The Shadow Academy

From Emperor's Hammer Encyclopaedia Imperia

The Shadow Academy[edit]

The Shadow Academy is the Dark Brotherhood's main hall of learning in the Dark Brotherhood. In the past the Shadow Academy was a sole academy on the planet of Eos, developed by the former Fleet Commander, Grand Admiral Ronin. Over time, just like the Dark Hall, the Shadow Academy evolved to meet each changing era. Almost every Headmaster since Ronin has brought some minor or major addition or change to the Shadow Academy. Soon the addition of campuses came to the Shadow Academy, though the original names of them soon fell into the terms of Obelisk, Krath, and Sith. These campuses were once tied into the Dark Hall, but as the Brotherhood grew it was obvious that the Dark Hall was housing too many, and placing itself at an unnecessary risk with holding so many force sensitives at once. To meet this problem the three campuses were moved from the Shadow Academy to their new respective homes. Each of the campuses has been renamed to match their current location.

Eos: Main Campus[edit]

The Eos Campus is the first and original Shadow Academy campus. It is mostly tied in with the Dark Hall, but also to the Whispering Library and the Forgotten Chamber. It is here where all new Initiates are brought for training. They are given temporary housing at the Dark Hall in the Initiate Dormitory. Outside of Initiate training the Eos Campus is the center for all General Dark Jedi Studies, and is the primary office of the Shadow Academy, which houses and offices the Headmaster, Praetor to the Headmaster, and any Pontiffs. In addition to Eos Campus there are two structures that are underground, but not directly attached to the Dark Hall. These are the Whispering Library and the Forgotten Chamber. Both are below and to the rear of the Dark Hall, and are only accessible by the Dark Council.

The Whispering Library is built up of all of the Brotherhoods most important holocrons and records. The very knowledge escapes the holocrons in whispers in ancient Sith, Krath and Obelisk. Teachings from all the former Grand Masters, and knowledge from many of the ancient Sith Lords, all rest in secrecy hidden away from most all the Brotherhood and galaxy alike. The Whispering Library has a very special defense, unlike most computers that require a retinal, thumb, or password scan... the door will not even open without a small blood sacrifice. The computer analyzes the blood and midichlorian count of the Dark Jedi to match up to one of the Dark Council. Should a blood analysis be denied the security mechanisms neutralize the failed Dark Jedi. Eight lightning casters, using electricity as powerful as the bolts of a Dark Side Adept will electrocute the intruder until they are dust. If this fails the hallway then releases flame cannons to burn out the intruder, and in the case that the intruder has managed to escape both, a laser grid is used to dice the intruder into two inch squares.

The Forgotten Chamber is a newly developed Dueling Chamber reserved for selected Dark Jedi to train with the most elite of duelist, and the Dark Council. This is mostly used for special divisions such as the Grand Master's Royal Guard, and the different leaders of the Brotherhood, but special exceptions are made. The Forgotten Chamber has been especially enchanted to allow members to bring their meditations to life should they choose to duel themselves, or even a former spirit. People can easily die in the Forgotten Chamber if the wrong spirit should be invoked which is why it is mostly off limits. Though when one trains among the Forgotten Chamber it is said to increase one's ability twice of what it would in normal training establishments. At current the Forgotten Chamber is off limits to all but the Dark Council.

Eos : Bane Campus[edit]

An extension of the Eos Campus, the Bane Campus is named after Darth Bane. It is the core of all Krath studies in the Shadow Academy. The campus is located close to the main Eos campus but is smaller than the main campus. The Bane Campus provides housing for its Pontiffs and any long term students that may be studying there. Among the Bane Campus are the Chaos Pools and Alchemy Chambers of the Shadow Academy. These are both used most commonly by the Krath to invent new spells, potions, curses and more.

There are three Chaos Pools, and these are similar to what you may think they are. These are twenty feet deep pits where two to six Krath may duel among themselves, practicing newly developed spells and techniques. Though killing is restricted, there have been cases of people dieing in the Chaos Pools, so it is obvious that only the strong survive here.

The Chaos Pools are also used for rituals by the Krath, due to the amount of Force usage in these pits it naturally becomes a place of strong Dark Side presence and makes for excellent magic grounds. No weapons outside of the Force are permitted in the Chaos Pools, and there have been cases in which, over time, after much magic and Force have been used, that the pools have spawned chimera of their own, a result of all the dark magic in one spot. These chimera come strong and weak, the strong ones are kept to serve the Brotherhood as beasts to unleash upon their enemies.

The Alchemy Chambers are where some of the most respected alchemist of the Brotherhood have studied and perfected many potions, and force techniques. The Alchemy Chambers are restricted to Krath of Protector or greater in rank. Many of the experiments of the Alchemy Chambers are dangerous, and there have been several cases of death here when potions, spells or even weapons have turned on their creators and killed them instantly. Alchemy is a dangerous, yet powerful study and only the wisest can survive it. These chambers are mostly used by the Krath, but some Sith and even a handful of Obelisk Alchemist have been recorded using them.

Eos : Sadow Campus[edit]

Another extention of the main campus, the Sadow campus named after Naga Sadow, Dark Lord of the Sith. All historical studies of the Brotherhood are housed at the Sadow Campus. This is the smallest but also one of the most important of the campuses. This is where the Grand Library of the Brotherhood is located. It is here that a majority of all knowledges that are not restricted are located. The galactic map is located within the Grand Library, as is several holocrons, holobooks, and records of the Brotherhood. Though currently restricted to Dux, Consul, and Dark Council at the moment, the Sadow Campus is also the home of all Clan and Hetaeria studies.

Eos : Vader Campus[edit]

The Vader campus is named after Darth Vader, former Executor and Dark Lord of the Sith. It is the main office of all Sith studies in the Dark Brotherhood. It is the second smallest of the campuses as it only houses the main offices and a few classrooms. The only special attraction of the Vader Campus is the Warrior's Pits, which is the Sith's version of the Chaos Pools. These pits are designed to resist more intense blasts, and are equipped with a rotating weapon arsonal inside. There are five Warrior's Pits all together though some are restricted to Equites or higher. The Vader Campus is only a small portion of the entire Sith Studies Campus, the larger portion is focused on flight studies.

SSD Avenger : Sidius Campus[edit]

Located aboard the SSD Avenger is the Sidius Campus, named after the Sith Darth Sidius. This is the mostly used Campus of the Sith. Due to it being aboard the SSD Avenger it gives students the advantage of live combat experience. The students of this campus are housed and supported aboard the Avenger where they are on call starfighter pilots at all times. There are several classrooms aboard the Avenger to support the Rapier Campus, along with a majority of the Pontiffs for the Sith Studies.

Kaiburr : Revan Campus[edit]

Named after the Sith Lord Darth Revan, the Revan Campus makes its home on the Obelisk world of Kaiburr, appropriate as it is the mainstay of the Obelisk studies. The Revan campus is most likely the largest of all the campuses due to the several war fields, battles domes, and the two massive War Spheres. This campus also provides housing for its Pontiffs and any students. Though rarely used, there are several classrooms for any studies outside of direct combat. The mostly used portion of this campus are the two War Spheres which are actually an invention of the Krath. These spheres can alter reality to any perspective needed, and can physically harm anyone inside of them. They are used for intense training by the Obelisk, as the very gravity in side the spheres can be intensified to bring greater stength from the training.

The Academy Staff[edit]

Originally there was only the Headmaster, then the positions of Praetor and Magistrate to the Headmaster were later added to the list of Shadow Academy Staff. These three members were the only staff for quite some time in DB history, but around 20-22ABY the development of Pontiffs increased the number of staff greatly. Each position of the Shadow Academy has a very important role to perform, as all positions work together like a living body with organs to perform the needed tasks to keep it alive. Below you will find each of the positions and a description of what they do, what rites they carry and any other specialties they may hold.

-( Headmaster )-

The Headmaster of the Shadow Academy is the sole leader, and commander of the entire Academy along with any and all Dark Brotherhood learning establishments and campuses. The Headmaster is responsible for the training of all new Initiates to the Brotherhood, maintenance of the Shadow Academy, creation and approval of all new courses, and is the Head of Recruitment for the Dark Brotherhood. Like all Dark Council the Headmaster may also act as a diplomat for the Brotherhood if need be. Outside of these standard duties, the Headmaster also acts as a logistics officer for the Brotherhood by keeping records at the Shadow Academy. The Headmaster is also an authorized member of the Fleet Training Office, working as an assistant to the Fleet Training Officer to better education and training as a whole for the entire Fleet.

The primary home of the Headmaster is at the Dark Hall on Eos where the main the main office of the Headmaster is located, along with a personal section of the Dark Hall for the Headmaster's personal use. Despite this, the Headmaster has an office and housing at every branch of the Shadow Academy. The position is recognized as the fourth seat of the Dark Council, thus the position is one of respectable responsibility and power within the entire Brotherhood.

-( Praetor to the Headmaster )-