Well-Known Member
- Intent: Create a sect of Dark Jedi for the Kainate and the Sith Order.
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Darth Carnifex
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- Tradition Name: Informally known as the Eclipse Adepts. The institution is known as the Eclipse Sect.
- Tradition Type: Formal Order
- Tradition Focus:
- Physical
- Intellectual
- Sensory
- Influence: Interplanetary
- Orientation: Dark-leaning
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- Description: The Eclipse Adepts are a formal order of dark side adepts and Dark Jedi associated with the Kainate and more loosely, the wider Sith Order. While they are explicitly distinct from Sith, they are more or less considered to be subordinate to the Kainate Sith Kabal (and to a lesser extent the Sith Order), with corresponding limitations placed on their practice of the dark side. In this regard, such limitations are viewed as necessary to curb the perceived anarchistic tendencies of non-Sith dark siders and those who are judged as too weak to be worthy of Sith instruction. These overarching perceptions are the primary driver behind the Sect, which ultimately functions as an institution of control intended to direct the practice of non-Sith dark siders within Kainate territory (with some exceptions) so that they might better serve the Sith Kabal and the Sith’ari—Darth Carnifex. While high-ranking Adepts are generally left to manage the day-to-day affairs, the entire organization is overseen by the Grand Lord of the Sith Kabal, with Sith Knights and Sith Lords having special dispensation to deploy members of the Sect as they see fit.
- Membership: Waste in the form of sentient lives is considered to be a hallmark of traditional Sith training. The cruel, brutal nature of Sith indoctrination frequently veers towards the excess, moving past the point of culling and embracing the pointless destruction of sentient resources as a mark of strength. While Kainite Sith Kabal academies are still extremely demanding, the senseless disposal of Force-sensitives who fail to meet the high standards of their overseers is rarely tolerated. Instead, these individuals—washouts—are typically relegated into the Eclipse Sect where they restart their training as Eclipse Novitiates. They will never be Sith, but they will still serve.
However, Sith academy washouts—of which there are many—are but one stream of recruitment for the Eclipse Sect. Another avenue of admission are those individuals who do not meet the minimum midi-chlorian count to qualify for Sith training, but are still Force-sensitive or Force-attuned. Recruits are also drawn from newly-fallen Jedi (or fallen from any other light side groups) who are judged as lacking the necessary control, malleability, or strength to become Sith. In much the same manner, recruits may also be taken from the lower ranks of unsanctioned dark side groups. It is not uncommon for acolytes from the remnants of a rogue Sith Order to be relegated to the Eclipse Sect upon arrival, due to being perceived as irreparably corrupted by heretical teachings.
Upon recruitment, new members start at the rank of Eclipse Novitiate, being analogous to a Sith Acolyte. Those at this rank do not have dedicated masters and are instead taught by overseers, typically in group settings. The next rank in the hierarchy is Eclipse Pursuivant, which is comparable to a Sith apprentice. Pursuivants commonly have dedicated masters and are often engaged in missions. However, in order to advance to the next rank, Pursuivants must complete (or otherwise be exempted from) the Imperial Eclipse Examinations which are detailed as follows:
- Examination of Precision - A battery of assessments which are designed to test skill and competency in combat. The Sect does not mandate competency in any one weapon or art, but the most commonly taught arts (and therefore measured) are of the lightsaber or vibroblade. These tests are judged based on an objective standard, with an emphasis on proficiency in single combat and Force power execution. A composite score is given at the end to determine whether a candidate passes or fails.
- Examination of Awareness - A series of assessments that grades the ability of the candidate to see through illusions. The exam also includes tests that force candidates to face and overcome their fears, which are elucidated via a precise, droid brain-calculated analysis where an examinee's vital signs and biosigns are measured in response to various stimuli. Much like the Examination of Precision, a composite score determines whether the candidate passes or fails.
- Examination of Form - A regimen of tests designed to assess the constitution of the candidate's body. Pain tolerance, physical strength, responses to trauma, and other physical skills are tested and scored in a composite. In addition, all tests have a Force-active and Force-suppressed component. For example, pain tolerance is measured and scored in both contexts, wherein the Force-suppressed test the candidate is exposed to synthetic Void Stone or injected with a Force-suppressing drug.
- Examination of Discipline - The Examination of Discipline is a regimen of tests designed to assess the candidate's willpower. In one of the tests, a mentalist will impose suggestions in the candidate's mind, who is scored on their ability to resist or defeat them. Other tests assess their ability to overcome the perceived weaknesses of morality. As with the other exams, a composite score is given at the end.
After passing (or being exempted from) these exams, they may advance to the rank of Eclipse Adept, by which point their training is considered to be complete, being roughly equivalent (but in no way equal to) to Sith Knights. Finally, the next two ranks, Eclipse Ascendant and High Ascendant are master ranks, with High Ascendants occupying nine seats on the Ascendant Council. The tenth seat is designated for the leader of the Eclipse Sect—the Eclipse Derriphan. - Motives: The ultimate, yet hidden function of the Eclipse Sect is the control and direction of dark side Force-users by de-emphasizing the primacy of the individual and fostering unconditional loyalty to the Sith'ari and the agents of His will. While individual members of the Sect may still be motivated by the desire for power, the institution is structured in such a way that any such pursuits do not encroach on the power enjoyed by the Kainate Sith. However, even with these restrictions and concealed curtailing mechanisms, individual Adepts can still become powerful in their own right, but they will likely never be afforded unique privileges granted to ranking Sith.
- Rules and Teachings: In addition to following the dogma of Eternal Rule, members of the Eclipse Sect must adhere to the following notable rules in all of their engagements:
- Surrender to the Kainate Sith Kabal.
- Eclipse the light.
- Order governs passion, body governs individual, and power governs strength.
- Reputation: As the Eclipse Adepts are a relatively new organization, it has yet to establish a full reputation. However, Sith tend to view members of the Sect as subpar at best and outright disposable at worst. By comparison, outsiders often mistake them for Sith, though it is a perception that is frequently corrected by Sith and members of the Sect, with the latter being obligated to do so.
- Openness: Members are generally open about their identities and affiliations when among allies. Moreover, in many contexts, they are obligated to clarify that they are not Sith and to correct any who might mistake them as such. Failing to do so (and passively allowing ignorant outsiders or other individuals to refer to them as Sith) is grounds for extreme sanction. Finally, their teachings are only rarely shared with outsiders.
- Characteristic Equipment: Lightsabers with synthetic crystals and vibroblades are the most common weapons among the Eclipse Adepts. However, exotic weapon types, including discblades, polearms, energy bows, and yet more, are not uncommon. In terms of clothing, individuals often wear outfits or armor emblazoned with the symbol of the Sect to positively distinguish themselves as a member of the Eclipse Sect and to prevent outsiders from misidentifying them as Sith.
- Notable Force Skills: The Eclipse Adepts place a heavy emphasis on the physical and objective study of the dark side. As such, abilities such as telekinesis, Alter Environment, Force lightning, Pyrokinesis, Cryokinesis, Art of the Small, Force cloak, and various physical enhancement powers are common. Mentalists are less common, but not to the point of rarity. Finally, Force healers and other non-combat specialists are rare, but not unheard of.
- Notable Force Limitations: Members of the Eclipse Sect are forbidden from practicing all forms of Sith magic, Sith alchemy, Sithspawn creation, and Sith rituals. However, it is not uncommon for members of the Sect to be used as living focuses or attendants in Sith rituals. They are also barred from speaking or reading ur-Kittât, High Sith, or any other Sith ritual languages, save for common Sith phrases or parlances (i.e. an Eclipse Adept may refer to herself as Jen’jidai without punishment). Finally, while Eclipse adherents are allowed to practice mechu-deru, they are not permitted to create techno-beasts.
- Abrax Iosi - A hulking Mandallian Giant, Abrax Iosi is the first and present Derriphan of the Eclipse Sect. He was once a member of the seven Xendori Elite before the organization was disbanded in the wake of the Third Imperial Civil War. However, he was allowed to continue serving the Kainate via the Grand Army, a period in which he developed a fearsome reputation as a battlefield juggernaut while also displaying a talent for leadership that resulted in his quick ascension to the rank of Colonel. With the reclaiming of the Sith holy worlds, an influx of recruits into the Kainate Sith Kabal (and the perceived low quality of many), led to higher fail rates in the Sith academies and thus, increased waste and inefficiency. Thus, Abrax was recalled from his service in the Grand Army to oversee the founding of the Eclipse Sect, eventually leading to him being named as the Derriphan—the leader of the Eclipse Adepts.
A successor organization of the now-defunct Xendori Guard and Xendori Elite, the Eclipse Adepts were formed soon after the retaking of the Sith holy worlds. With the influx of new students in the Sith academies, the Kainate Sith Kabal oversaw an initiative to curtail sentient waste during Sith indoctrination. The Eclipse Adepts were a major component of this effort, allowing the Sith academies to maintain their high standards through less wasteful methods by funneling washouts and other failed students into the Sect. This would not only limit waste, but it would also cement the elite status of the Sith Kabal and give the Kainate a surge of manpower in the form of an army of dark siders who could augment military formations, hunt down Jedi, and ultimately, serve at the behest of the Sith Dyarchy.
To lead the Sect, Abrax Iosi, who previously served as an Xendori Elite during the Third Imperial Civil War, was christened as the first Derriphan. He, under advisement by the Grand Lord of the Sith Kabal, assembled the first Ascendant Council and built out the structure of the organization. The first temple—the Temple of the Eclipse Adepts—was constructed on Malsheem, with a number of semi-mobile satellite academies and temples established in orbit of Dromund Kaas and Ziost as the Sect expanded during its early stages. It was during this period that the secret mechanisms designed to keep overly ambitious Jen’jidai in check were refined and perfected. In effect, any such Adepts would soon find themselves in constant competition with others seeking the same power, thus keeping them dependent on the Sith.
Finally, the Eclipse Adepts would come to represent a manifestation of the unceasing industrial power, brutal efficiency, and dark side autocracy of the Eternal Rule doctrine. The crude ambition, avarice, and anarchism often manifested by non-Sith dark siders would have their inherent contradictions leveled against them, so that they would ultimately come to serve the Sith Dyarchy.
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