Vrant Tarnum, a moon of the terrestrial type, existed far out in the Stygmarn system. The Kharvashark Ruins were situated within its southern region. A considerable time before the dawn of the High Republic Era, the Elders of the Path concealed one-half of an ancient relic on Vrant Tarnum. This hiding spot was a cave located just outside the ruins, done with the intention of preventing its recovery. An Elder, known as Tromak, later revealed the relic's whereabouts to Krix Kamerat, his aim was to safeguard the information from the Nihil.
However, Kamerat proved treacherous, informing the Eye of the Nihil, Marchion Ro. Tromak managed to flee the Nihil's grasp and sought the aid of Jedi Grand Master Yoda to retrieve the relic from Vrant Tarnum before the Nihil could secure it. Nevertheless, Ro and Kamerat arrived first, resulting in Yoda and Tromak's starship being downed and the Grand Master's disappearance. Ro then established a Nihil base at the ruins, which a Jedi team investigated not long before the Nihil attacked Valo.
Residing in the distant reaches of the Stygmarn system was Vrant Tarnum, a terrestrial moon. This moon possessed a Type I atmosphere, making it breathable for several humans. From the vantage point of space, Vrant Tarnum exhibited a light orange hue. Its surface was characterized by a mottled and fragmented appearance, featuring sharp canyons that crisscrossed its terrain, coupled with powerful atmospheric winds.
Following the end of the Path of the Open Hand cult in 382 BBY, a breakaway group emerged – the Elders of the Path. This group came into possession of a Nameless control rod, specifically the Rod of Seasons, which the Path previously owned. Recognizing its potential for destruction in controlling the Great Leveler, a creature designed to harm [Force-sensitives](/article/force-sensitive], they concealed one half of it within the Kharvashark Ruins on Vrant Tarnum, placing the other half elsewhere.
The Council of Elders, the group's leadership, maintained the locations of both pieces as a closely guarded secret, only sharing this information with their successors. Among those entrusted with the knowledge of the Vrant Tarnum location, along with the other hiding place, were Elders Barbatash and Tromak. However, one fragment of the rod fell into the hands of Marchion Ro, the leader of the Nihil marauders, who then sought the remaining piece, unaware of its presence on Vrant Tarnum.
The Nihil discovered the Elders of the Path had settled on the planet Trymant IV in the Outer Rim, and they rescued Tromak from that world before it was struck by hyperspace debris during the Great Hyperspace Disaster in 232 BBY. Their intention was to force him to reveal the location of the control rod's other half. Although Tromak refused to divulge the sacred knowledge to Ro, he instead confided the secret to Krix Kamerat, a young Disciple of the Elders of the Path who had been rescued alongside him. Kamerat betrayed the Elder by informing Ro that the relic he sought was located in the Kharvashark Ruins of Vrant Tarnum.
Subsequently, Tromak escaped the Nihil's attempt to feed him to bogaranth creatures and convinced Jedi Master Yoda to assist in retrieving the artifact from Vrant Tarnum. He believed in the urgency of the mission after learning from the Jedi that the Nihil already possessed the other half. At Tromak's insistence, Yoda left his comlink behind and did not disclose his destination to his fellow Jedi.
Simultaneously, Ro and Kamerat journeyed to Vrant Tarnum, successfully acquiring the control rod half from the Kharvashark Ruins. Kamerat had provided Ro with the artifact's hiding place, enabling the Nihil to reach Vrant Tarnum first. Upon Yoda and Tromak's arrival, their ship was shot down by security drones stationed in orbit. Meanwhile, Ro entered the Kharvashark Ruins with Kamerat and retrieved the artifact, declaring it the "missing piece" he had been searching for. Remarking that Kamerat reminded him of himself, Ro placed him in charge of the Nihil outpost he subsequently established at the ruins. Still caring for his former friends, Kamerat sent a message to the Elders on Trymant, revealing the Nihil's base in the Stygmarn system and inquiring about Mrala's whereabouts. As the Force-sensitive Mikkian had accompanied the Jedi, the Elders had no information to provide.
Some months later, Mrala, Talisola, and Sy returned to Trymant seeking answers regarding the Nihil's interest in Tromak. Speaking with Barbatash, they learned of Kamerat's message and its origin, deciding to investigate Vrant Tarnum due to its remoteness, which could allow Nihil activity to go unnoticed. Joining forces with Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh and her Padawan Imri Cantaros, the group traveled to the Stygmarn system aboard two starships, the Star Hopper and the Varonchagger. While Sy, Mrala, and Cantaros remained on the larger ship to monitor surface activity, Rwoh and Talisola took the Varonchagger to get a closer look at Vrant Tarnum. With Talisola piloting, she and Rwoh flew the Varonchagger over the many canyons that slashed across the surface, passing through a natural rock loop.
The two young women descended when their sensors detected a surge of activity, and Talisola concealed the Varonchagger behind a rock formation before gliding. Upon closer inspection, they observed enemy starships flying in formation, realizing the Nihil were on the move. Rwoh alerted the Star Hopper, and they witnessed the ships emerging from the Nihil's hidden base. After observing the ships depart on their mounted Path-jumper engines, Talisola and Rwoh received a message forwarded through the Starlight Beacon, revealing the Nihil's intention to attack Valo, the site of the Valo Republic Fair. The Varonchagger and Star Hopper immediately left Vrant Tarnum for Valo.
Following the attack, captured raiders stationed on Vrant Tarnum spoke of the Nihil base with reverence during questioning. Combined with Rwoh and Sy's report, after the Battle of Grizal, Master Stellan Gios tasked Jedi investigator Emerick Caphtor with investigating Vrant Tarnum alongside a squad of Galactic Republic troopers, while also investigating Master Loden Greatstorm's mysterious death on Grizal. Upon arrival, Caphtor and his team fought the Nihil who remained at the Kharvashark Ruins, resulting in casualties and the fleeing of others. Inspecting the ruins, Caphtor and his droid Q-2 discovered the entrance to the cave where the Leveler's control rod had previously been located, and Q-2 found the opening line of an old nursery rhyme, which Caphtor suspected was connected to the events, carved around it.
The significant losses sustained by Kamerat's forces during the Republic and Jedi incursion led to Ro's displeasure. When Kamerat expressed interest in the artifact Ro had taken from the ruins, hoping to use it against the Jedi, the Eye tasked him with regaining favor. Kamerat chose to do this by attacking the planet Takodana.
The initial mention of Vrant Tarnum occurred in the third issue of the 2021 comic series Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, which was launched as part of Phase I of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project. Daniel José Older wrote the issue, which IDW Publishing released on April 7, 2021. Its first full appearance was in the fifth issue of Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, written by Older and illustrated by Harvey Tolibao, Pow Rodrix, and Manuel Bracchi, and published by IDW Publishing on June 16 of the same year.
The third issue collectively refers to Vrant Tarnum and another location when indicating Tromak hid "the names of the planets" an artifact was hidden on. Older's middle-grade novel The High Republic: Race to Crashpoint Tower, released on June 29, 2021, as part of Phase I of Star Wars: The High Republic, refers to Vrant Tarnum singularly as a moon, which this article assumes is correct.