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Description
This image is to help explain the state of affairs for my Star Wars Fanfiction Series: Star Wars: The Shadow Wars. The series is currently between "Seasons."

Note: The information below is from my own universe which is a blend of old and new canon and is not to be considered canon in any other universe but mine.

The image was acquired via Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition

...

Formal Name: The First Order of the Sith
Informal Name: The Sith, The Sith Order
Leader: Dark Lord of the Sith - Darth Akul (4 ABY - present), Darth Sideous (17 BBY - 4 ABY)
Governing Body: The Empress's Hands
Date Established: 17 BBY
Headquarters: Sith Grand Temple, Kaas City - Dromund Kaas
Notable Locations: Sith Academy, Dreshdae - Korriban, Valley of the Dark Lords - Korriban
Doctrine: Rule of One (17 BBY - Present), Rule of Two (1000 BBY - 17 BBY)
Formed from: The Order of the Sith Lords
Affiliations: The Second Galactic Empire (State Religion)

Members of the Empress's Hands (Current)
Darth Stalker
Darth Sheelal
Darth Anjo
Darth Caedus
(Unknown)
(Unknown)

Former members of the Empress's Hands
Darth Vandal (Deceased - 28 ABY)
Darth Silri (Excommunicated - 18 ABY)
Darth Fenrir (Defected - Zann Consortium - 29 ABY)
Darth Lumiya (Excommunicated - 28 ABY)
Darth Talzin (Defected - Jedi Order - 29 ABY)

Other Notable Members
Snoke Vanee - High Lord of the First Order of the Sith & Headmaster of the Dreshdae Sith Academy, Korriban

Code of the Sith
"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me."

In 17 BBY, when Emperor Palpatine learned that his Apprentice, Darth Vader, had taken an Apprentice of his own in secret for the sole purpose of one day challenging and overthrowing the Emperor, Palpatine quietly dissolved the Rule of Two and established the Rule of One. Although the Empire, by this time, had already begun using its Inquisitors and the members of the Emperor's Hand, they were not true Sith and would not be considered as such as Palpatine only allowed them limited access to the dark teachings of Sith Doctrine so as to keep them unaware of specific Sith techniques and keep them weaker than Palpatine or even Vader so that they could be more easily disposed of should they go rogue.

Where as the Rule of Two dictated that there could only be two Sith Lords, a Master and an Apprentice, the Rule of One allowed for one all powerful Master and many Apprentices. Darth Akul was Palpatine's secret apprentice, trained to counter Starkiller and replace Darth Vader as his true apprentice. When Palpatine died at Endor, Akul took on several apprentices and began preparing for the inevitable war with the Republic. When Akul learned that the Jedi Order had been reestablished, the new Dark Lord of the Sith knew that they would need to an effective counter to the Jedi as it was the Jedi's direct involvement in the Clone Wars that helped spur their victory and had technically helped win the war for the Republic prior to their mass betrayal with Order 66. To that end, Darth Akul began training a large number of Dark Jedi to counter the Jedi on the battlefields of the Shadow War.

When the Rule of Two was dissolved, so too did the Sith Order. Although the Sith still exist, they exist under a new formal name...

The First Order of the Sith.

While the Sith Empire is the military and government, the First Order are the Dark Jedi and Sith Lords that governs it. The Leadership on both Republic and Sith sides have drawn the parallel that where the Sith Empire means to counter the New Republic, the First Order of the Sith means to counter the Jedi Order.

The intent of the Rule of One is that as every Apprentice seeks to over throw the Master, they will fight amongst each other, eliminating one another or making tentative alliances before attempting to overthrow the Master. Whether this method will succeed has yet to be determined. It's not known where Akul got the army of Dark Jedi but they are legion. Their skill seems to vary dramatically as some seem to be more oriented towards saberplay while others are capable of using more powerful force techniques such as Force Choke and Force Lightning. The Empire's Dark Jedi, with the exception of the Emperor's Hands, seem to follow a rank and file, almost military, approach as most Dark Jedi are seen wearing hooded cloaks with masks over their faces and armor, making them appear as if they were part of the common Sith military. Dark Jedi that are unmasked (as pictured above) appear to wield more military authority, typically commanding ships and installations, acting as prison wardens, or leading armies into battle. They are typically identified by their pale skin, shaven heads, and Sith tattoos. Like the Inquisitors used by the Galactic Empire, there is an apparent power gap between the front-line Dark Jedi and the Sith Lords that comprise the ranks of the Emperor's Hands as the amount of access to the more powerful Sith Doctrines and teachings has been significantly limited. The only way for one of the Dark Jedi to learn more is if they were to find something on their own and learn it or if one of the Hands were to secretly begin training them.

The Emperor's Hands are considerably different. They are the Apprentices of Darth Akul, the Emperor, and have received more advanced training than the common Dark Jedi of the Sith Military and thus enjoy more freedom and wield far more authority. There are typically six Apprentices at any given time, with each new member replacing a previous one that has either been killed, excommunicated, or defected. It should be noted that Maul, the first Apprentice of Darth Sideous, despite his miraculous survival well into the Shadow Wars, is not part of the Sith and is considered Excommunicated and thus an enemy of the Sith. It should be noted that Maul's attitude towards the Sith is quite mutual.

Description
This image is to help explain the state of affairs for my Star Wars Fanfiction Series: Star Wars: The Shadow Wars. The series is currently between "Seasons."

Note: The information below is from my own universe which is a blend of old and new canon and is not to be considered canon in any other universe but mine.

The image was acquired via Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition

...

Formal Name: The First Order of the Sith
Informal Name: The Sith, The Sith Order
Leader: Dark Lord of the Sith - Darth Akul (4 ABY - present), Darth Sideous (17 BBY - 4 ABY)
Governing Body: The Empress's Hands
Date Established: 17 BBY
Headquarters: Sith Grand Temple, Kaas City - Dromund Kaas
Notable Locations: Sith Academy, Dreshdae - Korriban, Valley of the Dark Lords - Korriban
Doctrine: Rule of One (17 BBY - Present), Rule of Two (1000 BBY - 17 BBY)
Formed from: The Order of the Sith Lords
Affiliations: The Second Galactic Empire (State Religion)

Members of the Empress's Hands (Current)
Darth Stalker
Darth Sheelal
Darth Anjo
Darth Caedus
(Unknown)
(Unknown)

Former members of the Empress's Hands
Darth Vandal (Deceased - 28 ABY)
Darth Silri (Excommunicated - 18 ABY)
Darth Fenrir (Defected - Zann Consortium - 29 ABY)
Darth Lumiya (Excommunicated - 28 ABY)
Darth Talzin (Defected - Jedi Order - 29 ABY)

Other Notable Members
Snoke Vanee - High Lord of the First Order of the Sith & Headmaster of the Dreshdae Sith Academy, Korriban

Code of the Sith
"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me."

In 17 BBY, when Emperor Palpatine learned that his Apprentice, Darth Vader, had taken an Apprentice of his own in secret for the sole purpose of one day challenging and overthrowing the Emperor, Palpatine quietly dissolved the Rule of Two and established the Rule of One. Although the Empire, by this time, had already begun using its Inquisitors and the members of the Emperor's Hand, they were not true Sith and would not be considered as such as Palpatine only allowed them limited access to the dark teachings of Sith Doctrine so as to keep them unaware of specific Sith techniques and keep them weaker than Palpatine or even Vader so that they could be more easily disposed of should they go rogue.

Where as the Rule of Two dictated that there could only be two Sith Lords, a Master and an Apprentice, the Rule of One allowed for one all powerful Master and many Apprentices. Darth Akul was Palpatine's secret apprentice, trained to counter Starkiller and replace Darth Vader as his true apprentice. When Palpatine died at Endor, Akul took on several apprentices and began preparing for the inevitable war with the Republic. When Akul learned that the Jedi Order had been reestablished, the new Dark Lord of the Sith knew that they would need to an effective counter to the Jedi as it was the Jedi's direct involvement in the Clone Wars that helped spur their victory and had technically helped win the war for the Republic prior to their mass betrayal with Order 66. To that end, Darth Akul began training a large number of Dark Jedi to counter the Jedi on the battlefields of the Shadow War.

When the Rule of Two was dissolved, so too did the Sith Order. Although the Sith still exist, they exist under a new formal name...

The First Order of the Sith.

While the Sith Empire is the military and government, the First Order are the Dark Jedi and Sith Lords that governs it. The Leadership on both Republic and Sith sides have drawn the parallel that where the Sith Empire means to counter the New Republic, the First Order of the Sith means to counter the Jedi Order.

The intent of the Rule of One is that as every Apprentice seeks to over throw the Master, they will fight amongst each other, eliminating one another or making tentative alliances before attempting to overthrow the Master. Whether this method will succeed has yet to be determined. It's not known where Akul got the army of Dark Jedi but they are legion. Their skill seems to vary dramatically as some seem to be more oriented towards saberplay while others are capable of using more powerful force techniques such as Force Choke and Force Lightning. The Empire's Dark Jedi, with the exception of the Emperor's Hands, seem to follow a rank and file, almost military, approach as most Dark Jedi are seen wearing hooded cloaks with masks over their faces and armor, making them appear as if they were part of the common Sith military. Dark Jedi that are unmasked (as pictured above) appear to wield more military authority, typically commanding ships and installations, acting as prison wardens, or leading armies into battle. They are typically identified by their pale skin, shaven heads, and Sith tattoos. Like the Inquisitors used by the Galactic Empire, there is an apparent power gap between the front-line Dark Jedi and the Sith Lords that comprise the ranks of the Emperor's Hands as the amount of access to the more powerful Sith Doctrines and teachings has been significantly limited. The only way for one of the Dark Jedi to learn more is if they were to find something on their own and learn it or if one of the Hands were to secretly begin training them.

The Emperor's Hands are considerably different. They are the Apprentices of Darth Akul, the Emperor, and have received more advanced training than the common Dark Jedi of the Sith Military and thus enjoy more freedom and wield far more authority. There are typically six Apprentices at any given time, with each new member replacing a previous one that has either been killed, excommunicated, or defected. It should be noted that Maul, the first Apprentice of Darth Sideous, despite his miraculous survival well into the Shadow Wars, is not part of the Sith and is considered Excommunicated and thus an enemy of the Sith. It should be noted that Maul's attitude towards the Sith is quite mutual.