Templars and Sorcerer-Kings (EAFW)

Not surprisingly, most templars rarely, sometimes never, see their lord and master. There are far too many for the king to personally supervise, and sorcerer-kings usually have no desire to associate with undesirables, even their own. Templars of higher rank see their king only when he wishes to see them, and then only if there is an important matter to be discussed. Each king is somewhat different, but the general rule seems to be "speak when spoken to."
The templars usually have a very rigid chain of command. First-level templars will report to those immediately above them. They, in turn, pass messages up through the ranks. Trivial information is weeded out, and only the most urgent matters are brought before the templar commander—the king himself.
The spells and minor powers that are given to the templars must be requested directly from the sorcerer-king, but these transactions have been played out so many times that the king rarely is rarely even conscious of them. High-level templar spells are often supervised, however, because the sorcerer-kings are concerned about potential treachery and, in any case, they believe that they know what armorments their servants need better than their templars.
Because each sorcerer-king is different, the templars they employ also vary in temperament and behavior. Use the following descriptions for general attitudes of a city's templars.
==Balic==
The templars of Balic are much like their wise, cruel leader, Andropinis. He delights in forcing legal loopholes and manipulating logic to his own ends. Andropinis enjoys mental gymnastics, and has even shown favor to the few who have challenged him and provided him with fresh, entertaining dilemmas. Of course, favor is often a quick death instead of a slow one once he grows weary of the game.
Most of his templars imitate Andropinis's behavior. This is done to impress their lord and to gain promotions when they become available.
The following tale is an example of templar behavior in Balic. The templars of most cities would simply confiscate anything they felt was of value to them or their king. The men who serve King Andropinis do things differently....
: Yesterday, Ross had told his friends of a magic dagger found in some ancient ruins he and his friends had discovered. Now it seems Ross's friends had loose lips, for Andropinis's templars cornered him at the Parched Throat, his favorite drinking establishment.
: "Good morning, rogue. Word is you 've found a curious stiletto of some value."'
: Ross knew his situation was hopeless, and his frustration with his companions' thoughtless treachery only fueled his anger. "That's right It's mine. I found it outside the city, on the bones of an ancient"
: One of the templars leaned forward, toward Ross and raised a black eyebrow. "Tell me, then. If we were to kill you ana take that pretty knife, would we be thieves? If you re dead, and if we find it, then its ours, isn't it?"
: Ross nodded his head at the breezy, veiled threat. His hand itched to feel the dagger in his hands, but the twinkle in the templar's eyes bespoke something more foul than bloodlust.
: "And where did you find this marvelous weapon ?"
: Ross suddenly realized the trap he had fallen into. Thieves could be executed on the spot in Balic, and he had just confessed to theft, technically, he was a thief. With a twisted scowl on his face, Ross handed over the jewel encrusted dagger he had risked his life to find.
: — The Rogue's Tale
==Draj==
Tectuktitlay calls his templars "Moon Priests," as Ke calls Kimself the "Father of Life and Master of the Twin Moons." He claims that he is a god, that it was he who made the mud flats of Draj into a fertile haven for his cowering, worshiping creatures.
His templars dress in bluish robes with a bright yellow moon embroidered on the front and on the back. Armor and other accouterments are also decorated in the moon motif, with backgrounds of blue, running to black
Tectuktitlay is a cruel and bloodthirsty man and his templars are as well, out of necessity and the desire for promotion. They are especially fond of the king's lavish rituals, like one Tectuktitlay himself enjoys, when he tears out the hearts of his captives.
==Gulg==
The warrior priests of Gulg are fanatically loyal to the sorcerer-queen, Lalali-Puy, and they believe she protects them from the city of Nibenay, with whom they are at war.
Lalali-Puy's templars have two separate orders; judaga priests and champions. Champions are just the same as priests in other cities. They wear heavier armor in combat, wield heavy weapons, and defy their enemies openly and with righteous convictions.
The judaga, on the other hand, are a class of warriors and nobles who behave much like rangers in the forest city of Gulg. Some of Lalali-Puy's priests have followed this path. They generally wear light leather armor, use thrusting weapons (good for ambushes from heavy foliage), and are surprisingly adept at moving quietly through the forests. For this reason, the judaga priests of Gulg almost always have a large repertoire of woodland spells.
All of Lalali-Puy's templars wear necklaces to display their rank Those of first level wear one, while her advisor is said to wear at least 10.
==Nibenay==
The templars of the Shadow King are the most feared and terrible of all. They dress in black, like the dark and mysterious legends that shroud their master, and they wield terrible barbed spears made of agafari wood from the Crescent Forest. Their armor is typically formed from the black carapaces of giant insects, ridged with hideous rows of spines and other natural, and deadly, decorations.
Most of the templars of Nibenay are women. Some have said that they actually serve as the king's wives as well as his warriors.
The templar warriors of Nibenay frequendy have to fight the judaga and champions of Gulg. They prefer to stand in formation, forcing opponents to do open battle. This tactic rarely gives them a victory, but neither does it bring defeat The open battle tactic is one of the reasons why the war between Nibenay and Gulg has lasted for so many centuries. Perhaps the Shadow King and Lalali-Puy like it this way. It has been said that there is no ally like a common enemy....
==Raam==
The templars who serve Abalach-Re are the most timid of the lot, but ironically, they are some of the most dangerous. Templars will only operate in large groups in Raam because of open defiance to the Grand Vizier. They usually form small cliques or teams that are loyal to each other, but not necessarily loyal to other groups, or even to their sorcerer-queen.
The paranoid templars feel constantly besieged by the nobles' never ending raids and double cross plans, so they frequently carry a large number of divinatory and defensive spells (of air and earth spheres).
They dress in white robes, often covered by armor, with the symbol of the false god worshipped by the Grand Vizier emblazoned in the center, like the templars, the symbol is false; it has no truth.
==Tyr==
The templars of Tyr are currently in a state of adjustment, in the wake of Kalak's demise. The former High Templar, Tithian has assumed power, but he cannot offer spells or other special abilities to those templars who are in his dominion.
Tithian watches his templars with great concern, for he has no special powers. He is smart enough to realize that those beneath him may attempt an assassination, but he is far more concerned that Hamanu will descend from Urik with a mighty army to capture the city and its valuable iron mines.
To prepare for this eventuality, Tithian is training his templars night and day. They are having difficulty recalling the weapon skills they learned in youth, and they fully realize that they have relied on their spellcasting abilities for far too long.
In game terms, there are still templars in Tyr, but they are fast becoming warriors. They are still priests, but they have no priestly powers, abilities, or spells. Many have already started to become dual classed priests and warriors. They still retain whatever proficiencies and ceremonial powers they had earned prior to Kalak's downfall.
==Urik==
The dread King Hamanu is the most warlike, ruthless, and arguably the most powerful of the sorcerer-kings. His armies have never met defeat when he lead them, and his generals make war with a fanaticism born of knowing the price of failure.
To be a templar under Hamanu is to train for war constantly. Every man spends at least four hours every day in weapons training, and knows only too well the harsh lessons the veteran masters will teach them if their guard is down, even for a second.
Hamanu's templars dress in leather armor laced with bone or chitin, and bear arms made of obsidian from the Black Crown Mountains. Those of higher rank may even wear metal breastplates and helms, and carry weapons with metal blades.
The templars of Hamanu should be portrayed as utterly ruthless and without pity. Urik does not allow weak emotions to surface. Templars who hesitate in the face of adversity will quickly find themselves spitted on one of the obsidian spikes that line Hamanu's grisly arena.