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28-04-2023, 08:32 PM
Entry IV: Trials and Ascensions
Stepping into view, the hologram shifted to reveal Acolyte Rhysand, as ever standing with his hands clasped in the small of his back, the hilt of his training foil visible over his right shoulder.
“The Trials have come. One before I arrived, the second I couldn’t attend, but the third and fourth I have lived through. The day before the third Trial, my first, we received a lesson from Sith Zevasa on Strength, Individualism, and Alliances. No doubt meant to discourage allegiances between the Acolytes: they are common enough to be annoying.” Rhysand grinned and briefly looked away from the camera as if checking if he was alone still.
“Strength. According to the Sith Code, Strength is Passion—thought and ambition—given drive and direction. It is what allows one to push higher and fulfil ambitions and goals. But I am not here to wax philosophically about the Sith Code. No, the Strength my cousin was referring to, is that of the individual. Best described as ‘prominence’ or ‘reputation’. The weak, those without a reputation to protect them, or without the willingness to do what must be done, will always flock to the strong: those with reputation or prominence or a willingness to act. And to act in their interests, to waste your strength on others, is foolish. To waste your resources on the ambitions of others is foolish. To spend your time on saving others when it isn’t in your interest is foolish.
“Individualism. Sith Zevasa began by asking the Acolytes what the first step towards the Dark Side was. I don’t remember who said what, but the answers were: selfishness, Individualism, and Anger. Selfishness in prioritising your goals above all others; Individualism in recognising them; Anger in being a base, perhaps the base emotion.
Rhysand rolled his shoulders, exhaling forcefully as he continued speaking. He stepped back and began pacing, his shoulders back and back straight, chin fractionally angled backwards as if in imitation of someone. Though it can be said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
“The truth lies between them all. Yes, the Dark Side requires one to be selfish. Yes, this requires an understanding of our emotions. Yes, this requires recognising our goals. But we Sith shouldn’t be slaves to our emotions, because this stops us from thinking clearly. TO FEEL IS TO UNDERSTAND!” Rhysand bellowed suddenly, his deep voice cutting through the air like a blast of thunder in a clear sky. “To feel is to understand, and through understanding our emotions, we master the Dark Side.
“Alliances. They create conflict and drive advancement when goals collide, but to unite against a single, stronger foe admits that you are too weak to stand against them alone. Of course, the single obvious example of this not being the case is the Empire. But even the Empire is not exempt: the strong dominate the weak and so are we all a part of the hierarchy of the Empire. And the strength of the whole is derived from the individuals within it, not from the unity of purpose.
“When dismantling an alliance or fighting a group of enemies or an army, divide and conquer. The Jedi are an example: they are trained to rely on each other, Master and Padawan, or paired Jedi Knights. A Sith must be as capable alone as when fighting in a group. Without individual strength, a single Sith will fall. And to defeat a group of enemies, particularly Jedi, employ Defeat In Detail. Defeat them one by one, be it when fighting armies or fighting Jedi, the same principle applies.
“Beyond the obvious flaws of an alliance, there are several other problems. Risks. Weaknesses. Through the alliance, the self relies on others. It stagnates. It withers. It falls. Through the alliance, the self is fooled into thinking one is safe. The illusion of safety provides an opening for the ambitious and the bold: the illusion of safety leaves one open to attacks from within the alliance. And once the common goal has been achieved, the normal status quo will reassert itself. It will tear itself apart in a fight for dominance.”
Rhysand paused for a moment and reached up to fix an out-of-place hair. His sharp copper-gold eyes settled on the viewer, a cold determination glinting in them.
“The next day, we were summoned to the Great Hall by Overseer Tse’kira, the Matriarch. Under the stained glass Horuset Sun, she detailed our assignment: each of us was given a bronze token—for an Acolyte—and we were told to get as many tokens as possible. Apprentices, Sith, and Lords held a silver token, and a single golden token was held by the Apprentice to Darth Horuset, which earned an instant success. They all spread out through the Estate.
“I’ll admit, I don’t remember much from the Trial. I took a substance from one of the Apprentices—don’t think I even got a token for it—and that made things… Hazy. I need to be more careful with that in future. Regardless, I ended with four tokens, which was one too few to earn success. Yallanda gained the golden token—it seems the Dark Lord seeks only leaders in Her Apprentices—and Zarkang earned success for jointly killing Acolyte Harr; Kromus used his dominating position over Krassus to claim his tokens and earn the success that way. Pathetic, really.
“The next Trial went much better. Taking place a week after the last, it consisted only of me, Emlar, Ashtâ, Alandria, and one of the new Acolytes, Agran. Before this, House Sekker received a threat from Lord Saltaeon: if Ashtâ Saltaeon perished during the Trial, so would we all.
“We were dispatched to kill a Jedi. So, during the Trial, I established my dominance as a leader, as I knew that without leadership, we would fail. Jedi are dangerous foes, even if this one was tragic. To earn success, we were to bring back ‘pieces’ of the Jedi. So, when the Jedi died, I snipped off his braid unopposed while Alandria and Ashtâ fought over the lightsaber. Pathetic. Regardless, I was satisfied with my performance. Leader. Exemplary. Bonebreaker. Beyond the Success, I’m sure that it got attention. I think that’s exactly what they wanted to see. Leadership on the battlefield.
“In the aftermath, I was summoned by Sith Zevasa, the Patriarch. He asked about my performance during the Trial and according to him I ‘embodied the values of House Sekker: discipline, authority, strength, and victory’. High praise from one so high. That is the standard I hold myself to.” Rhys grinned, a sense of self-satisfaction and pride coming over him, his hands clasped in the small of his back.
“Several Ascensions and announcements occurred in the following days, and some had occurred before. Apprentice Valzino announced his claim to the title of Assistant-Raider and went uncontested. Apprentice Rhave Vipion switched from the Assistant-Marauder to the Assistant-Sorcerer with the grace of the Dark Lord, and Sith Vipion reorganised the branches under her command. She claimed the Sith Preserver, the Sith Sorcerer, and the Sith Claviger in addition to her own; a change the Dark Lord Herself commented on: ‘That is until I appoint a new Envoy, Sith Vipion. Do not presume that this will be forever. Enjoy the fruits of your initiative, for now.’ This was followed a few days following the Trial by an unsuccessful attempt by Sith Zevasa to claim dominion over the Sith Harbinger, something She reversed.
“Regarding Ascensions: Krassus made a fuss about his qualities and was taken on sometime later by Lord Saltaeon. Vaera was taken on by Sith Sarias, and following the Trial, Ashtâ made a similar announcement to Krassus’. She was taken on by Lord Iezkon, and Emlar was taken on by Sith Hazlem alongside Neophyte Cuvao, the Assistant Raider. Illodraen was taken on by Sith Zevasa. And Krômus, finally, was taken on by Sith Arvanis.
“I know my goal. I do not need to beg for it. I will attain it. I will become a Sith Apprentice—the Sith Apprentice—of Darth Horuset.”
The image of Rhysand Sekker vanished.
Stepping into view, the hologram shifted to reveal Acolyte Rhysand, as ever standing with his hands clasped in the small of his back, the hilt of his training foil visible over his right shoulder.
“The Trials have come. One before I arrived, the second I couldn’t attend, but the third and fourth I have lived through. The day before the third Trial, my first, we received a lesson from Sith Zevasa on Strength, Individualism, and Alliances. No doubt meant to discourage allegiances between the Acolytes: they are common enough to be annoying.” Rhysand grinned and briefly looked away from the camera as if checking if he was alone still.
“Strength. According to the Sith Code, Strength is Passion—thought and ambition—given drive and direction. It is what allows one to push higher and fulfil ambitions and goals. But I am not here to wax philosophically about the Sith Code. No, the Strength my cousin was referring to, is that of the individual. Best described as ‘prominence’ or ‘reputation’. The weak, those without a reputation to protect them, or without the willingness to do what must be done, will always flock to the strong: those with reputation or prominence or a willingness to act. And to act in their interests, to waste your strength on others, is foolish. To waste your resources on the ambitions of others is foolish. To spend your time on saving others when it isn’t in your interest is foolish.
“Individualism. Sith Zevasa began by asking the Acolytes what the first step towards the Dark Side was. I don’t remember who said what, but the answers were: selfishness, Individualism, and Anger. Selfishness in prioritising your goals above all others; Individualism in recognising them; Anger in being a base, perhaps the base emotion.
Rhysand rolled his shoulders, exhaling forcefully as he continued speaking. He stepped back and began pacing, his shoulders back and back straight, chin fractionally angled backwards as if in imitation of someone. Though it can be said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
“The truth lies between them all. Yes, the Dark Side requires one to be selfish. Yes, this requires an understanding of our emotions. Yes, this requires recognising our goals. But we Sith shouldn’t be slaves to our emotions, because this stops us from thinking clearly. TO FEEL IS TO UNDERSTAND!” Rhysand bellowed suddenly, his deep voice cutting through the air like a blast of thunder in a clear sky. “To feel is to understand, and through understanding our emotions, we master the Dark Side.
“Alliances. They create conflict and drive advancement when goals collide, but to unite against a single, stronger foe admits that you are too weak to stand against them alone. Of course, the single obvious example of this not being the case is the Empire. But even the Empire is not exempt: the strong dominate the weak and so are we all a part of the hierarchy of the Empire. And the strength of the whole is derived from the individuals within it, not from the unity of purpose.
“When dismantling an alliance or fighting a group of enemies or an army, divide and conquer. The Jedi are an example: they are trained to rely on each other, Master and Padawan, or paired Jedi Knights. A Sith must be as capable alone as when fighting in a group. Without individual strength, a single Sith will fall. And to defeat a group of enemies, particularly Jedi, employ Defeat In Detail. Defeat them one by one, be it when fighting armies or fighting Jedi, the same principle applies.
“Beyond the obvious flaws of an alliance, there are several other problems. Risks. Weaknesses. Through the alliance, the self relies on others. It stagnates. It withers. It falls. Through the alliance, the self is fooled into thinking one is safe. The illusion of safety provides an opening for the ambitious and the bold: the illusion of safety leaves one open to attacks from within the alliance. And once the common goal has been achieved, the normal status quo will reassert itself. It will tear itself apart in a fight for dominance.”
Rhysand paused for a moment and reached up to fix an out-of-place hair. His sharp copper-gold eyes settled on the viewer, a cold determination glinting in them.
“The next day, we were summoned to the Great Hall by Overseer Tse’kira, the Matriarch. Under the stained glass Horuset Sun, she detailed our assignment: each of us was given a bronze token—for an Acolyte—and we were told to get as many tokens as possible. Apprentices, Sith, and Lords held a silver token, and a single golden token was held by the Apprentice to Darth Horuset, which earned an instant success. They all spread out through the Estate.
“I’ll admit, I don’t remember much from the Trial. I took a substance from one of the Apprentices—don’t think I even got a token for it—and that made things… Hazy. I need to be more careful with that in future. Regardless, I ended with four tokens, which was one too few to earn success. Yallanda gained the golden token—it seems the Dark Lord seeks only leaders in Her Apprentices—and Zarkang earned success for jointly killing Acolyte Harr; Kromus used his dominating position over Krassus to claim his tokens and earn the success that way. Pathetic, really.
“The next Trial went much better. Taking place a week after the last, it consisted only of me, Emlar, Ashtâ, Alandria, and one of the new Acolytes, Agran. Before this, House Sekker received a threat from Lord Saltaeon: if Ashtâ Saltaeon perished during the Trial, so would we all.
“We were dispatched to kill a Jedi. So, during the Trial, I established my dominance as a leader, as I knew that without leadership, we would fail. Jedi are dangerous foes, even if this one was tragic. To earn success, we were to bring back ‘pieces’ of the Jedi. So, when the Jedi died, I snipped off his braid unopposed while Alandria and Ashtâ fought over the lightsaber. Pathetic. Regardless, I was satisfied with my performance. Leader. Exemplary. Bonebreaker. Beyond the Success, I’m sure that it got attention. I think that’s exactly what they wanted to see. Leadership on the battlefield.
“In the aftermath, I was summoned by Sith Zevasa, the Patriarch. He asked about my performance during the Trial and according to him I ‘embodied the values of House Sekker: discipline, authority, strength, and victory’. High praise from one so high. That is the standard I hold myself to.” Rhys grinned, a sense of self-satisfaction and pride coming over him, his hands clasped in the small of his back.
“Several Ascensions and announcements occurred in the following days, and some had occurred before. Apprentice Valzino announced his claim to the title of Assistant-Raider and went uncontested. Apprentice Rhave Vipion switched from the Assistant-Marauder to the Assistant-Sorcerer with the grace of the Dark Lord, and Sith Vipion reorganised the branches under her command. She claimed the Sith Preserver, the Sith Sorcerer, and the Sith Claviger in addition to her own; a change the Dark Lord Herself commented on: ‘That is until I appoint a new Envoy, Sith Vipion. Do not presume that this will be forever. Enjoy the fruits of your initiative, for now.’ This was followed a few days following the Trial by an unsuccessful attempt by Sith Zevasa to claim dominion over the Sith Harbinger, something She reversed.
“Regarding Ascensions: Krassus made a fuss about his qualities and was taken on sometime later by Lord Saltaeon. Vaera was taken on by Sith Sarias, and following the Trial, Ashtâ made a similar announcement to Krassus’. She was taken on by Lord Iezkon, and Emlar was taken on by Sith Hazlem alongside Neophyte Cuvao, the Assistant Raider. Illodraen was taken on by Sith Zevasa. And Krômus, finally, was taken on by Sith Arvanis.
“I know my goal. I do not need to beg for it. I will attain it. I will become a Sith Apprentice—the Sith Apprentice—of Darth Horuset.”
The image of Rhysand Sekker vanished.
