The office of Grand Lord's Hand existed within the structure of the Lost Tribe of Sith on Kesh, a planet secluded in the far reaches of the Outer Rim Territories. Similar to the Emperor's Hands employed by other Sith regimes, these Hands functioned as intelligence gatherers and covert operatives for the governing Grand Lord, acting beyond the normal rules. The then-Grand Lord Varner Hilts at one point proposed to his daughter Takara Hilts that she take on the role of his personal Hand. Nonetheless, she refused the offer, choosing to become the Prefect of the Tahv Constabulary, a significantly less important position within the Sith organization.
In 2974 BBY, Varner presented Parlan Spinner, the former pariah and unwilling "rescuer" of the Tribe, with the same proposition. Spinner informed Varner that he would think about the job before leaving to meet Takara, his former adversary turned romantic partner. Subsequently, Varner confided in his wife, Grand Consort Iliana Hilts, his desire for both Spinner and Takara to eventually become his Hands.