Militant Order: The Knights of Dread
The Knights of the Dread Order, or the Knights of the Dradehalian Order as they were originally known, are a militant order of individuals dedicated first to the survival, then to the aims, of the Dread Emperor of Dradehalia. They span all classes, and include most of the races of Azgaarnoth, with careful exception of any of the traditionally Hordish races--no Orc-kin, no Goblin-kin, no Minotaurs, none of the races that have any degree of authority or power in any of the Hordes are allowed except by direct order of the Emperor. (The Dread Emperor has a few prejudices.)
The Dread Knights are led by the Dread Emperor, but most orders come from the Order's Four Corners, who are four individuals that take the Emperor's requests and concerns and turn them into orders for the Knights. Historically these Dread Lords are each of the four archetypical classes: Martial (Fighter), Arcane (Wizard), Divine (Cleric), and Shadow (Rogue), but over time the positions are more symbolic and representative of the areas of responsibility. The Dread Lord Martial is responsible for the Order's military operations, the Dread Lord Arcane operations magical, the Dread Lord Divine operations spiritual, and the Dread Lord Shadow those operations done in the dark of the night.
- Dread Lord Martial:
- Dread Lord Arcane:
- Dread Lord Divine:
- Dread Lord Shadow:
It is not uncommon for there to be some intrigue between the Dread Lords, as the Dread Emperor has been known to show favoritism (in the way of gifts and greater autonomy) amongst his Dread Lords, but in general they are keenly aware that their position depends greatly on the efficacy of the Knights of Dread, and so will set aside all intrigues to ensure that an operation succeeds, particularly when that operation is under close scrutiny of the Dread Emperor. (What happens in between those operations, however, is often fair game, and more than one Dread Lord has found their position removed when resources they thought safe have been otherwise "occupied" by other activities.)