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The Grand Master's Royal Guard was a society formed by Lord 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 Imperial Royal Guards, to protect the 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.
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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 Khyron to 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.
More to come...
Guard Training
Training in the Royal Guard was divided into tiered combat levels known as Circles. Each circle was comprised of six members, with the most experienced member called a Preceptor. The Preceptor was tasked with overseeing the training of the other five members, known as Neophytes. Neophytes would cycle through different circles once they had learned all they could from a Preceptor.
Guardsman were taught several disciplines, but their focus was mainly on personal combat. As the last line of defense for the Grand Master, each member was expected to perform beyond excellent and so they trained themselves, physically and mentally, every day. Lightsaber combat featured predominately over the other disciplines, and all training was conducted with live weaponry.
Eventually, higher-ranked members of the Guard were able to learn the ancient martial art of Echani from the Commander of the Guard. However, because the style required so much effort to learn, few ever spent the time to fully master the style. This, coupled with the fact that very few outside the Guard were privy to such training, has made Echani knowledge rare in the Brotherhood and the Galaxy as a whole.
Rank System
As ambition drives the normal ranks of the Dark Brotherhood, it can prove a valuable tool within the structure of the Grand Master's Royal Guard, as well. Through sheer determination, skill or service to the Iron Throne - a member may advance within the heirarchy of ranks within the Royal Guard. To do so, however, requires the individual to collect Loyalty Points (LP). These points are garnered through participation, mastery or positions within the Royal Guard; the number of LP, to the Iron Throne, also plays a critical part in determining one's current rank within the Guard.
Ranks within the Grand Master's Royal Guard are broken into four echelons, aptly numbered based on one's loyalty: First Echelon, Second Echelon, Third Echelon and Fourth Echelon. Within each echelon, assigned a numerical value, are the ranks of the Grand Master's Royal Guard. As one advances within the Society, progressing upward, special features are unlocked: armor, weapons, robes, and hand-to-hand skill in Echani.
Rank Chart
Rank Elevations
Unbridled glory and power awaits those whom advance within the Royal Guard. It is a a commendable feat whenever one attains a new rank in the Invite-Only Society, yet advancement into a new Echelon is often worthy of celebration as the prestige is rarely attained beyond the first cross-over (First Echelon to Second Echelon). For those whom attain enough points, they will be inducted into the Fourth Echelon and forever etched into the roster of the Royal Guard - they are second in power only to the Commander of the Guard and are the most vaunted of warriors within the Brotherhood.
Future
The future of the Guard is difficult to see. In time, perhaps, the Grand Master will see it as a viable organization, once more dedicated to the protection of the Dark Council. Though the Vong, and the great loss suffered at their hands during the Battle of Antei, have united the Clans against a common foe, many still believe the resurrection of the Grand Master's Royal Guard is all but inevitable. In time the Clans will turn on one another and the Council again, and with the Brotherhood already in disarray, the Royal Guard may be needed to prevent further disaster.