This month, we'll take a look at Scotland's most powerful supernatural force: the Knights Templar.

Origins of the Order

In 1099 the knights of the First Crusade captured Jerusalem and Godfroi de Bouillon was installed Christian King of Jerusalem. In 1119, a group of French nobles led by Hugh de Payens presented themselves to Godfroi's successor, wishing to create a military order whose task would be "to keep the road from the coast to Jerusalem free from bandits". King Baldwin installed them at Temple Mount, the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They were based here for nine years, not protecting pilgrims but excavating the ancient Temple of Solomon.

In 1128 they returned to their sponsor, St Bernard of Clairvaux, and at the Synod of Troyes the church officially recognised the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon. These warrior-monks swore themselves to poverty, chastity and obedience.

In 1139, St Bernard's protege, Pope Innocent II, issued a Papal Bull, granting the Templars the right to build churches and making them directly answerable to the Pope alone - effectively a law unto themselves, led by a Grand Master.

The Templar Phenomenon

Now strange events coincided. St Bernard's order, the Cistercians, near bankruptcy in 1112, were suddenly rich, with over 300 abbeys by 1153. New Gothic architecture appeared in Europe: under St Bernard's direction vast cathedrals were created using the hitherto-lost architectural secrets of geometry, proportion, balance and harmony. Bernard himself was asked to describe God on one occasion: he replied, "He is length, width, height and depth!"

The Templars themselves were now rich, with young knights flocking to join their strict Rule. The Knights met secretly with arcane rites of initiation and, though pledged to poverty, acquired vast wealth. Templar churches were erected, using a distinctive circular/octagonal plan (such as Temple Church in London), and across the Holy Land spectacular castles were constructed, employing undreamed-of military engineering.

The Templars became the diplomats of the Holy Land, playing rival Arab warlords off against each other. They entered into secret treaties with the Shi'ite sect of the Hashishim, or Assassins, from whom they learnt about poisons, and studied Sufi philosophies. Allegedly, the Templars were students of the gnosis, a secret tradition of occult knowledge. Regardless, the Templars became an unparallelled military and political institution.

By the 14th Century, the Templars were the pre-eminent bankers of Europe, alongside the Genoese, the Lombards and the Jews. They owned 9000 tax-free manors across Europe and specialised in security for the transport and storage of bullion. The Templars introduced redeemable cash drafts - the cheque as we know it today - and guarded the treasuries of kings in their Temple vaults.

The Templars Fall

The Knights Templar were not without enemies. Philip IV of France engineered the election of his own Pope and, on Friday October 13th 1307, the King's troops moved to arrest 15,000 Templars in France. Prisoners were tortured until they confessed: to the worship of a devil called Baphomet, to the veneration of a bearded head with oracular powers, infanticide, homosexuality and blasphemy. The last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, confessed to heresy and, in November, the Pope ordered all Christian kings to arrest the Templars.

Though the French King had acted swiftly against the Templars, many escaped, taking with them their treasures. Their fleet put out from their harbour at La Rochelle in Britanny. Some fled to Portugal, others to Scotland: Robert the Bruce, was excommunicated and at war with England. He received the military aid he needed, and at Bannockburn the English were defeated.

Templarism survived. In Portugal the Templars reappeared as the Knights of Christ, retaining their naval technology: Vasco de Gama was a Knight of Christ and Prince Henry the Navigator was a Grand Master of the order.

In Scotland, the Templars were sheltered by the monarchy and continued for centuries. In 1689 the Viscount of Dundee died at the Battle of Killiecrankie, defending the Stuart cause - he was found wearing the Grand Cross of the Order of the Temple. The Templars in Scotland eventually disappeared behind the facade of Scottish Freemasonry.

A century later, the French King Louis XVI went to the guillotine; a man from the crowd leapt onto the scaffold, dipped his hands in the king's blood and shouted, "Jacques de Molay, thou art avenged!"

What was the secret of the Templars and their elusive treasure? Where did they acquire their revolutionary skills and technologies? And what was the truth about the hidden Templar gnosis?

The Shadow History

The true origins of Templarism are far older than the Crusades.

At the dawn of the First Millenium BC, Hiram of Tyre arrived at King Solomon's court, charged with constructing a Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant. Hiram's secret wisdom represented a magickal tradition which inspired the geometry of Pythagorus and the metaphysics of Plato. After the fall of Rome, this mystic science was forgotten in the West, but was preserved in the Arab world under enlightened Islamic regimes.

In the Mythic Age, the Celestial Chorus orchestrated the Crusades to secure the powerful nodes of the Holy Land and the tentative Web of Faith had almost collapsed. The dynamic Choirmage Saint Bernard of Clairvaux intended to contact the shadowy masters of the Ahl-i-Batin and learn their secrets; his ally the Count of Champagne funded an expedition, ostensibly a pilgrimage, and in this way Hugh de Payens arrived in Jerusalem in 1104, the first of several visits.

The acolytes located the site of Solomon's Temple and excavated the foundations. Here they unearthed ancient tomes of scientific and metaphysical secrets. One reading awoke the avatars of the awestruck knights, for this was the Kitab-al-Alacir which was to resurface in Spain at the court of Alfonso X. In fact it was in Jerusalem, not Spain, that the Sons of Ether were born.

These new Templars negotiated a new understanding between the Ahl-i-Batin and the Celestial Chorus. New breakthroughs in science, architecture, engineering, cartography and philosophy trickled back to Europe. New understandings of the Spheres of Correspondence and Matter were possible and hitherto-paradoxical cathedrals raised their spires to heaven.

The Knights Templar had their own agenda. Most of their secret wisdom was kept a secret from the populace. The Templars' method was that of the Technocracy centuries later, shielding the masses from the supernatural and strengthening static reality.

The Knights Templar were destroyed in the same Inquisition which ravaged the Order of Hermes and the Camarilla; most mages date the Templars' destruction as the very end of the Mythic Age. It isn't clear to what extent the accusations of Nephandism were justified, but two groups benefitted directly: the Order of Reason plundered the Templars' scientific secrets and the Technocracy traces its descent back to the Templars even today; the Order of Hermes developed Rosicrucianism from the Templars' mystical traditions.

The true Templars went underground and built a new powerbase in Scotland, led by the influential Saint-Clair family.

Tenets of Templarism

"The Many Paths are ONE PATH"

This is the Ahl-i-Batin Doctrine of Unity. Templars believe that many paths to Ascension are possible and recognize that their own Traditions' paradigms are subjective constructs. Templars are students of other cultures, philosophies and Paths. This includes, some critics imply, a fascination with the Path of Dark Reflection.

"The SUPREME ARCHITECT is revealed in His Creation"

This is the Celestial Chorus' contribution. Templars refer to the One as the Supreme Architect and regard the Tapestry as a clue to His nature. Templars are not interested in the moral qualities of the Supreme Architect and draw no distinction between mystical and mundane sciences which try to understand His creation.

"The SHAMIR is to be hidden from the Masses"

The Shamir was a mystical tool or creature (variously a worm or an insect) capable of shaping rock and used by Hiram of Tyre to construct Solomon's Temple. Templars refer to their secret technologies (or magick) as the Shamir. This tenet derives from the original Craftmasons and a bloodcurdling oath to keep their powers and insights a secret from the Sleepers. Templars despise Paradox and excell at coincidental magick. They serve as the enforcers for the Rule of Shade at many chantries.

Templars as a Meta-Tradition

Modern Templar mages will be from the Ahl-i-Batin, Celestial Chorus or Sons of Ether. They are fully fledged members of their Traditions, but Templarism is a "meta-Tradition" embracing groups of Batini, Choirmages and Ether Scientists under its metaphysical umbrella.

Ahl-i-Batin Templars are among the few Batini mages left who are fully aware of their Tradition's heritage. Some Templar Batini are Arabic, but many are Europeans enamoured with Sufi mysticism, qabalistic thought or Shi'ite Islam. Rival Batini sects hold a particular hatred for the Templars since the Crusades.

Choirmage Templars are conventional members of their Tradition, but suffer from the suspicion of their superiors within the Chorus.

Son of Ether Templars are intrigued with ancient technologies: Atlantean science, earth-energies, alchemy, psychic powers, etc. Their colleagues often sneer, but the Templar Ether Scientists are still salvaging "sciences" which have been discarded by the Technocracy.

Because of the disapproval or distrust which parent Traditions feel for the Templars, Templar mages suffer a penalty of +1 difficulty on all Social rolls involving their Traditions.

Spheres

Templars all have their conventional Spheres but the shared wisdom in Templarism gives these mages an extra Tradition Speciality Sphere: either Correspondence, Matter or Prime. This is represented by an extra dot during character generation.

This Templar Speciality Sphere can only be accessed, however, using a special focus: architecture. The mage must design, alter or construct and building or monument to access the Sphere. The mage should possess a Craft skill equal to the Sphere being accessed.

Example: Hiram has Correspondence has his Templar Sphere. In order to co-locate himself, he might have to build a doorframe to step through; to use Immediate Spatial Perceptions he must draft an architectural plan of the site he wants to investigate.

Moreover, the need for this focus cannot be overcome until the mage has at least 5 (rather than 2) points in Arete - Sons of Ether need an Arete of 8 to forego this focus.

Because of a shared language of symbolism, Templars of different Traditions can instruct each other in one of the three Templar Spheres at a penalty of only -2 to the number of Study Points gained.

Additional Templar Foci

Ahl-i-Batin Templars use the architect's foci described in the Players Guide: prayer for Mind/Spirit, compass for Correspondence, pen and paper for Matter/Prime/Forces, a rose for Life and an hourglass for Time.

Celestial Chorus Templars commonly use the eight-pointed or engrailed cross as their holy symbol. Templar Choirmages may substitute a sword for cleansing water to access Entropy but this will be a unique focus.

Son of Ether Templars can use as their focus for Life/Prime a ray of light refracted through a lens, prism or tinted glass. Their "scientific metres" will be compasses, set-squares, rules or levels.

Organisation

Templars are headed by a Grand Master; the other ranks are Priors, Knights, Esquires and Lay Brothers. Promotion is by appointment from the Grand Master. Lay Brothers are unawakened Acolytes who are initiated only into the outer forms of Templarism; Esquires are awakened Consors. Monthly meetings take place at the Temple: this is a Sanctum orientated to Templar magick; most cities have one. The Traditions have always been suspicious of this parallel hierarchy within their ranks - especially the Celestial Chorus who have a strict organisation of their own.

Acolytes

Templars have access to willing acolytes who already belong to secret societies: modern Templar organisations exist which claim continuity with medieval Templarism and Freemasonry is a direct successor to the Templars. Masonic acolytes can occupy positions of influence. Some Crafts operate with Masonry which teach members Hedge Magick. Freemasonry is also thoroughly riddled with agents of the Tremere vampire clan. Ahl-i-Batin Templars have allies among the Assamite vampire assassins. Finally, the Stargazer tribe of werewolves have been involved with the Templars.

Templar Rumours

1. The Templars are controlled by a secret society within their ranks. This group, called the Prieure de Sion, are variously thought to be a mages, mummies, vampires or Nephandi.

2. Is it a coincidence that, in 1182, Chretien de Troyes wrote the first romance about the Holy Grail? Troyes was the birthplace of Hugh de Payens and the Synod of Troyes established the Templars. Wolfram von Eschenbach, in his "Parzifal", explicitly identifies the knights guarding the Grail with the Templars. 'Nuff said.

3. The Templars' mission is to protect the magickal bloodline of the Merovingian kings of France: this bloodline descends from Jesus Christ himself and the Templars are nurturing a new Messiah. The Romancers just confused san greal ("holy grail") for sang real ("royal blood"). For more on this momentous conspiracy theory, see Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln's "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" (1982).

4. The Templars came to Jerusalem to recover the Ark of the Covenant from Solomon's Temple. They are still engaged in a global plot to recover the artifact. The Grail Romances are a coded metaphor for the search for the Ark. For more on this one, see Graham Hancock's "The Sign and the Seal" (1992).

Templar Rotes

INEFFABLE WORD Prime ** Spirit **

This is a simple rote to drive away unwanted spirits. It uses the Prime-2 effect "Rubbing the Bones" but directs it at a spirit. This is also used in exorcisms: while the spirit's Quintessence flow is disrupted it loses its hold on its victim, who can be removed from the area before the spirit recovers.
System: The mage needs to identify the spirit in the Umbra and this requires a number of successes based on the local Gauntlet.

INVOKING THE QABALAH Mind * Spirit **

The Templars studied qabalistic mysticism in the Holy Land and equated the angels with the Sephiroth of the Qabalistic World Tree. This rote invokes the power of a Sephira to possess the mage, altering his thought processes but granting him extra powers for the duration. Sons of Ether regard the Sephiroth as impersonal spiritual energies rather than "angels".
System: Two successes are needed to cast this rote. The mage must roll Intelligence + Meditation, with the difficulty shown below.

Angel Sephira	Nature	Sphere	Difficulty
Asariel Kether ("Crown")	Deviant	All (except Entropy)	10
Uriel Chokmah ("Wisdom")	Visionary	Spirit	9
Cassiel Binah ("Understanding")	Judge	Time	9
Sachiel Chesed ("Magnimosity")	Director	Matter	9
Samiel Geburah ("Strength")	Architect	Forces	8
Mikael Tephireth ("Harmony")	Martyr	Prime	8
Anael Netzach ("Victory")	Loner	Mind	8
Raphael Hod ("Glory")	Avant-Garde	Correspondence	7
Gabriel Yesod ("Foundation")	Caregiver	Life	7
Azrael Malkuth ("Kingdom")	Curmudgeon	Entropy	7

See Valkyrie#8 for detailed rules on angels and their powers. During the possession, the mage gains an extra dot in the Sephira's Sphere. Note that Ahl-i-Batin Templars cannot access the Sephira of Malkuth.

SANCTUM SANCTORUM Correspondence **** Prime ****

The Templars are secretive and like their privacy. This useful rote isolates an area from the Correspondence Point itself (expelling Quintessence from its spatial dimensions). This creates a "pocket dimension". Those within the Sanctum cannot be detected, scried or assaulted from without and no Correspondence-based effect will locate the Sanctum.
System: The duration and size of the affected area deterines how many successes are needed. Permanent Sanctums make great prisons. A rote using Prime-5 could re-establish the flow of Quintessence through an area and re-connect it to reality.

TEMPLAR NODE Correspondence * Matter *** Prime ***

The Templars constructed chapels and temples atop their nodes (foreshadowing the Technocracy who "sanitise" nodes). These Templar nodes have unique features. Quintessence forms within the walls of the structure as Tass, but this Tass can only be accessed by those who understand the architectural symbolism of the site.
System: Quintessence can be absorbed from a Templar Node using Prime-1, but the mage needs to roll Perception + Secret Language (difficulty 8) to identify the symbols. Many Celestial Chorus nodes are now Gothic cathedrals, where a Templar can "stock up" on Quintessence without the Chorus realising they're being raided.

TEMPLE ARCH Correspondence ****

The Templars have created a massive network of magickal portals crisscrossing the globe. Most of these are located in their former temples, castles and Gothic cathedrals. The Templar-financed Zeno Expedition, which reached America a century before Columbus, placed portals in the New World too. These portals are built into the architecture at a Templar site and are activated through an understanding of the architectural symbolism of the site: the portal must be entered and exited from a precise direction and angle.
System: To create a permanent portal requires 5 successes. The mage needs to roll Perception + Secret Language (difficulty 8) to open the portal. The Templars have created some Sanctum Sanctorum (see above) which are connected to the Correspondence Point only by a portal: these secret chambers are inviolable treasure-stores and top secret meeting places for they can only be reached or scried while the portal is open.

Next Issue - Freemasons, Roslin Chapel and the Saint Clair household.