Eternal Father
- Intent: Create a series of hidden Sith academies beneath the major galactic capitals
- Image Credit:
- Click - Andrew Palyanov
- Headers -
Ingrid L'lerim
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: N/A
- Structure Name: Dzwolsûjen (Exist in Shadow)
- Classification: Hidden Sith Academies
- Location:
- The Hateholt - Beneath Lower Coruscant, Coruscant
- The Fearholt - Under the Shadowlands, Kashyyyk
- The Angerholt - Within the Naboo Abyss, Naboo
- The Painholt - Beneath Arcenon, Kalidan-Lysenia
- The Vengeholt - Beneath Ravelin, Bastion
- Affiliation: Asha'Kurat, the Sith Empire-in-Exile (the Kainate)
- Accessibility: The secrecy of the Dzwolsûjen is paramount, with only a small handful of individuals in the entire galaxy knowing of their exact location. This knowledge is ferociously coveted by the Asha'Kurat's leadership and kept tight-lipped. Those undeserving of knowing the location of each academy can only be taken there through the guidance of those that do under a series of precautionary measures. Sight is blinded, hearing is deafened, all other senses are rendered inert while the Force is stricken from them for the duration of both arriving and departing. Those who haphazardly stumble upon the academy's locations are immediately apprehended, deprived of all knowledge, and then either killed or transformed into a guardian of the academy.
- Description: Each academy of the Dzwolsûjen was different in terms of aesthetic and location, though the interior layout was virtually identical between all of them.
The Hateholt, located beneath Coruscant, was a massive complex built into the very foundations of the ecumenopolis at its lowest levels. The entryways into the Hateholt were concealed within abandoned warehouses and other derelict structures, all forgotten by the upper levels and avoided by the vagrants who frequented the lower levels. The true extent of the Hateholt stretched far throughout the sub-levels of Coruscant, tunnels winding their way up and down into existing structures. Much of the academy was built around secret architecture constructed by the One Sith during their long occupation of Coruscant, most of which had gone undiscovered by those who came after.
The Fearholt, located beneath Kashyyyk, had been built within a massive cave system that stretched throughout the Shadowlands. Not only were the entryways hidden within the thick underbrush, but they were also protected by the vicious beasts that inhabited the Shadowlands. Portions of the academy wound up through the roots of mighty wroshyr trees, rising up like a parasitic infection that leached life from the tree itself. Other parts of the academy were built over gargantuan subterranean lakes and rivers, polluting the groundwater through alchemical run-off and the corrupted remains of experiments and deceased acolytes. The heart of the academy was buried deep in the mantle, surrounded by active lava flows and pools of molten magma.
The Angerholt, located beneath Naboo, was built deep within the labyrinthine cave system of the planet's core. While benefiting from the extremely dangerous wildlife that made the planet's core home to protect its location, the Angerholt likewise made use of effective countermeasures to ensure that the creatures of the abyss do not threaten the academy. Reaching the Angerholt requires exceptional piloting skills and the ability to successfully navigate the winding tunnels of the abyss without crashing or getting eaten. The alchemists of the Angerholt routinely capture live specimens and twist them into horrific leviathans, which are then released to upset the natural ecosystem of the planet's core.
The Painholt, located beneath Kalidan-Lysenia, was located far below the Citadel of Emperors, Arcenon, connected only by the deepest waterways and access tunnels. Built in secrecy during the alliance between the Eternal Empire and the Sith Empire, the Painholt remained in use despite the mounting tensions between the Sith and the Eternal's government. Hidden beyond the purview of the Eternal Empire's hunters, the entrance to the Painholt could only be accessed through a specific series of tunnels and causeways not found on any official or unofficial map. The students of the Painholt often preyed on the inhabitants of Arcenon through nightly incursions to the surface, sporadic enough that the series of disappearances never coincided in great quantities to arouse suspicion.
The Vengeholt, located beneath Bastion, was comprised of a portion of the former Fortress Carnifex separated from what became Fortress Imperator during the Battle of Bastion. A leftover of the previous Sith administration, the Vengeholt is the most treacherous of all hidden academies to reach. Built into the bedrock of Bastion itself, the Vengeholt was shrouded in darkness and manned entirely by instructors who had gone mad in isolation since the Battle of Bastion. Those who train in the Vengeholt prepare themselves for the Day, a time where they will exact vengeance upon all those who had inflicted injury upon the Sith and reclaim their position of primacy across the galaxy.
- Standard Levels
- Entry Foyer: At the entrance to each academy was a large foyer resplendent in statues, mosaics, bas reliefs, and other architectural displays. Most were recollections of the Sith's grand and storied history across thousands of years, originating in the Dark Jedi's exile to Korriban and resolving with modern events. The walls and floors were constructed out of hyper-reinforced obsidian composite stone interlaid with gold veins.
- Statues of the Great Teachers: The grandest architecture was reserved for the statues of the six Great Teachers of the Sith Order. These were Ajunta Pall, Naga Sadow, Vitiate, Darth Bane, Darth Sidious, and Darth Krayt. Each Dark Lord was considered the pinnacle of their era, the greatest teacher of the Sith who passed down their teachings that survived to this day. The modern Sith considered themselves a synthesis of all of these teachings.
- Training Halls: To become a Sith, one had to train rigorously. These training halls were divided into three sections; basic, advanced, and specialized.
- Basic Training: In basic training, an acolyte would learn the skills necessary to become a Sith. Lightsaber drills, Force studies, sparring duels, and various other curriculums were enforced by the academy's ruthless Overseers to ensure that only the strong would survive and the weak would perish.
- Advanced Training: In advanced training, an acolyte would be subjected to further rigorous training to truly weed out the best among them. It was here where an acolyte truly became a Sith, rising above their fallen peers to become an apprentice. Those who failed were forgotten, their names stricken from all records and memory.
- Specialized Training: After an acolyte had progressed through basic and advanced training, they were sorted into specialized roles depending on their combat aptitude, knowledge of the Force, and other general skills.
- Proving Grounds: To pit acolytes against one another, several dueling arenas and other obstacle courses were arranged across multiple proving grounds. These grounds were the crucible in which a Sith was either forged or broken.
- Library: A large collection of electronic texts were at the disposal of the academy's occupants, enabling them to study the various teachings of the Sith and strengthen their knowledge of the Dark Side. The library was protected by a staff of custodians who monitored each and every person who entered their library and severely punished those that transgressed.
- Habitation Blocks: Several levels of the academy were set aside for acolyte domiciles, spartan chambers furnished with a single bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. Communal refreshers allowed all members of the acolyte population to bathe simultaneously.
- Sith Forge: A state-of-the-art forge was installed to allow both the teachers and the students to practice Sith metallurgy, with a large stockpile of raw materials ready for use by the academy. This stockpile was refreshed monthly through secret lifts from an unknown location.
- Entry Foyer: At the entrance to each academy was a large foyer resplendent in statues, mosaics, bas reliefs, and other architectural displays. Most were recollections of the Sith's grand and storied history across thousands of years, originating in the Dark Jedi's exile to Korriban and resolving with modern events. The walls and floors were constructed out of hyper-reinforced obsidian composite stone interlaid with gold veins.
- Sub-Levels
- Sithspawn Pens: Creatures created by and supplied to the academies are kept in secured pens below the academy's main levels, kept isolated from each other and the occupants of the academy. These beasts could be moved around at will by a control center or could be liquidated if the situation required it, the sithspawn's corpse recycled for use in other experiments.
- Detention Center: Prisoners of the Sith, or rogue Sith themselves, were held in a labyrinthine detention facility beneath the academy. On par with other maximum-security prisons, the detention center was heavily guarded and constantly monitored by tireless wardens and roaming battle droids. Entire cellblocks could be liquidated at will, ensuring that in the event of a single escape none would survive from that cellblock.
- Interrogation Chambers: Adjacent to the detention center were various rooms dedicated to the acquisition of knowledge through manipulation and torture. These interrogation chambers were well-equipped, featuring a large variety of instruments to pry information from an unwilling subject. Each room also had a crematorium for easy body disposal.
- Genesis Pool: Located in a subterranean grotto was the genesis pool, an artificial body of liquid infused with mutagenic properties that would transmogrify anything submerged in its waters. The pool was used by the academy's alchemists to create sithspawn and other abominations.
- High
- Each academy was guarded by members of the Asha'Kurat's Red Guard, a cadre of non-Force sensitive warriors fanatically loyal to the Sith and the Dark Side of the Force. Though bereft of the use of the Force, the Red Guard were highly skilled and trained in many combat arts. Their primary weapon was a combination blade-blaster that could be used for both long-range and short-range engagements.
In the wake of the collapse of central Sith authority in the Sith Empire, the remnants of the ruling powers gathered together in a conclave to determine the future of the Sith. These powers were mighty, infamous in name and deed, and they collectively agreed that the Sith needed to prepare the galaxy for their inevitable return. To do so, they needed to return to the old ways and unseat their enemies through deception and guile rather than conquest and war.
Old protocols were activated, buried systems were brought back online. To destroy the enemies of the Sith, these powers reckoned, they would have to corrupt them from within. To do so, they needed seats of power from which the insidious power of the Dark Side would seep upwards into their enemy's homes.
The minions of the Sith were numerous, spread far across the galaxy and saturating every level of society. Many of these minions were called to serve, to use the influence their progenitors had accumulated over centuries of manipulation to carry out the Sith's wishes. Beneath the scrutinizing eyes of the galaxy, these hidden followers heard the call of their dark masters and obeyed. They traveled to the capitals of the Sith's enemies and constructed subterranean fortresses in secrecy, posing as migrants and refugees to blend into the lower classes or wielding their considerable influence as constructors, bankers, and trade magnates to work with impunity.
When they had finished their toil, these minions subjected themselves to memory erasure to ensure that the secrecy of what they had built remained in the hands of the Sith and the Sith alone. Then they were scattered, flung back across the galaxy to continue serving the glory of the Sith. The Lords of the Sith then took up where these minions had left off, preparing the way for a new generation of Sith to grow under the noses of their hated enemies.
Waiting in preparation for the Day, a prophesized cataclysm where the shroud of the Dark Side would eclipse the light once and for all.
11/18/2021
- Edited Intent
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