The Order of the Sith Lords

The Sith of the Empire are the ideological descendants of Darth Krayt's One Sith, and as such have done away with the Rule of Two and instituted in its place the Rule of One. All Sith within the Order are trained since birth to follow the Dark Lord of the Sith with blind obedience, even at the cost of their own lives.

Or so the party line goes.

In truth, the nature of the Sith has not changed. They are, at their hearts, self-focused Dark-Siders whose single overriding concern is the accumulation of power and the exertion of their own will.



The Sith live by their code, much as their ancient enemies the Jedi live by their own. Disciples of the Dark are indoctrinated into the Code since birth, and taught that the only way for them to elevate their position is to seize power for themselves. Sith are compelled to obey those over them, by force and by tradition, and disobedience is punished by death. This trains Sith to be cunning as well as brutal; they look with the utmost disdain on those ruled by their emotions, and despise such weakness.



The Sith are a hierarchal organization, at the bottom being the Disciples of the Dark. Those Disciples who have proven themselves worthy of becoming a Sith are promoted to the rank of Acolyte, and undergo their first Rite of Purification. Acolytes are expected to obey their masters without question, and are also expected to compete viciously with other Acolytes of the same master until only one remains.

After training as an Acolyte and eliminating the competition to his master's satisfaction, the Sith undergoes his second Rite of Purification and is promoted to the rank of Sith Apprentice. The Apprentice must still obey his master without question, but is also in his first position of leadership as he will assist his master in the instruction of the next cadre of Acolytes. Many masters delay taking another cadre of Acolytes until their Apprentice is very nearly ready to become a Saber, instead focusing on their missions and plots with their Apprentice in tow.

When ready, an Apprentice undergoes his third Rite of Purification and is promoted to the rank of Sith Saber. He is finally an independent agent at this point, as though he is still expected to obey his superiors the Sith is permitted to pursue his own goals or (much more frequently) is assigned missions by his superiors.

When his superiors deem him worthy to instruct others in the way of the Sith, a Sith Saber undergoes his fourth Rite of Purification and is assigned a cadre of Acolytes, typically four to five, for training. He may train many Acolytes up in his time as a Saber, always striving to achieve enough power himself to finally rise to the rank of Sith Master.

A Sith of particular power and note is recognized as such by Darth Adas himself, undergoing a special, potent form of the Rite of Purification as the Sith is promoted to the rank of Master. After this, the Jedi believe redemption is impossible as the Sith has become thoroughly steeped in the Dark Side and is beyond hope of turning back to the Light.

The rank of Lord and Overlord is not earned as the previous ranks are, but rather taken by defeating the previous holder of the title. Sith Lords are assigned command over planets and systems, while Sith Overlords are assigned command over councils of Lords and encompass entire sectors. A Sith who takes the position of Lord or Overlord from its previous claimant is entitled to undergo another Rite of Purification.

There are but a handful of Lords worthy of the title Darth, and each of these are named by Darth Adas, the Dark Lord of the Sith.



Perhaps the greatest abomination of Adas's Sith, the Rites of Purification are alchemical rituals used to transform and indoctrinate Disciples of the Dark into true Sith. They are physically transformed into creatures resembling Red Sith through agonizing ceremonies, turning their skin red, their eyes yellow, and giving them some physical traits of Red Sith such as cheek tendrils, bone spurs on joints, fangs for teeth, and even some grow horns on their brows. The degree of their transformation varies from Sith to Sith, and indeed some have shown as little as simply changing the color of their eyes. There is a good deal of stigma attached to a Sith who does not fully embrace the Rites of Purification, especially if that Sith came into the Order late in life.

Sith undergo the Rites several times in their lives, typically as a 'reward' from their superiors and with each promotion to a higher rank. In addition to the physical transformations, the Rites strengthen the Sith's connection to the Dark Side of the Force and impose an insidious vulnerability to the Dark Lord's will within their minds. The Rites vary, but all include a day-long ritual culminating in drinking an alchemical brew of viscous black blood from a Force-sensitive called the Blood of Adas.

Those Sith selected for the Massassi caste undergo special Rites designed to also increase their size and strength. They tend to hold themselves apart from other Sith, sneering down at them as weaklings in a society where might makes right. Their Rites are also the most brutal, often killing those who attempt them as the supplicant is subject to continual attack during the ritual and their Blood of Adas includes potent toxins.



Sith training is notoriously harsh, teaching the acolytes to master not only themselves but also their emotions and their environments. They are taught to eschew love, compassion, and empathy, and to use their hatred and their anger to forge themselves into weapons for the Sith.

All Sith are expected to be able to fight, whether it be with saber or with another weapon, and all above the rank of Acolyte must be proficient in the Force. They train brutally, and casualties are not only common but expected - particularly among the Massassi.