Vitiate's "domination" on Nathema

It's time to put the fanfics about Vitiate dominating eight thousand Sith to rest.

First, the feat itself:
Once they arrived on Nathema, they quickly fell under Lord Vitiate's control. He dominated their minds, crushed their resistance. He turned them into slaves to his will, forcing them to participate in the most complex ritual of Sith sorcery ever attempted. 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.

-Darth Nyriss, The Old Republic: Revan

It would be impressive if not for the fact that they were told by Darth Nyriss, a Sith Lord who lived over a thousand years after the event. She couldn't possibly know if the historical records are correct, or she may have fabrcated the tale entirely. In short, her word isn't reliable.

Second, there are multiple versions of this story:
An ancient Dark Lord of the Sith named Darth Vitiate destroyed all life on Nathema with a ritual designed to grant him immortality.

-Force and Destiny

Eight thousand Sith Lords gathered on Medriaas and agreed to partake in a ritual that would bind the Sith together as an ultimate dark side weapon.

The ritual lasted ten days. Lord Vitiate orchestrated the sorcery and the planet Mediraas 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 Old Republic Encyclopedia

What is known is that following the flight of Naga Sadow, the Emperor came to Korriban, gathered the remaining lords of the Sith and took them back with him to Nathema. There they conducted a ritual that extended the Emperor's life at the cost of the lives of more than eight thousand Sith Lords. The Ritual of Nathema is celebrated among Imperial scholars as a rare and amazing coming together of Sith for the good of the Empire.

-The Old Republic Codex: The Ritual of Nathema

In Force and Destiny, no mention of any domination is made. In TORE and the Codex, the notion of Vitiate dominating the Sith is outright contradicted by them agreeing to it willingly. The word of Darth Nyriss isn't any more valid than any other Imperial scholar's. All three of these works also came after Revan, and all of them agree on the fact that no domination ever happened, so we can safely treat is as a retcon.

And lastly, all word-of-mouth feats have officially been declared non-canon within the Legends timeline. This is the nail in the coffin:

Interesting. I'd actually thought the evidence against it was stronger than this. The only one mildly contradicting it is the one saying they agreed to perform the ritual. But that doesn't actual contradict the feat itself. He could of done it after that point or it could be that he forced them into agreement. So really not actually solid at all.

Very, very interesting. Thank you for posting these.

Darth Nyriss investigated the matter and even visited Nathema for the said purpose. Her account cannot be dismissed without solid evidence to the contrary.

You are overlooking the fact that the ritual (in focus) spanned 10 days in duration. There was ample time to telepathically enslave the participants during the course of the ritual.

The ritual lasted ten days. Lord Vitiate orchestrated the sorcery and the planet Mediraas was consumed by the largest dark side nexus the galaxy would ever see.

Taken from Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia

Originally posted by Nephthys
Interesting. I'd actually thought the evidence against it was stronger than this. The only one mildly contradicting it is the one saying they agreed to perform the ritual. But that doesn't actual contradict the feat itself. He could of done it after that point or it could be that he forced them into agreement. So really not actually solid at all.

Stronger than literally stating it's non-canon? Lmao.

Very, very interesting. Thank you for posting these.

You're welcome.

Originally posted by Azronger
Stronger than literally stating it's non-canon? Lmao.

This is the EU forum. Within the context of Swtor it's no less non-canon than anything else.

Tell me! Why would the participants want to commit suicide for the benefit of Vitiate?

kys

Originally posted by S_W_LeGenD
Darth Nyriss investigated the matter and even visited Nathema for the said purpose. Her account cannot be dismissed without solid evidence to the contrary.

Proof she investigated and did not simply fabricate the tale? And there is solid evidence to the contrary: the fact that it's non-canon.

You are overlooking the fact that the ritual (in focus) spanned 10 days in duration. There was ample time to telepathically enslave the participants during the course of the ritual.

So what? The fact is he didn't.

Originally posted by Nephthys
This is the EU forum. Within the context of Swtor it's no less non-canon than anything else.

Force and Destiny is Legends. All that's said in it applies to TOR, whether you like it or not. Nyriss' tale is non-canon. Accept it.

Originally posted by Azronger
Proof she investigated and did not simply fabricate the tale? And there is solid evidence to the contrary: the fact that it's non-canon.

So what? The fact is he didn't.

See my question above.

Originally posted by Sinious
kys

Me or LeGenD?

Originally posted by Azronger
Force and Destiny is Legends. All that's said in it applies to TOR, whether you like it or not. Nyriss' tale is non-canon. Accept it.

You're adorable.

me

Originally posted by S_W_LeGenD
Tell me! Why would the participants want to commit suicide for the benefit of Vitiate?

Eight thousand Sith Lords gathered on Medriaas and agreed to partake in a ritual that would bind the Sith together as an ultimate dark side weapon.

Apparently they had no idea what was truly going to happen to them.

Originally posted by Nephthys
You're adorable.

And you're in denial.

Originally posted by Sinious
me

Do you have anything constructive to share?

Originally posted by S_W_LeGenD
The whole canon vs non-canon debate doesn't applies to TOR content anymore. It is all official.

See my question above.

Based on what does Force and Destiny not apply to TOR?

Originally posted by Azronger
Eight thousand Sith Lords gathered on Medriaas and agreed to partake in a ritual that would [U]bind the Sith together as an ultimate dark side weapon.[U]

Apparently they had no idea what was truly going to happen to them.

I don't see any contradiction. Vitiate is BAMF. 👆

Originally posted by Azronger
Eight thousand Sith Lords gathered on Medriaas and agreed to partake in a ritual that would bind the Sith together as an ultimate dark side weapon.

Apparently they had no idea what was truly going to happen to them.

I don't think that Sith are that obedient. Those Sith were not on the same page for choosing a leader even (i.e. Naga Sadow versus Ludo Kressh).

Originally posted by S_W_LeGenD
Darth Nyriss investigated the matter and even visited Nathema for the said purpose. Her account cannot be dismissed without solid evidence to the contrary.

You are overlooking the fact that the ritual (in focus) spanned 10 days in duration. There was ample time to telepathically enslave the participants during the course of the ritual.

The ritual lasted ten days. Lord Vitiate orchestrated the sorcery and the planet Mediraas was consumed by the largest dark side nexus the galaxy would ever see.

Taken from [B]Star Wars: The Old Republic: Encyclopedia [/B]

How does visiting Nathema magically let Nyriss know whether the sith involved in the ritual one thousand years ago did it willingly?

Your point about duration just establishes possibility, it doesn't actually suggest anything.