Sith magic



Sith magic was a power used by the early Sith besides conventional Force powers. The exact qualities of Sith magic are disputed, as is its exact relation to the Force and magic, and there is some overlap with Sith alchemy. It is also sometimes refered to as Sith Sorcery.

History
Sith magic was used by the ancient Sith. This tradition was continued by the Sith Lords, up to Marka Ragnos and Naga Sadow, and was inherited by Freedon Nadd and the aristocracy of Onderon. Its practice was discontinued after the death of King Ommin and Queen Amanoa.

However, two young nobles from Koros, Satal Keto and his cousin Aleema, were initiated in its mysteries by Nadd's spirit. Stealing a Sith spell book from a museum on Coruscant, they founded the Sith-inspired Krath dark side sect. Aleema in particular mastered the Sith magic art of illusions, while Satal leaned more towards Sith alchemy. 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. Exar Kun and the Krath eventually united to fight the Great Sith War against the Galactic Republic. The new Sith and their Krath allies made heavy use of Sith magic in the ensuing conflict, but all known practitioners of it died before the war's end. The sole exception was Ulic, who was instead cut off from the Force and redeemed.

Darth Bane gave his apprentice Darth Zannah, age twelve at the time, a scroll containing multiple sith spells he had transcribed from the Holocron of Freedon Nadd. Bane told Zannah that she must figure them out by herself, as he is not strong in the ways of sorcery. However, he added if she ever used the spells on Bane, he would kill her.

Millennia later, a low-ranking Imperial technician, the Devaronian 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 killed by Girov Dza'tey, a Bothan who usurped his power and was in turn killed by Rogue Squadron, who also leveled the temple.

In 40 ABY, Lumiya lured Jacen Solo and Ben Skywalker to her asteroid habitat and projected phantoms of Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker to attack them, respectively. At the same time, Luke was fighting a phantom of Jacen and Mara was fighting a phantom of Ben.

Nature
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, as shown by the Krath leader Aleema Keto during and immediately before the Exar Kun War. Unlike their Force power analogues, such as Jedi Mind trick, such illusions would be visible and detectable by sensor equipment as if they were real, instead of being mental suggestions. One other use of Sith magic was large-scale mind control, as exhibited by Cartariun and Girov Dza'tey on Malrev IV, or Exar Kun at the Inquisition. Sith magic could also be used to create concussive or pyrotechnical effects, such as the projection of beams of destructive power.

The exact nature of Sith magic is unknown. It is at times referred to as an aspect of the Force, at others as an unrelated phenomenon. 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, the fighter pilot's knowledge of such matters was not very extensive, so he might have been mistaken.

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 Sith temple on Malrev 4). These would then imbue anyone who would use them with the power to utilize Sith magic, regardless of whether he was 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.

"A rare few have a nutural 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 anchient rituals of the Sith; they can conjure power and unleash terrible spells and dark magics"

- Darth Bane to Zannah

Spells
The Sith Magics were made up of many different spells that could be preformed. Some, such as the Summon Fears spell, were generated by the caster weaving fingers in complex patterns and reaching out with the force. Other spells were cast in different ways.

False Light Side Aura
Zannah uses this to infiltrate the Jedi Archives on Coruscant. Using this spell she fools the Jedi, even Jedi Masters into thinking she is a follower of the light.

Summon Fears
Using this spell the victom sees thier worst fears and goes insane. The duration and intensity of this spell may varry but it is very powerful. Known victoms of this spell are Darovit and Cyndra. This spell is generated by the caster moving their fingers in a special pattern and likely focusing the force in a particular way. Casting the spell usually only takes less than a second.

This spell summons the victoms deepest most primal fears and brings them to life to the victim. These fears often take the form of a demon or monster that will torment the victim. The longer the spell continued the more real and terrifying the illusionms become. To an outside viewer the victim may seem to suddenly go insane or seizure.

Depending on how long the spell lasted the effects could range greatly. Short durations could result in the vitom waking up with only a small recolection of what happened. Longer duration spells could result in the effective death of the victim. If the spell continues long enough, the victim will have a seizure and the conscious mind will be totally destroyed. The body will effectively remain in a permenant coma, with whatever conciousness that remains being tortured for all eternity.

Cloak
This spell is similar to the Force Camouflage ability. Using it, the user can hide the presence of multiple people. Zannah uses this to hide Bane and herself in a secret underground compartment in Caleb's house. Using this spell and the insanity spell, the Jedi are fooled into thinking Davoit was the last Sith Lord.

Appearances

 * Betrayal
 * Fury
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: Requiem for a Rogue
 * Jedi Search
 * Darth Bane: Rule of Two