Teynara Jeralyr
Resident Sig Lord
In something of a departure from the past four parts of the Guide, I'm going to use this one to focus on what training a Sith should look like. This guide works for established writers as well as for new ones: those who have existing Sith can use it as reference for how to train a new student (since I'm aware this isn't often taught ICly), and new students can use it to work out what they might expect from their instructor.
Do bear in mind, we all have our different approaches, so mine is just expressing my own thoughts here, and will probably differ from the approach others will take. I'm just offering some ideas that you can work with to build a new character from the ground up into the sort of Sith they want to be (or that they're willing to be shaped into!).
Also, this guide isn't really for people who are inclined to skip the initial training process: a lot of Sith writers jump into having been with the Sith for a few months already, so they wear the robes, carry a lightsaber and generally act as though they've been given some nominal (or even significant) levels of training. This one's more for those who want to write their path out in full, and show their journey from non-entity to Sith.
Starting Out
First things first, you have to find the Sith. Get captured in battle, go find one of their planets (occupied or not, we seem to be there anyway), maybe just accidentally bump into one and really tick them off. Regardless, once you've found us, you need to prove that you're worth bothering with: the Sith don't train everybody. I don't mean flex your muscles and show that you've been trained in combat - that's boring, and we'd end up teaching you that anyway. Sith look for people who have the capability of becoming Sith themselves: the sort of people that are willing to endure whatever it takes to push their ideals along. And, trust me, we'll be testing that in due course.
If your character knows that they're Force Sensitive and can prove it, that's always a good start: they're a rare breed (or they're supposed to be - they're really a dime a dozen on Chaos!), so finding one with that capability is a prized thing among the Sith. Even Jedi qualify as conversion material, provided we can deal with the absurd teachings they've been indoctrinated with. We've got methods for that, too, don't worry. If not, at least give some fair reasoning about why you've dared to seek out the Sith. We'll make you pay for it either way, but if you plan on living, it's best to have good reasons!
Now, provided someone's agreed to train you, we move onto step one:
1) The Breaking
The Sith demand sacrifice: your entire life is ultimately a sacrifice to the Sith way, in some form or another. To devote yourself to their path means to be willing to throw yourself before armies, to give up everything you've ever wanted for yourself and be prepared to push an agenda that doesn't necessarily have you in mind. You might be the next Dark Lord, or you might simply be cannon fodder: whatever the case, you have to be prepared to give up everything, because the Sith will require nothing less than everything you've got, past, present and future.
The first thing that has to be done with a new student is to break them down - what they are when they first start out is irrelevant, because they are not what they need to be. A Sith is a being capable of withstanding great trials and suffering - they have to be, realistically, because only then can they reach their potential. The Sith believe that all strength is derived from sacrifice: if you want to gain something, you have to be prepared to give up something, in the same way a person trying to get fit has to sacrifice their time and experience a lot of inconvenience and pain to reach their goals. The stakes are far higher for a Sith, and so the risks are, too.
The rules are simple: the Master must first impress the seriousness of this upon their student, and demand nothing but unconditional obedience from them. This may well continue on even after the student has reached Knighthood - in some cases, this is a lifetime commitment, one that ends only when the Master or the Apprentice is dead (as was the design of the Rule of Two: obedience continued until the Apprentice surpassed the Master, and murdered them, or until the Apprentice failed and was replaced). The student must be willing to embrace the pain and suffering that will be coming their way: the Sith master will see to it!
The Breaking can take many different forms, from outright physical and emotional abuse to gruelling tests and assessments of existing abilities. Seek out your student's weaknesses and exploit them. Push against their ambitions and see if they push back. Threaten them, hurt them, belittle them: turn them into nothing. That's the key to the process. In doing so, you'll draw out their emotions, see what they're willing to endure, truly test their commitment to becoming Sith. Should they succeed in this, they'll be ready for the next step. If not, kill them.
2) Toughening Up
I like to use this as part of The Breaking, myself: putting the student through tests and torments designed to make them suffer. Deprive them of what they want or need, take everything they own from them, strip them of their very identity. Force them to endure trials that will require them to summon strength to persevere: starve them, deprive them of heat, of light, of company, of safety. [member="Darth Carnifex"] suggested to send them to the moon of Dxun with clothing and a small dagger for a month to see if they survive - this is the exact nature of the 'toughening' process. It is all about testing endurance, stamina, mental fortitude and more.
Use deprivation of natural environment to your advantage here: as Plagieus remarks, if your student comes from a desert world, take them to an ice planet. If they are an aquatic being, strand them in a desert. If they come from Hoth, take them to Mustafar. Force them to endure what they cannot, and in turn you strengthen them, and test their resourcefulness. Give them a few small things needed to survive, or leave them even without simple clothing, and demand that they satisfy your requirements for success.
This, in turn, will also begin to attune them to the Dark Side: their suffering will be close to the surface, their emotions becoming far more overt. They will hate you - they should hate you - for the suffering you force them to endure. They will lust for warmth, safety, security, and receive none of it. They will feel anguish at the suffering they endure. As they do so, so will the Dark Side begin to claim them, for they are at their weakest, and thus can begin to recognise their flaws, their weaknesses, their potential to rise above it. This is what the second stage is designed to achieve.
3) Training
Once the student has proven their dedication to the Sith, their true training may begin. They will be schooled in combat, in doctrine, in the use of the Force and it's use of them. They will learn politics, philosophy, gain an understanding of their path, and choose one for themselves. This should never allow for a let-up in the first two stages, however: a good teacher will continue to push their student, belittle them, force them to recognise where they are failing to meet standards and expectations, and then, when they reach it, move the goalposts and remind them that their progress is still insufficient.
Their lessons in combat should be demeaning but instructive: seek to push them over the edge. Manipulate their anger, rage, impatience and let it all come out during the fight. They will let this spill over, of course, and most often will find themselves easily bested by a superior force: one with patience, discipline, perseverence. As they demonstrate a lack of these qualities, they must be punished, encouraged to develop them in themselves. The emotional energy they possess must be channelled, but never allowed to control them: they must master it, or be forever useless to the Sith.
As they begin to develop in their skills, they should be used in the field: your student is your servant for the duration of their training, and should accompany you when you so desire it, but also be permitted to go forth without you, expected to endure and struggle and prove their mettle to the other Sith through their service. Throw them into fights they cannot win, battles they are not prepared to fight. Send them to retrieve objects both mundane and fantastical, to test their resourcefulness: and remind them not to return should they fail. A Sith student must be pushed over the edge, every day, made to recognise that their worth is only in what they achieve for the Sith. One who acts but achieves nothing is but a waste of time and training.
Remember to keep secrets, and tease them with these: a teacher who gives their student everything is as much a failure as a student who achieves nothing. With something to strive for, they will seek your approval, they will work harder to encourage you to give them that which they desire. In so controlling them, you mould them into the force you wish them to become. Only when they have finally met your every expectation for them should you consider offering them independence of a sort: Knighthood.
This is not the end of their training, nor of your relationship. Quite the opposite: Knighthood comes only when their usefulness to you and to the Sith has been proven beyond question, when their service truly begins.
4) Knighthood
Your established servant may now begin training others at a lower level: encourage them to engage in the breaking process, active engage them in the sadism you demonstrated during your own training. The suffering they themselves endured has encouraged them to recognise their superiority: only they could have survived what they were put through, and they will do the same for others, knowing that from such suffering comes beings capable of coping with what the Galaxy puts them through.
Knighthood is not the end of a Sith's training, however: now their services will be put to use by the Sith as a whole, with your own Master serving as their introduction, as their sponsor, as their end, should they fail. They have the skills to be useful in the field, and should be let off the leash somewhat. Their Master remains responsible for them, however, and should oversee their continuing development: to my mind, only when an Apprentice reaches the rank of Sith Lord should their apprenticeship finally end, for it is only at that time that their potential has reached the point where their dreams of power have begun to bear fruit.
A Knight is worthy to teach lesser Acolytes, and to engage the enemies of the Sith in the field. They are the durasteel first beneath the velvet glove: the largest population among the Sith, the weapon used by the Order to dominate, spread their influence and reinforce the will of those who rule at the top. They will undermine, destroy, subvert and bring others into line, forcing the will of the Sith onto the galaxy as a whole.
Their own lessons must continue, though: now they are acknowledged as useful, and it is at this point that their ego should be encouraged. They should be given reason to believe themselves useful, given to understand that they are servants, but masters also: superior to the lesser beings beneath them, but with responsibility to those beings by virtue of it. They serve the Sith Empire (in whatever form it may take), and their place is as a representatives of that authority. They will grow in power, and as they do, their power will take new forms and shapes, consolidated in some respects and developing in others. As this occurs, the Master will continue to let their student deeper into the mysteries of the Sith, teaching them new powers and bringing them further into broader plots and designs.
As the servant continues to grow in power, then will come the true challenge: proceeding to Mastery.
5) Mastery
A Sith is granted the rank of Sith Lord/Lady when they have proven themselves effective servants of the Sith beyond all doubt, powerful, certainly, but also capable of putting the Sith agenda above their own. These will be the ones trusted to guide the Sith as a whole, the ones required to raise Acolytes towards Knighthood, the ones to whom the secrets of the Sith are entrusted. These are the ones who hold the fate of all Sith in their hands, and dispense justice and mercy accordingly, ruling as they see fit over those who would one day aspire to take their place.
Few Sith ever reach this level, faltering at some point, or perhaps simply being too useful as a tool or a weapon to elevate to the point of strategist, keeper of secrets, or ruler. Some are simply there to serve: only those able to rule will ascend to the top of the pyramid. Training here is through survival, as always: the Sith Lords vie between themselves for power, for authority, for rule. They will come together to protect the Sith as a whole, but will also seek to protect and preserve the Sith above any other consideration, including from within: a Sith who seeks to put themselves above the good of all Sith is one whose days are numbered.
Do bear in mind, we all have our different approaches, so mine is just expressing my own thoughts here, and will probably differ from the approach others will take. I'm just offering some ideas that you can work with to build a new character from the ground up into the sort of Sith they want to be (or that they're willing to be shaped into!).
Also, this guide isn't really for people who are inclined to skip the initial training process: a lot of Sith writers jump into having been with the Sith for a few months already, so they wear the robes, carry a lightsaber and generally act as though they've been given some nominal (or even significant) levels of training. This one's more for those who want to write their path out in full, and show their journey from non-entity to Sith.
Starting Out
First things first, you have to find the Sith. Get captured in battle, go find one of their planets (occupied or not, we seem to be there anyway), maybe just accidentally bump into one and really tick them off. Regardless, once you've found us, you need to prove that you're worth bothering with: the Sith don't train everybody. I don't mean flex your muscles and show that you've been trained in combat - that's boring, and we'd end up teaching you that anyway. Sith look for people who have the capability of becoming Sith themselves: the sort of people that are willing to endure whatever it takes to push their ideals along. And, trust me, we'll be testing that in due course.
If your character knows that they're Force Sensitive and can prove it, that's always a good start: they're a rare breed (or they're supposed to be - they're really a dime a dozen on Chaos!), so finding one with that capability is a prized thing among the Sith. Even Jedi qualify as conversion material, provided we can deal with the absurd teachings they've been indoctrinated with. We've got methods for that, too, don't worry. If not, at least give some fair reasoning about why you've dared to seek out the Sith. We'll make you pay for it either way, but if you plan on living, it's best to have good reasons!
Now, provided someone's agreed to train you, we move onto step one:
1) The Breaking
The Sith demand sacrifice: your entire life is ultimately a sacrifice to the Sith way, in some form or another. To devote yourself to their path means to be willing to throw yourself before armies, to give up everything you've ever wanted for yourself and be prepared to push an agenda that doesn't necessarily have you in mind. You might be the next Dark Lord, or you might simply be cannon fodder: whatever the case, you have to be prepared to give up everything, because the Sith will require nothing less than everything you've got, past, present and future.
The first thing that has to be done with a new student is to break them down - what they are when they first start out is irrelevant, because they are not what they need to be. A Sith is a being capable of withstanding great trials and suffering - they have to be, realistically, because only then can they reach their potential. The Sith believe that all strength is derived from sacrifice: if you want to gain something, you have to be prepared to give up something, in the same way a person trying to get fit has to sacrifice their time and experience a lot of inconvenience and pain to reach their goals. The stakes are far higher for a Sith, and so the risks are, too.
The rules are simple: the Master must first impress the seriousness of this upon their student, and demand nothing but unconditional obedience from them. This may well continue on even after the student has reached Knighthood - in some cases, this is a lifetime commitment, one that ends only when the Master or the Apprentice is dead (as was the design of the Rule of Two: obedience continued until the Apprentice surpassed the Master, and murdered them, or until the Apprentice failed and was replaced). The student must be willing to embrace the pain and suffering that will be coming their way: the Sith master will see to it!
The Breaking can take many different forms, from outright physical and emotional abuse to gruelling tests and assessments of existing abilities. Seek out your student's weaknesses and exploit them. Push against their ambitions and see if they push back. Threaten them, hurt them, belittle them: turn them into nothing. That's the key to the process. In doing so, you'll draw out their emotions, see what they're willing to endure, truly test their commitment to becoming Sith. Should they succeed in this, they'll be ready for the next step. If not, kill them.
2) Toughening Up
I like to use this as part of The Breaking, myself: putting the student through tests and torments designed to make them suffer. Deprive them of what they want or need, take everything they own from them, strip them of their very identity. Force them to endure trials that will require them to summon strength to persevere: starve them, deprive them of heat, of light, of company, of safety. [member="Darth Carnifex"] suggested to send them to the moon of Dxun with clothing and a small dagger for a month to see if they survive - this is the exact nature of the 'toughening' process. It is all about testing endurance, stamina, mental fortitude and more.
Use deprivation of natural environment to your advantage here: as Plagieus remarks, if your student comes from a desert world, take them to an ice planet. If they are an aquatic being, strand them in a desert. If they come from Hoth, take them to Mustafar. Force them to endure what they cannot, and in turn you strengthen them, and test their resourcefulness. Give them a few small things needed to survive, or leave them even without simple clothing, and demand that they satisfy your requirements for success.
This, in turn, will also begin to attune them to the Dark Side: their suffering will be close to the surface, their emotions becoming far more overt. They will hate you - they should hate you - for the suffering you force them to endure. They will lust for warmth, safety, security, and receive none of it. They will feel anguish at the suffering they endure. As they do so, so will the Dark Side begin to claim them, for they are at their weakest, and thus can begin to recognise their flaws, their weaknesses, their potential to rise above it. This is what the second stage is designed to achieve.
3) Training
Once the student has proven their dedication to the Sith, their true training may begin. They will be schooled in combat, in doctrine, in the use of the Force and it's use of them. They will learn politics, philosophy, gain an understanding of their path, and choose one for themselves. This should never allow for a let-up in the first two stages, however: a good teacher will continue to push their student, belittle them, force them to recognise where they are failing to meet standards and expectations, and then, when they reach it, move the goalposts and remind them that their progress is still insufficient.
Their lessons in combat should be demeaning but instructive: seek to push them over the edge. Manipulate their anger, rage, impatience and let it all come out during the fight. They will let this spill over, of course, and most often will find themselves easily bested by a superior force: one with patience, discipline, perseverence. As they demonstrate a lack of these qualities, they must be punished, encouraged to develop them in themselves. The emotional energy they possess must be channelled, but never allowed to control them: they must master it, or be forever useless to the Sith.
As they begin to develop in their skills, they should be used in the field: your student is your servant for the duration of their training, and should accompany you when you so desire it, but also be permitted to go forth without you, expected to endure and struggle and prove their mettle to the other Sith through their service. Throw them into fights they cannot win, battles they are not prepared to fight. Send them to retrieve objects both mundane and fantastical, to test their resourcefulness: and remind them not to return should they fail. A Sith student must be pushed over the edge, every day, made to recognise that their worth is only in what they achieve for the Sith. One who acts but achieves nothing is but a waste of time and training.
Remember to keep secrets, and tease them with these: a teacher who gives their student everything is as much a failure as a student who achieves nothing. With something to strive for, they will seek your approval, they will work harder to encourage you to give them that which they desire. In so controlling them, you mould them into the force you wish them to become. Only when they have finally met your every expectation for them should you consider offering them independence of a sort: Knighthood.
This is not the end of their training, nor of your relationship. Quite the opposite: Knighthood comes only when their usefulness to you and to the Sith has been proven beyond question, when their service truly begins.
4) Knighthood
Your established servant may now begin training others at a lower level: encourage them to engage in the breaking process, active engage them in the sadism you demonstrated during your own training. The suffering they themselves endured has encouraged them to recognise their superiority: only they could have survived what they were put through, and they will do the same for others, knowing that from such suffering comes beings capable of coping with what the Galaxy puts them through.
Knighthood is not the end of a Sith's training, however: now their services will be put to use by the Sith as a whole, with your own Master serving as their introduction, as their sponsor, as their end, should they fail. They have the skills to be useful in the field, and should be let off the leash somewhat. Their Master remains responsible for them, however, and should oversee their continuing development: to my mind, only when an Apprentice reaches the rank of Sith Lord should their apprenticeship finally end, for it is only at that time that their potential has reached the point where their dreams of power have begun to bear fruit.
A Knight is worthy to teach lesser Acolytes, and to engage the enemies of the Sith in the field. They are the durasteel first beneath the velvet glove: the largest population among the Sith, the weapon used by the Order to dominate, spread their influence and reinforce the will of those who rule at the top. They will undermine, destroy, subvert and bring others into line, forcing the will of the Sith onto the galaxy as a whole.
Their own lessons must continue, though: now they are acknowledged as useful, and it is at this point that their ego should be encouraged. They should be given reason to believe themselves useful, given to understand that they are servants, but masters also: superior to the lesser beings beneath them, but with responsibility to those beings by virtue of it. They serve the Sith Empire (in whatever form it may take), and their place is as a representatives of that authority. They will grow in power, and as they do, their power will take new forms and shapes, consolidated in some respects and developing in others. As this occurs, the Master will continue to let their student deeper into the mysteries of the Sith, teaching them new powers and bringing them further into broader plots and designs.
As the servant continues to grow in power, then will come the true challenge: proceeding to Mastery.
5) Mastery
A Sith is granted the rank of Sith Lord/Lady when they have proven themselves effective servants of the Sith beyond all doubt, powerful, certainly, but also capable of putting the Sith agenda above their own. These will be the ones trusted to guide the Sith as a whole, the ones required to raise Acolytes towards Knighthood, the ones to whom the secrets of the Sith are entrusted. These are the ones who hold the fate of all Sith in their hands, and dispense justice and mercy accordingly, ruling as they see fit over those who would one day aspire to take their place.
Few Sith ever reach this level, faltering at some point, or perhaps simply being too useful as a tool or a weapon to elevate to the point of strategist, keeper of secrets, or ruler. Some are simply there to serve: only those able to rule will ascend to the top of the pyramid. Training here is through survival, as always: the Sith Lords vie between themselves for power, for authority, for rule. They will come together to protect the Sith as a whole, but will also seek to protect and preserve the Sith above any other consideration, including from within: a Sith who seeks to put themselves above the good of all Sith is one whose days are numbered.
