A Golden Age, by Sith Tarimra

[Rhysand Sekker]

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A Golden Age
Or: how a golden age precedes the fall of a society and an examination of the Golden Age of the Sith
By Sith Tarimra, Envoy of Arcana and Sith Lorekeeper of the Horuset Powerbase

When looking at history and researching the events of the past, and present, and the effect this has on the future, there is no period, for me, more telling or that has had the greatest impact on the future and all events that came after than the Golden Age of the Sith. While the most influential war is the Great Galactic War, it is not wars that decide the fate of civilisations, but the periods of security and prosperity. Indeed, they direct the fate of societies far more than a war ever can. A war can displace a people, but it cannot erase their sense of identity as much as a period of instability and unrest can erase such.

A perfect example of this is the Golden Age of the Sith, that being the reign of Marka Ragnos as Dark Lord. Upon his death, the fall of the old Empire began with a battle between Lords Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh.

Marka Ragnos, Dark Lord of the Sith, followed the ancient tradition of his ancestors and forebears in defeating the Sith Lord Simus, claiming by right the title of Jin’ari iw ri Tsis; Dark Lord of the Sith.

His reign would be a glorious one. Indeed, it was a golden age, where prosperity and security flourished for the old Empire, a period that lasted for the entirety of Ragnos’ reign. As with all golden ages, the Golden Age of the Sith was followed by a period of instability, unrest, and war. A war that shattered an empire, and from the ashes of which a new Empire arose.

Battling Simus for the position of Dark Lord of the Sith around 1,440 to 1450 BTC, Marka Ragnos defeated his opponent, and proceeded to - or so I’ve heard and read - wipe out any future competition through a series of short, brutal campaigns, creating a future for himself as Dark Lord, and creating security for his Empire. His reign, which would last over a century, is remembered as an eponymous golden age, in which the tradition of his people and my ancestors, the Sith Purebloods, was followed and worshipped; aliens subjugated and made to work for the expansion and glory of the old Empire.

Upon Ragnos’ death, the golden age came to an end. This was heralded by a climactic duel between Lords Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh; a traitor and a fallen hero, where Ragnos himself was supposedly present. So, too, is it rumoured that he proclaimed that only the worthy should succeed him: a thing which, if it is true, Kressh and Sadow took quite literally.

This was the beginning of the end of the old Empire. Sadow bested Kressh, and was proclaimed Dark Lord of the Sith, and proceeded to lead the Empire into a disastrous war against a Republic which they underestimated, for which he will always be remembered by myself and others as a failure and a traitor to the Empire.

I am a member of the Horuset Bloodline; my blood can be traced back to before the time of Ragnos, back to the courts of King Adas, the Sith’ari. Still, while the Horuset Bloodline was of relatively little importance during the time of Marka Ragnos, the Golden Age set us up to become one of the leading (surviving) families after the Great Hyperspace War with the Republic. My ancestor Chul, the Lord Horuset, was a member of Ragnos’ court: he supported later Ludo Kressh, and publicly swore fealty to Sadow, knowing that Sadow would fall.

The Golden Age of the Sith should intrigue, for it shows how a society can fall after a period of plenty; how the actions of one man do not prevent nor precede the actions of another. After all, it is true that Naga Sadow brought war with the Republic because he could - not because it was necessary. While Marka Ragnos was unaware of the Republic’s existence, it was a period of plenty and security for the old Empire. The moment Sadow knew of it, he planned to wage war and gain himself a victory, not realising the toll such a decision would claim.

Marka Ragnos did not - could not - prevent the fall of his Empire. Had he known, he’d have proclaimed Ludo Kressh Dark Lord, as he was by right.

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