Lightsabers, Crystals, and You

[Perfidious]

Sabers, Crystals and Whatnot
Vibes, man, crystals, man…​

The Past

When Perfidious still trained Acolytes, one of the main trials to rise to Sith was to create their first lightsaber. The trial was mostly held by Lord Dauphine and took place over a couple of sessions. Whilst we no longer have Acolytes, we do still have lightsabers, and on occasion the need arises to create a new one. This guide has been assembled to demonstrate Perfidious’ stance on lightsabers, crystals, and the combination thereof.

As most might have realized by now, the lore in Star Wars is an ever changing labyrinth of Canon, Legends, new additions, and vastly varying power levels to navigate. The same applies to the making of a saber and crystal. We as Officers chose to go a moderate path of synthetic crystals as a start, and to focus upon the RP aspect in order to make the creation of a lightsaber a personal experience for the player, ensuring the lightsaber is a badge of power and awe.

Historically, when making their first saber, an Acolyte would meet with an expert (typically Dauphine, or another saber-focused Sith, such as Vyshtal, or Khosal), to discuss design, materials and receive instruction on gathering materials, as well as the “gift” of a base synthetic crystal - a drab little thing to meditate on and “make their own” by imparting their passions.

The Process

More knowledgeable Sith or Lords seeking to craft a new saber would of course not need such a meeting, and are free to source their own crystals (discussed below), but can always discuss the finer points of creation with more experienced saber-nerds, such as the Shadow Hand, or Blademaster.
Once all of the reagents have been gathered and the saber is ready for construction, the final session to complete the build should involve intense meditation on the Sith’s aims and their passion. This will likely not be a pleasant experience, but should highlight the personal aspect of their saber, and the Sith’s emotional attachment to it. After all, a lightsaber is not just a weapon, but a status symbol; an emblem of the Sith.

No matter the steps in the process, the reagents used, or the time taken, there is no RSS boon provided by one’s lightsaber.

The Practical Aspects

For the practical side, a generic synthetic crystal made in a crystal compactor can be provided to the Sith, if they have not been able to source their own, to meditate on, focus and "impact" during a week or more, as well as gathering the required materials for the construction of their hilt.

Rare materials such as beskar, phrik, songsteel and cortosis should be inboxed as per our asset acquisition guidance, as they are rare and expensive.

The colour of the saber should ideally be red, though purple may also be accepted. Funky cores, such as black, are not permitted, and tunings or “unstable” hilts that make it appear as though there is an issue with a saber are not approved of. If such a thing is chosen, expect IC backlash!

The principle behind this roleplay is to provide the character with a close connection to, and passion for their saber. This is the most important aspect of the whole process.

Regarding Crystals

Natural crystals might be seen as strange and odd, as they would be harder to "tune" and then to use compared to a synthetic crystal. The ‘nature’ of the crystal would be more inclined to resist influence by the Dark Side. Not only this, but natural saber crystals are hard to come by, predominantly sourced from Ilum, stalwartly protected by the Republic and the Jedi.

Jedi crystals would be seen as offputting to say the least - anathema to a Dark Side user. The topic of "bleeding" Jedi crystals - the process by which a Light Sided crystal is broken by an intense and extensive period of meditation and focus by a Dark Side user - is something we would ideally avoid. We view Jedi in Perfidious as a Big Bad, and their tools and foci equally so - the effort and strain required to successfully bleed a Jedi saber crystal to a usable state would break the minds of most Sith within the Powerbase.

Moreover, Bleeding a crystal is a Canon technique, and the majority of our lore is focused upon Legends, particularly where crystals are involved.

TL;DR

Ultimately what is important in the roleplay regarding the construction of a saber is passion, just as it is with any good Sith roleplay. The process, the roleplay, and the struggle are all key aspects in forming a connection to this tool, which is so symbolic to the Sith. The greater that struggle to obtain it and the passion of the journey, the greater the strength in the user’s hand - though just not in RSS!