- "This place seems more like a prison than a hidden fortress."
"Only for the weak. If you’re strong, Arcanix will free you." - — Elena Connor and Blud
For every inhabitable planet in the galaxy, there are thousands of planets that are deemed uninhabitable. The galaxy is littered with dead systems, filled with dead planets, orbiting dying stars. For the most part, these systems and their planets are written off by the galaxy at large, cataloged only by unpronounceable designations instead of any kind of proper name. They are the dead waste that are given only passing thought by the galaxy at large. Arcanix belonged in this category until it was repurposed during the New Galactic Wars era.
During the War of Darkness, the planet served as the homeworld for the Cult of Shadow. Thanks to the machinations of the cult's leader, Sivter, Arcanix rapidly grew in power as a focal point for the Dark Side of the Force. It had a large concentration of Darksiders to contribute to its growing power, but it was by no means the only factor. The cult also utilized a practice of “feeding” failed cult members to the planet by tossing their bodies into the rivers of lava that could be found across the planet. The bio-created creatures known as corrupters also contributed to a strong Dark Side presence.
The location of the world was a closely guarded secret by the cult. All new initiates were brought to the planet under cult supervision and no one was allowed to leave until the cult’s Shadow Keepers locked the knowledge away behind a Mind Twist. Any cult member who tried to share the location with a non-cult member in any way was killed by the conditioning that the Shadow Keepers imparted. Those few who knew the location and were not subjected to the conditioning were among the most trusted and highest-ranking individuals in the Cult of Shadow.
The location was eventually discovered by the allied forces that opposed Sivter's ambitions, leading to the Battle of Arcanix. The Cult of Shadow would be virtually wiped out at the conclusion of the battle and the few survivors abandoned the planet. Even after the battle the planet remained a nexus of Dark Side energy, causing the location to remain a carefully guarded secret by the forces that participated in the battle.
DV-3 System[]
The DV-3 system is an ancient system where life never really managed to take hold until Sivter’s arrival. The entire system is shrouded in thick galactic gasses and is filled with wandering asteroids and small planetoids, making navigation through the system difficult at best. It has one sun and four true planets.
- DV36820 - A dead chunk of rock orbiting close to the sun.
- DV36821 - The only gas giant in the system, DV36821 is otherwise unremarkable.
- DV36822 (Arcanix) - The only "habitable" planet in the system and the headquarters for the Cult of Shadow during the War of Darkness.
- DV36823 (Sentry) - A small frozen planet on the very outskirts of the system, the Cult of Shadow had set up a lookout post on it as an early warning system. It was abandoned after the Battle of Arcanix.
Atmosphere and Terrain[]
The Old Republic cartographers had good reason to call Arcanix uninhabitable. Thick sulfurous clouds blot out the sky and the planet is dotted with several active volcanoes, making much of the land barren and unstable. However, Arcanix is almost unique in that its mix of ubiquitous cloud cover and the heat of its constant volcanic activity have made the planet's temperature comfortable, if slightly warmer than the standard.
Because of the thick cloud cover, Arcanix is a very dark planet. The light from its dying sun can't pierce the atmosphere. Much of the natural light on the surface comes from the volcanoes.
The atmosphere is poisonous but breathable. However, it's painful to inhale and will put most species into a coma within an hour and kill them after another. In combination with this deadly atmosphere, Sith Poison is also in abundance thanks to the creatures known as corrupters which float through the sky and constantly release it.
For true Darksiders who set foot on the planet, the sensation has been described as revitalizing. It’s also been learned by the Jedi who have been to the planet that Lightsiders find the planet stifling and feel like they’re suffocating.
Landmarks[]
- "This place is a crucible designed only to guarantee the survival of the very strongest. Every day the planet is fed a countless number of the dead into its molten streams of those who have failed to survive."
- — Nelar Rel’ot
The Shadow Temple before its destruction.
- Shadow Temple - When the Cult of Shadow inhabited the world, the Shadow Temple was the only visible manmade structure on Arcanix. It was first constructed brick by brick by the initial members of the cult in the style of the ancient Sith. The finished temple was a massive building that contained living quarters, classrooms, arenas, archives, laboratories, landing bays, and all of the other various facilities the cult required therein.
It was continuously expanded upon by cult labor and through Labor Lords to accommodate the cult’s rapidly growing following. It become a labyrinthine structure of increasing complexity thanks to the constant additions and navigating became another test in itself for cult members. Those who got lost in the Shadow Temple were rarely seen again.
The temple was destroyed by planetary bombardment at the end of the Battle of Arcanix, but it's thought that some of the underground areas might have survived the destruction.
- Ashen Expanse - A large stretch of flat land near to the Shadow Temple that was often used for large gatherings by the Cult of Shadow. A natural jagged cluster of rock that overlooked the expanse has been carved into a podium for use by speakers. It was completely exposed to the elements, but was ringed with lights so cult members wouldn't have any difficulty seeing what was going on. A particle shield covered the area to keep out volcanic dust in order to increase visibility. The shield was only activated during gatherings.
- Sivter's Private Study – This was the first structure ever built on Arcanix. Sivter’s study was an extensive underground facility placed in one of the most geologically stable areas of Arcanix. It was fully set up to house his various experiments and had a hidden hangar to house his ship. It also served as a depository for the lifetime of knowledge Sivter had acquired. It was buried deep underground to hide it from sensors and to protect it from bombardment. The entrance was hidden and filled with various traps to keep out unwanted intruders. Aside from Sivter, only a handful of his most trusted people knew of its existence and location.
- Schrai Hive – The Schrai Hive was home only to the race known as the Schrai. The insectoid creatures constructed it after Sivter gained the race’s loyalty and transplanted them to Arcanix. The hive was the only structure on the planet that could rival the Shadow Temple for size and, if the hive’s underground tunnels were added to the comparison, it was actually far larger and more extensive. The only non-Schrai allowed inside were Sivter and a select few Dark Lords. All other intruders were killed on sight. It was also bombarded from orbit at the end of the Battle of Arcanix, however a race as tenacious as the Schrai almost certainly survived to create a new hive elsewhere.
Wildlife[]
A trio of Arc Ghouls feeding over an open lava pit.
Most of Arcanix's native life were single-celled organisms. By far the most advanced native species were small amphibians called lava swimmers. As their name suggests, they were able to swim in molten lava without any problems.
Other creatures that inhabit Arcanix are Dark Side aberrations that were created by Sivter or Uvon Okdoro that were allowed to roam the planet. Some were failed experiments, others were experiments in progress, and still others were perfected species that helped to guard the planet. It was a common practice for the Cult of Shadow to send members out into the wilds to slay one of these creatures as a test to see how powerful they were.
Some of the more notable species created by the cult:
History[]
The DV-3 system was discovered back during the early days of the Old Republic. The system was one of many stops for the early stellar cartographers trying to map out the galaxy. After an intial search showed no redeeming features about the system or any of it's planets, the location was briefly noted before the team moved on.
Afterwards, the DV-3 system, like many other similar systems, were lost to antiquity. With so many more important systems, and millions of far more viable planets waiting to be colonized, DV-3 was forgotten by the galaxy at large.
Sivter[]
Arcanix's true history begins with a Defel Darksider named Sivter. Sivter scoured the galactic databases, with an eye on these dead systems, to find a perfect location where he could hide from the galaxy as he devised his many plans and schemes.
Finally settling on the DV-3 system, and planet DV36822 in particular, Sivter manipulated a shady contractor to secretly build a few underground structures on the planet for him before killing them all once they were finished. He then dubbed the planet Arcanix and started using it as his base of operations.
Later, once Sivter felt the need to get more help to carryout his plans, he formed the Cult of Shadow on Arcanix. With the cult members at his disposal Sivter used them to build a temple styled after the ancient Sith designs. From that day, the cult began operating out of Arcanix with impunity. Later, with the help of the cult-devised Labor Lords, the rate of the cult’s growth, and the structures associated with it, expanded considerably.
After the War of Darkness[]
Most of the development on the world would later be destroyed by the allied forces that rallied against the cult during the Battle of Arcanix. It remained a powerful Dark Side nexus even after being abandoned by the Cult of Shadow, necessitating the construction of orbital monitoring stations jointly operated by the New Republic and the Galactic Empire to keep watch in case another Darksider organization attempted to use Arcanix for their own dark purposes.