The Disciples of Ragnos, also known as the Cult of Ragnos, was a Sith cult formed from the Empire Reborn that worshipped the ancient Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos, ruler of the Old Sith Empire who died shortly before the Great Hyperspace War some five thousand years before the Battle of Yavin. Their ultimate goal was to resurrect him and use his power to take over the galaxy. The cult's efforts were eventually stopped by the Jedi but not before they had wrought havoc across the galaxy.
One of Tavion's Sith Cultists.
The majority of the Disciples of Ragnos were the so-called Sith Cultists. They were empowered with Force energy siphoned into the scepter. The Sith Cultists were trained either in lightsaber combat or various dark side Force techniques, such as Force lightning, Force Grip and Force drain. Some were even known to use light side abilities such as Force healing and Force Protection. They formed the backbone of the organization and were present on nearly all of the cult's missions. The cultists wore different colored battle suits according to their abilities.
- Green: Blaster armed or Force grip users
- Blue: Force Lightning users
- Red: Force drain users
- Orange: Lightsaber users
Those amongst Desann's Reborn who were not killed or captured during the Empire Reborn campaign joined the cult as well, renaming themselves the New Reborn. The New Reborn were far superior to the Sith Cultists both in terms of lightsaber skills and Force abilities. They were generally present on missions of higher importance where the limited skills of the cultists were insufficient to accomplish the cult's objectives.
A New Reborn warrior.
Although few in number, the cult also boasted some Reborn Masters - highly skilled dark side Force users and lightsaber duelists who were also the elite of Desann's old Reborn. The masters rarely took part in missions unless they were of the highest importance, generally remaining a very quiet and secretive part of the cult.
The Disciples were led by Tavion Axmis, former apprentice to the Dark Jedi, Desann, and member of the Empire Youth. When an Imperial Remnant faction—the Empire Reborn—occupied Bespin's Cloud City, Kyle Katarn defeated Tavion, sparing her life when she revealed the ruse surrounding his partner's death. Katarn then went on to kill Desann and Imperial Admiral Galak Fyyar and destroy most of the Reborn forces. The Empire Reborn and its leader, Hethrir, were finally destroyed by Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa on Crseih Research Station.
The cult cooperated with the Imperial Remnant as well as mercenaries and bounty hunters when it needed extra support, gaining control of their own group of stormtroopers. Often both Imperials and mercenaries would fight side by side with members of the cult. Mercenaries were used extensively in the cult's operations on Chandrila and Corellia and many were slain. The Imperial Remnant was present on nearly every cult mission.
The disciples would seek out places tainted by the dark side, such as the Massassi Temples on Yavin 4, or the dark side cave on Dagobah, and places infused with the light side, such as a Jedi tomb on Chandrila, or the location of a vision on Hoth to siphon the residual energies at those locations. Agents of the cult were dispatched all over the galaxy on various obscure missions, usually to find sites of Force power or protect an already found site from interference. Several of their missions were thwarted by Jedi from Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum, such as Katarn's talented apprentice Jaden Korr.
The cult managed to capture Katarn's other apprentice, Rosh Penin, and turn him to the dark side. Penin, now a Disciple of Ragnos himself, faced Korr in a duel in Bast Castle on Vjun. Backed up by the powerful Kothos twins, Penin proved quite a challenge to Korr. Korr, however, managed to defeat the twins, and soon after, Penin as well. Tavion managed to rescue Penin before Korr and Katarn could capture him, however, and Penin eventually came to regret his turning and sent a distress call to Skywalker's Praxeum from the cult's base on Taspir III. Katarn and Korr went to Taspir to rescue him. The rescue mission culminated in a fierce duel between Korr and Alora, in which Penin lost his arm and Alora lost her life.
For a brief period of time, reports of the Disciples of Ragnos's activity decreased. Meanwhile, many Imperial ships were sighted within the territory of the Republic, leading the Jedi to suspect that the Remnant was mobilizing to assist the cult. Skywalker eventually surmised that Tavion was planning to visit the tomb of Marka Ragnos and use the Force energy stored in the scepter to resurrect the ancient Dark Lord.
Skywalker dispatched an army of Jedi from the Praxeum to Korriban. An epic battle, the likes of which had not been seen since the New Sith Wars broke out, as Jedi battled the Disciples of Ragnos across the desert and tombs of the Valley of the Dark Lords. The cult members outnumbered the Jedi and held most of them at bay but Jaden Korr eventually managed to penetrate their defenses and gain access to Ragnos' tomb.
In the Tomb of Marka Ragnos, Tavion managed to invoke the spirit of the dead Dark Lord and Ragnos returned to the galaxy once more, possessing Tavion. Korr, who had fought his way through the Valley of the Dark Lords, managed to enter the tomb of Ragnos and engaged in a duel with the possessed Tavion, who fought using an ancient Sith sword. Korr eventually managed to strike her down after an epic battle.
With an impotent fury, the spirit of Marka Ragnos vowed that he would return and annihilate the Jedi as he was forced back into his resting place. Ragnos's departure also left Tavion's body a lifeless shell as Korr destroyed the scepter. The Republic defeated the Imperial forces that had been assisting the cult and the destruction of the scepter appeared to have also drained the surviving cultists of their powers, rendering them useless.
A remainder of the Disciples fled to the Maw and found Sinkhole Station, telling the Mind Walkers of their views of the Force. They were brought in and taught the methods of Mind Walking, thus ensuring that the Disciples' way of the Force never died out.
In the alternative dark side ending, Korr reached the Tomb of Ragnos and demanded the scepter from Tavion, which she refused. Korr proved to be too much for her in his rage and struck her down when she vowed not to cower as she did in the face of Kyle Katarn, who entered the tomb not long after she died. Korr battled his Jedi Master in one last fierce duel before using the power of the Scepter to knock him unconscious and bury him among rocks. He then blasted his way out of the tomb and escaped the planet on a hijacked Star Destroyer.
- The New Essential Chronology
- Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
- Threats of the Galaxy
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia