[Dapper Dog]

Night of Terrors

In the fifth month of 3654 BBY, a dark side tremor rippled through the entire galaxy, anyone with Force Sensitivity was suddenly enveloped in dark side energy for mere moments but it was a terrifying and traumatic experience as they were exposed to their darkest fears, impulses, and inclinations for an eternity of seconds.

On Ziost it was early in the evening when it struck, on Coruscant it was the dea of night, while on Bankor it was mid afternoon, but all felt a cold wave of dread and power ripping through their bodies. The Jedi called it the Incident, while the more dramatic called it the Night of Dark Nightmares as their dreams were troubled by imagery of worlds turned to gray ashen wastes and all life eradicated. The Sith called it the Night of Terrors and although more accustomed to the Dark Side were still confronted by horrific images of their failings, their weaknesses, and their enemies all rising against them.

The physical effects were minimal though the young and the frail found blood seeping from their eyes and mouth from the pain or were even driven to catatonic states unable to deal with the influx of dark side energy. For weeks afterwards Force Users were troubled by nightmares and paranoia, it subsided but all force Users remember where they were when the Night of Terrors struck, it was a profound and traumatic experience that exposed how small and powerless they truly were.

The source of this tremor is believed to have emanated from Sith space, but even that is just best Jedi conjecture as scientific study into such Force effects is minimal at best. Those that have felt the presence of the Sith Emperor even claim that it was the dark Lord rising from his deep slumber that caused the ripple. Many Sith scoff at such superstition and believe the source was a more natural but powerful occurrence, perhaps a cosmic event that destroyed billions of lives on some uncharted world.

Game Mechanics: Every Force die roll generates an extra dark pip that can be used as normal but costs 1 strain on top of any other normal strain for using Dark Side pips if a light side user as well.

There may be other unknown effects of utilizing this background dark side energy.

[Dapper Dog]

XP and Character Sheet Changes: For the upcoming game players will be able to manage their own sheets once they are posted and will be able to update them with their XP and such. This will cut down a great deal of paperwork and time for the GM and if a player decides they want to be dishonest well congrats you win at pretend space monks and laser blasters. As usual XP will be available the next game day for my sanity.

All I ask is that once you have finalized the changes make a note in your private folder so we can review, please note the changes.

[Dapper Dog]

Character Profile: Master Yuon Par

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The Jedi were reluctant to send a delegate to Ziost but eventually the Council decided it as best they send someone to assist and protect the delegation from the corruption of the Sith. The search was long but eventually they settled on Master Yuon Par, a rather talented scholar who spent most of her time in the field chasing down relics. She was set to head for Tython when she was redirected to Ziost.

This is not the assignment she wanted but she is intrigued to see if she can explore some of the historic locations on the planet but she is focused on the task and has a great understanding of the Sith and the dark side, well academically at least. Despite that she is dedicated to the Light and good natured and is at ease with all kinds of people, in fact one of her closest friends and allies is a trandoshan hunter and mercenary who has accompanied her to Ziost.

She only arrived recently so she is still getting acquainted with the assignment, but she tends to clash often with Prince Gaul Panteer, head of the Rpeublic delegation. They are not on the best terms, she feels he should take the matter more seriously and he feels she is just here to keep an eye on him.

As a Jedi she is strong in the Force and trained to fight with the lightsaber though she is slow to draw it and likes to rely on diplomacy and knowledge before violence. She believes in peaceful resolution and is loathe to take a life.

[Dapper Dog]

Imperial Military

The Imperial military is the professional fighting force of the Empire. Service in the Imperial Forces is largely compulsory and discipline is high. Loyalties to the Empire is paramount and sacrifice for the greater cause is a high ideal.

There are primarily Naval Space forces and Ground Military units similar to the Republic and an enlisted force along with an Officer corps composed of primarily upper-class citizens and nobility. Nepotism in the higher ranks is rampant and loyalty to those above you is prized. The Doctrine of the Empire is overwhelming force, destruction of the enemy and completion of the enemy takes priority over any consideration of collateral damage or loss of life.

The Imperial Military unlike the Republic Armed Forces was a planned endeavor that dates back to the formation of the Sith Empire in exile. It was created with the express goal of conquering the core worlds of the Republic in a long-standing plan that if it had been executed as planned would have brought the Republic to its knees.

As noted before a certain percentage of Imperial citizens are groomed for military service from a young age and usually stay enlisted for a considerable time of their adult years, between six to ten years on average. Military personnel and veterans have a more privileged place in society and benefit from improved access to better housing, government positions, and some upward mobility. The core regions tend to provide the bulk of military personnel while those in the fringes tend to have to apply and vie for lottery slots, mostly in due part to feeling some fringe worlds are not truly Imperial holdings or home to nonhuman species seen as less desirable.

The Empire does not utilize slaves for combat purposes or allow criminals, the military as seen as a premier role in society and the society is very Nationalist and pro-military, wit state sponsored media portraying them as heroes of the state.

Sith and the Military

Sith are a privileged class in the Empire and they are the greatest weapons of the military. They add flexibility and power to the Imperial forces, greatly amplifying the destructive capabilities of the Empire. Despite these strengths the Sith do add some serious complications to the Imperial military doctrine.

Despite their strength and power Sith can be just as deadly to their own forces as the enemy often more so. A Sith can usually kill a citizen with little impunity if they have enough power and influence. This extends to members of the military who often suffer when a Sith is displeased. A battle does not go as expected and a twenty year veteran is executed to sate the Sith’s anger. Sith play games of politics with the military and often turning their forces against each other and often countermanding orders with little thought of the military objective.

Sith technically outrank all military but in practice this tends to only work with low ranking soldiers and officers. Higher ranking officers have Sith allies and masters who do not like their assets toyed with. Coupled with the demand for loyalty and obedience and it means that Imperial forces are often subject to the whims of the Sith.

Within the military the Sith play a vital role of field commander, they rarely interface with enlisted soldiers and almost exclusively work with the officers. Most military personnel see the Sith as powerful warriors and weapons to counter the corruption of the Jedi, but they also fear Sith as they stand apart and above them. Military officers in the Sith Empire learn quickly that they need to find powerful Sith patrons if they wish to rise high in the hierarchy, mostly as a shield to protect them from other Sith.

At the same time this reliance on patrons leads to a great deal of factions within the ranks. In recent years the Imperial military has become a sword for varying Sith factions forcing Imperial soldier to kill fellow Imperial soldier. This infighting has weakened the military war machine and made many within the ranks resent Sith interference as it diminishes mission readiness in many cases.

[Dapper Dog]

Ensign Pierce

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Ensign Pierce is not a model soldier, but he Is a good soldier. He knows how to fight, he never gives up, and is a patriot of the Imperial cause. A natural athlete, Ensign Pierce is a large powerful looking human who maintains a strict regimen of physical training to stay in top fighting condition. Despite that discipline he has many disciplinary notices in his file and gets along poorly with his commanders.

He has no issue with leaders but those he feels are poor leaders or just appointees due to social position tend to rub him the wrong way. His current assignment with Bex Company is a perfect storm of awful for him, a lazy commander, a poorly organized unit, and service far from the action make him agitated, bored, and prone to taking unneeded risks to get the action he craves.

Pierce is busy though as the second in command of the unit the bulk of administration falls to him as his commander is too lazy to deal with the minute details of running the unit. This only angers him more as Ensign Pierce hates paperwork.

Hooks

• A fellow solider in the Emperor’s forces? You have a friend in Pierce.
• Know a great spot for a drink or to get into a fight, Pierce will gladly join you.
• Want to help Bex company succeed? Pierce will be glad for the help.
• Want to take a risky hunt for a Monitor? That will get his interest real quick.

Investigator Walber

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Investigator Walber is a security officer living in New Adasta, a long time veteran of the force he wears plain clothes and is brought in usually to investigate homicides and violent crime. Outwardly he is a tall and thin human male and a rather typical looking Imperial but he is rather intelligent and very observant. He tries to avoid Sith as they tend to make his investigations more complicated than they need to be and likes to work alone but his current case has him working on something much higher profile than he used to, the Eagle.

A woman, noble scion, was found dead and the clues pointed towards her being an informant for the Eagle which immediately complicated his investigation and got him wrapped up with Imperial Intelligence and the Dark Council, though in both cases they both deny that there is anything to worry about but all the red tape and his own gut have him thinking otherwise.

Hooks

• Getting too old for this shit, so is Walber.
• Hunting the Eagle, you will probably cross paths, hinder him or help?
• Looking to see the less shiny side of New Adasta, take a ride with Walber.

[Dapper Dog]

Imperial Court

While court is not strictly regimented there are a few key procedures, one must make a request with the Emperor’s retinue before they can address him directly. This will usually be Servant Nine unless otherwise noted, addressing the Dark Council does not require permission though it is customary to bring the matter up to them previously before addressing it publicly. For a matter to be heard by the Dark Council one must be recognized by a member of the Dark Councilor to approach and make their request.

In general matters that put two Sith at odds or deal with the spheres the Dark Council controls should be brought before them, but one can take such matters to the Emperor. In the Court Forum there are two sub forums, one for the Dark Council and one for the Emperor, these are pubic to anyone in Court. All requests should be made in those respective forums. The general Court thread is for discussion and addressing the topic at hand.

Each court thread will have the following format:

Imperial Court
Agenda: This is the general topic that is being discussed for this session of court, this is not mandatory for all to address but those at court have a chance to influence what the powers that be decide.
Rules: This will outline any additional rules for Court that are needed.
Outcomes: This will list possible outcomes or aftermath for the possible decisions that could be made at court. This short blurb will be expanded either in play if needed but most likely post-game.
Mood: This will outline the mood of the court and may provide modifiers to rolls if needed.

Basic Rules of Court: Imperial movers and shakers can try and influence the decisions at court, either through a display of Influence, use of natural ability and skill, or even both if they feel it is important enough.

Players can make a Hard skill check of their choice while at court, those utilizing social interaction skills gin a boost die on their checks as this is a social arena; while those utilizing a combat skill gain a setback die on their checks as that breaks the normal decorum.

Sith have a natural advantage at court and gain a free Advantage on this roll as they are a privileged class. Aliens, those not of human or pure blood Sith, gain a Threat to any roll they make.

Success here adds an Agenda point to the decision they are backing, and like cooperative rolls they can use two advantage to grant the next roller a boost die, and two threat grants the next roller a setback die. A Despair grants the next roller an upgrade to the difficulty of their check, while a Triumph grants an upgrade to the next roller’s skill check.

One can also spend 5 Influence to add an Agenda point to their decision, and this can be done in addition to rolling.

About 12 hours before day change the GM will tally the totals and announce the decision of the Agenda.

Just to reiterate it is not mandatory to engage in the Agenda even if at Court. In the case of a tie the GM will use a randomized method to determine the outcome.

[Dapper Dog]

Schedule of Court

Day 2 – Feast or Famine: The Imperial court takes up the matter of combatting the plague but most focus their resources, either to the core sectors, the outer regions, or the third option focus on making sure the military forces have more than enough reserves to maintain a presence.

Day 4 – Cake or Death: The fate of the frontier sector rebels is decided, will they be shown amnesty or will they be culled to the last to cut out the cancer of betrayal and head off any future rebellions.

Day 6 – Chiss Diplomacy: There is a dispute between the Ascendancy and the Empire over the rights to several sectors. Should the Empire share the territory, sieze all lands as is their right, or accede to the Ascendancy and give them the full rights they seek to these worlds?

Day 8 – Military Integration: Should the Imperial armed forces be more welcoming to aliens and allow them a place in their ranks, even as command officers? This is the question before the Imperial Court.

Day 10 – A New Voice: Darth Baras has served as the Emperor’s Voice but the time has come for a more permanent solution, will the influential Sith retain his power or will a new Voice be chosen, traditionally the Voice was never a member of the Dark Council… but some feel this new arrangement has done good for the Empire as the dark lord has pushed through many reforms.

[Dapper Dog]

Imperial Intelligence

The shadowy arm of the Imperial war machine Imperial Intelligence is a powerful if misunderstood entity within the Empire. They are a vast but nimble organization that exists outside the Imperial military structure. In general there are field agents and support staff, field agents were either classified as Agent or Cipher Agent, or Cipher for short.

Support staff was made up of Informers, Minders, Fixers, and Watchers. The top of the active ranks is the Keeper who oversees Imperial Intelligence and knows all the secrets and then above them is the Minister of Intelligence who speaks directly to the Dark Council making them one of the most powerful non-Sith positions outside of the military.

In general Imperial Intelligence acts as a counter intelligence agency, counter insurgency, internal threats, and active intelligence in the Republic. There are as many operations within Imperial space as there are outside the borders of the Empire. Imperial agents are trained from young ages in most cases or even deliberately bred through breeding programs to produce loyal and capable agents. Retirement from Intelligence usually accompanies a funeral; secrets are best kept by the dead.

Informers

Informers are the lowest active rank within Imperial Intelligence and is less a rank and more just a title given to disposable assets in the field. Informers are just that professional informants, often converted by Imperial Intelligence for a specific purpose. It is rare for any Informer to ever move beyond this position, and most are decommissioned after their mission is complete.

Minders

The lowest official rank is that of a Minder, these are functionaries, clerks, and basic support staff that maintain the equipment. They provide a host of support roles across the Empire but are rarely deployed to the field and tend to be stationed at listening posts, bureaus, and other official locations. There is some ability from the position and those that wish to specialize may become Fixers or even Watchers; this path rarely leads to field work but it is not impossible.

Fixers

Specialists, Fixers are the next step up from Minders. Fixers tend to be technical specialists from hackers to engineers, to even historians and linguists. They sometimes deploy into the field but are usually at the best behind the scene supporting Agents and Ciphers with their unique skill sets. Fixers tend to be very well trained in their field of study and have access to some of the best technology the Empire can provide. Fixers are invaluable to the mission and are often subject to loyalty tests at regular intervals.

Watcher

On the support side the Watcher is one part analyst, one part specialist, another part team leader. Watchers tend to be selected for the role from a young age and then groomed and conditioned for the position. It is not uncommon for Watchers to be the product of Imperial breeding programs and genetic enhancement. Watchers tend to oversee large scale missions and are often akin to human computers with vast intellect, implants, and conditioning. Every Watcher is an intellectual genius capable of vast multi-tasking and pattern recognition. Watchers tend to interface with field agents constantly feeding them information. Keepers are normally drawn from the ranks of Watchers, almost exclusively and usually after decades of service.

Keeper

Keeper is a singular position, they are the head of Imperial Intelligence, who answer to the Dark Council directly, although nominally under Darth Jadus. It is perhaps one of the most powerful roles in the Empire short of the Grand Moff that is in the hands of a non-Sith. A Keeper is a career Intelligence agent and specialist often with more secrets rattling in their minds than any single person in the Empire. It is a position of extreme trust and loyalty. While the Military suffers division from Sith meddling a Keeper is beyond their grasp and thankfully Imperial Inteligence has never had to deal with the infighting or division the military has to endure much due to the skill and intellect of the Keeper.

Cipher Agents

Cipher agents are the elite among field agents and while there are countless field agents and informers, Cipher agents, known as Ciphers are few in number. Highly capable agents they are trained in various forms of close combat, small arms, personal intelligence, and psychological warfare. They are subjected to grueling tests and trials of emotional, mental, and physical endurance. They are loyal and fully dedicated to the cause, some are extreme professionals others play fast and loose with the law, but all are dedicated to the mission of Intelligence.

Ciphers have a great deal of autonomy in their missions and tend to be proactive instead of reactive. Ciphers are chameleons, they can blend in to any situation and are trained to deceive and charm with ease. Some form their own teams of specialists others work solo, all are deadly. When an agent becomes a Cipher all identifiable personal information is purged from the databanks and they exist only as a designation of Cipher [Number], i.e. Cipher 5. Cipher agents never retire, they either become Watchers or they are decommissioned.

[Dapper Dog]

Sith Training

Sith of the Empire tend to be trained in one of two ways, traditionally by a master from a young age that will eventually introduce them to the major Sith society and by attending one of the Sith Academies. The traditional method has fallen out of favor in this era but is often practiced by Sith in the frontier or ancient Sith lines to preserve family secrets.

Traditional Sith training tends to be one on one, where the student learns at the feet of the teacher that is also their Master to be. This can produce astounding results and a powerful bond between teacher and student but is also very time intensive for the Master and often pulls them away from other plots they may have in motion.

In this modern era attendance at one of the Sith academies is the norm for most young Sith. Once identified as a Force sensitive they are sent to either Dromud Kaas or Korriban, there are other smaller training academies but these are the main two funnels for most students with the school on Korriban being considered the premier training ground. Attrition is high, students rarely wash out, mostly they die either due to accidents in training, fellow crafty students, or in the plots of higher ranked Sith. Typically the early training is steeped in educational knowledge and Sith philosophy with physical conditioning, then comes combat training ad then honing one’s connection to the Force. Students will often stay at these Academies for about a decade or so of training before they are sent off world for the final steps of their training in the field.

Once a Sith graduates from the Academy they are placed with a Master, often a Sith that ahs taken interest in them long before they finished their training. Scoring an apprentice from the Korriban or Dromund Kaas Academy is considered a great honor as these young Sith tend to excel. Sith education is brutal and deadly, more so for those from disenfranchised backgrounds than those of respected birth. Sith education is also inherently unfair in this regard as those from poor backgrounds tend to have more obstacles placed in front of them especially if they are nonhuman scum. These hurdles actually produce stronger Sith, though it is not an intentional outcome by any means.

The Empire maintains a meticulous database of all active Sith, technically one does not need to be in the database to claim the title of Sith but without this they will be considered suspect and can even be killed with no repercussions if not Imperially recognized.

One would think that all Force users would be welcome but that is not the case, Force Users found as adults are executed, it is a standing order of the Empire to eradicate any non-Sith Force Users. This also means those individuals who are Force Sensitive but prove to have a weak connection are executed as well, only the best are allowed to be called Sith. This attrition rate means that although the Sith have a a slight advantage with higher Force Users in the Empire, most die either due to training or being too weak and thus keeps their numbers fairly close to the small cadre of Jedi of the Republic.

Only the best can be Sith.

[Dapper Dog]

Living Standards

Imperial citizens enjoy a high living standard compared to the general populace of the Republic but the concept of freedoms and rights is alien to an Imperial citizen, the state controls the populace and the people serve the State. This lack of freedom is not much an issue to the average citizen as they often have everything need and consider democracy to be a chaotic and destabilizing element unlike the stability and control of the Imperial bureaucracy.

Unemployment exists but normall among the wealthy and the nobility who have no reason to work, while the average citizen is usually funneled into a position that suits their capabilities and skills, this includes those identified as Sith. Typically there is upward mobility to a point for most citizens but there are ceilings for progression often reserved for the Sith, Military, and the wealthy.

Citizens are offered affordable housing, employment, and a general lifestyle that keeps them busy but allows ample downtime. In the frontier regions the standard of living is not as high but government control is also more lax or perhaps not as omnipresent, a trade off some enjoy.

Sith are few in number and are a privileged class of citizen. Typically a Sith is supplied a spacious apartment or ship by their Lord and a modest stipend when they are first starting out but Sith can quickly grow their influence and power in the Empire. Sith Lords often have vast holdings to control and exploit, but they also in tern tend to have to see to their servants and apprentices as well. By the time one rises to Darth it is expected they have vast resources or access to vast resources some controlling whole sectors of space within the Empire.

Nobility, including high ranking military, are a lesser privileged class within the Empire afforded lavish homes and even their own live in slaves. Most slaves are owned by the state but the extremely wealthy can afford whole armies of slaves. It is not uncommon for these wealthy citizens to have multiple residences on a variety of worlds, some even keep them fully staffed at all times while others may only have servants on hand at one location.

The use of slave labor frees up Imperial citizens to focus on more specialized occupations and the military while menial labor is done by the slaves. This also means that safety regulations in such fields are low, slaves are not exactly expendable but they are close. Removing slavery would be a fairly traumatic change for Imperial society.

While on Ziost, offworld guests can spend 100 credits to maintain an apartment sized rental with a single bedroom, large living room and refresher; they can double that if they wish to have an area for cooking or two bedrooms and 300 credits for a two bedroom with a kitchen. The room comes with a basic domestic droid.

[Dapper Dog]

Death of an Emperor

The Emperor is the first citizen in the Sith Empire, and has ruled it since the inception of the Empire, he is immortal and everlasting. It is his vision that the Dark Council executes and it is his will that keeps them in check. To the average citizen the Emperor is eternal and it is his right alone to be Immortal. The Emperor is not a religious or mythical figure but it is not uncommon for Imperial citizens to say things like The Emperor provides, or by the will of the Emperor. They know that when their lives end the Emperor will continue, leading the Sith Empire to their destiny.

So what happens if an Immortal ruler dies?

The Emperor has made no public overtures of a successor and there is no official succession plan. Privately the Emperor has many contingencies for such an eventuality but those matters would be handled by the Hands of the Emperor, his Imperial Guard, and the Children of the Emperor; though it is unclear if the latter would survive his death in a cohesive form.

Despite no cohesive plan the Sith Empire would not immediately crumble and collapse, the Dark Council would almost certainly take control and keep things running and if possible suppress the idea of the Emperor’s death. In the short term perhaps for a year or so things would run but problems would arise if a true leader does not emerge or if the Dark Council cannot find a way to rule as a stable body. The Dark Council works because all members fear the Emperor, or at least recognize his greater authority which stays some of their more bold plots without such a strong hand, the Dark Council could tear itself apart into factions which in term would lead to the demise of the Empire as it exists today.

A new emperor or empress would need to rise; this process could be a bloody affair and again could rip apart the Empire if there is no clear choice.

Work in progress, feel free to let me know anything else you think would occur if the Emperor died...

[Dapper Dog]

http://ziost.fallenash.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&p=214#p214

Forum is open for registration character submissions will remain the same dates though.