Quaestor Report
_Quaestor Report #10 (14 March 2008) _
Dark Greetings House Marka Ragnos,
What a rollercoaster week this has been for us. Faeril, our Aedile, is currently on a bit of a Leave of Absence at the moment, nothing I can really explain about. So it is just me running the House. Lots of cool stuff in this report its number 10 lets brake out the beer and celebrate!!! Read on!!!
Competitions
Plenty of competitions still to do. The stage two competitions will be coming out soon.
Quaestor Real Life
New Section
So what has happened to your Quaestor in the last week within the real world. Well, yesterday I finally got my Undergraduate Diploma in Computing. I was hoping my mum would take some more pictures of me, but I only managed to pull up a few that I think you would all like to see. BEHOLD!
I am the one with the glasses on, and of course, I got no hand sticking out of my left suit sleeve. There was a photo of me having a nice pint of Guinness at the pub, but I couldnt find the cable for my camera, which the photograph was taken on.
House Development 1.0 The Council (Completed)
The Dark Primus
Some there be whom shadows kiss,
shadows cling,
shadows rent
Some there be whom shadows teach,
shadows draw,
shadows keep
and some there be whom shadows cloak,
shadows spoke
shadows reach
some there be alone whom can call and make the shadows greet.
Zeen Deheval, Krath archivist and Tetan nobleman, circa 2,237 BBY
Deheval speaks:
Since the very founding of the Krath in those shadowed mists of time, there has been the mighty figure who has embodied the vision of the Disciples. In those mediaeval times that marked the twilight of the Golden Age of the Sith our most august sect was but a dark portent in the far sight of the exalted Lord Marka Ragnos.
Lord Ragnos knew in His dark and terrible wisdom that the Disciples alone would come to be unlike their component Orders the Sith in their heady thirst for power and inclination for infighting and self-destruction, or the Krath In their unrelenting pursuit of dread knowledge; His Disciples would be the manifestation of an unholy annexation of Dark Side lore, and that the ideological vortex caused by this amalgam would utterly consume it's devotees unless there was a clear first among equals.
At times, the spirit of the Dark Lord himself served in this capacity; it is known that his specter appeared before the Krath High Priest Satal Keto and Exar Kun and bade them to cease their fighting for supremacy and instead ally against their common enemies. This is marked the first act of a Dark Side devotee in the crucial functions that would later come to be associated with the role of the Dark Primus. His concerns lie primarily with the continuation of the fusion of Krath and Sith mysticism and Dark Side lore that formed the core of the Disciples' doctrine.
In contrast to many other roles tied to the modern Disciples of Ragnos within the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, the role of Dark Primus is one filled by virtue of simple expediency, as was often the case in the past; it's duties are assumed by the most powerful and capable Dark Side practitioner loyal to the married ways of Sith and Krath as practiced by the Disciples. Since the advent of the Dark Brotherhood and the formation of Clan Naga Sadow and House Marka Ragnos, The Dark Primus has always been the reigning Overlord of House Marka Ragnos who the undisputed Head of the Council and final authority within the Disciples of Ragnos. His duties are primarily judiciary in nature and are concerned with the continued overall productivity of the Disciples as a whole and the Council in particular. The Dark Primus is expected to serve as mediator as well as lead the Council in any issues he deems to use voting procedure to resolve.
In keeping with the mystic ways of the orders from whence his teachings come, the Dark Primus is a spiritual authority unto himself within the Disciples of Ragnos, and by virtue of his status as a Son of Sadow as a member of the apostolic succession that descends from Naga Sadow as heir of the Sith Empire and Dark Lord of the Sith and thus our Dark Lord Marka Ragnos himself,
The Dark Primus often works closely with the Dark Chronicler, and has the duty of petitioning the Prima Marked of the Wanderer for when the Tome of Dark Souls is in need of revision, or when there is a need to formally anoint and install a new Dark Patriarch whenever one comes into office. Above all the Dark Primus is responsible for overseeing the Disciples of Ragnos as a body and making whatever changes needed to ensure that the Disciples do not stagnate and remain active and vigilant as the galaxy approaches the Final Order.
The Dark Patriarch/Matriarch
The Dark Patriarch. Preeminent as the de facto leader of the Council of the Disciples of Ragnos in their day-to-day affairs, Some would say that the Dark Patriarch (or Matriarch, as the case may be) is nothing more than a subordinate to the Dark Primus, an aide much as the Brotherhood's Praetorian Diet is to the Dark Council. Those who make this ignorant assumption would be gravely mistaken; the Patriarch manifests all of the true power that the Dark Primus is general too distant and otherwise occupied a figure to embody. The Disciples may pledge their highest fealty to the Dark Primus, but it is the Dark Patriarch they follow with zeal and fervor, the Dark Patriarch whom they emulate with diligence and admiration.
Most consider the first true Dark Patriarch of the Disciples of Ragnos to be the Sith Lord Freedon Nadd, a fallen Jedi who sought Sith lore and was found a worthy student and successor by the spirit of Lord Naga Sadow. Freedon Nadd established the very use of the title, in fact, as he subjugated the entirety of the planet Onderon and installed himself as its King, establishing a dynastic line that persisted for many centuries. Indeed, the Dark Patriarch's full title according to annals of the ritual texts of the Disciples is none other than The Dark Patriarch of Onderon. This was an apostolic legacy in much the same dark and mystic fashion as that of the office of Dark Primus. The seat passed for centuries, for untold generations within the Royal House of Onderon alone, guided by the dark spirit of their progenitor. The last Patriarch of the Onderon Royal Family was King Ommin, whom the Dark Lord Freedon Nadd ultimately deemed unworthy.
The mantle then passed to the young Lord Satal Keto, who had come to Onderon with his sister Aleema in search of greater understanding of Sith lore the young Tetan nobles had acquired on Coruscant. The dark spirit of Nadd knew only that it was no mere coincidence that these diligent young students of Sith magic had come to his citadel; and with the Jedi howling for their blind, ignorant crusade for destruction of all of the wisdom of the Dark Side Nadd wasted no time in confirming Satal and Aleema as the next ordained leaders Disciples of Ragnos. It is here, sometime after 3,997 BBY, that despite the eventual destruction of both Satal and Aleema Keto, the Krath cult, and the wise Disciples of Ragnos that had gathered many of them under their banner, began to prosper, a creeping mold from the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
The notes that follow are the words of Master Kik Theen, a venerable Dark Jedi and the longest-living member of the Disciples of Ragnos, during his lecture at the Dark Library. Master Theen, a Neti, was eyewitness to the Great Sith War, was revered as a veritable treasure trove of information on the first era of the Krath's emergence in the galaxy. Master Theen passed on a few short months after this lecture took place.
Much of the history escapes me in my admittedly advanced age, young ones, but the legacy of malevolence remains; From Ragnos, to Sadow, to Nadd, down his bloodline for an era. From Ommin, to Satal Keto onwards. The lineage is unbroken, and while at times its branches have withered or been cut back entirely, it persists to this day and is the legacy of our Dark Father.
The Dark Patriarch is he who calls the Krath Holy Crusade amongst the Disciples and grants the Sword of Ragnos his blessing as His Dark paladin, the one who consecrates the ritual sacraments at any gathering and mystic working of the Disciples and their general leader in their every act.
In times of war or in times of peace, the Disciples of Ragnos defer to their Dark Patriarch for guidance in their every act. In the modern era, the Dark Patriarch is always the senior member of the House Summit of Marka Ragnos.
Hand of Ragnos
The recording that follows is transcripted from a restricted-access Holocron in the Dark Library at the behest of the Dark Primus. It follows the training of a young Disciple of Ragnos by an unidentified Hand of Ragnos shortly after the cult's establishment upon Tarthos.
Hmph. So you're it, then? My would-be successor as the mighty Hand of Ragnos? I see that greedy gleam in your beady eyes. Oh, silence your stammering, insolent whelp. I know precisely how much you have studied as well as the subjects you have studied. You are here because the Dark Patriarch thought you showed promise worthy of further training in my tasks, a certain...affinity...for the arduous and demanding tasks of the Hand of Ragnos.
Pray that you do not prove him wrong. The Patriarch does not like to be wrong, youngling, and the most I can promise you if he discovers he was mistaken in his estimation of you is a long and uneventful career in speeder patrol with Dlarit Security. Should you happen to be supremely inept and prove his judgment spectacularly poor...well, let it suffice to say you shall receive a rather intimate introduction to the care and feeding of the flesh-eating plants of the gardens here at Ragnos Cathedral.
Where was I? Ah, yes. Follow me. What? Don't be stupid. Of course this leads to the Dark Library...I see you are as ignorant as you are greedy and unworthy. Still, the Dark Patriarch must have seen some merit in you...let us test that here.
Listen closely...can you hear it? Yes-be mindful before you answer those voices! Should you answer incorrectly you-
Hee hee hee...Wrong. Well, at least you didn't lose control of your waste. Lie there and relax a moment, the muscle spasms will abate. I think.
Don't you dare be sick in here! It's your own fault for answering the question for passage incorrectly; try again, and this time you won't be as fortunate if you are careless.
Ah! I see you have something between your ears besides sarlacc gristle. Very well done indeed. Moving on...See, the light filters through the dome in the daytime. It casts the symbol of the Dark Lord Ragnos on the floor we are crossing at this very moment. Now over here is where we stray from the beaten path. Mind you pay particularly close attention here we are already on a heavily restricted level of the Dark Library. Let me show you a room that even the Dark Librarian knows nothing about...
Aah, my home sweet home here on Tarthos. This, unlearned one, is the Gallery of Pain and Paradise. It is home to the accumulation of many of House Marka Ragnos Force artifacts, mostly of Sith or other dark origin, of course. What you see before you in this great hall includes priceless works from across the galaxy; many right here from Tarthos or within the Orian system, some from other areas of Sith space, some from Onderon, Yavin IV, Vjun in short, anywhere and every where we have been able to hunt such items down and retrieve them, barring things such as Holocrons and other literary works, you will find them here. Granted, this pales in comparison to the collection present in Sadow Palace on Sepros, but the Dark Primus thinks it in the Clan's best interest that the Clan Overlord not be privy to every last secret we possess.
And that, at long last, leads me to my duties, and hopefully your duties some day. We Hands of Ragnos have forever served as the Curators of Pain and Paradise, this gallery of Dark artifice that has remained hidden, in various capacities, from almost every unworthy who has sought such objects of power. It has been relocated from one end of the galaxy to the other We have records of Disciples maintaining such a hall in the Deep Core, and centuries before, in Wild Space. Thusly the duties of the Hand of Ragnos supersede those of the Dark Librarian in scope. Simply put, our job is to ensure the maintenance and perpetuation of the collection for all time, not only as a record-keeping measure, but as a formidable resource for the truly worthy.
Those of us who embrace the Dark Side, almost without exception, tend to possess a selfish, self-aggrandizing streak itself a manifestation of the Dark Side and are often reckless and destructive with the resources at our disposal the Sith Lord Exar Kun being a particularly vivid example of a genocidal marauder who cared little to stop and examine the methods or objects of his destruction. This tendency leaves us with a distinct disadvantage in the face of the Jedi Knights, our eternal enemies and oppressors; they have the sense to realize that rare and powerful artifacts are at their most useful when concentrated in one location, best when shared and not hoarded, used judiciously and cautiously and not with wild abandon. Most darksiders will leave a trail of corpses and rubble between them and whatever object of power that calls them through the Force, and tend to completely obliterate either themselves, their bauble, or in a few particularly idiotic cases, both.
We Hands of Ragnos are responsible for cataloging and maintaining these artifacts and delegating their use to our Disciples as need arises. We also have our role on the frontier of space as well; we are the armorer of our troops before the battle - equipping them with what relics they need for our absolute victory - and the plundering hand that follows to loot where the Sword of Ragnos has slain. Ours is the duty of locating unclaimed artifacts of power, and it is one we pursue with all due zeal and diligence. Our spies prowl the deep expanses of the galaxy and report swiftly at the slightest whisper of devices of potent in the Force.
Few have married the Sith's intense focus of power and the Krath's devoted questing for higher learning and orderly book-keeping like the Disciples of Ragnos have. Our traditions have endured for millennia relatively unscathed by the mad power plays of the random barbarians and madmen claiming the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith, or Krath High Priest. Our Dark Predecessors know this and approve, and it is with their blessing and watchful stewardship that we have remained as relatively unseen as we have.
All you have heard and seen I have made a holovid record of. Review this information and study diligently, and in time the heavy mantle of the Hand of Ragnos will be your own burden to bear.
(Transcoding Complete, Recording Terminated.)
The Sword of Ragnos
The Sword of Ragnos. For ages feared as the embodiment of the Disciples' wrath, she is vengeance made manifest. A dark paladin anointed and blessed by the Dark Patriarch himself, the Sword leader the Disciples in all forms of warfare, directly onto the battlefield when required or with finesse and tact from the shadows when galactic affairs could benefit more from the subtle, tampering hand of the cult.
The Sword of Ragnos came to it's recognized modern form in the form of a one Warb Null, a Sith acolyte and personal apprentice to the King Ommin, Dark Patriarch of Onderon. A devoted follower of the Dark Doctrine, Null served his Patriarch unflinchingly and with grim efficiency, falling at last to the Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma, who ironically would later fall to the lure of the Dark Side himself. For centuries the Council was saddled with the precarious task of elevating one to their numbers from the body of the Disciples of Ragnos that was a talented commander and ferocious warrior, but fervent follower of the cult's ways well-versed with their unique brand of sorcery.
The Sword of Ragnos is the coordinator and field commander for any combat operations undertaken by Disciples of Ragnos for the purposes of seeking new lore, reclaiming lost lore, or retaking stolen or misappropriated lore, and artifacts of the Dark Side for the enrichment of House Marka Ragnos. The Sword of Ragnos is always the standing Night Hawks Battleteam Leader, who's duties include maintaining contact with the Council during conflicts involving the deployment of the Disciples, co-ordinating training efforts and tactical exercises as well as directing the war effort of any Krath Holy Crusade of House Marka Ragnos (assuming the Dark Patriarch and Dark Primus have formally initiated such a drastic act.)
At her appointment to the post, the new Sword of Ragnos is undergoes a ritual tattoo ceremony that last for hours and indelibly etch thirty-one prayers of malediction from the Tome of Dark Souls onto the supplicant's flesh while they recite an oath to serve the Disciples of Ragnos and the guidance of the Council above all others and unflinchingly lay their lives down for their brethren and cause.
Following this, the candidate prays on a ritual kneeler which is wrought in jagged, barbed Mandalorian iron and drives spikes into the supplicant's knees, using the pain to purify their thoughts as the Krath leading the ritual intones the ceremonial chants and circles the room with censer and oils. Once the grate beneath the kneeler has flowed over with the blood of the supplicant, she is anointed with a mixture of the blood and ashes of the incense, burnt to send prayers of devotion to the Dark Lord in exchange for His stewardship so that His Sword may lead the righteous life devoted to unleashing the dark retribution of the Dark Side upon the cult's enemies.
She then stands and receives the items of her office from the presiding Dark Patriarch himself; a dread suit of iron-cast armor, alchemically reinforced and decorated with sigils and runes of Krath magic; an underlying padded suit of the Krath Holy Battle Armor, richly embroidered with Onderonian hieroglyphs, a durasteel replica of an ancient Sith Sword; and a synthetic green crystal infused with Dark Side energies, lending any saber constructed with it a caustic emerald blade.
The Dark Scholar
The Dark Scholar's seat on the Council is one that has been surprisingly vague in the annals of an otherwise well-documented history of the Disciples of Ragnos. Some argue that the only true holder of the title prior to the Disciples' second genesis in the Dark Brotherhood was the Queen Amanoa of Onderon a dabbler in the dark arts, but not a sworn devotee - although this is hotly contested amongst the Disciples themselves.
What sketchy records do exist of the Dark Scholar's presence on the Council have indicated that for many generations of the Council he was often a teacher or a student - of great renown and learning, or academic accomplishment. A highly plausible theory, given that the purpose of the Dark Scholar was perhaps the most perilous balancing act performed by any of the Councillors; he was charged with risking occasional exposure to the wielders of the Force's Light Side aspect, most often the Jedi Order, in order to discern their secrets and glean any practices of use from their teachings.
The Dark Scholar was often expected to be the unshakable voice of cool reason on the Council, as he was encouraged to maintain as neutral, dispassionate and unbiased an outlook as possible on all the philosophies of the Force. Unsurprisingly, most fallen Jedi that wound up in the Council of the Disciples of Ragnos, be they in the era of the New Republic or the Old, found themselves in the position of Dark Scholar, due in no small part to their connections and intimate understanding of the Jedi Orders of their contemporaries.
To study the Dark Side and the Light Side, but to give oneself over wholly to neither; this was the responsibility of the Dark Scholar, so as best to advise and educate his fellow councillors to govern themselves in as through and informed a manner as possible. The Disciples witnessed the fall of many darksiders who bought about their demise by their overuse of, or over reliance on the Dark Side, and were all too aware of the utterly withering and destabilizing effects the Dark Side could exert on those who relied on it's aid too heavily, or worse, grew too addicted to it's use and became beacons of hunger, gaping tears in the fabric of the Force.
Since the annexation of the Disciples of Ragnos with the Dark Brotherhood, the House Marka Ragnos Ravana Squadron Battleteam Leader has always been the logical choice for the seat of Dark Scholar; only the best academics are permitted to train and tutor the newest acolytes in the Brotherhood, and when not directing the training drills of Ravana Squadron, he is most often at the site of an undisclosed Dlarit Special Operations Group compound preparing for recon or intelligence-gathering operation inside the Jedi's theaters of operation. While many Disciples sneer at the notion of Jedi practices yielding any useful insight, none can deny that the information gathered by the deep-cover operative of the Dark Scholar is invaluable, and as such only the most prodigal Dark Jedi serve in the risky role of the double-agent that is the Dark Scholar.
House Development 2.0 Lesser Titles/Three Paths Idea
Now that the structure of the council has been set up, it seems to me the best way to handle the lesser titles and three paths is to have one of the paths be led by one of the council members. The idea of this comes from the Order Leaders, which are no used any more in this club.
The paths of the Dremora, the Defender and the Keeper could be led and follow the Hand of Ragnos, the Sword of Ragnos and the Dark Scholar. But we would need to decide which path follows which councillor feedback and ideas please.
House Development 3.0 Point System and Scions of Ragnos
Point System
I will be adding this to the article soon; however the point system wont be in effect until this project is completed. Do not fret, the plan is to grandfather everyone into it; for example lets take our DGM, Muz, who like Trev was raised here. Muz being a DJM and a seasoned member of the Clan, it would be logically to believe that he would have worked his way up to being a Avatar of the Dark Doctrine. The grandfathering will start when the Disciples of Ragnos are completed, so more people who help, the faster we will get this done, the cooler sounding titles you get to have. wink
Scions of Ragnos
Coming Soon.
Unpaired Students
These Journeymen are currently not paired Now is a chance for all Dark Jedi Knights and above to take on the role a Master and tutor one (or two) of these hopefuls to Knighthood.
Guardian Telos [[Log in to view e-mail addresses]]
Protector Kyrath Amaranthi [[Log in to view e-mail addresses]]
Protector Kraytirous Shalluat [[Log in to view e-mail addresses]]
Protector Jalor klenstan [[Log in to view e-mail addresses]]
UPATED: 3/4/2008 3/14/2008
Transfers
Tekryn Fenkath has left us to join House Caliburnus in CSP; lets wish him the best of luck. While Thaladred the Darkener has joined us today from the Sadow Academy; huge welcome to him!
Awards
Teu has been awarded a Crescent with Topaz Star (3/9/08)
Zaroth has been awarded 16 x Cluster of Fire (3/9/08)
Ashura Isradia has been awarded a Cluster of Fire (3/10/08)
Vorion has been awarded 3 x Cluster of Fire (3/9/08)
Vorion has also been awarded 5 x Crescent with Emerald Star (3/14/08)
Zaxen Dauketrenal has been awarded 15 x Cluster of Fire (3/10/08)
Zaxen Dauketrenal has also been awarded a Crescent with Topaz Star (3/14/08)
Devani Kiriana Maharet has been awarded a Scroll of Foundation (3/11/08)
Faeril Munlear has been awarded a Scroll of Foundation (3/11/08)
Shadow Academy
Dark Maven of Service:
Faeril Munlear (3/10/08)
Devani Kiriana Maharet (3/10/08)
Krath Core Passed:
- Vorion (3/6/08)
Lightsaber Studies Passed:
- Kantar Sinas (3/8/08)
Pre-Republic History Passed:
- Teu (3/8/08)
Obelisk Core Passed:
- Vorion (3/10/08)
Force Philosophy Passed:
- Vorion (3/11/08)
ACC Initiates Course Passed:
- Teu (3/13/08)
Promotions
Zaxen Dauketrenal has been promoted from Guardian to Jedi Hunter (3/9/08)
As always here are also the usually links for you know and use to grow better accustomed to life on the other side of the fence as a Special Ops Commander:
D-SOG Dark Jedi Roster
Marshal Commander Raistlin Sadow
Marshal Commander Janos Silverwulf Sadow
Senior Commander Nekura Manji Keibatsu
Senior Commander Ashura Isradia
- Governor of Tarthos and ISDII Harbinger Commissar
Senior Commander Sai Na'Ashar Keibatsu
- Sadow Palace Prefect
Senior Commander Devani Kiriana Maharet LoA
- Personal Aid to the Governor of Tathos*
Lieutenant Commander Ekeia Iclo
Lieutenant Commander Nero Pennant LoA
Lieutenant Commander Zaxen Dauketrenal
Subcommander Kyrath Amaranthi LoA
Subcommander Kraytirous Shalluat
Subcommander Thaladred the Darkener
*Personal Aid to the Governor of Tathos is a fictional title I created for Faeril to aid in her (fictional) duties as Aedile.
Thaladred T. Darkener was accepted into the Dlarit Special Operations Group, Tarthos Division, with the commissioned rank of Subcommander.
Thats it for another report, just want to say how proud I am of you all you all have been keeping me busy (which I like) . As always my door is always open, [Log in to view e-mail addresses] or just look for Ashura on IRC.
For the glory of Sadow, and House Marka Ragnos
Sith Battlemaster Ashura Isradia
Knight First Class
Dark Patriarch of the Disciples of Ragnos
Quaestor of House Marka Ragnos
Governor of Tarthos
ISDII Harbinger Commissar
D-SOG Senior Commander
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