Post by Dutch on Aug 10, 2015 20:18:10 GMT -5
"We take what we desire because we can. We can because we have power. We have power because we are Sith."
This is the guide for how the Sith Order fits into our setting here on SWU. Within you’ll find information on how the Sith are organized, how they approach the current war, and how they fit in general into the SWU setting. This guide is entirely in regards to the Sith Order and the site.
For further information on the Sith pre-SWU era or on the lifestyle and religion in general, see the wiki link below:
starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sith
The Temple on Korriban
Sith in the Galaxy
Even with the current Sith Order being in its infancy, the efforts of the Inner Sanctum backed by the Sith Aristocracy have spread their reach far. From their headquarters on Korriban, the Sith Order has control over a large portion of the outer rims. With other temples on the planets of Ossus, Rhen Var, Ziost, and Dromund Kaas, with more in the works the Order has been able to recruit many Force adepts the Jedi could not. Without as strict regulations on recruitment, adepts of all ages are constantly being recruited into the Sith. Sometimes against their will.
All Sith enter the Order as mere initiates, schooled in bulk by severe instructors who only see those who prove themselves worthy. Those noted in power are sometimes moved directly to the ranks of Sith Knights, Lords and Ladies with approval from the Inner Sanctum. Initiates with latent talents though, are often chosen by Sith to study under them as Acolytes. Though parallel to Jedi Padawans in their standing within the Sith Order, Acolytes do not suffer the same restrictions as their light-sided brethren. If an Acolyte is dumb or weak enough to wander off and get themselves killed, most Sith would not cry over it. Like the Jedi Order, the Sith have a tendency to take two Acolytes to guide.
What was once a small collective of like minded dark Jedi, has now become the second largest authority on the Force in the galaxy. With knowledge both recovered and stolen from the Jedi, the Sith are a formidable force. A Sith Order of this size and power hasn’t been seen in the galaxy for many generations.
The Order and the War
Undeniably, the war against the Galactic Republic is driven by the Sith Order. Funded by Imperial nobility, the Aristocracy tends to let the Order lead the war front. The Darths control the wider spectrum of the war, leading entire armies and fleets while Lords, Ladies and their Acolytes execute the Inner Sanctum’s will. The Sith have no true standing in the Imperial Armies or Fleets, but none are fool enough to deny a Sith. They are in charge, and the Empire knows this. All of the galaxy knows this.
A Sith on the battlefield is an intimidating boon to the Empire, as they feed off the death and destruction that surrounds. Willing to kill, pillage and burn cities to the ground the Order instills both fear and admiration within the ranks of Imperial soldiers. Though not as numerous as the Jedi, the Sith are still a dangerous presence on the battlefield and are known to slay masses before dying themselves. The closer a Sith is to death, the more dangerous they can be.
Not just a presence on the front lines, the Sith have eyes and ears across the galaxy through clandestine operations. Espionage, assassinations and misdirection all favorite methods for the Order, Sith operatives have been noted as deep as the Core worlds of the Republic.
The Inner Sanctum
The Sith Order equivalent to the Jedi High Council, the Sanctum is the ruling body composed of Darths. Powerful and the highest ranked members of the Sith, a Darth is arguably one of the most dangerous beings in the galaxy. Unlike the High Council, age is not a factor in the ruling body of the Sith. Loyalty, strength, knowledge and power are the factors considered by the Inner Sanctum for a new Darth. With the Sith Order still young, the Darths number few but proud and are searching for others to aid their cause. Only those Sith who have proven themselves as valuable and driven are ever considered for this highest of honors.
With access to the most forbidden Force techniques in the known galaxy, only Darths are allowed to study the holocrons stored in the Sanctum’s vault. Knowledge deemed too potent and dangerous for just anyone, it takes a fierce willpower to dominate many of these holocrons. Joining the Sanctum is a goal nearly every Sith strive for, but few ever succeed. Sith that have earned a Darth’s patronage tend to move up the ranks of the Order quickest, but it is still no guarantee for gaining influence.
The Dark Side
The Force alignment all Sith are fueled by, the dark side can be an intense source of power. The quickest way for a Force adept to find their limits and talents, the cost can be heavy depending on how much the Sith relies on the dark side. Negative effects can be as minor as ashen skin and tainted eyes, or as major as decrepit flesh and searing madness. Be it physical, mental or in the Force, all Sith bear their mark of darkness differently. It is not uncommon for Sith to be skilled in hiding this through the Force.
The dark side is the gateway to many abilities, some considered unnatural. Casting fury out as lightning, choking others with sheer hatred and absorbing life in gluttonous need a mere taste of what it has to offer. Always steered toward destroying or dominating life, the more an adept uses the dark side the more it changes them. Jedi the galaxy over no longer recognize their former friends, now twisted and murderous reflections of the comrades they were raised with. This taint makes it near impossible for a dark sider to tap into the restorative energies of the light side of the Force, and most can only heal through consuming the life of another.
Some Sith have known nothing else but the dark side; raised by violent cults, enslaved by the various powerful gangsters in the galaxy and other horrible situations. Despite having a history with the dark side, these Sith are treated no different than any other initiate. A former Jedi and a dark Jedi assassin have just as much a chance to make it to Sith Lord.
Dark Jedi
All Sith are dark Jedi. Not all dark Jedi are Sith. A dark Jedi is any darksider that is not aligned with the Sith Order, which is considered the authority on dark side teachings. In the galaxy as of now, there are as many dark jedi not aligned with the Sith Order as there are grey Jedi not aligned with the Jedi Order. Like grey Jedi, dark Jedi come from all walks of life. Fugitive fallen Jedi, Cartel employed bounty hunters, secret corporate experiments and many others. A dark Jedi could be as powerful as some Sith, but few would ever be able to stand toe-to-toe with a Sith Lord or Darth. Knowledge is power, and no-one in the galaxy has more access to dark techniques than the Sith Order.
A dark Jedi, including the Sith, is any Force adept that draws on the dark side for power. From this alone, none are ever allowed in the Jedi Order. So long as an adept uses death and destruction, they will be treated as any other dangerous enemy. However they are more than welcome to join the Sith. The Sith Order lets in most anyone who approaches them, though most are ran through the usual gamut within the initiates.
Unlike the Jedi, where one can leave as they desire, the Sith Order isn’t so forgiving. Once a dark Jedi joins it, they either commit to the Sith or they die. For years the Order had thrived on keeping their secrets exactly that, and don’t take kindly to those who betray them. For this reason many dark Jedi avoid the Sith Order entirely, determined to forge their own destiny.
Sith Order Timeline*
3830 BBY: Tensions between Darth Morafat, Overlord of the last Sith Order and his usurper apprentice Darth Everos break into civil war. The war lasted for years, and didn’t end when both Darths killed one another in combat. Only one prepared for the worst.
3820 BBY: After a decade of civil war, the Jedi Order takes advantage of a weakened Sith Order. Sanctioned and supported by the Republic the Jedi quell the surviving Sith.
3819 BBY: Korriban is considered abandoned, and closed to the galaxy by the Jedi Order.
3819- 3800 BBY: The Jedi Shadows hunt down the few remaining survivors of the Sith Order. All executed for war crimes against the Galactic Republic.
3800 BBY: The announcement of the Sith Extinction kicks off the era known as the Great Expansion. No signs of the Sith emerge for centuries.
3643 BBY: Separatist minded systems secede from the Galactic Republic. Choose to be called the Sith Empire, to show their desire to be entirely different from the Republic. Funded and then controlled by the self-titled Sith Aristocracy.
3640-3608 BBY: The Sith Empire grows, with it a large number of independent dark Jedi living and operating within Imperial borders.
3608 BBY: On the abandoned world of Subterrel, an unwitting prospector finds an abandoned Sith temple from the last Order. The last remnant of the Sith Order then discovered within; Darth Everos’ holocron.
3608 BBY: Fueled by Sith Magics and Alchemies, the holocron possesses said prospector. They are sent to Korriban to find any remaining Sith.
3607 BBY: The possessed finds no Sith, but does take a Jedi Knight captive. Jedi brought to Darth Everos’ spirit.
3607 BBY: Everos’ makes offer; Join him in reviving the Sith Order, or be eaten by tuk’atas. Unstable mentally and with little choice, the Jedi takes the holocrons offer.
3607 BBY: Freshly fallen, the Jedi works as Darth Everos’ executor and personal assassin. Over the next year recruits several dark Jedi to the Sith, and begins to work alongside the Sith Aristocracy in complete secret.
3606 BBY: A small collective of Sith, lead by Darth Everos’s spirit work towards a full alliance with the Empire. Furthering the goals of many affluent Aristocrats, the nobility returns favor.
3606 BBY: An Imperial Fleet blockades Korriban, and construction funded by the Aristocracy secretly begins. The Sith spread their search for other Force adepts to join them.
3605 BBY: With the rebuilding of the Sith Temple and the Valley of the Dark Lords, the Sith Order begins to recruit and train from their new headquarters.
3605 BBY: A coup planned by a Sith usurper steals Darth Everos’ holocron and hides it for only themselves and takes the title of Sith Overlord. The Sith power balances shift, but the Order continues to grow.
3605 BBY: The Sith Inner Sanctum is forged as the Order’s governing body. Lead by the Overlord but controlled by the Sanctum, the Sith work toward not repeating the mistakes of the past that lead to the Sith Extinction.
3604 BBY: Rumors of the Sith Order begin to spread, with many Jedi sent to investigate captured and added to the ranks of the Sith.
3604 BBY: The Empire, Lead in secret by the Sith Order attack and take several Republic systems. Emboldened by their thorough success, a Sith renaissance begins. The Sith Order grows in size.
3604 BBY: The Overlord rediscovers Dromund Kaas, a world once important to the last Sith Order. Leaders of the Aristocracy take note, and after talks with the Order construction to rebuild the planet begin in secret. From the entire Empire itself.
3603 BBY: To announce themselves, the Sith Order sack the Jedi Temple of Rhen Var with the system falling to the Empire weeks later. With new access to Jedi archives and information, the Order strengthens its grip on the galaxy.
3603 BBY: Peace and cooperation talks between the Empire and Mandalorians are mediated and guarded by the Sith Order. It takes a year of diplomacy for an alliance to be decided on. The Overlord finishes a private refuge on Dromund Kaas, and stores his darkest treasures there.
3602 BBY: With the Mandalorians working as commandos alongside the Sith Empire, the Republic does what it can to defend from the onslaught. Together they dominate the theatre of war.
3602 BBY: The Sith eagerly fight back against the Jedi who support the Republic war effort. Some Jedi Blades fall and join the very Order they went to fight. Galactic fighting increases.
3602 BBY: With the renaissance in full swing, the Empire expands and begins to construct new Imperial settlements and Sith temples. The Overlord retreats to their refuge on Dromund Kaas more often, and leaves the Inner Sanctum to handle the Order’s workings.
3601 BBY: The Empire and the Sith Order continue to flourish under the combined rule of the Aristocracy and the Inner Sanctum. The Overlord retreats further, becoming more a foreboding omnipresent shadow than a ruling figurehead.
3600 BBY: The Sith Order sees true defeat for the first time. The rakghoul outbreak of the Ojoster sector weakens Imperial holdings there. Blamed for the outbreak, the Aristocracy begins to fear the Sith Order more than before.
3599 BBY: To restore faith in the Order, the Inner Sanctum gifts the newly completed Kaas City to the Aristocracy. With Dromund Kaas now declared as the capital of the Sith Empire, the majority of the Aristocracy moves to it and the other Imperial hub worlds across the outer rims.
*Timeline subject to update via new information from veterans