Templar in the middle lands are both hated and admired just depending on who you are. After the battle with Arizun empire to the south the Templar returned from battle with great wealth and power. What most people did not know is that a lot of that wealth was funneled back to the masters of the order over the many years of the southern wars. Allowing the masters of the order to acquire great power in the central church. When the Templar returned from the wars they amassed great power in the land as well. Many of the Templar were the second and third sons of the nobility. gaining enough power to place their grand master at the head of the central church.
The moment Grandmaster Aurtorus Labastion became the Archbishop of the central church sweeping changes were put into effect. First an alliance was made with the Cathaen nobility, Buying a huge chunk of land from them to become the new home of the church. All of the elders of the Templar order were promoted and placed over the many other orders with in the central church. The Temple castle was built to house the new head of the church.
Depending on who you ask in the Cathaen nobility this close associations with the Templar is a curse or a boon. Twice the church has put down rebellions against the Cathaen crown. And once supported a rebellion against it.
The new Order of the temple knight are all over the middle lands. They server the temple first. And worshipers at the temple. And second the church. While all kingdoms of the middle lands have churches of the central church. The power of the church in those lands vary greatly from kingdom to kingdom.
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As player characters Templar are are most often knights by class. About one in one hundred are of the order of paladins. Paladins are the elite warrior monks of the Templar order. But a representative of the Order could be of any class. In the east there is Templar supported band of rangers who's leader is charged by the order to keep the wild lands from spilling into the middle lands.
