S'southi

The S'southi, also known as the Dark Empire or the Horde, was a major political entity based within the Andromeda galaxy that invaded the Milky Way galaxy in 2560.

Religion
The S'southi worshiped a pantheon of deities which primarily revolved around encounters between Forerunner entities such as the Forefathers or Precursor entities such as The Watcher. Despite this, the gods that these entities were perceived as were already extant in the pantheon for centuries and had their roots long before the founding of the empire.

Sal'esam'ai
Sal'esam'ai was an ancient deity that represented unrivaled power and knowledge, and was the prime deity of the S'southi pantheon. Binding Enlightenment, a construct from the Forefathers, was interpreted as the embodiment of Sal'esam'ai.

Ka'strohne
Ka'strohne was an ancient deity that represented hard work and loyalty. The Forefathers, with the exception of Binding Enlightenment, were seen as the embodiments of Ka'strohne.

Laeon
Laeon was a relatively modern deity that represented the unknown and the guardian of all that is beyond. Laeon initially was interpreted to be the Milky Way galaxy by the prehistoric S'southi, but was soon shifted by the S'southi's encounter with The Watcher, in which The Watcher became the embodiment of Laeon.

Seos'tri
Seos'tri was an ancient deity that represented the apocalypse. Initially believed to be in slumber in another Galaxy by the ancient S'southi, Seos'tri soon was believed to reside within the heart of every Galaxy, which lead to the S'southi gaining a strong aversion to the Galactic Center and black holes by extension.

Es'pare
Es'pare was an ancient deity that represented death and was lord of the underworld. Es'pare was believed by the S'southi to be one of the strongest deities, second only to Sal'esam'ai. According to S'southi mythology, Es'pare was entombed within a distant galaxy by Ka'strohne and Seos'tri after Es'pare gained too much power, from which he twisted it into a place of despair and horror.

Gresata
Gresata was an ancient deity that represented love and reproduction. Despite being such a seemingly passive deity, S'southi mythology describes Gresata as a strong and vengeful god. Said to rule over the "Sesaimaelas't", a place of peace and love, Gresata was often actively seeked out by the S'southi. Cassandra was mistakenly identified as the embodiment of Gresata by Sark during the Forefather War.

Cult of Es'pare
The Cult of Es'pare was the most organised religious sect within the S'southi apart from the main pantheon. Focusing all worship on Es'pare, the stated goal of all members of the cult was to free Es'pare from their imprisonment and assist them in their conquest of the galaxy.

Cult of Gresata
The Cult of Gresata was a pacifist cult within the S'southi. Believing that life was created for the sole purpose of love and reproduction, members of the Cult of Gresata almost entirely lived within closed-off societies in which they practiced these actions freely.

Oracle's Teachings
The teachings of the Oracle, a prominent member of prehistoric S'southi mythology, were a very popular set of loose religious teachings. These teachings rejected the ideas of the Caste system and believed all are equal, and that the S'southi could only achieve divinity through absolute peace. Despite their want for peace, those who followed the teachings were encouraged to commit great atrocities in order to achieve said peace.