Introduction to the Grand Master's Royal Guard

The exact founding of the elite society known as the Grand Master's Royal Guard has long since been forgotten, or is at least purposely hidden from the majority of the Dark Jedi. Today the Guard is no longer in service to the Dark Brotherhood, and only one Guardsman remains in service to the Dark Brotherhood this day, his name being Destavol Gin. The Grand Master's Royal Guard historically stood as the Dark Brotherhood's prideful honor guard, and elite warrior unit. Originally, the Royal Guardsmen were built up of Obelisk only and it was required that you be extremely skilled with either Lightsaber Combat, Gun Combat, or Force Combat. Members wishing to be initiated to the GMRG would have to challenge the Commander of the Guard and accomplish several goals set by the Commander to even be considered for acception.

If accepted into the GMRG a Dark Jedi would bear the title of RG:I or Royal Guardsman Initiate, but the title is all they were granted. It would be a long hard path for them to walk before they would earn the Blood Robes that their brothers and sisters all wore, and even longer before they earned their Death Pike. Several Dark Jedi have made it to the level of Initiate before, but most were killed after their initiation, some by missions they were sent on but most of which were killed during training against their fellow Royal Guardsmen. It was understood by the Royal Guardsmen that if you were too weak to live during a training session than you would be of no use to the Grand Master should the time come where you were called upon to defend them.

The Royal Guard was ever changing but it came to a stable point soon before it was closed. Before, the Royal Guardsmen were promoted based on skill, but eventually a system was implemented where Guardsmen would earn "Prestige" and so much of this prestige would lead to awards and promotions within the elite unit. Though this was the primary way of promotion and medal rewarding, there was always one rank that was constantly available and that is the rank of Commander of the Guard. There were only two ways to become the Commander of the Guard. The first being that the previous CoG leave and present you to the Grand Master for approval to become the next CoG, which was rarely done. The second was that you must defeat the current Commander of the Guard in honorable combat of all forms meaning in Lightsaber Combat with and without the use of the Force, Gun Combat with and without the use of the Force, and in Force-only duels. Though it was rare for the Commander to fall in battle, it did happen from time to time and new Commanders were appointed this way.

Royal Guard Training

Should a member of the Dark Brotherhood survive their initial test to gain entrance into the GMRG, the entire roster of Guardsmen excluding Initiates would vote on the induction of the member. A majority vote would always rule, even over the Commander's decision. The only member of the entire DB that could overrule the vote of the GMRG is the Grand Master himself, and this was never done as all Guardsmen were always trusted. After the vote was casted and a member accepted they would be given the rank of Initiate and their training to become a Royal Guardsman would begin.

The Initiate would be assigned to one of the higher ranking, full members of the GMRG as a student. They would follow all orders from their teacher without question or face expulsion from the GMRG, this was the only way things could be taught successfully. Many Initiates forgot this, and were slain by their teacher for questioning their will, but for those that were wise and strong, initial training came easily and it would not be long before they were considered full members and given a promotion to the rank of Disciple.

Initiates would be given several goals to complete over a period of time, and were tested every two weeks to see if they could meet the criteria of these goals. Once they met them and were promoted they could begin earning Prestige and working their way up the chain of ranks. Every task, competition or win the Guardsmen did for the GMRG earned them Prestige towards their next promotion or reward and it is because of this that the Guardsmen were constantly looking to better themselves some way some how. Even after their initial training it was required that Guardsmen train every day for at least one to two hours in their primary skill, be it Lightsabers, Gunning or Force. Eventually when the Guard admitted Sith and Krath the skills also enlisted DIE, KCC and Flying.

The Commander of the Guard

The Commander of the Grand Master's Royal Guard was a position of great pride and honor within the Dark Brotherhood, and only the finest of warriors could hold it. This was the only seat on the entire Dark Council that had no rank restrictions, even a Novice could become Commander of the Guard if they were skilled enough. It was the duty of the Commander to ensure that all of the Guard were active and fit as the GMRG was the primary unit to represent the Dark Brotherhood in all external club events such as ICTE or even Club vs Club activities. The Commander would ensure that all of his Guardsmen were training every day, and host the Royal Guard meeting every week. It was also the duties of the CoG to promote and reward all members of the Royal Guard that were deserving, which was nearly every other week. The Commander was the direct body guard of the Grand Master, and rarely was seen away from him other than to train with his unit.

The Commander of the Guard wore what was known as the "Shadow Robes" instead of the usual Blood Robes presented to full Guardsmen. The Shadow Robes were blessed directly by the Grand Master. Each set of Shadow Robes were a gift to the Commanders and were entrusted to them even after they were either defeated or retired. Depending on the requests of the Commander, each pair of Shadow Robes were different in their blessings and abilities, and to own a set of Shadow Robes would make the ordinary Novice competable with Jedi Hunters and Dark Jedi Knights. This is the true power of the Shadow Robes.

The Royal Guardsman

The most feared of all Dark Jedi were the Royal Guardsmen and their Commander. These Dark Jedi wore all red robes called "Blood Robes" and for those that were ranking enough, they wielded a pike known as the Death Pike. Each Guardsman was unique even though when standing next to each other they all looked the same. Each one had their own separate style of fighting, their own skills and ability that made them the most feared warriors the galaxy had ever seen. Some of the Guardsmen chose to not even use weapons but had come so far in their training could defeat their foes with their bare hands and the Force alone. Even though the Death Pike was the ceremonial weapon of the Guardsmen, most chose to wield their favored weapon, be it a lightsaber or even a concussion rifle.

It was the duty of each Guardsman to stay in peak shape and performance else suffer expulsion from their unit. Even though the Commander of the Guard was the leader of the GMRG, there was one other Guardsman that was feared and respected just about as much and this was the White Robed Sovereign Protector. This elite individual was selected by the Commander of the Guard to become next in line after him, and was often the most skilled Guardsman next to the CoG. Every Royal Guardsman had equal measure in the unit, and all treated one another with respect and honor. It was a great pride to serve along side your fellow brother and sister Guardsmen, and it was often they that would defend you even in situations outside of the GMRG.

The Circles of the Royal Guard

The Royal Guard was separated into three circles which were originally set up for Saberist, Gunners and Force Users, but as time passed on the circles became more than this. Finally one of the CoGs decided to deem the circles the Outer Circle, Inner Circle, and Supreme Circle. The Outer Circle was developed for members that were new and had not earned much prestige. The Inner circle was for members that were well seasoned and had earned a reasonable amount of prestige, but the Supreme Circle was reserved only for the CoG and hand selected warriors out of the GMRG. With exception of the Supreme Circle which was managed by the CoG, each circle had a Captain which designated the training and requirements to remain in the circle.

Credits

Written by Destavol Gin