Templar

These are the protectors and guardians of the monastery. Templars are said to be the best of the best. They tend to hold a stronger religious belief than that of your everyday knight. Not only are they expected to be the very best, they must uphold the standards the monastery has set up for them.

Templars answer to not only their commanders, but the archbishop, herself. They are expected to take her orders to heart and act them out at a moments notice.

Most templars have been knights before joining these ranks.

Overview
Templars are a holy rank of knight.

To a templar, peace and order are the virtues they try to uphold in their daily work and life.

The vast majority of them live within the monastery walls, protecting and guarding the archbishop as well as the people who live there. Trusted templars might be sent to neighboring villages and smaller churches in order to help protect and serve. Many rose to this rank from that of a knight, showing great promise. Only the best of the best can find a place among the monastery's templars. Many are often interviewed and carefully monitors before even being considered for the position.

After all, they are the monastery's protection. If they were to slip up, it could spell disaster.

Templars are considered to be much more religious than knights. They serve to not only protect to monastery, but to up keep what it stands for. They are expected to give guidance where others can not, or if there is not a bishop present. Because of this, Templars are closely watched, often to the point where they feel as if they can't go anywhere without someone looking over their shoulder.

Throughout the years, there has only been a small handful of templars stripped of their rank. It typically comes at the cost of denouncing the gods as a whole or when one is found to be speaking ill of the archbishop. The church does not tale these things lightly. Sinners will be punished, no matter who is committing the sin.

Templar Recruitment
Most templars do come form a lineage of knight work. They have shown that they hold their standards, as well as the safety of the people, in a high regard. They have shown they would do whatever it takes in order to keep the peace- even at the cost of themselves.

Templar commanders are responsible for hand-picking templars. Recommendations and word of mouth often brings a knight to their attention, and after months of studying and watching, a knight might find themselves among the next batch of recruits. Though, it doesn't just stop there. The training is long and grueling, often being put under extreme amounts of stress.

The church will say this is just an attempt to weed out those who are not serious. Templar training succeeds at just that. Batches of recruits often come to the church in a group of ten. Once training is all said and done, one would be surprised to even see half of them remaining. After training has been completed, those who managed to last through it all find that their work is a rewarding one.

If one is lucky, they might be selected to be a templar from birth. About one or two children are selected every couple of years to be given this chance. This often happens with noble families, those who have a strong lineage of warriors and knights within their family. Children who are selected to become a templar are often taken away from home around the age of 12 or 13, switching their daily life out for that of living at the monastery. They are given simple tasks to complete during their adolescence, until they are ready to complete the full training. Most children selected from birth do end up joining the templar ranks.