Please note, this article contains the elements of the Sith Inquisitor Class History quest. It therefore contains revelations. Please go out if you don't want to know them.
The last war saw many Sith die in battle. To replace them, the Empire had to tap into among its Force-sensitive slaves. More than usual. Which is not to everyone's liking. Not to Overseer Harkun, responsible for preparing a new apprentice for Lord Zash. He would much prefer that she chose Ffon Althe, a pure-blooded Sith of much better ancestry. He even goes so far as to help him fly over the competition. But the Sith prefers the quicksilver of the group, the one who, despite the added difficulties, manages to climb to the final. And since Ffon left early for the last test, it is only to him that she gives some advice. It is necessary to recover special coordinates and read them in a particular card. Except that these once belonged to Dark Lord Tulak Hord and he left his dashade Khem Val as stasis guardian. According to the traditions of the latter's people, beating him entails his enslavement towards his victor. Harkun tries one last trick to favor Ffon, but Zash is not fooled. She executes the acolyte on the spot, and it is indeed the victor who will leave Korriban by being her apprentice.
On Dromund Kaas, capital of the Empire, Lord Zash is an important member of the sphere of Ancient Knowledge. But she is frowned upon by her superiors, especially the one just above her, Dark Skotia, and Dark Thanaton who comes between them and the Dark Council. And since Skotia is directly blocking her path, she decides to eliminate him. Closely watched, she entrusts her new apprentice with the task of seizing elements that will weaken her superior enough so that a sidekick and a dashade are enough to kill him. Many do not appreciate the impudence with which she acted, without being able to prove her involvement. But the Dark Council appreciates the maneuver enough to confirm it as Zash. It takes over the old possessions of the deceased, and can resume its work in peace. A vision had shown him that his new apprentice would allow him to seize an ancient relic hidden in a tomb on which the Black Temple was built. And that's why she chose him. There, the former slave discovers the ghost of a former servant and rival of Tulak Hord, Aloysus Kallig. This one recognizes in his visitor one of his descendants, and for this reason does not execute it on the spot. He abandons his grave, leaving the inquisitor to be wary of his master. A law the Sith must never forget.
For his research, Darth Zash needs other artifacts. Fortunately, the data retrieved from the last ordeal on Korriban gives him coordinates to look for them. The first is on Balmorra, a planet where the Empire is working to suppress local resistance. The Sith has a contact, Major Bessiker, who can divert some of the local Imperial resources in their favor. But the area where the wanted object is located was covered with many toxic products. Colicoides are the only creatures capable of surviving there, and they reign supreme there. You have to inject yourself with a mutagenic serum made from these giant insects to hope to survive. And fight your way to the coveted artifact.
Nar Shaddaa's is no longer in its place. He was recovered by Lord Paladius, a renegade Sith who has mounted a cult around him. Zash suggests teaming up with two elders of his followers and setting up a competing cult that would eventually absorb him. We must therefore quickly gather the world, and an illusionist's turn to create an earthquake in a certain area. Recognizing the threat, Paladius provokes confrontation. But he is defeated, and his possessions and his followers revert to the one who set him aside. Young Kallig can leave the Hutt sector with peace of mind as his cult continues to grow. He can accede to a request from his ancestor's ghost, who wants him to reclaim his ancient helmet held by a lord of Korriban. A mission to be carried out with discretion, given the difference in resources between this one and the last one he defeated.
The third artifact fell into the hands of pirates. But they rebelled. Zash advises bonding with their former leader, Andronikos Revel, who hunts them down for revenge. He has followed them all the way to Tatooine, and has no qualms about taking a Sith associate and leaving him the loot as long as he can eliminate those who betrayed him. In their pursuit, the two comrades will have to venture into the depths of the desert of the Sea of Dunes and the territory of the Tuskens. The last mutineers, corrupted by the ancient creation of Tulak Hord, have gone mad. They killed each other and the men of the sands were the last to finish. All that remains is to take the artifact back from them. Idle, with no more goals in sight, Andronikos offers his services as a pilot. And they are accepted.
The last artifact is in the hands of House Organa d'Alderande. Through Elana Thul, a nobleman from a rival family allied to the Sith, the Inquisitor learns that the key to the hideout is held by Jedi Master Nomar Organa. But there is a way to isolate her, playing on her old love with Rehanna Rist, one of the heads of another family. Darth Zash can be happy with her apprentice. But before making his report, young Kallig obeys another request from his ancestor's ghost to fetch his old lightsaber. The latter's concerns are legitimate. The mistress takes her game down, revealing that the recovered artifacts will be used in an essence transfer ritual. She breaks down the illusion that makes her look young, and prepares to steal the body of her apprentice. But Khem Val intervenes, and in the battle it is he who finds himself with the spirit of the Sith in him. But endowed with an iron will, he resists domination and it is a real battle to control his body. A battle that he wins most of the time (Khem Val's partner quest allows you to choose who will be the final winner and survivor).
The Inquisitor is too young and inexperienced to take over all of Darth Zash's charges, but he has gathered enough around him to achieve the rank of Lord anyway. Dark Thanaton confirms this in person, and even offers a more extensive collaboration than with his former mistress. It's actually a trap, he sends him to explore a grave where a ghost must destroy him. Only the intervention of the old Kallig saves his descendant. The two conclude that the best way to deal with all of this is to become a Force Walker, absorbing the power of Sith ghosts to grow stronger. Lord Ergast, inventor of the technique, and Dark Andru, the executor of Thanaton, are thus sucked up. But the old Sith is still the strongest. The Inquisitor is left for dead, but saved by two apprentices inherited from his former mistress. He must find other ghosts to capture. This is how he lands on Taris, where Kalatosh Zavros, a former Jedi who followed Darth Revan and Darth Malak, appeared to his descendant Ashara. But since he is hiding in an enclave of his old order, the young togruta must be convinced to guide them. And once her masters died for interfering, manipulating her doubts to push her to become a Sith apprentice.
Corrin and Kaal, the two apprentices inherited from Darth Zash, managed to steal the key to Darth Thanaton's personal meditation room. They try to join their new master but are pursued. Cornered on Quesh, they are assassinated moments before the arrival of young Kallig. Their sacrifice is not in vain, the inquisitor can seize the key. But he also finds himself helpless. Ashara Zavros is not yet a complete apprentice, too perverted by the Light side to be fully effective. You need at least one other student who will not hesitate to get their hands dirty. Direction Korriban, to gauge the new stock that overseer Harkun must take in hand.
There are rumors of another ghost on Hoth. A group of the Imperial Salvage Service led by Lieutenant Talos Drellik is already there, so you might as well ask him to dig. The ghost is that of Horak-mul, a former rival of Naga Sadow, trapped when his sarcophagus was moved and the ship carrying him crashed on the planet. He's totally okay with letting it go if it allows him to get out of here. Kallig now deems himself ready to face Darth Thanaton and in a generous enough mood to accept the transfer requested by Lt. Drellik. But he presumes his strength. The duel in the personal meditation room ends in a draw when he loses control of the ghosts from which he draws his power. Once again, he must flee without having won.
Taking advantage that Dark Thanaton also heals his wounds, the inquisitor takes the opportunity to loot his library in search of clues to heal himself. He finds two. The first takes him to Belsavis, where there is a technology capable of reconstituting and strengthening him. It would not be totally sufficient, but it would already be a start. The planet is a gigantic Republic prison, but Darth Zash had contacts who were locked there. They can guide him to rakata technology, and from there find the machine that has been described to him. Upon returning to his ship, he is contacted by Moff Valion Pyron, an enemy of Thanaton who prevents him from completing a super-weapon project close to his heart. The cult left behind on Nar Shaddaa has invested in the technology necessary to continue this work. He is ready to take an oath of allegiance and with him all the men under his orders in exchange for this help. But it's not all good news. Darth Thanaton's superior is dead, which means he has resumed his seat on the Dark Council. Their common enemy is now one of the twelve most powerful men in the Empire.
The last hope for controlling ghosts is now a ritual that can be found on Voss, a world ruled by seers. They predicted that the inquisitor's actions would upset the balance they have known for millennia, but are content to stop him from sending him a warning. Nothing more to prevent him from joining a group of mystics who allow him to perform the first part of the ritual. But the second requires a gormak, the hereditary enemy. We must therefore tackle local politics. But finally, the four ghosts are subdued and can do nothing more than obey. Kallig can go find his apprentice on Korriban. It's a twi'lek named Seferiss who wins the last event. What does not please the second, the kaleesh Xalek, who kills him in front of the inquisitor and the overseer Harkun. Too bad, there is no time to wait for a new one to be formed. Despite the protests of the local official concerning the traditions of the academy, it is this one who will be the new apprentice.
Moff Pyron's super-weapon test is successful, destroying an entire Republican fleet. The officer can thus convince other top military officials to imitate him and join Kallig's army. And so to draw the attention of Darth Thanaton to his new military power. The recent member of the Dark Council then launches a challenge in Kaggath: an ancient tradition which is akin to dueling to the death in a given area. The area in question is the Corellian system, where Empire and Republic clash. Assisted by Moff Pyron as a military advisor and with Major Bessiker's troops as scouts, the inquisitor swoops down on his opponent who is the first to arrive. Their fighting threatens vital installations for Imperial troops. But ultimately, Kallig ends up winning in a singular duel. Darth Thanaton barely managed to escape, but he lost a lot of prestige and the majority of his followers in the operation. He asks the other members of the Black Council to intervene on his behalf, but the others do not appreciate being called upon for a private matter. When the Inquisitor also arrives on Korriban, they do nothing but pose as arbiters of the last part of the Kaggath. Thanaton once again defeated, he is finished off by Darth Mortis of the Realm of Law and Justice. Dark Marr offers to give his seat to the winner. Dark Ravage doesn't like this at first, objecting that the contestant doesn't have the Dark title. Never mind, in front of his comrades, Dark Marr gives his new name and shoots Kallig (Dark Nox if dark alignment, Dark Imperius if luminous alignment or Dark Occulus if neutral alignment).
The Inquisitor is now the head of the Ancient Knowledge sphere, one of the twelve Sith who rule the Empire. And a sure ally of Darth Marr, the military leader who has served as a figurehead since the Emperor was no longer heard. Its main activity is to collect artifacts and other historical resources to train the next apprentices. Or rediscover weapons in the Force that he will not share. Having proven himself on the battlefield, it is not uncommon for him to be asked to intervene in certain delicate situations. Or he imposes himself among his conflicts, his rank authorizing him to interfere in any matter which does not fall directly under his eleven co-advisers. This is how we found him on Illum or on Makeb. And Moff Pyron's troops, still under his command, continue to wreak havoc in the Republican ranks. He is a Sith lord, therefore an inescapable threat to peace in the galaxy.
