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{{Top}}
{{Top}}
{{Planet
{{Planet
|image=[[File:Ziost_TOR_destroyed.jpg]]
|image=
|name=Ziost
|name=Ziost
|region=*[[Outer Rim Territories/Legends|Outer Rim Territories]]<ref name="EAOC">{{SW|url=news/star-wars-the-essential-atlas-online-companion|text=''Star Wars: The Essential Atlas'' Online Companion|int=Star Wars: The Essential Atlas Online Companion}} — Based on corresponding data for [[Ziost system]]</ref>
|region=*[[Outer Rim Territories/Legends|Outer Rim Territories]]<ref name="EAOC">{{SW|url=news/star-wars-the-essential-atlas-online-companion|text=''Star Wars: The Essential Atlas'' Online Companion|int=Star Wars: The Essential Atlas Online Companion}} — Based on corresponding data for [[Ziost system]]</ref>
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|position=
|position=
|moons=2<ref name="EGttF">[[Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force (real-life book)|''Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force'']]</ref>
|moons=2<ref name="EGttF">[[Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force (real-life book)|''Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force'']]</ref>
|interest=*[[Sith Citadel (Ziost)|Sith Citadel]]<ref name="TotJ:GAotS3">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 3|''Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith'' 3]]</ref>
|interest=*[[Sith Citadel (Ziost)|Sith Citadel]]<ref name="TotJ:GAotS3">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 3|''Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith'' 3]]</ref>
*[[Ziost Analysis Services Center]]<ref name="TOR:SoR">''[[Star Wars: The Old Republic: Shadow of Revan]]''</ref>
|flora=
*[[Ziost Abyss]]
*[[Ziost's breeding pens]]<ref name="BoS:SftDS">''[[Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side]]''</ref>
|fauna=*[[Sith pincerbug]]<ref name="TotJ:GAotS4">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 4|''Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith'' 4]]</ref>
|fauna=*[[Sith pincerbug]]<ref name="TotJ:GAotS4">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 4|''Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith'' 4]]</ref>
*[[Sith (species)/Legends|Sith]]<ref name="EGttF" /> {{C|[[Massassi/Legends|Massassi]], [[Kissai]]}}<ref name="KotOR:RCG">''[[Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide]]''</ref>
{{Quote|Ziost has been the throneworld of the Sith Purebloods since prehistory.|An extract from the [[Chronicle of Sorzus Syn|Chronicle]] of [[Sorzus Syn]], [[6900 BBY]]|Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side}}
'''Ziost''' sometimes referred to as the '''"Gateway to the Empire"''' in the days of the [[Galactic Republic/Legends|Old Republic]], was a rocky [[Planet/Legends|world]] and potent [[Force nexus|focal point]] of the [[Dark side of the Force/Legends|dark side of the Force]] located in the [[Ziost system]], a [[Star system/Legends|star system]] in the [[Sith Worlds]] region of the [[Outer Rim Territories/Legends|Outer Rim Territories's]] [[Esstran sector/Legends|Esstran sector]]. It was an adopted [[Homeworld/Legends|homeworld]] of the [[Sith (species)/Legends|Sith]] [[Species/Legends|species]]. Connected to other nearby worlds by the [[Nache Bhelfia]] [[hyperlane]], Ziost was considered one of the five sacred [[Sith/Legends|Sith]] planets and served as a capital of [[Sith Empire (Pre-Republic)|Adas's Sith Empire]] and the [[Sith Empire/Legends|Old Sith Empire]].
'''Ziost''' (pronounced /ziɒst/),<ref name="TFUvg">[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (video game)|''Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'' video game]]</ref> sometimes referred to as the '''"Gateway to the Empire"''' in the days of the [[Galactic Republic/Legends|Old Republic]], was a rocky [[Planet/Legends|world]] and potent [[Force nexus|focal point]] of the [[Dark side of the Force/Legends|dark side of the Force]] located in the [[Ziost system]], a [[Star system/Legends|star system]] in the [[Sith Worlds]] region of the [[Outer Rim Territories/Legends|Outer Rim Territories's]] [[Esstran sector/Legends|Esstran sector]]. It was an adopted [[Homeworld/Legends|homeworld]] of the [[Sith (species)/Legends|Sith]] [[Species/Legends|species]]. Connected to other nearby worlds by the [[Nache Bhelfia]] [[hyperlane]], Ziost was considered one of the five sacred [[Sith/Legends|Sith]] planets and served as a capital of [[Sith Empire (Pre-Republic)|Adas's Sith Empire]] and the [[Sith Empire/Legends|Old Sith Empire]].
Originally a thickly [[Forest/Legends|forested]] world with a [[Temperature/Legends|warm]] climate, Ziost had suffered from an [[Ice age (Ziost)|ice age]] that leveled the vast woodlands after the most Sith, including but not limited to [[Kissai]] priest and [[Massassi/Legends|Massassi]] warrior castes, relocated there in [[27,700 BBY]], leaving their desolated homeworld [[Korriban]] as a vast [[Burial/Legends|tombworld]] after the death of their leader [[Adas]]. As a result, the planet was transformed into bitterly cold tundra with an arid climate, covered in [[Water/Legends|ice]], and became very similar, in landscape, to Korriban.
Originally a thickly [[Forest/Legends|forested]] world with a [[Temperature/Legends|warm]] climate, Ziost had suffered from an [[Ice age (Ziost)|ice age]] that leveled the vast woodlands after the most Sith, including but not limited to [[Kissai]] priest and [[Massassi/Legends|Massassi]] warrior castes, relocated there in [[27,700 BBY]], leaving their desolated homeworld [[Korriban]] as a vast [[Burial/Legends|tombworld]] after the death of their leader [[Adas]]. As a result, the planet was transformed into bitterly cold tundra with an arid climate, covered in [[Water/Legends|ice]], and became very similar, in landscape, to Korriban.
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[[File:Ziost_landscape.jpg|thumb|240px|left|Ziost was a frigid world.]]
[[File:Ziost_landscape.jpg|thumb|240px|left|Ziost was a frigid world.]]
A terrestrial world,<ref name="CSWE" /> Ziost was originally covered with vast thick [[Forest/Legends|forests]] and possessed a [[Temperature/Legends|warm]] climate. Around [[27,700 BBY]], however, an ice age leveled the vast woodlands as well as most evidence of civilization on the planet.<ref name="EGttF" /> As a result, Ziost was transformed into bitterly cold tundra with an arid climate,<ref name="Codex" /> and its surface covered with rocky terrain, ice-encrusted [[Mountain/Legends|mountains]], glaciers.<ref name="CSWE" /> It had at least one [[Ocean/Legends|ocean]],<ref name="LotF:E" /> with brackish [[Water/Legends|water]].<ref name="CSWE" />
A terrestrial world,<ref name="CSWE" /> Ziost was originally covered with vast thick [[Forest/Legends|forests]] and possessed a [[Temperature/Legends|warm]] climate. Around [[27,700 BBY]], however, an ice age leveled the vast woodlands as well as most evidence of civilization on the planet.<ref name="EGttF" /> As a result, Ziost was transformed into bitterly cold tundra with an arid climate,<ref name="Codex" /> and its surface covered with rocky terrain, ice-encrusted [[Mountain/Legends|mountains]], glaciers.<ref name="CSWE" /> It had at least one [[Ocean/Legends|ocean]],<ref name="LotF:E" /> with brackish [[Water/Legends|water]].<ref name="CSWE" />
After the ritual of Sith magic performed by Vitiate<ref name="The End of It All">{{TORcite|type=general|The End of It All|Ziost}}</ref> in [[3636 BBY]],<ref name="Ziost Devastation Date">{{TOR_updates|3.2}}</ref> the planet became completely devoid of life, and the planet's surface was left a barren wasteland.<ref name="The End of It All" /> The very fabric of the environment seemed to be leeched of [[Color/Legends|color]]—leaving everything sickly shades of brown or gray.<ref name="Revan" /> The atmosphere was warped as well, as Ziost's sun appeared a pale brown<ref name="The End of It All" /> instead of its actual bright blue color,<ref name="A Presence on Ziost">{{TORcite|type=general|A Presence on Ziost|Ziost}}</ref> and sound waves were twisted to become flat and dull. The absence of the Force could cause anything alive on its surface—especially [[Force-sensitive/Legends|Force-sensitives]]—to die if they stayed there long enough.<ref name="Revan">''[[The Old Republic: Revan]]''</ref> The ritual done on Ziost represented a clear display of the corrosive power of the dark side of the Force taken to its extreme.<ref name="Death of a World">{{TORcite|type=codex|Death of a World}}</ref> Only a handful of creatures were capable of surviving the ritual besides Vitiate—[[Sithspawn/Legends|Sithspawn]] known as [[Monolith]]s,<ref name="The End of It All" /> which had been created from dark side energy rather than by mutating a living creature like typical Sithspawn.<ref name="Monolith">{{TORcite|type=codex|Monolith}}</ref>
Over three thousand years later, the damage done to the planet seemed to have been reversed.<ref name="LotF:E" /> By the year [[40 ABY]],<ref name="TERC">''[[The Essential Reader's Companion]]''</ref> Ziost was once again a blue-green world. The landmasses at the equator were almost entirely green, graduating to green-white up through the temperate zones and turning to pure white soon after, giving the world large polar ice caps. And it's surface was covered with forests and tundras again.<ref name="LotF:E" />
===Flora and fauna===
===Flora and fauna===
Ziost was a home to many creatures, such as [[Sith pincerbug]]s,<ref name="TotJ:GAotS4" /> [[Scorpion/Legends|scorpion]]s,<ref name="TotJ:GAotS3" /> [[vine cat]]s<ref name="TOR Holonet" /> and [[Unidentified flying monstrosity|reptavian]]s, that resembled miniature dragons.<ref name="CSWE" />
Ziost was a home [[Sith pincerbug]]s<ref name="TotJ:GAotS4" /> and [[Scorpion/Legends|scorpion]]s.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS3" />
==History==
==History==
===A new homeworld===
{{Quote|Following the invasion of Korriban by the Rakata, the Sith gained access to their rudimentary hyperspace technology, and carried these scripts to worlds such as Ziost, Jaguada, and Tund.|A mention of Ziost extracted from an article "The Written Word" by Dr. Milanda Vorgan, 38 ABY|The Written Word}}
[[File:SithKingAdas-BoSSFtDS.png|thumb|right|200px|Sith King Adas, the Sith'ari of ancient Sith]]
During the [[Invasion of Korriban]], [[Sith King]] [[Adas]] captured the [[Rakata/Legends|Rakatan]] [[Rakatan ship|starships]] and turned them against the invaders. Adas's forces were able to push on from Korriban, and reach Ziost, [[Malachor V]], and [[Tund/Legends|Tund]].<ref name="TEA" /> However, in securing what he hoped would be a future of freedom for his people, Adas perished.<ref name="END:TSD">{{Hyperspace|url=hyperspace/member/insideronline/88/indexp2.html|int=Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties|text=Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties|archivedate=20110629021310}}</ref>
Without his unifying force holding them together,<ref name="END:TSD" /> the Sith were plunged into<ref name="GH05" /> a bloody<ref name="GH07">{{TORcite|type=codex|Galactic History 07: The First Spaceflights}}</ref> [[Korriban civil war|civil war]]<ref name="GH05">{{TORcite|type=codex|Galactic History 05: Rise of the Infinite Empire}}</ref> as [[Sith Overlord]]s battled each other in their attempts to capitalize upon the power vacuum left.<ref name="END:TSD" /> After this period of strife and turmoil, the remaining Sith were intrigued by and had repurposed captured Rakatan starships equipped with [[Force-drive|Force-based hyperdrive]]s to reach other worlds,<ref name="GH07" /> leaving behind their desolated [[Homeworld/Legends|homeworld]] Korriban as a [[Burial/Legends|tombworld]] populated by [[Religion/Legends|religious]] fanatics.<ref name="TEA" /> While some scattered to the worlds as diverse as<ref name="KotOR:RCG" /> Malachor V,<ref name="BoS:SftDS" /> Tund,<ref name="TWW" /><ref name="BoS:SftDS" /> [[Jaguada/Legends|Jaguada]],<ref name="TWW" /> [[Thule/Legends|Thule]],<ref name="BoS:SftDS" /> and [[Arorua]],<ref name="BoS:SftDS" /> most Sith<ref name="EGttF" /> fled to the neighboring Ziost.<ref name="KotOR:RCG" /> Those who relocated to the worlds such as Ziost, Jaguada, and Tund, brought the [[High Sith]] and [[Common Sith]] [[Writing system|writing scripts]] with them.<ref name="TWW">{{Hyperspace|url=hyperspace/source/writtenword/index.html?page=1|int=The Written Word|text=''The Written Word''}}</ref>
These Sith,<ref name="EGttF" /> most of whom were of the [[Kissai]] priest and [[Massassi/Legends|Massassi]] warrior castes,<ref name="KotOR:RCG" /> discovered Ziost as a thickly forested world with a warm climate<ref name="EGttF" /> and established it as the capital of the ancient [[Sith Empire (Pre-Republic)|Sith Empire]].<ref name="END:TSD" /> As the Kissai priests oversaw the rebuilding efforts,<ref name="KotOR:RCG" /> they established the [[Sith Citadel (Ziost)|Sith Citadel]]<ref name="EGttF" /> atop a precarious cliff.<ref name="CSWE" /> The planet eventually suffered from an [[Ice age (Ziost)|ice age]] that leveled the vast woodlands as well as most evidence of civilization, leaving the Citadel among the few remaining structures.<ref name="EGttF" /> As a result, the planet was transformed into bitterly cold tundra with an arid climate,<ref name="Codex" /> covered in ice, and became very similar, in landscape, to Korriban.{{Fact}}
===Exiles===
===Exiles===
{{Quote|My inspirations came to me in rumors and dreams, and only now, in the minaret of Ziost, do I realize it was the call of the Sith all along. Sith alchemists have had ages to perfect their art, and their knowledge is now mine.|An extract from the Chronicle of Sorzus Syn, 6899 BBY|Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side}}
[[File:Ziost_egtf.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Exiled Dark Jedi, Ajunta Pall, on Ziost]]
Following the [[Discovery of Korriban]] in [[6900 BBY]],<ref name="TEA" /> the [[Exiles]] [[Sorzus Syn]] and [[Remulus Dreypa]] mapped the Nache Bhelfia hyperlane,<ref name="BoS:SftDS" /> that connected five sacred Sith planets, which included Ziost, along with Khar Delba, Rhelg, Krayiss II, and Korriban.<ref name="BoS:SftDS" /><ref name="BMF82">Non-Canon Ref</ref>
As they relocated<ref name="BoS:SftDS" /> their capital<ref name="TEA" /><ref name="BMF82" /> to Ziost, the Dark Jedi built their own palaces, such as [[Sorzus Syn's palace|palace]] of Sorzus Syn, and rebuilt the Sith Citadel as citadel of [[Ajunta Pall]]. They also formed a [[Sith Council]] under the leadership of Ajunta Pall,<ref name="BoS:SftDS" /> forming a new [[Sith Empire/Legends|Sith Empire]] and adopted the ancient Sith Citadel as the central meeting place;<ref name="EGttF" /> however, the ''[[Jen'jidai]]'' Sorzus Syn expressed hope that his reign would not last long. In her chronicle, she noted that the Sith Purebloods used Ziost as a throneworld since prehistory.<ref name="BoS:SftDS" />
Following the acquirement of the [[Holocron of King Nakgru]] in [[6899 BBY]],<ref name="Exile Second Year">''[[Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side]]'' (p. 27) states that latter part of [[Sorzus Syn]]'s chronicle took place in the "Exile Year Two, Months 7-9". Per ''[[The Essential Atlas]]'' the first year took place in [[6900 BBY]], thus the second year would be [[6899 BBY]].</ref> Sorzus Syn sought out some of the conquered Sith worlds to obtain more information. The evidence of Sith raiding other worlds outside the Sith Space engulfed her as she saw a strong-backed [[Herglic/Legends|Herglic]] slave cranking the bellows of the [[forge boiler]] on Ziost. Later, Syn visited [[Ziost's breeding pens|breeding pens]] of [[Ninûshwodzakut]] on Ziost and studied creation of warbeasts, including [[Silooth/Legends|silooth]], [[Sith warbird|warbird]]s, [[Sith war behemoth|war behemoth]]s, [[hssiss]], [[Terentatek/Legends|terentatek]], [[Battle hydra/Legends|battle hydras]], [[chrysalide]]s, [[Sith wyrm|war wyrm]]s and guardian beasts called [[Tuk'ata/Legends|tuk'ata]]. She also studied [[Sith alchemy/Legends|Sith alchemy]] in the [[minaret of Ziost]] and realized her role as a [[master summoner]] during the [[Hundred-Year Darkness/Legends|Hundred-Year Darkness]] was the call of the Sith all along. The [[Code of the Sith/Legends|Sith Code]] was authored on the planet by Sorzus Syn so as to point to the "failings" of the Jedi Code, and it was meant to become a unifying mantra for the followers of the newly created Sith Empire.<ref name="BoS:SftDS" />
Ziost would later be considered a neutral planet, where various Sith warlords could convene to discuss the future of the Empire,<ref name="CSWE" /><ref name="TotJ:GAotS3" /> with hundreds of lesser worlds falling under its sway, including industrial [[Korriz]], eerie [[Dromund Kaas]], ambitious Ch'hodos, battle-scarred [[Ashas Ree/Legends|Ashas Ree]], and the distant world of Malachor V.<ref name="TEA" />
Ziost would later be considered a neutral planet, where various Sith warlords could convene to discuss the future of the Empire,<ref name="CSWE" /><ref name="TotJ:GAotS3" /> with hundreds of lesser worlds falling under its sway, including industrial [[Korriz]], eerie [[Dromund Kaas]], ambitious Ch'hodos, battle-scarred [[Ashas Ree/Legends|Ashas Ree]], and the distant world of Malachor V.<ref name="TEA" />
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====Duel of the Sith====
====Duel of the Sith====
{{Quote|I fight for the Sith Empire, Naga Sadow…you fight for ''yourself''!''"<br />"''I fight for the ''future''…and the future is ''now''!|Ludo Kressh and Naga Sadow|Tales of the Jedi: Golden Age of the Sith}}
{{Quote|I fight for the Sith Empire, Naga Sadow…you fight for ''yourself''!''"<br />"''I fight for the ''future''…and the future is ''now''!|Ludo Kressh and Naga Sadow|Tales of the Jedi: Golden Age of the Sith}}
[[File:LudoVsSadow.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Naga Sadow battles Ludo Kressh at Dark Lord Marka Ragnos' funeral.]]
In [[5000 BBY/Legends|5000 BBY]], [[Dark Lord of the Sith/Legends|Dark Lord of the Sith]] [[Marka Ragnos]] [[Death/Legends|died]] after more than a century of iron-handed rule. Ragnos' [[Funeral of Marka Ragnos|funeral]] was held shortly after, with Kressh leading the funeral procession as they laid Ragnos to rest in [[Tomb of Marka Ragnos|a tomb]] in the [[Valley of the Dark Lords/Legends|Valley of the Dark Lords]]. After the tomb was sealed, [[Naga Sadow/Legends|Naga Sadow]] challenged [[Ludo Kressh]] to a duel for the title of Dark Lord before the tomb.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS2" /><ref name="NEG" /> Neither would get the chance to claim a victory, however, as Marka Ragnos' [[Force ghost|spirit]] appeared with a warning: the Golden Age was nearing its end, and the Sith would need to fight the correct battles or else be destroyed. As the Sadow and Kressh pondered the dead Dark Lord's words,<ref name="TotJ:GAotS2" /> they were interrupted by an unexpected sight: a [[Starbreaker 12|starship]] of unknown origin descending into the Valley of the Dark Lords. When the ship landed, two Humans disembarked, proclaiming themselves to be emissaries from the Galactic Republic interested in setting up a trade relationship with the Sith civilization. The pair—[[Gav Daragon|Gav]] and [[Jori Daragon]], in truth fugitives who had chanced upon Korriban after making a blind [[Hyperspace/Legends|hyperspace]] jump to escape trouble on their native [[Empress Teta/Legends|Koros Major]]—were swiftly seized as [[Spy/Legends|spies]].<ref name="TotJ:GAotS2" /><ref name="NEG" /> Although Kressh wanted to kill them immediately, Sadow thought the Daragons could be the key to new Sith conquests,<ref name="TotJ:GAotS2">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 2|''Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith'' 2]]</ref> and had them imprisoned for questioning on Ziost.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS3" /><ref name="NEG">''[[The New Essential Chronology]]''</ref>
In [[5000 BBY/Legends|5000 BBY]], [[Dark Lord of the Sith/Legends|Dark Lord of the Sith]] [[Marka Ragnos]] [[Death/Legends|died]] after more than a century of iron-handed rule. Ragnos' [[Funeral of Marka Ragnos|funeral]] was held shortly after, with Kressh leading the funeral procession as they laid Ragnos to rest in [[Tomb of Marka Ragnos|a tomb]] in the [[Valley of the Dark Lords/Legends|Valley of the Dark Lords]]. After the tomb was sealed, [[Naga Sadow/Legends|Naga Sadow]] challenged [[Ludo Kressh]] to a duel for the title of Dark Lord before the tomb.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS2" /><ref name="NEG" /> Neither would get the chance to claim a victory, however, as Marka Ragnos' [[Force ghost|spirit]] appeared with a warning: the Golden Age was nearing its end, and the Sith would need to fight the correct battles or else be destroyed. As the Sadow and Kressh pondered the dead Dark Lord's words,<ref name="TotJ:GAotS2" /> they were interrupted by an unexpected sight: a [[Starbreaker 12|starship]] of unknown origin descending into the Valley of the Dark Lords. When the ship landed, two Humans disembarked, proclaiming themselves to be emissaries from the Galactic Republic interested in setting up a trade relationship with the Sith civilization. The pair—[[Gav Daragon|Gav]] and [[Jori Daragon]], in truth fugitives who had chanced upon Korriban after making a blind [[Hyperspace/Legends|hyperspace]] jump to escape trouble on their native [[Empress Teta/Legends|Koros Major]]—were swiftly seized as [[Spy/Legends|spies]].<ref name="TotJ:GAotS2" /><ref name="NEG" /> Although Kressh wanted to kill them immediately, Sadow thought the Daragons could be the key to new Sith conquests,<ref name="TotJ:GAotS2">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 2|''Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith'' 2]]</ref> and had them imprisoned for questioning on Ziost.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS3" /><ref name="NEG">''[[The New Essential Chronology]]''</ref>
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Realizing an opportunity, Sadow sent several of his Massassi warriors to kill Kressh's guards and seize the ship, leaving no witnesses and leaving Sadow's emblem behind at the scene. Sadow's Massassi flew the ''Starbreaker 12'' back to Khar Delba, getting there just before Kressh [[Battle of Khar Delba|attacked]] the world, just as Sadow had foreseen. Having planned for this eventuality, Sadow allowed Kressh, backed by the forces of his allies [[Horak-mul]] and [[Dor Gal-ram]], to batter his fortresses on Khar Delba with a rain of [[Laser/Legends|laser]] fire from their [[Derriphan-class battleship|battleships]].<ref name="TotJ:GAotS4" /> Naga Sadow emerged victorious after calling in his secret [[Fleet/Legends|fleet]] from the far side of Khar Shian to counterattack Kressh.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS5">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 5|''Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith'' 5]]</ref> In the following months, Khar Delba was rebuilt and was established as the center of Naga Sadow's power as he gathered a force to invade the [[Galactic Republic/Legends|Galactic Republic]], in a conflict that became known as the [[Great Hyperspace War/Legends|Great Hyperspace War]].<ref name="TotJ:TFotSE1">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Fall of the Sith Empire 1|''Tales of the Jedi – The Fall of the Sith Empire'' 1]]</ref>
Realizing an opportunity, Sadow sent several of his Massassi warriors to kill Kressh's guards and seize the ship, leaving no witnesses and leaving Sadow's emblem behind at the scene. Sadow's Massassi flew the ''Starbreaker 12'' back to Khar Delba, getting there just before Kressh [[Battle of Khar Delba|attacked]] the world, just as Sadow had foreseen. Having planned for this eventuality, Sadow allowed Kressh, backed by the forces of his allies [[Horak-mul]] and [[Dor Gal-ram]], to batter his fortresses on Khar Delba with a rain of [[Laser/Legends|laser]] fire from their [[Derriphan-class battleship|battleships]].<ref name="TotJ:GAotS4" /> Naga Sadow emerged victorious after calling in his secret [[Fleet/Legends|fleet]] from the far side of Khar Shian to counterattack Kressh.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS5">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 5|''Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith'' 5]]</ref> In the following months, Khar Delba was rebuilt and was established as the center of Naga Sadow's power as he gathered a force to invade the [[Galactic Republic/Legends|Galactic Republic]], in a conflict that became known as the [[Great Hyperspace War/Legends|Great Hyperspace War]].<ref name="TotJ:TFotSE1">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Fall of the Sith Empire 1|''Tales of the Jedi – The Fall of the Sith Empire'' 1]]</ref>
===Great Hyperspace War===
In the war, Ziost remained a key planet within the Empire,<ref name="TEA" /> but following the Republic's victory, it was largely stripped of its Sith treasures,<ref name="EGttF" /> artifacts, and documents<ref name="CSWE" /> by Republic [[Scout/Legends|scouts]]<ref name="EGttF" /> and the Jedi.<ref name="CSWE" /> The remaining Sith [[Sith exodus|followed]] the [[Tenebrae|new emperor]] into hyperspace and a [[Kaas City|new Sith capital]] was established on Dromund Kaas, which left Ziost forgotten.{{Fact}}
===Post-Great Hyperspace War===
{{Quote|I take it you've heard about Ziost. It was a blur. We tried to evacuate as many as we could. Considering so much was out of control, I'd say we did alright...|Lana Beniko|Star Wars: The Old Republic: Shadow of Revan}}
[[File:Ziost.png|thumb|left|200px|Ziost prior to the devastation]]
Following the defeat of the Sith Empire, the Sith all but disappeared from Sith Space and the galaxy as a whole. Ziost was conquered by the [[Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders/Legends|Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders]] in the [[Mandalorian Wars]], and later by Dark Lord of the Sith and former [[Jedi Knight/Legends|Jedi Knight]] [[Revan/Legends|Revan]] in the [[Jedi Civil War]].<ref name="TEA" />
Eventually, the planet was resettled by the [[Sith Empire (Post–Great Hyperspace War)|reconstituted Sith Empire]], once again becoming a major Sith holding. It served as capital of Imperial buffer space and, eventually, housed the [[Orbital Defense Command Center]], headquarters of the [[Ministry of Logistics]]. The city of [[New Adasta]] was established on the surface of the planet by Imperial forces to serve as the world's capital, quickly overshadowing the Sith Citadel, political center of the Old Empire. The city quickly became a major trade hub, leading to the planet's being nicknamed the "Gateway to the Empire."
Sometime during the [[Great Galactic War]] or the [[Cold War (Galactic Republic–Sith Empire)|Cold War]], the Sith Lord [[Fatalissar]] declared a [[Kaggath]] against [[Darth Tormen]]. Tormen was within arms' reach of Fatalissar at the time, and when Fatalissar declared the arena to be Ziost, Tormen immediately decapitated his still-speaking opponent.<ref name="SWTOR:E">''[[Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia]]''</ref>
During the Great Galactic War after the Republic victories over the [[Blockade of the Hydian Way|Mandalorian blockade]] and at [[Battle of Ord Radama|Ord Radama]], Republic forces pressed the advantage back into Imperial-held space. Republic strike groups made [[Battle of Korriban (3660 BBY)|attacks]] on Korriban, which [[Darth Malgus]] believed to be only feints, while a larger Republic fleet amassed over the Imperial world Ziost. Republic forces [[Battle of Ziost|laid siege to the planet]], hoping to establish an important foothold inside Imperial space. After several months of fighting, Imperial forces regained the upper hand and forced the Republic off the planet.<ref name="BoS:SftDS" />
By the time of [[Galactic War]], [[Scholar/Legends|scholars]] debated whether the planet's environmental situation was due to an ice age or eons of dark side influence.<ref name="Codex" />
During [[Operation End Game]], [[Theron Shan]] [[Mission to Ziost|visited]] the planet, where he infiltrated the Orbital Defense Command Center in New Adasta to steal a [[Black cipher]] from [[Minister of Logistics|Minister]] [[Davidge]]'s executive office. By the time local officials found out, the agent was already long gone.<ref name="TOR:A" /> In spite of the harsh defeat as a result of Shan's cunning and local security's inability to protect the cipher, the planet remained a key world throughout the duration of the Galactic War.
[[File:Ziost dying.png|thumb|right|280px|The Emperor consumed Ziost to fully revitalize himself]]
Following the defeat of Revan by combined Republic and Imperial forces on [[Yavin 4/Legends|Yavin 4]], the resurrected [[Sith Emperor]] Vitiate attacked Ziost in an attempt to regain control of the empire that he once ruled. He took the minds of legions of Imperial forces on the planet and used them to take the lives of many of the planet's citizens to fuel his own power. When the Republic took notice and sent the [[Sixth Line]] to Ziost to investigate, Vitiate forced their ship to crash-land on the surface and took the minds of most of the [[Jedi/Legends|Jedi]] inside. At the same time, an Imperial task force led by the [[Minister of Intelligence (Sith Empire)|Minister]] of [[Sith Intelligence]] [[Lana Beniko]] arrived and attempted to stop Vitiate.<ref name="A Presence on Ziost" /> As the situation worsened, [[Supreme Chancellor/Legends|Supreme Chancellor]] [[Leontyne Saresh]] decided to ignore the warnings of Shan and her agent [[Rane Kovach]], and she sent the [[Republic Military/Legends|Republic Military]] to exploit the Empire's weakness by [[Invasion of Ziost|invading]] the planet for "humanitarian reasons." Saresh's forces fell under Vitiate's control just as the Imperials had, adding to his [[Army/Legends|army]] of possessed.<ref name="Monolithic">{{TORcite|exp=shadow|type=general|Monolithic|Ziost}}</ref> Undeterred, he was able to consume Ziost using a [[Sith Emperor's ritual|ritual]] of Sith magic, resulting in a barren, frozen wasteland which only left a few Monoliths alive.<ref name="The End of It All" /> The atmosphere, however, remained breathable. Members of the Republic and the Sith Empire traveled to Ziost once more to gather information on what exactly had taken place.
===A world lost===
===A world lost===
{{Quote|You hunger for power of the sort you imagine is to be found on Korriban, Dromund Kaas, Zigoola. Then let me tell you what you'll encounter in those reliquaries: Jedi, treasure hunters, and legends. Of course there are tombs in the Valley of the Dark Lords, but they have been plundered and now draw only tourists. On Dxun, Yavin Four, Ziost, the same is true.|Darth Plagueis, to Palpatine|Darth Plagueis (novel)}}
Around 23 ABY [[Bounty hunter/Legends|bounty hunter]] [[Zekk]], ran into [[Dengar/Legends|Dengar]] on the planet while the rival bounty hunters were searching for [[Bornan Thul]].<ref name="Delusions of Grandeur">''[[Young Jedi Knights: Delusions of Grandeur]]''</ref>
[[File:Ritual_aftermath.png|thumb|left|250px|The dead surface of Ziost after Vitiate consumed the world.]]
Following the death of the Dark Lord of the Sith [[Darth Ruin]], whose actions introduced a new age of expansion for the Sith, numerous Sith worlds, particularly Ziost and Yavin 4, were reclaimed.<ref name="TEA" /> During the [[New Sith Wars]], [[Brotherhood of Darkness/Legends|Brotherhood of Darkness]] member [[Seviss Vaa]] researched the worlds of the Sith Empire, and recounted in his writings the Sith relocation to Ziost and that the world was largely stripped of its Sith treasures after the end of the Great Hyperspace War.<ref name="EGttF" /> Around [[1960 BBY]],<ref name="CSWE Amulet">{{CSWECite|I|29|amulet of Kalara}}</ref> the [[Amulet of Kalara]] was constructed on the planet.<ref name="LotF:E" /> Between [[1004 BBY|1004]] and [[1000 BBY]], the region around Ziost fell into the control of the Brotherhood of Darkness, a Sith group that launched a campaign to control the galaxy, during the New Sith Wars.<ref name="TEA" /> Ziost's existence was once again forgotten after the [[Seventh Battle of Ruusan]], due to the secrecy of [[Darth Bane/Legends|Darth Bane's]] Sith [[Order of the Sith Lords|Order]]. Many ancient and evil secrets remained on this place of great dark power.
A [[Eben Kinahay's Sith holocron|Sith holocron]] was plucked from a derelict [[Starship/Legends|starship]] on Ziost centuries before it ended up in [[Eben Kinahay]]'s collection.<ref name="CatCW">''[[Coruscant and the Core Worlds]]''</ref> The world was also the original site of an [[Ancient Sith ritual altar/Legends|ancient Sith ritual altar]] that was present in the [[Emperor Palpatine Surgical Reconstruction Center]] on [[Coruscant/Legends|Coruscant]]<ref name="Complete Locations">[[Star Wars: Complete Locations (2005)|''Star Wars: Complete Locations'']]</ref> in [[19 BBY/Legends|19 BBY]].<ref name="ROTS">{{Film|III}}</ref> In the years following the [[Clone Wars/Legends|Clone Wars]], all records of Ziost were eliminated from astrogation charts and public databases.<ref name="CSWE" />
It was left largely untouched by the rise of the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]] and the [[Galactic Civil War/Legends|Galactic Civil War]],<ref name="TEA" /> until in [[3 BBY/Legends|3 BBY]], fugitive Jedi [[Rahm Kota]] visited Ziost while on the run from the Galactic Empire. The [[2 BBY/Legends|following year]], [[Galen Marek]] came to the system during his search for Kota.<ref name="TFUvg" /><ref name="TFU novel">[[The Force Unleashed (novel)|''The Force Unleashed'' novel]]</ref><ref name="TFU comic">[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (comic)|''Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'' comic]]</ref>
[[Lumiya]] visited the planet and created [[Lumiya's lightwhip|her]] [[Lightwhip/Legends|lightwhip]] using technology she found on Ziost.<ref name="Gamer 5">{{GamerCite|5|The Emperor's Pawns}}</ref><ref name="Lumiya">{{DB|character|lumiya|Lumiya|archivedate=20110818073245}}</ref><ref name="NEGtC">''[[The New Essential Guide to Characters]]''</ref> Following the [[Battle of Endor/Legends|Battle of Endor]], she apparently trained her apprentices—first [[Flint]] and then [[Carnor Jax]]—on Ziost or possibly nearby Korriban.{{Fact}} The area containing Sith Space came to fall into the hands of [[Warlord/Legends|Warlord]] [[Zsinj]] by around [[7 ABY/Legends|7 ABY]].<ref name="TEA" /> Nearly nine years after the Battle of Endor, the Jedi scholar [[Tionne Solusar]] set out to find the mutated Massassi [[Kalgrath]], who was sent to the former location of the ancient Sith Empire<ref name="TEGtAS" /> a year after the [[Battle of Yavin/Legends|Battle of Yavin]].{{Fact}} She traced his trail as far as Ziost, but there it disappeared. She was informed by researchers on Ziost that they had seen a dark shadow creeping around their [[Unidentified camp|camp]].<ref name="TEGtAS" /> Despite this, it remains unknown whether the one-of-a-kind creature found his way to the fallen Sith Empire, with little more than rumours to back up Tionne's hypothesis.<ref name="DSS">''[[The Dark Side Sourcebook]]''</ref> Another ten years later [[Bounty hunter/Legends|bounty hunter]] [[Zekk]], ran into [[Dengar/Legends|Dengar]] on the planet while the rival bounty hunters were searching for [[Bornan Thul]].<ref name="Delusions of Grandeur">''[[Young Jedi Knights: Delusions of Grandeur]]''</ref>
In [[38 ABY]], the world was mentioned in the [[Xenolinguistic|xenolinguist]] Doctor [[Milanda Vorgan]]'s article "[[The Written Word: A Brief Introduction to the Writing Systems of Galactic Basic]]."<ref name="TWW" />
===Second Galactic Civil War===
{{Quote|There's information on Ziost that I don't have. Like the coordinates where he was supposed to set down, the cave where he was supposed to leave the amulet—I guess he abandoned that part of the plan after he got hurt—and a lot of locations marked RUINS. I bet that wherever there are ruins, there's stuff to find. Maybe even people. Maybe even the base that TIE fighter is from. We're headed for the nearest ruins site. I bet Faskus was, too.|Ben Skywalker|Legacy of the Force: Exile}}
Following the [[Battle of Hapes (Second Galactic Civil War)|Battle of Hapes]], [[Ben Skywalker]] returned to the Jedi Temple to train. One day while practicing his lightsaber skills with a [[Remote/Legends|remote]], he met a girl who introduced herself as [[Seha Dorvald]]. While they had a banal discussion relating to practice techniques, Dorvald discreetly gave him a card, which contained a secret message from [[Darth Caedus|Jacen Solo]] when scanned. In the message, Solo gave Skywalker a [[Mission for the Amulet of Kalara|mission]]: go to [[Almania/Legends|Almania's]] moon [[Drewwa]] and retrieve an artifact called the [[Sith amulet|Amulet]] of Kalara, which was in a display case in the Almanian planetary offices of the [[Tendrando Arms]] arms company. According to Solo, the Amulet of Kalara, when activated, would make the being using it invisible in the Force. Evidently, Dorvald was working together with Solo and would also assist Skywalker in getting out of the Jedi Temple inconspicuously. Skywalker exited the Temple through an emergency door which had had its emergency alarm disabled by Dorvald. Skywalker then got transport to a minor spaceport about four hundred kilometers away from the Jedi Temple and boarded a shuttle destined for Drewwa.<ref name="LotF:E" />
Skywalker landed on Drewwa and immediately went to a local dining establishment for some breakfast. He ordered [[Caf/Legends|caf]] and one of his favorite delicacies, [[kruffy pot pie]], but upon attempting to pay with his [[credcard]] he was notified that the special banking account set up for his mission did not work. Skywalker tried accessing the account at several different banks, but each time the banking machines could not find his account. Hungry and without funds, Skywalker resorted to stealing money from a bystander and using it to purchase his food, despite his reservations about thievery. Having had his meal, Skywalker set out for the [[Crossroutes Business Habitat]], a large office building where Tendrando Arms rented several floors. The Amulet was on the 215th floor, and wanting to obtain the artifact unobserved, Skywalker took the building's turbolift to the 216th floor, which was owned by a consulting firm called [[Lyster Innovations]]. He successfully tricked Lyster's greeter, [[Gilthor Breen]], into leaving his job, giving him free space to open a [[Viewport/Legends|viewport]] and climb outside. Once outside he descended to the 215th floor after momentarily losing his grip on his climbing equipment. Having successfully gotten onto the 215th floor without being detected, Skywalker raced to the Amulet's display case only to find that the Amulet was not there. In its place, he found a note from a man named [[Faskus Olvidan|Faskus]] of Ziost, which explained that he had taken the artifact.<ref name="LotF:E" />
Skywalker decided to go to Ziost to track the Amulet of Kalara down, but didn't have a means of transportation since the planet Ziost did not appear in any public database. Since his money-stealing technique had improved and he had become more receptive to thieving, Skywalker made up his mind that he would steal a ship and go to Ziost. He found an unattended Y-wing starfighter in a spaceport and, pretending he was a trainee working there, stole an [[R2-series astromech droid]] by punching out a spaceport employee. Along with the droid named [[Shaker]], he took the Y-wing and flew to Ziost. Soon after landing on the planet and exiting his Y-wing, the starfighter was destroyed by an unknown vehicle. The thought of dying alone on Ziost without any mode of transportation disheartened Skywalker, but he soon overcame his anguish and resigned himself to his mission. He also decided to find and take revenge on the people who had destroyed his starfighter and stranded him on Ziost.<ref name="LotF:E" />
Skywalker spent a night with Shaker in Ziost's dark forest but spotted smoke rising above the trees, a sign that other beings were on the planet. He went toward the source of the smoke and found a camp belonging to Faskus, who was present with the Amulet of Kalara draped around his neck. Skywalker sneaked up behind him and overpowered Faskus. After the scuffle, Skywalker noticed a young girl, Faskus' daughter, watching in horror. The girl tried to defend her father by throwing her toys and various objects at Skywalker, who was trying to treat Faskus' injury. Faskus was still strong enough to explain his story to Skywalker. He worked as a courier, who was given the Amulet by a [[Bothan/Legends|Bothan]] named [[Byalfin Dyur]], who instructed him to leave the Amulet in a Ziost cave. When he brought it to the cave, he saw a [[TIE/LN starfighter|TIE fighter]] firing on his [[YT-2400 light freighter/Legends|YT-2400 light freighter]], the ''[[Blacktooth]]'', with his daughter still inside. He raced to the camp to save his daughter but was hit in the abdomen by a shard of [[Durasteel/Legends|durasteel]], mortally wounding him. With his life slipping away, Faskus entrusted his daughter, named [[Kiara Olvidan|Kiara's]] care to Skywalker.<ref name="LotF:E" />
Skywalker decided to leave Kiara behind, as she would consume more resources and slow him and Shaker down on their quest to find a way off Ziost. However, his overwhelming guilt about leaving a young girl alone on a hostile world prompted him to return to the camp. After helping Kiara bury her father, he brought her along. After a few days trekking through the woods, Shaker detected a faint ion trail of the type produced by a TIE fighter. Skywalker realized that whoever destroyed the Y-wing and the ''Blacktooth'' was following them. Nevertheless, the three pushed on, coming to rest at an [[Unidentified small citadel|abandoned settlement]]. Shaker alerted Skywalker that his datapad had sent an unprompted comm signal, leading Skywalker to believe that the datapad was a tracking device which the owner of the TIE fighter was using to follow their movements. Skywalker checked all of the objects on his belt for a tracking device and found it inside his belt pouch. Skywalker scanned the skies for the TIE fighter and saw it speeding toward them. Skywalker was able to get Shaker and Kiara to cover as the TIE strafed the ruins and used the Force to hurl a boulder at the TIE, damaging it. None of the group were injured by the TIE's attack.<ref name="LotF:E" />
Things quickly got a lot harder for Kiara and Skywalker, as their food supply was running low and they were being routinely attacked by predatory [[Nek/Legends|neks]]. On one night, Skywalker heard strange, unexplained voices talking to him, telling him to protect Kiara. Half-asleep, Skywalker murmured that he needed to find a ship, to which the voices replied by giving him a mental picture of an odd [[Ship (Sith Meditation Sphere)|ball-shaped organic craft]]. Skywalker suddenly gained the knowledge of how to find the ship, if it even existed. They spotted a ruined citadel upon a ledge and climbed up to it for shelter. But a short distance from the building Shaker stopped, communicating to Skywalker that he lacked sufficient power to move any farther. Skywalker told Shaker to shut down and that he would wake him up when he found a power source. Skywalker was attacked suddenly by a nek, which he fended off. He and Kiara camped at the citadel, where Skywalker was tormented by a dream where he was confronted by a strange creature which crawled down from the ceiling of the building. When he awoke, the voices no longer told him to protect Kiara; they told him to eat her and grow stronger. Skywalker, lean from starvation, weighed his options, coming to the conclusion that cannibalizing Kiara was the most logical choice, but refused to do so. They then set a trap for the TIE fighter, who attacked a dummy of Ben while the real Skywalker Force-threw rocks at the fighter. The trap worked, and they were able to recover power packs from the wreckage of the TIE to power Shaker. That night Skywalker heard the voices again, which he followed to find the craft he had seen in his vision. Skywalker, Kiara, and Shaker got into the craft, which Skywalker communicated with and commanded with his mind, finally departing Ziost. After leaving Ziost's atmosphere, they were attacked by Dyur's ship, the ''[[Boneyard Rendezvous]]'', which was in orbit. However, the ship's weapons quickly destroyed the starship. Skywalker commanded the ship to bring him home to Coruscant.<ref name="LotF:E" />
===The New Empire===
In [[137 ABY]], the area around Ziost fell under the control of [[Darth Krayt]]'s [[Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire|Galactic Empire]].<ref name="TEA" />
==Inhabitants==
==Inhabitants==
{{Expandsect}}
{{Expandsect}}
{{Quote|The Sith caste system under our rule—our will is imposed on the Kissai priests, the Zuguruk engineers, and the Massassi warriors. The slaves or Grotthu serve all.|Sorzus Syn|Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side}}
Following the invasion of Korriban by the Rakata<ref name="END:TSD" /> and a bloody<ref name="GH07" /> civil war<ref name="GH05" /> around 27,700 BBY,<ref name="TEA" /> Ziost came to host a population of the Sith, a red-skinned, Force-sensitive species, who had fled from their homeworld of Korriban in the Stygian Caldera.<ref name="END:TSD" /> Though the Sith had long engaged in sortilege, civil war, and sentient sacrifice, they led spiritually serene lives, never once doubting or questioning the critical role conflict played in their kratocratic society. It was only with the introduction of the Rakatans' methodic malice that the Sith first fell to the dark side.<ref name="KOTORCGWE5">{{WizardsCite|url=default.asp?x=starwars/article/KOTORweben5|text=''KOTOR Campaign Guide'' Web Enhancement 5|int=KOTOR Campaign Guide Web Enhancement 5: Karnak Tetsu, Sorcerer of Tund|archivedate=20100412060446}}</ref> These Sith,<ref name="END:TSD" /> most of whom were of the Kissai priest and Massassi warrior castes,<ref name="KotOR:RCG" /> brought the High Sith and Common Sith writing scripts with them<ref name="TWW" /> and established Ziost as a capital of the Sith Empire.<ref name="END:TSD" /> As the Kissai priests oversaw the rebuilding efforts,<ref name="KotOR:RCG" /> they established the Sith Citadel on the planet.<ref name="EGttF" />
Eventually suffering from an ice age, the lush Ziost saw complete devastation of the planetary civilization and its vast woodlands, leaving the Citadel among the few remaining structures.<ref name="EGttF" /> For many millenia thereafter, the Sith continued to expand their Empire, colonizing nearby worlds.<ref name="KotOR:RCG" /> Until they were met by the Exiles,<ref name="BoS:SftDS" /> traitorous Jedi defeated in a galactic war called the Hundred-Year Darkness,<ref name="END:TSD" /> as they mapped local hyperlanes of the Sith Worlds and emerged on Ziost following their discovery of Korriban.<ref name="BoS:SftDS" />
As they establihed<ref name="BoS:SftDS" /> their capital<ref name="TEA" /><ref name="BMF82" /> on Ziost, the Exiles built their palaces to rule as Sith Lords on the planet and formed a Sith Council. Sorzus Syn also noted that Sith respected power and were content to serve them. They were served by their priest caste, the Kissai, who have come to worship them as demigods, particurarly regarding Ajunta Pall as the manifestation of [[Typhojem/Legends|Typhojem]]. While [[Zuguruk]] caste of engineers were loyal, Sorzus Syn thought they built too many burial mounds and not enough battleships, seeing the Massassi caste of warriors as their greatest asset if they were to strike back the Republic. They were also served by the caste of mixed species slaves called [[Grotthu]].<ref name="BoS:SftDS" /> At this time most inhabitants lived meager, caste-structured lives, toiling to build their rulers' tombs or dying by the millions in innumerable internecine wars. With the collapse of the Sith Empire following the Great Hyperspace War, the Sith all but disappeared from Sith Space and the galaxy as a whole.<ref name="TEA" />
==Locations==
==Locations==
===Sith Citadel===
===Sith Citadel===
{{Main|Sith Citadel (Ziost)}}
{{Main|Sith Citadel (Ziost)}}
{{Quote|The towering Sith Citadel is among the few remaining structures, and it was adopted as the central meeting place for the original Sith Lords, those Exiles of the Jedi Order who found their way to Sith space following the Hundred-Year War.|An extract from [[Seviss Vaa]]'s account of the [[Ice age (Ziost)|ice age]] on Ziost recorded in ''[[Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force]]''|Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force (real-life book)}}
[[File:Ziost.jpg|thumb|right|150px|The Sith Citadel was the central meeting place of the Sith Council.]]
[[File:Ziost.jpg|thumb|right|150px|The Sith Citadel was the central meeting place of the Sith Council.]]
The Sith Citadel was a fortress that served as the central meeting place of the Sith Council during the reign of the Sith Empire.<ref name="EGttF" /> It was originally constructed high atop a precarious cliff<ref name="CSWE" /> by the Sith species of the Kissai caste<ref name="KotOR:RCG" /> after they relocated their capital from Korriban.<ref name="EGttF" /> The Citadel had a [[Ziost fortress holding bay|holding bay]] and a prisoner level in the frozen ice caves of fortress' lower levels.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS3" />
During the Golden Age of the Sith, the prisoner level in the frozen ice caves of fortress' lower levels held Gav and Jori Daragon, while, in the levels above, a great debate raged among the Council concerning the Daragons' future.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS3" /> It was also here that Naga Sadow had a traditional tattoo applied to his forehead by Sith pincerbugs, an act which most believed made his claim to the seat of Dark Lord official.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS4" />
During the Golden Age of the Sith, the prisoner level held Gav and Jori Daragon, while, in the levels above, a great debate raged among the Council concerning the Daragons' future.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS3" /> It was also here that Naga Sadow had a traditional tattoo applied to his forehead by Sith pincerbugs, an act which most believed made his claim to the seat of Dark Lord official.<ref name="TotJ:GAotS4" />
===New Adasta===
{{Main|New Adasta}}
{{Quote|You can feel the oppression of this place. The hopeless despair of the entire city.|Gnost-Dural|The Old Republic: Annihilation}}
[[File:New Adasta.png|thumb|left|250px|New Adasta was the capital of Ziost.]]
New Adasta was the capital city of the planet Ziost, the original seat of the old Sith Empire, and a major commercial, political, and population center of the reconstituted Sith. A metropolitan [[City/Legends|city]], New Adasta was constructed atop a rocky crag in the tundra of Ziost, and the city's [[Central District (Ziost)|Central District]] was in fact located in the cave underneath that crag. The centerpiece of the city was the [[People's Tower]], a large skyscraper similar in design to the [[Imperial Citadel (Sith Empire)|Imperial Citadel]]. During the Invasion of Ziost, the former Sith Emperor Vitiate focused a significant portion of his attention and power to New Adasta as he possessed the population of the planet.<ref name="TOR:SoR" />
==Behind the scenes==
==Behind the scenes==
Ziost first appeared as the "central world of the Sith" in [[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 3|third issue]] of the [[Star Wars comic books|comic]] miniseries ''[[Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi|Tales of the Jedi]]: [[Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — The Golden Age of the Sith|The Golden Age of the Sith]]'', which was written by [[Kevin J. Anderson]], and published by [[Dark Horse Comics]]<ref name="TotJ:GAotS3">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 3|''Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith'' 3]]</ref> on [[December 11]], [[1996]].<ref name="Marvel">{{Marvel|comics/issue/54592/star_wars_tales_of_the_jedi_-_the_golden_age_of_the_sith_1996_3|Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Golden Age of the Sith (1996) #3|archivedate=20200219043312}} {{C|First printing}}</ref> While multiple sources state that the Sith relocated their capital to Ziost following the death of King Adas,<ref name="GH07" /><ref name="END:TSD" /><ref name="EGttF" /> the [[Fantasy Flight Games]]' [[2015]] [[roleplaying game]] book [[Star Wars: Force and Destiny Core Rulebook|''Star Wars: Force and Destiny'' Core Rulebook]] states that the planet was the capital under King Adas.<ref name="FaD CR">[[Star Wars: Force and Destiny Core Rulebook|''Star Wars: Force and Destiny'' Core Rulebook]]</ref> This article assumes ''Star Wars: Force and Destiny'' Core Rulebook is in error.
Ziost first appeared as the "central world of the Sith" in [[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 3|third issue]] of the [[Star Wars comic books|comic]] miniseries ''[[Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi|Tales of the Jedi]]: [[Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — The Golden Age of the Sith|The Golden Age of the Sith]]'', which was written by [[Kevin J. Anderson]], and published by [[Dark Horse Comics]]<ref name="TotJ:GAotS3">[[Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 3|''Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith'' 3]]</ref> on [[December 11]], [[1996]].<ref name="Marvel">{{Marvel|comics/issue/54592/star_wars_tales_of_the_jedi_-_the_golden_age_of_the_sith_1996_3|Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Golden Age of the Sith (1996) #3|archivedate=20200219043312}} {{C|First printing}}</ref>
Although the Ziost system, and therefore the planet, was listed as being located in grid square R-5 in the Appendix section of ''The Essential Atlas'', the book's map of the Sith Worlds placed it within square R-4,<ref name="TEA" /> which was repeated in the [[StarWars.com]] [[Star Wars: The Essential Atlas Online Companion|Online Companion]] to the book.<ref name="EAOC" /> This article assumes the book's Appendix section is erroneous and that R-4 is the correct square.
===Ziost versus Korriban?===
===Ziost versus Korriban?===
[[File:Ziost_TOR.jpg|thumb|250px|Ziost prior to the devastation.]]
Though Ziost was established as the original Sith homeworld in ''Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — The Golden Age of the Sith'', many sources described Korriban as the Sith homeworld. It was the "public" capital world of the [[Darth Revan's Sith Empire|Sith Empire]] during the era of Darth Revan, but was a mausoleum-world for millennia beforehand and would return to such a state not long after.
Though Ziost was established as the original Sith homeworld in ''Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — The Golden Age of the Sith'', many sources described Korriban as the Sith homeworld. It was the "public" capital world of the [[Darth Revan's Sith Empire|Sith Empire]] during the era of Darth Revan, but was a mausoleum-world for millennia beforehand and would return to such a state not long after.
Originally a thickly forested world with a warm climate, Ziost had suffered from an ice age that leveled the vast woodlands after the most Sith, including but not limited to Kissai priest and Massassi warrior castes, relocated there in 27,700 BBY, leaving their desolated homeworld Korriban as a vast tombworld after the death of their leader Adas. As a result, the planet was transformed into bitterly cold tundra with an arid climate, covered in ice, and became very similar, in landscape, to Korriban.
Eventually it became a major Sith buffer world during the days of Vitiate's Sith Empire before being forgotten entirely.
A terrestrial world,[5] Ziost was originally covered with vast thick forests and possessed a warm climate. Around 27,700 BBY, however, an ice age leveled the vast woodlands as well as most evidence of civilization on the planet.[4] As a result, Ziost was transformed into bitterly cold tundra with an arid climate,[6] and its surface covered with rocky terrain, ice-encrusted mountains, glaciers.[5] It had at least one ocean,[7] with brackish water.[5]
Ziost would later be considered a neutral planet, where various Sith warlords could convene to discuss the future of the Empire,[5][8] with hundreds of lesser worlds falling under its sway, including industrial Korriz, eerie Dromund Kaas, ambitious Ch'hodos, battle-scarred Ashas Ree, and the distant world of Malachor V.[2]
Golden Age of the Sith
Duel of the Sith
"I fight for the Sith Empire, Naga Sadow…you fight for yourself!" "I fight for the future…and the future is now!"
In 5000 BBY, Dark Lord of the SithMarka Ragnosdied after more than a century of iron-handed rule. Ragnos' funeral was held shortly after, with Kressh leading the funeral procession as they laid Ragnos to rest in a tomb in the Valley of the Dark Lords. After the tomb was sealed, Naga Sadow challenged Ludo Kressh to a duel for the title of Dark Lord before the tomb.[10][11] Neither would get the chance to claim a victory, however, as Marka Ragnos' spirit appeared with a warning: the Golden Age was nearing its end, and the Sith would need to fight the correct battles or else be destroyed. As the Sadow and Kressh pondered the dead Dark Lord's words,[10] they were interrupted by an unexpected sight: a starship of unknown origin descending into the Valley of the Dark Lords. When the ship landed, two Humans disembarked, proclaiming themselves to be emissaries from the Galactic Republic interested in setting up a trade relationship with the Sith civilization. The pair—Gav and Jori Daragon, in truth fugitives who had chanced upon Korriban after making a blind hyperspace jump to escape trouble on their native Koros Major—were swiftly seized as spies.[10][11] Although Kressh wanted to kill them immediately, Sadow thought the Daragons could be the key to new Sith conquests,[10] and had them imprisoned for questioning on Ziost.[8][11]
Council's decision
For Sadow, the Republic was a vast new field to conquer, but it could also be a unifying force for an increasingly split Sith Empire, and a distraction from political weaknesses on the homefront.[12] With the Daragons in chains, Sadow met with the rest of the Sith Council at Ziost's Sith Citadel to discuss their fates. While several of the Council agreed with Kressh that the visitors should be put to death, Sadow made an impassioned plea to keep them alive, as their knowledge of the rest of the galaxy could lead to greater Sith domination and control.[8] Sadow knew well the value that Humans could bring, as he had made good use of the scientific skills of the descendants of Human Tapani refugees that had been enslaved by the Sith generations before, and often included Humans among his entourage.[13]
Despite Sadow's plea, the Council still voted to kill the Daragons. Meanwhile in the prisoner level in a fortress, Gav Daragon struggled to keep his optimism, noting that all great explorers occasionally fell upon hard times, while Jori thought it could have been worse. Finally, the two were approached in their cell by a Sith Lord named Simus, who informed them that their fate had been decided: they were to be executed as soon as possible. Gav was irate at this news and protested that they had not been given a fair trial and that they had given the Sith no information whatsoever, but these complaints fell on deaf ears. Unbeknownst to the Daragons, however, Naga Sadow had formulated a plan to free Gav and Jori, so as to bring about renewed contact with the Republic.[8]
Prison break
"Summon all my loyal Massassi, gather weapons, prepare the ships. We must strike Ziost fast and hard."
Sadow and his followers raided Ziost, leaving no evidence but a Republic blaster.
However, the ever-ambitious Sadow still had the galaxy on his mind, and he put a plan in motion to rescue the explorers and bring the rest of the Sith Council around to his side. As Sadow watched from his secret fortress on Khar Shian, a Sith soldier loyal to Sadow snuck into the Daragons' ship and stole a pair of Republic blasters. Once the weapons were in hand, Sadow quickly raided Ziost with a small strike team. At the time, the Daragons were at their most distraught, huddled together and lamenting their fate. Gav surmised that he should have continued his Jedi training and bemoaned the fact that the random spin of the navicomputer coordinates had brought them here. When he heard the Massassi coming, he straightened up and vowed not to go down without a fight. However, they were greeted not by executioners, but by Naga Sadow, who had freed the Daragons and killed all witnesses using one of the Republic blasters, including his old teacher, Simus.[8]
Sadow left the weapon behind at the scene, and departed to allow the rest of the Sith Lords to draw their own conclusions. Sadow deposited the Daragons at his secret citadel on Khar Shian, before promptly returning to Ziost to see if his strike had had the effect he desired. Sadow arrived to find that everything had gone according to plan: the Sith Council was in a panic, and the Republic was to blame. Feigning shock at Simus' death, Sadow loudly proclaimed that it was time for the Sith to strike back, and officially announced his intentions to seize the title of Dark Lord. To Ludo Kressh's horror, several of the Sith Council backed Sadow's claim, and Kressh left in a huff with his supporters, proclaiming that he would become the true Dark Lord. Not willing to let this stand, Sadow ordered his supporters, each of whom controlled a dozen worlds, to call their ships and warriors to battle. Things had come to a head, and Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh were finally going to war.[8]
Consolidating power
"All of the Sith Lords, from Ziost and from their own systems, all swear allegiance to me."
Naga Sadow receives his mark of Lordship on Ziost.
In the meantime, Sadow split the Daragons up, keeping Gav Daragon with him on Khar Shian and sending his sister Jori to his decoy fortress on Khar Delba. In Gav Daragon, who had once been a low-level initiate of the Jedi Order in his younger days, he found someone with a strong, if untrained, talent in the Force. Sensing promise in Daragon, Sadow took him under his wing as an apprentice and began to teach the young man Sith magic. With all-out war with Ludo Kressh looming, Sadow had a traditional tattoo applied to his forehead by Sith pincerbugs, an act which most believed made his claim to the seat of Dark Lord official. Soon afterward, he received information that Ludo Kressh had his men guarding the Daragons' captured ship, the Starbreaker 12.[9]
Realizing an opportunity, Sadow sent several of his Massassi warriors to kill Kressh's guards and seize the ship, leaving no witnesses and leaving Sadow's emblem behind at the scene. Sadow's Massassi flew the Starbreaker 12 back to Khar Delba, getting there just before Kressh attacked the world, just as Sadow had foreseen. Having planned for this eventuality, Sadow allowed Kressh, backed by the forces of his allies Horak-mul and Dor Gal-ram, to batter his fortresses on Khar Delba with a rain of laser fire from their battleships.[9] Naga Sadow emerged victorious after calling in his secret fleet from the far side of Khar Shian to counterattack Kressh.[14] In the following months, Khar Delba was rebuilt and was established as the center of Naga Sadow's power as he gathered a force to invade the Galactic Republic, in a conflict that became known as the Great Hyperspace War.[15]
It is requested that this article section be expanded. Please improve it in any way that you see fit, and remove this notice once the article section is more complete.
The Sith Citadel was the central meeting place of the Sith Council.
During the Golden Age of the Sith, the prisoner level in the frozen ice caves of fortress' lower levels held Gav and Jori Daragon, while, in the levels above, a great debate raged among the Council concerning the Daragons' future.[8] It was also here that Naga Sadow had a traditional tattoo applied to his forehead by Sith pincerbugs, an act which most believed made his claim to the seat of Dark Lord official.[9]
Though Ziost was established as the original Sith homeworld in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — The Golden Age of the Sith, many sources described Korriban as the Sith homeworld. It was the "public" capital world of the Sith Empire during the era of Darth Revan, but was a mausoleum-world for millennia beforehand and would return to such a state not long after.
The controversy was put to rest in the article Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties by Abel G. Peña, which clearly established the Sith originating on Korriban and relocating the capital to Ziost before the arrival of the Dark Jedi exiles during the Hundred-Year Darkness, though the Dark Jedi exiles themselves landed on Korriban.
From the article Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties:
Without Adas' unifying influence, wars once again raged for rule of the Sith people, with the reigning combatants arrogantly claiming the title of Sith'ari, and eventually forcing a relocation of the Sith capitol to the planet Ziost. Eventually, almost two-dozen millennia after Adas' death, a proper successor to Adas seemed to come at last. Known in Republic space as the Exiles, traitorous Jedi defeated in a galactic war called the Hundred-Year Darkness arrived on Korriban and cowed the Sith people with their astounding Force abilities, lightsabers, and superior technology.
Appearances
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Star Wars: The Essential Atlas Online Companion on StarWars.com (article) (backup link not verified!) — Based on corresponding data for Ziost system
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Golden Age of the Sith (1996) #3 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link) (First printing)
