Muur Talisman

The Muur Talisman was forged by the Sith alchemist Sorzus Syn for the Sith Lord Karness Muur. Its purpose was twofold: to enable Muur to generate rakghouls and to preserve his essence, thereby achieving a form of spiritual immortality. Upon the demise of his physical form, the Talisman was designed to seek out the most powerful Force-sensitive individual to serve as his vessel and conduit. For countless years, the Muur Talisman remained lost to the galaxy. Despite the fierce competition among Sith Lords, including Naga Sadow, who sought to possess its power, the Talisman eluded discovery, as if shielded by the Force itself. Eventually, its final owner perished in a cave-in within the Undercity of Taris, where the talisman lay dormant for centuries, fostering the spread of the rakghoul plague among the Outcasts. By 3963 BBY, the Jedi Covenant theorized that the Talisman could be located within Taris's Undercity. Jedi Master Xamar of the First WatchCircle was in the process of pinpointing the artifact's location when circumstances forced them to evacuate the planet following the escape of Zayne Carrick.

Subsequently, in the aftermath of the Mandalorian invasion of Taris, the Covenant experienced a vision foretelling an impending catastrophe directly linked to the talisman, as well as Zayne, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Cade Skywalker. Celeste Morne was dispatched to Taris to resume the search, arriving just as a Mandalorian excavation team, led by Pulsipher, unearthed the talisman.

Pulsipher set course for Jebble, and before landing, he opened the container housing the Talisman, unaware that Celeste Morne, Zayne Carrick, and Marn Hierogryph had stowed away on his ship, the Mar'eyce. Pulsipher articulated his belief that the key to the Force resided in objects, not individuals, and intended to unlock the device's power to neutralize the Jedi's abilities, thus securing their victory. Celeste attempted to make him discard it through the airlock, but under the Talisman's influence, he resisted her mind trick. The Talisman then attached itself to Pulsipher's arm and began to control him, even turning him against a fellow Mandalorian, leaving glowing red marks on his comrade's armor. These marks subsequently transformed the Mandalorian into a rakghoul, and the plague rapidly spread throughout the Mandalorian ranks. This particular strain of the rakghoul plague spread with unusual speed, transforming its victims into more intelligent and organized rakghouls, clad in Neo-Crusader armor and wielding weapons against Zayne and Celeste as the two Jedi attempted to halt the plague's spread and alert the Mandalorians and the Republic to the impending threat.

When Pulsipher captured Zayne, intending to extract the Talisman's secrets, the artifact sensed the Padawan's Force-sensitivity. The Talisman then detached from the Mandalorian, turned the rakghouls against Pulsipher, and attempted to bond with Zayne. As Celeste struggled to remove the Talisman to save Zayne, she called out to the talisman's attention by revealing her Jedi identity. Instantly, the Talisman attached itself to her neck. In that moment, Celeste witnessed the apparition of Muur's spirit, who proclaimed that he represented the future and that she was his vessel. Celeste then realized that the Talisman granted her the ability to command the rakghouls.

Celeste began succumbing to the Talisman's malevolent influence, sensing the plague's immense potential and the presence of Karness Muur's spirit within the artifact. Desperate, she implored Zayne to end her life while she still retained control, but the rogue Padawan devised an alternative plan. He imprisoned Celeste within an oubliette of the Sith Dreypa, hoping to transport her to Covenant researchers on Odryn to have the Talisman removed. However, Cassus Fett subjected Jebble to a barrage of nuclear missiles, leading Zayne to believe that Celeste had perished and the Talisman had been destroyed. The Jedi Covenant, in turn, presumed that Zayne had been corrupted by the Talisman and had murdered Celeste.

When Zayne and his companions journeyed to the planet Odryn, Jarael, disguised as Celeste, and the Moomo Brothers feigned possession of the Muur Talisman, in order for them, Zayne, and Gryph to gain entrance to the Sanctum of the Exalted.

A replica of the Talisman, containing Zayne's lightsaber, was fabricated to reinforce the perception that Zayne was a Dark Jedi when Xamar brought him into the Draay Estate. However, Haazen immediately recognized the deception.

By 1,400 BBY, ice miners on Jebble discovered the oubliette. It was passed down through generations, through inheritance and trade, before it came into the possession of the crew of the Uhumele, who were willing to trade it. However, the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, seeking a means to overthrow the Emperor, freed the Talisman and its wearer from stasis. Celeste Morne attacked Vader and, harnessing the Talisman's power, transformed his clone troopers into rakghouls, compelling Vader to flee and abandon Celeste, along with the rakghouls and the spirit of Karness Muur, on an unknown moon.

The Talisman remained affixed to Celeste's neck for an extended period, even during her journey into the Deep Core. She was determined to ensure that the Talisman never possessed another individual. Consequently, she once again utilized its powers when she joined Cade Skywalker's group to assassinate Darth Krayt. She transformed numerous Imperials at the Had Abbadon base into rakghouls to serve as her personal guard while they awaited their target. Meanwhile, Muur manipulated the minds of her companions, presenting Shado Vao with a vision of himself slaying Celeste and becoming the Talisman's next host. Emperor Roan Fel coveted the Talisman to advance his own ambitions, but some of his Knights were beginning to question their allegiance. Soon, Muur's incessant whispers irritated Cade to the point where he threatened to cast Celeste and the Talisman into a black hole.

Krayt succumbed to the provocation and traveled to Had Abbadon with his most trusted Sith Lords. The ensuing battle resulted in Darth Krayt's mortal wounding and Celeste Morne's demise. With Morne dead, the Talisman attached itself to Cade. However, Cade proved resistant to its influence and employed the Force to obliterate both the Talisman and Muur forever, leading to the extinction of the rakghouls and the cessation of the rakghoul plague.

Through the application of dark side alchemy, any non-Force-sensitive individual struck by the Talisman would become infected with the rakghoul plague and undergo transformation at a faster rate than those bitten by rakghouls in the Undercity of Taris. Furthermore, under the direction of a Force-user, the Talisman could transform all suitable beings within a much wider radius into rakghouls.

The Talisman's power also enabled its claws to function as legs, providing mobility, and it would bind itself to anyone who called out to it. The Talisman also halted the aging process in its host, as evidenced by Celeste Morne's lack of aging from 19 BBY to 137 ABY. However, the Talisman's most profound secret was that it contained the spirit of Karness Muur, who could communicate with nearby Force-sensitives and manifest as an apparition to the Talisman's host.

The Muur Talisman serves as the logo for the Vector metaseries. However, beginning with the Dark Times segment of the metaseries and continuing through Legacy (2006) 28, the logo was printed upside down on all issues. This was likely intentional.

Within Star Wars Galaxies, the Muur Talisman is obtainable as a loot card through the Champions of the Force trading card game. When activated, it provides a buff. However, this should be regarded as non-canon, as the Talisman never departed from Celeste Morne.