Tenebrae - NATHEMA and resulting SCALING
By S_W_LeGenD 0 Comments
| S_W_LeGenD blogs | Tenebrae - NATHEMA and resulting SCALING |
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CHARACTER BIO | This blog offers a detailed account of the origins of Tenebrae and how he destroyed his homeworld MEDRIAAS - chief antagonist of the overarching BioWare SWTOR project.
This blog is an extension of the This blog is an extension of the Tenebrae/Vitiate/Valkorion - Character Overview and Respect Thread |
CONTENTS | This blog have following sections:- 1. ANCIENT SITH - How it all began? 2. LORD DRAMATH and the ORIGINS of Tenebrae 3. SEVER FORCE 4. DARK SCIENCES 5. From Tenebrae to Lord Vitiate and governorship of Medriaas 6. From Lord Vitiate to The Sith Emperor and NATHEMA 7. NATHEMA SCALING |
LEGAL | This blog is in compliance with (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
SPOILERS ALERT | Potential readers are CAUTIONED in advance that this blog contain heavy spoilers in its constructs. |
TYPE OF WORK | Literature Review with visual content. |
NOMENCLATURES |
Tenebrae is a long-lived character donning multiple identities and he also EVOLVED over time as a being. This blog conform to following nomenclatures accordingly: Tenebrae [Original] = Sith Pureblood Tenebrae [The Sith Emperor] = Life prolonged via Sith Sorcery (Original Body) |
Acknowledgements | BioWare - First and Foremost for the SWTOR project. Uploads on YouTube by its member xLetalis. |
CONTINUITY | LEGENDS |
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1. ANCIENT SITH - How it all began?
It started with Hundred-Year Darkness:
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
The Jedi exiles were battle-hardened and powerful Force-users:
From (Sorzus Syn, Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side)
- and eventually gained upon the original Sith race with their Dark Side abilities:
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
The planet named ZIOST gained prominence under the Jedi exiles in particular:
From (Sorzus Syn, Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side)
NOTE: Even in death, one of the Jedi exiles Karness Muur was demonstratively a major threat to the modern Rule of Two Sith such as Darth Vader and Palpatine and also to the Rule of One Sith including Darth Krayt respectively. See the NATHEMA SCALING section below for further insight.
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2. LORD DRAMATH and the ORIGINS of Tenebrae
Lord Dramath was a powerful Sith Lord:
Valkorion. Vitiate. The former Emperor of both the Sith Empire and the Eternal Empire has assumed multiple forms over the centuries, but when he was born to a poor farmer's wife and a powerful Sith Lord on the agricultural world of Medriaas, he was "Tenebrae."
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught: Codex entry titled "Tenebrae.")
- and a planetary ruler:
Lord Dramath ruled the Sith world of Medriaas more than a millennium ago.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne: Codex entry titled "Lord Dramath.")
- in times of the Golden age of the Sith (an achievement in itself in view of his co-existence with thousands of powerful Sith of the era):
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
Lord Dramath created a Sith Holocron at some point in time which is by no means an easy accomplishment for a Sith:
Scholars know that a holocron is a box of crystalline lattices, which are capable of housing near-infinite amounts of priceless data. These matrices can be aligned only through precise and exhausting application of the Force. A completed holocron can be accessed only by another Force-user. To navigate a holocron's secrets, one must speak to its gatekeeper - a holographic echo of the device's builder that retains a measure of the builder's spirit. Constructing a holocron can take months, and a single misstep can collapse the device into dust.
From (Sorzus Syn, Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side)
To paraphrase, Lord Dramath demonstrated impressive command of the Force by creating a Sith Holocron - a feat that suggest realignment of the matrics at a microscopic level and it is repeatedly emphasized that this is only possible through precise and exhausting application of the Force:
From (Sorzus Syn, Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side)
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From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
2.1. Birth* (and afterwards)
*Circa 5113 BBY
Lord Dramath was powerful in the ways of the Force but he had a carefree attitude and sired a son:
Lord Dramath ruled the Sith world of Medriaas more than a millennium ago. Caring little for day-to-day governing, the Sith Lord spent his time hosting feasts and traveling around the agricultural planet. During a trip to the distant northern continent, Dramath had an affair with a poor farmer woman, siring a son whom he promptly forgot.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne: Codex entry titled "Lord Dramath.")
- the one who would turn things upside down and ALTER the course of history in the years to come:
Long before assuming his current form, Valkorion was a Sith pureblood named Vitiate born on the lush and vibrant world of Medriaas. Vitiate rose to become Emperor of the Sith and ruled for over a thousand years--but only after extracting a terrible price.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne: Codex Entry titled "Nathema.")
- the one named Tenebrae:
“The Emperor’s name was Tenebrae,” she began. “They say he was born with eyes as black as the void of empty space, and that he never cried, even as an infant. No animal would come near him, and when he began to talk, his voice carried a weight and power that should not come from a child."
From (Darth Nyriss, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
- and unusually strong in the Dark Side of the Force:
The child who will come to be known as the Sith Emperor is born. Black-eyed, heartless, and supremely strong in the dark side of the Force, the boy seizes control of his homeworld by the age of 13 and earns the title Lord Vitiate.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
Tenebrae [Original] was a son of Lord Dramath with an ordinary mother in fact:
Valkorion. Vitiate. The former Emperor of both the Sith Empire and the Eternal Empire has assumed multiple forms over the centuries, but when he was born to a poor farmer's wife and a powerful Sith Lord on the agricultural world of Medriaas, he was "Tenebrae."
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught: Codex entry titled "Tenebrae.")
- and had a low opinion of his farmer parents:
Born to farmers on the planet Medriaas, Tenebrae entered the galaxy without shedding a tear. He regarded his parents with cold pitiless eyes. As years passed Tenebrae manifested Force powers and honed his mastery of the dark side.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
- and killed both one-by-one as well as subjugated his village:
Tenebrae's propensity for violence and power was evident from his childhood. When he learned of his true parentage, he murdered his stepfather, tortured his mother, and subjugated the people in his small farming village.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught: Codex entry titled "Tenebrae.")
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“At the age of six he began to manifest signs of the Force, marking him as one of the ruling elite. But his parents were simple farmers, and the Force was not strong in them. Suspicious about the boy’s power, his father confronted his mother, who admitted to having an affair with the Sith Lord who ruled over them.
“The father flew into a rage, attacking the boy’s mother. Tenebrae stopped him, feeding on his father’s anger and hate to call upon the dark side. He snapped his father’s neck with a mere thought, killing him instantly. His mother died more slowly. Tenebrae made her suffer for months as punishment for betraying the family, torturing her with the Force as he honed his powers.
“Now orphaned by his own hand, he made the others in his village bow down to him. Those who refused, he tortured and killed through the Force."
From (Darth Nyriss, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
Lord Dramath was a legitimate threat to Tenebrae [Original] in person however:
"For this, we just have to look at the last person who ever stood up to Vitiate at anywhere near the level that the player's character did on Ziost: Revan. When Revan took a crack at him, Vitiate locked him up for centuries, picking and prodding at his mind the entire time. So we know that Tenebrae/Vitiate/Valkorion doesn't destroy people who are a legitimate threat to him; he's fascinated by them. He entraps them, studies them, manipulates them, and corrupts them. (He did it to Vaylin, too! And Dramath!)" - Charles Boyd
Details in the following LINK.
Tenebrae [Original] was unusually strong in the Dark Side of the Force on the other hand:
The child who will come to be known as the Sith Emperor is born. Black-eyed, heartless, and supremely strong in the dark side of the Force, the boy seizes control of his homeworld by the age of 13 and earns the title Lord Vitiate.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
- and was feared across MEDRIAAS by the age of 10:
By the age of ten, Tenebrae was feared across Mediraas as the entire northern continent fell under his sway. Sith Lord Dramath, planetary governor of Mediraas, set out to bring the boy in line. Tenebrae broke Lord Dramath's mind, but not before revealing that he was actually his son.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
- and when Lord Dramath decided to challenge him:
By the age of ten, Tenebrae was feared across Mediraas as the entire northern continent fell under his sway. Sith Lord Dramath, planetary governor of Mediraas, set out to bring the boy in line. Tenebrae broke Lord Dramath's mind, but not before revealing that he was actually his son.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
- the young prodigy had an ace up his sleeve.
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3. Sever Force
Tenebrae [Original] applied the sever Force application to overwhelm Lord Dramath when the two came face-to-face circa 5103 BBY:
Lord Dramath intended to judge the child’s power to determine if he was worthy of serving the Sith Lord, or if he should simply be executed. But Tenebrae had no intention of serving—or of dying. When they met face-to-face, Tenebrae proved the stronger. Only ten years old, he stripped his father of his power and his mind.
From (Darth Nyriss, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
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Ten years later, the Sith Lord heard rumors of a child gathering power in the northern continent, but did not personally investigate until his envoys failed to return. After days of travel, Dramath reached the source of the rumors only to face his illegitimate son, Tenebrae, the future Sith Emperor and immortal ruler of Zakuul. That day, Tenebrae removed his father's connection to the Force and imprisoned him within a powerful holocron, leaving Dramath alone to wither slowly into madness over an eternity.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne: Codex entry titled "Lord Dramath.")
Thousands of year later, Darth Plagueis disclosed in his ARCHIVES that the sever Force application could trigger a mass die-off of a victim's Midi-chlorians - defanging a Force-user in the process:
From (Darth Plagueis, Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side)
This application is recognized as the most powerful application a Jedi could wield as a weapon:
From (Jedi vs Sith - The Essential Guide to the Force)
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4. Dark Sciences
Putting the aforementioned into perspective, Tenebrae [Original] defeated Lord Dramath when just 10 years old:
Lord Dramath intended to judge the child’s power to determine if he was worthy of serving the Sith Lord, or if he should simply be executed. But Tenebrae had no intention of serving—or of dying. When they met face-to-face, Tenebrae proved the stronger. Only ten years old, he stripped his father of his power and his mind. Lord Dramath spent his last moments weeping in terror, gazing up into the black eyes of his son.
From (Darth Nyriss, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
- but Lord Dramath was a threat in death as well and Tenebrae [Original] and was able to twist and pervert the Sith Holocron of Lord Dramath on the same day - a feat that should prove just as difficult as creating one* - and used the now corrupted Sith Holocron to imprison the Force spirit of Lord Dramath for eternity:
Ten years later, the Sith Lord heard rumors of a child gathering power in the northern continent, but did not personally investigate until his envoys failed to return. After days of travel, Dramath reached the source of the rumors only to face his illegitimate son, Tenebrae, the future Sith Emperor and immortal ruler of Zakuul. That day, Tenebrae removed his father's connection to the Force and imprisoned him within a powerful holocron, leaving Dramath alone to wither slowly into madness over an eternity.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne: Codex entry titled "Lord Dramath.")
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All holocrons are based on a complex yet elegant technology: a lattice of organic crystals woven together at a microscopic level. The crystal lattice can store vast amounts of information, as well as replicate the appearance and personality of the holocron's creator as a gatekeeper who will guide students in their training.
In his youth, Valkorion--then known as Tenebrae--discovered a way to twist and pervert the lattice so it could capture the spirit of powerful Force users, locking them in a metaphysical cage. He used the weapon on Dramath, his tyrannical father, and trapped him inside the holocron for centuries.
But the same corrupted technology Valkorion used to vanquish his father could also be turned against him, permanently imprisoning his immortal spirit... or obliterating it from existence.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne: Codex Entry titled "Dramath's Holocron.")
NOTE: This corrupted Sith Holocron (an artifact) was stored in the Emperor's Vault deep inside the Sanitarium on NATHEMA.
Lord Dramath had sired many sons:
"Valkorion. Tenebrae. Vitiate. Emperor of the Sith. My low-born son has worn many masks. I am Lord Dramath. A thousand years ago, I ruled this planet, when it was a vibrant world named Medriaas." - Lord Dramath
"I never thought of Valkorion as having a father." - The Alliance Commander
"One of many offspring I sired. He was the least of my children, a nameless peasant. But he murdered me, imprisoned my spirit, and turned Medriaas... into this." - Lord Dramath
- and his favorite son was recognized in the annals of history as Lord Dramath the second:
From (Star Wars: Force and Destiny: Core Rulebook)
- a powerful Sith Lord in his own right but he fled from MEDRIAAS and sought refuge in a remote planet REKKIAD due to fear of being traced and overwhelmed by the dark side prodigy Tenebrae [Original]:
“His name was Lord Dramath the Second. A thousand years ago his father, the original Lord Dramath, ruled over a planet called Medriaas. He was overthrown by another Sith named Lord Vitiate, who renamed the planet Nathema. With his father’s death, the younger Lord Dramath fled. He hid on Rekkiad with a handful of loyal followers, and when he died they buried him here with the datacron.” - Revan
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
+
It took Tenebrae three more years to gain control of the rest of Nathema. Dramath's firstborn son fled rather than face his formidable half brother, but other powerful Sith sought to seize the empty throne. All fell before the dark prodigy, and with each victory he grew more powerful and more ruthless.
From (Darth Nyriss, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
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5. From Tenebrae to Lord Vitiate and governorship of Medriaas
After defeating Lord Dramath, it took 3 more years to consolidate gains on MEDRIAAS as a whole, defeating every powerful Sith who stood in the way:
It took Tenebrae three more years to gain control of the rest of Nathema. Dramath's firstborn son fled rather than face his formidable half brother, but other powerful Sith sought to seize the empty throne. All fell before the dark prodigy, and with each victory he grew more powerful and more ruthless.
From (Darth Nyriss, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
+
Tenebrae's propensity for violence and power was evident from his childhood. When he learned of his true parentage, he murdered his stepfather, tortured his mother, and subjugated the people in his small farming village. By the time he was a teenager, Tenebrae had conquered the entirety of his homeworld after imprisoning his biological father.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught: Codex entry titled "Tenebrae.")
By the age of 13, Tenebrae [Original] had secured his homeworld for himself and sought a meeting with the mighty Marka Ragnos who in turn deemed the body worthy of the title of Sith Lord and sanctioned his governorship of the planet:
With all of Mediraas under his power, Tenebrae traveled to Korriban and met Sith Lord Marka Ragnos, ruler of all Sith. Marka Ragnos recognized Tenebrae's incredible power and named the boy Lord Vitiate.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
RECAP of the above:
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
Tenebrae [Original] made quiet an impression on other young Sith who began to flock to him in droves and many became his followers in passing years, but he turned his back on Imperial politics and prioritized honing his abilities in the dark side yet further:
He amasses an army of Sith followers and turns his back on Imperial politics to hone his skills in the dark side.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
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6. From Lord Vitiate to The Sith Emperor and NATHEMA
The Sith Emperor, history's most powerful dark side master, performed a ritual of incredible scope to consume the life energy of every being on his homeworld.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
At some point, Tenebrae [Original] discovered ZILDROG on his homeworld:
The ancient mechanical entity known as Zildrog has always operated from behind the scenes. Unlike the other "machine gods" of Iokath, Zildrog permanently functions in two forms.
The first is a central computer that specializes in the transfer of life energies. Given this device's presence on Nathema, it is likely that Zildrog was a key element of the original ritual Tenebrae used to empower himself at the cost of all life on the planet. Beyond that first atrocity, however, Zildrog's central mind appears to have played no role in Tenebrae's dual life as Vitiate and Valkorion, and slumbered in stasis mode until Vinn Atrius discovered it many years later.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Nathema Conspiracy: Codex Entry titled "Zildrog.")
ZILDROG was an ancient superweapon:
"I thought it was just a legend, but he dragon god of Zakuul is real... it's a superweapon. Capable of consuming entire civilizations."
From (Vinn Atrius, Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Nathema Conspiracy)
BLOG for reference: Iokath - The ARCHIVES are Incomplete.
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Tenebrae [Original] would take his chances with this ancient superweapon one day. His endgoal was (i.e. IMMORTALITY) - he would make this possible via Sith Sorcery while putting ZILDROG to good use in the process.
After ruling his homeworld for over a century, Tenebrae's desire for immortality only grew. Following the Sith Empire's defeat by the Galactic Republic in the Great Hyperspace War, Tenebrae completed a ritual that wiped out all life on his homeworld, including the thousands of Sith who answered his call for assistance. It was the first vicious step Tenebrae took toward prolonging his life, but it would not be the last...
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught: Codex entry titled "Tenebrae.")
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6.1. The Great Hyperspace War
Circa 5000 BBY
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
Marka Ragnos's death left the ancient Sith Empire in a state of crisis with recurrence of infighting and Sith Lord Naga Sadow ascended to the throne:
Meanwhile, the Sith Empire had grown powerful. Its members had developed Sith sorcery and a variety of dark Force powers, but they had reached a crisis of their own. The great Dark Lord Marka Ragnos had died, and the resulting power vacuum threatened to ignite a civil war that would tear the Empire apart. As rival leaders Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh struggled for the Dark Lord's crown, a pair of Republic hyper-space mappers arrived in Sith territory in their ship, Starbreaker 12. Each of the two rivals used the news of the Republic in his own way, but Naga Sadow emerged triumphant, proclaiming himself the Dark Lord of the Sith.
From (Star Wars - D20 - The Dark Side Sourcebook)
Naga Sadow commenced the Great Hyperspace War however which in turn led to his downfall:
Following Starbreaker 12 back to Republic space, Naga Sadow and his Sith forces ignited the Great Hyperspace War. The surprise attack turned into a storm of conflict that spread across the Republic. The Sith were relentless and unpredictable. The early tide of the war was definitely in their favor, but victories at Primus Goluud, Kirrek, arid COTUscant eventually gave the Republic the upper hand.
After a long and bloody conflict, the Republic rallied its forces and repelled the invaders. Sadow and his battered ships retreated back to Sith space-and fled right into an ambush. Ludo Kressh and his loyalists had survived the earlier struggles, and they had waited to crush Sadow's returning fleet. Both sides were devastated in a wild, no-quarter-given battle. Then the pursuing Republic forces arrived, vanquishing the Sith threat in a decimating hail of blaster fire.
Naga Sadow escaped destruction, however. He went into hiding on the jungle moon of Yavin, where his loyal Massassi built great temples in his honor. Sadow used Sith technology and sorcery to place himself in suspended animation. Someday he would usher in a new Sith golden age, just as Dark Lord Marka Ragnos had foretold.
From (Star Wars - D20 - The Dark Side Sourcebook)
Tenebrae [Original] did not partake in the Great Hyperspace War on the other hand but was stronger than ever before by now:
“At thirteen he presented himself to Marka Ragnos, the Lord of all Sith and the ruler of the Sith Council. Impressed by the teenager’s ambition and power, Marka Ragnos granted him the title of Lord Vitiate. His position as ruler of Nathema officially recognized, Lord Vitiate returned to his home to conduct his research into the depths of the dark side’s power. He stayed there for a hundred years. When Marka Ragnos fell, Lord Vitiate did not join in the mad rush to claim his position. He was not part of the Great Hyperspace War against the Republic. When Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh fought for leadership of the Sith, he took no side."
From (Darth Nyriss, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
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Lord Vitiate returned to his homeworld while rest of the Sith Empire waged the Great Hyperspace War against the Republic. When the hasty Sith offensive ended in failure, the Empire collapsed - but Lord Vitiate was stronger than ever.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
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6.2. THE DEED
Circa 4999 BBY
When the Great Hyperspace War turned into DISASTER for the ancient Sith, Tenebrae [Original] called upon all surviving Lords of the Sith to join him on his homeworld (OR die at the hands of Jedi). Sith Lord Naga Sadow sought refuge on YAVIN 4 on the other hand. Now was the time for someone else to prove his mettle and a new leader shall be selected.
Tenebrae [Original] eliminated the Sith Council of the time to make sure that his ritual would succeed and they will not intervene:
Lord Vitiate takes command of the Sith Empire, now in shambles following the Great Hyperspace War. He executes the Sith Council and consumes the life force of thousands of Sith Lords in a terrifying ritual that extends his life and vastly increases his capacity as a practitioner of the Force.From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
Tenebrae [Original]'s ritual had no peer in the sheer amount of participants involved, the sheer amount of energies it produced, and it LEFT a VOID in the Force by the end:
Lord Vitiate returned to his homeworld while rest of the Sith Empire waged the Great Hyperspace War against the Republic. When the hasty Sith offensive ended in failure, the Empire collapsed - but Lord Vitiate was stronger than ever. He bid every surviving Sith to unite or die at the hands of Jedi. Eight thousand Sith Lords gathered on Medriaas and agreed to partake in a ritual that would bind the Sith together as an ultimate dark side weapon.
The ritual lasted ten days. Lord Vitiate orchestrated the sorcery and the planet Mediraas was consumed by the largest dark side nexus the galaxy would ever see. When the ritual ended, Lord Vitiate emerged as the only survivor. The pain, energy, and suffering of every living entity on the planet fueled his power and would prolong his life for centuries. The lifeless planet of Mediraas became a void in the Force and was erased from history. From that moment forward, the world would forever be known as Nathema, birthplace of the one and only Sith Emperor.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
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Early in his reign, Vitiate invited thousands of the most powerful Sith Lords to his homeworld, then wiped out his would-be challengers in a profane dark side ritual that annihilated all life on the planet. Even the Force could not survive. The void that remained after the ritual brought pain and suffering to any Force-sensitive beings that approached.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne: Codex Entry titled "Nathema.")
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The Emperor had consumed everything. Life, sound, color, even the Force—nothing remained. This wasn’t about conquest or domination or destroying an enemy—all concepts Scourge embraced.
Everything on Nathema had simply been snuffed out, extinguished so completely that it ceased to have any meaning or purpose. It was a vacuum of existence; a blight on the natural order.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
Although other Sith Lords agreed to partake in the ritual, Tenebrae [Original] made sure that no one could attempt to escape post-initiation with his frightening proficiency in Telepathic applications:
And the Sith Lords were driven by fear. Many thought the Jedi would soon wipe them all out. They were desperate for anything they could use as a weapon against the servants of the light side. Lord Vitiate played upon these fears, convincing those who answered his call to set aside their suspicions of him and of one another to join in a single glorious cause.
Once they arrived on Nathema, they quickly fell under Lord Vitiate's control. He dominated their minds, crushed their resistance. He turned them into slaves to his will, forcing them to participate in the most complex ritual of Sith sorcery ever attempted. Calling on the dark side, Lord Vitiate devoured them. He fed on their power, absorbing it into himself, utterly obliterating all traces of his victims.
But the ritual was not confined to the doomed Sith Lords. They were but the eye of the storm; the center of a vortex that spread across the entire planet. Every man, woman, and child on Nathema died that day. Every beast, bird, and fish; all the insects and plants; every living being touched by the Force was consumed. When the ritual ended, Nathema was no longer a world. It was a husk sucked dry. Lord Vitiate sacrificed millions, stealing their life force to make himself immortal. Their deaths also made him stronger than any Sith who had come before, and he ceased to be known as Lord Vitiate. On that day, the Emperor was truly born.
From (Darth Nyriss, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
Tenebrae [Original] had now experienced the effects, first-hand:
"It is a technique that is almost as old as the Sith themselves…it is a means of severing connections between life, the Force, and feeding upon the death it causes. It cannot be taught…it can only be gained through instinct, through experiencing its effects, first-hand."
From (Darth Traya, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords)
In full view of the Sith Sorcery of such magnitude and Tenebrae's subsequent transformation:
Lord Vitiate takes command of the Sith Empire, now in shambles following the Great Hyperspace War. He executes the Sith Council and consumes the life force of thousands of Sith Lords in a terrifying ritual that extends his life and vastly increases his capacity as a practitioner of the Force. Lord Vitiate declares himself Emperor of the Sith. Under his sovereign rule, the Empire retreats into deep space to rebuild its strength and prepare for vengeance.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
- the remainder of the ancient Sith Empire recognized Tenebrae as Emperor of the Sith, rallied under him, and all disappeared into the Unknown Regions for decades until they found in DROMUND KAAS a suitable world to reconstitute the ancient Sith Empire (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia); scores of Sith became master(s) of the dark side of the Force and devised new powers meanwhile (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia).
United by a dominating and all-powerful new Emperor, the Sith fled Korriban as Republic strike squads reduced their homework to ruin. The exiled Sith fleet traversed space for decades, searching for a new home. At last, they settled on the world of Dromund Kaas and began to hone their strength, rebuild the Sith power structure, and prepare for another war.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
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From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
The reconstituted ancient Sith Empire would be stronger and better organized than ever before, with advancements in all aspects of life, but in absolute secrecy (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia).
Centuries later, Meetra Surik discovered and visited NATHEMA and her findings were as follows:
The ritual had obviously destroyed Nathema, snuffing out all life on the world. Lord Vitiate had offered his people hope, and instead had brought them a fate worse than death—utter eradication of life, existence, and even the Force.
Meetra was no expert on dark side sorcery, but it was safe to assume Vitiate not only survived the ritual, but emerged more powerful than ever. And with the destruction of everyone on Nathema—including his research team—he alone would have known the location of Dromund Kaas.
The plan was both horrifying and brilliant. In addition to becoming more powerful than Meetra could imagine, Vitiate could blame the extinction of his homeworld on the Jedi, further panicking the remaining Sith worlds. Then he could have offered them a glimmer of hope, promising to lead all those who swore loyalty to him to a place where the Jedi would never find them.
If Vitiate had been as cunning as Meetra imagined him to be, he wouldn’t have led his followers directly to Dromund Kaas. Instead, he would have taken them on a long and trying exodus—during which the Sith would have been forced to turn to him time and again for support and guidance, their dependence on him growing until he went from leader to hero to savior. By the time they finally reached Dromund Kaas, they would likely have worshiped Vitiate as a god—all-powerful and all-knowing.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
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7. NATHEMA SCALING
"The power of the dark side is strongest if it is concentrated in one vessel," Bane replied. "Not spread out among many. I did it for the sake of the dark side."
From (Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction)
In ancient times, the Sith were a legion but they grew and fell over time because of galactic warfare coupled with the fact they were mired in treachery and the weak could overthrow the strong from time-to-time. The Sith reached their lowest point in Lord Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness circa 1010 BBY - the powerful and resourceful Sith Empires were all gone and the ancient sources of knowledge were all but lost to the Brotherhood at this point in time:
When he wasn’t learning from the Masters, he was in the library studying the ancient records. As the Jedi kept their archives at their Temple on Coruscant, so the Sith had begun to collect and store information in the archives of Korriban’s temple. However, unlike the Jedi library-where most of the data was stored in electronic, hologrammic, and Holocron formats-the Sith collection was limited to scrolls, tomes, and manuals. In the three thousand standard years since Darth Revan had nearly destroyed the Republic, the Jedi had waged a tireless war to eradicate the teaching tools of the dark side. All known Sith Holocrons had been either destroyed or spirited away to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for safekeeping. There were many rumors of undiscovered Sith Holocrons-either hidden away on remote worlds, or covetously hoarded by one of the dark Masters eager to keep its secret knowledge for himself. But all efforts by the Brotherhood to find these lost treasures had proved futile, forcing them to rely on the primitive technologies of parchment and flimsiplast.
And because the collection was constantly being added to, the indexes and references were hopelessly out of date. Searching the archives was often an exercise in futility or frustration, and most of the students felt their time was better spent trying to learn from or impress the Masters.
From (Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction)
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Kas’im seemed momentarily surprised at the concession, then nodded in acceptance of the victory. "You were smart to recognize that the battle was over, but I expected you to fight on until the end. There is little honor in surrender."
"Honor is a fool’s prize," Bane replied, reciting a passage from one of the volumes he had recently read in the archives. "Glory is of no use to the dead." After pondering his words for a moment, the Blademaster nodded. "Well said, my young apprentice."
Bane wasn’t surprised that Kas’im didn’t recognize the quote. The words had been written by Darth Revan nearly three millennia earlier. The Masters were as lax as the students when it came to studying the ancient writings. It seemed the Academy had turned its back on the past champions of the dark side.
From (Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction)
Darth Bane discovered the Sith Holocron of the ancient Darth Revan in the remote world of LEHON:
He held his breath in anticipation, unsure what would come next. A small beam of light projected out from the top, the particles scattered and diffused. They began to shift and spin, coalescing into a cloaked figure, its features completely hidden by the hood of its heavy robe.
Then a voice spoke, crisp and clear. "I am Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith."
The empty halls of the Temple above trembled with the reverberations of Bane’s triumphant, booming laughter.
To Bane it seemed the teachings contained within the single Holocron surpassed those of the Academy’s entire archives. Revan had discovered many of the rituals of the ancient Sith, and as the Holocron’s avatar explained their nature and purpose, Bane could barely wrap his mind around their awesome potential. Some of the rituals were so terrible-so dangerous to attempt, even for a true Sith Master-that he doubted he would ever dare to use them. Yet he dutifully copied them down on sheaves of flimsi, preserving them so he could study them in greater depth later.
And there was far more than just the ancient practices of dark side sorcerers stored inside the Holocron. In only a few short weeks he’d learned more about the true nature of the dark side than he had in all his time on Korriban. Revan had been a true Sith Lord, unlike the simpering Masters who bowed to Kaan and his Brotherhood. And soon all his knowledge-his understanding of the dark side-would belong to Bane.
From (Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction)
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Nathema: Once known as Medriaas, Nathema was an agriworld of the Sith Empire at a time when Sith also controlled the Chorlian sector. An ancient Dark Lord of the Sith named Darth Vitiate destroyed all life on Nathema with a ritual designed to grant him immortality. A transcription of this ritual was recorded by Darth Revan and served as the inspiration for Lord Kaan's thought bomb on Ruusan.
From (Star Wars: Force and Destiny - Core Rulebook)
- and was finally armed with sufficient knowledge to ensure extinction of Lord Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness:
| Considerations | Tenebrae [Original] | Brotherhood of Darkness |
|---|---|---|
PERSONAL STRENGTH | Tenebrae [Original] was born in MEDRIAAS in ancient times circa 5113 BBY, and was unusually strong in the Dark Side of the Force. He was a son of Lord Dramath with an ordinary mother but he had a low opinion of his parents and killed them. He had no shortage of followers among the ancient Sith but he turned his back on Imperial politics and prioritized honing his abilities instead.
Tenebrae [Original] defeated and killed powerful Sith Lord Dramath in a confrontation when he was just 10 years old:
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- via sever Force application which is the most powerful expression of aggression possible from any Jedi. It can trigger a mass die-off of the victim's Midi-chlorians. Lord Dramath was a planetary governor in times of Marka Ragnos - the Golden age of the Sith (an achievement in itself in view of his co-existence with thousands of powerful Sith Lords of the era), and managed to create a Sith Holocron which is by no means an easy accomplishment for a Sith:
Tenebrae [Original] was able to twist and pervert the Sith Holocron of Lord Dramath in his teens on the other hand - a feat that should prove just as difficult:
Tenebrae [Original] at the age of 10 can be safely assumed to be much stronger than any Sith Master of the Brotherhood of Darkness by extension. He killed many powerful Sith by the age of 13 and was declared Lord Vitiate by the mighty Marka Ragnos himself in a meeting:
| The Brotherhood of Darkness had 50 Sith Masters in total with Lord Kaan at the helm - each was a Sith Lord and like a one-man army by extension:
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RITUAL TYPE | Tenebrae [Original] spent many years honing his abilities in the dark side and prepared a ritual of incredible scope that would grant him immortality at the expense of all living beings on his homeworld.
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| The Sith Holocron of Darth Revan contained information of many Sith rituals including that of Tenebrae [Original] which in turn could be replicated on a much smaller scale as Thought Bomb. These findings intimidated Darth Bane.
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LOCATION and YEAR | MEDRIAAS circa 4999 BBY | RUUSAN circa 1000 BBY |
DURATION | 10 days
| Less than a day |
ESCAPE ATTEMPTS | ----- NO ----- TelepathySpectrum of applications
Tenebrae [Original] made sure that no Sith Lord could attempt to escape post-initiation with his frightening proficiency in Telepathic applications in the course:
| ----- YES ----- Lord Kopecz maneuvered his way out through the gathering:
- and was noticed by Jedi Master Farhalla in the open a while later:
Githany broke free from the circle:
- but was caught in the blast later (see below). |
OUTCOME | Tenebrae [Original]'s ritual had no peer in the sheer amount of participants involved, the sheer amount of energies it produced, and it LEFT a VOID in the Force by the end:
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NATHEMA circa 3630 BBY 
| Lord Kaan was initially skeptical but convinced himself that he could control the outcome of a Thought Bomb:
- but he was proven wrong:
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From (Star Wars - D20 - The Dark Forces: Sourcebook) |
- and implement the Rule of Two:
From (Star Wars: Force and Destiny: Core Rulebook)
Those generations produced Darth Plagueis and Palpatine by the end.
This brings us to Darth Plagueis's Confessions # 1 (circa 67 BBY):
While midi-chlorians appeared to resist manipulation of a sort that might imperil the balance of the Force, they remained passive, even compliant, in the case of a weak-willed being manipulated by one who was strong in the Force. Perhaps that explained why it was often easier to call on the Force to heal someone other than oneself.
Extending life, then, could hinge on something as simple as being able to induce midi-chlorians to create new cells; to subdivide at will, increasing their numbers into the tens of thousands to heal or replace damaged, aging, or metastatic cells. Midi-chlorians had to be compelled to serve the needs of the body; to bestow strength when needed; to overcome physical insult, or prevent cells from reaching senescence.
If one accepted the tales handed down in accounts and holocrons, the ancient Sith had known how to accomplish this. But had Sith like Naga Sadow and Exar Kun genuinely been more powerful, or had they benefited from the fact that the dark side had been more prominent in those bygone eras? Some commentators claimed that the ability to survive death had been limited to those with a talent for sorcery and alchemy, and that the use of such practices actually predated the arrival of the Dark Jedi exiles on Korriban. But sorcery had been employed less to extend life than to create illusions, fashion beasts, and resurrect the dead. Powerful adepts were said to have been able to saturate the atmosphere of planets with dark side energy, compel stars to explode, or induce paralysis in crowds, as Exar Kun apparently did to select members of the Republic Senate. Other adepts used sorcery merely as a means to better understand ancient Sith spells and sigils.
From (Star Wars: Darth Plagueis)
Emphasis mine. Darth Plagueis conceded inferiority to Naga Sadow and Exar Kun circa 67 BBY. He was also of the view that Sith Sorcery was uncommon application to extend LIFE.
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Darth Bane was much stronger than any Sith Lord in Lord Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness but conceded following:
Revan had discovered many of the rituals of the ancient Sith, and as the Holocron’s avatar explained their nature and purpose, Bane could barely wrap his mind around their awesome potential. Some of the rituals were so terrible-so dangerous to attempt, even for a true Sith Master-that he doubted he would ever dare to use them.
From (Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction)
- and manipulated Lord Kaan into excluding him from the deed by extension:
Bane stayed in the position of supplication until the Dark Lord was well out of sight, then stood up and brushed the dirt from his knees with a grim scowl. He had felt Kaan’s efforts to dominate his mind, but they had had no more effect than a rusted knife scraping against the hide plates of a Halurian ice-boar. Yet he had seized on the opportunity and delivered a performance worthy of the greatest dramatist on Alderaan.
Kaan was convinced the thought bomb was the key to Sith victory, and he was about to ensnare the rest of the Brotherhood in his web of madness. The second phase of Bane’s plan was set in motion. By nightfall the next day it would all be over.
From (Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction)
Even if WE consider Darth Bane capable of controlling the outcome of a Thought Bomb in his prime years, he still does not stack up to Tenebrae [Original] in person. Darth Bane really struggled to produce a Sith Holocron in his prime years for instance:
Three times before he had attempted to create his own Sith Holocron, and each time the project had ended in failure. He wasn't about to fail this time. He knew that one false move at this stage and all his work, literally years of preparation, would be undone. Yet he also knew that he had no choice but to find a way to deal with the pain and continue his work.
He had made his first attempt five years before. Using Freedon Nadd's Holocron as a blueprint, he had re-created the intricate matrix of lattices and vertices that were the key to storing nearly infinite amounts of knowledge in a data system small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. It had taken months to gather and fashion the rare crystal into the filaments and fibers of the interlaced network, followed by weeks of delicate and painstaking adjustments. The matrix had to fall within highly exacting specifications, and Bane had spent hundreds of hours making thousands of precise, subatomic alterations through the power of the Force to ensure that each crystalline strand was properly in place.
Once the crystal matrix inside the Holocron was ready, he had carefully transcribed the ancient symbols of Sith power onto the pyramid's surface.
The markings were part of a powerful ritual that was critical to maintaining the stability of the matrix after it was infused with the energies of the dark side. Unfamiliar with the exact purpose or meaning of the arcane glyphs, Darth Bane had once again used Nadd's Holocron as his guide, studying the markings etched on the surface, then copying them exactly on his own creation.
But when he tried to activate the Holocron by channeling his power through it, the matrix imploded, collapsing in on itself and reducing the artifact to a pile of glimmering dust in a crackling white flash.
He had tried again several months later, only to be met with the exact same result. Forced to admit that the secret of crafting Holo-crons was still beyond him, Bane had begun a campaign to discover everything he could about the powerful talismans. With Zannah's aid, he accumulated a vast wealth of knowledge on the subject.
He devoured every datacard, historical account, and personal memoir he could find that theorized on the steps needed to create one of the fiendishly complex pyramids. He came across thousands of veiled references to, and hundreds of theoretical speculations on, the art of crafting a Holocron.
However, he was unable to find a single source that explicitly set out the spells and rituals required, and their secrets still eluded him.
Bane refused to give up. He continued his research, seeking out rare tomes, hidden documents, and forbidden works of lore. It took three more years until he learned the purpose and meaning behind the glyphs... and in doing so he found an answer to why his first efforts had failed. He discovered that each Holocron was emblazoned with symbols that were uniquely tied to the Sith Lord responsible for the artifact's creation.
From (Star Wars: Darth Bane: Rule of Two)
Lord Dramath had a carefree attitude and he had sufficient skills to produce a Sith Holocron at some point and Tenebrae [Original] killed him and managed to twist and pervert his Sith Holocron at the age of 10. Tenebrae [Original] also managed to shape the course of, and control the outcome of, infinitely more ambitious ritual to his benefit than a Thought Bomb while other powerful Sith Lord participants (8000 in total) perished in the process:
When the ritual ended, Lord Vitiate emerged as the only survivor. The pain, energy, and suffering of every living entity on the planet fueled his power and would prolong his life for centuries. The lifeless planet of Mediraas became a void in the Force and was erased from history. From that moment forward, the world would forever be known as Nathema, birthplace of the one and only Sith Emperor.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
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The ritual had obviously destroyed Nathema, snuffing out all life on the world. Lord Vitiate had offered his people hope, and instead had brought them a fate worse than death—utter eradication of life, existence, and even the Force.
Meetra was no expert on dark side sorcery, but it was safe to assume Vitiate not only survived the ritual, but emerged more powerful than ever. And with the destruction of everyone on Nathema—including his research team—he alone would have known the location of Dromund Kaas.
The plan was both horrifying and brilliant. In addition to becoming more powerful than Meetra could imagine, Vitiate could blame the extinction of his homeworld on the Jedi, further panicking the remaining Sith worlds. Then he could have offered them a glimmer of hope, promising to lead all those who swore loyalty to him to a place where the Jedi would never find them.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
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Putting the aforementioned information into perspective:
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
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Lord Vitiate sacrificed millions, stealing their life force to make himself immortal. Their deaths also made him stronger than any Sith who had come before, and he ceased to be known as Lord Vitiate. On that day, the Emperor was truly born."
From (Darth Nyriss, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
Darth Nyriss's assertion is reinforced by the information shared above. Meetra Surik also realized the obvious:
The ritual had obviously destroyed Nathema, snuffing out all life on the world. Lord Vitiate had offered his people hope, and instead had brought them a fate worse than death—utter eradication of life, existence, and even the Force.
Meetra was no expert on dark side sorcery, but it was safe to assume Vitiate not only survived the ritual, but emerged more powerful than ever. And with the destruction of everyone on Nathema—including his research team—he alone would have known the location of Dromund Kaas.
The plan was both horrifying and brilliant. In addition to becoming more powerful than Meetra could imagine, Vitiate could blame the extinction of his homeworld on the Jedi, further panicking the remaining Sith worlds. Then he could have offered them a glimmer of hope, promising to lead all those who swore loyalty to him to a place where the Jedi would never find them.
If Vitiate had been as cunning as Meetra imagined him to be, he wouldn’t have led his followers directly to Dromund Kaas. Instead, he would have taken them on a long and trying exodus—during which the Sith would have been forced to turn to him time and again for support and guidance, their dependence on him growing until he went from leader to hero to savior. By the time they finally reached Dromund Kaas, they would likely have worshiped Vitiate as a god—all-powerful and all-knowing.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
- after defeating The Sith Triumvirate circa 3955 BBY. The most powerful of these was Darth Nihilus who in turn rivalled some of the ancient Sith:
"The blind seer, her master harnessed this technique and he is rapidly approaching the height of its power. I fear he may even rival some of the ancient Sith. He is already more of a force than a living thing, a hole in the Force that threatens to draw everything to it.”
From (Darth Traya, Star Wars: The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords)
See related discussion.
Therefore:
Tenebrae [The Sith Emperor] circa 4999 BBY >>>>> all of the ancient Sith in history including the Exiles circa 6900 BBY which include Karness Muur (who - even in death - intimidated Darth Vader and was a threat to Palpatine by extension [Dark Times 12: Vector: Part 6], and overwhelmed multiple opponents including Darth Krayt in a battle respectively [Star Wars: Legacy: Vector]).
- and the resulting SCALING CHAIN is as follows:
Tenebrae [The Sith Emperor] circa 4999 BBY >>>>> Marka Ragnos (prime years)* = Tenebrae [Original] circa 5000 BBY** >>>> Naga Sadow (prime years)*** >> Darth Plagueis circa 67 BBY > Darth Bane (implied peak) >>>> The Brotherhood of Darkness Sith Master(s)
*Marka Ragnos was the most powerful Sith of his era (Tales of the Jedi - The Golden Age of the Sith #2 - Funeral for a Dark Lord). Whether he was the most powerful Sith in history up to his time is possible yet debatable. However, he is certainly counted among such:
Sith acolytes spill blood and prove their strength in the mausoleums of history's most powerful and legendary Sith Lords.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
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"A half-breed Sith and warlord descended from the original Jedi Exiles, Ragnos had tremendous power and a frightening grasp of the dark side of the Force." - Kla (a Jedi Consular turned Sith)
From (Star Wars: Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force)
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“Before you is the tomb of the great Sith Lord Marka Ragnos, a half-breed who possessed tremendous strength, both physically and in the Force." - Darth Traya
Luke Skywalker's thoughts about Marka Ragnos in times of the Disciples of Ragnos circa 14 ABY:
From (Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy)
**Tenebrae [Original] was second-to-none in strength and abilities in times of the Golden Age of the Sith because he prioritized advancing his command of the Force over Imperial politics - this in addition to the fact that he could do things in his childhood that can be realistically expected from only the most powerful Sith Lords and his total life span of existence was 114 years circa 4999 BBY - this is substantial time to grow and learn for any individual.
The child who will come to be known as the Sith Emperor is born. Black-eyed, heartless, and supremely strong in the dark side of the Force, the boy seizes control of his homeworld by the age of 13 and earns the title Lord Vitiate. He amasses an army of Sith followers and turns his back on Imperial politics to hone his skills in the dark side.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
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“At thirteen he presented himself to Marka Ragnos, the Lord of all Sith and the ruler of the Sith Council. Impressed by the teenager’s ambition and power, Marka Ragnos granted him the title of Lord Vitiate. His position as ruler of Nathema officially recognized, Lord Vitiate returned to his home to conduct his research into the depths of the dark side’s power. He stayed there for a hundred years. When Marka Ragnos fell, Lord Vitiate did not join in the mad rush to claim his position. He was not part of the Great Hyperspace War against the Republic. When Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh fought for leadership of the Sith, he took no side."
From (Darth Nyriss, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan)
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Lord Vitiate returned to his homeworld while rest of the Sith Empire waged the Great Hyperspace War against the Republic. When the hasty Sith offensive ended in failure, the Empire collapsed - but Lord Vitiate was stronger than ever.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
***Marka Ragnos made both Naga Sadow and Ludo Kreesh submit even in death:
When Marka Ragnos, the Dark Lord of the Sith, finally expired after a century of iron-fisted rule, two powerful Sith Lords were in a position to claim his title as supreme ruler of the Sith Empire. Ludo Kressh had the popular support of most of the Sith, but Naga Sadow had the military might. Together they could have made a powerful combination-but naturally, they hated one another. Ragnos's body had only been interred on the tomb-world of Korriban for a few minutes when the two began to fight over leadership
Their combat was fierce but short for the spirit of Marka Ragnos appeared to them, telling them of their ancient ties to the Republic and the Jedi Knights and warning them to make their decisions for the future wisely.
From (Star Wars - D20 - The Dark Side Sourcebook)
Naga Sadow commenced the Great Hyperspace War which led to his downfall:
Following Starbreaker 12 back to Republic space, Naga Sadow and his Sith forces ignited the Great Hyperspace War. The surprise attack turned into a storm of conflict that spread across the Republic. The Sith were relentless and unpredictable. The early tide of the war was definitely in their favor, but victories at Primus Goluud, Kirrek, arid COTUscant eventually gave the Republic the upper hand.
After a long and bloody conflict, the Republic rallied its forces and repelled the invaders. Sadow and his battered ships retreated back to Sith space-and fled right into an ambush. Ludo Kressh and his loyalists had survived the earlier struggles, and they had waited to crush Sadow's returning fleet. Both sides were devastated in a wild, no-quarter-given battle. Then the pursuing Republic forces arrived, vanquishing the Sith threat in a decimating hail of blaster fire.
Naga Sadow escaped destruction, however. He went into hiding on the jungle moon of Yavin, where his loyal Massassi built great temples in his honor. Sadow used Sith technology and sorcery to place himself in suspended animation. Someday he would usher in a new Sith golden age, just as Dark Lord Marka Ragnos had foretold.
From (Star Wars - D20 - The Dark Side Sourcebook)
- but he have his fair share of claims to fame with his demonstrated proficiency in Sith Sorcery:
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
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From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural)
- and Sith Alchemy:
From the journal of Jedi Master Arlo Grennen during his investigation into the dark side's influence on Yavin 4:
"Information on Yavin 4 has not been easy to come by, but I have scoured the libraries of Tython and what I have discovered is fascinating.
"The first corruption of Yavin's fourth moon by the dark side that we know of corresponds with the arrival of Dark Lord Naga Sadow some fourteen hundred years ago. I'm not entirely sure whether Sadow was drawn here by the dark side or if he himself planted the first seed of its presence. That's one of the many things I hope to learn while I'm here.
"Sadow was a gifted alchemist who turned his Massassi followers into powerful, violent animals who worshipped and served Sadow. The Massassi built massive temples for Sadow where they sacrificed their own in his honor. Sadow was even powerful enough to stave off the inevitable. He placed himself in a near-death slumber, which he remained in for hundreds of years, waiting until someone would come to take his place...."
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Shadow of Revan: Codex entry titled "The Dark Legacy of Yavin 4: Part I.")
A glimpse of Naga Sadow in near-death slumber on YAVIN 4:
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural)
Naga Sadow is counted among the most powerful and legendary Sith Lords in history:
Sith acolytes spill blood and prove their strength in the mausoleums of history's most powerful and legendary Sith Lords.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia)
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Naga Sadow was ruled by ambition: ambition for power, for dominance and for the expansion of the Sith Empire. Marka Ragnos’s body was still warm when Naga Sadow clashed with Sith Lord Ludo Kressh over their late ruler’s title. The spirit of Marka Ragnos interrupted their duel and told the two Sith Lords of a greater enemy: the Republic and its Jedi defenders. Naga Sadow saw opportunity in this revelation and launched an attack on Republic space, a move that would see Sadow named the Empire’s ruler and spark the Great Hyperspace War. Naga Sadow’s ambition and overconfidence soon became his greatest weaknesses. Even with his mastery of Force illusions, the Republic outmatched the Sith. Sadow’s invasion failed, and the Republic fleet pursued him back to Sith space. He fled Korriban with his warriors as the Sith Empire crumbled around him. Sadow sought refuge on the remote moon Yavin Four, where he died after spending years trying to rebuild the Empire he had inadvertently helped to destroy. Naga Sadow’s spirit, however, survived to pass on Sith teachings, planting the seed of corruption among his Jedi enemies.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Codex entry "Tomb of Naga Sadow.")
The exploits of the Force spirit of Naga Sadow for reference:
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural)
Jedi Master Gnost-Dural did not knew much about Tenebrae [The Sith Emperor] at the time of documenting aforementioned findings in his journal:
As impossible as it may sound, we also have evidence to suggest that the leader of the Sith, the mysterious Emperor, was alive at the time of the Hyperspace War. Thus, even though it may contradict the findings of our predecessors, we must at least consider the possibility that the Emperor is none other than Naga Sadow himself. This is the recommendation I will be making to the Council when I present this report.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural)
He learned some more after the historic development of capture of the Dread Masters circa 3668 BBY:
One of the Sith Emperor’s mightiest weapons in the Great War was also one of his oldest: six ancient Sith Lords known as the Dread Masters who had served the Emperor for centuries. Meditating in unison, they could inflict crippling fear to shatter enemy armies’ morale, causing Republic troop formations to abandoned their allies mid-battle, and sending entire battle fleets running blindly into hyperspace. Slowly, the Jedi pieced together the truth of these events. They joined forces with an elite Republic Special Forces unit, who stole the security codes for the Dread Masters’ heavily-guarded dreadnaught. Hijacking an Imperial Moff’s personal yacht, a Republic strike team boarded the dreadnaught and, aided by Jedi Master Jaric Kaedan, captured the Dread Masters. The dreadnaught was rigged for self-destruct to cover the strike team’s escape. The Republic officially announced that the Dread Masters had been killed, even as the Jedi secretly arranged their imprisonment on Belsavis. However, the loss of the Dread Masters antagonized the Dark Council, and may have contributed to the Empire’s decision to attack Alderaan.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: Codex Entry titled "Galactic History 89: Capturing the Dread Masters.")
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As thrilling as the success of the mission may be, Jaric found something else on the dreadnaught that may prove to be just as valuable. The ship contained a vast database of Imperial Knowledge which Jaric wisely downloaded before scuttling the vessel to cover his tracks. Decrypting the data will undoubtedly be difficult, but I have volunteered to work with SIS to help speed the process, and I anticipate that we will learn a great deal more about the Sith Empire should our efforts prove successful.
From (Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural)
- and uncovered following:
He still did not knew about NATHEMA and the Force-user behemoth that Tenebrae [The Sith Emperor] was in comparison to all the Sith. Much to learn, he still had.