noted that if Surik ever faced an ancient Sith Lord in battle, she would realize that “we are mere children playing with toys compared to the old masters’ skill.” Khem Val later revealed to Darth Nox that Hord had single-handedly broken the Jedi sieges on Yn and Chabosh, causing the deaths of over a thousand Jedi during those battles.

Hord was a formidable master of the dark side, especially in telekinesis. Khem Val shared that Hord once pulled a ship the size of the Endar Spire from the sky using the Force. Additionally, he was highly skilled in Sith sorcery.

5. Tulak Hord’s Lightsaber

Hord used an orange lightsaber. After his death, the lightsaber, along with many of his artifacts, was lost. However, the Sith Lord Darth Marr found the lightsaber on the planet Dromund Fels before 3678 BBY, just before he joined the reformed Sith Empire’s ruling Dark Council.

Tulak Hord’s lightsaber is a customizable item in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Being moddable means players can upgrade it from levels 1 to 75, making it adaptable as they progress.

5.1 How to Obtain the Tulak Hord’s Lightsaber

The Tulak Hord’s Lightsaber is a Cartel Market item, originally available from the in-game Cartel Market, and can be obtained in four ways:

1. Purchased from the GTN (Galactic Trade Network)
2. Bought or traded from another player
3. Purchased directly from the Cartel Market using Cartel Coins
4. Acquired randomly through a Cartel Pack

5.1.1 Buying the Tulak Hord’s Lightsaber on the GTN Using Credits

The Tulak Hord’s Lightsaber can often be found on the GTN, the game’s auction house where players trade unbound items. To access the GTN at level 10 or higher, head to the Galactic Trade Network section on the Republic or Imperial Fleet. Prices and availability vary based on rarity, player demand, and what sellers are offering.

5.1.2 Buying or Trading the Tulak Hord’s Lightsaber from Another Player

Players can also acquire the Tulak Hord’s Lightsaber by directly buying or trading with another player. Prices for the lightsaber in direct trades may vary, depending on its rarity and demand.

5.1.3 Purchasing the Tulak Hord’s Lightsaber from the Cartel Market

Players may also find the Tulak Hord’s Lightsaber available for direct purchase in the Cartel Market using Cartel Coins. Cartel Coins can be acquired by buying them with real money, receiving 500 per month as a subscriber, earning 100 monthly from a security key, or through achievements. Since items rotate in and out of the Cartel Market, the lightsaber may not always be available, requiring players to check the GTN if it’s not listed.

5.1.4 Obtaining the Tulak Hord’s Lightsaber by Chance in Cartel Packs

The Tulak Hord’s Lightsaber is also a possible reward from Ultimate Packs, which are bought from the Cartel Market and contain random items. Though rare, it could drop from these packs among thousands of potential items. Some older Cartel Market items drop from specific Cartel Packs, which are harder to find as many have been retired.