The Templars of the Radiant Dawn

The Templars of the Radiant Dawn are the Church of Unconquered Sol’s holy warriors, a militant order dedicated to purging Chaos from the world and upholding the divine light of their god. Founded in the wake of the Red Night of Terror when the Cult of the Darkened Sun unleashed havoc on Markia, the Templars emerged as a response to the Church’s call for vigilance, formalized through the Daylight’s Choir campaign. Clad in gleaming plate inscribed with solar runes and wielding morningstars—symbols of Unconquered Sol’s crushing authority—they stand as beacons of order amidst a fracturing realm. Based in grand preceptories attached to the Church’s cathedrals, they patrol the lands of Markia, Lavonia, and beyond, rooting out necromancers, demonic cults, and monstrous threats with righteous zeal.
The Templars swear oaths to honor the law, seek justice, embrace the light, show compassion, and live with purpose, reflecting the Church’s tenets. They see themselves as the mortal extension of Unconquered Sol’s celestial host, tasked with bringing salvation through steel and flame. Their presence inspires awe and fear, their shining armor a stark contrast to the shadows they hunt, yet their strict code ensures they temper justice with mercy when dealing with the repentant.
Templars wear polished plate armor etched with solar runes, often paired with red cloaks symbolizing the blood of martyrs. Their signature weapon is the morningstar, its spiked head mirroring Unconquered Sol’s mace, ideal for smashing undead and demonic skulls. Shields bear the order’s emblem: a golden sunburst over a white field, edged in crimson. Relics like Sol’s Tears—vials of holy water that burn chaotic flesh—are carried by Knights Radiant, blessed by the clergy for dire battles.

Structure

The Templars are structured as a disciplined hierarchy under the Church’s authority, blending martial rigor with spiritual devotion:

• Grand Master: The order’s leader, currently Grand Master Lysara Dawnbringer, a stern yet compassionate woman raised from a lower-class adoptee to a beacon of Sol’s light. She resides in Markia’s grand cathedral, overseeing strategy and doctrine.
• Preceptors: Regional commanders, each governing a preceptory (fortified outposts tied to cathedrals) in major cities like Markia, Lavonia, and Oakholm. They report to the Grand Master and lead local campaigns.
• Knights Radiant: The core Templars, fully initiated warriors clad in sun-etched plate and wielding blessed morningstars. They undertake missions against Chaos and train initiates.
• Squires of the Flame: Trainees, often Church adoptees or noble second sons, who serve Knights Radiant while learning the order’s ways. They earn knighthood through trials of faith and combat.
• Lay Brothers: Non-combatants—smiths, healers, scribes—who support the order with logistics and maintain its holy relics.

The Templars answer to the Church’s high clergy, their actions guided by divine edicts, though the Grand Master holds autonomy in military matters. Membership is selective, requiring vows of obedience, purity, and vigilance, often sealed with a sunlit baptism in a cathedral’s sacred pool.

Divine Origins

As Markia reeled from the Cult of the Darkened Sun’s assault—undead storming the streets, a high priestess slain—the Church sanctioned the Daylight’s Choir to reclaim the light. A cadre of devout warriors, led by Sir Aldric Solwarden, a knight of Markia’s old guard, rallied under the cathedral’s stained-glass glow, vowing to purge the chaos that had defiled their city. Blessed by the clergy and armed with relics from the Church’s vaults, they drove the cultists back, their morningstars shattering undead bones under the midday sun. This victory birthed the Templars of the Radiant Dawn, named for their pledge to herald a new dawn of order.
By the time the order had formalized, establishing preceptories in Markia and Lavonia, their ranks swelled by adopted lower-class youths groomed by the Church and nobles seeking divine favor. Their early campaigns targeted necromancers hiding in the Burnt Peaks, earning them renown as Chaos’s bane. The templars have clashed with the Red Banded Talons, branding the bandits as chaotic disruptors, though some Templars secretly admired their defiance of corrupt nobles. As tensions between Markia and Lavonia escalate, the Templars remained neutral, focusing on their holy mission, though their influence subtly shaped both kingdoms’ policies against Chaos.

Tenets of Faith

The Templars embody the Church’s teachings with a martial twist:

• Order Above All: They view Chaos—demons, undead, fae—as existential threats to Unconquered Sol’s plan. Necromancy is their ultimate foe, met with swift execution by fire.
• Light as Weapon: They wield sunlight as both symbol and tool, favoring dawn raids and solar-blessed weapons to banish darkness. Their rituals include midday prayers beneath open skies.
• Justice with Mercy: While relentless against Chaos, they offer redemption to repentant sinners, reflecting the tenet of compassion. A bandit might be spared if they renounce their ways and serve the Church.
• Ancestral Duty: Inspired by the Church’s adoption practices, many Templars see themselves as heirs to a divine lineage, their deeds honoring Unconquered Sol’s celestial host.

Key practices include:

• Vigil of the Dawn: A nightly watch ending with a sunrise prayer, steeling them against nocturnal Chaos.
• Purification Rites: Burning incense and reciting hymns over weapons, sanctifying them against unholy foes.
• Feast of the Zenith: An annual celebration at midsummer, where Templars renew their oaths under the sun’s peak, feasting on donated grain and livestock.

Founding Date

14th of Windcrest, 2481 TA

Training Level

Professional

Veterancy Level

Experienced

Ruling Organization

The Church