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.)
Collectively, the Dreadknights look to establish chapterhouses everywhere, firstly in order to further the plots and ambitions of the Dread Emperor, and secondly, to further the ambitions and espionage against one another. In the West and North, these are often public establishments; in the East, more subdued (if not entirely clandestine).
Publicly, a Dreadhouse (the common nickname for a chapterhouse of the Knights of the Dread Order) looks to support the local government. This will often take the form of assistance from Order Martial in policing the local areas, though even the Order Shadow can often be of use, such as through counter-espionage against Rogues Guilds, for example, or targeted assassinations of "disruptive elements" the government cannot track down. The Order Divine will often open its doors to the sick and the infirm, while the Order Arcane will look to influence weather, scry (for a price), or even escort ships or caravans.
Privately, and sometimes not so privately, the Dreadknights will often seek to undermine those elements within a city that would stand in the way of the Dread Emperor's further designs. This can take a variety of different forms, from outright civil insurrection to quiet influence over mercantile affairs.
Internally, each Dreadhouse has a leader from each of the Four Corners, and the quartet often wrangle amongst themselves for control of the Dreadhouse, or for assignments that will elevate them within their particular Corner to higher station. While nominally required to work together, rarely does an entire Dreadhouse actually do so, and it is not uncommon for the casualties of a Dreadhouse to be due more to internal conflict than any activity outside the Dreadhouse itself. Open warfare between the Corners is explicitly forbidden, however, so all conflict must be at least reasonably defensible.