The Shadow Court

Year Founded:	10 ATC
Motto:	The Empire is politics. The Force is power.
Leaders:	Lord Sidonius, Lord Malleus, Lord Rahvin, Lord Kyrenic, Lady Naryss
Base(s) of Operation:	The Voidhammer (Starship)
Membership:	~100
Affiliation:	The Dark Side, Sith Empire
Allies:	The Mecrosa Order
Adversaries:	First Knowledge

Summary

The faction known as the Shadow Court is hard to really pin down. In many ways it's members are not true Sith, but at the same time they are definitely not Jedi. Perhaps it is enough to conclude that they fight on the side of the Empire, even though their true ambitions may lie somewhere on a parallel path.

History

The group was formed around the year 10 ATC, largely comprised of Fallen Jedi and powerful Sith Masters, but also a few lesser Siths-in-training, and even some non-Force Sensitives.

Hierarchy

The Shadow Court has no one true leader, for this would lead to far too grim internal conflicts as is the nature of Sith and their Power Struggles. Instead, all members of the Court accept the Dark Side itself as the guiding force of the Court, and all individual power and influence aside from that is granted depending on each and every member's worth and prowess.

The High Lords

By right of power, a chosen elite of the Court together interprets the will of the Dark Side. They are the High Lords; and when the Dark Side is unwilling to guide or direct they settle more trivial and worldly matters of the Court together as a council. There are currently a total of five High Lords.

The Disciples of the Void

The Disciples are force-wielding men and women of the Court. They all aspire to one day reach true greatness in their own right, but for now most of them are still studying as apprentices under one of their superiors. The hierarchial structure of the Disciples is, from top to bottom:

Shadowguard - An elite warrior with a good grasp of the Force. The Shadowguard is, aside from the High Lords themselves, the only person with the right to take on apprentices.

Adept - The adept is someone who has come relatively far in their training and proved their value. In terms of power, they would be the equivalent of a Jedi Knight.

Acolyte - Unlike the Tyro, this Disciple has been assigned a Master and begun to undertake their dark studies.

Tyro - Freshly recruited, the Tyro has not yet earned the honor of studying under a Master. They are looked down upon by the other disciples, and not yet considered worthy of true respect.

The Knights of the Void

The bounty hunters and imperial agents who have sworn their loyalty to the Court are known as "Knights". Perhaps there is some irony behind the name, as a way to suggest that the title that the Jedi bestow upon their own is only used by the Court to address those without any actual understanding of the Force. The chain-of-command within the order is, from top to bottom:

Commander - The Commander is a senior officer of the Knights. As the Captains command their own group of soldiers, the Commander is responsible for his own group of Captains.

Captain - This is the first rank where Knights will receive officer duties. Captains normally command a personal squad of up to four men in total.

Soldier - The Soldier is someone who has been truly accepted into knighthood. He/She is finally considered a worthy warrior and representative of the Shadow Court.

Recruit - The lowest rank of the Knights. Considered little more than cannon fodder. For as the Imperial saying goes: "Troops are expendable."

Current, notable Knights are Captains Jimi Harlan and Gereorth.

The Imperial Directive

The Shadow Court has it's own set of laws and philosophical doctrines. Together, they are known as the "Directive", a way for the faction's members to live and act. The Imperial Directive is quoted in it's entirety below:

The empire is politics, the Force is power. We are Sith. Our very existence is founded on the aquiring of power and using it as we please. But there is a certain need for a minimum of constraint to be excercised, and a need for rules to operate within, if any form of organisation is to take place between Sith. Here lies the difference between the Sith Lords and the Dark Council, and the Empire as a whole. The Empire may ultimately answer to the Sith and the Dark Council, but as a structure it is not part of the dark side, it is not Sith. From here steems our core, our Directive, ”The Empire is politics, the Force is power”. The Court of Shadows is rules by Sith, true Sith who have only one loyalty, and that is not to the Empire, it is to the dark side. That is of course not a philosophy one should openly admit to. On the contrary, appearing unquestionably loyal to the Empire is favorable since it's existence keeps the Republic at bay. A republic that does not look kindly upon the existence of the Sith thanks to the jedi scum playing at politics while pretending to be neutral guardians of peace. So we will do the same, play the political games, build networks of intelligence and expand our mundane bases of power; be they credits, servants or secrets. But the true allegiance of the Court is to the dark side and it’s will, for as it serves us so we must inevitably serve it. We even accept those without any force sensitivity into our ranks, even though they are pityfully inferior to a true Sith. They are of great use to us after however, as they pose no threat to our desires. Credits, fame, glory and adventure... Let them have it. There will be more than enough for all, but it is to us who feel the flow of the dark side that the true prize will go. So our agenda, our Directive, is a simple one. We seek the power that only one within the dark side may achieve. We play the games of politics and deceit while we dance within the shadows of the Empire. We hunt Jedi, and we lay waste to the Republic because they have choosen to be our enemy, and we will gladly be theirs in return. We are a court of shadows behind an Empire of darkness. We are a court of dark lords and ladys. And it is a court because we are joined in a noble cause, not just a political one. We are employers of mercenaries, bounty hunters, spies and operatives, and we raise them to nobility of knighthood within the dark trough their service to us. We seek the truth of the Force and the dark side, without constraints from either the Jedi or the zealots of the Empire. We are the Shadow Court. Our rules are few, but they are enforced with the full might of the dark side. Plotting against your fellows is expected; you are a Sith after all. But since our organisation is far from the standard form to a Sith, there must never be committed an action that jeopardizes the organisation as a whole. Our greatest strength lie in our relative secrecy, our true intentions and plans must never be known by any other than an initiate. We are hated enemies of the Republic and the Jedi, and we are in fact, traitors to the Empire and heretics to the Sith Lords in many ways. Why traitors? Because we do not believe that the Empire and its Emperor are true Sith. The Empire and thus in extension it's Sith overlords, have slowly moved away from the true allegiance to the dark side that a Sith must have. They are no longer Sith using politicians, they have become politicians using the Force. We seek the truth about the Force, the Jedi’s restrictions and limitations will not hold us, and neither will the doctrine of the Empire which they claim is true Sith. Time will prove us right in this. We are surrounded by those who would destroy us and rob us of our true place in the galaxy, so they must not know that we are here. Distract, deceive, corrupt, blackmail, recruit, seduce and kill as you please, but NEVER reveal. Our goals are our own, in this we are united, in this we are allies. We can betray one another of course, such is the very nature of the dark side, but in this small but all encompassing goal, we are bound closer than anything else. So when the time comes to slip a poison, to stab someones' back or leave someone for dead, know that it is done towards a brother or sister, and there are precious few of them. In this we must learn a small lesson from the Jedi; the nature of the dark side is one that forces us all to turn on one another. But limit the damage, our victory lies in the continued existence of the court. If you must defeat a rival then attempt to do so without killing. After all, the joy of the kill may be sweet, but the joy of having a hated adversary become your servant is far sweeter and longer lasting....