The Dread Host, also referred to as the Dread Guard, comprised brainwashed Imperial personnel and Sith warriors who were under the complete command of the Dread Masters. These six Sith Lords of immense power served the Sith Emperor for centuries in the roles of prophets, generals, and advisors. The Dread Masters deployed the Dread Host across numerous campaigns to acquire strategic locations, valuable artifacts, and other essential resources to facilitate their widespread campaign of terror throughout the galaxy. Their initial deployment was on Denova, and the Host subsequently appeared on Asation, Section X located on Belsavis, Darvannis, and ultimately Oricon, where they faced final defeat alongside the Dread Masters themselves.
The Dread Masters were the sole authority to which the Dread Host answered, setting them in opposition to both the Republic and the Sith Empire. The Host's ranks were filled with individuals either recruited or mentally enslaved from both factions, yet its structure mirrored that of the Imperial Military. Many soldiers continued to use their standard Imperial equipment and uniforms, particularly when stationed in Section X. However, when encountered on Oricon, the uniforms had shifted, favoring the color red over the traditional black. The Dread Host commander, Malora Pradon, wore a modified Imperial officer's uniform with red shading instead of gray. Primarily a ground force, there are no documented instances of the Dread Host engaging in space combat. The Dread Host incorporated a significant number of Sith combatants, who were integrated into units alongside regular troopers. On Oricon, battle droids were also part of the units. While the precise hierarchy of the Dread Host remains unknown, soldiers and Sith alike held command positions. The Dread Masters were the undisputed supreme authority.
The formation of the Dread Host occurred during the resurgence of the Galactic War, following the imprisonment and subsequent release of the Dread Masters. This military force separated itself from the Imperial Military after the presumed death of the Sith Emperor, which liberated the Dread Masters from his control.
The Republic lacked precise knowledge of the Dread Host's origins. The unit consisted of Imperial troops and Sith who had served them before their capture, Imperials who defected to join their ranks, and individuals converted to their cause through the Dread Masters' powers of fear and madness. Jedi investigations suggested that the latter group was the largest, with only a small number willingly serving the Dread Masters. Attempts to rehabilitate captured members of the Host proved unsuccessful due to the severe psychological damage inflicted by their masters' constant manipulation. This brainwashing resulted in the Host members being not only completely loyal but also paranoid and incurably insane.
A contingent of the Dread Host was dispatched to Asation in the Gree Enclave with the objective of summoning the entity known as the Terror From Beyond. This force was under the command of the reconstructed Trandoshan Warlord Kephess. The Dread Host forces successfully overwhelmed and corrupted the Gree's defenses and began the process of opening the hypergate. However, the Gree requested assistance from both the Republic and the Sith Empire, leading to the deployment of a strike team to the planet. The Dread Host forces stationed there, including commanders Ciphas, Heirad, and Kel'sara, were eliminated. Despite this setback, the Jedi Order believed that the unit had managed to transmit some information off-world, including hypergate technology.
The Dread Host was sent to Section X on Belsavis with the mission of securing Rakata artifacts and other technology stored within the vaults. Of particular interest were the Aurora Cannon weapon and the wreckage of the Fatality, a vessel they had intentionally crashed there years prior, which contained a shipment of HK-51 assassin droids. Both Republic and Imperial forces opposed this endeavor. A strike team successfully destroyed the Aurora Cannon and killed the Dread Guard Commander who was guarding it. Furthermore, a spacer recovered the necessary HK-series components to reactivate an HK-51 droid and seized control of the Fatality after defeating a Dread Host Sith known as the Lord of Agony.
Dread Master Styrak brought a contingent of the Dread Host with him to Darvannis as part of his effort to recruit mercenary and Hutt Cartel forces to his cause. This unit attempted to defeat the strike team sent to disrupt the mission, but it was destroyed along with its master.
A substantial number of Dread Host forces were stationed on Oricon, surrounding the Dread Fortress, which served as the Dread Masters' primary base of operations. These units defended the fortress against attacks from the Republic's Strike Team Oricon and the Empire's Dread Executioners. The Dread Host's ranks were augmented by Corruptor droids, tendrils generated by the Bothrium Beast, corrupted lifeforms, and numerous corrupted and insane Imperial and Republic troops and Force-sensitives.
Initially, they managed to push back the attackers to their camps and, with the aid of the Dread Masters' fear induction, nearly overwhelmed them. However, the Dread Host was repelled following the arrival of enemy reinforcements and the formation of a temporary alliance between Republic and Imperial forces. The Dread Host suffered significant losses due to enemy action. The Bothrium Beast was defeated, and the terraforming project was destroyed. A spacer infiltrated the central watchtower, seized the control computer located there, and killed Commander Zaoron when he attempted to defend it.
Subsequently, the Dread Masters ordered ships to launch, carrying a plague of terror to hundreds of worlds throughout the galaxy. However, a strike team breached the outer perimeter of the Dread Fortress, destroyed the transports, and killed the commanders guarding them. Shortly thereafter, another strike team, possibly the same one, penetrated the Dread Fortress, killed Dread Master Brontes, and discovered the portal to the Dread Fortress. The Dread Masters were then killed by the strike team, leading to the disbandment of the Dread Host.
The Dread Masters' initial release occurs as a consequence of player actions in Star Wars: The Old Republic at the conclusion of the Imperial quest line on Belsavis. A significant portion of endgame content created since the game's initial release focuses on the subsequent activities of the Dread Masters. The Dread Host typically appears as general mobs in quest areas where the Dread Masters are active and during operations centered on the Dread Masters' plans and schemes. With the release of Operation: The Dread Palace and the in-game death of the Dread Masters, the Dread Host's role can be considered concluded.
A developer blog offers an in-universe perspective on this organization.