In the year 3997 BBY, Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma, aided by a couple of Sith amulets, performed a ritual to summon a collection of Sith spirits from their eternal rest. These spirits were the ancient Dark Lords of the Sith, with Marka Ragnos at their head, and their arrival fulfilled an ancient prophecy. Upon their reawakening, the Sith spirits initiated Kun and Qel-Droma into the ways of the dark side of the Force. Ragnos's spirit then declared Exar Kun to be the new Dark Lord of the Sith, imprinting a mark of a Dark Lord onto Kun's forehead with a simple touch, signifying his dark side initiation. He also branded Qel-Droma with that of a Shadow Hand, declaring him to be Kun's primary apprentice. The purpose of all this was to resurrect the Sith Empire that had been lost for a millennium. Although the Great Sith War brought widespread destruction to the galaxy, the Sith Empire was not successfully re-established.
Centuries later, the Jedi historian Gnost-Dural, while researching Qel-Droma, Kun, and the Great Sith War for a timeline of galactic events, made mention of this group. He posited that their support for Exar Kun implied a lack of allegiance to the Sith Emperor.
This Sith group, though not explicitly named, made its debut in the sixth issue of the Dark Lords of the Sith story arc. This arc was part of the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi comic books series, and was penned by Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson, with illustrations by Art Wetherell. The issue was released on March 14, 1995.
While Dark Lords of the Sith 6 portrayed the Dark Lords as a message passed down through the ages from the time of the Post–Great Hyperspace War counterinvasion, various other sources have identified them as Sith spirits. This article operates under the assumption that the latter sources are accurate.
Within Dark Lords of the Sith 6, the character later known as Marka Ragnos is depicted amidst a battle scene with ships engaged in combat, proclaiming, "In my time, even as the Galactic Republic battles us to extinction." Furthermore, the comic's narrative describes him as "the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith" during "a time when the Sith people were being driven to extinction by the Jedi Knights and the armies of the Galactic Republic." However, Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 2 opens with Marka Ragnos having already passed away before the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire had any contact with one another.