Sith




 * "Treachery is the way of the Sith."
 * ―Darth Tyranus

The Sith Order was a sect of Force-sensitives who utilized the dark side of the Force. The term "Sith" originally referred to a species of alien native to the planets Korriban and Ziost, who were later enslaved and ruled by exiled Dark Jedi from the Galactic Republic. These Dark Jedi had once been members of the Jedi Order, a monastic Force religion dedicated to peace through the use of the light side of the Force. The Dark Jedi, who refused to rely exclusively on the light side, challenged the Jedi by giving into the dark and starting the Hundred-Year Darkness. However, they had been defeated and subsequently exiled from known space, which led to their discovery of the Sith species. Following centuries of interbreeding and mixing of cultures between the aliens and the exiles, the Sith would no longer be identified by their race, but by their dedication to the ancient Sith philosophy. This religious order would survive in many different incarnations throughout Galactic History. The rise of a new leader, or Dark Lord, would often cause drastic reorganizations in the cult, however the Sith would always be characterized by their lust for power and their d esire to destroy the Jedi Order.

The Sith were the most infamous of all dark side religions, and the members of the cult were often seen as the pinnacle of power within the dark side. Throughout their long history, the Sith commanded several

Empires and initiated many galactic wars. With such great influence, the Sith religion inspired many cults that weren't technically part of the Sith Order, nor did they consist of actual Sith. Instead, they were founded and made up of Sith devotees and other Force-sensitives dedicated to prolonging the teachings and the mem

ory of the Sith. Such cults includ

ed the Naddists, the Disciples of Ragnos, and the Krath.

Philosophy

 * "To be a Sith is to taste freedom and to know victory."
 * ―Yuthura Ban.

Forged by Fire

 * "If you seek to aid everyone that suffers in the galaxy, you will only weaken yourself … and weaken them. It is the internal struggles, when fought and won on their own, that yield the strongest rewards… If you care for others, then dispense with pity and sacrifice and recognize the value in letting them fight their own battles."
 * ―Darth Traya

The Sith believed that conflict was the only true test of one's ability, and so emphasized its importance. It was their belief that conflict challenged both individuals and civilizations, and so forced them to grow and evolve. They believed that the avoidance of conflict–like the pacifist teachings of the Jedi–resulted in stagnation and decline.

Another purpose served by conflict was the elevation of the strong and the death of the weak. By encouraging strife, the strong were able to exercise their power while the weak were weeded from the ranks of the Sith. A core tenet to Sith philosophy was self-reliance and the idea that an individual only deserved what they were strong enough to take. Likewise, morality was treated as an obstacle to be overcome, as it got in the way of a Sith's ability to recognize and seize opportunities for advancement and self-empowerment.

Such philosophies were embraced and taught at Sith academies, where students were encouraged to challenge one another and fight for prestige that would be recognized by the headmaster of the academy. At the academy on Korriban during the Jedi Civil War, students were tasked with gaining prestige so they might become one of the "chosen few" accepted into the ranks of Darth Malak's Sith Empire. The strife to achieve prestige caused rivalries and animosity between the students, as there were few tasks that offered prestige, and many prospective Sith. Similarly, the students of the academy during the New Sith Wars were pitted against each other in dueling sessions atop the academy. It was during these dueling sessions that intense rivalries were formed - rivalries that resulted in the deaths of students Fohargh and Sirak at the hands of Darth Bane.

Empowered by Passion

 * "What fuels your power with the Force but your passion? The stronger, darker emotions. Anger, hatred, fear… these passions empower us."
 * ―Yuthura Ban

The cornerstone of a Sith's power was emotion. While the Jedi taught that fear, anger, and pain were negative emotions to be overcome, the Sith believed that these strong emotions were natural, and aided individuals in their survival. By harnessing their emotions rather than suppressing them, the Sith believed they could achieve true power. This belief was in stark contrast to that of the Jedi's, who strived to place themselves beyond such base emotions. Indeed, the Sith saw passion as the only real way to fully understand the Force. However, the Sith believed strongly that the worthy could control their emotions and use them, while the weak were ruled by them. In accordance, Dark Lady Lumiya refused to accept Jacen Solo as a Sith Lord until he was able to control his anger instead of becoming a slave to it, and Freedon Nadd renounced his faith in Exar Kun shortly before his destruction, when he discovered the limitless ambition Kun served.

However, not all emotions were embraced by the Sith. They, like the Jedi, considered 'love' a dangerous emotion, but for different reasons. The Jedi discouraged love because it led to attachment, but the Sith taught that love led to mercy, which was anathema to them. While Darth Sidious preyed on Anakin Skywalker's love for his wife in order to corrupt him, he had no intention of allowing the relationship to survive Skywalker's fall to the dark side. Darth Bane had fallen in love with fellow Sith pupil Githany, however he did not allow himself to retain any connections to her, and did not regret her death on Ruusan.

The Sith'ari
In the original Sith language, the term "Sith'ari" translated literally into "lord" or "overlord". Over time however, the term became closely associated with the idea of a perfect being, who would rise to power and take control of the Sith Order.

The prophesied coming of the Sith'ari was based around the notion that a perfect being, would epitomize the teachings of the Sith Code and became free of all restrictions. This being would lead the Sith, but also destroy them- a destruction that would make the Sith Order stronger than before. The identity of the Sith'ari has been confirmed as Darth Bane, who destroyed the Brotherhood of Darkness in order to remake the Sith through the Rule of Two. The prophesy of the Sith'ari is very similar to the Jedi's prophesy of the Chosen One- an extremely powerful Force-sensitive who would lead their Order to perfection.

The Code of the Sith

 * Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
 * Through passion, I gain strength.
 * Through strength, I gain power.
 * Through power, I gain victory.
 * Through victory, my chains are broken.
 * The Force shall free me.
 * —The Sith Code

The code of the Sith was the mantra which stated the core beliefs of the Sith Order and is believed to have been created in contrast to the Jedi Code. The structure of the codes is almost identical, and the initial line of the Sith Code directly contradicts the initial line of the Jedi Code, which reads: "There is no emotion, there is peace."

Following the embrace of passion, which was believed to be a powerful aspect of nature, the code explains that the strength granted by passion leads to power, which then leads to victory. By way of victory, the Sith believed they could free themselves from the limitations of regular beings, and achieve their potential. Neophyte Sith believed that the breaking of chains represented the ability to do whatever one wished, however more seasoned members of the Order recognized that the true meaning of freedom was the end of all physical restrictions and the ability to attain perfection. The Sith believed that the only being who could truly live up to the code and attain freedom was the Sith'ari, and as such saw it as a guideline by which to live, not a law to abide by.

The Sith Empire
"What is there to the Sith if there is nothing to rule?"

- Emperor Augustus I

Sith reformation
The Sith Empire was eventully brought back to life from the ashes after the ressurection of several members of the 'Collection'. It started with the ressurection of the Dark Lord Augustus. His ressurection was triggered by the late Grand Master Aurelias Kadarin, after he was attempting to siffen a blood sample from him. The Dark Lord then proceeded to ressurect members of the 'Collection' and slowly built it to its former glory.

The Empire's ressurection
The Sith Empire was in the process of being re-constructed by the Dark Lord. This process would take a number of years to finally complete and would use up all the resources that the Cultists had to spew out in order to reconstruct several Sith Academys. The Sith Empire wouldn't reach its goal untill 516 ABY when the Empire is fully ressurected enough to take on the United Republic.