Jorj Car'das's stronghold, situated on the planet Exocron, was ingeniously constructed within a mountain's embrace, just outside the boundaries of Rintatta City. From an external perspective, the residence presented itself as a modest, light blue structure, seemingly incomplete with an unfinished extension. However, this was merely a deceptive facade, concealing the majority of the fortress, which lay hidden within the mountain's depths and was accessible solely via a quadrail transport system. The internal layout boasted a spacious indoor garden, a dedicated room for conversations, an expansive datacard library, and numerous guest accommodations. The fortress was the creation of Jorj Car'das, a former smuggler turned information broker. Car'das's one-time employee, Talon Karrde, accompanied by Karrde's bodyguard Shada D'ukal and the protocol droid C-3PO, paid him a visit at this dwelling during their quest to locate the Caamas Document, a historically significant record.
Observed from the exterior, Jorj Car'das's fortress on Exocron—a planet within the Kathol sector, positioned near the Kathol Rift—gave the impression of a small, unassuming light blue house, built against a mountainside on the outskirts of Rintatta City. It appeared to consist of only a couple of small rooms and an incomplete extension. Car'das utilized this unassuming setting as a venue for meetings with Exocron officials. However, this small house was merely a front, serving as the entry point to a quadrail car, which connected it to Car'das's actual residence. The external building was deliberately maintained in a dirty state, displaying signs of disrepair and neglect.
The quadrail's opposite terminus lay deep within the mountains, where Car'das had established his true home. In this subterranean location, Car'das had constructed a vast indoor garden, exceeding one hundred meters in diameter, featuring cultivated flower beds, a forest of towering trees, and a small creek concealed amongst the foliage—the sound of its flowing water audible throughout the garden. Adjacent to the garden, concealed behind a secret door, Car'das had fashioned a conversation room, drawing inspiration from the classic High Alderaanian style. It was built using dark wood, incorporating a sunken conversation pit, and adorned with plants, creating an atmosphere of spaciousness.
The central hub of the fortress was a colossal datacard library, a chamber designed to resemble an amphitheater and surpassing the indoor garden in size. The majority of the room was occupied by two-meter-high data cases, arranged in concentric circles around central data retrieval stations, and filled with thousands of datacards containing the information Car'das had amassed throughout his career. This extensive collection included data about the destruction of the Mistryl homeworld, Emberlene, files detailing much of Grand Admiral Thrawn's Imperial career, and information that enabled Car'das to assemble a special datacard for his former employee, Talon Karrde. Karrde was visiting Car'das while seeking the Caamas Document, a crucial piece of information that exposed the identities of Bothan saboteurs who aided Emperor Palpatine in the destruction of Caamas, but Car'das did not possess the information. Instead, he provided Karrde with the evidence necessary to uncover a plot orchestrated by Moff Vilim Disra, con artist Flim and the clone of Grodin Tierce—a unique clone created by Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn to combine his own tactical brilliance with the qualities of a stormtrooper—aimed at plunging the New Republic into a civil war.
The fortress's doors were designed to be opened using a Force technique Car'das had learned from the Aing-Tii monks, but a secondary method existed for those unfamiliar with the technique. A concealed panel was located on the door frame, identifiable by touch as it was slightly cooler than the surrounding material. Maintaining constant pressure on the plate for thirty seconds would trigger the door's opening. When Car'das demonstrated this technique to Shada D'ukal—a disgraced Mistryl Shadow Guard traveling with Karrde as his bodyguard—she speculated whether it was intended as an additional layer of defense, as any intruders would likely lack the patience to wait for the door to open.
Despite his advancing years, Jorj Car'das remained actively involved, tending to his expansive indoor garden with minimal assistance. Having once led a substantial and well-organized smuggling organization, Car'das, following his retirement on Exocron, employed only a small number of individuals as part of his household staff. Car'das personally prepared the meals he offered to his guests during Karrde and his companions' visit in 19 ABY.
Entoo Needaan E-elz, more frequently referred to as Entoo Nee, served as Car'das's closest aide, assisting him within the fortress and running errands for him beyond Exocron. He had served Car'das for a sufficient duration to address him by his first name, but had not yet joined him during the construction of the fortress and the datacard library. In addition to Entoo Nee, Car'das employed several other individuals who worked within the fortress and were considered members of his household.
The oldest component of Car'das's fortress was the light blue house, which served as a facade for the actual structure. It had been constructed by a previous owner from whom Car'das acquired the house upon his arrival on Exocron. Entoo Nee believed that the house had originally been built against the mountainside to provide additional stability against the planet's seasonal winds. Subsequent to purchasing the house, Car'das had commenced construction of an additional wing on the side of the house, but had abandoned the project before its completion.
Following his arrival on Exocron, Car'das had initiated the construction of his true fortress within the mountains, as the location offered ease of defense. Shada D'ukal, observing the extensive nature of the construction, suspected that Aing-Tii had assisted Car'das in building his fortress, but the former smuggler neither confirmed nor denied the involvement of aliens's. The datacard library—a significant portion of which had been collected long before Car'das relocated to Exocron—had been established within the fortress prior to Entoo Nee's employment.
Jorj Car'das's fortress made its debut appearance in Vision of the Future, the second novel in Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn Duology, penned by Timothy Zahn and released in 1998. Within the novel, Car'das simply refers to it as his home, but the Wizards of the Coast roleplaying game sourcebook Scum and Villainy employs the term "fortress" to describe it.