Culture of Darkness

[Prazutis]

Cultures. Fascinating, aren't they? Every planet, every species, every race, every people posess a different culture. Be it the food they eat, the religion they practise, the rituals they perform, or their language, every culture was different. One could even call a lifestyle a culture. The Mandalorian cultures were absolutely a point of cultural fascination. Of course, the Jedi were a culture unto themselves. Even the underworlds of individual planets, and the bands of pirates roaming the galaxies had their own culture. Their own laws. Their own practises... And then there was the Sith. Another point of culture fascination.

""Nuyak Vadinti... Kash... (Translation: my name is) No, said that wrong". said Prazutis quietly.

The fifteen year old Sith acolyte sat in deep study over a holocron he had found in the library of the Sith. Most of the other acolytes his age were out honing their muscles and their body, training for lightsaber combat and aspiring to become all-powerful warriors. Though not Prazutis. He definitely had an interest in lightsaber combat, but that was not what consumed his thoughts. Today, he sat in study of a Sith holocron. Possessing ancient knowledge of the Sith and their people.

Prazutis had a knack for languages. Over his time on Tatooine, he had learned a bit of huttese and Mandalorian. Mostly expletives and less-then-reputable expressions, however he was able to construct different sentences. He loved languages. Thought they were fascinating. Languages were the key differences that could make or break communication with another being. He had decided after beginning his training on Korriban that he would learn more about Sith Culture and what made the people and order so unique. He had came across a Holocron on the ancient Sith Language, and now was trying to study from it. "Atgal tave netvarka niant (Translation: back the hell off)" said Prazutis, followed by a short chuckle. He felt he was making progress. Learning all he could about the Sith.

They were an interesting people.

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

The corridors of the Sith Academy were surprisingly empty that day. Sin'ryk assumed they were in the middle of another petty hazing session with a weaker Acolyte; after all, that was the norm for the Sith Order, even though he had never experienced it before. Walking down the silent corridors, the Red Sith began to whistle a tune to himself; his tendrils twitched according to each change in pitch and tone. As he progressed down the hallway, it was then a voice reached his ears. It wasn't in Basic to his surprise, but rather speaking in his own native tongue. Flicking his hair side and muttering an incantation to conceal his Force Presence, Sin'ryk followed the voice until he reached the training room which it came from. Within stood a young Acolyte who seemed to be learning the language of the Sith people. Remaining silent, he watched as the young Sith began recited sentences in the language; it was when the young one said "Back the Hell off" that the Sorcerer decided to chime in with his eyestalk raised.

"Well that is certainly a polite way to greet a guest, young Ajak'Tsis."

 

[Prazutis]

Prazutis was surprised. He had not thought that there was anyone else in the library. Was it just another acolyte? Could be... So, he had heard his last phrase... Wait, how could the other person understand it? Maybe he knew the language fluently... Well, regardless, he wanted to be alone. If it was just another acolyte, he would just tell him to beat it. However, when he turned around, he noticed something... He was taller, looked stronger, and scarier looking then the other acolytes... Did he just piss off a Crusader... Oh kriff. "Sorry, sir. Didn't mean to offend ya. I was just doing some reading, and-"

He stopped, and looked up at the Crusader's face. Red tendrils fell down his face. The clawed hands. The Red skin... A Sith! An actual Sith! But, how is that possible. Prazutis thought they were extinct. He hadn't seen any around the academy, and certainly no where else in the galaxy. Of course, the only other planet he had ever lived on was Tatooine. Why would any Sith willingly visit that planet... "Hang on a sec... Sudas (Translation: ******) you're a real breathing Sith! That's incredible!" He wanted to try and speak the language. Slowly, he begun to say distinct words. The phrase was a bit broken, and the accent and diction unsubstantial, but the words could still be understood. " Nu ideja anas visa rausvas tsis guduma. Gal... j'us moketi nun ir kam dartovi Ajak'tsis zemas? (Translation: I thought that all Red Sith were dead. Can you understand me? And... What does Ajak'Tsis mean?)

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

Sin'ryk could all too well see that the Acolyte before him was nervous and excited...and it was all to do with him. Deciding it would be prudent to do so, the Red Sith decided to address the nervousness.

"At ease young one, I am not here to be a glorified torturer as the other instructors here are."

After that, the Human began to speak again in the Sith language.

" Nu ideja anas visa rausvas tsis guduma. Gal... j'us moketi nun ir kam dartovi Ajak'tsis zemas?"

The Sorcerer gave his response in Basic, to assure the Acolyte that there was no pressure. Sure, a bit of the pronunciation was a bit off, but it was good for someone who seemed to have been learning the language for a short time.

"Depends on your definition; much of the Old Sith worlds are inhabited by the 'Purebloods', the Hybrid descendants of the Jen'Jidai and you can find many within the Order. Pure Red Sith, such as myself, are near extinction and found only in the thousands upon empty worlds or where we'd least likely to be found."

After that, Sin'ryk addressed the final aspect of the sentence.

"Ajak'Tsis is the more polite term my people use to refer to Sith who aren't well, Sith. It literally means Doctrine Sith, for they live by the code."

 

[Prazutis]

Incredible to think... From what he had read, the Red Sith of pure blood were extinct. A people going extinct is always a shame. You loose they knowledge, their culture, their teachings, everything. However, a live Red Sith stood right before him. He seemed to be in good shape. He couldn't help but examine his body. He looked up and down. The facial tendrils hung from his face just like in the pictures. One of his hands looked... Strange. Golden, and rune incrusted. It could be ritualistic tattoos. Or perhaps it was simply a cybernetic prosthetic, designed to replace a lost hand. Regardless, it looked very impressive... Then he looked up at his face. He smiled embarrassingly. "Sorry again. It's probably rude to look ya up and down. Getting used to the formalities here. Back on Tatooine, he don't really follow any formality"

"Depends on your definition; much of the Old Sith worlds are inhabited by the 'Purebloods', the Hybrid descendants of the Jen'Jidai and you can find many within the Order. Pure Red Sith, such as myself, are near extinction and found only in the thousands upon empty worlds or where we'd least likely to be found." He listened to each word carefully...It was amazing to be able to speak to one. He had only studied the people for about a week now, but already he was fascinated.

"Ajak'Tsis is the more polite term my people use to refer to Sith who aren't well, Sith. It literally means Doctrine Sith, for they live by the code." So, the word was a polite word for Acolyte? Not really Sith, but aspiring to become that... Perhaps.

"It's incredible to see someone like you here... Allow me to introduce myself sir, my name is Prazutis. Sith Acolyte. Or... How did you say; "Ajak'tsis". His pronunciation was improving, however that was probably because he was just mimicking what the Red Sith had just said. "you caught me in the midst of studying your language... "Zhol geros? Tikazi by pagalys?" (translation: did it sound okay? When I spoke)"

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

"Not bad at all." Replied Sin'ryk with a smile. "Indeed, you are speaking one of the more younger dialects; spoken by those Purebloods who are lacking in pointed teeth. It generally has less of a hiss throughout compared the dialect native to my world."

He described, the Red Sith then proceeded to speak further.

"Referring to oneself as Ajak'Tsis is not a matter of rank...rather it is of blood. Most Sith, namely the Purebloods, refer to those who do share of our blood as White Sith. Ajak'Tsis implies that, though a Sith may not have Korriban's blood in their veins, they are one of us in spirit."

Sin'ryk then moved on to another part of the subject; namely the introductions he needed to respond to. Nodding his head in a bow with his hand over his heart, he spoke.

"Know me as Sin'ryk Nalessh, Saara'Tsis of the tribes of Yinchorr; tis my honour to know you as well Prazutis. Tell me, what drew you to learning the culture of the ancestors?"

 

[Prazutis]

Younger dialects? Fascinating. He always found it interesting when a specific set of language was pronounced in a different tone. Though, what did he mean by younger. Was it used by younger children and adolescents of the Sith species? Maybe pointed teath came about once adulthood was reached. Maybe the hiss also came with age... Or maybe it was a evolutionary thing. He had said something about the hybrids and the false Purebloods. Or, something like that. Maybe they were species differences. He HAD seen that certain Purebloods had more of a human-like hand while the Red Sith possessed.

Everything the Pureblood said was pretty fascinating. It probably seemed more fascinating considering he had spent the last week studying the people and their culture. He also had a very interesting way of speaking. Even when speaking basic, there was a slight hiss in his voice. Even more so when speaking words in his peoples tongue. It was a very fortunate coincidence... The term Ajak'tsis was interesting as well. So, it was a Sith word for those who were part of the Sith Order, but not necessarily Red Sith themselves

"Sin'ryk Nalessh. A very cool name. And... Well, I've always enjoyed learning about other cultures. I was... I had a few terrible years on Tatooine." He had begun to speak of his time as a slave, but decided not to. That was a time of his life that was behind him. "I like to learn about other ways of life. Other then those on Tatooine. The Sith Culture is the first of dozens that I have found absolutely fascinating. Mandalorian Culture is cool as well. I like their way of life. But something about the Sith. The "ancestors" as you said, are fascinating. ...What does 'Saara'Tsis' mean?"

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

So this Acolyte was once bound within slavery...an institution Sin'ryk considered backward and simply asking for a rebellion. The Red Sith decided not to ask questions in the matter, it was the Acolyte's decision to do so. The Human's question he could easily address.

"It is the mark inscribed on my forehead, Tsara'Tsis means 'True Sith.' Whilst it may sound like snobbishness, among the tribes of my homeworld, it simply means you have proven yourself worthy of the tribe's membership as an adult."

The Sorcerer then moved on to another topic.

"Have you also started researching the numerous scripts we use in writing our texts? It is most important since the ancient works have never been translated into Basic and its Aurebesh script."

 

[Prazutis]

"So that mark on your forehead is a symbol of Adulthood? Is it a Tattoo, or a Brand? Are there any rituals or trials you have to go through to become a man in your tribe"

He had so many questions, he couldn't believe it. How did the tribes work. How did, well, everything work. The Sith was a whole new world, and now he had the best example of a Sith right in front of him... However, he restrained himself a bit. He didn't want to come off as eccentric or eager. He needed to be calm, and collected.

Then he was asked about the ancient texts, and his mind snapped back to reality. He had seen a few texts and wanted to start studying them. However, he couldn't find a basic translation. Which was then explained by Sin'ryk... "No sir, I have not. I have only just begun learning your language. I would most likely mistake some words. Misinterpret the texts. I would care to give your ancient knowledge it's due respect by not messing up the translation"

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

"Indeed it is a mark of adulthood and yes it is a tattoo." Answered Sin'ryk with a smile. "Traditionally, it is done by a Sorcerer or another holy person; but since I am the last of my own tribe, as well as a Sorcerer, I had to do it myself."

He then began to stroke his tendrils as he listened to the Acolyte.

"It is understandable, but it will be necessary to do so. Do you know the names of any of these scripts...and do you know that there is a Massassi language?"

 

[Prazutis]

So he was a sorcerer... From what he had learnt at the academy so far, specializations included those of a Warrior, Sorcerer and Assassin. Seemed most Sith, especially the other boys in the academy, wanted to become Warriors; powerful soldiers. This Crusader didn't really have a build for a warrior, and he casted an air of intelligence. Perhaps this was a different kind of sorcerer though. A special kind to his specific tribe... Though, it made him a bit sad when he said he was all alone. He kind of felt alone a good deal of his life. He sympathized with lonely people.

Then he answered the Crusader's next question.

"I understand that it is necessary. I was aware there was a different language for the Massassi. Is there different languages for each of your castes?" He stopped himself again. He would just go into a tirade of questions again. "I digress... Apologies, sir, but I don't know the names of the texts. I've only begun to look at them... However, I fully intend to. I want to learn as much as I can about your people... The Sith are fascinating. I'm honoured to follow the Sith Doctrine"

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

"It is my honour to follow the code as well; it is only natural for me to do so."

Replied Sin'ryk as he stroked his facial tendrils.

"And it is good you are interested in the spiritual and cultural roots of the Sith. However, for those who've survived, time has changed us; regardless if we are Red Sith or Pureblood. My group hail from Yinchorr, a world far beyond the heartlands of the Empire; descended from the outcast sects from the Sorcerers of Tund. Ironic indeed..."

 

[Prazutis]

The questions continued to swirl within his mind. The first of them, one at the forefront of his mind was... why was he stroking the tendrils on his face? Did it give off some sort of good feeling? Or was it just for something to do. Prazutis was probably over analyzing all of this, but he couldn't help but think as to why. However, he refrained from asking. He was wondering if it was rude or not, but wouldn't risk offending him.

However, he started paying closer attention as the Sorcerer spoke more details about his own upbringing.

"Yinchorr? I don't believe I've heard of that world before. Is it an ancient Sith homeworld, even though it's not in the heartlands of the Empire? And... The Sorcerers of Tuund? Why were they outcasts? Broken off sect of the Sith? And yes... I see the irony. I think..."

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

"To begin with, no, Yinchorr was never a part of the Original Empire..." Began Sin'ryk. "And it seems the Sorcerers of Tund are not a well known topic. Well to begin with, they were a society of Red Sith who perceived the death of King Adas as a sign to abandon all of the old ways...given my people are the type who loath change I think you can understand how this went down. They were thus declared Heretics and exiled to Tund, long before the Sith Order even existed and years before the Infinite Empire collapsed."

The Red Sith began to stroke his facial tendrils and began to smile, thus exposing the sharp teeth within his mouth. His simian nostrils flared inwardly as he breathed deep.

"Are you familiar with the reign of Dathka Graush?"

 

[Prazutis]

"I've read of King Adas!" Prazutis began. He was happy to have know of something this Crusader was talking about, and immediately began to speak on the subject. "He was a great Sith King, correct? He conquered all of Korriban and united the various tribes. I think I read something about him driving off the Rakata. And the... the... The infinite empire, thats it! And he was the one who first got the title of "Sith'ari". Which means... Damn it, it means... Overlord, right? From what I read, he sounds like one hell of a man. Conquering an entire planet, thats incredible, I mean..."

He looked up at the Crusader, and realized he was rambling.

"Apologies, sir. I tend to go off on these things. Nice to prove I know something, and that I'm not some stupid..." He stopped again. He refused to talk about the time in which he was a slave. Viole had helped him realize he needed to put that behind him. "I digress... again. Well, there was probably a lot of fighting when Adas fell. I mean, he had ruled over an entire people. Though to abandon all of a people's old ways... Not sure what I think about that. Though considering where I come from, I can see why your ancestors wanted to begin a new way of life..."

He watched as the Crusader begun to open his mouth again, and Prazutis fell silent. He was probably talking way too ,much and too fast. Though he also realized again he was used to shutting up for his slavers... Though in this case, he considered it more of a courtesy and a matter of being polite to cease speaking.

"Are you familiar with the reign of Dathka Graush?" was the question asked by the Crusader.

"I think I read about him in a text in basic. At least, a streamlined version. He was another Sith King, right? A powerful Sith Sorcerer too, I think... Also, if I may, another question, unrelated to this. I am told Crusaders are able to specialize further. Though it seems many of the powerful Sith in your history were Powerful Sorcerers. You have the look of a sorcerer too, and I can feel your power... My force sense has been getting stronger; anyways, is that the best way to go? As a sorcerer. Instead of a warrior or assassin?"

Prazutis knew he had gone kind of off-topic. He did that a lot when he had questions that he wanted answered. He hoped the crusader would bear with him. He was starting to respect this Crusader more. Especially for his knowledge towards the Sith.

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

Sin'ryk smiled.

"To say that Dathka Graush was a powerful Sorcerer would be an understatement. He pioneered the art of using Sith Magic and Alchemy to re-animate the dead, replace his heart with a powerful Force-Sensitive crystal that contained the souls of his enemies and he was considered cruel even by the standards of my people, having transformed Korriban from a world of tombs to an entire mass grave. I hate to say that that is what gave him the material for his experiments. Though his secrets and crystal heart are lost to us, his legacy lives on...namely in the form of the Zombies he created and the hell-blight their teeth carry. In my Acolyte days, along with another Acolyte, I had to help clear a tomb of such...things."

The Red Sith's tone carried a sensation of disgust, coming from a culture that revered their long dead ancestors tends to have that effect on an individual. He had no qualms with slaying the living, but profaning the remains of the dead even if they weren't of his own blood was wrong. He then decided to go on to the Acolyte's other question.

"Indeed I am a Sorcerer, as a being of Kissai, with a hint of Massassi, blood; it was what I was destined to pursue. As for whether or not it is the best way, I cannot say. It is up to you to choose which path you want to follow, I am merely the one who shows them to you. If you do choose the Sorcerer's path, then know this; it has dangers that none of the other paths have. Whilst with the like of Warriors and Assassins, the danger is mostly corporeal; as a Sorcerer, it is not just the dangers of the body you face, but also the dangers of the mind and spirit. The very knowledge you seek can destroy your mind and body; if it isn't the knowledge itself that does it, it is often the spells that protect the old scrolls that can do it. Within the Tombs themselves, many horrors lie. Of course you can expect the odd booby trap and if fortune hates you, a Terentatek, but these are minor in comparison to the ones they were built for. Always be wary of the spirits of the dead, they will tempt you with promises of power only to rip your soul from your body and take you as a vessel. Anyone here, myself included, can attest to having heard the whispers of the dead from within the Valley of the Dark Lords; have you ever stopped to listen to them?"

 

[Prazutis]

Re-animating the dead?! Was that even possible? He had read legends of reanimated bodies, and heard stories from his fellow slaves about zombies. Ghost stories mainly. They couldn't communicate them very well, but they were still able to be heard and listened to... Prazutis thought it was just a myth. So... Zombies were real? ...Honestly, considering what he had learnt about the Force, it didn't surprise him. At least... not THAT much. However, replacing your heart with a crystal was... far fetched. When Sin'ryk began talking about it, Prazutis had a mix of confusion and slight-disgust on his face. It was weird to hear about. However, he seemed to think that Sin'ryk was telling the truth. He seemed to speak very seriously about this.

He noticed that the Crusader also sounded a bit disgusted while talking about the Zombies on Korriban. Was that a Sith thing? Korriban was basically a gigantic tomb for dead Sith. Red Sith and Sith Lords alike. Sith probably had a thing against wrecking the tombs and corpses of their ancestors. Prazutis wasn't used to that. If someone died on Tatooine.... It didn't kriffing matter. To be among a people who revered their dead for decades, even centuries later, was... different.

"You had to clear a tomb full of those zombies?" Prazutis asked. "That must have been hard. I've seen how the Sith revere their ancestors... You said something about a "hell-blight" in their teeth? What happens if they... bite you... Actually, I think I might know, moving on..."

So, his question about specializations was being answered too. He enjoyed being answered. Lots of Crusaders here would brush his questions aside. It felt nice to be listened to... So the powers that sorcerers held didn't come without cost. Others worried about physical danger, whilst a sorcerer worried a great deal about spiritual and mental danger. And... the dead...

"have you ever stopped to listen to them?" As a matter of fact, yes...

"I have heard these voices around Korriban... When I walk near the tombs, I hear dark voices. Promising power and wealth... I have nightmares a lot. Sometimes, when I have them, I see dark spirits in dark planes... I thought I was just having bad dreams, or was hallucinating. From Korriban heat, or not eating, or... whatever. But maybe what you're saying is right, sir... Why do you ask? And why did you ask me if I knew of Dathka Graush?"

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

Sin'ryk listened as the Acolyte spoke his words. When he began with the Korriban Zombies, it made Sin'ryk chuckle as the Human changed his mind about the what he was going to ask. The Red Sith understood all too well, even the most powerful Sorcerers of his homeworld condemned the practice of raising the dead as a disgrace to the ancestors. Prazutis continued speaking in response to the Sorcerer's previous question.

"I have heard these voices around Korriban... When I walk near the tombs, I hear dark voices. Promising power and wealth... I have nightmares a lot. Sometimes, when I have them, I see dark spirits in dark planes... I thought I was just having bad dreams, or was hallucinating. From Korriban heat, or not eating, or... whatever. But maybe what you're saying is right, sir... Why do you ask? And why did you ask me if I knew of Dathka Graush?"

Sin'ryk smiled.

"Merely asking; few Sith, even those of my rank, do not know of him. The Purebloods who still reside on Korriban still speak his name in hushed tones, they hang all sorts of trinkets in fear of drawing his wrath. Their fears do have a basis in truth, even though his bones lie still, Graush's spirit still haunts the Valley of Golg...there is a reason why that part of Korriban is forbidden, save for Crusaders and above. At least the other ghosts are bound to their tombs. Do you have any more questions young one?"

 

[Prazutis]

So in one day, he had learnt of the existence of both zombies and ghosts... Honestly, he was glad. He thought he was kriffing hallucinating. He ate some bad food. He overtrained, or... something. Still, it was a bit unsettling to hear. That these ghosts wanted to take peoples bodies as vessels... Then again, it matched a lot of the ghost stories he had heard. Possessing... Up until now, he had thought it was a sack of shab. Now... It was a lot to take in, damn straight. He was happy to hear they were trapped in their tombs. He didn't like the voices from the ghosts. Whiny and eerie...

"Do you have any more questions young one?" the Crusader said... Did he have questions. He was sure if the circumstances were different, he could think of hundreds of questions. However, his mind had been taken aback by talk about kriffing zombies and ghosts. He couldn't really think about that many questions, but he did have a few.

"I have a few, if you'd let me ask them all... So first, how do you recommend me going forward learning your people's ways. If you don't think thats heretical or anything. I would love to learn more. Become as akin to the old Sith as I can... Also, do you have any advice going forward with my training here? And also... I've read in the Sith ways that Sith take on apprentices often. Is that done around here? Like personal training? I've been to a few classes, and... well, as you have seen, been studying by myself. What does it take to get a teacher for that apprentice thing? I had a lot more questions, but... our fun little talk about kriffing zombies kinda freaked me out a bit"

The end of his long speech voicing his questions became more lax and not as formal. The person who Prazutis really was. It was showing he was a bit more comfortable. Not as nervous or excited as when Crusader Sin'ryk first walked into the room.

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

"Given that the ways of the Sith Order are based on the ways of my people; it wouldn't be considered heretical at all." Began Sin'ryk. "Every Sith has their own way, something that the so-called Master seem to forget; if you seek to emulate my people, then you must research our ways before the Jen'Jidai and then proceed to sort the chaff from the wheat."

The Red Sith then moved on to the next question.

"It is a common practice, always has been since the beginning of the Order and beyond that. While it can help, a Master isn't completely necessary; while I technically had a Master, Lord Weiss himself, he wasn't around much. I had to study independently...either way its your choice. As for your questions, worry not, I understand it is not easy for those who aren't used to the Lore of the Sith."