Sith

"Treachery is the way of the Sith." ―Darth Tyranus

Heraldry

Description

The Sith Order is a sect within the LARP of Amtgard; often characterized by their single-minded lust for power and the brutal methods they are willing to use in order to acquire it. The Sith blend aspects of both Stick Jocks and Flurbs, and refer to Amtgard Magic as the Force. To join the Sith Order, one must be apprenticed to a Sith Master. Most Sith use red covers on their swords.

Philosophy

"Equality is a lie…A myth to appease the masses. Simply look around and you will see the lie for what it is! There are those with power, those with the strength and will to lead. And there are those meant to follow—those incapable of anything but servitude and a meager, worthless existence.

Equality is a perversion of the natural order…It binds the strong to the weak. They [the weak] become anchors that drag the exceptional down to mediocrity. Individuals destined and deserving of greatness have it denied them. They [the strong] suffer for the sake of keeping them even with their inferiors.

Equality is a chain, like obedience. Like fear or uncertainty or self doubt." ―Darth Bane

Sith philosophy emphasized conflict. The Sith believed that it empowered both individuals and civilizations by forcing them to change, grow, and evolve. Conflict ensured that only the strong would survive, thus leading the Sith down the path to perfection. Individuals only deserved what they were strong enough to take and those too weak to protect themselves were fair game.

The pacifistic teachings of the Jedi were viewed as obstructions to progress; lack of conflict led only to stagnation and decline. Likewise, morality was treated as an obstacle to be overcome as it got in the way of a Sith's ability to recognize and seize opportunities for advancement and self-empowerment.

"Fear. Fear attracts the fearful… the strong… the weak… the innocent… the corrupt. Fear. Fear is my ally." ―Darth Maul

The core of a Sith's power comes from emotion. The Jedi taught that fear and anger were negative emotions that must be overcome, but the Sith understand that every living creature was subject to such passions. They believe in harnessing rather than suppressing these natural urges. The Sith do not endeavor to place themselves beyond passions as the Jedi did – on the contrary, they believed that emotion was required in order to attain a holistic understanding of the Force.

However, not all emotions were embraced by the Sith. They, like the Jedi, considered 'love' a dangerous emotion, but for different reasons. The Jedi discouraged love because it led to attachment, but the Sith taught that love led to mercy, which was anathema to them.

The Sith Code

"I am not a man of words. But I respect the power of words, for that is what transformed me. The words of the Sith Code." ―Darth Bane

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 Rule of Two

"Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody the power; the other to crave it." ―Darth Bane

To ensure the continued survival of the Sith Order, the rule of two is upheld. The rule of the two institutes that a master trains an apprentice. Once the apprentice was fully trained, he would kill the master and take on the mantle himself and repeat the process. The death of the master is either a ceremonial killing or an assassination.

Sith Master

"It is natural for him to want to destroy me. It is not crude mundane ambition, as it would be in an ordinary man; it is part of his growth. And of course it does not offend me—it is why I chose him. But he needs to grow still further." ― Darth Sidious

Sith Masters are Sith that have an apprentice serving beneath them.

Sith Apprentice

"I am sending you my apprentice, Darth Vader. He will... take care of you." - Darth Sidious

Sith Apprentices are Sith neophytes that are studying under the tutelage of a Sith Master.

Adepts

"She will be more than a match for young Skywalker."

"It matters not. She is merely an instrument to bring forth the eradication of the Jedi." - Darth Tyranus and Darth Sidious

Adepts are not technically Sith. They are chosen and honed by the Sith Apprentice. Essentially, adepts are candidates to replace the Apprentice if he or she is killed or ascends to mastery.

Trials of the Sith

The trials of the Sith are for members of the Sith Order to undertake as they approach Knighthood. A Sith who attains a Knighthood takes the title "Darth" instead of "Sir".

When the Apprentice is nearly eligibility for Knighthood, the Master assigns 4 trials, which they must complete alone to prove themselves a Sith Lord.

Trial of the Spirit

"Tell me what you regard as your greatest strength, so I will know how best to undermine you; tell me of your greatest fear, so I will know which I must force you to face; tell me what you cherish most, so I will know what to take from you; and tell me what you crave, so that I might deny you…" ―Darth Plagueis

To pass the Trial of the Spirit, the Sith would have to look deep within themselves, and prove that they are dedicated to the Dark Side of the Force, to cultivating their skills and abilities above all else.

The first test of a Sith. The Sith Apprentice must dedicate themselves to improving their skills and abilities. Their attendance in Amtgard, and involvement in workshops, practice, and training should be exemplary. The Sith Master is free to determine if the Apprentice is adequately dedicating themselves to the pursuit of self-improvement.

Trial of Courage

"My Master will not make Palpatine's mistake. All Jedi must die." ―Darth Nihl

To pass the Trial of Courage, a Sith Apprentice must fight courageously in battle, complete a mission with a low chance of survival, or defeat a superior enemy, and they must do so alone.

The second trial of a Sith Apprentice; The Master must give the Apprentice a very hard assignment, which they must fulfill alone. The Apprentice may not graduate from this trial until they have successfully completed their assignment.

The Trial of the Flesh

"I can die a hundred times, Exile, and still I will rise again, as strong as before." ―Darth Sion

The Trial of Flesh involved the Sith harnessing great physical pain, hardship, or loss; channeling it into hate and anger. It may also test the Sith's ability to improve themselves and their abilities above all else.

This third test for an Amtgard Sith Apprentice is to master his or her weakest fighting style. They must fight with that style any chance they have. That may mean being unable to play certain classes while completing this trial. They may participate in tournaments that allow the use of other fighting styles, but must take their weakest style for any "Open" category. Once the Apprentice has mastered their weakest style in the eyes of their Master, they may move on to the final test.

The Trial of Skill

"Apprentice, has Darth Ruyn been a good teacher?"

"He is the only teacher I have ever known."

"Kill him." ―Darth Krayt and Darth Talon

The Master now informs the Apprentice that the time has come for them to prove themself worthy to be a Sith Lord, and challenges them to a duel to the death.

If the Apprentice defeats their Master, the Master becomes one with the Force. The Apprentice's training is complete. They are now worthy to be a Sith Lord.

Sith Lord Ceremony

"The call of Korriban is strong, but it is the call of the dead." ―Darth Sion

A new Sith Lord would travel to the tombs of the fallen Sith Lords on Korriban. The spirits of past Sith Lords gather around the Sith Master, presided over by the spirit of the eldest Sith Lord present. The Sith's former master's spirit would also attend, but usually did not participate in the ceremony itself.

The Sith Master, typically having the spent the previous day and night meditating in a chamber below The Sith tombs, would enter the chamber at the beckoning of their former Master's spirit, and walk into the center of the darkened hall. The Sith Lord spirits would then ignite lightsabers and angle them towards the floor.

The Eldest Sith Lord heading the Knighting ceremony would recite the following formula, beginning with a standard greeting:

"We are the Sith. The Dark Side speaks through us. Through our actions, it proclaims itself and what is real. Today we are here to acknowledge what it has proclaimed."

"Step forward and kneel, Sith Master [Name of Sith]. I now complete your initiation to the power of the Dark Side; Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth [Name of Sith], Dark Lord of the Sith."

"Lord (Name of Sith)... rise."

The Sith spirits would then salute the newly knighted Sith Lord, and the ceremony would conclude.

Sith Cults

The chains of the grave cannot hold a Dark Lord of the Sith…" ―Marka Ragnos

Fallen Sith Lords, like other powerful force-users, have the ability to continue to live on even after death through the power of the Force. These Sith Wraiths continue to plot, scheme, and gather new apprentices. If the Wraiths of the Fallen Sith Lords approved of the Order's current leadership, they would often support the current Dark Lord of the Sith with knowledge, wisdom, and power. If a Sith Wraith disagreed with the status quo of the Sith Order however, they may gather a cult around themselves, and train new apprentices to wipe out the current Dark Lord and their minions, and begin the Order anew.

Sith Cults can grow rather large, as Sith Wraiths can be very powerful, can offer their followers fonts of forgotten wisdom and may be able to exercise god-like power. They are not invincible however, and may be defeated. If a Sith Wraith is destroyed they are too weak to manifest physically without the use of their Sith Holocron.

Sith Wraiths have the potential to be resurrected, even millennia after their death, however the ritual to perform such a feat has never been successfully completed. More often than not Sith Wraiths simply possess a body (sometimes even their own decayed corpse, resulting in the Sith Wraith existing as a Lich (Monster)).

Sith Holocrons

Locked within its recesses, accessible only to a Dark Lord of the Sith, are the forgotten histories and lore, dating back a hundred thousand years or more. ―Odan'Urr

A Sith Holocron was a device used by Sith to store information. Typically, they required use of the dark side to activate.

The process by which Holocrons were created was a very difficult one, but involved the Sith Lord storing a small amount of their own essence in the pyramidal Sith Holocron, allowing them to interact with the world even if their Wraith was dispersed, and may continue to train, and instruct aspiring Sith Lords through their Holocron; they would have no physical being outside of the Holocron itself however, and cannot be resurrected as a Sith Wraith can.

Sith Holocrons (even those of extremely powerful Sith) were simply tools of learning, and never gathered cults unto themselves the way Sith Wraiths often did. The spirit in the Holocron was not mindless however, and could deny training or knowledge to Sith Lords whom they found unworthy of their teaching, and although they had no physical substance (and thus could not be physically attacked, nor attack in turn), continued to command a degree of power in the Darkside of the Force.

Ranks

"Someone here once told me that the Darth title was no longer used because it promoted rivalry among the Sith. It gave the Jedi an easy target. It was easier just to abandon the custom. To have all the Sith Masters use the same title of Dark Lord. But I know the truth, Qordis. I know why none of you claims the that name for yourself. Fear. You're cowards. None of the Brotherhood is worthy of the Darth title. Least of all you." ―Darth Bane

Darth

The title for Sith who have attained Knighthood, it is synonymous with the title Sir.

Dark Lord of the Sith

A title that is only given to one that is acknowledged as the leader of the Sith order. They must pass through the Sith Trials, and be a Knight in order to claim this title. Only Dark Lords may create Sith Holocrons for themselves. There may be only a single Dark Lord of the Sith at any one time. Once the Apprentice of the Dark Lord kills their Master, they also take this title for themselves once Knighted.

Sith Lord

The title of Sith Lord is given to Sith who have successfully completed the Sith Trials. Unlike the title Dark Lord of the Sith, the title Sith Lord is not lost, even if the Sith Lord is usurped. Sith Lords who are killed by their Apprentices remain as "Wraiths", continue to live after a fashion, and may continue to take new Apprentices. These new Apprentice must challenge the current Apprentice of/or the current Dark Lord of the Sith, in order to take their place.

Members

• Morgue - Master
• Redav - Apprentice
• Renn Penombra - Adept
• J-Orc - Adept

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To see information about other groups in Amtgard please see the Household Page.