Funeral of Marka Ragnos

"All hail the memory of Marka Ragnos! His legacy will live for centuries among the Sith people and their rulers!"

- Ludo Kressh

The Funeral of Marka Ragnos was a Sith funeral that occurred in 5,000 BBY on the planet Korriban, to mark the passing of a revered Dark Lord of the Sith named Marka Ragnos. Officiated by a lesser Sith Lord known as Ludo Kressh, Ragnos' funeral took place in Korriban's Valley of the Dark Lords, and marked the end of the dynasty known as the Golden Age of the Sith. An opulent tomb had been prepared within the valley's Shyrack caves for the deceased, filled with many treasures acquired by Ragnos' Empire during his time as its sovereign. The funeral was attended by many from all tiers of Sith society; Ludo Kressh was at the head of the procession, and presided over the Dark Lord's rites of passage. The ceremony began without hitch after Ragnos' tomb was sealed, but when Kressh's sworn enemy, the Sith sorcerer Naga Sadow, arrived late to take a place of reverence amongst his kinsmen, the interruption angered Kressh immensely. A heated exchange between the two over who should next assume the mantle of Dark Lord quickly escalated into a duel of Sith swords, but was just as quickly brought to an end with the sudden appearance of the ghost of Ragnos himself.

Proclaiming an end to the Sith's Golden Age, the spectre of Ragnos issued an ominous warning to the feuding Lords to choose their next moves wisely, as the fate of Sith Empire would be decided upon by their actions. The presence of Ragnos' spirit also appeared in a vision to Jedi Knight Odan-Urr of the Empress Teta system, who recognized his premonition as one of foreboding for the Galactic Republic. Meanwhile, the funeral ended with unexpected arrival of hyperspace traveling siblings Gav and Jori Daragon on Korriban, which caused the Sith to view them as either potential harbingers of an invasion, or an opportunity to expand upon the majesty of an Empire which Ragnos' ruled for more than a century.

Background
In the year 5,000 BBY, the Golden Age of the fabled Sith Empire came to an end with the death of its ruler, the half-breed Dark Lord Marka Ragnos. As was the custom of the Sith people, Ragnos was to be interred on the planet Korriban, in the Shyrack caves within the Valley of the Dark Lords, a burial ground reserved specifically for the Valley's namesake. A special tomb was prepared in which Ragnos' remains would be kept, along with many treasures he had amassed during his time as Dark Lord of the Sith Empire. Ragnos' subjects convened on Korriban from all corners of the Empire to pay their final respects for a Dark Lord whose death had marked the end of more than a century of uncontested rule.

Procession
"Marka Ragnos, great Dark Lord, wear this victory helmet during your battles in the afterlife."

- Ludo Kressh



The burial ceremony consisted of a lavishly decorated sarcophagus with Ragnos' body inside, which was carried by a cadre of twenty hooded and robed Sith Lords. Among them was Lord Simus, who more than a hundred years prior had dueled Marka Ragnos for the honorific of Dark Lord&mdash;and lost. The funeral was conducted by Ludo Kressh, who took position at the procession's forefront and carried a Sith victory helmet, which, according to Sith custom, was required for Ragnos to wear during his battles in the afterlife. The remainder of the march was comprised of Massassi warriors and Sith slaves, each carrying weapons, banners, and hordes of treasure that would fill the opulent interior of Marka Ragnos' tomb. Upon reaching the base of the tomb, Lord Kressh faced the sarcophagus, and placed Ragnos' battle headdress atop the coffin. He then ascended tomb's stairway, trailed by twenty-three hooded Sith, and at their summit he began to deliver Ragnos' eulogy. All twenty of the present Sith Lords formed a perfect, evenly spaced, circle around the sarcophagus; Ludo Kressh assumed the coveted sixth position, while Lord Simus was directly opposite of him. Kressh attested to the magnificence of the Sith Empire under Ragnos' stewardship while the sarcophagus was carried with the Dark Lord's horde of riches into the tomb by slaves under the direction of Massassi warriors. The slaves, whose lives were of little consequence, were chosen to remain with the Dark Lord as a final sacrifice to the departed; the tomb was then sealed, leaving them to eventually die of starvation.

Power vacuum
"I fight for the Sith Empire, Naga Sadow&hellip;you fight for yourself!" "I fight for the future&hellip;and the future is now!"

- Ludo Kressh to Naga Sadow



The ceremony was interrupted shortly thereafter when Kressh's nemesis, the magician Naga Sadow, arrived late to assume a place amongst his fellow Sith Lords. His claim was immediately met with hostility by Kressh, who rebuked Sadow as a heretic whose dynamic ideals only served to undermine the stability achieved by the Sith Empire under Ragnos' rule. Sadow's expressed belief that the Sith Empire had grown stagnant during its Golden Age served to anger Ludo Kressh, and his claim that his ancient Jedi heritage afforded Sadow rights to the mantle of Dark Lord irritated Kressh even further; but when Sadow the denounced his adversary as a "backwards thinker" who was incapable of leading the Sith as Ragnos' successor, Kressh prepared to engage his enemy in battle. At the tomb of Marka Ragnos, two Sith Lords drew their swords and met each other in combat for the title left vacant by the recently deceased. Many onlookers stood fast as Sadow and Kressh dueled each other in a contest where neither man gave quarter to the other, yet both refused to yield until their enemy had fallen. The altercation was eventually brought to an end, however, with the unexpected appearance of the ghost of Marka Ragnos himself. The dead Sith's spirit recounted the glory of the Sith Empire during his reign before warning Kressh and Sadow to choose their next actions wisely, as the future of the Sith Empire&mdash positive, or negative&mdash;would be determined by their decisions. Ragnos' ghost then faded away, leaving both Kressh and Sadow to contemplate the weight of his words.

Aftermath
The funeral of Marka Ragnos and the sudden appearance of his spirit affected not only those present on Korriban; in the distant Koros star system, a Draethos Jedi Knight named Odan-Urr received a vision through the Force of Ragnos' interment. Odan-Urr regarded the ominous premonition as a warning of the existence of the long-forgotten Sith Empire, he warned Teta the Empress of Koros to advise the Galactic Republic of an impending invasion from the Sith.

In the Valley of the Dark Lords, Ragnos' ghost was not the only unanticipated visitor; the accidental arrival of two hyperspace traveling siblings named Gav and Jori Daragon, on Korriban was immediately met with suspicion by the Sith, who took them into custody, believing them to be either forerunners of an invasion force sent by the Republic, or a crucial means by which the Sith could expand their empire.

Ludo Kressh


Considered by many of his contemporaries as a powerful Lord of the Sith, Ludo Kressh was utterly loyal to Marka Ragnos during his life, and maintained his reverence for the Dark Lord even after his death. For the funeral of Ragnos, Kressh acted as master of ceremonies, a position desired by the other Sith Lords in attendance. Kressh hoped that the high regard he displayed for Marka Ragnos would be noticed by the other Sith Lords, and that they would choose him to succeed Ragnos as Dark Lord. Because of his belief that the Sith Empire maintained the glory achieved by Ragnos after his passing and expansion of its borders was unnecessary, Kressh was challenged by Naga Sadow, another contender for Dark Lord of the Sith, who believed that conquering new worlds was vital to the survival of the Empire. Their duel would ultimately arouse Ragnos' spirit from the grave, who Kressh to join Sadow in strengthening the Sith Empire instead of fighting amongst each other.

Marka Ragnos


A half-breed Dark Lord of immense strength both physically and in the Force, Marka Ragnos's reign saw the Golden Age of the Sith realized, bringing the Empire into an age of splendor never before seen. In death, the grandeur of Ragnos' dynasty surpassed that which had been known during his time alive. His passing marked the end of the Sith Golden Age, and also left a power vacuum in its wake, causing two of the most prominent of his Sith Lords to battle each other at Ragnos' funeral for the position of Dark Lord of the Sith. Only after a momentary return from the dead as a Force ghost by Ragnos did Ludo Kressh and Naga Sadow end their quarrel, who heeded the deceased's words of caution regarding the future of the Sith Empire.

Naga Sadow


Naga Sadow was a sorcerer whose arcane experiments into the nature of the dark side of the Force caused many of his peers. A powerful Sith Lord in his own right, his aspirations of becoming Dark Lord and bringing the Sith Empire out of what he believed was a period of stagnation were looked upon unfavorably by his enemy, Ludo Kressh.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith 2: Funeral for a Dark Lord
 * Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords

Notes and references
Funeral de Marka Ragnos