Dark Lore of the Sith

"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural."

[darkloreofthesith]

"And it will come to pass that a Lord among Lords shall rise. They shall usher an Age of the Dark Side and lead the true Sith to dominion. From Darkness they will come, and in Darkness they will rule."

-The Prophecy of the Sith'ari

[darkloreofthesith]

"Sith Sorcery is still something we know frighteningly little about. The practitioners of this Dark art seem to be able to coax the Dark Side of the Force to perform feats beyond our comprehension through arcane rituals, incantations and gestures. It's unclear if these are strictly necessary or if they are a way to prime the mind of the user to channel the Force in ways otherwise too complicated to perform. It is said that ancient Sith where once capable of making suns go nova, draining the life force of entire worlds or transferring their very essence into new hosts. What happened at Malachor would seem to indicate the second to be possible, even though the details of the superweapon used are scarce. The rest of the council have forbidden the further research of this subject and though I think this is a mistake I must abide by their judgment. My research as well as this note are to be sealed in the Bogan Collection. My only hope is that it will be of some use to future generations. There is no Ignorance, There is Knowledge." -- Notes on Sorcery by Jedi Master Arrus Treek

[darkloreofthesith]

"The Empire is just another chain to be broken. A true Sith serves no master but themselves. Thus to seek mastery over others is to invite weakness. For as dependent on you as they are, one is also dependent on them."

-- From the accounts of Sheris Tral, Sith Ronin

[darkloreofthesith]

"The Bogan spoke to me again. It showed me the truth the Masters are too blind to see. The passions they all more often speak against are not weakness nor flaw, but the true path to mastery. This path might be trecherous and dark, but through perseverance, I shall attain victory and show the way to those who are ready to see the truth."

- Excerpt from the Journal of the Rogue

[darkloreofthesith]

On Peace

“Do not confuse the peace we oppose with the absence of war, nor to political stability or peace of mind. These can be, and often are, components of the larger lie we repudiate, but make no mistake. At worst these are only symptoms. It is stagnation we abhor, for it is death.“ - Excerpt from the Holocron of Darth Mardokh

[darkloreofthesith]

Night over Nar Shaddaa

The air on Nar Shaddaa was filled with an orange haze and smelled slightly like a nauseating mix of pollution, stale alcohol and desperation. Bright neon lights from signs advertising everything from speeders and spaceships to drugs and ‘companionship’. If there ever was a center for the darker aspects of the galaxy, this was surely it. Zaithe, however, paid little attention to this, as she gripped her sniper rifle tightly, her focus all aimed through the lens of the scope. She had been sitting crouched on an isolated rooftop, opposite one of the many seedy bars the Smuggler’s Moon prided itself on, for hours waiting for the right moment. Waiting for her target. Her master, Darth Tragus, hadn’t picked the target, merely asked... no commanded her to pick a target, find the means to eliminate them and return without getting caught. She had also left Zaithe on the planet without so much as a single credit, let alone her saber staff. “A Sith must be resourceful, my apprentice“ she had said. “The only tool you truly need is the Dark side. Let it guide you and it will provide you with whatever you need.“ “Easier said than done“ Zaithe had thought, but at the same time she recognized the wisdom of her master’s words. Most sentients were too dependent on tools, weapons and others. A Sith must be a deadly weapon in themselves. It had not been hard finding a suitable target. Jann Karkon was a crime boss dealing in a bit of everything. Drugs, slaves, arms, sometimes even organizing death matches that even the Hutts who ruled the world would object to. However more than that he also occasionally sold information to Republic Intelligence, meaning that for all his dark dealings he was an asset to the Republic and by extension the Jedi. Zaithe knew her master had plans on Nar Shaddaa and eliminating both competition as well as a potential source of Republic involvement would hopefully show Darth Tragus that she was a resourceful and cunning apprentice. It had also not been hard to find a weapon. When you could become one with the shadows and ‘encourage’ guards to look the other way, sneaking into a warehouse and getting your hands on a state of the art sniper rifle was easy. While she wasn’t familiar with the particular model, Zaithe had plenty of training with blasters. Her master encouraging her apprentice to learn not only how to use a light saber but a variety of weapons. ”A light saber is an excellent weapon, but you must not grow dependent on it. It’s hard to disguise it’s signs as anything else and it draws a lot of attention.” Tragus had said, lecturing her apprentice. “Being able to kill with whatever you have at hand, be it a blaster, a vibro-knife or nothing but yourself and the Dark side makes you flexible, adaptable.” Some movement near the door brought her back to the present. A tall man in an expensive suit exited, surrounded by half a dozen bodyguards of just as many species. The group moved at a brisk pace towards a line of waiting speeders. Zaithe took a deep breath, opening herself up fully to the Dark side. She didn’t need the scope anymore, the presence of every single being down there was as clear as if they were just in front of her. She relaxed herself and pulled the trigger. In a handful of seconds Jann Karkon was surrounded by the bodies of his henchmen, each one taken down by a single shot from the high powered blaster rifle. The crime boss stared in shock at the bodies surrounding him, glanced away towards where Zaithe sat hidden before beginning to run towards the closest speeder. Zaithe took her time lining up the final shot, she breathed in once again, absorbing the terror of the man scrambling towards safety. Once again she squeezed the trigger...

[tesb]

Red lightsabers were wielded mainly by the Sith and other dark side Force-sensitives, such as the Inquisitorius during the reign of the Galactic Empire. During the construction of the lightsaber, the wielder would partake in a process known as bleeding; pouring negative emotions into the kyber crystal and bending it to their will by ways of the Force, which corrupted the crystal and gave the lightsabers their distinctive red colour. Even though any kyber crystal could be used in the bleeding process, they were often taken from fallen Jedi.

[darkloreofthesith]

On the meaning of the Sith Code

“Peace is a lie. There is only Passion. Through Passion I gain Strength. Through Strength I gain Power. Through Power I gain Victory. Through Victory my chains are Broken. The Force shall free me.“ The Sith Code is one of the central elements of the Sith philosophy. It summarizes the core beliefs and practices as well as the fundamental goals of the Sith. As such understaning it is central to understanding the philosophy. “Peace is a lie. There is only Passion”

The Jedi teach that emotion, passion and in particular the darker feeling of fear, anger and hate are to be suppressed. That giving up on these leads to peace, However to the Sith, emotions are not only a natural part of life, they are something to be embraced and used. “Through Passion I gain Strength”

By letting these emotions fuel their connection to the Force, the Sith are able to become stronger. Their passions drive them to become better, to improve, to evolve. The peace of complacency gives rise to weakness. The embrace of emotion makes one powerful. “Through Strength I gain Power“ Strength however is nothing if not used. Self-improvement is not an end in itself, it is a tool used to affect the world around oneself. The Jedi fear to use their powers fully, the Sith embrace theirs. “Through Power I gain Victory” Power lacks meaning without direction. It needs to be wielded towards the achievement of specific goals. Mindless destruction and domination is for lesser beings. A Sith aims higher. “Through Victory my chains are Broken” With the continual use of their abilities to achieve whatever they wish to achieve a Sith breaks free form the forces that bind ordinary beings. Laws, morality, the power of others and ultimately the wills of beings within the Force itself all fall as the Sith becomes a master of their own destiny rather than a slave to it. “The Force shall free me“ All this is made possible through the mastery and subjugation of the Force. A Sith, unlike the Jedi, don’t surrender their will to that of the Force, they impose their will on it in order to achieve true freedom.

[darkloreofthesith]

Another Lesson

In a dark chamber, lit only by the faint red light of an aging star shining through cracks and crevices in the ancient structure, the apprentice kneels before the master. “What is the difference between the Sith and the Jedi, apprentice?“ the master asks their young student. Their voice hollow and reverberating inside a metal mask. “The Jedi use the Light side and the Sith use the...“ the apprentice begins before they’re interrupted by the master. “Wrong. It’s not about light and dark; not about such outdated ideas as ‘good’ and ‘evil’.“ they say with cold contempt. “No, my apprentice, the truth is that they put limits on themselves while we don’t. They adhere to dogma, to rules, to codes.“ “What about the Sith code?“ the apprentice asks, confusion apparent even under their heavy hood. “Don’t we adhere to it?“ “A good question, apprentice, the first such one in a long time.“ the master says with just the tiniest hint of pride in their voice. “But that’s not the real question. Can you figure out what it is?“ The apprentice falls silent for a while, their brow furrowed and their eyes closed. “Why do we adhere to the Sith code?“ they ask cautiously. “Exactly, apprentice. Why indeed.“ the master says as they fix their gaze on the kneeling apprentice. “We adhere to the code because it serves our purpose, because it grants us strength, power, victory. It is not a chain that limits us but a tool that elevates us. The true strength of the Sith is that we are agents of freedom.” they pause momentarily, looking upwards “We are the slaves who rise to be rulers, except, we don’t seek mere dominion over a city, a planet or even the galaxy itself.“ their gaze falls back to their student. “What we desire is dominion over ourselves, over our own fates.” “The Jedi and the pretenders who call themselves Sith, yet enslave themselves to the Force instead of making it their weapon. We don’t wage war against any mortal foe, we make war on a reality not of our making. This is what is the essence of the Sith.“ The student nods slowly. “I can see the truth in your word, master.” they say. The master looks at them quietly for a moment. “You might understand the words, but the true meaning still eludes you. And“ they add “you are still far from making the meaning behind the words a reality for yourself. Once you not only accept this not as truth from my lips, but as the truth in your own mind. In your own desires. In your own actions. Only then, will you truly understand.” they turn and begin walking away, but stop before fully leaving the chamber. “Only then will you be a Sith.”

[darkloreofthesith]

A Lesson

“Do you know why you fail?“ The Master’s voice was stern and had a hint of mockery to it. The Apprentice, their hair and clothes dripping with sweat, laid panting on the ground before the obelisk. “Answer me, or I will drag the answer out of you by force!“ her voice harder now. “It’s... just too... big...“ the Apprentice managed to get out between ragged breaths. Her eyes narrowing, the Master raised her hands and let a brilliant burst of blue lightning stream from her fingers into her student. Pain wracked their body. Every second seemed to be an hour or more. When it finally ended the Master simply stated: “What is the size of a mere rock compared to the power of the Dark side? It is not the size of the rock that is the problem. It is you!“ Still shaking from the earlier exertion and the pain of the Force lightning the Apprentice could do nothing but gasp for a few moments before finally managing to speak with a weak voice. “I’m sorry... I am just not... strong enough... I will...“ They didn’t get any further before another stream of lightning engulfed their body in pain beyond comprehension. It seemed like the agony would never end. But then it did. “Do. Not. Apologize!“ the Master snarled. “That is not our way.“ her eyes glowing yellow under their hood, burning with anger. “It is true that you are weak.“ she said matter-of-factly. “But it is not because you lack strength with the Force. I would not have picked you as an apprentice otherwise.” Turning away from her student, she raised her hands towards the obelisk which quickly started to lift upwards, before gently settling back into place as the Master let go of it. “You have the innate strength, you just lack the means to unlock it. You must use your anger. It holds the key to power.“ The Apprentice, pushing themselves up from the ground, lifted their hands towards the obelisk once more. Brow furrowed and face contorted with effort they stood like that for several seconds. The gigantic slab of stone shuddered slightly but was otherwise unmoved. Finally giving up again, the Apprentice let their hands fall to their sides. “I’m trying, but I can’t...“ It was not a blast of lightning this time but a slap. The slap of a Dark Lady of the Sith however was nothing to laugh at. “Try? TRY? There is no try! A Sith does what needs to be done.“ Letting her own anger fade a bit before continuing. “This is why you fail. You have anger and you use it, but it is clouded by other emotions. I sense fear of failure, I sense the pain of loss, I sense your physical pain, I sense you envy of my power. All these emotions keep pulling you in different directions weakening your resolve and focus. The Jedi would counsel you to supress these emotions. To accept the state of things.“ she spat on the ground as if tasting something foul. “That is not our way. These emotions are a wellspring of energy, but you must unify them. Let them be the fuel for your anger and hatred. Pour every last drop of sadness, pain, fear and envy into the wildfire that is your wrath.“ She paused, fixing her apprentice with her eyes. “Do this or you will find out just how much Force lightning your body can take before being destroyed.“ The Apprentice nodded and closed their eyes. The Master had been right. Their mind was a mess of conflicting emotions, destroying their focus and their connection to the Force. Imagining a single flame in their mind, they set these emotions ablaze. Suddenly there was no longer any pain, nor fear, nor sadness. There was only them and the obelisk, mocking them with their size. Opening their eyes, now burning yellow, the Apprentice raised their hands and screamed in defiance. The obelisk was ripped out of the ground with almost no effort. Just hanging in the air just a few meters of the ground. Suddenly there was a cracking sound. The huge stone monument split into pieces and fell to the ground. Yellow fading from their green eyes, the Apprentice could do nothing but stare in astonishment at their hands and the rubble before them. The Master was laughing in pure delight. Any hardness gone from her face. “Good! Impressive my young apprentice! That was a bit more than I had expected. It seems I did not make a mistake in picking you after all“ still laughing they took a look around at the mess. “Though I do think we need to work on your control a bit.“ She turned away from the broken obelisk and started heading towards the camp near their ship. The Apprentice took one last look at what they had achieved before quickly hurrying after.

[darkloreofthesith]

Sith Masks

"Masks have power. Some are worn in the grave. Others worn in life. This, like the others in my collection, has gathered the darkness of the living Force! Wear it. You are anointed, Kiza of Corellia." -  Yupe Tashu, to Kiza The Sith have a curious relation to masks. Not a mere tool of protection or anonymity, Sith masks are tools of rebirth as superior beings. Unlike the Jedi, who believe in self-denial and preserving what is, the Sith value progress, self-empowerment and transforming things that are into something greater. The masks here are a tool in this progress. We’ll look at some examples to illustrate this.

Let’s start by looking at the one who would become Darth Revan. Even before their ascension to the title of Dark Lord of the Sith, they had already begun their transformation into something greater than the individual they once were. When the Republic was faced with war with the Mandalorians and the Jedi council refused to grant their aid, the one who would become Revan gathered those who opposed the council and left to fight. After finding a Mandalorian mask and chosing to wear it, both as a sign of respect for the fallen foe and as a warning to the rest of the Mandalorians, they took on the name Revan, a name that would inspire both awe and dread. The mask did more than that. Both the donning of the mask and the taking of a new name, made Revan into a symbol. Something greater than any one being. Another aspect was that this ritual rebirth into a greater being, allowed to do whatever they needed in order to succeed. Not being held back by who they once were, Revan’s victory allowed them to break the chains of the past and rise into something greater.

Vader is another example. While his suit served the purpose of keeping him alive despite his grievous injuries, it served another purpose as well. It allowed the transformation of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into the Sith Lord Darth Vader to be completed. The mask and suit separated Vader from the rest of the universe at the same time it became a symbol of the Empire's power and might. The mere sight of Vader would inspire terror into enemies and allies alike. Something Anakin Skywalker would not have been able to do. The suit and mask also made Vader less reliant on his physical body, allowing him to focus on mastering the power of the Dark side. Vader’s mask likely became infused with his Dark side power over time, turning it into a powerful artifact even after his fall to the Light and his death. This in turn may have granted visions that inspired our final example.

Kylo Ren, while not a Sith, does in many ways adhere to the tenets of the Order. His mask is a sign of that. The Jedi student Ben Solo took the name Kylo Ren to become someone else, something else. A monster as Rey describes it. Ben Solo’s soul was always in conflict between Light and Darkness and having chosen to ally with the latter he sought ways to break this confusion and become, as Snoke put it, a new Vader. Kylo Ren is an act. It is the being that Ben Solo wants to become. An intimidating being of the Dark side. Fierce and powerful, feared by all just like Vader. But he is not yet there and when not wearing his mask this can be clearly seen. The mask, the name, the actions are all there to help him become who he pretends to be. Fake it until you make it. In the end, neither this performance nor the ritualistic sacrifice of his father to complete his journey to the Dark side works. What does is instead following another honored Sith tradition: Killing your master. Through the act of slaying his superior he ascends to power and finally becomes Kylo Ren.

The Jedi have one tradition that relates to the subject but show a complete reversal of purpose. This tradition is the one of Temple Guards. The Temple guards don’t use masks to raise themselves above others or to transform into a superior being. Instead they use it to erase their individuality and turn themselves into living symbols of duty and servitude. Their masks are identical, letting no individuality shine through. It obscures features and masks the voice, making it impossible to tell who a Temple Guard is below the mask. However, where a Sith might use this to obscure their identity in service to their grander goals, to the Jedi who don the Temple Guard uniform this is a statement that they are a Jedi and Temple Guard foremost and a person second. They effectively become their job.

We see that masks are important to Sith and related Dark side traditions. They are a way of transforming yourself into the being you want to become, to do what you know needs to be done, to distance yourself from both your past and the rest of the Universe. Masks are more than fashion. More than anonymity, protection and showing allegiance. Mask are transformation. Mask are power. Masks are freedom.

[darkloreofthesith]

(I did not create these GIFs)

[darkloreofthesith]

Those who use the dark side are also bound to serve it. To understand this is to understand the underlying philosophy of the Sith.

Darth Revan

[darkloreofthesith]

If you seek to aid everyone that suffers in the galaxy, you will only weaken yourself … and weaken them. It is the internal struggles, when fought and won on their own, that yield the strongest rewards… If you care for others, then dispense with pity and sacrifice and recognize the value in letting them fight their own battles.

Darth Traya

[darkloreofthesith]

We take what we desire because we can. We can because we have power. We have power because we are Sith.

Sith proverb

[darkloreofthesith]

Even before the Rule of Two it was common practice for Sith apprentices to challenge and destroy their masters. The strong overthrowing the weak is the way of the Dark Side. It does not tolerate weakness. The fatal flaw of the pre-Bane Sith however was that a group of weaker apprentices could band together to defeat a stronger master, often ending in infighting over the possession of the masters resources. This practice not only led to incessant internal conflict, but also to the weak overthrowing the strong. This is the central problem that the Rule of Two attempted to solve. 

[darkloreofthesith]

The Tyranny of the Force

“As are all living things. All are caught in the river of power that is the Force, trapped by its currents. Only those who wield the dark side of the Force are capable of changing those currents; they are riverbreakers. They do not surrender to fate. They are its foes.” - Kiza, Acolyte of the Beyond “Ah, but at what point does the power the Force exerts submerge any attempt at choice, or free will?” - Kreia “Through Victory my Chain are Broken The Force shall set me Free” - The Sith Code

From a certain point of view, the Force is a tyrant that uses living beings as it’s plaything. We know from countless sources that the Force has a will and that will can at least strongly influence events, even those not involving Force sensitives(as we can clearly see in Rogue One). What it’s ultimate goal/goals are is unknown and frankly unimportant. What is important is that the Force views individual beings as tools to be used and then thrown away when they are no longer useful. Note how in Rogue One, the main characters all die after they have fulfilled their main purpose. Once the Force has gotten what it wants out of you, it no longer sees any need to protect you and is perfectly fine leaving you stranded in a situation way beyond your capabilities to survive unaided. A situation created by it and where it has directly led you. We are nothing but chess pieces. Disciples of the Light side of the Force are perfectly fine with this. They are constantly prattling on about following the will of the Force, about how the Force is not a tool etc. Disciples of the Dark side however see things differently. They see how they can use the Force to make themselves masters of it. To use it’s power against itself. Unfortunately many of them end up as just as tyrannical as the Force itself, but I still think there’s a value to their perspective and to adopt a broader view.