Jen'taral

The Jen'taral was a  cult that rose to power under Darth Crucia during the Sictis Wars.

Early days
The organization that would become known as the Jen'taral was created during the last quarter of the. Its founder—a known as Crucia—sought to establish a force capable of challenging and eventually destroying the  and its  protectors. In time, Crucia attracted numerous followers who agreed to ally under him, serving as his personal agents. These agents were referred to by Crucia as the Jen'taral, a phrase which meant "hidden protector". Under the leadership of Darth Rivan, the initial objective of the Jen'taral was to ensure that Crucia's bid to power remained unopposed.

To fulfill their objective, the Jen'taral infiltrated the factions of the Sith s scattered throughout the, ensuring that none of them attempted to plot against Crucia. Hoping to spread Crucia's influence, the Jen'taral took advantage of his reverence among the races that he encountered. In particular, the Jen'taral reinforced the idea that Crucia was a savior figure, one who would grant the insectoids a stronger presence in. With the growing support and resources provided by the insectoids, Crucia overthrew many of the Sith warlords, eventually declaring himself the new.

Expansion
Crucia later established a number of to strengthen the Jen'taral, indoctrinating a new wave of servants to support his growing empire—the Sictis Imperium. Among those who trained at these academies, only a small percentage were allowed to graduate, keeping their numbers intentionally low. Under Crucia's directive, members of the Jen'taral operated separately from the Imperium's military forces, the only exception being the cult's leader, the Shadow Hand. Instead, the Sith acted as special agents in order to support the regime, ideally without usurping its authority. Nevertheless, some high-ranking members of the Jen'taral attempted to manipulate the military for personal gain.

Within the Jen'taral, a number of Sith Lords pooled their knowledge to create a ritual called the Rite of Binding. Through, this ritual forged a bond with another living being, making them completely subservient. The Rite was later employed by the Sictis Imperium to strengthen the chain-of-command of its military branch, ideally eliminating insubordination and desertion. Despite being deemed a success within the Imperium, the ritual produced unstable results when used on individuals who were. As such, most Sith Lords avoided using the ritual on their, although some experimented with ways of mitigating the negative effects.

Organization
The Jen'taral was led by a single individual known as the Shadow Hand, who in turn answered only to the Dark Lord of the Sith, the supreme ruler of the Sictis Imperium. To this end, the Shadow Hand was regarded as an extension of the Dark Lord's authority, directing the Jen'taral in accordance with his will. Beneath the Shadow Hand were the Sith Lords, individuals whose power, knowledge and infamy were considered second only to the Jen'taral's leader and the Dark Lord himself. Sith Lords were often tasked with preserving the lore of the Sith by passing on their knowledge, serving as researchers and teachers at the Jen'taral's academies. While most preferred the use of minions or proxies over direct combat, Lords would sometimes direct large-scale operations at the behest of the Shadow Hand.

Individuals who had yet to achieve the rank of Sith Lord were known as Sith Adepts. Graduates from the Jen'taral academies were immediately bestowed this rank, undertaking missions to help further the Imperium's conquest. Adepts could only be bestowed the rank of Sith Lord by either the Shadow Hand or the Dark Lord. Due to the difficulty in gaining their favor, most Adepts attempted to usurp the title after killing an existing Lord, a practice that was neither openly encouraged nor outright disallowed. The lowest rank within the Jen'taral was the trainee status of Sith Acolyte. Under the tutelage of a Sith Lord, these recruits were trained at the Jen'taral academies to wield to power of the dark side. Very few Acolytes graduated, as prestigious assignments were limited, and competition among students was often lethal.