Public (OOC) > Setting and Lore Discussion

Ezrite Templar Philosophies

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Praying Mantis:
Hi all. So there are some tremendous RP resources for the followers of Ezra on the forum.  Probably the most extensive I've ever seen.  Most of it is geared towards general philosophy of that revelation, and particularly towards the cleric though.  If you had to make something similar to Heretics "5 Things every Xxx" should know but do it for templars, how would that look do you think?  Obviously templars of the third revelation are going to be very different than the others and so on.  Just seems like an interesting discussion

Devil's Moon:
Templars are a homebrew way of including classes that aren't cleric into the faction (Any class that isn't an arcane spellcaster really), so it makes sense that there's only a fraction of information available about them as opposed to the canon lore surrounding Ezra. It's been a while since I played my Templar but I'll try to give it some thought.

I found the following in my notes from when I played him:
"Templars are members of the laity given special responsibility within their Church. Though they take everyday orders from and regularly work with all anchorites of their church, they answer ultimately to the head of their congregation, the Sentire, and are tasked with protecting the physical building of the church, and frequently the clergy and laity therein."

It implies that:
1) A templar was baptized into a particular sect, as a layman, so they have both some cultural motivations for belonging to a specific sect (such as growing up in proximity of a particular church), and perhaps personal convictions that may or may not align with their sect.
2) Regardless of how the templar feels on the inside, he is still expected to serve ALL Anchorites.

One example I've seen often In Game is the question which the LG Templar asks himself. "If a 4th Secter gives me an order which is Evil, do I still have to obey it?"

The answer in that case can be complicated because obviously it'd depend on the context. The textbook answer would be that the Lawful Good Templar is always expected to follow a Lawful Evil Anchorite's orders because their sense of duty, and respect for the greater organizational structure of the Church, should ALWAYS take precedence over their need to morally oppose their comrades in faith. There's always room for argument though, especially because at the end of the day they answer to the head of their congregation.

I think it's hard to paint a picture of how Templars of each sect differ from one another because members of the laity, since they are not Anchorites, don't actually need to be the same alignment as their sect. You could have a Chaotic Good character who grew up alongside the Pure Hearts and so was baptized in their sect, a Lawful Evil character who belongs to the Home Faith, etc. And it's something I'd encourage doing if someone wanted to play against type because that ideological clash would give birth to great moral questions.

If we were talking about the majority of Templars, I think it'd be a bit different. In terms of alignment, Lawfulness is what is most expected of a Templar who swears an oath to protect and serve the great institution of the Church of Ezra. As I said, unity and orthodoxy would be expected to take precedence over moral convictions. So it follows that the role would attract people of Lawful nature.

So how does a 3rd Sect Templar look like? Given the cultural contexts of Dementlieu and Richemulot, I think it'd be right to think they are probably vastly different from their Lawful counterparts. Personally, I'd imagine them as having less of a focus on combat and physical defense of the Church as per the Crusader archetype showcased elsewhere. They are probably closer to what you'd imagine an agent of the Church would be in a civilized, social setting. They probably serve more often than not as eyes and ears and agents of subtlety. As field agents for the pursuit of secret knowledge coveted by their Anchorite masters. At least, that's how I'd want to play one.

HouseOfLament:
The lack of a mechanical need for alignment to match Revelation outside of Cleric as Haeresis pointed out above always stood out to me as most thematically interesting when rolling a templar or layperson.  I would not worry terribly much about making a Templar correctly if that is a concern because there is an in character learning period before one achieves that role.  I found my own time as an Acolyte to be very helpful in playing a Warden.

Desordre:
These are both quite on point. I think that the role of the Templar can be approached by anyone wanting to serve the church in a more 'physical' regard. That being said, my templar has even taken a role as a very spiritual person and thus as a spiritual guide, though always from a layperson's perspective rather than that of an Anchorite.

I would suggest beginning with the framework that has been mentioned, which is the expectation of any Templar regardless of sect. That is to their duty to the church and to the faithful. That duty may be mundane such as escorting, protecting, or standing guard, or it may be something more nuanced as required by some of the more nuanced sects.

Much of the initial RP that I partook in and enjoyed was reconciling my Templar's personal beliefs, calling, and their past life, with the duty that they were being called to. This will be unique for every person and it is the roleplay that shapes how I engage with anyone now expressing interest or wishing to enter into my tutelage.

On another note, I entered the faction exactly where you are, not knowing anything about the Templar role. I wanted to know more and about what it looks like on the server and faced the same questions. I was also able to learn in game through RP. This was enjoyable because I think it also resembled what it should look like. From the outside the templar just look like the guards and people standing around, but as with anyone there is always more to it than face value.

MAB77:

--- Quote from: HouseOfLament on July 20, 2021, 03:56:50 PM ---The lack of a mechanical need for alignment to match Revelation outside of Cleric [...]

--- End quote ---

I would just like to point out here that Anchorites are only subject to the deity alignment rule as any other clerics. It does not apply to the sects.

The sects are respectively LN, LG, LE and TN organizations. While the bulk of their anchorites will be of those alignments, individual members can deviate from that norm. Being of the same alignment simply makes it easier to follow the party line. Some eyebrows may be raised if someone notices your Shield of Ezra behaves differently, but there is no restriction against anchorites being of a different alignment than that of their sect.

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