Marka Ragnos

"The chains of the grave cannot hold a Dark Lord of the Sith&hellip;"

- Marka Ragnos

Marka Ragnos was a half-breed Dark Lord of the Sith who lived during the time of the first Sith Empire, and, around 5,100 BBY, dueled Sith Lord Simus for the title of Dark Lord of the Sith and control of the Sith Empire. Ragnos defeated Simus, who was beheaded in the battle with the other aspiring Dark Lord.

Ragnos lived for over a hundred years, growing in power, pitting his adversaries against each other and ensuring that there were no threats to his throne. Following his death, shortly before the Great Hyperspace War two powerful Sith Lords, Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh fought each other to occupy his throne; Ragnos' spirit appeared before them and proclaimed that only the most worthy should succeed him.

Ragnos lived on as a Force Ghost after his death, trapped within the confines of his tomb in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban. A thousand years later of his death, Exar Kun summoned Ragnos from his grave, through the use of talismans, crowing Exar Kun as the new Dark Lord, and Ulic Qel-Droma as Kun's apprentice, as an attempt to resurrect the lost empire thousands of years prior.

Thousands of years after the Sith Empire, during the New Republic Era, the Dark Jedi Tavion Axmis made an attempt to bring Marka Ragnos back from death, using an old Sith artifact, known as the Scepter of Ragnos in order to siphon the Force from many Force Nexuses all spread across the galaxy, empowering the Disciples of Ragnos. Tavion's goal to resurrect Ragnos almost succeeded, but her operation was overthrown by the Jedi Jaden Korr, defeating Ragnos' spirit, and enclosing him on his tomb once more again.

Dark Lord of the Sith
"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!"

- Marka Ragnos

Feared, obeyed, and admired among the Sith, he was considered to have been the greatest Dark Lord of the Sith of his age. He defeated Simus in combat around 5,100 BBY, proving himself worthy of the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith. During his time as a Dark Lord, he leaded ruthless campaigns against his Sith enemies. His iron rule would last over a century. During those times he likely composed the Epistle of Marka Ragnos. His death marked the end of the golden age of the Sith Empire, despite his reluctance to continue expansion.

Legacy
"You of the future...hear me well. The two amulets are joined. The time is upon you. You have chosen...now you are the chosen."

- Marka Ragnos

After his death, two Sith Lords, Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh, emerged as favorites to succeed him as a Dark Lord. During his funeral on Korriban Sadow and Kressh engaged in a duel of Sith swords, after a disagreement as to who would better serve the Empire as Dark Lord. Ragnos' spirit appeared before them speaking of a great past and an uncertain future for the Sith Empire, proclaiming that only the most worthy should succeed him.

Further events led to a major war with the Galactic Republic. Ultimately, because the schism was never healed it spelled the end of their interstellar empire. Ragnos lived as a Force Ghost, trapped within the confines of his own tomb in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban.

About one millennium after his death, Ragnos's spirit was summoned from the grave using a pair of Sith talismans and crowned Exar Kun as the new Dark Lord, and Ulic Qel-Droma as Kun's apprentice, all in an attempt to restore the lost empire of a thousand years prior. The Great Sith War devastated the galaxy once again, but the Sith Empire was not restored.

Resurrection Attempt
"A mere Jedi child will not undo my return."

- Marka Ragnos

Ragnos's spirit lingered about until once again returning from beyond the grave in 14 ABY, this time summoned by a Sith cult known as the Disciples of Ragnos whose leader was Tavion Axmis, Desann's student.

Tavion Axmis used an ancient scepter made by Ragnos to drain residual Force energy and use it to empower her followers. She then planned to use the collected energy to resurrect Ragnos. When Jaden Korr entered the tomb during the Battle of Korriban, intending to stop Axmis, she managed to resurrect Ragnos by allowing his spirit to possess her body, but was nevertheless defeated by Korr. Ragnos's ghost was forced back into his sarcophagus, screaming out a dark promise that he would return.

Equipment
Marka Ragnos didn't always wield a lightsaber, the common weapon of the Sith Lords and the Jedi Knights. He mostly wielded a Sith sword, consisting of a metal blade enhanced by Sith sorcery, a weapon of the primitive Sith race, which he could hide inside his scepter. Although, he did seldom use a red lightsaber. It is possible only he knew of the sword's hiding place, as Tavion Axmis did not draw it until she was possessed by him, despite its power. He also owned a pair of dark gauntlets which increased skill with a melee weapon or lightsaber.

Behind the scenes
While a figure of importance in Sith history, Marka Ragnos has actually never appeared in a story in which he was alive, much like another influential Sith Lord, Freedon Nadd.

His name was misspelled as Marko Ragnos in the Xbox version of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith 2: Funeral for a Dark Lord
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith 3: The Fabric of an Empire
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire 4: The Dogs of War
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire 5: End of an Empire
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Precipice
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Paragon
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 6: Jedi Assault
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 25: Vector, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Timeline 12: The Great Hyperspace War
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
 * Crosscurrent
 * Abyss