DB:Dark Side Compendium Litany of the Grand Masters

This page is about the history of Grand Masters of the Secret Order. For the history of Grand Masters of the Dark Brotherhood, see Litany of the Grand Masters of the Dark Brotherhood.

Litany I: The Reveal

"I have ended the Dark Brotherhood. Now you may raise the Secret Order of the Emperor’s Hammer."

— Grand Admiral Rapier

In the year 32 ABY (2023), Rapier, Grand Admiral of the Emperor's Hammer and Grand Master of the Dark Brotherhood, sensed the time had finally come for a new direction for the Brotherhood: the open revelation of the Secret Order.

To bring about this transition, the current Master-At-Arms of the Darth Brotherhood, Silwar Naiilo, was raised to the rank of Darth and appointed as the new Grand Master. In following the tradition of many before him, he took this opportunity to assume a new name that reflected his mandate "to rise, to grow, to build": Darth Surgo.

After taking some time to establish new Dark Council members and battleteam leaders, Darth Surgo began plotting the revelation of the Dark Brotherhood's true organization: the Secret Order, which sought not only acolytes of the Dark Side of the Force, but operatives with a particular set of skills that could serve the Grand Master and the Grand Admiral, and the more covert needs of the Emperor's Hammer...

Officially announced in Dark Voice #1 at the start of 33 ABY (2024), the Secret Order publicly opened its doors to not only practitioners of the Krath, the Orbalisk, and the Sith, but to the Collective as well - members who were not Force-sensitive, but had unique talents all the same.

As part of this transformation into the Secret Order, battleteams were dissolved and a new House was formed - House Palpatine, which all active operatives of the Secret Order were placed into. After a six month evaluation and review process, a new house was formed - House Valkorion. Both houses continue to be part of a single clan - Clan Drakonan.

Beyond the transformation of the Dark Brotherhood into the Secret Order, several notable tasks occurred during Darth Surgo's reign. The former DB platform (website) was migrated off the ancient systems and moved over to the same systems running the TIE Corps. The Dark Voice newsletter was relaunched. The first Vendetta in many years was held, with House Palpatine edging out House Valkorian as First House of the Secret Order. But the most important transformation, and the bulk of work during Darth Surgo's time as Grand Master, was without question the development of the Path System - a new system by which members of the Secret Order would earn experience points (EXP) for the activity they completed and use this EXP to unlock abilities and feats for their characters.

Darth Surgo's resignation would coincide with the release of the first version of the Path system, a fitting end for a Grand Master tasked to build and grow a new order from the seeds of the old brotherhood.

Litany II: The Path

Upon Darth Surgo's resignation, Executive Officer Kamjin "Maverick" Lap'lamiz was placed by Grand Admiral Rapier as the new Grand Master, in an appointment intended to be temporary. As part of this appointment, Grand Master Lap'lamiz was tasked with confirming the direction of the Secret Order and validating the Path System as the way forward for the organization, as well as finding a permanent replacement for Darth Surgo.

After a little over a month, Grand Master Lap'lamiz selected the current Commander of the Guard and co-architect of the Path System, Honsou Kessen as the new Grand Master, an act which validated the current direction of the Secret Order.

Grand Master Kessen now serves as the leader for the Secret Order, with the expansion and implementation of the Path system his primary goal and direction for the Secret Order...