Breaker of Chains
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
MEMBERS
High Priest Alisteri Haxim, Exarch Salneva Limont
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The beliefs that would one day be known as the way of Kotsûshatul Itsu, which translated means 'we who must break our chains', began with a single man. Alisteri Haxim, at the time a mere Acolyte of the Sith Empire, was not a traditional Sith like many of his peers. Rather than simply viewing the Force as a tool for conquest and power, he believed that it instead was the galaxy's god and divine will that kept order and spurned chaos. He believed that the Force was the only reason he had been freed from slavery, and viewed his service as a Sith Acolyte as him merely repaying his debt for that blessing. His view would soon change however as the war waged on and the suffering of his fellow Sith and citizens alike became more and more apparent. He fell further and further into a zealous mindset, seeing the Third Imperial Civil War not just as another war for territory but instead as a struggle for the survival of the Sith as a whole.
But soon he would discover that the Jedi were not the only threats of faith to the Sith. In the aftermath of the Ruination of Zygerria at the hand of Darth Vulcanus, Alisteri found himself surrounded by wounded and now homeless Zygerrians. Zygerrians who had been under the control of the Sith Empire, loyal citizens and soldiers, while the Sith were surrounded by enemies. This act of blatant slaughter disgusted the Acolyte and he struggled to reconcile how the Dark Side could bestow such power on one so corrupt and vile. How could the very thing that had freed him from a life of slavery also give a being like Vulcanus the ability to ruin an entire world of seemingly innocent and loyal people? The answer was simple, it couldn't. Vulcanus, who would only be the first of many Sith Lords that Alisteri would come to denounce, was an example of the inherent weakness in the Sith. An example of the prideful and self-destructive nature that would lead so many Sith to damnation.
Surrounded by confused and crying families, broken and wounded with their loved ones dead, the Acolyte would not sit idly by.
Although he didn't see himself as any sort of prophet or divine leader, Alisteri decided that he could not allow what he perceived as corruption to seep into the Sith any further if he could help it. However he was weak and only one man, for his voice to be heard and his message to be understood he would need a powerbase strong enough to see the changes made and upheld. He would need a following. He would need a cult.
The Zygerrian refugees that landed on Dromund Kaas would soon come under a very interesting set of circumstances. The slaveowners among them, regardless of their slaves still being alive or not, would soon turn up dead and the rest would find odd charitable gifts left for them as they struggled to adopt a new life in the Sith Empire. Most would go on their way to different places and destinies, but some chose to look into who or what was helping them in their time of need. That was when they met a masked Sith Acolyte, and he welcomed them with open arms. Alisteri slowly earned the trust of the remaining refugees, using his status as a Sith to keep the refugees unbothered by criminals and vagabonds while at the same time offering them assistance wherever he could.
Alongside his assistance, he also brought his beliefs and stories of the Sith and war alike to the refugees. In many of their eyes the Acolyte was their bridge to the Sith that they lived under, a reminder and clarification of their position within the Sith Empire. A lifeline almost. Eventually this culminated in a moonlit sermon during which Alisteri declared the founding of his cult, the Dark Wonosa Cult. His method of change, his followers that would prove his ideals and plans for what the Sith could and should be. The cult would slowly and gradually grow, their reach expanding from the Zygerrian refugees and to the other desperate and seemingly abandoned people of Kaas City. Charity events, sermons, even self-defense and combat training, through these methods the cult ingrained itself in the downtrodden of Dromund Kaas as a small yet reliable group. Their leader being a Sith made their cult seem more legitimate and true, with Alisteri being the first Sith that many of the poorer residents of Dromund Kaas would know.
They set a standard, a model for other citizens to follow in the Sith Empire as they grew and spread their teachings through the underbelly of Kaas City, away from the prying eyes of their betters. However, the Third Imperial Civil War would not go unnoticed or ignored by them. They urged their members to volunteer for service in the military, to find jobs producing weapons, to assist in hospitals, anything to help the desperate war machine of the Sith. It would not be enough, nor would their efforts amount to much in general, in regards to the Sith winning the war. Eventually the Sith Empire would fall and Dromund Kaas, as well as dozens of other worlds, would be left reeling and plunged into chaos without the Sith's authority. Seeing the writing on the wall the cult would reluctantly prepare to leave the planet on order to flee from the ensuing chaos and the encroachment of their enemies.
They made their Dark Exodus from their home and went off into the stars, on a pilgrimage to find a new home and await for the return of the Sith Empire. The pilgrimage would test the cult's members and faith, forcing Alisteri to cut down many dissidents and traitors as he cemented his teachings into the lives of the remaining members. The cult turned from a desperate group of refugees to a zealous and steadfast cult over the course of their long journey through the stars, safe aboard their ship the Altorius as they developed their ideals on what being a Sith meant. Alisteri went out into the galaxy, recovering the knowledge and teachings of Sith from ancient times and the modern era alike in an attempt to further understand the Dark Side and how his cult fit into it. He would have his cult learn from what he recovered just as he did, teaching them of the various differences in beliefs and methods that Sith had thought up over thousands of years of their history.
For them all to understand how the Force would guide and reward them they must also had to learn how it could destroy and damn them. These teachings became ingrained on the day to day lives aboard the Altorius as many turned to faith to make sense of their fates in the galaxy. Their identity became more than just some Sith-Imperial remnant. They began to become a new people entirely, but still one that held themselves to the the Sith and the memory of the Sith Empire. An empire they hoped to help reform and renew. Together they struggled, developed, grew, and traveled over the course of several years aboard their vessel before they finally settled and established their first proper home. A place where they could set down roots and begin recruiting once more, but in a far more meaningful manner than simple charitable acts.
On the planet Formos, an unimportant and out of the way scrap yard would become home to the cult, and here they would bring their fully developed faith with them. Slowly they would start spreading their faith once more, inviting the locals of Formos to join them and be enlightened as they had over their many years of struggle and strife. As the cult established itself, Alisteri would look to the Sith Order for allies and potential recruits, determined to finally enact the changes that he believed were long overdue.
- Intent: Finally codify the religion of the Dark Wonosa Cult.
- Image Credit: N/A, the only image is one I made.
- Canon: Sith
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Dark Wonosa Cult, Wonosa, Kerstas, Tikras
- Religion Name: Kotsûshatul Itsu
- Religion Type: Force Based
- Influence: Minor
- Influence Area: Formos
- Symbol: Although the religion sees itself as an extension of the wider Sith whole, and as such sees most symbols of the Sith as valid and worth adopting, they do have a set one that was established by their founder. The a variation on one of the typical Sith symbols and with a broken chain surrounding it:
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- Description: "Blessed by the Dark Side, chosen to live when so many others have fallen, it is only natural that we pay homage to the Force. For we are the breakers of chains, the Force's most fervent followers, for we are the Sith." -High Priest Alisteri Haxim.
The Kotsûshatul Itsu is a variation of the Sith, modern and more egalitarian when compared to many others yet with the knowledge and teachings of the ancient sects and traditions that guided the Sith before. The religion believes that all who worship and revere the Dark Side are Sith, regardless of their Force Sensitivity, and as such should serve the will of the Force by spreading and safeguarding the Sith as a religion and a nation. They spurn many of the barbarities and atrocities that the Sith have committed over the centuries, denouncing massacres and infighting as against the will of the Dark Side. However they are not merciful or Light Sith by any means. They believe that any threat to the Sith must be quashed totally and quickly, and that the Sith are the rightful rulers of the galaxy. Their goal is simple: Turn the galaxy dark.
SOCIAL INFORMATION- Founder: Alisteri Haxim
- Membership: Induction into the religion is surprisingly easy if one wishes to join. One can be born into it, simply convert to it and be deemed a follower so long as they uphold the beliefs and prove themselves to be a worshipper by assisting other members of the religion, or even be considered an honorary member by simply being some form of Dark Side worshipper that assists the existing members. In recent times a new initiation ritual has begun to circulate, involving a sort of baptism and subsequent tattooing of the word 'wonosa' onto a new member, with the other two of the Three Tenants being tattooed on at a later date.
- Sacred: Aside from the Sith Code and most Sith or Dark Side temples, the religion views several planets as holy sites and sacred worlds. Dromund Kaas, where the religion itself was born, Korriban, and Krayiss Two are held up as the three most holy worlds in their eyes and are referred to as the Dark Trinity.
- Dogma: The religion focuses on two main ideals: the Sith Code, often called the Five Verses or simply the Code, and the religion's own Three Tenets that were described by the founder of the religion.
- Sith Code: The Five Verses of the Code exist as the holiest and most revered texts among those that the religion has gathered. The basic outline that it lays out serves as the template and baseline for how the religion believes Sith, and worship of the Dark Side in general, should be conducted.
- Wonosa: The first and most important of the Three Tenets, Wonosa was the most defining, at least in nomenclature, of the ideas embraced by the religion in its early days. Meaning freedom, Wonosa is an idea based around the last verse of the Sith code: "Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me." This is seen as a promise, by the Sith and the Force, to allow for the worshippers of the Dark Side to break free from their bonds and limitations, whether they be literal and physical or societal and philosophical. The freedom to fight against the cruel fates that the galaxy often lays upon its resident is what Wonosa means as the First Tenet.
- Kerstas: The second tenet is by far the most Sith-like of the three, that of revenge. Kerstas is an idea forged from the days of the Sith Empire, when it seemed as if the galaxy itself wished for the extinction of the Sith and their ways at any cost. Kerstas is a call to arms, a call for revenge for lives lost and livelihoods ruined, a promise to those that come after that a better world for them will be forged by the strength of faith and arms alike. Kerstas is revenge against the galaxy, against the false Sith and Jedi, against any who would threaten the religion. And of course, it leaves little room for mercy.
- Tikras: Although not officially recorded as a core value until later on, the basic idea of Tikras had always been a part of the religion from its earliest days. True to its meaning, faithful, Tikras is meant to help expand and incorporate the religion into the wider Sith. Or, rather incorporate the wider Sith into the religion. While obviously the worshippers and practitioners of Kotsûshatul Itsu believe themselves to be the proper Sith, they also acknowledge that other Dark Siders do serve the Force and the Sith like they do without following their ways specifically. Any Sith or Dark Siders that strike against the Jedi and other enemies of the Sith without harming or causing destruction to their fellow Sith are seen as peers in the faith. Allies in a shared cause of turning every single lifeform in the galaxy to the worship or at least adherence to the Dark Side.
- Reputation: N/A
MEMBERS
High Priest Alisteri Haxim, Exarch Salneva Limont
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The beliefs that would one day be known as the way of Kotsûshatul Itsu, which translated means 'we who must break our chains', began with a single man. Alisteri Haxim, at the time a mere Acolyte of the Sith Empire, was not a traditional Sith like many of his peers. Rather than simply viewing the Force as a tool for conquest and power, he believed that it instead was the galaxy's god and divine will that kept order and spurned chaos. He believed that the Force was the only reason he had been freed from slavery, and viewed his service as a Sith Acolyte as him merely repaying his debt for that blessing. His view would soon change however as the war waged on and the suffering of his fellow Sith and citizens alike became more and more apparent. He fell further and further into a zealous mindset, seeing the Third Imperial Civil War not just as another war for territory but instead as a struggle for the survival of the Sith as a whole.
But soon he would discover that the Jedi were not the only threats of faith to the Sith. In the aftermath of the Ruination of Zygerria at the hand of Darth Vulcanus, Alisteri found himself surrounded by wounded and now homeless Zygerrians. Zygerrians who had been under the control of the Sith Empire, loyal citizens and soldiers, while the Sith were surrounded by enemies. This act of blatant slaughter disgusted the Acolyte and he struggled to reconcile how the Dark Side could bestow such power on one so corrupt and vile. How could the very thing that had freed him from a life of slavery also give a being like Vulcanus the ability to ruin an entire world of seemingly innocent and loyal people? The answer was simple, it couldn't. Vulcanus, who would only be the first of many Sith Lords that Alisteri would come to denounce, was an example of the inherent weakness in the Sith. An example of the prideful and self-destructive nature that would lead so many Sith to damnation.
Surrounded by confused and crying families, broken and wounded with their loved ones dead, the Acolyte would not sit idly by.
Although he didn't see himself as any sort of prophet or divine leader, Alisteri decided that he could not allow what he perceived as corruption to seep into the Sith any further if he could help it. However he was weak and only one man, for his voice to be heard and his message to be understood he would need a powerbase strong enough to see the changes made and upheld. He would need a following. He would need a cult.
The Zygerrian refugees that landed on Dromund Kaas would soon come under a very interesting set of circumstances. The slaveowners among them, regardless of their slaves still being alive or not, would soon turn up dead and the rest would find odd charitable gifts left for them as they struggled to adopt a new life in the Sith Empire. Most would go on their way to different places and destinies, but some chose to look into who or what was helping them in their time of need. That was when they met a masked Sith Acolyte, and he welcomed them with open arms. Alisteri slowly earned the trust of the remaining refugees, using his status as a Sith to keep the refugees unbothered by criminals and vagabonds while at the same time offering them assistance wherever he could.
Alongside his assistance, he also brought his beliefs and stories of the Sith and war alike to the refugees. In many of their eyes the Acolyte was their bridge to the Sith that they lived under, a reminder and clarification of their position within the Sith Empire. A lifeline almost. Eventually this culminated in a moonlit sermon during which Alisteri declared the founding of his cult, the Dark Wonosa Cult. His method of change, his followers that would prove his ideals and plans for what the Sith could and should be. The cult would slowly and gradually grow, their reach expanding from the Zygerrian refugees and to the other desperate and seemingly abandoned people of Kaas City. Charity events, sermons, even self-defense and combat training, through these methods the cult ingrained itself in the downtrodden of Dromund Kaas as a small yet reliable group. Their leader being a Sith made their cult seem more legitimate and true, with Alisteri being the first Sith that many of the poorer residents of Dromund Kaas would know.
They set a standard, a model for other citizens to follow in the Sith Empire as they grew and spread their teachings through the underbelly of Kaas City, away from the prying eyes of their betters. However, the Third Imperial Civil War would not go unnoticed or ignored by them. They urged their members to volunteer for service in the military, to find jobs producing weapons, to assist in hospitals, anything to help the desperate war machine of the Sith. It would not be enough, nor would their efforts amount to much in general, in regards to the Sith winning the war. Eventually the Sith Empire would fall and Dromund Kaas, as well as dozens of other worlds, would be left reeling and plunged into chaos without the Sith's authority. Seeing the writing on the wall the cult would reluctantly prepare to leave the planet on order to flee from the ensuing chaos and the encroachment of their enemies.
They made their Dark Exodus from their home and went off into the stars, on a pilgrimage to find a new home and await for the return of the Sith Empire. The pilgrimage would test the cult's members and faith, forcing Alisteri to cut down many dissidents and traitors as he cemented his teachings into the lives of the remaining members. The cult turned from a desperate group of refugees to a zealous and steadfast cult over the course of their long journey through the stars, safe aboard their ship the Altorius as they developed their ideals on what being a Sith meant. Alisteri went out into the galaxy, recovering the knowledge and teachings of Sith from ancient times and the modern era alike in an attempt to further understand the Dark Side and how his cult fit into it. He would have his cult learn from what he recovered just as he did, teaching them of the various differences in beliefs and methods that Sith had thought up over thousands of years of their history.
For them all to understand how the Force would guide and reward them they must also had to learn how it could destroy and damn them. These teachings became ingrained on the day to day lives aboard the Altorius as many turned to faith to make sense of their fates in the galaxy. Their identity became more than just some Sith-Imperial remnant. They began to become a new people entirely, but still one that held themselves to the the Sith and the memory of the Sith Empire. An empire they hoped to help reform and renew. Together they struggled, developed, grew, and traveled over the course of several years aboard their vessel before they finally settled and established their first proper home. A place where they could set down roots and begin recruiting once more, but in a far more meaningful manner than simple charitable acts.
On the planet Formos, an unimportant and out of the way scrap yard would become home to the cult, and here they would bring their fully developed faith with them. Slowly they would start spreading their faith once more, inviting the locals of Formos to join them and be enlightened as they had over their many years of struggle and strife. As the cult established itself, Alisteri would look to the Sith Order for allies and potential recruits, determined to finally enact the changes that he believed were long overdue.