Post by facemelter on Feb 4, 2012 17:20:40 GMT -5
The Templar Order is a military order of the Chantry that, amongst their duties, hunts apostates and maleficar and watches over the mages from the Circle of Magi. While they are officially deemed a force of defenders by the Chantry, established to protect the communities of the faithful from magical threats, they are in fact an army unto themselves; well-equipped, highly disciplined and devoted to the destruction of non-believers in the name of the Maker. One of their most important tasks occurs during a mage's Harrowing. During this, a templar watches over the body of the mage, ready to kill him or her if demonic possession occurs. To help them control mages, templars have abilities to dispel magic and to inhibit spellcasting. These abilities are a form of magic in themselves, caused by lyrium which they are all addicted too. A group of templars is led by a Knight-Commander and each Circle and the majority of chantries in Thedas are assigned one. Templars are also responsible for tracking fugitive mages, which they are able to accomplish when a phylactery has been taken from their quarry.
As they see it, they protect the innocents of the outside world from magic... but they also protect mages from the outside world, a world that fears them for very good reasons. It is a templar’s place to watch their charges for signs of weakness or corruption, and should they find it to act without hesitation for the good of all. That this occasionally leads to charges of tyranny and abuse is, according to the Chantry, a price that must be paid for the security the templars offer.
Some are saying, however, that this needs to change. They remind the world that mages are not controlled by templars everywhere in Thedas: not among the Rivaini witches, the Dalish keepers or the Tevinter magisters... and those societies are, arguably, no worse off. The Templar Order, however, is nothing if not certain of its role. From the glittering White Spire in Val Royeaux the Knight-Vigilant commands the templars to serve the Maker's will and keep the peace. By the common folk they are seen as self-sacrificing men and women, vigilant warriors that form the first line of defense between humanity and the chaos that once ruled the land during the old Imperium. To the mages they are often seen as oppressors, even well-meaning ones, and the gap between them is growing larger with each passing year.
Templars also have access to the Right of Annulment being the right to "pacify" or kill all mages in a Circle tower. This would be used in the event that total chaos was unleashed by the mages and there is no chance that they could be saved.
History
Most people don't remember the Templar Order as it once was. In the days when the Chantry was still young, templars were known as the "Inquisition" and combed the land in search of all dangers to humanity—whether they came in the form of blood mages, abominations, cultists or heretics. It was a dark and terrifying time in the history of Thedas, and one that only ended when the Chantry convinced the Inquisition to unite under the banner of their common faith. The name of their order changed, and their purpose became that of guardian and warden rather than hunter. The Inquisiton was divided in two groups: the Seekers of Truth and the Templar Order. Although now with a Mage-Templar war threatning the peace of the world once again, it may seem that the Seekers of Truth and the Templar Order have grown to a point where they again must stand united to get rid of evil, as their new leader Lord Seeker Lambert declared an annulment of the Nevarran accord, once the Mage rebellion escalated.
Templars in Thedas
While mages often resent the templars as symbols of the Chantry's control over magic, the people of Thedas see them as saviors and holy warriors, champions of all that is good armed with piety enough to protect the world from the ravages of foul magic. In reality, the Chantry's militant arm looks first for skilled warriors with unshakable faith in the Maker, with a flawless moral center as a secondary concern. Templars must carry out their duty with an emotional distance, and the Order of Templars would rather have soldiers with religious fervor and absolute loyalty than paragons of virtue who might question orders when it comes time to make difficult choices.
It is this sense of ruthless piety that most frightens mages when they get the templars' attention: when the templars are sent to eliminate a possible blood mage, there is no reasoning with them, and if the templars are prepared the mage's magic is often useless. Driven by their faith, the templars are one of the most feared and respected forces in Thedas.
Templars go through a rigorous process of recruitment and indoctrination, often in monastic refuges segregated from everyday society. While the majority of their members are male, some female templars do exist, having chosen to serve the Maker as a defender of the faith rather than a spiritual guide for the community. Templars are discouraged from marrying or raising children since it is impractical to live apart from ones' dependents. However, such unions are occasionally permitted, provided that the templar's spouse has his or her own means of support, for example, owning land or a title. A templar marrying another templar or a mage within the same Circle would be considered fraternization within the ranks and would seldom receive permission.
Lyrium addiction
All templars are also addicted to lyrium, which is officially used to help develop their anti-mage skills and unofficially used as a control mechanism by the Chantry. A lack of lyrium causes the templar to lose touch with reality and suffer from delusions.
It is confirmed that lyrium does have effective benefits for Templars, as it builds a resistance to magic in them over time, as well as increasing the effectiveness of their magic abilities, such as being able to shut off a mage's abilities entirely. Some people think that Templars are conditioned to be dependent on this mineral for its attributes, that the Chantry knows of its addictiveness and uses lyrium to control the Templar order. Whether this is coincidence or not, it remains to be seen.
Hierarchy
The Order is composed of numerous branches, each of them centered around a specific community or region they are assigned to defend and monitor. Even then they're still subservient to the Seekers of Truth; the Seekers are a separate group which is also above the Templars. Acting as watchers of the watchmen, who doesn't normally control the Templars, but should a Seeker show up, then they have the authority to override everybody else.
Knight-Divine/Knight-Vigilant
The Order itself is ruled by Knights Divine, a division within the Order who serve directly underneath the Divine herself. In addition to making the rules, they oversee the day-to-day operations.
Knight-Commander
Each chapter of the organization is ultimately led by a Knight-Commander, who in turn answers to the head of the local chantry, often a Grand Cleric, depending on the region in question. The size and strength of each branch also differs, depending on the community they serve or their specific mandate.
Knight-Captain
A Knight-Captain is a high regarded Templar who has achieved a status to lead a large company, who stands close to the Knight-Commander.
Knight-Lieutenant
To become a Knight-Lieutenant one must have the skills of leadership and swordsmanship, as a Lieutenant is most of the time in charge of 50 individuals. Leading a troop on the road or somewhere stationed within a circle.
Knight-Corporal
Rising in rank from a Templar, one becomes Knight Corporal after some great deed or some years in service. The Corporal`s task is to lead a small group and stands often in charge of those particular persons.
Templar
Beginning as a Chantry affirmed, one becomes an initiates when one decides to take vows in either becoming a Templar or a Cleric. The Templars form the ground foundation of the Templar order and they arrive as trained recruits, still new to the lyrium addiction but attentive when it comes to following orders.
As they see it, they protect the innocents of the outside world from magic... but they also protect mages from the outside world, a world that fears them for very good reasons. It is a templar’s place to watch their charges for signs of weakness or corruption, and should they find it to act without hesitation for the good of all. That this occasionally leads to charges of tyranny and abuse is, according to the Chantry, a price that must be paid for the security the templars offer.
Some are saying, however, that this needs to change. They remind the world that mages are not controlled by templars everywhere in Thedas: not among the Rivaini witches, the Dalish keepers or the Tevinter magisters... and those societies are, arguably, no worse off. The Templar Order, however, is nothing if not certain of its role. From the glittering White Spire in Val Royeaux the Knight-Vigilant commands the templars to serve the Maker's will and keep the peace. By the common folk they are seen as self-sacrificing men and women, vigilant warriors that form the first line of defense between humanity and the chaos that once ruled the land during the old Imperium. To the mages they are often seen as oppressors, even well-meaning ones, and the gap between them is growing larger with each passing year.
Templars also have access to the Right of Annulment being the right to "pacify" or kill all mages in a Circle tower. This would be used in the event that total chaos was unleashed by the mages and there is no chance that they could be saved.
History
Most people don't remember the Templar Order as it once was. In the days when the Chantry was still young, templars were known as the "Inquisition" and combed the land in search of all dangers to humanity—whether they came in the form of blood mages, abominations, cultists or heretics. It was a dark and terrifying time in the history of Thedas, and one that only ended when the Chantry convinced the Inquisition to unite under the banner of their common faith. The name of their order changed, and their purpose became that of guardian and warden rather than hunter. The Inquisiton was divided in two groups: the Seekers of Truth and the Templar Order. Although now with a Mage-Templar war threatning the peace of the world once again, it may seem that the Seekers of Truth and the Templar Order have grown to a point where they again must stand united to get rid of evil, as their new leader Lord Seeker Lambert declared an annulment of the Nevarran accord, once the Mage rebellion escalated.
Templars in Thedas
While mages often resent the templars as symbols of the Chantry's control over magic, the people of Thedas see them as saviors and holy warriors, champions of all that is good armed with piety enough to protect the world from the ravages of foul magic. In reality, the Chantry's militant arm looks first for skilled warriors with unshakable faith in the Maker, with a flawless moral center as a secondary concern. Templars must carry out their duty with an emotional distance, and the Order of Templars would rather have soldiers with religious fervor and absolute loyalty than paragons of virtue who might question orders when it comes time to make difficult choices.
It is this sense of ruthless piety that most frightens mages when they get the templars' attention: when the templars are sent to eliminate a possible blood mage, there is no reasoning with them, and if the templars are prepared the mage's magic is often useless. Driven by their faith, the templars are one of the most feared and respected forces in Thedas.
Templars go through a rigorous process of recruitment and indoctrination, often in monastic refuges segregated from everyday society. While the majority of their members are male, some female templars do exist, having chosen to serve the Maker as a defender of the faith rather than a spiritual guide for the community. Templars are discouraged from marrying or raising children since it is impractical to live apart from ones' dependents. However, such unions are occasionally permitted, provided that the templar's spouse has his or her own means of support, for example, owning land or a title. A templar marrying another templar or a mage within the same Circle would be considered fraternization within the ranks and would seldom receive permission.
Lyrium addiction
All templars are also addicted to lyrium, which is officially used to help develop their anti-mage skills and unofficially used as a control mechanism by the Chantry. A lack of lyrium causes the templar to lose touch with reality and suffer from delusions.
It is confirmed that lyrium does have effective benefits for Templars, as it builds a resistance to magic in them over time, as well as increasing the effectiveness of their magic abilities, such as being able to shut off a mage's abilities entirely. Some people think that Templars are conditioned to be dependent on this mineral for its attributes, that the Chantry knows of its addictiveness and uses lyrium to control the Templar order. Whether this is coincidence or not, it remains to be seen.
Hierarchy
The Order is composed of numerous branches, each of them centered around a specific community or region they are assigned to defend and monitor. Even then they're still subservient to the Seekers of Truth; the Seekers are a separate group which is also above the Templars. Acting as watchers of the watchmen, who doesn't normally control the Templars, but should a Seeker show up, then they have the authority to override everybody else.
Knight-Divine/Knight-Vigilant
The Order itself is ruled by Knights Divine, a division within the Order who serve directly underneath the Divine herself. In addition to making the rules, they oversee the day-to-day operations.
Knight-Commander
Each chapter of the organization is ultimately led by a Knight-Commander, who in turn answers to the head of the local chantry, often a Grand Cleric, depending on the region in question. The size and strength of each branch also differs, depending on the community they serve or their specific mandate.
Knight-Captain
A Knight-Captain is a high regarded Templar who has achieved a status to lead a large company, who stands close to the Knight-Commander.
Knight-Lieutenant
To become a Knight-Lieutenant one must have the skills of leadership and swordsmanship, as a Lieutenant is most of the time in charge of 50 individuals. Leading a troop on the road or somewhere stationed within a circle.
Knight-Corporal
Rising in rank from a Templar, one becomes Knight Corporal after some great deed or some years in service. The Corporal`s task is to lead a small group and stands often in charge of those particular persons.
Templar
Beginning as a Chantry affirmed, one becomes an initiates when one decides to take vows in either becoming a Templar or a Cleric. The Templars form the ground foundation of the Templar order and they arrive as trained recruits, still new to the lyrium addiction but attentive when it comes to following orders.
