Emperor's Mage

Emperor's Mage was the alternate title used for a true Prophet of the Dark Side after the Prophets were recruited by Palpatine to serve him. Collectively, they were known as the Secret Order of the Empire.

The Prophets of the Dark Side were an ancient Dark Side cult that arose on the planet Dromund Kaas in the Dromund system of the Outer Rim, once part of the Sith Empire. A Sith apostate whom rejected Darth Bane's Rule of Two established the Dark Force faith on Dromund Kaas. The Prophets of the Dark Side resided in the highest tower of the Dark Force Temple, an ancient Sith temple in a quagmire on Dromund Kaas that had been a battleground during the Light and Darkness War.

Many years later, Palpatine discovered the planet and converted the Prophets to his cause, keeping the location of Dromund Kaas a secret. The Dromund system was one 36 systems deleted from the Jedi Archives, as Yoda discovered after the revelation that Kamino had been deleted. Yoda visited the Dromund system, but the records of his visit were lost as a result of the Jedi Purge. Prior to the Jedi Purge, Palpatine appointed the Dark Jedi Kadann as Supreme Prophet of the Dark Side. On Imperial Center, Kadann became of of the Emperor's most trusted advisors. Kadann's apprentice, Jedgar, became Kadann's right-hand mand as High Prophet of the Dark Side.

Palpatine sent many of his Dark Side followers to Dromund Kaas to be trained by the Prophets, including the Dark Warrior Azrakel, Grand Admiral Nial Declann, and Inquisitor Jerec. It was while studying on Dromund Kaas that Jerec first heard the legend of the Valley of the Jedi from the Prophet Cronal and first met Cronal's daughter, Sariss. Supreme Prophet Kadann trained Azrakel as a secret weapon to use against Palpatine and Darth Vader should the Sith ever turn on Kadann, but Azrakel came to hate Kadann and deserted him prior to the Battle of Endor. The Prophets sent agents to many planets: for example, Sariss worked on Tatooine under the alias "Prophetess". Palpatine often consulted the Prophets to ensure the correctness of his own foresight. Only the most trusted Imperial advisors, including the Grand Admirals, knew the Emperor's Mages existed. When Grand Admiral Afsheen Makati's first officer mocked the black robes of the Prophets, Kadann retaliated by employing Force lightning on Makati. The Prophets often sent entourages (which often included Sariss) to confer with Jerec on the Super Star Destroyer Vengeance. When Supreme Prophet Kadaan predicted balance would be restored to the Force at Endor, Palpatine laughed at him and became enraged. Most of the true Prophets fled to Supreme Prophet Kadann's hidden temple stronghold on Bosthirda, abandoning Imperial Center abd Dromund Kaas.

A few Mages pursued diffent paths after the Battle of Endor:  Cronal, by now the Emperor's Hand "Blackhole," became a servant of the clone Emperor, established the Church of the Dark Side on Imperial Center, and mutated Gorc and Pic into the "Brothers of the Sith" (these "Brothers" became Dark Jedi apprentices of Jerec); when the population of Tatooine rebelled after the destruction of the second Death Star, Sariss fled Tatooine and became one of the Dark Jedi apprenticed to Jerec, on whose behalf she became engaged to a mineral baron on Panatha whose son, Yun, she taught in the ways of the Church of the Dark Side, seduced, and had murder his own father so Sariss could give the baron's holdings and Yun himself to Jerec; Maarek Stele joined the 181st Imperial Fighter Group and later served in the Imperial Remnant in the Outer Rim under Grand Admiral Gilaad Pellaeon; Merilli served as Church of the Dark Side advisor to Grand Admiral Peccati Syn and died with him when his flagship Fi was destroyed by Admiral Ackbar at Kashyyk.

The year after the Battle of Endor, a group of false Prophets of the Dark Side were established by Imperial Intelligence to help the Central Committee of Grand Moffs control one of larger Imperial Remnants. The false Prophets included impersonators of Kadann and Jedgar. They operated from Scardia Station in the Null Zone and traveled in a ship named Scardia Voyager. These beings were con artists rather than true Force-sensitives, and used manipulation to make their prophecies come true. The false Jedgar hand-wrote Secrets of the Dark Side, in which he recorded the supposed prophecies of the false Kadann. The false Prophets foretold that the next Emperor would wear the indestructible Glove of Darth Vader. After the Glove was found in the wreckage of the second Death Star that had come into the Calamari system through a space anomaly, the Glove was worn by the three-eyed mutant Trioculus, a prisoner on Kessel whom the Central Committee of Grand Moffs claimed to be the son of Palpatine and made Emperor. The false Kadann tried to take over Imperial Center from Ysanne Isard, but failed: amongst those whom failed to answer the false Kadann's summons to Imperial Center were Grand Admiral Makati, whom believed the false Kadann to be the true Kadann, against whom Makati held a grudge. The false Kadann fled back to Scardia Station. Grand Admiral Makati captured Azrakel, whom also believed the false Kadann to be the true Kadann. From Azrakel, Makati gained much data on Scardia Station and the Lost City of the Jedi on Yavin 4. Makati trapped the false Kadann on Scardia Station, which he destroyed with his fleet.

The true Jedgar had foreseen the con artistry of the false Prophets, but the true Kedann forbade him from acting against them, himself having foreseen the downfall of the false Prophets. The true Prophets, ignoring the actions of the Central Committee of Moffs, contacted Jerec, now a Great InQuestor of Judgment for the Pentastar Alignment. Jerec agreed to search for the lost Valley of the Jedi on behalf of the Prophets, while at the same time pretending to search for the Valley on behalf of the Alignment. Shortly thereafter, Emperor's Hand "Blackhoe" (formerly an Emperor's Mage himself, and ironically the father of Sariss) contacted Jerec and informed him of the existence of the clone Emperor on Byss and asked him to search for the lost Valley on the Emperor's behalf. Jerec agreed, not revealing to "Blackhole" that he was already searching for the Valley on behalf of the Alignment and the true Prophets. In truth, Jerec was loyal only to himself, and hoped to use the Valley's power to subdue all three of his sponsors and rule as Emperor himself. Drawing resources from his three sponsors, Jerec eventually found the Valley on Ruusan. However, Jerec was killed by Kyle Katarn, whom kept the location of the Valley secret, frustrating the efforts of the true Prophets, whom remained hidden and bided their time, waiting for a potent that would signifiy the time of their return.

Six years after the Battle of Endor, after studying ancient Dark Side incriptions, Kyle Katarn learned of the world and traveled there, but was corrupted to the Dark Side. Mara Jade followed Kyle and found him in the Dark Force Temple, where she redeemed him. Kyle, Mara, and Luke Skywalker then pieced together Dromund Kaas's history. The Jedi and New Republic Intelligence worked to ensure the planet's location remained a secret.

--Known Emperor's Mages--

Supreme Prophet: Kadann

High Prophet: Jedgar

Lesser Prophets: Argor the Cloaked Figure Cronal, aka, "Blackhole" Gornash Merilli Sariss, aka, "Prophetess" Maarek Stele