Templar Brotherhood

The Templar Brotherhood is an influential order of venerated clerics and paladins in service of the Sun Goddess Iona. They are a quasi-militaristic branch of the Imperial Church of the Eternal Sun and the sister organization of the Caraegweni chapter known as the Templar Knights.
The most prized treasures of the templars are the battlesuits they maintain within their headquarters in the Egean capital of Viroconium. These 14 relics of ancient craftsmanship are hulking suits of armor that appear as if made for ogres or half-giants but can be manned by regular humans. The suits bestow astoundingly strong blessings on anyone that wears them, and they are made from materials and wrought with enchantments of such legendary quality that they are told to be indestructible. The might of these armored suits in battle is the stuff of legends.

Background

The first armored suits were created by a joint effort of human, elven, gnomish and dwarven artisans. In the miracle known as the Rain of Stars that occured in 1205 ER, the goddess Iona sent down from the firmament eight falling stars that landed in the regions of Egea and Tyria. From the impact sites was harvested vast amounts of meteorite eternium, of which Egea aqcuired the lion's share, and the greatest of innovators and artisans were gathered to experiment on the metal. The work continued for decades and cost stupefying amounts of gold to fund, but the result were the first prototypes of templar battlesuits.
The Third War of Menyamar saw the first deployment of the templar suit prototypes into battle. Manned by the most veteran paladins of the Sun Goddess and blessed many times over with holy rituals -- not to mention their astounding quality of craftsmanship -- the suits proved absolutely devastating. Inside the suits, the warrior paladins of Iona strode amongs the lizardfolk warriors like metallic gods, each slaying the teeming hordes of Menyamar by the score and escaping unscathed from the most desperate of battles.

Founding

The Templar Brotherhood was founded after the war, which ended up being rather short-lived. It was intended that the brotherhood would safeguard the amazingly powerful battlesuits and keep them from being misused. Back then theirs was a calling of peace and reverent worship, for the suits were seen as the most sacred of divine gifts, worthy of respect and prayer as inanimate manifestations of Iona's will.
Over time political currents caused change in the Imperial Church and then in the Templar Brotherhood. A radical paradigm shift called for new suits to be manufactured and additional utility accessories for them to be manufactured. The new and improved suits would serve both as a deterrent of war but also as a force of elite shock troopers. The most number of suits ever possessed by the brotherhood was 24.

Founding Date

1272 ER

Type

Religious, Holy Order

Training Level

Elite

Veterancy Level

Decorated/Honored

Deities

• Iona

Location

Viroconium

Split

To the great dismay of his predecessors, one Grand Cleric Dominicus decided in 1492 ER to honor the fledgling kingdom of Caraegwyn -- an enchanted realm blessed by the Sun Goddess herself -- by forming a new templar chapter there and gifting to them 12 battlesuits. This division of suits remains to this day: twelve in Egea and twelve in the Summer Kingdom. The Templar Knights of Caraegwyn have effectively achieved independence from the Imperial Church, swearing their loyalty instead to the Summer Throne. Grand Cleric Dominicus was later known in certain circles as Dominicus the Fool.