Conceited
Order of the Sith Lords (Rule of Two)
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To provide the lore behind the Order of the Sith Lords, and the philosophy of the Rule of Two, that I have been developing and writing about on Chaos for the past five years.
Image Credit: [Link]
Links:
- Vanessa Vantai (Darth Pandeima)
- Alicia Drey (Darth Ayra)
- Ella Nova (Darth Ayra)
- Darth Veles
- Darth Bane
- Darth Revan
- Rule of Two (Canon)
- Order of the Sith Lords (Canon)
- Chandrila Group
- Chandrila DataTech
- Defiance Consolidated Multipurpose Manufacturing
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GENERAL INFORMATIONOrganization Name: Order of the Sith Lords
Classification: Crime organisation, Sith Order, religious cult
Loyalties: The faction is loyal to the ancient doctrines and teachings of Darth Bane, for the most part. But with each addition and the rise and fall of each new Sith Master there comes more convoluted teachings or understandings that hadn't been there the first time.
Organization Symbol: [Link!]
Description: The Order of the Sith Lords is an organisation compromised entirely by two Sith Lords. The first is considered the 'master', and the defacto leader of the organisation. The other is the 'apprentice', the student of the master Sith Lord and the enforcer of their will. The two live in a symbiotic relationship based on hatred, deception, manipulation and rivalry with the other until it comes to a point where they challenge each other to the death. The purpose of the organisation is to achieve rule over the entire galaxy.
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GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Headquarters: Humbarine.
Realm: Humbarine (HQ), New Republic, Buoyant, Kursid.
Domain: The Order of the Sith Lords holds influence on the planets of the New Republic, mostly notably Humbarine. This is due to the fact that one of it's Sith Lords- and current Sith Master- is a Senator in the New Republic, representing Humbarine on it's senate. This gives the organisation some influence and control of the planets as it can influence votes, and change laws that affect the New Republic. The planets of Buoyant, and Kursid, have been worlds used by the Sith in the past to train upon. In particular, the world of Kursid had it's records expunged from the Galactic Republic several centuries before the Four-Hundred Year Darkness, and was rediscovered by Darth Ayra. Their influence is so that the only contact Kursid's bellicose species has had with the outside galaxy has been with the Order of the Sith Lords.
Notable Assets: The organisation owns several personal ships ranging from the sizes of small transports up to Heavy Cruisers, as well as holdings in several corporations across the galaxy. They also possess notable Sith memorabilia, paraphernalia and Lightsabers. Most of it's members have or are considerably wealthy.
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SOCIAL INFORMATION
Hierarchy: The Order of the Sith Lords is comprised (normally) with two Sith Lords. One is the master, the other the apprentice. The apprentice serves the master, learning everything that the master knows until the time comes that the apprentice considers him or herself more powerful, leading to a challenge where the two fight for supremacy. The victor of that challenge remains or retains their status of master.
This can also work in reverse, particularly if the master considers that the apprentice has done something abhorrent. In the case that there is more than two Sith Lords due to conspiring or some other reason, then the third is normally used as an enforcer of the twos will, or is the next in line to become the apprentice when the original pairing engage each other in the challenge.
This organisation can also comprise of many dark siders, commonly referred too as Dark Jedi, who do not know much about the Sith Lords who rule them but act as subordinates, servants or associates who work for them.
Membership: The organisation is commonly made up of two Sith Lords. There are occasions when there are more than three Sith, which I talk about in 'hierarchy' above us. To become a member of the organisation is at the digression of the master and what they are looking for. This individual normally seeks out other individuals with strength, power, influence or a combination of all three. Most importantly, however, is if this new comer possesses enough potential in the Force to be worthy of the master's apprenticeship, and if they have the foresight to accept the philosophy of the Rule of Two.
Following the ways of the Rule of Two, as it was taught by the original creator, Darth Bane, is paramount to membership of the Order of the Sith Lords. If this philosophy is somehow violated by one or the other then it is tantamount to treason, and the violator is normally killed. There MUST only by two Sith Lords at one time. The axiom of Darth Bane explains this perfectly:
"Two there must be; no more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it."
Outside the dichotomy of the two Sith it is possible that the organisation can grow to encompass others. These others are servants, or subordinates, who are given the secret of the two Sith and serve them to carry out their will in the galaxy. They can come in the form of Dark Jedi, droids, non-force sensitives or figures in other powerful organisations. These people are considered lesser than the Sith, and they accept their place for varying reasons.The initiation for joining the Order of the Sith Lords is a long and difficult process for both master and apprentice. First, the master must determine if the individual they covet to become their apprentice is right for the position. He or she must consider whether or not this other will carry on their work after they die; if they would betray the secrecy of the order by exposing it's existence to others; whether they are strong enough in the Force to be worthy of the position; and if they have the necessary qualities of secrecy, cunning, manipulation and intelligence.
The individual coveted as the apprentice is tested by the master so as to determine if they have these necessary qualities. These tests can range from long term mental manipulation of the master, designed to both test and transform the apprentices understanding of the Force, the galaxy and the way of things, leading to a transformation of personality that ends with the endowment of the Darth honorific, which is seen as the apprentice accepting a new identity and life in order to replace the old.
Then the apprentice is put through taxing training procedures and manuals overseen by the master, that tests their limits and abilities. This training in the ways of the dark side can take decades to achieve full mastery and can often lead to fatalities along the way. If the apprentice then survives all their training and reaches a point where they believe themselves stronger than their master than he or she must consider if the master has endowed them with all their knowledge on the Force, as well as other things such as the resources, tools or weapons they might have gathered during their decades together.
When the apprentice has reached a point where they are confident enough to challenge their master the two engaged in Lightsaber combat to determine the next master. If the apprentice wins then it is a final confirmation that they have truly become the new Sith Master, and become the defacto leader of the organisation, where they then begin the search for their own apprentice.
Should the master survive the apprentice's challenge then it is a confirmation that the apprentice was too weak to overthrow them, and the master begins their search for another apprentice to replace the old, starting the process all over again.
For others to join the Order of the Sith Lords they must possess certain qualities themselves. They must be strong in the Force; hold influence on a planet or in another organisation, such as a corporation or government; must accept subservience to the Sith for the rest of their lives; must follow the ways of the dark side; and must not tell others of the orders existence. To join a wanting member should leave a post in this thread.
Influence: The current recognised Sith Master of the order is the current Senator of Humbarine. As the representative of Humbarine in the New Republic, she has the ability to manipulate, control and pass legislation that affects the entirety of the New Republic, plus the planet that she represents. Her positions holds particular influence to the Humbarine Council, the government that leads and controls Humbarine's ecumenopolis.
The current apprentice of the master holds influence in the Order of the Jen'ari due to the relationship that he holds with it's leader, [member="Darth Vyrassu"]. It's a tiny amount of influence due to the relationship that the pair hold, but it can be exploited later down the line.
The former (but still alive) master, @Vanessa Ventai, owns a giant corporation that has supplied several worlds, factions and governments with munitions, weapons and ships. Her business has given her some degree of influence and even friendship with leaders with the aforementioned. She does not hold any influence in the Order of the Sith Lords anymore, but because she has yet to be eliminated by her former apprentice, she is still a member even if she doesn't want to be anymore.
Climate: The organisation is based on complete following and tutelage in the dark side of the Force. It is based on rivalry, hatred, cunning, manipulation, deception and anger between both of it's Sith Lords. Above all else is based entirely on the idea of it being clandestine. Nobody is meant to know of it's existence, and if others find out about it, then they are meant to be exterminated or were let in on the secret for a purpose before they too are killed. This can lead to a kind of extraordinary pressure on the individuals involved that can last for a lifetime.
Reputation: The reputation of the organisation is considered heretical in this day and age, with the majority of the Sith having moved onto other philosophies or doctrines that violate it. Many Sith are aware that there was once an Order of the Sith Lords thousands of years ago, but unlike the One Sith- who made a dominant return during the late 830s and early 840s- this particular organisation remained quiet, and little know of it's existence. It has a small reputation.
Rules:
- The survival of the Order is paramount. One can die but another must survive in order for the Order to continue.
- Members can never fall to the ways of the light side. They must always follow the ways of the dark side.
- Secrecy of the Order is absolute, and it's existence is only to be kept by the two Sith Lords who encompass it. Others can be hinted to it's existence so as to entice their servitude or assistance, but revelation of the Order's existence is a mistake.
- The two Sith can recruit associates, subordinates and servants to serve them, but there can never be more than two Sith. If there is a third Sith then it is because one or the other is to be replaced due to betrayal, or weakness. There can only be two.
- The apprentice must serve the master until they grow strong enough to take their place. It is expected that the apprentice learns everything that the master knew before killing them, but this is just an expectation, and not the rule.
- Both master and apprentice must constantly work to improving themselves throughout their lives. This includes understanding and mastery of the Force through to the conservation of influence, power, and if necessary, wealth to forward the overall agenda of the organisation.
- Both master or apprentice can be challenged at anytime by one or the other for any perceived reason of the individual. It is encouraged that this is done by feeling, and emotion. It is encouraged that the challenger openly fight their opponent to the death through Lightsaber combat, so as to confirm that they were the stronger, rather than through the use of assassination or poison. Help from others to win over the other is strictly prohibited. If you are stronger than them then you will not need help to kill them.
The Rule of Two was explained in other sections of this Codex entry.
Goals: The ultimate goal of the organisation is to bring domination across the galaxy by ruling it. To achieve this it's members work during their lifetimes to progress the Grand Plan, the imperative of the Order that each member has contributed too in their own way to bring about this ultimate goal. But this may take several years, decades or centuries.
Short-term goals for it's members is to increase it's influence in the New Republic and the Confederacy. They also wish to see to the eradication of all Sith so as to center the power of the dark side in one- the Sith Master- and rebuild the Sith Order back into the image that Darth Bane started.
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MEMBERS
[member="Vanessa Vantai"] - Otherwise known to her former apprentice as Darth Pandeima, this woman was responsible for helping to resurrect the Rule of Two. However, instead of respecting the 'traditional' following of the old rule, she sought to create a perfect version of the Rule with her apprentice through the expression of love for each other. Through this she thought she could eliminate the rivalry, and the possibility of betrayal, by creating the perfect servant who would be devoted too her. But she was mistaken.
Still alive, it is unknown to her former apprentice that Pandeima, or Vanessa Vantai, follows the Rule of Two that she wished to create with her, but nonetheless the axiom of the Rule is that they can only be separated through death, and both are still alive.
[member="Ella Nova"] - This former Jedi Knight was a servant of the Old Republic during the One Sith Wars. She was captured at the end of the war by a Dark Lord and soon fell to the dark side as a result of this. Years after the war she resurfaced first on Dosuun, living on Avalonia for a short time, before returning to the New Republic to take up politics on Humbarine, winning the election to the post of Senator after helping to thwart a Sith incursion into their system.
In secret she calls herself Darth Ayra, the former apprentice of Darth Pandeima, who invaded the body of the former Jedi through the ritual of Transfer Essence, eradicating the existence of Ella Nova and replacing it with her own. Formally born on Chandrila, she was once Alicia Drey, an investor, businesswoman and entrepreneur who held stock in several companies on her homeworld, as well as the same corporation that Vanessa still owns today.
During her life she sought to collect memorabilia or paraphernalia belonging to the Sith, most notably collecting the Sith Holocrons of Darth Revan and Darth Andeddu. It was during a journey on Dxun to discover the missing holocron of Freedon Nadd that Ayra was infected with the same parasites that had infected Darth Bane several millennia ago. Desperate to save herself she would take Ella out of her captivity to the hands of the One Sith, and would take over her body with the Transfer Essence ritual.
[member="Darth Veles"] - A Mon Calamari Sith Lord from the planet Raxus, Darth Veles would set himself up in an influential position in the First Order and train several members of the dark side organisation that called itself the Knights of Ren. When a mysterious and very short Human woman by the name of Avedia Lacroix begun conducting secret meetings with the Ren, Veles became suspicious. It was during an expedition on Yalara that he confirmed that Avedia was a Sith Lord.
Confronting her directly, Veles learned that Avedia was in fact a Sith Lord who went by the alias of Darth Vupua. Together, the two would learn that the other followed the ways of the Rule of Two. Engaging in a ferocious Lightsaber duel to prove who was the stronger, neither could overwhelm the other and the duel ended in a stalemate. 'Vupua' would share that she held Darth Revan's Sith Holocron before the two departed, each wondering how the other affected things in the future.
Together, both Veles and 'Vupua' (secretly Darth Ayra who was using a fake name) would discovered the Holocron of Heresies. Before he could gleam insight from the spirit of Darth Andeddu, however, Veles was betrayed by Ayra, who fled Avalonia and disappeared. This was the last time that the two would see each other, and his whereabouts are unknown.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The Order of the Sith Lords was founded by the Dark Lord of the Sith and Sith'ari, Darth Bane, nearly two thousands years ago. Through the Sith Holocron of Darth Revan, Bane was able to piece together the wrong that were the Sith of his time, and through great cunning, manipulated them into destruction during the last battle of Ruusan. After the battle he entered into hiding after taking an apprentice, and from there, begun a lineage of Sith Lords that would be passed down through every century until it was time for the Sith to reveal themselves once more, and complete the galactic plan for domination.
Following the betrayal of Darth Sidious, who violated the philosophy of the Rule of Two and attempt to consolidate the legacy of the Sith into himself, the Order attempted to survive through the efforts of Lumiya and her creation: Darth Caedus. But after Caedus was murdered by his twin sister, and with Lumiya killed by his Uncle, the philosophy of the Rule of Two was last to time, and by the coming of the Four-Hundred Year Darkness, the Sith had receded back into an Order of many instead of there being only two.
For four hundred years the galaxy was left in darkness as the Gulag Plague ravaged across all worlds, leaving the galaxy stagnant and lost. By the time of the 820s the Sith had endured, surviving so a few could still follow the ways of the dark side. One of these individuals was Circe Savan, a prospect of the fledgling Sith Empire who desired her own apprentice. Searching the galaxy, Circe arrived on Chandrila and discovered a powerful Force-sensitive in the form of Alicia Drey. After helping her murder her parents, Circe left Chandrila with Alicia and begun instructing her in the ways of the dark side.
During their apprenticeship, Circe would take the honorific of Darth Pandeima after becoming a Sith Lord in the Empire, and would latter name her apprentice Darth Ayra after consummating their apprenticeship into a Rule of Two. Believing that through the emotion of love she could inspire her apprentice to follow her for the rest of her life, Pandeima sought to become immortal and would discover the ancient ritual of Transfer Essence in order to achieve this immortality. Building corporations, designing weapons and increasing influence with powerful figureheads, Pandeima was content with her power and knowledge that she had an enforcer who was devoted to her cause.
Under Pandeima's apprenticeship, Darth Ayra begun to delve deep into the past of the Sith, becoming infatuated with the history and knowledge of the dark side as she was with her Sith Master. It was here that she first found traces of the Order of the Sith Lords and the original philosophy of the Rule of Two. For over a decade Ayra sought the secrets of the Order and learned the truth. Realising that her master was heretical in her beliefs, Darth Ayra created a plan to kill Pandeima and take her place as the true Sith Master.
Joining the One Sith, Darth Ayra led armies and helped facilitate the Sacking of Coruscant in the late 830s which effectively begun the end of the Old Republic. Integrating herself into this new Sith Order under a mysterious Dark Lord of the Sith, Ayra would join and influence several criminal organisations during her time in the One Sith, such as the Red Sparrows, the Black Tie Syndicate and the Purple Rejects. It was with the criminals of the Black Tie Syndicate that Ayra discovered the copy of Darth Revan's Sith Holocron as she continued her search for self improvement as she had learned to do through her previous studies.
During a meeting between the upper echelons of the One Sith, Darth Ayra observed the attempted assassination of their Dark Lord beside her Sith Master, who had joined the One Sith under her apprentice's recommendations. As the assassination failed the fanatic followers of the Dark Lord quickly rounded on Pandeima and Ayra knowing that the two of them were opportunists and posed a threat to their master. An ultimatum was made against both of them: one would have to kill the other in order to prove their loyalty to the One Sith. Before Pandeima could act, Ayra turned her Lightsaber on her master and cut her down, cementing her place in the One Sith whilst simultaneously taking her place as the Sith Master.
Completing her plan and taking her place, Ayra moved quickly to try to consolidate her resources, but was angered to find that Pandeima had prepared a successor to takeover Ri'ess-Emeritus Industries, the corporation that she had been building prior to taking Ayra as her apprentice and one that they had later owner as joint owners. Vitor Imperiuse, the successor, was offered terms by Ayra to sever their joint ownership, and an agreement was made between both sides where she would sell her shares in exchange for a large payment, which she would later invest into the creation of Chandrila Group.
Using her contacts in the criminal underworld, Darth Ayra discovered that the copy of Freedon Nadd's Sith Holocron may still be in his tomb on Dxun. Heading to the Demon's Moon in the company of a cloned soldier (who she had been testing to see if she if she would become Ayra's apprentice) Darth Ayra broke into the tomb and begun to explore it. She would discover that the Holocron had been taken just days beforehand by a rival called [member="Taeli Raaf"].
Sensing Raaf's presence in the tomb, Ayra turned to escape and begin her search for her when she was attacked by the parasites that Freedon Nadd had left behind to guard his tomb from would-be intruders. One of the parasites managed to latch themselves onto Ayra's back as she fled with Joon's help and the pair escaped to Sojourn, where Ayra lived when she was not on Chandrila.
In the year after her failed attempt to claim the Holocron, Darth Ayra was ravaged by the effects of the parasite. During a Galactic Alliance attack on Coruscant, as they sought to finally liberate it from the clutches of the One Sith, Ayra confronted Taeli Raaf, a Jedi Master who had betrayed the One Sith to join the Alliance-Jedi. Darth Ayra lost badly against Raaf, but managed to escape Coruscant just before it was taken over by the Alliance, where she returned to Sojourn to live out her final days.
Before she was killed by the parasites, which now covered her body and threatened to encase her face, Darth Ayra sent her Sun Guards back to Coruscant and broke a Jedi Knight out of the Black Pyramid prison that had been built for Darth Carnifex, the same Dark Lord who had captured the Jedi at the end of the invasion of the Old Republic. Taken back to Sojourn after months of torture, Ella Nova was helpless against the dying Sith Lord's power and her existence was erased by the ritual of Transfer Essence, which Ayra had learned from Pandeima prior to her destruction.
After taking the body of the Jedi Knight for herself, Ayra ordered all the remaining assets she had owned as Alicia Drey to be auctioned off by a banker from the InterGalactic Banking Clan and left Sojourn on board the Initium, a personal transport that was based on the ancient designs of the Scimitar with her own modifications and technology. Creating the alias of Avedia Lacroix, Ayra moved to Dosuun and settled in the city of Avalonia, now under the control of the Imperialistic First Order.
During her time in Avalonia, Ayra met with several members of the Knights of Ren, a dark side organisation that served the First Order and their Supreme Leader. Seeking to convert the Ren to join her, Darth Ayra joined an expedition on Yalara as the Ren explored the Temple of Ragnos and met another Sith Lord called Darth Veles. Coming to learn the true identity of Avedia Lacroix, Veles confronted her and the pair learned that they followed the philosophy of the Rule of Two. A Lightsaber duel followed to determine who was the stronger, but neither could overwhelm the other, leaving them at a stalemate.
Together, Veles and Ayra discovered that during the war with the One Sith, Jedi Grandmaster Corvus Raaf had discovered the Sith Holocron of Darth Andeddu and had hid it in her home on Tatooine, to keep it away from the Sith. Raiding the former Grandmaster's home to take the Holocron of Heresies, Ayra collected her second Sith Holocron and left Tatooine for parts unknown. Not wanting to share the contents of the Holocron with Veles, and aware that her identity had been exposed, Ayra did not want to wait and see if Veles would use his significant influence in the First Order to arrest her after he would find out that she had taken the Holocron.
Landing on the planet Ambria, Darth Ayra set up camp beside the shores of Lake Natth, as Bane had done centuries ago, and begun to build a new Grand Plan that her Order would follow long after her death. It was here that she learned the contents of the Holocron of Heresies. It was also on Ambria that Pandeima would reveal that she was not dead, but had rather survived Ayra's attempt to kill her by using Transfer Essence and taking the body of Vanessa Vantai. Offering her former apprentice to return with her and that they could start afresh, Darth Ayra had refused Pandeima's offer, seeing her as weak and pathetic. Vowing to kill Pandeima for bastardising the Rule of Two and using her for so long, the two parted Ambria as enemies.
Much later, Ella Nova would resurface on the world of Humbarine and surprisingly entered the upcoming elections held by the Humbarine Council to determine the successor to Yasmleil Ridall, the former Senator who represented Humbarine in the New Republic, who had died after a sudden heart attack. It was in fact Darth Ayra who had killed Yasmleil through the Force. Using the service record of Ella Nova as a Jedi Knight to her advantage, Ayra begun campaigning to become the new Senator for Humbarine, but was left in second place in the standings, with Sullchiri Ridall- Yasmleil's brother- favoured to take her place.
Reaching out to the Order of Jen'ari, Jack Anderson was sent to Humbarine to work for Ayra and help her assassinate Sullchiri. But before he even received his orders from Darth Ayra, the Jen'ari fleet dropped out of hyperspace over Humbarine unexpectedly. Plunging the planet and the New Republic into chaos, Darth Vyarassu landed planet side and was confronted by Ella Nova. Turning back into his ship, Vyrassu left the planet and using what had happened to her advantage, Ella had convincingly won the election to become Humbarine's Senator.
