The Disciples of Ragnos, alternatively called the Cult of Ragnos, originated as a Sith cult from within the ranks of the Empire Reborn. Their devotion centered on the ancient Dark Lord of the Sith, Marka Ragnos, who once ruled the Old Sith Empire and met his end not long before the Great Hyperspace War, approximately five millennia prior to the Battle of Yavin. Their grand ambition involved resurrecting Ragnos and leveraging his might to seize control of the galaxy. While the Jedi ultimately thwarted the cult's plans, their actions left a trail of widespread destruction.
The Sith Cultists constituted the bulk of the Disciples of Ragnos's forces. They gained power from Force energy channeled through the scepter. Training for these cultists encompassed either lightsaber combat or various dark side Force abilities, including Force lightning, Force Grip, and Force drain. Some even demonstrated proficiency in light side techniques like Force healing and Force Protection. They were the core of the organization and participated in almost all of the cult's operations. The color of their battle suits indicated their specialized skills.
- Green: Equipped with blasters or skilled in Force grip
- Blue: Masters of Force Lightning
- Red: Practitioners of Force drain
- Orange: Proficient lightsaber wielders
Survivors of Desann's Reborn, those who evaded death or capture during the Empire Reborn's activities, integrated into the cult, adopting the name New Reborn. These New Reborn possessed superior lightsaber skills and Force abilities compared to the Sith Cultists. They were typically deployed on critical missions where the cultists' limited capabilities proved insufficient for achieving the cult's aims.
While small in number, the cult also included Reborn Masters, highly skilled dark side Force users and expert lightsaber duelists who represented the elite of Desann's former Reborn. These masters generally remained hidden and secretive and only participated in missions of utmost importance.
Tavion Axmis, a former apprentice of the Dark Jedi Desann and a member of Empire Youth, spearheaded the Disciples. When the Empire Reborn, a splinter faction of the Imperial Remnant, seized Cloud City on Bespin, Kyle Katarn defeated Tavion, sparing her life after she disclosed the deception surrounding the death of his partner. Katarn subsequently killed Desann and Imperial Admiral Galak Fyyar, decimating the majority of the Reborn forces. Ultimately, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa destroyed the Empire Reborn and its leader, Hethrir, at the Crseih Research Station.
To bolster their forces, the cult collaborated with both the Imperial Remnant and various mercenaries and bounty hunters, eventually commanding their own contingent of stormtroopers. Imperial personnel and mercenaries frequently fought alongside cult members. Mercenaries played a significant role in the cult's operations on Chandrila and Corellia, suffering heavy casualties. The Imperial Remnant was involved in nearly every cult mission.
The Disciples sought out locations saturated with the dark side, such as the Massassi Temples on Yavin 4 or the dark side cave on Dagobah, as well as places brimming with the light side, like a Jedi tomb on Chandrila or the site of a vision on Hoth, with the intention of draining the residual energies present. Cult agents were deployed across the galaxy on diverse, often obscure missions, typically to locate sources of Force power or safeguard existing sites from interference. Jedi from Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum, including Katarn's talented apprentice Jaden Korr, successfully disrupted several of these missions.
The cult succeeded in capturing Rosh Penin, another of Katarn's apprentices, and corrupting him to the dark side. Penin, now a Disciple of Ragnos, confronted Korr in a duel within Bast Castle on Vjun. Supported by the formidable Kothos twins, Penin posed a significant challenge to Korr. However, Korr defeated the twins and, shortly thereafter, Penin as well. Tavion managed to extract Penin before Korr and Katarn could apprehend him. Penin eventually regretted his turn to the dark side, sending a distress signal to Skywalker's Praxeum from the cult's base on Taspir III. Katarn and Korr traveled to Taspir to rescue him. The rescue mission culminated in a fierce duel between Korr and Alora, resulting in Penin losing an arm and Alora losing her life.
For a short time, the Disciples of Ragnos's activities seemed to diminish. Concurrently, numerous Imperial vessels were observed within Republic territory, leading the Jedi to suspect that the Remnant was preparing to aid the cult. Skywalker eventually deduced that Tavion intended to visit Marka Ragnos's tomb and utilize the Force energy stored within the scepter to resurrect the ancient Dark Lord.
Skywalker deployed a Jedi force from the Praxeum to Korriban. An epic battle, reminiscent of those from the New Sith Wars, erupted as Jedi clashed with Disciples of Ragnos across the desert and tombs of the Valley of the Dark Lords. Despite being outnumbered, the cult members held most of the Jedi at bay, but Jaden Korr managed to breach their defenses and enter Ragnos's tomb.
Within the Tomb of Marka Ragnos, Tavion successfully summoned the spirit of the deceased Dark Lord, and Ragnos returned to the galaxy by possessing Tavion. Korr, having fought his way through the Valley of the Dark Lords, entered the tomb and engaged the possessed Tavion in a duel, wielding an ancient Sith sword. After an intense battle, Korr managed to defeat her.
With impotent rage, Marka Ragnos's spirit vowed to return and annihilate the Jedi as he was forced back into his resting place. Ragnos's departure left Tavion's body a lifeless husk, and Korr destroyed the scepter. The Republic defeated the Imperial forces assisting the cult, and the destruction of the scepter appeared to have deprived the surviving cultists of their powers, rendering them ineffective.
A remnant of the Disciples escaped to the Maw and discovered Sinkhole Station, where they shared their beliefs about the Force with the Mind Walkers. They were welcomed and taught the methods of Mind Walking, ensuring the continuation of the Disciples' way of the Force.
In the dark side alternative ending, Korr confronted Tavion in the Tomb of Ragnos and demanded the scepter, which she refused to surrender. Overwhelmed by Korr's rage, she was defeated when she vowed not to cower as she did before Kyle Katarn. Katarn entered the tomb shortly after her death. Korr engaged his Jedi Master in a final, fierce duel before using the scepter's power to render him unconscious and bury him under rocks. He then blasted his way out of the tomb and fled the planet aboard a hijacked Star Destroyer.