The Grave Templars

For centuries, the Providence kingdom has been ravaged by wars that scarred the continent, beastmen pillage and torture the populations in the east, Cults corrupt and infiltrate the strongholds of humanity one by one, and internal conflicts continues to divide an already weakened humanity. But of all the threats that humanity must face, there is one that is more terrible than the others, more deadly, more terrifying, even more unspeakable than the creatures of Darkness: The Elder Beings, nightmarish beings with immense psychic powers and an inexhaustible thirst for blood, a threat so absurd that their existence is often hidden or altered by the authorities, because the truth would be too hard for the minds of the population to bear.   Humanity has few defences against these powerful beings, who are extremely adept at manipulating the human psyche and exploiting the smallest hidden weaknesses in anyone. Just one of these creatures is enough to plunge entire villages into madness before sacrificing all the inhabitants in macabre displays, leaving only piles of shapeless flesh and scattered bones that form unknown esoteric sigils, or simply leaving no trace of the victims, as if the place had been frozen in time before the population vanished.   It's a threat so dark that it's unlikely anyone would think they could stand against it, and yet against this terrifying backdrop, an order of knights has established itself as masters at tracking down these nightmarish enemies...

The Grave Templars are the spiritual heirs of Aviel, the Apostle of Death, they arewhat remains of an infallible and incorruptible army of warriors who hunt down their enemies even in the darkest part of the world. They were the second order of chivalry in the human realm, founded by Lord Aviel to serve a morbid purpose. While their brothers in the other Orders fought in the light, bringing a somewhat hope to the citizens and acting as guardians of the borders of the human realm, the Templars are fighters in the shadows, acting where evil is most deeply rooted, where the situation is so dire that only they can act. They don't boast of their glorious feats of arms, and they kept many terrible secrets within their order, so much so that the nature of their work must remain as unknown as possible. Feared by their enemies and dreaded by their allies, the Templars are by far the least 'human' of the defenders of humanity. They are taciturn and their faces are always covered by their helmets or thick hoods. Those who have had the privilege of witnessing one of their confrontations have seen nothing but a massacre perpetrated by merciless warriors with unfathomable hatred. The Templars are the monsters of the battlefield, an army of monsters trained to face legions of nightmarish creatures.   However this was in the past, now, their founder is long dead and their legions suffered defeat after defeat for centuries, leaving only a fraction of the original force of the order. In the year of death 580 the templars are nothing more than a bunch of monsters hunting down other monsters, sometimes even pillaging humans villages to satisfy their thirst for blood.

Once the mighty Aviel had walked through the corrupted expanse of Damonceau, purging it of every threat using only the sheer force of his mind, he stopped at the gates of a humble village known as Kaban. There, he was met with a ragged band of villagers standing resolute, their bodies shielding their children like frail shields against the oncoming storm. They brandished pitiful spears and rusted agricultural tools, trembling yet defiant before the looming figure of a demigod.   Aviel was the apostle of the Great God of Death and therefore his appearance was not that of a mere human, he was extremely tall, standing about two and a half meters tall, and his body was like that of an angel, with a delicate face, embellished by eyes and hair as dark as night. It was obvious that he was extremely powerful, as each of his movements, even the most subtle, seemed to distort the invisible forces present in the air. In the grim reality of their plight, these mortals knew that any act of defiance was doomed. Yet, as they faced him, their eyes blazed with a fierce determination that Aviel had never witnessed before. Most humans had crumbled at his sight or the sight of eldritch horrors, but here, these villagers stood their ground, a flicker of hope amidst the encroaching darkness. Their bravery struck a chord deep within him, planting a seed of admiration in the heart of a being forged from cosmic power a respect for the unyielding spirit of those he had always deemed weak. “Fear not,” Aviel intoned, his voice a low rumble that resonated through the air like distant thunder. He assured them he posed no threat, but his presence was heavy with the weight of impending doom. When he revealed his purpose, the villagers listened, their eyes wide with a mix of terror and hope as he exposed the reason of his presence and what his plan was for the future of mankind. As his words washed over them, some wept while others knelt in reverence, recognizing this god-like figure who had descended from the heavens, a specter of salvation amidst their despair.   But in the depths of Aviel’s mind, a pragmatic purpose brewed. He envisioned an army, a legion of warriors forged from the ashes of their desperation, destined to stand against the unspeakable horrors of the Outer Realm. With grim determination, he chose Kaban as the crucible for this new order. He would transform this humble village into a fortress, a bastion against the encroaching night. He gathered the villagers and imparted the ancient knowledge of the Dreamlands, the gods who had sent him, and the Outer Gods who thrived on chaos and despair. He painted a bleak tapestry of their future, a stark reminder of the malevolence that lurked just beyond the veil of reality. Under his relentless tutelage, he began to train them, reshaping their bodies and spirits, binding them to a cause greater than themselves.   Thus, the foundations of the Grave Templars were laid, a brotherhood forged in blood and shadows, sworn to protect the fragile light of humanity against the encroaching darkness. As their training commenced, the village of Kaban transformed, becoming not just a refuge, but a harbinger of the storm to come, a dark promise that even in the face of despair, they would rise, ready to meet the horrors lurking in the night.

By becoming Templars, Knights adopted a simple, even minimalist lifestyle. The Templars had very strong bonds with each other and spent most of their time together in their stronghold called Kaban. Their habits were very strict and helped to keep their bodies and minds in perfect condition for the battles to come, for the Templars their clarity of mind was their most important weapon in the war against creatures, for if their mind wavered for even a second during a confrontation, it would have been an exploitable weakness for the enemy. The Templars hold daily group masses and meditations in a huge room at the heart of their fortress, laid out like the Garden of Eden.     Though their way of life may appear calm and wise, the Templars display unimaginable ferocity in battle and will stop at nothing to bring down their enemies. They have an unshakable belief in their spirit and the nobility of their mission, and will pursue the avatars of the Old God into the underworld if necessary. But make no mistake, though their methods are fierce, the Templars are led by excellent tacticians who know how to tackle any situation and get the best out of their troops. Each Templar is trained to the utmost, and is as good at fighting as they are at tactics, perspicacity and even medicine, which allows them to treat themselves on the battlefield and use all sorts of medicinal herbs; this has allowed the Order to be extremely durable, as they do not need any physician in their ranks. The Order also has an extremely talented legion of vanguards who precede the bulk of the troops to gather valuable information and plan each mission according to the enemy's strengths and weaknesses. The Templars always act on a threat-by-threat basis, deploying the necessary force to deal with each threat and never underestimating their opponents. They have developed their tactics and strategy by analysing Percival's legacy to humanity, the research notebook he filled out during his expedition to the crypts, which lists many of the creatures of the night and their specific characteristics, allowing a skilled tactician to devise an effective strategy with a minimum margin of error to deal with each threat.

The organisation and hierarchy of the Knights Templar is kept as simple as possible to allow for a fluid exchange between the governing bodies and the legions on the battlefield. The Order is divided into 3 governing Ordos

The Templars recruit aspiring knights directly from the survivors of the battlefields they have traversed, believing that if a civilian can remain lucid in the midst of such horror, then he or she possesses the strength of mind sought by the Grave Templars. These chosen few then become aspiring knights and undergo several years of training to become true Templars. Some humans are also recruited to be Squire for the Order