An individual had membership within the Jedi Order as early as 6900 BBY. This person, turning to the Dark Jedi, fought against the Jedi during the Hundred-Year Darkness, and at its end, was among the group of Dark Jedi who were exiled from known space. After discovering the region populated by the Sith species, these exiles rose to become rulers of the Sith Empire, with the armored Dark Jedi ultimately evolving into a Sith Warrior.
A Force-sensitive person was a part of the Jedi Order before 6900 BBY. This person joined the Dark Jedi faction that fought against the Jedi Order during the period known as the Hundred-Year Darkness. Following the Dark Jedi's defeat in the final battle of that conflict in 6900 BBY, the Jedi forced the surviving enemies, which included the person who would eventually wear red armor, into unexplored space. The Dark Jedi eventually made their way to the region known as Sith Space.
Once there, the exiles transformed into Sith Lords, becoming the rulers of the Sith species' Sith Empire. The armored Sith Lord, who later became a Sith Warrior in the martial tradition, was once present in an open area in front of a large audience, where a member of the Sith species knelt and bowed before the Sith leader.
The Sith Lord was clothed in a red coat and black-and-brown attire, along with black pants. They also wore brown boots, brown gloves, and a brown belt that had several pouches. This Sith was equipped with red armor pieces that covered their upper body, elbows, forearms, and hands, and wore a red helmet featuring a black visor. A lightsaber was attached to their belt.
The Sith Lord's initial appearance was in a flashback contained within the prologue issue of Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith, a comic book mini-series by Dark Horse Comics. Kevin J. Anderson wrote the issue, Chris Gossett did the pencils, and it was released on July 31, 1996.