Dread Sentinel

The Dread Sentinels were the personal bodyguards and champion warriors of the warlord Lothar Kass`l.

History
The forebears of the Dread Sentinels were Lothar's bodyguards after he absconded from the mainstream Nagai military, taking many ships with him and forming what became the Dread Fleet. Lothar attracted many Nagai warriors to his cause, and he preferred to devote the majority of them to frontline combat against the s and others. However, he kept a handful of distinguished warriors near him, both for the value of their counsel and for their physical protection.

After the name "the Dread Fleet" caught on, Lothar officially named his personal guards the "Dread Sentinels". He recruited them from among the best of his shock troops, forming an elite bodyguard squad. They also protected his first wife, Arethyne, and their twins sons Broll and Veli.

In the wake of Arethyne's death in 123 ABY, Lothar became more merciless, and the Dread Sentinels were often at the forefront of his avenging parties. They became feared as well as respected, the outward face of the "Terror of Firefist". Dread Sentinels served as the personal combat instructors of Lothar's twins, as well as his later children Jehra and Ravi.

Service
Dread Sentinels served as both bodyguards and advisors; recruited from among the very finest soldiers, they had the combat skills needed to protect the Kass`ls, as well as the practical experience to advise Lothar about battle. Many also taught the Kass`l children fighting skills. The Dread Sentinels were expected to serve to death; those too old for combat commanded their younger comrades and served as Lothar's closest advisors.

They were also chosen for their loyalty, and thoroughly indoctrinated in obedience to Lothar himself above all others. Dread Setinels were expected to carry out all commands without hesitation or question, and after Arethyne Kass`l died, they were often the face of the most brutal of Lothar's campaigns and his most repressive policies.

The number of Dread Sentinels varied, though it was never more than a few dozen.