Ludo Kressh's faction

Following the natural passing of the Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos, the Sith Empire found itself in dire need of a leader, lacking an immediate successor. Sith Lord Ludo Kressh, a prominent figure on the Sith Council and a strong contender for the position of Dark Lord, was determined to take charge of the Empire and safeguard the progress made during Ragnos' reign in the previous century. As Kressh presided over Marka Ragnos' funeral in the Valley of the Dark Lords, his rival Naga Sadow contested his claim, asserting that he was the rightful heir to the Dark Lord title. A heated exchange ensued, culminating in a duel to settle the dispute. Their battle was interrupted by the spirit of Marka Ragnos. The two momentarily ceased their conflict as Ragnos warned of impending turmoil. While Kressh was open to reconciliation, Sadow refused to yield to his adversary. Shortly after, a Republic vessel, piloted by Hyperspace explorers Gav and Jori Daragon, landed in the Valley of the Dark Lords. The siblings were immediately apprehended by Sith forces and transported to the Sith capital on Ziost, where the Sith Council would decide their fate. Kressh advocated for their immediate execution, fearing they heralded a Republic invasion. Sadow, conversely, sought to interrogate them and exploit any information he could extract.

During the Council's assembly on Ziost, Kressh argued that the Daragons posed too great a threat to be left alive, warning that their survival would inevitably lead to a Republic assault. Initially, his proposal gained traction, but Lord Simus and Sadow countered that Kressh was acting out of fear and that the prisoners presented an opportunity to lead the Sith Empire back to the Republic and to conquest. Despite their objections, Kressh's influence within the Council swayed the other Lords to believe that executing the prisoners was the only way to ensure the Empire's safety. A date was set for the public execution, and Simus was tasked with delivering the news to the prisoners. Disregarding the Council's decision, Sadow orchestrated a series of clandestine attacks on the Council Citadel to force their hand. Sadow's warriors used Republic-issued blasters found on the prisoners' ship, the Starbreaker 12, to create the illusion of a Republic assault. During this staged attack, all witnesses were eliminated, except for Gav and Jori, whom Sadow freed from their cell. Simus, escorted by his Massassi bodyguard, arrived to find Sadow amidst the carnage. Upon seeing his former ally, Sadow killed Simus with the Republic blaster, further reinforcing the deception of a Republic attack.

News of the attack on the Council chambers convinced the Sith Lords that a Republic raid had indeed occurred. Naga Sadow rejoined them, feigning ignorance of the events. Kressh criticized Sadow for his perceived lack of foresight and urged the Council to bolster the Empire's defenses in preparation for an imminent Republic invasion. At that moment, Council member Dor Gal-ram presented Simus' skull, shocking the other Lords. Sadow seized the opportunity to deliver a eulogy for his former mentor, which evolved into a rousing speech that subtly attacked Kressh's character. He concluded by reaffirming his candidacy for Dark Lord. The majority of the Council immediately expressed their support for Sadow as the new Dark Lord, while Kressh implored them to reconsider. Sadow demanded that his rival concede, but Kressh refused. In a display of defiance, Kressh slammed his alchemically enhanced Sith sword on the floor, shattering it and releasing its stored energies. The rebellious Council Lord stormed out in protest, accompanied by his supporters, including Council members Horak-mul and Dor Gal-ram.

Kressh and his followers remained in the Sith Citadel, discussing the situation while Sadow underwent the rituals to become Dark Lord. Elsewhere in the Citadel, Sadow's agents infiltrated the lower chambers where the Starbreaker 12 was being held. They confronted Kressh's guards, who had been stationed there earlier. Sadow's Massassi quickly overwhelmed the guards, leaving behind a small insignia of Sadow's warriors. By the time news of the attack on the hangar reached Kressh, it was too late. The Massassi and Sith engineers loyal to Sadow had already escaped with the impounded vessel before Kressh and his guard could arrive. The scene horrified them, leading them to initially believe it was another Republic attack. Upon closer inspection of the dead, Kressh discovered Sadow's planted insignia, allowing him to deduce that his rival had orchestrated the attack.

Upon realizing Sadow's treachery, Ludo Kressh summoned his closest allies—Dor Gal-ram and Horak-mul—to his Contemplation Chambers on his private world of Rhelg to reveal the betrayal and his plans. As he recounted the events at the hangar, Kressh's hatred for Sadow grew so intense that he destroyed several massive stone statues in the chamber with dark side energies, reducing them to rubble. Calming himself, he ordered his allies to gather their fleets and prepare for an invasion of Sadow's fortress world, Khar Delba, to seize control of the Empire before he could cause further damage.

Reaching orbit around Khar Delba, the coalition's fleet of Derriphan-class battleships swiftly descended upon Sadow's personal fortress and unleashed a barrage of fire, devastating the stone bastion. Kressh forbade any transmissions to the surface, stating that they were not interested in Sadow's surrender, as his transgressions were too severe. The attack appeared to be progressing well, as the forces of Khar Delba offered little resistance to Kressh's warships. Meanwhile, within the crumbling fortress, Sadow urged Jori to escape before it was too late. Reluctantly accepting his advice, she fled aboard the Starbreaker 12, unaware of the tracking device Sadow had planted to lead him to the Republic. As the Starbreaker entered orbit, Jori narrowly avoided being destroyed by Kressh's capital ships, as Kressh watched in despair as the Republic vessel jumped to hyperspace. As the battle continued, a hidden fleet of Sadow's, positioned on the far side of Khar Delba's moon, Khar Shian, ambushed Kressh's forces. Simultaneously, hidden Massassi sleeper cells activated on the ships of Horak-mul and Dor Gal-ram, brutally murdering both Sith Lords. With the loss of two battleships, Kressh's forces were outnumbered and outgunned. Sith starfighters surrounded the remaining battleships under Kressh's command, forcing his faction's four largest capital ships to retreat to their territory in the Stygian Caldera.

Believing Kressh would be too afraid to return, Naga Sadow proceeded with his plan to invade the Republic. Gathering all the Sith Lords with significant military power, Sadow and his followers began planning the invasion on Khar Delba. However, the assembly was interrupted when Ludo Kressh's flagship was detected in orbit. Sadow was bewildered as to why his rival would risk another defeat. Eventually, a hologram transmission from Kressh appeared on the main display of the meeting chamber. Kressh attempted to inform the other Sith Lords of Sadow's betrayal, but they remained unconvinced. Sadow ordered Gav to eliminate the threat, resulting in a single blast from one of the fortress' cannons that destroyed Kressh's flagship. Debris rained down on the fortress for hours, while Sadow ordered the final preparations for the Sith invasion fleet to begin. Unbeknownst to Sadow, Kressh was not on board his flagship. It was a decoy designed to lull Sadow into a false sense of security and end his pursuit of Kressh and his remaining followers. Over Khar Shian, fighters, carriers, and flagships from across Sadow's empire gathered in preparation for the invasion. Although Sadow's military presence in his own empire was almost entirely depleted to bolster the invasion fleet, he was confident in his rule, despite Gav Daragon's protests. As Sadow's entire military force jumped to lightspeed towards the Republic, Kressh prepared to exploit this very weakness.

While Naga Sadow waged his costly war against the Republic, Ludo Kressh and his followers acted swiftly to reclaim the Sith Empire. Kressh was soon crowned Dark Lord of the Sith, ruling over the civilian populations and warriors remaining in the Stygian Caldera, while Sadow fought a losing battle against the Republic. At this point, Kressh's followers expanded beyond a coalition of Sith Lords and Council members, encompassing the entire Sith Empire not engaged in the war with the Republic. Upon Sadow's return to Sith space after his defeat, he and his damaged battleships were confronted by an armada under the command of Dark Lord Kressh. After explaining the new order, Kressh officially exiled Sadow from the Sith Empire forever. Sadow, unwilling to submit to Kressh's authority, initiated the first battle of Korriban by ordering his remaining ships to attack his enemy. Outnumbered and already damaged, Sadow's vessels began to fail. With nothing left to lose, Sadow ordered his ships to collide with Kressh's new flagship. The impact destroyed both ships, leaving the battlefield without a clear leader. Shortly after, Republic forces, who had been tracking Sadow from the Inner Rim, arrived and decimated the remaining Sith forces. Catastrophic damage forced Sadow to flee in his last battleship to the remote world of Yavin 4.

The remaining Sith loyal to Kressh scattered across the stars with the future Sith Emperor, while others were forced to flee from the Republic forces that bombarded the Sith worlds.

Upon learning of his father's death at Sadow's hands and the Sith Empire's defeat by the Republic, Elcho Kressh sought to restore his father's and the Empire's honor. After years of preparation and alliance-building, Elcho Kressh amassed a large force of pirate systems and Republic dissidents. However, Elcho Kressh's untimely death caused these alliances to collapse before a counter-attack on the Republic could be launched.

Nearly three centuries later, the Sith Emperor ordered the destruction of all information and history pertaining to the Kressh family and their orders. This decision was linked to the betrayal of the Emperor's apprentice, Exal Kressh, a direct descendant of Ludo Kressh. Before this edict, the Kressh lineage was considered one of the Empire's most prestigious, as its predominantly pure-blooded members were regarded as great champions of the Sith cause. Exal Kressh was one such scion.

Despite this edict, the Kressh name and lineage persisted, continuing to produce rebellious Lords and Scions in the Empire's future.

During the Cold War, the Spirit of Horak-mul encountered the Sith Inquisitor Kallig on the planet Hoth. Horak-mul offered aid to Kallig in exchange for desecrating the temple of the Sadow'een who had killed him and doomed the faction's attack on Khar Delba. In his introduction to Kallig, Horak-mul proclaimed Ludo Kressh as the true Dark Lord of the Sith and himself as his right hand.

Ludo Kressh's faction made its debut in Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith, a story arc within the Tales of the Jedi comic series, penned by Kevin J. Anderson and released in 1996. He reappeared in the sequel arc, Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire, which depicted the organization's downfall. In these appearances, Kressh was illustrated by Dario Carrasco, Jr. The faction's conflict with Naga Sadow was a central plot point in these two story arcs. In the first issue of The Fall of the Sith Empire, Desperate Measures, the faction's leader was seemingly killed, leading to its imminent collapse. However, the final issue of the arc, End of an Empire, revealed that the leader had faked his death to rally support while Sadow was at war. The faction was ultimately defeated within the same issue.