Sin-eaters

*"Let no sin go unpunished."*

The Templars, known primarily as the **Sin-eaters** or New Templars to distinguish them from the original organization, are a monastic order of holy warriors dedicated to the extermination of the Old Ways in Aquila in a world conflict known as the Final Crusade. Originally a more radical and militant sect of the Temple Knights, the Sin-eaters, led by the charismatic Ser Beryl Aster, splintered from the order in the wake of the Battle of Ramona in which then-grandmaster Furnace made peace with an occult faction to defeat a mutual enemy in the region. This was taken by many of the order's most devout as a sign that the Templars had abandoned their original purpose and become tainted by the Old Ways. Shortly after Furnace's ensuing disappearance, Aster took the title General of Peace and led her followers in a violent secession from the order at Garudamont, killing most of the Circle of Knowing and leaving the brotherhood in shambles.

Aster and her new circle, the Zealot Knights, left the Templar homeland of Olexia and returned to their ancestral hearth at Temple Calvary, a fortress deep within the mountains of central Kilran, where the order was founded by the first Circle of Knowing centuries prior. There, they rebuilt the tarnished Holy Sepulchre of the Eagle, their immortal patron god, and set about renovating the castle as their base of operations. To gain legitimacy, they embarked upon a campaign to rid central Kilran of supposed heretics, traveling from village to village and currying popular favor by sanctifying their old imperial-era temples and hunting down vampires and other occult creatures.

In stark contrast to their predecessors, the Sin-eaters embraced the image of Makrozoia, adopting a "neo-imperial" aesthetic to appeal to the locals who felt their lands were safer under the Empire. Shrines to Makrozoia and his son Novrakosh were added to the Sepulchre, forming a new trinity of worship as a vanguard against the dark spirits of the Old Ways pantheon; particularly despised were the daemons Dantalion and Zeralith, known for their influence over the occult in Aquila, as well as the native Hades, Heiroban, and Zagreus.

Their new aesthetic and charitable actions served the Sin-eaters well, as within a few years the great mage hunters of Kilran had become well known in urban centers as far as Dreiton. Many sought to hire their services to root out suspected occult elements, and some even desired to join them, growing their ranks and expanding their influence in countries forgotten by the shattered Templars.

The Sin-eaters became notorious for their violent methods, hearkening back to the days of Inquisitorius when accused mages were tortured into confession and then burnt at the stake in mass pogroms. As the Old Ways began to rise again in the dark corners of Aquila following the Aether War, so too did the Sin-eaters ascend, exploiting the fear of the masses to gain increasingly more political and economic influence. As of 4852, the New Templars are most active in their native central and southern Kilran, as well as the citystates of Aphelion, where militant cults and anarchist cells have begun to collude in their shared efforts to sew chaos in the urban centers. General Aster remains their de-jure leader, but due to her advanced age and growing senility, the elders of the Zealot Knights have assumed most of her executive duties. There are rumors that the states of Nova Aquila, Kazimir, and Dreiton regularly hire their services as private armies to root out insurgent elements.

## Structure

The Sin-eaters adhere to a warrior monastic hierarchy similar to the Templars, distinguished by their lack of political and administrative positions due to their identity as a military order above all.

1. **Supreme Leader -** The Supreme Leader is the order's spiritual master, technically possessing ultimate authority on all military matters. Its incumbent Ser Beryl Aster, who established the position, additionally took the titles *General of Peace* and *archbishop of the Congregation for the Divine Faith.*
2. **Grandmaster -** Master and commander of the Zealot Knights. Entrusted with formulating military strategy and leading the knights in campaigns.
3. **Cardinals -** Members of the *Holy Sepulchre*, the order's leadership council. Serves and advises the Grandmaster and Supreme Leader. Generally also hold the title *Legate* as the highest ranked Zealot Knights.
4. **Marshals -** Commanders of regional enclaves. They are generally entrusted to lead their cell however they see fit absent direct orders from the Sepulchre as a result of the order's horizontal organization. The Marshal Council is subservient to the cardinals of the Holy Sepulchre.
5. **Seneschals -** The trusted officers and advisers of regional Marshals, often leading their own knight or inquisitor contingents.
6. **Zealot Knights -** The standard rank of the Sin-eaters. All members of the order technically hold the title Zealot Knight, so the informal title *paladin* is often used to indicate a common knight. The task of the Zealot Knight to act as both a soldier and cleric, executing the military strategies of their commanders whilst serving as inquisitors for the righteous Holy Sepulchre. All knights are addressed as "Ser" regardless of rank or gender.