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- "At its core, my war was never about conquering the galaxy. It was about spreading the influence of the Dark Side. While it’s possible that my dream of making it the only power will end this day, my actions have already changed the balance."
- — Sivter
The War of Darkness is the name that was eventually given to Sivter's master plan of remaking the galaxy into a place where only the Dark Side would reign. Few among the galaxy at large, or even within the Cult of Shadow, had any idea of the true scope of his plans. Sivter had no real interest in ruling the galaxy or accumulating power even if both would be necessary to achieve his true objective. He believed that no matter how secure his rule seemed or how godlike his power became, it would inevitably all come crashing down - just like it had for every other ruler and government since the start of civilization.
Sivter blamed the Force itself for this eternal pattern, just as he blamed it for always restoring the balance between the Light Side and the Dark Side. He didn't think there was any way to escape the cycle until the advent of the Xen'Chi War when he sensed the Force itself begin to change through the actions of GAIT. Although GAIT would eventually be destroyed, it proved to Sivter that change was possible. GAIT's only mistake, in his mind, was centralizing herself as the catalyst for that change.
Working from that premise, Sivter developed plans that he believed would change the nature of the Force on a fundamental level in a way that would be much more widespread and impossible to stop once fully implemented. While Sivter quietly worked towards his goals, he allowed other members of the Cult of Shadow to pursue their own agendas as long as they weren't actively making moves against him. Not only did their schemes help to spread the influence of the Dark Side, but they also distracted from what he was doing.
Sivter's mix of extensive planning, careful secrecy, and his uncanny ability to manipulate others would end of paying off as no one was prepared to deal with his war once it entered the final phase. He was on the cusp of achieving everything and throwing the galaxy into a state of permanent chaos and darkness until a few rogue factors ruined all his ambitions.
The War of Darkness would end with the death of Sivter and the destruction of the Cult of Shadow, but the legacy of the war would continue to be felt for many generations afterwards.
Origins[]

Sivter, Dark Master of the Cult of Shadow.
The War of Darkness can be directly tied to one man, the Defel Darksider known as Sivter. Since much of Sivter’s early life is a mystery, it’s unknown when he came to embrace his views of a chaotic universe, however, they were firmly cemented by the time he started working with the likeminded Dragon Masque and his cult in 6 ABY. Even after Masque’s death and Sivter’s defeat at Chisas, much of what Sivter picked up in the cult would be put into play for the eventual formation of the Cult of Shadow.
The cult’s formation in 12 ABY on the planet Arcanix was started small, but under Sivter’s guidance, the organization grew steadily without sacrificing its secrecy. Unlike many other Darksider groups with such grand ambitions, the Cult of Shadow was structured around using the enemy’s resources against them. As such it had no real standing military aside from the members themselves. Many early cult operations in the years leading up to the first conflict in the War of Darkness were built around subverting the resources of others for the benefit of the Cult of Shadow. This was exemplified by such Dark Lords as Malasik and Arien Garix who were adept at twisting and turning people to serve the Cult of Shadow’s goals, often without their victims even realizing it.
It’s likely that Sivter would have spent a few more years building the foundation of his war before making any overt moves, but unexpected troubles spurred him into accelerating his plans. He uncovered a plot by two of the Dark Lords who had sat on the cult’s Inner Circle to betray him and had them promptly removed. Additionally, another Inner Circle Dark Lord, Kishkumen, was unexpectedly cut off from contact in the Jade Worlds and presumed lost. This significant reduction of his ruling council in such a short amount of time threatened to destabilize the structure of the still young Cult of Shadow. In order to prevent that, Sivter decided to launch what would become known as the first major offensive in the War of Darkness…
History[]
Battle of Onderon[]
- "Onderon will be the prelude to my eventual victory. Prepare yourselves, for now is the time that the Cult of Shadow will reveal to the galaxy just how powerful the Dark Side can be!"
- — Sivter to the assembled members of the Cult of Shadow

The Battle of Onderon.
The Battle of Onderon would mark the start of the War of Darkness. Although the Cult of Shadow existed and was known about before the battle, no one outside of the cult had any idea how large the organization had become. The attack would be the first sign that they were much more dangerous than anyone had guessed. The battle was purposefully designed to seem like nothing more than an attempt by Darksiders to kill Jedi. The reality was that most of the action was meant as misdirection to clear the way for Sivter to access the Jedi Archives.
Sivter's true goal was to find the location of a species of Sithspawn created during the Great Sith War that had been sealed away before they could be deployed. He would succeed in acquiring the information he was after despite an attempt by Jedi Master Faarel Blackthorne and a few others to stop him. The confrontation between the two would end with Faarel's death at Sivter's hands.
The loss of Faarel, as well as many other Jedi, would have longstanding consequences for the Jedi Order as many members would try to seek revenge against the Cult of Shadow for what they did. The most notable would be the fall of Faarel's son, Cadden, to the Dark Side as he started his own war to try and avenge his father.
Infiltration of the Praxeum Moon[]
- "By all means, tell the New Republic and the Jedi everything you know about the Schrai. It won’t save them from what I have planned. No force in this galaxy will be able to stand up to me before long."
- — Sivter to Tulsar Leidias

The Infiltration of the Praxeum Moon.
The Infiltration of the Praxeum Moon was a relatively small encounter amidst some of the more notable battles that would be seen later in the war. It involved Sivter and a small handful of Cult of Shadow members infiltrating the Praxeum Moon that was owned by Jedi Master Devon Vos and the Red Star Alliance. At this point in the war, the Cult of Shadow was still too small to directly challenge the forces protecting the moon, but Sivter had a secret weapon in the form of Sov Noved - a Darksider clone of Devon.
Using Sov to impersonate Devon, the Cult of Shadow was able to disable the RSA ships in orbit which allowed the cult to land on the surface without firing a shot. Tulsar Leidias, Devon Vos, and Reave Hevren arrived in the system after the cult and attempted to stop their ambitions, but were ultimately unable to do more than save the RSA ships in orbit from crashing into the moon.
Sivter was able to fulfill his reason for coming to the moon and gain the loyalty of the Sithspawn race known as the Schrai. He then left the moon with his prize, leaving his enemies blindsided and at a loss.
Hapan Civil War[]
- "With the whole galaxy lost in the barbarism of war, I found myself wanting to return here so I could once again experience true culture and refinement – lest I become lost myself."
- — Arien Garix

Arien Garix, mastermind behind the Hapan Civil War.
The Hapan Civil War was masterminded by another Dark Lord working for the Cult of Shadow, Arien Garix. As one of the most intelligent members of the cult, Arien was able to figure out what Sivter had planned for the future of his war before anyone else. Fearing for the safety of his home, the Hapes Cluster, Arien developed plans to place the entire Hapes Consortium unknowingly under his control and, by proxy, the Cult of Shadow.
Arien's plans were initially quite successful as he was able to assassinate the ruling Queen Mother and was all set to install his unwitting puppet, Azonia Zyier, on the throne to replace her. However he was unprepared for the effect that Azonia's rival, Jenarvia Misa Avori, would have on him. After deciding that Jenarvia would make a superior Queen Mother, Arien found himself in the unique position of having to defeat his own plans so that Jenarvia would become the new ruler instead.
This resulted in months of fighting as the loyalty of the Hapan worlds were split almost evenly between Azonia and Jenarvia. The war was finally ended after Jenarvia and Arien led a daring guerilla strike against Azonia on Hapes and were able to kill her. With Azonia dead, the rest of her forces capitulated and Jenarvia became the new Queen Mother with Arien as her consort.
Arien's actions would not only spare the Hapes Cluster from the true horrors of Sivter's war, but he would end up legitimately helping Jenarvia rule over the Consortium well after the end of the War of Darkness.
Duels on Cylon[]
- "You still cling to sentimentality, Trayus. It weakens you, just like it weakened Faarel Blackthorne."
- — Sivter

Sivter attacks Darth Trayus.
The Cult of Shadow briefly became involved in the Sith-Cylon War, using the conflict between the Cylon Imperium and the Crimson Empire to steal a Severus-class Command Ship amidst the chaos of the war. Sivter was successful in his goal of taking the ship, but he also became curious about Darth Trayus. He wanted to know more about this new Darksider who was so effectively waging war against the Cylon Imperium and if he could be useful to his own goals.
Sivter arrived at Cylon shortly after Trayus was able to secure the planet. After using Crix to clear all opposition in his way, Sivter was able to read the mind of one of the fallen Jedi that had chosen to serve Trayus and discovered that this new Sith Lord was in fact Cadden Blackthorne. The two dueled to discover who was the more powerful master of the Dark Side with Sivter eventually emerging victorious after a tricky move with Force lightning.
Although Cadden wanted nothing more than vengeance against the Defel, Sivter chose to spare him after he learned that Cadden had merged his soul with an ancient Dark Side spirit known as Rahk'neqah and it was this being who was guiding Cadden's actions as Trayus. After securing a pledge of loyalty from the combined being, Sivter departed to let Trayus continue his own plans since it could only help to spread the influence of the Dark Side.
Charon Campaign[]
- «Don’t your own legends claim that a prophet will come from the void to lead you? I have done so. I’ve crossed the barrier between otherspace and realspace. I can lead the Charon to all the new lifeforms there that have yet to be released to death.»
- — Sivter to Musa’krish
Kalja Campaign[]
- "Everything I undo, [Kalja] repairs. Unless she can be overcome, my plans will ultimately fail. I dare not face her until the balance is heavily skewed in my favor."
- — Sivter to Darius Malakai
Infiltration of Ossus[]
- "I'll not bore you with details, but suffice to say the Cult of Shadow now have a vendetta and will not rest until it is satisfied."
- — Tamzar Ranox
Search for the Necromonus[]
- "One harbinger of death for my lord and a plague for the rest of us. May the hunt for the Necromonus begin."
- — Vlad’druin
Pan-Tau-Ra Crisis[]
- "As some of you know, the Warfleet has scheduled the launch of a second Prekaara-class flagship within the coming days - the Pan-Tau-Ra. This flagship has been stolen."
- — Barryl-Shir-H'ay
Battle of Alsakan[]
- "Sivter's plans call for all the powers of the galaxy to mass together so they can bear witness to that which he is about to do... and find themselves to be powerless against him."
- — Darth Trayus
Battle of Fuller[]
- "When the combined forces of the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant couldn't defeat them at Alsakan, we stood no chance."
- — Da'el Kar
Battle of Mon Calamari[]
- "The Charon will arrive at Mon Calamari and proceed to do what they do best. This is your moment of truth, New Republic. Will you stand against me or will you flee and reveal your promises of strength and stability to be a lie?"
- — Sivter
Battle of Arcanix[]
- "Although the future is now murky, I foresee that what happens in the next few days will prove to be crucial in determining the ultimate success or failure of the War of Darkness."
- — Sivter
Aftermath[]
WIP
War of Darkness Threads[]
Main Story Threads
Duels on Cylon Hapan Civil War Infiltration of the Praxeum Moon Battle of Onderon |