Religions of House Arkoh
House Arkoh is a group within the Trade Federation House System working to revive the Arkanian-Sith culture in the Hassaria system. While much of the near-extinct culture can be reconstructed, other parts lay shrouded in mystery or lost to time. The religious tradition of the Arkanian people under Sith rule is part of those things which were lost. Under Sith'Ari Con Semper the House has established an open policy where any religious tradition that can be shown to have either been practiced on Arkania, tied to the Sith culture, or is somehow relevant to the mission of the House is permitted to be practiced and in any cases supported outright by the royal families. Currently there are three main branches of faith that most of the citizens of Hassaria fall under: Aedra, Revanism, and Sith Lord Worship.
Aedra
Aedra was an indigenous religion of the Sith people practiced before the rise arrival of the Rakatta or the rise of the Sith Empire. It centers around the deity Ashar, who many scholars believe to be an ancient Sith who transcended death and took on god-like status to the planet's population after helping his closest followers do the same. This process is similar to the 'Force Ghost' phenomena. Worshipers celebrate a pantheon of ten different deities, who teach that robust inner conflict is the surest to hone one's ability and defeat all weakness and gain immortality. It is believed to have been made extinct during the rise of King Adas and was only reintroduced by Won'Kissai Ethan Travis who himself might have been an Aedra priest, preserved through the millennia. Travis discovered artifacts and teachings in an ancient temple on Tattooine and worked hard with scholars in House Arkoh to corroborate his theories with evidence from Korriban, giving this cult a reliable date and context. Working with the office of the Kissai'Ari, Travis built temples and shrines to the deities throughout the Hassarai system. Adrea has found favor among the intelligentsia and among many of the laboratory-born Offshoots who desire to connect with something of their heritage, although it has a wider following in the areas surrounding its shrines. of the HouseIt is currently the second-largest religion in the system. It is also the only sith-religion that does not insist on building their religious spaces on force-nexuses.
Revanism
Darth Revan was a fallen Jedi and Sith Lord who led a splinter Jedi group to defend the Republic against the Mandalorians in about 3990 BGCT. Revan and his followers embraced a then-unique system of balance, using both the light and dark sides of the Force to achieve their goals while aligning themselves with neither of the two. The Sith Lord was eventually defeated in combat, but his followers continued practicing his philosophy and revered him as a special teacher or prophet of the force. Their places of worship revolve around distinctive two-horned altars, symbolizing the dark and light sides which they hold in tension while living in the space between. Revanism is unique in that the majority of its devotees come from outside the system and have chosen to settle in Hassaria, bringing their faith with them. It has won precious few converts among the natives in the system, and those who do convert are usually among the aristocracy. Their temples are built on Force nexuses- those places where the Force is more strongly present. Because of their philosophy, however, Force-sensitive leaders have sought to balance the nexuses by attempting to enchant the area with either the light or dark side, depending on which is out of balance. It i more common, however, to see Revan worshiped as a deity in a form closer akin to the Sith Lord worship.
Sith Lord Worship
Sith Lord worship is by far the most popular sith-religion introduced to the Hassaria system by House Arkoh and it quickly replaced the teachings of Alissma, the faith most popular throughout the Trade Federation. This worship centers around four powerful and ancient Sith Lords: King Adas, Lord Kresh, Lord Ragnos, and Lord Malak. Darth Revan is sometimes included when worshipers conflate this with Revanism. This faith is founded on the belief that powerful force weilders can become one with the Force and thus gain a sort of immortality. Their presence can be sought by the mortal, and the immortal has the ability to impart power or knowledge on the living. Temples are staffed with highly trained force-sensitive Kissai priests who have been trained in the nuanced view of the Dark side of the Force unique to House Arkoh. This teaches that there is no shame in honestly drawing on one's own emotions for power in the pursuit of knowledge, but that ultimately instead of drawing strength from weaknesses weaknesses can be eventually overcome. The link between the dark and ideas of 'evil' is broken, as priests teach that the pursuit of strength does not necessitate a hunger for destruction or dominance.
Priests lead devotees in guided meditation in the temple, and each priest is allowed to establish their own way of doing this. This has led to the adaptation of many different forms of meditation in individual temples, and each temple has gained a cult following. Forms vary from one-on-one combat to ascetic contemplation to the navigation of a labyrinth. Relics of the dark Lords are kept in a private meditation chamber below the temple adjoined to the room of the high priest. The high priest alone determines a devotee's readiness and worthiness to seek the presence of the deity using their relics, as exposure to such strength before one is ready can often be a fatal mistake. This faith has won much popular support among Offshoots and normal citizens of Hassaria alike.
Many of the citizens have taken to worshiping Sith'Ari Con Semper as a deity himself. While the royal family previously had discouraged this practice it now tolerates it, though a state--sponsored temple has yet to be built. Only locally-built shrines currently exist.
