The Grand Master's Royal Guard (also known as the GMRG) is comprised of the most dedicated and active gamers within the Dark Brotherhood. The mandate of a Royal Guardsmen focuses on excelling in regular competitions to improve their standing in the eyes of the Grand Master, and reaping the rewards such recognition bestows upon them. In this course, you will obtain a complete understanding of the Guard’s system of loyalty, ranks, and what sets its members apart from the average Brotherhood Jedi.

History of the Grand Master's Royal Guard

Under the influence of the 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 Grand Master Khyron to form the Grand Master's Royal Guard. In the same vein as Palpatine's Imperial Royal Guard, Khyron sought to assemble 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 time went by, less and less capable warriors took up the mantle of leading the Royal Guard, and their training fell into disarray. Instead of an elite organization, it became a volunteer corps, with loyalty being second to the glory of wearing the crimson armor. Their famed loyalty fractured and their training compromised, Grand Master Sarin put an end to the organization in 21 ABY, disbanding it shortly before the Insurrection of Force-resistant aliens on Antei. Well known to many was Sarin's prowess in battle, but scholars often remark about the Grand Master's death on Antei several years later while fighting the Jedi Master Omancor Crask. Some speculate that if the Royal Guard were present, the Dark Lord of the Sith would not have needlessly died in the sands of Antei.

The famed sabreur Muz Ashen ascended to the Iron Throne shortly afterwards. After witnessing the former Grand Master's fate, Ashen recognized the need for a new Royal Guard to secure his position. The Dark Lord consulted with several of the most effective and loyal members of the Brotherhood and returned the Royal Guard to prominence. Temporarily reinstating the brutally effective training ground on Lyspair, under the command of the Grand Master's Fist, the Royal Guard would live again. A year after being reinstated, the Guard relocated to The Spike on Antei, a place that was closer to the Dark Council and the Dark Hall.

In 32 ABY, after then Grand Master Muz Ashen destroyed Antei using the Rite of Obscuration, the Grand Master's Royal Guard found itself in need of a new headquarters. This search came to an end when Grand Master Pravus brought the Star Chamber to the planet Arx in 35 ABY. With a new home established for the Brotherhood at large, the Royal Guard built a new training center, called the Crucible, in the Sorasu Desert.

Entrance to the Guard and Elevations

To become a member, you are required to pass this exam with an 85% or higher. It's that simple. But to advance, you need to game for the Dark Jedi Brotherhood and follow the Rites of Combat, which will be explained later. There are twelve (12) ranks in the Grand Master's Royal Guard, which can be climbed by earning society points through various gaming activities, achievements and service, as follows:

Activity, Achievement or Service	Points Earned
Cluster of Earth	1 Point
Cluster of Fire	2 Points
Pendant of Blood	10 Points
First Place	35 Points x Multiplier*
Second Place	25 Points x Multiplier*
Third Place	15 Points x Multiplier*
Organize Fist Approved Competition	50 Points
90 Days as P:FIST	70 Points (per 90 day period)
90 Days as M:FIST	50 Points (per 90 day period)
90 Days as T:SWTOR	70 Points (per 90 day period)
120 Days as Fist	120 Points (per 90 day period)

Placement Multipliers:
- Novae Awarding: 3x
- 1st Level Crescents: 2.5x
- 2nd Level Crescents: 2x
- 3rd Level Crescents: 1.5x
- 4th Level Crescents: 1.25x
- 5th Level Crescents: 1x

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Society Rank and Award

Each rank comes with awards in the form of credits, possessions and the chance to compete on the quarterly GMRG Leaderboard to protect a Dark Councilor and earn their unique accessory. The society ranks, pointed required to earn them, and awards are listed below.

Society Rank	Points Required to earn the Rank	Reward
GMRG:I	Pass the GMRG SA Course with an 85% or higher	GMRG Warbanner Tasset
GMRG:II	50	Royal Guard Shock Gloves
GMRG:III	100	Royal Guard Datapad
GMRG:IV	225	Guardsman Warbanner Pattern
GMRG:V	400	Royal Guard Armor
GMRG:VI	650	Royal Guard Force Pike / Eligibility to complete in GMRG leaderboard for Dark Councilor Accessory
GMRG:VII	1000	Royal Guard Electro-Bisento / Vibro-voulge
GMRG:VIII	1,350	Royal Guard Holobook
GMRG:IX	1,750	Elite Royal Guard Armor
GMRG:X	2,500	Royal Guard Twin Vibro-Arbir Blades
GMRG:XI	3,500	Royal Guard Personal Shield
GMRG:XII	4,750	Royal Guard Bilari Electro-Chain Whip

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At the start of each quarter (January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st), the Clusters of Fire and Clusters of Earth earned by all members ranked VI (6) and above will be tallied and assigned a point value. Clusters of Earth are worth one point, and Clusters of Fire are worth two.

On 1 January 2019, the formula for the GMRG score changed to include placement in Fist-led gaming competitions. The updated formula is designed to equate a first place finish (10 points) with 1000 CFs and 2000 CEs. The site auto-calculates the GMRG score as follows:

CE(.005) + CF(.01) + (a+b+c) = GMRG Score

• a=10 (Number of 1st Place Finishes in Quarterly Gaming Comps)
  
• b=5 (Number of 2nd Place Finishes in Quarterly Gaming Comps)
  
• c=3 (Number of 3rd Place Finishes in Quarterly Gaming Comps)
  

The top ten point-earning members members (restricted to ranks VI and above) on the leaderboard will be the Guardsmen assigned to the Dark Councilors for the next quarter. Guardsmen will get to choose their Dark Councilor assignments in the order of who earned the most points during the quarter. A special Trophy will be earned for the member who places first overall, as well as for the members who place in the remaining top spots. These ten individuals will be the Guardsmen assigned to the Dark Councilors for the next quarter. Guardsmen will get to choose their Dark Councillor assignments in order of who earned the most Clusters during the quarter.

At the end of each subsequent quarter, the process will repeat, and new Dark Council Guardsmen will be assigned; however, past Guardsmen will get to keep their Dark Council Guardsman Accessories permanently.

Rites of Combat

The Rites of Combat can be found on the DJBWiki.

The Rites of Combat are the standard set of rules for any gaming event or competition in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, including Gaming Nights and Vendettas. Unit leaders are encouraged to to tell members about the Rites so they do not violate it. Violations of the Rites fall under the jurisdiction of the Fist of the Brotherhood and the Justicar. Most violations cause members to have their matches deleted, but the repercussions could even include being banned.

Read over the Rites – there will be questions on the exam.

Conclusion

There you have it, the inner workings of the Grand Master's Royal Guard in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. Now the question is, do you have what it takes to become a member of the elite guard that already stands at the top of the hill?