Post by Lord Seeker Lambert on Jan 4, 2013 11:02:30 GMT -5
The Templar Order
Templars, in their modern name, have existed on Thedas since the Nevarran Accord was signed and completed on 1:20 Divine in Nevarra. Since then they have acted as champions, defenders of holy justice, protectors of mankind and the most fearsome warriors on Earth. For centuries, their task was to protect the outside world from mages and mages from the outside world, for their kind was mistrusted and feared by others. But hundreds of years later, on the first month of 9:40 Dragon, the world was shocked as the Lord Seeker Lambert struck down the Nevarran Accord, declaring it null and void, and four months later marched an army to besiege Andoral's Reach, where the mages had taken residence. It was rumoured to be at least seven legions strong, including an expeditionary force directly from the revered Army of Orlais. But no doubt to the mages, the six legions of templars were the much more frightening foe.
100 000 templars are scattered around Thedas in thirteen Circle Towers and in hundreds of cities, towns, and villages, but the recent events have had them spreading out even more. Five towers are in the Free Marches, one in Orlais, two in Ferelden, two in Nevarra, and one in both Antiva and Rivain. Two towers yet are in the Tevinter Imperium, one of them the magisters' seat of power, but only those in Andrastian hands are counted for. There are fifteen Knight-Commanders, each having his very own Circle Tower and a host of templars to manage. Unofficially, they are under the thrall of the Lord Seeker, Lambert van Reeves. Below is a list of each Circle Tower and their respective manpowers.
Templars, in their modern name, have existed on Thedas since the Nevarran Accord was signed and completed on 1:20 Divine in Nevarra. Since then they have acted as champions, defenders of holy justice, protectors of mankind and the most fearsome warriors on Earth. For centuries, their task was to protect the outside world from mages and mages from the outside world, for their kind was mistrusted and feared by others. But hundreds of years later, on the first month of 9:40 Dragon, the world was shocked as the Lord Seeker Lambert struck down the Nevarran Accord, declaring it null and void, and four months later marched an army to besiege Andoral's Reach, where the mages had taken residence. It was rumoured to be at least seven legions strong, including an expeditionary force directly from the revered Army of Orlais. But no doubt to the mages, the six legions of templars were the much more frightening foe.
100 000 templars are scattered around Thedas in thirteen Circle Towers and in hundreds of cities, towns, and villages, but the recent events have had them spreading out even more. Five towers are in the Free Marches, one in Orlais, two in Ferelden, two in Nevarra, and one in both Antiva and Rivain. Two towers yet are in the Tevinter Imperium, one of them the magisters' seat of power, but only those in Andrastian hands are counted for. There are fifteen Knight-Commanders, each having his very own Circle Tower and a host of templars to manage. Unofficially, they are under the thrall of the Lord Seeker, Lambert van Reeves. Below is a list of each Circle Tower and their respective manpowers.
Circles of Magi Across Thedas
Anderfels - Hossberg - 2 000 Templars.
Antiva - Unknown - 1 500 Templars.
Ferelden - Jainen and Lake Calenhad - 4 000 templars.
Free Marches - Kirkwall, Markham, Ostwick, Ansburg - 10 000 templars.
Nevarra - Cumberland, Nevarra City - 12 000 templars.
Orlais - Montsimmard, Val Royeaux - 15 000 templars.
Rivain - Dairsmuid - 500 templars.
Total - 45 000 templars.
Being the rough estimates of manpower they are, they should not be trusted very far or wide. The other templars may be found at local chantries spread around the vast continent of Thedas in unpredictable numbers, for it is related to the structure and hierarchy of the Templar Order.
Structure and 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. Templars may be assigned to the Circles of Magi but also to individual Chantries, as mentioned before. Each main branch of the organization is led by a Knight-Commander. In Thedas there are 15 Knight-Commanders, who in turn answer 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. A low-population village on the Gamordan Peaks, for example, could only hold a few dozen templars within its boundaries, while a major town or city could have as many as from a few hundred to a thousand templars. It is of note that in some places the templar presence is so overwhelming, that their strength could far exceed the power of the local city watch. This was the case in the famous town of Kirkwall, where Knight-Commander Meredith commanded a large branch of the Order.
The Order itself was ruled from the glittering White Spire in Val Royeaux by a Knight-Vigilant, and after its fall by Lord Seeker Lambert and the Divine Justinia V. However, there are other sources that suggest that the Order is actually led by a series of Knights Divine, a division within the Order who serve directly underneath the Divine herself. In addition to making the rules, these Knights oversee day-to-day operations. Above the Templar Order, but separate, are the Seekers of Truth who serve as “watchers of the watchmen,” providing accountability for the templars. Lord Seeker Lambert is the leader of the Seeker of Truth, and it is also rumoured that he is the driving force behind the Templar Order. In Tevinter the templars are the magisters' way of controlling their subordinates, for they hold great influence over these templars. In Tevinter templars do not guard mages like in Andrastian nations, but simply step in if a mage goes too far.
Recruitment
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 making 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 take vows upon knighthood, but these do not include a vow of chastity. Templars are nevertheless discouraged from marrying or raising children since it is impractical to live apart from ones' dependents. 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.
Additional Information
All templars are 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 within 1-2 months.
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 and that the Chantry knows of its addictiveness. Some recent events, such as the Lord Seeker securing lyrium trade with the dwarves of Orzammar, have reinforced this theory.
Antiva - Unknown - 1 500 Templars.
Ferelden - Jainen and Lake Calenhad - 4 000 templars.
Free Marches - Kirkwall, Markham, Ostwick, Ansburg - 10 000 templars.
Nevarra - Cumberland, Nevarra City - 12 000 templars.
Orlais - Montsimmard, Val Royeaux - 15 000 templars.
Rivain - Dairsmuid - 500 templars.
Total - 45 000 templars.
Being the rough estimates of manpower they are, they should not be trusted very far or wide. The other templars may be found at local chantries spread around the vast continent of Thedas in unpredictable numbers, for it is related to the structure and hierarchy of the Templar Order.
Structure and 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. Templars may be assigned to the Circles of Magi but also to individual Chantries, as mentioned before. Each main branch of the organization is led by a Knight-Commander. In Thedas there are 15 Knight-Commanders, who in turn answer 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. A low-population village on the Gamordan Peaks, for example, could only hold a few dozen templars within its boundaries, while a major town or city could have as many as from a few hundred to a thousand templars. It is of note that in some places the templar presence is so overwhelming, that their strength could far exceed the power of the local city watch. This was the case in the famous town of Kirkwall, where Knight-Commander Meredith commanded a large branch of the Order.
The Order itself was ruled from the glittering White Spire in Val Royeaux by a Knight-Vigilant, and after its fall by Lord Seeker Lambert and the Divine Justinia V. However, there are other sources that suggest that the Order is actually led by a series of Knights Divine, a division within the Order who serve directly underneath the Divine herself. In addition to making the rules, these Knights oversee day-to-day operations. Above the Templar Order, but separate, are the Seekers of Truth who serve as “watchers of the watchmen,” providing accountability for the templars. Lord Seeker Lambert is the leader of the Seeker of Truth, and it is also rumoured that he is the driving force behind the Templar Order. In Tevinter the templars are the magisters' way of controlling their subordinates, for they hold great influence over these templars. In Tevinter templars do not guard mages like in Andrastian nations, but simply step in if a mage goes too far.
Recruitment
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 making 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 take vows upon knighthood, but these do not include a vow of chastity. Templars are nevertheless discouraged from marrying or raising children since it is impractical to live apart from ones' dependents. 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.
Additional Information
All templars are 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 within 1-2 months.
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 and that the Chantry knows of its addictiveness. Some recent events, such as the Lord Seeker securing lyrium trade with the dwarves of Orzammar, have reinforced this theory.
