Templar Order
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| Type: | Religious/Military | ||
| Headquarters: | The White Spire | ||
| Ranks: | Knight-Divine Knight-Vigilant Knight-Commander Knight-Captain Knight-Lieutenant Knight-Corporal Templar | ||
| Location: | Throughout Thedas | ||
| Appearances: | Dragon Age: Origins Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening Dragon Age II Dragon Age: Asunder | ||
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.[1] 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.[2]
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.
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The History of The Order 
Edit
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.[1]
Templars in Thedas Edit
Added by SnfonsekaWhile 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.
The Order is composed of numerous branches, each of them centered around a specific community or region they are assigned to defend and monitor. 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 day-to-day operations.[1] 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. For example, the templars present in Lothering are few in number, and may in fact be a smaller unit within a larger chapter. Meanwhile, the templars assigned to watch over the Circle of Magi at Lake Calenhad are much more powerful, while the chapter in Kirkwall is considered to be a major power in the city, and perhaps the true source of power and authority governing the port.
In Dragon Age II, Fenris can be asked about the Tevinter Imperium. He mentions the Imperial Chantries have their own templars who step in when mages go too far. However, he also mentions that the Magisters wield considerable political influence over the Tevinter templars, although he does not give specifics of how powerful the Magisters' influence is.
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.[3] 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 Edit
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.[4]
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. Both Alistair and Evangeline claim that "the Chantry controls the supply of lyrium, and thus they control the templars." [4]
The Mage-Templar War Edit
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| “There are men who embrace destiny; these are the ones that change the world forever.” — Flemeth This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age II. Click here to reveal them. |
By the end of Act 3 in Dragon Age II, The Kirkwall Chantry was destroyed by magic and Grand Cleric Elthina killed. After the battle in Kirkwall and the deaths of First Enchanter Orsino and Knight-Commander Meredith, all of the Circles had begun to rebel triggering the start of the war. According to Varric Tethras, the Chantry is on the brink of collapse and has lost control of the templars.
A group connected to the Chantry that includes some of the Seekers of Truth have sought to find a peaceful solution to the escalating conflict between the mages and templars by finding both the Warden and the Champion of Kirkwall, who could help stop the war. The group has had no success in tracking down either individual.
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| “I spent my time cleaning. Like a servant.” — Shale This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: Asunder. Click here to reveal them. |
Notable templars Edit
- For a complete list, see Category:Templars.
Added by Azuraj
Added by TyraelMM3- Alistair is a former templar-in-training.
- Ser Agatha
- Ser Bryant
- Carroll
- Carver (If not present at the Deep Roads expedition)
- Knight-Captain Cullen
- Emeric
- Knight-Commander Greagoir
- Hadley
- Ser Henric
- Karras
- Keran
- Knight-Commander Meredith
- Ser Mettin
- Ser Otto Alrik
- Ser Otto
- Rylock
- Samson (former Templar, although Hawke may request his reinstatement into the Order in Act 3)
- Ser Thrask
- Ser Varnell
- Ser Wesley Vallen
Gallery Edit
See also Edit
References Edit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Thedas UK (January 14, 2012). "David Gaider Interview". Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- ↑ "On Templars, Raiders, City Guards and The Coterie". Official BioWare blog. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ↑ David Gaider. "Templars and Chastity". BioWare Social Network. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dragon Age: Asunder, Chapter 14
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