Khoonee Sher Betala Hai

The Khoonee Sher Betala Hai are a small unit of Ghandaran elite soldiers who answer directly to the Imperial family. Each member of the Khoonee Sher Betala Hai has exceptional abilities, some preternatural. The unit was founded by Emperor Babar I following the First Battle of Medi Valley, when Ghandara ceded from the Jade Throne. Their name translates to Bloody Lion Wraiths. Each member of the Emperor's immediate family is assigned a Betala. To be assigned to a member of the Imperial house is a great honour for a Betala. These Betala serve these individuals with the utmost loyalty; a loyalty even the Emperor's orders cannot break.

Fact and Fiction

The Betala Hai hold lofty positions in Ghandaran society. Over the four centuries since the formation of the Betala Hai, numerous heroic deeds have been performed by those who have been selected as members. The Emperor alone has the right to recruit into the Betala Hai, and he may dismiss any Betala save those sworn to the service of an individual. Each Betala has something that sets them apart from the norm -- speed, strength, knowledge. Some Betala appear to have some magic, though with Ghandara's proximity to Karthain, this is unlikely. As an organisation, Khoonee Sher Betala Hai has ties to the nearby powers. These links are the organisation's, not the Ghandaran Empire's, and are used to source information and supplies necessary to the Betala's tasks.

The Bloody Lion

Legend has it that the first Betala was the spirit of a ferocious leonine demon Emperor Babar I fought to the death in his wilderness years. The lion, so moved by his opponent's honour, slew the psychopomps that came to usher him to the afterlife. Taking the form of a human, he swore to serve Babar I until his death, and follow him into the everafter. There are few public records chronicling the members of the group, but historical sources name this first Betala Laal Sinh -- the Red Lion. Though almost certainly a nom de guerre, Laal Sinh is a folk hero to patriotic Ghandarans.

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