Scepter of Ragnos

"One was holding some sort of scepter that was glowing."

- Jaden Korr, describing what the scepter looked like while Axmis was holding it

The Scepter of Ragnos was a powerful dark side artifact and weapon that once belonged to Marka Ragnos, a Dark Lord of the Sith in the ancient Sith Empire. It had the ability to siphon Dark side energy and store it in the weapon. It could also release the Force energy on ordinary people and make them Force-sensitive. In 14 ABY, Dark Jedi Tavion Axmis obtained it and used it to make many members of the Disciples of Ragnos&mdash;a cult dedicated to reviving the long-dead Sith Lord Marka Ragnos&mdash;Force-sensitive. She and the cult were stopped, however, when Jedi Knight Jaden Korr destroyed the scepter and Axmis was destroyed along with it.

Characteristics
"But the area around the temple felt strange, like it's Dark side aura was gone."

- Kyle Katarn, talking about what it felt like after the scepter was used

The metallic scepter created by Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos consisted of a sword that terminated in a forked crest. Both the handle and blade tip were striated, and the pommel had a double guard&mdash;the inside guard shorter than the outside. A fuller ran vertically down the center of the blade. The scepter crest and handle were slate gray, while the blade was silver. The scepter had the ability to siphon and store large amounts of Dark side energy from areas in the galaxy; when an area was drained it's Dark side aura disappeared. The scepter could fire beams of Force energy or simply unleash a blast of energy. Hidden inside the scepter's handle lay a metallic sith sword of Sith Lord Marka Ragnos.

History
"A mere Jedi child will not undo my return."

- Marka Ragnos' spirit, after being brought out of his tomb by the scepter

Before his death, Sith Lord Marka Ragnos owned the Scepter of Ragnos. In the year 14 ABY, Tavion Axmis, a Dark Jedi and leader of the Disciples of Ragnos&mdash;a cult dedicated to reviving the long-dead Sith Lord Marka Ragnos&mdash;found it in the possession of a collector on the planet Commenor and, after killing him, discovered a more vital use than combat for the scepter. The scepter was said to hold the power to infuse a dead body with enough Force energy to reanimate the cells. Apart from that, small amounts of the stored Force power could be released on ordinary people, granting them Force-sensitivity, sometimes in a scale equal to fully-trained Jedi Knights. Tavion used this ability to create an army of Force-sensitives from the ranks of the Disciples of Ragnos, mainly the Sith Cultists. However, the effect was not permanent and would end immediately with the destruction of the scepter.

Axmis' used the scepter to siphon the Dark side energy out of several places including the moon Yavin 4. She also used it as a weapon in several places such as the planet Vjun. After gaining so much Dark side energy, she attempted to resurrect Marka Ragnos in his tomb on the planet Korriban. When she unleashed the Force energy stored in the scepter on the sarcophagus of the ancient Dark Lord, she summoned the Sith Lord's spirit who immediately took control of Axmis' body. However, Jedi Knight Jaden Korr arrived on Korriban and, after a battle against Axmis, he destroyed the scepter. After the scepter was destroyed, Ragnos spirit was drawn back into the sarcophagus and Axmis died. Those who had been infused with the scepter's power lost their abilities when the scepter was destroyed.

Behind the scenes
The Scepter of Ragnos first appeared in the Raven Software video game Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, which was released on September 16, 2003. It was later mentioned in the 2008 compendium The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, written by Stephen J. Sansweet and Pablo Hidalgo. In the non-canonical dark side alternative ending of Jedi Academy, Korr had no intention to destroy the scepter. After Korr killed Axmis, Jedi Master Kyle Katarn entered the tomb to stop his former apprentice. After a brief battle, Korr destroyed part of the sarcophagus, trapping the Jedi Master in the tomb. Korr then blasted his way out of the tomb with the Scepter. After hijacking an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer, Korr kept the scepter for personal use.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy