Sith Empire/Legends

"Across the reaches of the galaxy, through seas of dark stars, rivers of whispering black shadow from the Republic's ancient past. Evil history we had thought forgotten."

- Jedi Master Ooroo

The Sith Empire, later the Old Sith Empire or True Sith Empire, was a rich and powerful empire established by Dark Jedi banished from the Galactic Republic after their defeat at the Battle of Corbos during the Hundred-Year Darkness. The Jedi exiles fled to the remote world of Korriban. After conquering it, they interbred with the native Sith species through the art of Sith Alchemy and began a long period of building and expansion. The Sith Empire developed in complete isolation for two thousand years before it eventually rediscovered the Republic.

Under the leadership of the Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow, the Empire invaded Republic space during the Great Hyperspace War, but it was defeated. The Sith Empire was believed to have been destroyed by Republic forces during the Second Battle of Korriban, but in fact survived due to a single Sith Lord who escaped to the Unknown Regions. There, this new Sith Emperor, whose rule lasted for well over a thousand years, rebuilt the Sith Empire and struck back against the Republic in the Great Galactic War in 3,681 BBY.

Origin
"Once we were mighty Jedi of the Republic, brothers in the Force but the Great Schism between the Dark side and the Light turned Jedi against Jedi. Our ancestors were defeated, driven off, cast out! But we turned our exile into victory, here on the far side of the galaxy. In these unblemished worlds we found the Sith people treated us as Gods! After many centuries some of us have interbred with the Sith while others still bear true Jedi blood. Our Sith Empire is great, rich, and powerful. This is our Golden Age."

- Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos

The beginning of the Sith civilization began in the year 100,000 BBY where a race of red skinned beings evolved on the planet Korriban. They lived a barbaric yet strangely harmonious existence which was filled with constant warring between the various divided nations on their world. It was only the rise of King Adas did the Sith become unified under his iron rule and he was declared the Sith'ari; the ultimate being. It was he who first formed a Sith Empire in the year 28,000 BBY where his reign lasted for three centuries. This relative stability of this empire was first challenged in 27,700 BBY when the Sith were visited by the Rakata. These aliens of a distant empire attempted to lull the ancient Sith King into their confidence by providing him the knowledge to create Holocron's. However, their true motivation of conquest quickly became apparent. This led to King Adas bringing the full might of the Sith Empire to bear on the Rakata and he succeeded in driving them away from Korriban but at the cost of his life.

Using the remains of the enemy craft, the once primitive Sith were propelled into the space age and were armed with the power of the Dark side of the Force. Using these newly acquired traits from the Infinite Empire, the newly formed Sith Empire conquered other nearby worlds which became part of Sith Space with their capital being relocated from ancient Korriban to the neighboring world of Ziost. The reign of this empire was short lived, however, as it dissolved into civil war after the death of King Adas leaving his people regressing into a more primitive state. After Adas's death, a group of Sith priests of the Kissai caste interpreted it as a sign to reject the Dark Side dominated beliefs of their people. Labeled as heretics for their actions, these Sith were later banished and settled the planet Tund where they formed the Sorcerers of Tund.

Around the year 6,900 BBY, exiled fallen Jedi&mdash;fleeing from the Battle of Corbos, which concluded the Hundred-Year Darkness&mdash;landed on Korriban, a desolate world inhabited by the relatively primitive but unusually Force-sensitive Sith people. Using their training in the Force, the fallen Jedi amazed the Sith, and elevated themselves to god-like status on Korriban, becoming the rulers of the Sith people. Over the next two thousand years, interbreeding occurred between the Fallen Jedi and the Sith by means of Sith alchemy which led to the term "Sith" being used to identify not only the original inhabitants of Korriban, but also their fallen Jedi masters. Thus was the Sith Empire born, with nearby Ziost becoming the capital, while Korriban became a sacred mausoleum-world. One of the first Sith Lords of this new empire was Ajunta Pall.

Once the Exiles became Sith Lords, a group of overly ambitious of their number decided to retrace their steps back to the Republic by using a navicomputer from one of the ships that brought them to Sith Space. Despite the objections of Ajunta Pall, these Sith decided to embark on their quest back the Sith Empire and wage war against the Jedi. While the greater Sith were unaware of their fate, this expedition did succeed in their goal and fought against the Jedi Order. However, they were defeated and alerted the Jedi that the Exiles had claimed a world of their own. Despite this discovery, the Jedi were unable to determine where Sith Space was and thus were incapable of locating the growing Sith Empire.

The Golden Age of the Sith
"&hellip;Our Sith Empire is great, and rich, and powerful&hellip;this is our Golden Age."

- Marka Ragnos

In time, the Sith formed an immensely rich and powerful empire that was built upon the use of sorcery and the dark side which fueled their technology. At its height, the Old Sith Empire ruled over at least 120 worlds. The planet Arkania was also under their dominion and in 7,000 BBY, they established a library known as Veeshas Tuwan on it. Long before the race reached their Golden Age, the Sith Empire participated in a skirmish known as the Battle of Kalsunor where Silooths were first used in order to subjugate the planet Kalsunor which had long resisted the conquests of the Sith. After the world was defeated, the army of Silooth creatures were left behind on that world where they remained for years. Over the centuries that followed, the Dark Jedi Exiles were forgotten by the Galactic Republic even as all records of the Republic were lost to the Sith. This meant that the two civilizations thrived but in isolation leading to them being ignorant of the existence of one another. The Old Sith Empire was noted as being immensely rich and powerful; being built upon sorcery and possessing dark side fueled technology that was possibly adapted from the scattered ruins of the fallen Infinite Empire. To the galaxy outside their space, the Sith Empire was considered a fable used to by parents to tell their children before they went to sleep.

Though the Stygian Caldera that surrounded their territory confined them to Sith Space, it also meant that few travelers stumbled on their empire. However, on occasion, ships managed to brave through the Caldera and were captured by the Sith whereupon they became slaves to various ranking nobles in the empire. After generations, these slaves had slowly forgotten their origins and largely identified themselves as being Sith. It was through the entry of inhabitants from the Tapani sector that led to the influx of highly technical slaves that developed the Sith Empires technological as well as medical base. Also, during this age, Sith Holocrons spoke of the legendary Muur Talisman which many desired to find and possess. Whilst the Sith Empire had grown into a powerful force, they had now begun to a face a crisis as they had faced potential self annihilation. Having starved for centuries, the Sith sought to expand and conquer new lands to bring into their territories as well as enemies to subjugate.

This period in history saw the Golden Age of the Sith Empire and saw relative stability as well as power within it. At the time, the Dark Lord of the Sith was a particularly powerful and long lived individual called Marka Ragnos. Through his mastery of the Dark side as well as his fierce intelligence, he had risen through the ranks in order to attain the position of Dark Lord of the Sith.. One of the many contenders to the position was Simus who dueled against Ragnos and was beheaded as a result. Despite this being the case, Sith magic was used by Simus to keep himself alive within a container and he continued to serve the Sith Empire as an adviser. During the rule of the new Dark Lord, Ragnos often placed his rivals against one another or manipulated them so they challenged him openly and in some cases had them assassinated. Whilst many factions sought to expand beyond the confines of Sith Space, Ragnos did not allow this to be case as he well remembered that his ancestors were defeated by the Jedi Order. His memories of that time also meant that he knew how powerful the Jedi were and he was not confident that the Sith Empire was strong enough to challenge them at this point. After ruling for a century, his death caused a power vacuum within the leadership of the Empire which saw the conservative Ludo Kressh and the liberal Naga Sadow amass power in order to propel themselves onto the Sith throne.

At some point during the Golden Age, the Sith Lord Ieldis created a slaver organization known as the Crucible which was tasked with capturing refugees displaced from war in order for them to be used as a slave army that would fight for the Sith Empire.

Fall of the Empire
"I cannot fail like this! Conquest is the destiny of the Sith Empire!"

- Naga Sadow during the defeat of the Sith Empire at the Great Hyperspace War.

In circa 5,000 BBY, the isolation of the Sith was broken when two young hyperspace explorers called Gav and Jori Daragon stumbled upon Korriban by accident while they attempted to establish a hyperlane. After being captured and interrogated, the conclave of Sith Lords discovered the existence of the Galactic Republic which led to Ludo Kressh declaring the explorers spies as well as sentencing them to death. However, Naga Sadow disagreed and used this new discovery as part of a dream to extend the Empires rule over vast new territories through conquest. Masterminding the capture of the two Daragons, Sadow declared that they had escaped and planted evidence that showed the Republic had rescued them. When Kressh discovered this subterfuge, he brought a fleet to Sadow's stronghold where Sadow convinced Jori Daragon that she should flee to warn the Galactic Republic. Using a beacon placed on her ship, he discovered the path to Republic space and unleashed his hidden fleets which devastated Kressh forces whereupon they charted a course to new territories.

At some point during the conflict, the Sith Lord Naga Sadow dispatched some of his forces to locate Lignan crystals which were to be used in the creation of advanced lightsabers for use against the Republic and the Jedi. One of the ships dispatched was the Omen, however, it later crashed on the primitive world of Kesh where the crew at first attempted to return to space but later adapted to life on the planet amongst the native Keshiri. During the war, several Jedi were corrupted and joined the forces of the Sith Empire, one of which included the Kaleesh Saes Rrogon who commanded the Harbinger. In the closing stages of the conflict, the newly trained Sith Lord Valik Kodank diverted resources for the construction of her own Sith Temple located in the Tascollan Nebula. She would later leave the Sith Empire with a sect consisting of her followers in order to continue their existence elsewhere. As the conflict continued, it was known that the Jedi used the planet Ossus as a staging ground for raids into Sith territory.

Thus began the Great Hyperspace War which saw an assault against the capital of Coruscant itself. While his initial attack was so ferocious that it overwhelmed the Republic Naval forces defending that world, it was only the accidental interruption of Sadow's battle meditation as well as reinforcements led by Empress Teta that broke the Sith offensive. Sadow fled with what few forces he had left but not before unleashing a Sith superweapon that caused a supernova at Primus Goluud. His act of betrayal against Gav Daragon also turned the young explorer against his master and he revealed to Empress Teta the hyperspace coordinates of the Sith Empire's territories. When Naga Sadow returned to Sith Space, he learnt that Ludo Kressh had survived and confronted him over Korriban leading to a conflict between the two fleets. Kressh himself was killed when one of Sadow's battleships rammed into it at which point the fleets of the Republic arrived which attacked the weakened Sith forces. Sensing defeat and possible surrender being the only options available to them, acting Dark Lord of the Sith Shar Dakhan commanded his warriors to make suicidal attacks againts the invading enemy fleets. This act led to heavy losses being sustained by the Republic and forced them into making a temporary retreat as a result. The Sith Empire was broken as a result with the remaining forces being used by Sadow to allow him to escape. He later fled to Yavin 4 in his single Derriphan-class battleship which was buried on the moon whilst the Dark Lords Massassi created Temples for their master. One of the Sith Lords to die during the conflict was Lord Garu who was the holder of King Adas's holocron and perished on the world of Ashas Ree thus leaving the the ancient relic behind where it remained undiscovered for centuries. The Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic worked to destroy any remaining strongholds of the Sith which saw the end of their once glorious empire which was now defeated. After their defeat, a group of Sith retreated to the planet Thule that was home to a stealth regiment where they worked alongside special forces in order to build up once more and set themselves up as an advance force for an eventual return of the empire. However, no one came and the forces on Thule remained in the shadows for generations where they waited for their moment at getting their revenge.

Following the supposed destruction of the Sith Empire, the worked to destroy whatever remained of the Sith's legacy which included talismans, temples and holocrons. This was an attempt by the Jedi to prevent the dark knowledge of the Sith from being used by other Dark Siders or by students who could be influenced by those teachings. Among the many locations destroyed, the ancient Sith library on Arkania known as Veeshas Tuwan was destroyed by a group of Jedi Masters. Jedi Shadows worked to destroy any Dark Side artifacts created by the Sith such as amulets and talismans. Whilst the ranks of the Jedi Shadow's destroyed most of these tainted artifacts, items such as holocrons were, however, kept in the custody of the Jedi Order though many others were left in the burial vaults of the Sith Lords. Any surviving manuscripts and books were later taken to the Galactic Museum at Republic City where they were stored in the Sith Hall for visitors to see. Many of these artifacts were later taken by the secret Jedi cabal known as the Jedi Covenant. Despite their efforts, many great Sith weapons would be forgotten and lost for ages such as the dread Dark Reaper. Though the Empire was destroyed, one of its legacies remained such as the Crucible which continued to operate in the shadows for centuries where it abducted countless people and turned them into ruthless warriors. One of the few known artifacts that were kept by the Jedi Order included the Holocron of Naga Sadow which was kept in order to provide insight into the origins of the ancient Sith. Ultimately, the campaigns of the Jedi to bury the teachings of the Sith was partly successful with much of the Sith Empire's history being masked in shadows over the centuries that followed.

Recession and Regrowth
"You thought that the corrupted remnants of the Republic, the machines spawned by technology that Revan led into battle were the Sith? You are wrong. The Sith is a belief. And its empire, the true Sith Empire, rules elsewhere. And Revan knew the true war is not against the Republic. It waits for us, beyond the Outer Rim. And he has gone to fight it, in his own way."

- Kreia, to the Jedi Exile

Unknown to the galaxy at large, a surviving Sith Lord had fled from the carnage of the Great Hyperspace War to the Unknown Regions. In a desperate bid to survive, these Sith plotted a blind jump into hyperspace where they managed to find shelter from the Republic and the Jedi Order. There the Sith Emperor began to rebuild the Sith Empire in secrecy, using dark rituals to prolong his life and his undisputed rule. After a period of twenty years, those forces under his command rediscovered the lost Sith world of Dromund Kaas which became the capital of the Empire which continued to rebuild in secret. At some point, these True Sith also settled on the world of Malachor V where they created an Academy where their influence corrupted the native storm beasts turning them into more aggressive predators. Eventually, the True Sith abandoned the colony though left behind their Academy.

The rebuilt Sith Empire remained hidden for a millennium, but the relics of the old Empire continued to shape the events of the galaxy. It was from that point onwards that the term Sith changed from being a name for the species to being a title given to those that practiced the Sith teachings. A mere two centuries after the fall of the Sith Empire, the fallen Jedi Freedon Nadd discovered two artifacts that the Jedi Shadows had failed to destroy. The first was Adas's holocron and the second being the spirit of Naga Sadow himself which Nadd uses to absorb himself in the teachings of the Sith. After communing with the long dead Sith Lord, Freedon Nadd destroys Sadow's spirit and later used his newly acquired power to bring about the Freedon Nadd Uprising whereupon he was defeated though like Sadow; Nadd's spirit remained on Onderon. Many centuries later, a young Jedi known as Exar Kun became curious about the teachings of the Sith and was thus lured to the Dark Side by the ghost of Freedon Nadd. His actions led to the Great Sith War, which tore the galaxy apart and instigated the fall of Ulic Qel-Droma. This led to a shortly reborn Sith Empire under his reign which caused great destruction over the years. During this time, he raised Naga Sadow's Derriphian-class battleship to serve in his forces and was later destroyed in the war but the knowledge to build more such craft remained within several Sith disciples. One of the many Sith inspired cults that formed were the Krath who had learnt much of their power from Sith artifacts that survived the Great Hyperspace War. This group later allied with Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma in the Great Sith Wa. It was the Krath who were responsible for uncovering the dreaded Sith weapon known as the Dark Reaper and used it during the conflict. The rule of this empire continued until Exar Kun's his defeat on the world of Yavin IV.

Several decades later, the Mandalorian Wars began, but this time it was not the memories of the Sith but the Sith themselves manipulating galactic events. Revan, after leading a faction of Jedi in the fight against the Mandalorians, discovered that the Sith Empire survived and was the driving force behind the Mandalorians' decision to attack the Republic. Recognizing the enormity of the threat posed by the Sith, Revan sought to unify and strengthen the galaxy in preparation for the coming war. To this end, Revan allowed himself to be consumed by the dark side and corrupted his followers in the crucible of Trayus Academy on Malachor V. After defeating the Mandalorians, Revan assaulted the galaxy under the title of "Sith," intending to supplant the Republic with a regime of his own which would be strong enough to defeat the true Sith. A number of Sith from the previous war pledged their allegiance to the new Dark Lord of the Sith and provided him details on how to create Derriphian-class battleships. After his apprentice Darth Malak turned on him, an amnesiac Revan was led by the Jedi Council to save the Republic from the threat of Malak, whose indiscriminate and violent conquest was weakening the galaxy. As Revan's memories returned, he remembered the true Sith and his reason for going to war against the Republic. Revan then disappeared into the Unknown Regions to fight the Sith Empire.

Revan's former master Kreia learned of this, and in 3,951 BBY revealed the existence of the Sith Empire to the Jedi Exile. As she recounted, the true Sith had existed for millennia prior to the rise of the Revan's Sith Empire. She stated that both Malachor V and Korriban had once been planets at the edges of the mysterious Empire, and that while the true Sith had forgotten those ancient worlds of the dark side, they would remember. Following in the footsteps of Revan, the Jedi Exile left to investigate the Sith Empire.

Re-emergence


For over a millennium, the Sith Emperor continued to lead his people and saw the rebuilt Sith Empire grow in power. It began using new technology which saw the creation of a mighty military with one purpose in mind; domination of the galaxy and to avenge the defeat of the Great Hyperspace War. These plans sought to re-establish the Sith Empire as a major galactic power; a status it had once had before, achieved during the Golden Age of the Sith. As the appointed time approached, the Sith began infiltrating the star systems of the Outer Rim where they sowed the seeds of discord and began making secret deals with the local criminals and warlords. Once these pieces were in place, the Sith were ready to begin a massive offensive which would catch the Jedi completely off guard. This first started with the Sith Offensive in the Minos Cluster as well as skirmishes in the Tingel Arm. Caught off guard, the Republic forces were devastated by the Sith who culminated their early victory by retaking the ancient Sith homeworld of Korriban.

It had been over three hundred years since the Jedi Civil War when the Sith Emperor began his ancient plans by igniting the Great Galactic War. With his forces marshaled, the Sith finally made their move and the true Sith invaded Republic space; catching them off guard. This attack allowed the Empire to seize control of many worlds in the Outer Rim Territories as well as saw the destruction of the shipyards at Sluis Van. Also during this time, the Sith had been active in the criminal underworld of the galaxy. The Hutt Cartels were not happy with the Sith for not including them in their conspiracy and Sith Imperial Intelligence worked behind the scenes to ensure that they along with other criminal groups such as the Mandalorians did not join the Republic. Initially, Sith diplomats sought to entice the Mandalorians and bounty hunters to join them but failed in their duty. This led to Sith Imperial Intelligence working behind the scenes to cultivate a puppet leader to unite the Mandalorian clans which they found in the gladitorial rings on Geonosis. Rigging the fights, the Sith managed to get their champion to win who ultimately became the new Mandalore and united the clans against the Galactic Republic. Though none were aware of it at the time, the Mandalore secretly answered to his Sith masters.

The widespread war saw numerous worlds such as Ilum and Dathomir being turned into battlegrounds while Manaan surface cities were destroyed despite their attempts to remaining neutral in the conflict. The Republic saw further defeats at Agamar and Utapau though persistent struggle at Bothawui slowed down the Sith invasion forces. The conflict between the Sith and the Republic raged on for decades which saw the Sith Emperor becoming increasingly impatient at the progress of the war. This saw the Dark Council giving the Republic a surprising offer; a chance to negotiate a peace. Though skeptical, the Republic could not afford to ignore this opportunity and thus the Jedi Council agreed to it as the war was seen as unwinnable. Unknown to them, the Sith planned a desperate gamble after the defeat of the Mandalorian blockade in the Outer Rim and sought a quick means of bringing their enemies to their knees.

Diplomats from both galactic governments met on the world of Alderaan but while these negotiations were occurring, the Sith Empire had one last act to play. Using this distraction, the Sith launched a sneak attack against Coruscant itself and landed an elite army to storm the galactic capital and held the planet hostage. Led by Lord Angral, the Empire ransacked the planet after which they bombarded the world. This act of betrayal saw the destruction of the Jedi Temple and the deaths of six of the twelve members of the Jedi High Council. With their plan a success, the Empire forced their terms to the Republic who had no other choice but to sign the uneven Treaty of Coruscant.

Thus the war ended and the Sith Empire saw itself restored as a galactic power. Since the signing of the treaty, the Emperor withdrew in order to pursue his own mysterious goals and thus deferred control of the Sith Empire to the Dark Council. This act set the stage for a brutal power struggle due to the formation of a political vacuum where the strongest and most cunning of Sith and Imperial leaders fight in order to assume authority. During the years that followed the treaty's signing, tensions continued to mount between the Empire and the Republic which led them to the brink of another war. The Sith Empire also sought to consolidate their dominion and crush its enemies.

Legacy
Following the end of the Great Galactic War, the ancient Sith Empire was seemingly vanquished and destroyed completely. Despite this being the case, as it was after the Great Hyperspace War, the teachings of the Sith Order persevered and plagued the galaxy for the centuries that came onwards. An Umbaran known as Darth Ruin had risen from the ranks of the Jedi Order and during the Republic Dark Age, he formed the New Sith Empire that centered around the planet Roon. This empire was said to had been greater than that of the old Sith Empire. A thousand year old conflict continued between this Sith Empire and the weakened Republic as well as Jedi forces in what became known as the New Sith Wars. However, this empire shattered in a civil war which brought about a new group of Sith called the Brotherhood of Darkness which was led by Lord Kaan until this factions destruction at the Ruusan campaign.

After the final destruction of the New Sith Empire, the Sith and their order were believed to had been extinct for millennia. However, they had in fact been recreated by Darth Bane, who instigated the Rule of Two, thus transforming the Sith from a powerful open empire and order into a covert one, where there was only a master and an apprentice. This ensured their secrecy until one of their ranks, Darth Sidious, was responsible for bringing down the Galactic Republic which had destroyed the Sith Empire. By instigating the Clone Wars thousands of years later, Sidious was responsible for bringing about a spiritual successor of the Sith Empire of old by forming the Galactic Empire—a government led by the Sith and consisting of many aspects of the long destroyed Sith Empire. During the Galactic Civil War, one of the many legacies of the Sith saw the rise of the Disciples of Ragnos who intended to bring about a return of their master until their plan was thwarted by Kyle Katarn.

Decades after its creation, the Galactic Empire was destroyed, and it seemed that the legacy of the Sith Empire was gone with it. However, unknown to many, a forgotten remnant of the Sith Empire had been left abandoned on the planet Kesh, which formed the Lost Tribe of Sith who sought to bring about the great splendours of their ancestors to the galaxy. Even further to the future, the dark shadow of the Sith still fell across the galaxy when the teachings of XoXaan, now a long-dead Sith spirit, were used by the fallen Jedi that became known as Darth Krayt, who used them to found the One Sith. He later succeeded in taking control of the Fel Empire and made himself the Emperor thus creating a new Sith Empire.

Government and Politics
The leader of the Sith Empire held the title and position of Dark Lord of the Sith and was typically given to the individual by their deceased predecessor who manifested as a Dark Side Spirit after being interned within their tomb. Beneath them sat the Sith Council a body of advisors to the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith. It consisted of ten members made up of Sith Lords within the empire. Each Lord on the Council personally ruled over a dozen worlds. This Council convened in a great citadel on Ziost.

By the time of the Great Galactic War, the Empire was ruled by a Sith Emperor, with the Dark Council filling the role of the pre-Hyperspace War Sith Council. This version of the Sith Empire was rebuilt by the remnants of the original empire. However, unlike the original, this empire consisted of both Sith and non-Sith within its ranks. In regards to interactions with other governments and powers, the Empire made use of Imperial Diplomacy who sent agents that spoke on behalf of the Sith.

In this reborn Sith Empire, one of the more dangerous bodies within it was Imperial Intelligence that was capable of working behind the scenes and engaged in missions for their Sith masters that ranged from sabotage to assassination.

Organizations

 * Sith Council
 * Dark Council
 * Imperial Diplomacy
 * Imperial Intelligence
 * Crucible

Society and culture
"Evil began in a time before recorded history, when magicians made themselves into kings... and gods... using the power of the darkside of the Force. The weak minded have ever been ready to obey one who wields great power. Those who learnt the power of the darkside were quick to exploit this weakness -- to make war. Again and again, the darkside has surged forth, like a storm... devouring whole worlds and entire star systems. Those who mastered dark power became the dark power. They unleashed destruction, for no other reason than selfish gain. They despoiled nations... destroyed whole civilizations. Some of them, I am ashamed to say, were Jedi."

- Jedi Master Ood Bnar.

The society of the Sith differed and depended on which Empire was in dominance at the time. The first Sith Empire consisted of the original Sith species as well as the Dark Jedi exiles. The second Sith Empire consisted of remnants of the original one that had build over generations in order to return to power once more.

Great Hyperspace War Era
"Founded by a relatively small group of exiled Dark Jedi, who arrived without weapons and in a single starship, this Empire was a testament to the greatness of the ancient Sith Lords."

- Kla on the ancient Sith Empire.

Culturally, the Sith Empire was very different from that of the Republic, being much more ecumenically-driven than its counterpart. The Sith Empire was hierarchical, utilizing both a rigid caste system and a stratified rank structure to put its subjects in their proper place. Due to how long Sith society has separated the Sith into castes (across approximately 130,000 years), each caste is sometimes referred to as a sub-species of Sith.

"Sith'ari" was the title translated "Sith Overlord" in Basic. They were the leaders of the Sith. Each Sith Lord has his own slaves and his own army of Massassi while the Sith'ari ruled over all the Sith Lords also. The first Sith'ari was King Adas, who ruled all of Korriban for 300 years. Following his death, many claimed the title of Sith'ari and fought each other in constant civil wars, each ruling only a fief. Following 6,900 BBY, the current Sith'ari was killed and the Sith interbred with the Jen'jidai, resulting in a mix of Ancient Sith and baseline Human species traits, resulting in many losing the low-light vision which most Ancient Sith possessed. Following the fall of the Sith Empire in 5,000 BBY, the word "Sith'ari" took on the approximate meaning "Chosen One" with later Sith, referring to an unidentified individual who would fulfill a particular Sith prophecy, this prophecy was later fulfilled by Darth Bane.

"Jen'ari" was the title translated "Dark Lord of the Sith" in Basic. Jen'ari were the greatest and most powerful of the Sith Lords who took the place of the Sith'ari in the Sith hierarchy. There was only one Jen'ari at a time, who was the head of the Sith council, and ruler of the Sith Empire. The original Jen'ari were Jen'jidai; later Jen'ari were Sith Lords who assumed the title after the death of the previous Jen'ari, defeating any rival claimant to the title in combat (often resulting in death, or at least disfigurement). From 6,900 BBY to 5,000 BBY, the Sith Lords collectively ruled the Empire through a governing body known as the Sith council, which the Jen'ari ruled over and commanded; each member of the Council had a personal fleet. Many Jen'ari had partial Jen'jidai ancestry, which was, in some, considered more desirable. After the fall of the Sith Empire, the title "Dark Lord of the Sith" was used by both the leader of the Sith Order (such as Exar Kun or Revan) and his apprentice (such as Ulic Qel-Droma or Malak), although it is uncertain if the title "Jen'ari" remained in use in any capacity, or was abandoned for the title "Darth".

The Kissai were the priest caste of the Sith. This was most likely where the mages and other practitioners of their ancient and mysterious magic were placed. Massassi were the warrior caste of the Sith. They were unswervingly obedient to the Dark Lord of the Sith; they were also loyal to the individual Sith Lord they served, though this loyalty was secondary to their loyalty to the Dark Lord. The Sith Engineer Caste built and maintained Sith technology, including droids and starships. Sith slaves were the lowliest caste of the Sith. They worshiped the Sith Lords as gods, and were often used as sacrifices. The Sith Lords used them for slave labor and menial tasks, such as grooming their feet. When a Sith Lord died, his slaves were buried alive with his body in his tomb on Korriban.

Before the formation of the empire, the Sith were engaged in constant warfare with one another though this was seen as an acceptable practice as they believed it to be a fundamental aspect of their existence. This meant that they lived both a barbaric yet strangely harmonious existence on their homeworld. The early Sith often engaged in sentient sacrifices which they made to their deities. Their constant warring led to a dwindling of the population on their original homeworld of Korriban as well as cultivated an intensely xenophobic society. After the arrival of the Exiles, only those that were Force sensitive had the capacity to reach the upper echlons of the Sith Empire. Those that were blind to the Force were considered useless; fit for only common labor purposes or simple bureacratic work. Amongst the elite, power was craved due to the intense feelings of greed perpetrated by the Dark side which also meant that these individuals were also ambitious as well as paranoid. This society encouraged the survival of the fittest with only the most ruthless and powerful rising to positions of power as well as surviving.

This empire ultimately thrived on slavery as well as exploitation and oppression of the masses. In addition, they lived in constant belief that they would face external threats to their dominion and thus had a belief in expansion or dying. Some believed that this was a necessity for the Sith as they hungered for new lands and riches to bring under their control. This allowed for Naga Sadow to lead his forces during the Great Hyperspace War though despite this being the case, there were other traditional and more conservative factions that believed in remaining within their territory in order to preserve their ways.

During the time of the first Sith Empire, there were many instances of travelers stumbling into Sith space where they became slaves to one of the many members of the nobility. Over the years of enslavement, these aliens and outsiders continued to live for generations whereupon they forgot their origins thus turning them into true subjects of the Sith. Some Sith Lords even found value in the descendants of these foreigners such as those of the Tapani worlds due to their skills in science. Natural born Sith tended to focus on sorcery while the Tapani's excellence in the fields of science meant that they became valued members of the empire and developed the industrial as well as medical infrastructure for several Sith Lords. Through such means as those presented by the Tapani, the Sith developed new lightsaber construction techniques that more advanced than those produced by either Sith or Jedi. However, the intense rivalry and fierce competitive nature of Sith society meant that ranking Sith Lords never shared these new developments or weapons. Among the Sith, about glorification of self and the subjugation of others was a constant aspect within their society.

One of the greatest secrets of the ancient Sith was their devotion to the arts of Sith sorcery. As such, those individuals that practiced this art took on the title of Sith mages who held great mystical power that allowed them to cause stars to go supernova. The original Sith were also quite skilled in the art of Sith alchemy though it was the Dark Jedi Exiles who later became Sith Lords that perfected the ability. Originally, the species was noted a united people who instead preferred to stay within different and divided tribes. These were led by one or more sorcerors who were in charge with the groups protection. This remained the case until the arrival of the Exiles who took interest in the species techniques in drawing on the power of the Dark Side of the Force which they used to accomplish their sorcery. This practice was used by pure blood Sith who often dwelled in Library-temples where they sat in meditation as well as recorded their experiences as well as experiments. They also created many tools designed to enhance or project their power which was commonly seen in Sith talismans. These Dark side empowered constructs were capable of a wide range of feats from being simple concentration tools to being a trap that turned other Force users to the Dark side when being used or defensive tools that absorbed weapon fire and even being used for healing. They also created special chambers and sanctuaries that amplified the power of the Force which were either used as Meditation chamber or Focusing chambers. One of the greater feats was the capacity to create sentient vessels such as Meditation Spheres that were capable of enhancing the power of a Sith sorcerer.

Great Galactic War Era
Within the later reborn Sith Empire of the Great Galactic War era, it was known that the upper echelons of power were held strictly by the Force-sensitive Sith Lords, and supreme power was held by the Sith Emperor. Despite this, there were millions of loyal citizens within their Empire many of whom served in support roles such as those held by Imperial agents, as well as government roles such as Moffs. To them, such positions were the highest ranks they could achieve within the Sith Empire.

This empire was far smaller than the Galactic Republic, but much wealthier and more centralized, and in possession of unique and potent technologies. The Sith Lords allegedly controlled the riches of a thousand species. During the time of the Great Galactic War, the Imperial population was far less than that of the Galactic Republic. Despite this, by the time of the Treaty of Coruscant, the Sith Empire controlled near half of the galaxy.

As the Force-sensitive class served as the elite, there were two groups within the Empire that received a great deal of respect from the citizens that served the Sith. The first were Sith Warriors and the second were the feared Sith Inquisitor's.

Military
The first Sith Empire's military largely consisted of Massassi warriors that served as shock troopers and brutal weapons of terror on the battlefield that were led by ranking Sith Lords. Massassi warriors often served as foot soldiers in the campaigns of the Sith and also piloted the great warships of the empire. In battle, they fought with a single minded fury and selflessly hurled themselves in combat against their foes. Early in their history, the Sith Empire came to realize the potential in the use of automated droids to enhance the combat performances of their military. Such droids were often treated with alchemy in order to improve their construction materials and add to their combat capabilities. As such, several different forms of droids were manufactured which ranged from simple security droids to elite warbots to fully fledged war droids.

In addition, they also made use of many different forms of creatures that augmented the fighting power of their legions. Such domesticated creatures were often used as mounts for heavy weaponry and artillery. These beasts were often treated with Sith alchemy and were part of centuries long breeding programs that were designed to create easily trained animals that responded to certain commands. To enforce control over these creatures, the Sith often used standard command coding in order to manage these animals in combat engagements. This combined with generations of breeding meant that anyone trained in animal handling skills were capable of controlling certain Sith war beasts. When ready for war, these creatures often accompanied the Sith army where they were outfitted with gun turrets as well as other weaponry to add to their terrifying potential on the battlefield.

By the time of the Great Galactic War, the Sith made use of the Imperial Army and Navy to enforce its will on the galaxy. The army consisted of loyal Sith troopers but also consisted of elite Imperial Commando.

Warbeasts

 * Chrysalide
 * Sith war behemoth
 * Sith warbird
 * Sith war rhino
 * Sith war mountaineer
 * Sith war worm
 * Silooth

Starships

 * Derriphan-class battleship
 * Oppressor-class battle cruiser
 * Sith warship
 * Sith drop ship
 * Sith escort gunship
 * Sith Meditation Sphere
 * Sith personnel carrier
 * Sith shuttle
 * Sith starfighter
 * Blade starfighter

Droids

 * Sith Elite Warbot
 * Sith Slayer Droid
 * Sith Sentry

Weapons

 * Lightsaber
 * Massassi sword
 * Sith lanvarok
 * Sith sword
 * Sith Tremor Sword
 * Sith war sword

Astrography
"You wish to know about the worlds of the Sith Empire? There were many, well over one hundred that were habitable, and the Sith controlled the riches of a thousand species."

- Seviss Vaa of the Brotherhood of Darkness.

The region of the Galaxy that the Sith Empire ruled was known as Sith Space in a region of space surrounded by the Stygian Caldera. It contained at least 120 inhabited worlds, including:


 * Ambria
 * Arkania
 * Ashas Ree
 * Athiss
 * Bosthirda
 * Ch'hodos
 * Dromund Kaas
 * Jaguada
 * Jaguada's moon
 * Kalsunor
 * Khar Delba
 * Khar Shian
 * Korriban
 * Korriz
 * Krayiss II
 * Malachor V
 * Rhelg
 * Thule
 * Sivvi
 * Vjun
 * Yavin
 * Ziost

Behind the scenes
The existence of the "True Sith" has caused some confusion with their placement in the canonical timeline of galactic chronology. When Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords was first released, the establishment of the Old Sith Empire was believed to have taken place circa 25,000 BBY. Additionally, the beginning of the "True Sith"'s existence was fixed as being approximately "tens of thousands of years" in the past. In 2005, however, the establishment of the Old Sith Empire was retconned to have happened around 6,900 BBY, which presented a new divide in the historical placement of the two groups, and indeed in the very nature of the Sith themselves.

It has since been mentioned by VIPs on developer Obsidian Entertainment's message boards that the company in fact did not use the "25,000 BBY" date as a basis for their development of the "True Sith;" the order was conceived as an entirely separate geographic group from the later Sith Order of Marka Ragnos and its like.

Later, it was discovered that, after the Sith King Adas died while driving the Rakata from Korriban in 27,700 BBY, the Sith species possessed the technology to relocate themselves to nearby planets, creating the region known as Sith Space and the earliest Sith Empire.

Sith war mountaineers and Sith warbirds may be different artistic interpretations of the same creature; this seems plausible given the very different artistic interpretations of Sith war behemoths. Sith war worms may be simply Force illusions rather than actual animals.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Precipice
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Paragon
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Timeline 1: Treaty of Coruscant
 * Timeline 2: The Mandalorian Blockade is Broken
 * Timeline 6: Onslaught of the Sith Empire
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance
 * Darth Bane: Rule of Two
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Omen
 * Abyss
 * Star Wars Legacy 30: Vector, Part 11

Notes and references
Sith-Imperium Imperium Sithów