Sith magic

"Ulic&mdash;What's the matter with you guys&mdash;? Why weren't you fightin? " " The dark side&hellip;it's eating at our life force&hellip;Sith magic is at work&mdash;"

- Dace Diath and Ulic Qel-Droma

Also known as Sith sorcery, Sith magic was a power used by the early Sith, that complimented the use of conventional dark side-aligned Force powers.

The exact qualities of Sith magic were disputed, as were its exact relations to the Force or conventional "magic". Some practices of Sith magic also delved into Sith alchemy, which was a different aspect entirely. Male practitioners of Sith magic were known colloquially as Sith sorcerers or magicians, while female users of Sith magic were known as Sith sorceresses or witches.

Nature
"A rare few have a natural affinity for the dark side itself. They can delve into the depths of the Force and summon arcane energies to twist and warp the world around them. They can invoke ancient rituals of the Sith; they can invoke power and unleash terrible spells and dark magics."

- Darth Bane, on Sith sorcery



Though the exact nature of Sith magic is unknown, several individuals have attempted to describe it based on their own experiences. At times it is referred to as an aspect of the Force, at others as an unrelated phenomenon. Its applications seemed to require the use of incantations, objects or intricate hand gestures. Whatever the case, the practitioners of Sith magic all found its power as a viable means of bringing their goals to fruition. Queen Amanoa of Onderon was very familiar with the nature of Sith magic, having being fully initiated in its wiles by her husband. Her grasp of Sith magic was so strong that she was able to saturate the atmosphere of Onderon with the dark side, thereby sapping the valor of the ensuing Beast armies. Ulic Qel-Droma described it as the "dark side eating our life force." Wedge Antilles once stated that Sith magic was an ability "with all the destructive power of the dark side of the Force," implying that the two were discrete concepts; however, Antilles' knowledge of such matters was not very extensive, so he may have been mistaken. When Exar Kun finally accepted its dark power, he found that he was able to read ancient Sith symbols. Satal Keto also gained new understanding, being able to fully understand the Sith writings in his stolen spell book while wearing King Ommin's Sith amulet.

Sith magic could be used for a variety of purposes through a number of techniques, similar to the way the light side of the Force was used by the Jedi. Adept users could create illusions, sometimes on a vast scale, such as those conjured by the Krath leader Aleema Keto during and immediately before the Great Sith War. Unlike their Force power analogues (such as Force Phantom), such illusions were visible and detectable by sensory equipment as though they actually existed, instead of being mental suggestions.



Another use of Sith magic was large-scale mind control, as exhibited by the Devaronian technician Cartariun and the Bothan Girov Dza'tey on Malrev IV, or to precise effect by Exar Kun at the trial of Ulic Qel-Droma. Exar Kun refined his mind-control talents in such a way that he was able to telepathically induce paralysis in the entire Senate assembly, while leaving those of his choosing able to move about freely.

Sith magic could also be used to create concussive or pyrotechnical blasts of destructive power. Exar Kun was rather proficient with this ability early during his path down the dark side. After acquiring a Sith amulet from Freedon Nadd, he used it's power to blast Nadd with raw dark side energy, vanquishing the Dark Lord's spirit forever.

Another thing that set Sith magic apart from the Force was that its power could be trapped in talismans (Sith amulets) or locations (such as the temples on Yavin and Malrev 4). These could then imbue anyone who would use them with the power to utilize Sith magic, whether Force-sensitive or not. Other such devices increased the power of adept users and gave them special abilities, such as the ancient Sith Crystals that granted Naga Sadow and Aleema Keto the ability to make suns go supernova.

Darth Bane described Sith sorcery as one of the most pure expressions of the dark side of the Force. According to Bane, Sith sorcery involved harnessing the deepest and most powerful energies of the dark side, and then twisting them to one's own will. Bane also stated that Sith sorcery is an extremely rare skill, one he himself is not capable of. Bane saw it as a way to warp reality, although it is unknown the extent to which this is possible.

History
"Here in my meditation chamber I can see the galaxy in my mind's eye&mdash;I can visualize vast armies, powerful fleets, invincible warriors&mdash;and with Sith arts, my imagination can make them real!"

- Naga Sadow, 5,000 BBY

Early uses of Sith magic date as far back as the ancient Sith. This tradition was continued by the Sith Lords, up to and through the Dark Lords of the Sith, such as Marka Ragnos and Naga Sadow. Centuries after Sadow's death, it was inherited by Freedon Nadd from Sadow, who in turn passed it down thru the aristocracy of Onderon. Its practice was presumably discontinued after the deaths of King Ommin and Queen Amanoa.



However, two young socialite cousins from the Empress Teta star system named Satal Keto and Aleema, were initiated in the mysteries of Sith sorcery by the spirit of Freedon Nadd. After stealing a Sith spellbook from an exhibit in the Galactic Museum on Coruscant, and hearing of dark side adepts on the planet Onderon, the Ketos traveled there in hopes that the secrets of their newfound book would be revealed. Their mission was a success, for they were introduced to Onderon's ruler King Ommin, who was also a powerful Sith sorcerer. With what they learned from both King Ommin and Freedon Nadd, the Ketos founded the Krath; a Sith-inspired, dark side cult. Aleema in particular was fond of and good at with illusion casting, while Satal leaned more towards mind control and Sith alchemy.

Freedon Nadd also approached the Jedi apprentice Exar Kun, who eventually became a Dark Lord of the Sith under his tutelage. Meanwhile, Aleema taught the fallen Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma some of her dark knowledge. He too, went on to become a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Some three thousand years later, Darth Bane gave a twelve-year old Darth Zannah a scroll containing multiple Sith spells, ancient spells he had transcribed from the holocron of Freedon Nadd. Bane told his apprentice that she must decipher them herself, for he was not adept in the ways of sorcery. He further added if she ever attempted to use her spells on Bane, he would kill her.

In 4 ABY, the Imperial technician Cartariun discovered a temple devoted to the Sith on Malrev IV. Imbued with Sith magic by the ancient structure, he set out to build a new Empire. He was subsequently killed by Girov Dza'tey, a Bothan who usurped his power. Dza'tey's reign was short however; he was killed by Rogue Squadron, who also razed the temple.

Spells
"I can use my powers to conjure up your worst nightmares and bring them to life before your eyes. I can drive you mad with fear, shred your sanity, and leave you a raving lunatic for the rest of your life."

- Darth Zannah, describing the effects of her sorcery

Invoke spirits

Invoking spirits summoned the spirit of a deceased dark-sider, usually to augment the requesting Sith magician with the deceased's power.



Summon darkness

Summoning darkness created visible, palpable waves of literal darkness, accompanied by a loud roaring sound.

Summon fear

Summoning an individual's fear caused the victim to experience their worst fears to the point of hysteria. It is a very powerful ability, and the duration and intensity vary depending on the caster.

Mind control

When conjured through Sith magic, mind control granted the caster the ability to effectively control and influence the minds of anyone they chose.

Supernova

Creating supernovas through Sith magic allowed the conjurer to effectively control and purge the core from a star, thereby causing a stellar explosion. This ability had the potential to backfire on the conjurer.

Spell of concealment‎

Conjuring a spell of concealment through Sith magic allowed the caster to hide or cloak the presence of one or multiple individuals.

False light side aura‎

A false light side aura concealed a dark sider's dark side aura with one of light, allowing them to infiltrate light side locations, and fool light siders into believing them to be one in the same.



Illusion casting

Illusions were lifelike, astral projections, of whatever the conjurer desired. The illusions touched all of an individual's sensory perceptions, and only through concentration on the Force was an individual able to perceive them as being false.

Force blast

Force blast was a concentrated blast of pure dark side energy projected at objects or opponents, that sometimes caused flesh burns, but caused the caster no pain.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire
 * Tales of the Jedi: Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon
 * Tales of the Jedi (audio)
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith (audio)
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Vector
 * Darth Bane: Rule of Two
 * Star Wars Dark Times: Vector
 * Star Wars Rebellion: Vector
 * Jedi Search
 * Dark Apprentice
 * Dark Empire
 * Champions of the Force
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: Requiem for a Rogue
 * Jedi Search
 * Star Wars Legacy: Vector