The Grand Master's Royal Guard was a society formed by Lord Justinian Khyron shortly after an altercation with a rebel Clan known as Ar'Kell. Khyron felt it was necessary to form an elite corps of body guards, in the same vain as Palpatine's Emperor's Royal Guard, to protect the Dark Council from devious plots and assassination attempts. The Guard served in this capacity under many different leaders, with many different concepts of protection, until the society was closed in 26 ABY by Grand Master Sarin. In 33 ABY Muz Ashen reinstated the Royal Guard under his new Fist of the Brotherhood. In 35 ABY the headquarters of the Guard was moved from the Shadow Academy, to The Spike on Antei.
History of the Guard
Under the influence of the former Grand Master known as "the Other", Clan Ar'kell staged a massive revolt in an attempt to overthrow the Dark Council. Their first attempt was to strike out at individual Council members. Fortunately, Ar'kell was driven back and fled to the Core to form their own splinter organization. It was their assassination attempts that led Khyronto form the Grand Master's Royal Guard. An elite sect of Dark Jedi soldiers, trained and conditioned to be peerless protectors of the reigning Dark Lord and his Council. Initial training was conducted under the supervision of Master Blazer, a loyal servant of the Brotherhood and a powerful warrior.
As the Grand Masters Royal Guard progressed the warriors leading the Guard became less capable and training began to become inefficient. The Royal Guard became more of a volunteer corps rather than an elite organization and as wearing the famed armor became the primary motivation. When Grand Master Sarin saw the Guard's loyalty as questionable and quality of training fading he decided to put an end to the organization shortly before the Yuuhzan Vong Incursion on Antei in 26 ABY. Many believe that if the Royal Guard were present Grand Master Sarin would not have died needlessly in the sands of Antei during the Ninth Great Jedi War while fighting Jedi Master Omancor Crask in 30ABY.
Shortly after these events and his ascension to the Iron Throne Grand Master Muz Ashen, being a former Guardsman himself, recognized the need for a new Royal Guard. The Dark Lord along with Headmaster Taigikori Aybara Dupar and the Grand Master’s Fist Ma`ar-Tyrius Ga-Tir, reinstated a brutal training ground on Lyspair and the Royal Guard lived once again. In 35 ABY, Fremoc Pepoi took over the guard as Ma'ar stepped away, and within the year Fremoc moved the Guard to Antei at The Spike to be closer to the Dark Hall and the members it was protecting.
In 37 ABY Valhavoc noticed that while members of the Royal Guard would aggressively climb through the ranks, upon reaching the top Echelon the motivation for additional growth seemed to dissipate. He implemented a training system which challenged members of the top Rank to compete for the opportunity to guard a Dark Councilor, and commissioned rewards to be crafted by the Herald to be given to individuals who have earned this distinct privilege, by excelling beyond their peers in their martial combat prowess.
Guard Training
File:Gm royal guard.jpgTwo guardsmen train Guardsmen's training is broken down into the different Echelons. Upper Echelon Guardsmen assist with the training of the Lower Echelons. The Fist of the Brotherhood exclusively trains the upper Echelons because of their knowledge in combat and military tactics.
Guardsman are taught several disciplines, but their focus is mainly on personal combat and protection of their assigned person. As the last line of defense for the Grand Master and his Dark Council, each member is expected to be a master of their craft, and train themselves physically and mentally every day. Lightsaber combat is featured predominately over the other disciplines, and all training is conducted with live weaponry. Most guardsmen are also trained for special operations, assassinations, and other military tactics. It is not uncommon for Dark Councilors to go on their own covert missions, and require the services of their Guardsmen as more than frontline soldiers.
Rank System
As ambition drives the normal ranks of the Dark Brotherhood, it is also a valuable tool within the structure of the Grand Master's Royal Guard as well. Through sheer determination, a member may advance within the hierarchy of ranks within the Royal Guard. To do so, they need to earn Clusters of Fire and eventually Pendants of Blood.
Ranks within the Grand Master's Royal Guard are broken into four echelons and twelve ranks. As one advances within the Society, special features are unlocked: armor, weapons, robes, exclusive lightsaber hilts, and for the Fourth Echelon exclusive Accessories.
Guardsman Responsibilities
- Second Echelon (Rank V through VII) - Having shown some skill and loyalty, these Guardsmen are trusted with more specialized training and may be tasked to serve as escorts for Dark Councilor's Magistrates.
- Third Echelon (Rank VIII through X) - Exceptional abilities separate these Guardsmen from the rest. Their distinction and service is seen with the presence of Praetors and Tribunes.
- Fourth Echelon (Rank XI and XII) - Paragons of skill, dedication, and effort. These nine Guardsmen demonstrate the highest levels of combat readiness and situational awareness. It is these exemplary warriors that are trusted to guard the Grand Master and the Main Body Dark Council.
Rank Elevations (Important to Read)
After a member passes the GMRG History course in the Shadow Academy they are automatically enrolled in the Society. Following enrollment into the GMRG members will need to earn Clusters of Fire and Pendants of Blood to progress through the Ranks. Each Rank through Rank X (10) has a set amount of Clusters of Fire and Pendants of Blood that must be earned.
At the start of each quarter (January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st) the Clusters of Fire earned by all Rank X (10) members will be tallied. The Rank X (10) member who has earned the most CFs in the past Quarter will be promoted to Rank XII for the next quarter. The next highest eight Rank X (10) members will be promoted to Rank XI for the next quarter. These nine individuals will be the Guardsmen assigned to the Dark Councilors for the next quarter. Guardsmen will get to choose their Dark Councilor assignments in order of who earned the most CFs during the quarter.
At the end of the Quarter they'll drop back to Rank 10 (unless they rank as one of the top nine CF earners again) and new Dark Council Guardsmen will be assigned, however past Guardsmen will get to keep their Dark Council Guardsman Accessories permanently.
- Note: Rank 11 and 12 Guardsmen will be assigned the Accessory of the Dark Councilor who is holding the position at the time of their promotion to Rank 11 or 12. If a new Councilor is appointed their Accessory will be awarded at the start of the next quarter. Basically, you can't get two peoples Accessories in one quarter.
- Note: Dark Council Guardsman Accessories will be unique to each member who holds a Dark Council Position, if a new Councilor is appointed a new Accessory will be created by the Herald with the input of the new Councilor.
Rank Chart
| Rank
|
| GMRG Rank
|
Abbreviation
|
Required to earn the Rank
|
Reward
|
| Level 1
|
GMRG:I
|
Pass the GMRG SA Course with an 85% or higher
|
GMRG Warbanner Tasset
|
| Level 2
|
GMRG:II
|
40 CF's
|
|
| Level 3
|
GMRG:III
|
100 CF's
|
|
| Level 4
|
GMRG:IV
|
220 CF's
|
Guardsman Warbanner Pattern
|
| Level 5
|
GMRG:V
|
400 CF's and 1 PoB
|
|
| Level 6
|
GMRG:VI
|
640 CF's and 2 PoB
|
|
| Level 7
|
GMRG:VII
|
940 CF's and 3 PoB
|
|
| Level 8
|
GMRG:VIII
|
1300 CF's and 5 PoB
|
|
| Level 9
|
GMRG:IX
|
1720 CF's and 7 PoB
|
|
| Level 10
|
GMRG:X
|
2220 CF's and 10 PoB
|
|
| Level 11
|
GMRG:XI
|
Refer to Rank Elevations section
|
Dark Councilor Accessory
|
| Level 12
|
GMRG:XII
|
Refer to Rank Elevations section
|
Dark Councilor Accessory
|
Current Guard Assignments to the Dark Council
Guardsmen are assigned to the position, not to the person. Per standard operating procedures Guardsmen will wear their Royal Guard armor whenever on assignment to their Councilor.
GMRG Specific Competitions and Training
In order to keep the Guardsman in top fighting condition the Fist of the Brotherhood has seen to it that there are regularly scheduled wargames. These serve not only to hone Guardsman's abilities, but also give individuals a goal to strive for and bragging rights to their peers.
Gorefest
Gorefest is a competition that is held at the end of every month for GMRG members only. It is a brutal test of member's skills and endurance with gaming. At the end of the weekend, who ever has the best PVP Score (defined as Matches Won * Matches Won/Matches Played) is awarded the title, Gladiator of Gorefest, until the next Gorefest takes place.
Requirements:
Rewards:
- Double CF's
- 2nd Level crescents
Current Gladiator of Gorefest: Blade Ta'var
Current Roster of the GMRG
For a currest Roster showing all members of the Grand Master's Royal Guard and their Ranks refer to the GMRG Society Roster.
Commander of the Guard
Throughout its many years of service, the Grand Master's Royal Guard saw the appointment of many Commanders. Though some names have been lost to time, below serves as a list of the former Commander's of the Guard, in order of most recent to earliest.
| Former Commanders
|
| Name
|
Service Dates MM/YY
|
| Faron
|
January 1998 - March 1998
|
| Blazer
|
March 1998 - August 1998
|
| ShadowXX
|
September 1998 - December 1998
|
| Dreadnaught
|
January 1999 - June 1999
|
| Z'lar Kahn
|
July 1999 - November 1999
|
| D'Artagnan
|
November 1999 - December 1999
|
| Raistlin Majerus Sadow
|
December 1999 - April 2000
|
| Z'lar Kahn
|
May 2000 - June 2000
|
| Kelric
|
July 2000 - September 2000
|
| Tuojas
|
October 2000 - December 4, 2000
|
| Blade Cannabisia
|
December 9, 2000 - January 2001
|
| Z'lar Kahn
|
February 2001 - July 28, 2001
|
| Rizlib
|
July 28, 2001 - September 18, 2001
|
| Telaris "Mav" Cantor
|
September 22, 2001 - November 9, 2001
|
| Sharad Hett
|
November 30, 2001 - April 2, 2002
|
| Sithspawn
|
April 11, 2002 - September 12, 2002
|
| Ziguarath
|
October 5, 2002 - December 20, 2002
|
| Shadow Taldrya
|
December 20, 2002 - February 12, 2003
|
| Halcyon Rokir
|
August 4, 2003 - April 27, 2004
|
| Demosthenes
|
May 11, 2004 - January 24, 2005
|
| Jasru Lakca
|
February 13, 2005 - May 9, 2005
|
| Sharad Taldrya Hett
|
May 9, 2005 - July 26, 2005
|
| Khobai Wrathraven
|
July 26, 2005 - Jan 6, 2007
|