AncientPower
The Chosen One
With that cleared up, we must move on to what Tenebrae actually is. Tenebrae was transformed by the Ritual of Nathema, absorbing the largest dark side nexus the galaxy would ever see:
The ritual lasted ten days. Lord Vitiate orchestrated the sorcery and the planet Medriaas was consumed by the largest dark side nexus the galaxy would ever see. When the ritual ended, Lord Vitiate emerged as the only survivor. The pain, energy, and suffering of every living entity on the planet fueled his power and would prolong his life for centuries. The lifeless planet of Medriaas became a void in the Force and was erased from history. From that moment forward, the world would forever be known as Nathema, birthplace of the one and only Sith Emperor.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia
Calling on the dark side, Lord Vitiate devoured them. He fed on their power, absorbing it into himself, utterly obliterating all traces of his victims.But the ritual was not confined to the doomed Sith Lords. They were but the eye of the storm; the center of a vortex that spread across the entire planet. Every man, woman, and child on Nathema died that day. Every beast, bird, and fish; all the insects and plants; every living being touched by the Force was consumed. When the ritual ended, Nathema was no longer a world. It was a husk sucked dry. Lord Vitiate sacrificed millions, stealing their life force to make himself immortal. Their deaths also made him stronger than any Sith who had come before, and he ceased to be known as Lord Vitiate. On that day, the Emperor was truly born.
- Darth Nyriss, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan
He was infact transformed into a being unique in the galaxy:
The Emperor was no longer a member of the Sith species; his power and immortality had transformed him into a being unique in the galaxy.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan
He had become a manifestation of his ritual, utter annihilation:
As he spoke, the dark circles of his eyes seemed to fill with a swirling red mist, and for a brief instant the Emperor gave Scourge a glimpse of his true self.Scourge cried out in anguish as the Emperor’s mind brushed against his, then he collapsed to the floor, shaking like a child. The touch lasted less than a second, but in that time he witnessed indescribable horrors that dwarfed anything the dark side could conjure even in his worst nightmares. And beneath the formless terrors lurked the unbearable Void, the pure emptiness of total annihilation.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan
He is thus stated to have become an avatar, incarnation and embodiment of the Dark Side of the Force:
Over 300 years ago, the great Jedi heroes Revan and Malak stumbled upon long-hidden Sith Empire's capital of Dromund Kaas, and its ruler -_a mysterious, almost godlike avatar of the dark side.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia
The Emperor is more than a man - he is the living embodiment of the dark side.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia
He was a living embodiment of the dark side of the Force who delighted in destroying the minds and spirits of those Jedi who came too close to him.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia
His mere presence would reduce an entire Dark Council to trembling sycophants:
For generations, the Emperor would remain withdrawn from society. When he finally appeared, the Emperor spoke only to the Dark Council, reducing the most powerful Sith in the Empire to trembling sycophants in his presence.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia
The ancient Sith Entity born Tenebrae as the Sith Emperor Vitiate was far more powerful than Revan, who was a persistent cyst, which continued to grow stronger throughout the Force:
"There's something in the Force that I've never felt before. It exists nowhere and everywhere at once. Writhing, growing."
- Lana Beniko, Star Wars: The Old Republic - Shadow of Revan
"The Force roils and convulses like never before. I reached out to study its peculiar activity, and in turn it showed me what is to come. You stand on a moon, defiantly, before one who is not one. You do not stand alone, but you fail all the same."
- Spindrall, Star Wars: The Old Republic - Shadow of Revan
"The Force moves through the Emperor's Hand in a manner that few others experience. For us, the Force is an intricate tapestry woven into our very essence. That tapestry has become flawed. I speak of a persistent disturbance. A cyst, dense and tangled and unpleasant. It began small and nearly imperceptible but has been growing ever larger... the source of this basal disturbance is of the gravest concern to us..."
- The Emperor's Hand, Star Wars: The Old Republic - Shadow of Revan[/quote[quote]" . . . The Emperor will prove far too powerful for Revan, or anyone else."
- Darth Marr, [i]Star Wars: The Old Republic: Shadow of Revan
Revan himself was far more powerful than his former Sith apprentice Darth Malak, whom was the primary reason for causing the Dark Side of the Force to cloud the vision of the Jedi Order to a degree they couldn't sense the massacre of the Dantooine Enclave:
"We should have felt a disturbance in the Force when the attack came. The fact that we did not is a bad sign. I fear the dark side is growing stronger, casting shadows our vision cannot pierce."
- Bastila Shan, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Many others have questioned how powerful the ancient Sith could be if his effects on the Force aren't so obvious. As seen above, he's far more powerful than other dark siders who have achieved such strength, but the true reason his presence hasn't had such an effect is due to his state of being. Vitiate as explained above became a manifestation of the Void of the Force which permeates Nathema. Nathema's Void has far worse effects than a Dark Side Nexus such as Malachor V:
"There is a place in the galaxy where the dark side of the Force runs strong. It is something of the Sith, but it was fueled by war. It corrupts all that walks on its surface—drowns them in the power of the dark side. It corrupts all life, and it feeds on death."
- Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Traversing its surface had been agony. Mentally, she had still sensed the anguish of all who had lost their lives there. Physically, the intense gravity of the world had held her in its crushing grip, leaving her gasping for breath. It had been the most awful and horrific moment of her life... until now.
On Malachor she'd felt the echoes of unimaginable pain and suffering-but at least she'd felt_something. Here on Nathema there was only a cold emptiness. It was unnatural; abhorrent. On Malachor she had felt the echo of great destruction; Here there was only the unbearable void of annihilation.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic Revan
Infact Vitiate's power makes the incalculable powers of the Dread Masters-enhanced by the Phobis Devices-insignificant, despite the fact they transformed Oricon into a hellscape immeasurably strong with the Dark Side of the Force:
The Dread Masters, terrifying Sith Lords of incalculable power.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia
The Dread Masters possess incredible, unprecedented power over the dark side of the Force; a power developed through rituals created by one of their own, the incomparable Sith alchemist known as Styrak.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic - The Dread War Codex Entry 'Styrak'
Oricon is a remote moon that is immeasurably strong with the dark side – a perfect home for the feared Dread Masters!
- Star Wars: The Old Republic Official Website
At first blush, there is nothing at all remarkable about the remote, rocky sphere called Oricon. However, anyone with an affinity for the Force can sense that the Outer Rim moon is immeasurably strong with the dark side. Fitting, then, that the rogue Sith lords known as the Dread Masters have claimed Oricon as their home.The once-lifeless moon now brims with creatures from across the galaxy that have been experimented on, corrupted with dark energy and driven to frenzy by the Dread Masters. It is also a starship graveyard, its surface littered with Republic and Imperial ships torn apart by dark waves of madness and fear. There can be no doubt: Oricon has become one of the most hazardous destinations in the galaxy.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic - The Dread War
"The Dread Masters changed Oricon. Even their combined power is insignificant compared to the Emperor."
- Emperor's Wrath II, Star Wars: The Old Republic - Shadow of Revan
So the ancient Sith Entity born as Tenebrae, is far beyond even the most corrupting Nexus of the Dark Side of the Force, be it Malachor V or Oricon.