The Acolyte Competition

[Lord Iezkon]

Ranks of the Sith: A Report by Uldrinn Yurad-Tol

ACOLYTE

While not strictly a member of the Sith Order, the acolyte is the expression of the future, legions of hopefuls pining for attention from their betters in the desire to achieve greatness. So often is the acolyte looked upon with disdain: the flawed, directionless mass that men and women of great power must somehow mold into the next generation. Some display great potential, be it with blade, the force, science or the spoken word and are put to use in the great machine. Others fumble and fall by the way side, never to be spoken of again in the long annals of the Sith. While brutal, the utilitarian relationship of Sith and Acolyte has proved effective in weeding out the impurity of character from an otherwise saturated herd.

In House Horuset, purity is first on the agenda. An acolyte can come from almost anywhere, in my observations I have seen everything from Pureblooded Sith to Arkanian to Twi'lek. Alien blood, a taboo of Horuset's traditionalist paradigm, has shown to be inhibiting to one's experience but not a barrier which cannot be overcome. My brief encounters with Apprentice Aljo have confirmed this in my mind, ascension must be fought for, but it is within reach of us all if we can only grasp it. I admit however that the anti-alien language of the Pureblood's has rung true in many occasions, So then I must return to my considerations of the acolyte: What are they capable of? What must they endure?

An acolyte has little power, they can only go so far on their relatively short leash. They see portions of a much wider galaxy before being thrust back into the cold bosom of their temporary home once again. They bound not only in body but in realms of thought as well. The Dark Side permeates their surroundings, they drown in paranoia, intrigue and the raw presence of their betters. This however, has proven to inspire creativity, an interest to learn the multitudes of pathways to power. Acolytes begin to seek out their interests, they skulk amongst the archives or stay awake late into the night thrashing a training droid.

We are bound in voice, speaking out of turn is a punishable sentence, though some have decided to test its limits. Protocol demands physical displays of respect whenever a superior enters a room, and before they or the acolyte exits. Even in Iziz was such respect so rarely meted out. In terms of authority the acolytes are the dirt beneath the hierarchy, they answer to all but each other within their power structure. There are notable exceptions when granted authority by their betters but in short the reach of an acolyte is less than none in the realm of the Sith.

NEOPHYTE

The Neophyte rank is a curious one, the best immediate example I have in the vicinity is that of Neophyte Aregra. The writings state that the Neophyte is one without a master to train them, though at one time they were under the tutelage of another. While the reasons behind this state are numerous, the neophyte is never to be considered close to the realm of the acolyte, they exist often as an independent entity serving either themselves or the power-base to which they may continue to belong. The Neophyte by some observation occupies their time largely with pursuits of interest, be they the natural sciences, philosophy or combat.

When it comes to authority for the Neophyte, their power is limited, their domination often restricted to the influence over acolytes although this does have some level of variation as the Neophyte may display some level of seniority. While having more experience does not equate to authority, fresh apprentices may defer to the judgment of a seasoned Neophyte if the situation requires or are too meek to think for themselves. Ultimately, without a master behind them or a union to enhance their standing, their authority is limited at best.

APPRENTICE

The first hurdle of the acolyte, the crest of the first hill before they can see the rest of the mountain. The point at which one can ascend to the rank of apprentice varies greatly. Once one has completed their trials, they may be eligible for a willing Sith out of their own apprentice-hood to take them under their wing. This does not equate success in a trial with automatic selection. One must consider the type of protege the Sith Master requires. The apprentice is a servant, a student, a warrior and a scholar. The apprentice becomes an extension of the master's will and as such the resources and knowledge of their teacher becomes largely available to them. This I can imagine however can be limited depending on how tight a leash the master wishes to keep on his student. There is a fundamental shift in training as one ascends to the role of the Apprentice. Where as an acolyte one must focus on grabbing the attention of their prospective new teacher, the apprentice must both strive to prove their continued usefulness and begin to expand their horizons to the greater depths of Dark Side knowledge.

The authority of an apprentice, much like the neophyte, can depend on their seniority. Strictly speaking active apprentices will have dominion over the acolytes as the neophytes do, although in terms of standing, the Apprentice may lord themselves over the Neophytes using the support of the master behind them. In fact the paradigm carries up the master themselves, the more powerful or influential a power-base held by a Sith, the greater influence that can extend to the actions of the apprentice. Despite this, unless in conflict, the Apprentice remains bound to the etiquette of the Sith, referring to their superiors in proper manner as all but the most daring or foolish of Sith would do.

SITH LORD

A Lord of the Sith, sometimes referred to as Dark Lord, are agents of the Dark Side who have truly immersed themselves in aspects of Sith knowledge, combat and philosophy. They are the example of the Empire at large. The Sith do not all become Lords when they break free of the chains of apprenticeship, the role of a Lord requires, more than anything, a will and means to hold the title. When I look to the example of Lord Kalkoran and Lord Sanguinis, they inspire true fear to those around them, not only that but they seem to be connected to numerous aspects of the Empire, and thus, their reach extends beyond the boundaries of House Horuset. Lords appear to exert their power through numerous apprentices, a feature I've observed predominantly from Lord Kalkoran. To describe this anecdotally, one could view a Lord of the Sith as one who lies on a bed of weeds, ripping them from the ground before they suffocate them. To be a Lord is to be constantly wary of one's own position, who covets your role and desires to take it from you. One must consolidate their power base through fear, intimidation and political alliances and as such must dominate those below them. They answer to few, restricted largely to the Darths, a subject I will look into in a moment but for now, one must consider the authority of a Sith Lord to far reaching, largely autonomous.

SITH/HOUSEHOLD SITH

While the temptation to draw similarities in nature between these Sith and the Lords of the Sith, one must think of these roles in very different ways. The Lords have secured a position of political influence, enough to retain a level of self-contained authority. Household and what I will refer to as “Independent Sith” are those who have been raised up from the role of an apprentice, their training considered complete when talking about the more academic aspects of what it means to be Sith. These Sith are relatively independent in nature and have authority close to that of a Lord when considering traditional hierarchic structures. They continue to represent the Sith Order in full and the House to which they may belong. Their authority is considered less than a Lord simply on a de facto basis as the Lord has numerous avenues at their disposal to assert and maintain their own individual power-bases.

DARTH

The epitome of the Sith ideals in mortal form. They embrace the code to its absolute end, they have fought through the endless cycle of coveting and conquering. While their authority is highly similar to that of a Darth, from my observations, the title is largely ceremonious in nature and is determined by both achievement, willpower and most importantly, the strength to take the place of another. The way of the Sith is to break free of those above you, and the Darth represents a pure expression of the heights one can achieve, every generation stronger than the last. Their authority is nigh absolute within the Empire, their will carried out by legions of loyal followers. Answerable only to the Ministries of the Empire and the Empress herself, the Darth commands the respect and fear of the Empire at large, although the greatest targets for betrayal and power-politics. Where politicians represent corruption, the Darth represents the ideal of an Imperial society, strive for what you desire, the strong and clever survive, the rest are made to serve or die.