The Templars (Minecraft)

The Templars is an historical faction popular amongst many Wikians, dating back to 2012. It has existed in several forms and on several different servers (many Wikian-owned), but its current official iteration exists on WikiCraft 4.0. The faction styles itself as a knightly brotherhood, and emphasises characteristics such as chivalry, modesty, piety, and military acumen.
The faction should not be confused with (but is not necessarily entirely distinct from) the knighthood of the same name canon within the Invidere Universe.
==Background==
The first confirmed Templar faction dates to the summer of 2012, on the Wikian-owned server of Olexcraft. Its founding members were josefurnace, AwesomeA321, and JeremiahGarland, with Furnace serving as the first Grand Master. They were soon joined by Rocket_93, BaronVonShush, and AlReyesSpark. At the height of their power on Olexcraft, the Templars were a highly influential and powerful group, often in contention with their rival faction NCR. The faction simultaneously found some military success on the independent server Sullycraft, again with Furnace as its leader.
The second great iteration of the Templars came in the summer of 2014, on the independent server of EliteCraft. As Furnace was no longer present, leadership of the faction fell to ViceroyRobert. Garland, BaronVonShush, AlReyesSpark, and AwesomeA321 were returning members of the faction, and newcomers included Ned_Edgewalker and Cannonwalker, amongst others. Due to their tactfulness and numerical superiority, the Templars soon established themselves as a powerhouse on the popular factions server, and rapidly rose to the top of the leaderboards. During a dramatic defence of the Templars' main base against a rival faction, Garland, who disagreed with ViceroyRobert on a matter of policy (Robert wished to abandon the besieged base, whilst Garland urged all to stand and fight), managed to wrest control of the faction for himself. What followed was an effective split of the Templars. Whilst the faction as a whole continued to dominate the server for a few more weeks, the golden age came to an abrupt end when the Templar contingent led by the ousted ViceroyRobert betrayed the main branch led by Garland.
The Templars were once more briefly revived on Neddehcraft (the first ever server owned by Ned_Edgewalker) in early 2015. The faction was revived by Garland and Cannonwalker, this time with the latter serving as Grand Master. However, just as the server, which would close less than a month later, was short-lived, so too was this iteration of the Templars.
After Neddehcraft, the Templars faction became more or less defunct. Garland would attempt to revive the Templar name on a few occasions, such as on Civcraft 2.0 and CivWars, but never with the same conviction or seriousness as with prior attempts. On WikiCraft 3.0, Garland along with several others founded the Knights of Dreiton, an organisation largely considered to be a spiritual cousin of the Templars faction, but unique to that server.
On June 18, 2020, Garland officially revived the Templars on WikiCraft 4.0.
==Organisation==
===Mission and Characteristics ===
Throughout its existence, the Templars faction has dedicated itself to different goals. In a competitive setting, the Templars have strove for universal domination and influence, achieved through tactful strategies and shrewd politics, military prowess, a quasi-religious fervor, and the promotion of law and order. In its most current iteration, the Templars are a chivalrous order dedicated to the well-being and defence of mankind. In this way it promotes humanitarianism, philanthropy, distribution of wealth, and vigilantism, all the while maintaining its original sense of zealous piety and global structuralist outlook. 
Due to the Templars' tendency to carry out its goals as secretively as possible, many outside the Order suspect the faction of being a front for a cabal of individuals wishing to wrest control of the world's wealth and geopolitical influence.
Another key aspect of the Templar Order is the promotion of humility and a materialistically modest lifestyle. Its members are prohibited from succumbing to vices such as excess and profligacy, and are encouraged to lead as humble a life as possible. All Templar headquarters are noticeably stark and lacking in worldly opulence.
===Oath===
The following is the Templar Oath, which is to be recited by every new recruit of the order. It may only be recited in a Templar sanctum or any other place deemed holy by a Templar commander. After the oath is spoken, a blood oath follows, in which the recruit is struck once by the blade of the Grand Master.
'I pledge myself, from now and forever, to the holy Order of the Templars. I declare to take freely and solemnly this oath of obedience, poverty, hospitality, and fraternity. With this oath I state my strong and irrevocable intent:
To pledge my sword, my forces, my life and everything that I own to the cause, defence, honour and further knowledge of the Templar cause, of the Order of the Templars, and of my companions in arms;
To submit to the Rule of our Holy Grand Master, the Rules, Law and Decrees, to the Holy Credo, and all other statements issued in conformity to the statutes of the Order, to obey unconditionally and always, within the establishments of the Order and without, and in all walks of life, our Holy Grand Master and the High Commanders of the Order, collectively and singularly;
To love my brothers the Knights and my sisters the Dames and help them with my sword, my advice, means and wealth, my credit and everything in my power, and will favour them, with no exception, over those who are not members of the Order;
To defend my fellow man, friend and foe alike, to aid and comfort those in need, to defend the defenceless, and to share my wealth and home with the sick and the poor;
To fight the infidels and the non-believers with my example, virtue, and charity; and to fight with my blade the infidels and non-believers who attack the Order with their own blade;
Finally, to reject a life of immodesty and vice, to serve the Templars first and foremost, and to uphold all vows I have taken in this regard, with firm understanding that to break my vows would mean expulsion from the Order and certain death.
This oath I pronounce loudly before the Knights present at this Convent. I confirm it with my blood.'
=== Ranks===
There are three primary ranks within the Templar hierarchy:
#Grand Master - As the overall leader of the Templar Order, there can be only one Grand Master at a time. The Grand Master exercises full authority over the Order and all its members, oversees the primary Templar sanctum, and is responsible for initiating new knights and appointing Commanders. There have only ever been four Grand Masters in the Order's eight-year history.
#Commander - The high officers of the Order, as appointed by the Grand Master. Commanders are responsible for overseeing the Order's day-to-day operations, administering lesser sanctums and governing rites controlled by the Order, and for scouting out potential recruits to the Order. The number of Templar Commanders must not exceed five.
#Knight/Chevalier - The Templars' primary soldiers and the standard rank given to new recruits. A Knight (alternatively known as a Chevalier) is a sworn brother of the Order and as such is expected to carry out its mission and uphold its creed. Knights are divided into regional rites wherein they are subject to the authority of a Commander, or the Grand Master himself. A female Knight is known as a Dame.
In addition, there is a fourth rank, technically outside of the Order:
#Knight Initiate - This role is reserved for those new recruits who have not yet taken the Templar Oath. Until this is done, Knight Initiates reside outside of the Order, and are not formally admitted to the brotherhood, yet are expected to uphold the Order's creed. A female Knight Initiate is known as a Dame Initiate.
===Location===
The Templars of WikiCraft 4.0 currently operate out of two locations. The Templar headquarters and arch-sanctum are located beneath (and are only accessible from) the town of Skyhold. The Basilica of the Holy Flame, located in central Kassôn, serves as the seat for that rite. Despite these two locations, the faction is officially stateless and transnational, allowing anyone to join. 
==Members==
===Current members===
*Grand Master Jeremiah Garland (JeremiahGarland), Seneschal of the Kassôn Rite - As a founder and the current longest-serving member of the Templars, Ser Garland has been in the Templars since 2012, when he was the second-in-command to the first Grand Master, josefurnace. He has been Grand Master himself twice: first from 2014 to 2015, and again from 2015 to the present. He is Provost of the Kassôn Rite.
*Commander Richard Cannonwalker (Cannonwalker), Seneschal of the Kokomo Rite - As a former Grand Master, Ser Cannonwalker is a distinguished member of the Order, having been with the Templars since 2014. He led the order briefly in 2015. He is currently Provost of the Kokomo Rite, but resides in Skyhold.
*Commander Ned Edgewalker (Ned_Edgewalker), Seneschal of the Skyhold Rite - A seasoned veteran of the Order, Ser Edgewalker has also been a proud member of the Templars since 2014. He is Provost of the Skyhold Rite, where he currently resides.
*Knight of the Order Samuel Darkwalker (Mexican_Sultan) of the Kassôn Rite - A self-styled chevalier, Ser Darkwalker was fully initiated on August 5, 2020. He currently resides in Kassôn, a town of which he is also the founder and current leader.
*Dame Initiate Rose Beckett (Rosellefeng) - Has not yet taken her vows.
===Former members===
(Those in bold indicate former Grand Masters)
* AlReyesSpark
*August_Petrova
*AwesomeA321
*BaronVonShush
*DAVESDAVY
*Dirty_Mallace
*FunnyGuy651
*MokikiMorgan
*josefurnace
*ObsidianVader
*Rocket_93
*The_Goldtimbers
*Squirto19
*ViceroyRobert
==Gallery==
File:Templar5.png|The entrance to the Templar lair in Skyhold
File:Templar4.png|A corridor in the Templar lair
File:Templar6.png|The Templar meeting hall
File:Templar2.png|The Grand Master's throne room
File:Templar1.png|The Templar sanctum
File:Templar7.png|The initiation of Samuel Darkwalker (L-R: Darkwalker, Ned Edgewalker, Jeremiah Garland)
File:Kasson basilica e.png|Basilica of the Holy Flame, Kassôn (ext.)
File:Kasson basilica i.png|Basilica of the Holy Flame, Kassôn (int.)
== Trivia ==
* The Templars is the oldest known Wiki-related faction still in continuous existence.
* In name, style, and purpose, the Templars faction was heavily inspired by the non-fictional Knights Templar mediaeval brotherhood, as well as the fictional Templar order from the popular video game franchise Assassin's Creed (itself also inspired by the real-life Templars).
**The faction's motto, Deus Vult, is strongly associated with the real Knights Templar. In Latin, it roughly translates to 'God Wills It', but in the context of the Minecraft faction this is not in reference to the Christian God.
* Four former members of the Templars faction have had their names officially condemned by the Order:
** Grand Master ViceroyRobert, for betraying the faction on Elitecraft
** Commander DAVESDAVY, for betraying the faction on Elitecraft
** Knight FunnyGuy651, for betraying the faction on Elitecraft
** Grand Master josefurnace, for committing arson and murder against the Wikian town of Corvus on Civcraft 2.0.
* Skyhold, the town home to the Templars in WikiCraft 4.0, shares its name with a location in the video game franchise Dragon Age. The Skyhold in Dragon Age is also host to a knight-like brotherhood, known as the Inquisition. 
* In the Invidere Universe, the Templars play an instrumental role in the formation of the Outlanders. Multiple real-life members of the Outlanders are also in the Templars Minecraft faction.
Category:In-Game Group
Category:WikiCraft