Lord Commander of the Sentinel Order

The Lord Commander of the Sentinel Order is the highest military authority in the order, and part of the triumvirate (alongside the Lord Keeper of the Sentinel Order and Warden of the Sentinel Order) which rules the order. As the Lord Keeper and Warden are Weldic nobles with their own estates (and almost never have practical experience of the Order), the Lord Commander is in practice the supreme authority in the order. 
While this authority is relatively light among the six Disciplines of the order, the Lord Commander is responsible for much of the diplomacy and promotion of the order, the strategic goals of the order, as well as acting as the lord of the order's base, Sentelthor.
Given the responsibilities of office, the requirements to be considered for Lord Commander are extensive. A Lord Commander must (if necessary) be able to inspire loyalty among individual Sentinels, while also having political and diplomatic experience to explain to a lord (or even a King) why they will not be getting the assistance they claim they need.

Requirements

The formal requirements for election are that a candidate be:

1. At least 40 years of age
2. A pledged knight
3. In 15 or more years service of the Order

In practice, it is essential that the candidate has held both a military command role (e.g. a detachment Commander) and an organisational command role (e.g. a Chapter Commander or more senior) to be considered. Additionally, not all Disciplines have an equal chance of providing a Lord Commander. The Black Sentinels have never openly provided one (they have rarely 'openly' done anything...), and the White Sentinels are also less likely to provide a Lord Commander - as they are thought to have too little understanding of the rest of the order. The Red and Green Sentinels - engaged in most of the public activity of the order - are by far the most numerous providers of Lord Commanders, though successful members of the Blue Sentinels who seek election are well placed to be successful.

Appointment

Lord Commanders are appointed by the Lord Keeper and Warden, after election by the Sentinel Council. As the Lord Commander is more removed from most Sentinels than their own commanders, there is less of a democratic element - and the Council alone votes. Elections are scheduled when the current Lord Commander reaches the age of 74 (one year before loss of office), and as necessary in the case of death.
As a military order, the statutes deal extensively with death in office - particularly violent death. An election owing to death in office requires only two thirds of the Council present, and if the Lord Commander is killed in battle, any five members of the Council can proclaim an Acting Lord Commander for military command as long as that conflict endures. A final situation is envisaged (though has never occurred) - the death of the Lord Commander in defence of Sentelthor under siege. In this instance, the Castellan becomes the military commander of the siege (and must appoint a replacement Castellan), while all Sentinel forces outside the fortress are required to unite under the Warden to relieve the siege.

Type

Nobility, Military

Status

Extant

Creation

before 1000 AH

Form of Address

My Lord

Source of Authority

The Sentinel Council

Length of Term

Until the age of 75

Reports directly to

Lord Keeper of the Sentinel Order

Related Organizations

• The Sentinel Order