Introduction

This document is intended to provide prospective Master/Student Program (MSP) directors with ideas for starting a MSP. This outline can be used to start a very simple MSP, though I will list add-ons that can make your program more interesting and fun for the participants.

I want to remind everyone that all Master/Student programs are the responsibility of the Clan/House/Battleteam that runs them, NOT the Shadow Academy. This is for instructional purposes ONLY. There is NO examination.

To earn this certification you must fulfill your Master’s expectations or succesfully mentor a student and then contact the Grandmaster/Deputy Grandmaster with a completed lesson plan.

Background

The first true Master/Student Program began after the Sith War. The only surviving Sith, Darth Bane, decided not to openly challenge the powerful Jedi, for the Jedi would crush any attempt to further the Dark Side en masse. Instead, Darth Bane taught the Dark Side in secret. He took on one student, and thus the knowledge of the Dark Side was passed on - one person at a time. For thousands of years, only two in the galaxy trained in the ways of the Dark Side of the Force.

With Palpatine’s ascension to Emperor, the need to train in secrecy ended, and Dark Side training began in earnest. With the Jedi all but abolished, the Sith grew in number, adding members from all across the galaxy, and from all areas of the Empire. Pilots especially were watched carefully, and those who showed potential were recruited into the ranks of the Sithi. As the ranks of the Sith grew, new training methods had to be established, as the number of Students far exceeded the number of Masters. Thus, Dark Side training academies were erected - not only to train new initiates, but to expand the knowledge base of the Dark Side.

The Dark Brotherhood became a home to many Sith who sought refuge after the unfortunate events at Endor. To train the next generation of Sith, the Dark Brotherhood’s leaders opted to follow the academy model of training, as they no longer feared retribution from the puny amount of Jedi left in the galaxy. Thus, the Shadow Academy was born. It became a place for studying, teaching, and learning the ways of the Dark Side of the Force. Many students have passed through the doors of the Shadow Academy, each growing stronger in the Force through study of the Dark Side.

However, some Sith longed for the days of the Master/Student system - not for the secrecy, but for the individual instruction each student received. The Shadow Academy, though it performed a task no other facility could, was not able to provide this individual attention. Obelisk Battlemaster Michael Halcyon, during his time as a Krath Archpriest in House Acclivis Draco of Clan Scholae Palatinae, created a revised version of the Master/Student pairings, and implemented it successfully in his house. This allowed students to learn side-by-side with experienced Sith, dramatically improving their skills - and giving their masters the opportunity to practice their leadership skills at the same time.

Basics

A Master/Student Program can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make it. You can have long lists of requirements, procedures, tests, etc., or you can have none. However, there are some aspects of a MSP that are found in all programs, large and small. Herein are some common features of all, with suggestions for new programs.

Eligibility:
To be eligible for this program you must be a Sith Knight or higher to be a master and a Jedi Hunter or lower to be a student. Anyone at all can join as Students (Coming in as an APP and starting right off as a student).

Typically, students can be any rank lower than Sith Knight and Masters can be any rank Sith Knight and higher.

Joining
The program is not mandatory. Both the master and the student most agree to the program for it to be in effect. It is recommended that lower-level members join early.y.

Pairing
Sometimes random pairing works, sometimes people request a specific Student or Master, and sometimes pairs must be decided in advance before both the Student and Master join the program. As the program director, the GM has the finial say in determination of Master/Student pairings.

Suggestion: Pick the pairs yourself, but allow people to request specific Students or Masters.

Activities
Though only a few people said they had specific activities for their MSP, most of them liked the activities - and wanted more. These can be organized either by you or the individual masters, though having a list of activities for students to do would definitely be useful. Some examples of activities or tasks that the Master could ask of the Student include but are not limited to:

Suggestion: This depends on how much of a control freak you are. If you need to control everything, then you’ll probably want to hand out activities about once a week or so. If you aren’t so needy, let your Masters give out activities, but have a list of activities on hand in case your Masters ask for specific things to do.

Rank Advancement/Awards
Programs set by the Masters must meet approval by the Grand Master for rank advancement time line and what activities will be performed to reach each stage. Masters, though, should be rewarded for their efforts, as they are volunteering their time for the benefit of the Clan. For each rank awarded their student a Master will receive a medal. Other ways to reward a master are subject to review of the Grand Master at the Masters request and at the beginning of the training. This will not be changed mid training..

Sith Knight Trials
The rank of Sith Knight is perhaps the most anticipated of any rank in the entire EH for obvious reasons. This program makes sure students meet the basic criteria and more. However, Masters are encouraged to have specific tasks their students must perform in order to be promoted to Sith Knight. Following what we know from the actual movies, these tasks are combined and called the Dark Jedi Knight trials. Some Sith Knight trials include writing multiple pieces of fiction in various styles, flying in all forms, fighting a series of progressively more difficult fights, and the like Other Sith Knight trials are not as rigidly set, but rather take into account the Student’s strengths and weaknesses. This type of trial might have a student who is good at poetry but not so great at prose focus on stories rather than poems. Exams to test a Sith Knight candidate’s worthiness are also encouraged but not required. These exams can be on something specific (the Dark Side Compendium), broad (the EH and DB as a whole), or even multiple exams. The Trails should be a part of the plan submitted to the Grand Master for approval.

Suggestion: Pick a procedure for promoting to Sith Knight and make it known. Whether it be some sort of trial, or nothing at all. As the program director, you can change the promotion procedures at any time, so if something doesn’t work, you can try something else.

Other Considerations

There’s no particular order to these, so I’ll just list them as I remember them. Most of these are comments I received from people in a Master/Student Program. You can use them or not. If you want to keep your program simple and with as few rules as possible, you may want to skip this section entirely. Reasons are given for each consideration, but this does not mean the reasons work in every situation.

Masters should not hold positions within the House/Clan. Although the Masters who held such positions had no objections, Students didn’t like it. The main argument here is that Masters who hold positions already look after several members, so their time is not solely devoted to their student(s). This is especially true for House and Clan Summits, whose duties often take up all their allotted DB time.

Only one Student per Master. Following the tradition laid down by Darth Bane, Masters should only have one Student at a time. This allows Masters to focus on their charge, and devote as much time as the Student needs. Plus, with more than one Student, favoritism comes into the equation, which is rarely a good thing.

Students must be lower than Sith Knight and Masters must be Sith Knight or higher. The rank of Dark Jedi Knight signifies that a member has proven himself or herself in battle, knows the intricacies of the DB, and is ready for the challenges of leadership. Lower level members do not have this sort of knowledge, which is why they are in the program in the first place. Also, members Dark Jedi Knight and higher should possess all necessary skills, and should they lack any, they should be capable of learning on their own at this point.

Conclusion

Always remember that the Master/Student Program is designed to help the student adapt to life as a Dark Brotherhood member. As well, they are designed to give masters a chance to impart their wisdom. Obtaining the rank of Dark Jedi Knight or higher is only a side benefit. The program should be fun, but should not interfere with normal Clan duties. Be flexible: if your Master/Student Program members want a highly structured program, then the master should create one. If they want a more relaxed and easy-going program, then the master should create one. Experiment with different approaches, rules, activities, etc., as you may find that your students prefer certain things over others.

Credits:

Created by Krath Epis Troutrooper
Edits by:

• Kreeayt Havok, SWL Tygra Shadowclaw

To earn this certification you must fulfill your Master’s expectations or succesfully mentor a student and then contact the Grandmaster/Deputy Grandmaster.