Difference between revisions of "Griffin"
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The templars are proud of their expertise, no matter how much sacrifice is involved. They are glad to bear the word of Merin everywhere on Aarklash to serve as an example to the peoples of the Ways of Light. Their engagement and conviction is so high that in the heat of battle they reach a form of trance. They become formidable warriors, transcended by divine anger. To the Templars, their war fury is a godsend from Merin. | The templars are proud of their expertise, no matter how much sacrifice is involved. They are glad to bear the word of Merin everywhere on Aarklash to serve as an example to the peoples of the Ways of Light. Their engagement and conviction is so high that in the heat of battle they reach a form of trance. They become formidable warriors, transcended by divine anger. To the Templars, their war fury is a godsend from Merin. | ||
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| + | == Protectorates of the Temple == | ||
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| + | The mission of the Temple has always been to spread the faith of Merin and the ideals of Light across Aarklash. The | ||
| + | brothers of the Order have traversed the entire continent. They have founded countless small commanderies, often to | ||
| + | the local populations’ surprise. In four strategic points they have built great fortresses, the four cardinal temples, which | ||
| + | also used as rallying points for every pilgrim of Merin. Recently these commanderies had to extend their military | ||
| + | and political influence beyond their walls. By building fortifications and watchtowers around the fortresses, they have | ||
| + | favored the settlement of pilgrims in these areas. Terrible battles have taken place in the immediate surroundings of these | ||
| + | protectorates, but the monarchs of Aarklash were forced to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Temple over these lands. | ||
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| + | * The protectorate of the North is surrounded by unwelcoming plains and constantly overcast wooded marshlands. Many pilgrims still chose to settle there, determined to colonize these lands at the crossroads of Aarklash. Such a gamble has proven particularly hazardous. Today, the protectorate is almost entirely occupied by enemy armies: those of the Hyena, the Wolf and the Scorpion. The many watchtowers are still not enough to protect the remaining villages. The temple itself is under siege from the wolfen. Built in the middle of the swamps, its austere fortifications are overlooked by an ominous keep, called the “Crow tower” because of the commander’s tamed birds. | ||
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| + | * The protectorate of the West is in fact a district of the Barhan city of Icquor. The templars living there shelter and | ||
| + | care for the poor of the city, as well as the wounded of the Ways of Light on their way back from the front. The temple itself looks more like a monastery than a military barracks; and it still runs the old dispensary, a library and a printer’s workshop. It is as much a place of knowledge as it is a stronghold, and the presence of the templars is much appreciated in the | ||
| + | barony and across the Kingdom. It is also the venue for jousting tournaments between templar riders and knights of Alahan. | ||
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| + | * The protectorate of the South is only sand and stone. The templars fight there every day to keep the Syhar at bay. No other Akkylannian lives there. The templars have built their temple there and erected fortifications around the few surrounding oasis, strategic points in the scorching Ivory dunes. Water can become so hard to find there that it is sometimes called “blue gold”. | ||
| + | The temple itself bears the scars of the last Syhar offensive, the Dance of the Scorpion, and templars are working day and | ||
| + | night to repair its white stone fortifications. | ||
