After nearly 2000 years, the Sith Empire was a great and technologically advanced civilization
ruled by the force sensitive Lords of the Sith Order, who trained all their lives in
the dark side.
However the ultimate authority rested in their leader the Dark Lord of the Sith, a title
which only the strongest and most ambitious among them could possess.
Over 5100 years before the battle of yavin, following the death of the most recent Dark
Lord, two challengers emerged to vie for the title, resulting in a duel where Marka Ragnos
beheaded his rival Simus.
Yet Lord Simus was so powerful in the force he was able to survive as a disembodied head,
becoming a respected member of the Sith Council.
Marka Ragnos, a half breed who claimed descendant from one of the Dark Jedi founders of the
Empire, was an enormously powerful dark side force user, with a brilliant mind for political
and military strategy.
Throughout his life, he advanced by using cunning and manipulation to maneuver his enemies
into fighting against each other, or else destroying those who opposed him in short
but brutal military campaigns.
After taking the mantle of the Dark Lord, he ruled in much the same way, purging the
empire of all his enemies and any eliminating any who might prove a rival.
Though Ragnos was large and immensely strong, with strong force defenses and an aggressive
fighting style, he was not only a great warrior and strategist, but also an academic, studying
history to become one of the only Sith Lords who knew about their ancient connection to
the Jedi, and the war that nearly destroyed their ancestors.
As a result, Ragnos chose not to expand the empire much further, not wanting to risk coming
into contact with the Republic and starting another war.
And so he instead focused on building upon what they’d already conquered by growing
the power of their existing territories, while also maintaining his own rule with iron fisted
brutality.
As a result, his long reign brought about stability and prosperity, ushering in a golden
age for the Sith Empire.
Early in his reign, in the year 5100 BBY, a 13 year old sith pureblood named Tenebrae,
appeared before the Dark Lord on Ziost, after having conquered his homeworld of Medriaas
and savagely slaughtered his enemies.
Ragnos was so impressed by his intelligence, ambition and incredible dark side powers,
he bestowed upon him the title of Lord Vitiate, allowing him to be the ruler of Medriaas which
was later renamed Nathema.
In the end the Dark Lord was right to see potential in Vitiate, as he lived for thousands
of year, ruled two dark side empires and was considered by some to be the most powerful
Sith Lord of all time.
Ruling for over a hundred years, strength power and strategy came to define his reign,
with Marka Ragnos earning a legendary reputation, known for his talent with lightening, force
draining, alchemy and sorcery, wielding a Sith Sword in battle, which was imbued with
dark side magic.
The sword was hidden inside a sceptre, which had the ability to absorb dark side energy
and imbue it upon someone to make them force sensitive.
He also wielded gauntlets which flowed with dark side energy, and so while fully armed
and armoured, Mark Ragnos proved immensely strong both physically and with the force,
which coupled with his strategic mind, made him one of the most powerful Sith in history,
with none able to successfully challenge his authority throughout his lifetime.
Though he ruled for many years, Marka Ragnos died of old age in 5000 BBY, and was entombed
within the valley of the dark lords on Korriban.
However he was so powerful that his spirit endured, and even appeared before the Sith
Leadership as they worked to decide the issue of succession.
With the mantle of Dark Lord now available for the taking, two new contenders, with opposing
views emerged, as Naga Sadow, the apprentice of Simus, wanted to use their strength to
expand the empire further, while his rival Ludo Kressh wanted to preserve their strength
and keep what they’d already won.
As they duelled to determine the next leader, the spirit of marka Ragnos appeared and informed
them about their ancient connection to the Jedi Order, urging them to act wisely, as
the fate of the Sith Empire hung in the balance.
When his spirit disappeared, Ludo Kressh attempted to make peace but Naga Sadow refused, and
conspired against his enemy to eventually become Dark Lord, resulting in expansionist
policies and the Empire’s invasion of the Republic, known as the Great Hyperspace war
of 5000BBY.
Throughout the years after his death, the spirit of Marka Ragnos lived on, occasionally
appearing before important individuals, like in 3996 BBY, when he was summoned by Exar
Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma through the use of sith talismans.
Ragnos saw great potential in these men, believing they might restore the Sith Empire, and so
bestowed upon Exar Kun the title of Dark Lord, while Qel’Droma was named his apprentice.
Thousands of years later, after the Sith had been reformed by Darth Bane, the spirit of
Ragnos continued to endure, appearing before Bane’s heir Darth Plagueis in the waning
days of the Galactic Republic, admonishing the Dark Lord for abandoning the traditions
of Korriban.
After Darth Sidious enacted the revenge of the Sith, destroying the Jedi Order and Republic
to create a galactic Empire, a rebellion emerged aided by Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi with
a connection to the old order, as he’d been trained by Obi Wan Kenobi and Grand Master
Yoda.
After the defeat of the Sith, Skywalker started a New jedi Order, recruiting force sensitive
children to train in the ways of the light side.
Yet the sith with continued to exist as well, with a dark side cult known as the Discpiles
of Ragnos, hatching a plot to revive the ancient Dark Lord they worshipped.
And so in 14 ABY, Tavion Axmis travelled to Korriban and used the force energy she collected
with the Dark Lord’s sceptre to summon Marka Ragnos, who then took possession of her body.
Unfortunately Ragnos was defeated by the powerful jedi apprentice Jaden Korr.
Yet even as spirit was being forced back into his sarcophagus, the Dark Lord was defiant, vowing to one day return.