Brotherhood of Sicarius

"If the dealing of death were a trade of the artisans, then there are none finer than the Brotherhood."

- King Oculus VII

The Brotherhood of Sicarius, also known as the Sicarian Order, the Sicarian Dervishes, and archaically as the Seyugi Dervishes, were a male-exclusive Force-sensitive order of assassins that originated on the sulfuric planet of Recopia, located in the Core Worlds. They were founded several centuries before the Battle of Yavin IV by a Force-sensitive leader of the Seyugi culture named Karrh. Dervishes used their abilities with the Force to enhance their unarmed combat skills and to locate their targets. They also sold their services as hired killers and terrorized the Core for several centuries. The Jedi Order recognized the threat the Dervishes posed and spent decades eliminating their bases in the Core and Mid Rim. By the outbreak of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, the Jedi believed that the Dervishes were extinct. However, a few hundred survivors relocated to a hidden fortress in Recopia and froze themselves in carbonite, waiting for an opportunity to return to the galaxy.

History
The Seyugi Dervishes were formed from the extinct Seyugi culture on the sulfuric planet of Recopia, which was located in the Core Worlds. The Seyugi were nomads that traveled in Recopia's atmosphere on huge repulsorlift barges. The rest of Recopia's population regarded the Seyugi as a culture of outlaws. Several hundred years prior to the Battle of Yavin, a Force-sensitive Seyugi leader named Karrh gathered warriors that showed Force potential and began training them in stealth tactics; Karrh also imparted to these acolytes his views on the Force. These warriors became the first Seyugi Dervishes and began eliminating various threats to the Seyugi people. Eventually, the Dervishes spread throughout the Core, establishing bases on most of the Core planets and a few in the Mid Rim. They sold their services as assassins, albeit for an expensive price. The Dervishes specialized in killing nobles, heads of corporations, and other important figures. The Sith Lord Darth Bane believed that the Dervishes had turned their combat abilities into an art form and at some point after the Ruusan campaign, he mentioned the Dervishes in his book, The Rule of Two.

Eventually, the Dervishes attracted the attention of the Jedi Order, which decided to end the threat that they posed. The Jedi's campaign against the Seyugi Dervishes went on for decades, and the Jedi managed to eliminate all the Dervishes' bases in the Mid Rim and the Core. By the outbreak of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, the Seyugi Dervishes were believed by the Jedi Order to be extinct. However, a few hundred Dervishes retreated to a secret temple-fortress on Recopia and froze themselves in carbonite, waiting until a more opportune time to return to the galaxy. Several years later, the Dervishes were accidentally revived by one of the Mallif monks. One of the Dervishes, Razi Khan, killed the monk and tried to reach the island-chain city of Scapio to locate someone who could open the Seyugi vaults beneath the fortress. Khan kidnapped a slicer, but was caught, forcing the Seyugi Dervishes to go into hiding once again.

By the time the Seyugi Dervishes' natural carbonite cycle ended in 250 ABY, the organization experienced a revival in activity and animosity. This period was called "the resurrection", and lasted centuries, until infighting nearly caused the organization's destruction, beginning in 1,000 ABY. After nearly three centuries of internal strife and conflict, an individual that came to be considered the greatest assassin the Dervishes ever produced, named Ellic Sicarius, quelled the infighting, restored order and began rebuilding the organization. Following his death, the Seyugi Dervishes renamed themselves after their fallen leader, and took up the name of the "Brotherhood of Sicarius" (or "Sicarian Order" as it was also called), although still referred to themselves as "Dervishes". By the time of the Extant War in 2,103 ABY, the Brotherhood of Sicarius had returned to its former strength and exceeded it, although again saw near-destruction over the course of the conflict.

Philosophy, training, and techniques
The Force adepts that adhered to the Seyugi Dervish tradition usually ignored the Jedi Order's theories on the Force. The Dervishes viewed the Force as a way to master their bodies and hone them into weapons. While the Dervishes used the Dark Side of the Force and committed deeds that were evil, they did not follow many dark side practices. They abstained from random acts of violence and chaos and were motivated by avarice and personal gain, not power. They also possessed patience, which was often utilized during their training, and hid their emotions. Further still, many Dervishes also made regular usage of powers typically associated with the Light Side of the Force, to better round their overall proficiency as assassins.

The Dervishes sought out infants to older younglings who showed Force potential for training in the Seyugi Dervishes' ways. They trained recruits from this age group so that the initiates became fanatical to the Sicarian Order's tradition. When a potential trainee was located, the Dervishes kidnapped and sent the child to one of their many bases to begin a lifelong study of the Force tradition and monastic practices. After a Sicarian Dervish had trained for fifteen years, the apprentice was sent on his or her first mission with a master who monitored the learner's actions from afar. Should the apprentice fail, the master removed any trace of the incident. After a Dervish apprentice completed the necessary training, the individual was free to explore the galaxy, although the Dervish still received orders from his or her masters through the Force and encrypted transmissions.

The Sicarian Dervishes were masters of unarmed combat. They were capable of sneaking into an armed fortress and murdering their targets discreetly and with incredible speed. The Dervishes were named such by the few survivors of their attacks, who described their confusing, whirling movements as a "beautiful dance of death." Dervishes rarely carried weapons, preferring to use their unarmed skills and the Force to complete their objectives. However, archaic-styled weaponry was considered practical among them as well, such as swords or throwing knives, and were often taken up by a Dervish to prove their skills to their peers at their proficiency in killing with multiple tools outside their bodies and the Force. They did not typically carry much equipment unless an assignment called for it, and the usage of blasters were very rare. The Dervishes archaically wore red clothing and white masks not only to conceal themselves, but to capitalize on the fear that the outfits caused. Dervishes studied the anatomies of a variety of different species so that they could locate a species' central nerve clusters and cause more damage to an individual. However, between the time of their resurrection and the Extant War, this fell out of practice, and all-black garbs and masks became more commonplace. Most Dervishes preferred to work alone, but on occasion, they combined forces to complete a hazardous task. In rare instances, a Sicarian Dervish hired mercenaries for assistance, including demolition experts and computer slicers. The mercenaries were usually unaware of who their employer truly was, and they were murdered by the Dervish to keep the Dervish's identity a secret.

Karrh
Karrh was a Force-sensitive male who led the Seyugi people several centuries prior to the Battle of Yavin. He gathered warriors with potential in the Force and trained them in the arts of stealth and assassination. Karrh and his fellow Dervishes began to eliminate threats to the Seyugi people.

Razi Khan
Razi Khan was a member of the Seyugi Dervishes. Before the Jedi Order nearly destroyed the cult, several of its members, including Khan, were frozen in carbonite underneath the Mallif Cove on Recopia. Some years later, they were accidentally revived by one of the monks of Mallif Cove. Khan killed the monk and tried to reach the island-chain city of Scapio in an effort to locate someone who could open the Seyugi vaults beneath the fortress. He kidnapped a slicer, but was apprehended, forcing the Seyugi Dervishes to go into hiding once more.

Xaga Terron
Arguably the most famous assassin of the Brotherhood of Sicarius in galactic history, Xaga Terron was a Force-sensitive warrior trained from his youth on Ilos. While previously considered to be a Sicarian Dervish of respectable talent and ability, Terron only attained galactic fame upon the discovery of his status as one of the three Logos of the galaxy, and his possession of Void powers. Eventually, Terron sought to use his new-found powers to usurp Estra Koylak, the leader of the Sicarian Order.