The shards represent a trio of crystals crafted by the Oblee species.
Millennia prior to the Clone Wars, a shadow creature journeyed to the planet Oblis situated within the Cularin system, embedding itself within the world's atmosphere. The Oblee, a sentient species indigenous to Oblis, perceived this entity as a menace. Consequently, Oblee scientist-philosophers engineered a weapon designed to manipulate the power of the Darkstaff—a Sith artifact—with the aim of expelling the shadow creature from their world. To fuel this device, the scientist-philosophers fashioned three crystal shards, capable of channeling the collective hopes and fears of the Oblee into the Darkstaff. These shards were strategically positioned across Oblis: one affixed to a pole in a bustling marketplace, another placed on an altar within a temple dedicated to the Oblee Priests of Nether, and the last housed within the grand hall where the philosophers' weapon was located. The entire Oblee population concentrated their thoughts upon these crystals, directing their energies towards the Darkstaff. A scientist-philosopher then inserted the staff, along with one of the shards, into the machine. Although the device successfully banished the shadow creature, the Darkstaff, fueled by the energy absorbed from the shards, initiated a catastrophic chain reaction that destroyed Oblis within moments. The shards, however, remained intact amidst the devastation, while the Oblee were transformed into incorporeal entities known as "shadow lurkers." The Darkstaff continued to extract energy from the Oblee through the shards, forcing the shadow lurkers to absorb energy from any available source to prevent their complete assimilation by the artifact.
The remnants of Oblis eventually coalesced to form the Cularin asteroid belt, with the shards residing within a small asteroid located within the belt. Approximately in 21 BBY, a band of freelance agents ventured to this asteroid, where the shadow lurkers implored them to destroy the shards, thus severing their connection to the Darkstaff. However, the Darkstaff, becoming aware of the agents' intentions, dispatched a contingent of Believers to thwart their efforts. The agents defeated the Believers and shattered the shards, effectively severing the shadow lurkers' link to the Darkstaff and enabling the Oblee to be reborn in physical form.