Origins of the Sith..

Who are The Sith?

The Sith arose on a system of planets far from the center of the galaxy in a sector that would one day be known as "The Outer Rim." The central planet of the system was most likely the world of Ziost. A fairly primitive people, the aliens known as the Sith had several distinguishing features, including humanoid body structure, red skin, glowing yellow eyes, sharp teeth, bony chins and foreheads, and long, clawed hands. Probably the early Sith were carnivorous hunters.

A superstitious people, the Sith, like other primitive races, worshipped many gods of nature, including the sun, moon, and other heavenly bodies. Over the years, because of this worship, the Sith became masters of black magic, sacrifices, and other dark arts. Sith magic did not conciously involve the dark side of the Force, but it probably drew some of its power from that origin.

Little is known of early Sith social structure, but it can be inferred by studies of other more "primitive" peoples. Like the Aztecs of ancient Terran times, the Sith were by no means "uncivilized." They probably were divided into various clans and ruled by lords or kings with warriors at the top of the social structure and slaves on the bottom. It is now known whether their bloodthirsty nature was at this time a part of Sith society, but it is safe to say that the Sith were probably very warrior-oriented, delighting in battle.

Sith architecture was most likely primitive as well. The Sith probably had temples, built of stone, and houses made out of natural material. Ziost may have had great forests in the early days of the Republic when the Sith were evolving, but it is likely that most buildings were constructed out of stone.

SITH WARFARE

For the Sith, warfare was a way of life. Their worship of their dark gods and their use of the dark side of the Force probably evolved them into a very bloodthirsty people. Sith armies, at first small groups of warriors fighting for their own clan, eventually became enormous. By the time of Naga Sadow, Sith forces consisted of hundreds of thousand warriors, or "Massassi" ground troops. Beasts of burden were also used as troop carriers as well as mobile gun turrets. The sheer size of Sith armies enabled the Sith to win most battles in their conquest for empire. Weapons used by the Sith included Sith swords, spears, and later, mobile gun turrets.

The use of horns in Sith art and society bears special notice. All Sith beasts are horned, and the Sith themselves have a bony body structure. Perhaps the early Sith even had horns. Whatever the case, the horn became an important symbol in Sith society. Warrior armor bore horned designs and helmets were horned. Horns were also used as ornaments in the household and for jewelry. No known Sith art from this early period has survived, but later works also show strong use of the horn motif. It probably had some sort of religious/mythical/superstitious significance as well. The importance of horns in Sith belief continued in tradition until the times of Naga Sadow and the Great Hyperspace War, in which the same horned beasts and armor were used in battle.

taken from Lord Marka Ragnos' account of the Sith Empire, from The Golden Age of the Sith

About ten thousand years before the fall of the Republic, there was an uprising inside the Jedi order. A group of Jedi who embraced the dark side of the Force rebelled against the rest of the order. The rebelllion failed and, since the light side Jedi did not want to execute these dark Jedi, they simply exiled them form the Republic, hoping they would die in space. The dark Jedi, however, by chance or the dark side of the Force, came out of hyperspace above Ziost.

The Sith at that time still clung to their old traditions, worshipping the "gods" of earth and sky. When the Jedi's spacecraft landed on Ziost, the Sith worshipped them as gods fallen from the sky. The dark Jedi of course saw their chance. Using the dark side of the Force, they conquered the primitive Sith, adopting Sith culture as their own and enslaving the proud Sith peoples.

The dark Jedi then discovered Sith magic. If used in addition to the dark side of the Force, they reasoned, they would be all but invincible. According to Ragnos' narrative, they then interbred with select members of the Sith race to produce more powerful Sith. This suggests that talent in using Sith magic was in part heriditary: parents who were powerful magicians would have children who were powerful Force users. As a result, the "new" breed of Sith were unlike any race the galaxy had seen before: great magicians who quickly climbed to the top of the Sith social structure, strong in the dark side and filled with a lust for power and glory.

It was this lust for power and glory that led to the Sith empire. As the Sith multiplied and learned to integrate Sith magic into use of the dark side of the Force, the Sith lords grew more and more bold. They began venturing into other systems, satisfying their thirst for blood by conquering neighboring planets, and satisfying their lust for power by incorporating them into an empire of their own.

Some of these conquered planets may include Korriban, Khar Delba, and Ch'hodos. (The number and names of the planets in the original Sith system are unknown.)

SITH LORDS

A common misunderstanding among some concerns the titles "Sith lord" and "Dark Lord of the Sith." Each clan of Sith was ruled by a Sith lord, much like a group of commoners would be ruled over by a noble, such as a duke or an earl. The Dark Lord of the Sith was the emperor, the Lord in command of the whole Sith empire. It is not known whether there were lesser Sith lords who were ruled over by more powerful Sith Lords, but all Sith lords were in the end responsible to the Dark Lord of the Sith. The Dark Lord of the Sith held court on the planet of Ziost. It was common practice for him to recall several prominent Sith lords from various corners of the Empire to test out some new theory or introduce a new plan. Most high-ranking Sith lords had their own "private worlds," privately owned planets where they built massive fortresses and schemed in secret, many times planning to overthrow the current Dark Lord and put themselves on the throne.

The Dark Lord of the Sith, however, was usually aware of these secret plans and constantly alert for such treachery. After all, Sith lords were not hard to replace.

As the conquered systems grew more and more numerous, high ranking Sith lords were assigned sectors much as the Grand Moffs and Moffs of the Galactic Empire were assigned various sectors. These Sith Lords were to act as governors, making laws, controlling basically every facet of life in their conquered system. Many of the Sith probably grew fabulously rich as a result of tribute from conquered systems.

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