Colonial Gothic - Templars (2012)

THE TEMPLARS
$10.99 DAVIS
RGG 1667
Colonial Gothic: The
Templars
Graeme Davis
Chicago & Virginia

CREDITS
Written by Graeme Davis

The Worship of the Generative Powers: During the Middle Ages of Western Europe by Thomas Wright
Editing by Lisa Padol
Proofreading by Michael Wolf
Art by Jeff Preston, Matthew Trump, Wikipedia Commons & FTC
Typography & Pre Press by Richard Iorio II
COLONIAL GOTHIC ORGANIZATIONS: VOL 1. THE TEMPLARS all contents is © 2010 &
2012 by ROGUE GAMES INC. No part of this book may be reproduced without permission
except small parts for review or scholarly criticism.
Published by ROGUE GAMES, INC.
12° created by Richard Iorio II & James Maliszewski
ROGUE GAMES, ROGUE GAMES logo, COLONIAL GOTHIC and COLONIAL GOTHIC logo
are TM and © 2012 by ROGUE GAMES, INC.. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.

CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: History 3
Founding 4
The Order Grows 5
Dissolution 6
Survival 8
Organization 8
Chapter 2: Templar Legends 11
The Holy Grail 11
The Freemasons 14
The Holy Blood 15
Heresy 15
Sorcery 16
Scotland 18
Exploration 18
The Skull & Bones 21
The Assassins 22
Anti-Monarchists 22
Chapter 3: Templar Secrets 23
The Beginning 23
v
COLONIAL GOTHIC: THE TEMPLARS
Revelation 25
Diaspora 26
The New World 26
The Freemasons 28
Revolution 30
Chapter 4: Encountering the Templars 31
Presence 31
Agendas 33
Friends & Enemies 37
Using the Templars 42
Chapter 5: Templar Characters 44
Templar Skills 45
Templar Fates 46
Other Advantages 46
Templar Magic 48
Sample Characters 50
Chapter 6: Excerpt 53
Bibliography 68
vi
Introduction
(A Templar Knight) is truly a fearless knight, and

secure on every side, for his soul is protected by the
armor of faith just as his body is protected by the
armor of steel. He is thus doubly-armed, and need fear
neither demons nor men.
-Bernard of Clairvaux
The Templars is the first in a series of COLONIAL GOTHIC sourcebooks covering

secret societies and other organizations.
Within these pages you will find detailed and authoritative information on the
activities of the Knights Templar in the world of COLONIAL GOTHIC, including
their acknowledged and secret histories, their structure and organization, their
goals in the Thirteen Colonies and around the world, and the implications of
membership.
Although they do not show their hand openly, the Knights Templar remain a
force in the world of COLONIAL GOTHIC. Their hand is seldom seen, but it pulls on
many strings.
This book is divided into the following chapters:
Chapter 1: History covers the acknowledged history of the Order from its
founding in 1119 to the execution of Grand Master Jacques de Molay in 1314. It
also covers what is known about the fate of those Templars who survived the fall of
the Order.
Chapter 2: Templar Legends summarizes the various legends and conspiracy
theories that grew up around the Templars, both during their official existence and
afterward.
Chapter 3: Templar Secrets presents the “official” history of the Order in the
world of COLONIAL GOTHIC.
1
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 4: Encountering the Templars discusses the Order’s agendas and

activities in the world of COLONIAL GOTHIC, and the various capacities in which
the Heroes might encounter Templar agents.
Chapter 5: Templar Characters covers rules for Templar characters in the game,
including notes on the various ranks of membership, how Heroes may join the
Order, and example NPC descriptions.
2
1
History
From Parzival through Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to The da Vinci Code, the
Knights Templar have had an enduring hold over the popular imagination. At
dawn on Friday, October 13, 1307, they went from being one of the most powerful
organizations in medieval Europe to prisoners and fugitives. They were questioned
under torture and their leaders were executed for heresy. Officially disbanded in
1312, the Knights Templar ceased to exist.
The legend of the Templars has proved harder to destroy. Rumors persisted of
hidden treasure, of a curse that blighted a dynasty, and of a secret so powerful that
it threatened the very basis of the Church. New organizations such as the
Freemasons looked back to the Templars, and became shrouded in myth and
conspiracy theory themselves.
From their origins during the Crusades until their fall two centuries later, the
Templars had grown in wealth and power. Some said they grew too powerful, and
had become arrogant. Some whispered that they had acquired secret knowledge in
the Holy Land. Some accused them of heresy, witchcraft, and worse crimes.
The official history of the Knights Templar extends from the Order’s founding
in 1119 until the execution of its last Grand Master in 1314. To many historians, it
is a tale of growing pride and an inevitable fall. The Order’s wealth and power
became a threat to kings and Popes alike; the Order forgot its humble origins and
3
HISTORY
its vows of poverty, and paid the price. Templars were arrested on trumped-up
charges of heresy, most examined under torture, and many were executed. The
Templars’ lands and other possessions were given to the more manageable Order
of the Knights Hospitaller, and the Templars were no more.
FOUNDING
Between 1096 and 1099, the First Crusade made its way from Europe to
Jerusalem, wresting the Holy Land from Muslim control. A Christian Kingdom of
Jerusalem was established, and Christian nobles controlled lesser fiefs, protecting –
and profiting from – Christian pilgrims who began making their way to the holy
sites.
The journey from Europe to Jerusalem was still a long and arduous one,
fraught with dangers from bandits and slavers. Many would-be pilgrims died of
disease or violence, and many others found themselves robbed in a foreign land,
unable to pay for passage home.
Around 1119, two French knights, Hugues de Payens and Godfrey de Saint-
Omer, approached King Baldwin II of Jerusalem with a proposal. With his
permission, they would establish an order of knights on monastic lines, holy
warriors whose duty would be to protect pilgrims as they travelled through the
wilds of Outremer to Jerusalem. King Baldwin agreed.
The knights were given space in the captured Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple
Mount to use as their headquarters. Close to the site of Solomon’s Temple, this
spot is holy to Jews and Muslims as well as Christians. The knights named
themselves the “Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon,” which soon
became abbreviated to the “Knights of the Temple” or the “Knights Templar.”
4
For nine years, little was heard of the Knights Templar. In 1129, they were
officially sanctioned by the Church at the council of Troyes. Leading churchman
Bernard of Clairvaux wrote De Laude Novae Militae (”In Praise of the New
Knighthood”), extolling their cause and defending the novel idea of an armed
religious order. Their fundraising efforts in Europe resulted in donations of money
and land and a flood of new recruits.
Like the monastic orders on which their constitution was based, Templars were
required to swear vows of poverty and hand over all their goods to the Order.
Their seal, which showed two knights sharing a horse, underlined their vows of
poverty.
In 1139, Pope Innocent III issued a Papal Bull titled Omne Datum Optimum
(“Every Perfect Gift”), which exempted members of the Order from the laws of
the kingdoms in which they operated. They could pass freely across borders, were
exempt from taxation, and answered only to the Pope. Unlike other bodies of
knights, no king could command the Templars.
THE ORDER GROWS

The Christian gains of the First Crusade lasted for less than a century. The
Second Crusade failed to take Damascus, and Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt,
reconquered Jerusalem for Islam in 1187. The Third and Fourth Crusades did not
return Jerusalem to Christian hands, and three subsequent Crusades (or four,
according to some historians) were fought without success in Egypt.
Unlike the majority of Crusaders, the Knights Templar were professional
soldiers. In battle, a charge of heavily-armored Templar knights was worth any
number of peasant levies from Europe, and in the councils of the Crusaders, the
Templar Grand Master spoke with as much authority as any king present.
Although individual Templars took a vow of poverty, the Order grew rich and
powerful from donations of land and money by benefactors across Europe. In
addition to protecting pilgrims’ persons while they traveled, the Order used letters
of credit to protect their money. A would-be pilgrim or Crusader could deposit
money at a Templar preceptory, which were now widespread across Europe, and
receive a letter of credit that could be redeemed for cash at any other Templar
preceptory. This early banking operation proved extremely profitable.
From these beginnings, the Order grew and grew. It maintained its own fleet,
which was used for trade as well as to transport pilgrims and Crusaders. At one
time, the Order owned the whole island of Cyprus, along with farms and other
lands across Europe. Templar castles belonged to the Order, and were
independent of the king in whose country they were built.
5
HISTORY
DISSOLUTION
When the impetus of the early Crusades died away, the Templars remained. On
the island of Rhodes, the Knights Hospitaller were founding their own state, just
as the Teutonic Knights had done in Prussia. The Templars began to show an
interest in doing the same, which made
the kings of Europe nervous. After the
fall of Jerusalem in 1187, the Templars
transferred their headquarters to Paris,
where there is still a district known as
the Temple. Taking refuge there from
a civil commotion in 1306, King Philip
IV is said to have caught a glimpse of
the Templars’ fabulous wealth, which
may have stirred his greed. Philip had
borrowed heavily from the Templars
to finance a war with England, and,
like many medieval kings, he was
perpetually short of money.
In the same year Pope Clement V,
who was also based in France, invited
the Grand Masters of the Templars
and Hospitallers to a meeting to
discuss a possible merger of the two
Orders, a prospect which neither
regarded with enthusiasm. Templar
Grand Master Jacques de Molay
arrived in early 1307, but Fulk de
Villaret of the Hospitallers was
delayed by several months.
While they awaited his arrival, EXÉCUTION DE JACQUES DE MOLAY [EN 1314],
ENLUMINURE ILLUSTRANT UN MANUSCRIT DES
Clement and de Molay discussed GRANDES CHRONIQUES DE FRANCE, XIVE SIÈCLE.
charges leveled against the Order by VÉLIN. BRITISH LIBRARY, LONDRES.
a n o u s t e d Te m p l a r t wo ye a r s
previously. It was concluded that the
charges were false, but Clement wrote to King Philip requesting his help in the
investigation. Using the charges as a pretext, Philip began to pressure Clement to
take action against the Templars.
In a well-coordinated countrywide operation at dawn on Friday, October 13th,
1307, Philip had de Molay and many other Templars arrested on charges that
included heresy, idolatry, obscene practices, homosexuality, financial corruption,
and fraud. Under torture, some Templars confessed to rituals that involved
trampling and spitting on the cross, and the veneration of a demonic idol they
named Baphomet – probably a medieval garbling of the name Mohammed.
Under pressure from Philip, Clement ordered all the Christian monarchs of
6
Europe to arrest the Templars and seize their assets. Only Edward II of England,
Philip’s son-in-law, did so with any force.
Once freed from torture many Templars recanted their confessions, but this
was not enough to prevent Philip from burning dozens of them at the stake in
Paris. Under the threat of military action from Philip, Clement issued a series of
Papal Bulls in 1312 which officially dissolved the order. The Templars’ wealth was
officially given to the Hospitallers, although most of it found its way into the royal
treasuries of France and England.
When Jacques de Molay was burned in March of 1314, he called out from the
stake: in one report, he adjured both Philip and Clement to meet him before God
by the end of the year, although his recorded words speak only of a coming
calamity to those who had condemned the Templars to death. Clement died a
month later, and Philip was killed in a hunting accident before the year was out.
The Chinon Parchment

In 2001, a document known as
“the Chinon Parchment” was found
in the Vatican’s secret archives.
Apparently misfiled in 1628, it is a
record of the trial of the
Templars and shows that Clement
absolved the Templars of all
heresies in 1308 before formally
disbanding the order in 1312. Since
de Molay and at least one other
Templar leader were not burned
until 1314, this document may cast
doubt upon the legality of their
executions.
7
HISTORY
SURVIVAL
The destruction of the Templars took place almost entirely in France. In England,
Edward II – who was Philip’s son-in-law – banned the order after pressure from
both Philip and the Pope, but despite some arrests, most of the Templars in
England seem to have escaped. Those Templars who were arrested were given
light sentences, mostly consisting of a few years’ penance in abbeys and
monasteries.
Scotland was at war with England at the time, and the whole nation had been
excommunicated by the Pope. The Papal Bulls dissolving the Order were never
proclaimed in Scotland, and there is even a report – dismissed by most historians –
that Templar knights fought on the Scottish side at the Battle of Bannockburn in
1314. According to some traditions, the Order continued to flourish in Scotland
for another four centuries, bolstered by French refugees who took advantage of
Scotland’s long-standing alliance with France against the English.
Outside England and France, the suppression of the Templars was less
thorough. The Duke of Lorraine, exonerated the Templars, and most followed the
advice of their Preceptor to shave their distinctive beards, don secular dress, and
melt into the local population.
In other German states, the Templars reacted angrily to the suppression of the
Order, threatening to take up arms against France and the Pope. Their judges,
perhaps intimidated, found them innocent of all charges, and although the Order
was still dissolved, most of the Templars went into the Knights Hospitaller or the
Order of Teutonic Knights. A similar process took place in Spain, and in Portugal
the Templars simply changed their name to the Knights of Christ.
In 1522, the Teutonic Knights renounced their allegiance to Rome and
became a secular order, throwing their support behind Martin Luther and the
Reformation. Some historians have seen this as the Templars’ revenge against
Rome, turning against the Papacy that had betrayed them two centuries earlier.
Perhaps as a result of the Masonic connection (see p. 28-30), new Templar
orders were founded around 1760, especially in Germany, and spread to Britain
and America. The growth of neo-Templar orders was slower in France, where it
was thought that the historical Templars were enemies of the royal house and that
these neo-Templar movements might be part of an anti-monarchist conspiracy.
Although these societies regarded themselves as descendants of the Knights
Templar, they were not military in nature. Like the Freemasons, they were mostly
social, charitable, and mystical groups.
ORGANIZATION
Although the Order is best known for its knights, most of the Templars were more
humble. Modern historians estimate that at the height of the Order’s power it had
15,000-20,000 members, of whom about 10% were knights. Far more numerous
were the non-noble troops, mercenaries, servants, and support staff.
8
The Grand Master was the supreme head of the Order. The office of Grand
Master was held for life, and all but two of the Templars’ Grand Masters died in
office. Many died in battle. The Grand Master was attached to the Order’s
headquarters in Jerusalem and later in Paris.
Masters (also called Preceptors) headed the Order in each territory where it had a
presence. At the Order’s height, there were Masters of France, England, Aragon,
Portugal, Poitou, Apulia, Jerusalem, Tripoli, Antioch, Anjou, Hungary, and
Croatia. Each master was based at a preceptory, a Templar estate which included a
house and chapel.
Knights were nobles who had renounced family and land to join the Order.
They wore distinctive white surcoats emblazoned with the Templar cross in red. In
Palestine, the Templar knights were supplemented by European knights who had
pledged their service for a number of years but did not take Templar vows.
Sergeants were non-noble brethren who acted as light cavalry or served as
administrators and craftsmen. They wore black surcoats and brown mantles.
Esquires ranked below the knights and sergeants.
Chaplains were ordained priests who performed religious ceremonies for the
brethren and heard their confessions. Since priests were the most educated men in
European society at the time, it is likely that they also acted as scholars, clerks, and
advisers.
Servant brothers ran the houses, stables, and rural estates belonging to the order.
JOINING THE TEMPLARS

During the Crusades, men condemned of a crime could sometimes gain amnesty
by becoming Crusaders, and many others went on Crusade to escape legal and
other problems at home. The Templars regularly recruited knights who had been
excommunicated, and once in the Order they were able to receive the sacraments
from the Order’s own priests, despite their excommunicated status..
To be eligible to join the Order as a knight, a candidate had to prove that he
satisfied the following requirements:
• That his father had been a knight (not necessarily a Templar),
or eligible to become one;
• That he was born in wedlock;
• That he was unmarried and free from all obligations or prior
vows;
• That he was not in debt;
• That he was at least twenty-one – the minimum age to bear
arms, deriving from the belief that this was the age at which a
man came into his full physical strength.
9
HISTORY
Even with these requirements, there were more applicants than the Order
could absorb, and eventually, a fee was charged for admission to the ranks of
Templar knights.
Knights were admitted to the Order in a secret ceremony held in one of the
Order’s chapels and attended only by members of the admitting chapter. This
secrecy served to fuel rumors that some Templar rituals were unorthodox or even
heretical.
Little is known of the process for joining the Templars at a lower rank. It is
likely that sergeants and chaplains had to meet similar requirements, while
servants were most likely from families attached to Templar-held estates. In the
Middle Ages, a gift of land included all the people who lived and worked on it.
10
2
Templar Legends
Few organizations have been surrounded by such a dense body of legend,
speculation, and conspiracy theory as the Knights Templar. The process of
mythologizing the Templars had three main phases.
The Grail Romances of the 12th century mention the Templars, or Templar-
like knights, as the guardians of the Holy Grail.
In the 18th century, the expanding Freemasons began to incorporate Templar
references into their traditions, claiming that the mysteries of Freemasonry began
with Solomon and were rediscovered by the Templars.
In the mid to late 20th century, several books were published claiming that the
Templars were the guardians of the surviving bloodline of Jesus.
THE HOLY GRAIL

The Holy Grail has always been regarded as the most sacred relic in Christian
tradition. It is said to be the cup or bowl from which Jesus drank at the Last
Supper, and some legends state that it was also used to catch some of his blood at
the Crucifixion. Even before their dissolution, the Knights Templar were linked
with the Holy Grail by the Grail Romances.
The stories are consistent but vague: after passing through many trials and tests
of faith, the questing hero comes to a remote castle occupied by holy knights who
11
TEMPLAR LEGENDS
are either stated to be Templars or are described as having many of the qualities of
the Templars. There, after passing a final test, the hero is permitted a sight of the
Holy Grail. No indication is ever given of the location of the Grail castle, and the
Grail Romances are generally regarded as allegories on the necessity of striving to
attain salvation.
If the Romances are to be regarded as more than allegory, it seems strange
that none of the records of the Templar trials make any mention of the Holy
Grail. If the Order had possession of the greatest relic of all, it would surely not
have been passed over in silence. More modern speculation about the nature of
the Holy Grail is covered below.
THE DAMSEL OF THE SANCT GRAEL OR HOLY GRAIL,

BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI (1828–1882)
12
OTHER RELICS
The collecting of holy relics by churches, kings, and other groups reached a fever
pitch in the Middle Ages. One historian commented drily that there were enough
splinters of the True Cross in medieval Europe to account for a small forest of
trees.
The Order is recorded as having a piece of the True Cross, which was carried
into the disastrous Battle of the Horns of Hattin in 1187 by the Bishop of Acre. It
was captured by the Saracens and subsequently ransomed back to the Crusaders.
The Templars also possessed the head of Saint Euphemia of Chalcedon, who
was martyred in the arena in 306 or 307. Among the goods confiscated from the
Paris preceptory in 1314 was a reliquary in the shape of a woman’s head, which
contained two bones from the head of a small woman and a label on which was
written “caput LVIIIm” (“head 38m” or possibly “head 38, female” as some
FULL-LENGTH PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SHROUD OF TURIN

WHICH IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN THE CLOTH PLACED ON JESUS AT
THE TIME OF HIS BURIAL. GIUSEPPE ENRIE, 1931
13
TEMPLAR LEGENDS
scholars interpret the ‘m’ as actually being the astrological sign of Virgo). This
may have been the head of Saint Euphemia, although none of the Templars
questioned identified it as such. However, they and all denied that it was the head
allegedly worshiped in Templar rituals.
The Templars may also have a connection with the Shroud of Turin, which
was first exhibited in 1357 – 43 years after the dissolution – by the grandson of
Geoffroi de Charney, the Templar Preceptor of Normandy who was burned with
Jaques de Molay in 1314. Radiocarbon analysis has dated the shroud to between
1260 and 1390, but the results are not conclusive, and the shroud might be older.
There is no evidence that the shroud was ever in the Order’s keeping, although
some writers have suggested that the image on the shroud was the mysterious
“bearded head” that some Templars allegedly worshiped.
THE FREEMASONS
The design and construction of the great cathedrals of Europe required great
scientific knowledge, and the “freemasons” were often master craftsmen who
moved from project to project, therefore being “free” rather than tied to the guild
of a particular city. It should be remembered that, in the Middle Ages, master
masons were also architects, which required them to have an understanding of
mathematics and physics far beyond that of
their contemporaries. This knowledge would
have been jealously guarded to protect the
status of their craft, and may account for the
commonly-held belief that the Freemasons
had some esoteric secrets.
The origins of Freemasonry are obscure,
but until the late 16th century, Freemasonry
seems to have been “operative” (based around
trade guilds of working masons) rather than
“speculative” (open to members who are not
actual stonemasons). It was not until the 18th
century that Freemasons began to refer to
Templar origins in their rituals. This century
saw a rapid expansion of Freemasonry across
Europe and in North America, starting with
the founding of the Grand Lodge of London
in 1717.
Some stories claim that the Templars
discovered the esoteric secrets of Freemasonry
hidden beneath Solomon’s Temple by its legendary architect, Hiram Abif. After
the Order’s suppression these secrets – which concerned more than mere
architecture – were guarded by their protégés, the Freemasons. Other
commentators suggest that the Freemasons were simply trying to create a
14
distinguished ancestry for their organization, one that tied into a growing interest
in esoteric matters.
There are a great many myths surrounding the birth of Freemasonry, and the
Templars are but one alleged ancestor. Others include King Solomon, Euclid,
Pythagoras, Moses, the Essenes (a Jewish sect to which some believe Jesus
belonged, and the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls), the Culdees (early Christian
monks of the British Isles), the Druids, the Gypsies, and the Rosicrucians.
In the absence of solid historical evidence, however, the existence of any link
between the Knights Templar and the Freemasons remains speculation.
THE HOLY BLOOD

In the 1950s, a Frenchman named Pierre Plantard founded an organization
called the Priory of Sion and created a fictitious history for it which stretched back
to the Crusades and included links to the Knights Templar. Working with various
associates, he forged a number of historical documents that apparently backed up
his story and had them placed in archives over the next thirty years.
Plantard claimed that the Holy Grail is not, as was previously thought, the cup
from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper. Instead, the medieval French Saint
Graal is a corruption of Sang Réal, meaning “royal blood.” The Priory and the
Templars, he said, had discovered evidence of a surviving bloodline descended
from Jesus and Mary Magdalene, which ran through the Merovingian dynasty of
medieval French Kings and ended with Plantard himself.
The Templars became the guardians of this bloodline, and were suppressed by
a Catholic Church that had too much to lose if the knowledge of its existence
should come out. The Priory of Sion survived the destruction of the Templars,
and boasted a series of secret masters that included Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac
Newton, and many other prominent figures.
The story was first published outside France in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
in 1982, and forms the basis of Dan Brown’s novel The da Vinci Code. It is generally
accepted as being a fabrication, but a great many people continue to believe it is
true. In 2006, a book titled The Sion Revelation claimed that Plantard’s plot was an
elaborate double bluff to ensure that the secret knowledge was not generally
believed.
HERESY
The Middle East of the 12th century was a hotbed of beliefs that the Catholic
Church regarded as heretical. The Orthodox Church, based in Byzantium (now
Istanbul) was the largest Christian sect and held sway over most local Christian
communities. In addition there were Gnostics, Manicheans, and other groups –
some with magical as well as theological traditions – and many historians believe
15
TEMPLAR LEGENDS
that if the Templars were indeed guilty of heresy, it was because they had picked
up the beliefs of one or more of these groups.
Late in the Order’s history, there were some Templars who were of Palestinian
birth, and the Grand Master Philip of Nablus (1167) was a Syrian. Many
Templars, and many Crusader nobles in general, came to speak Arabic fluently
and lived among their Muslim neighbors with a degree of familiarity and ease that
scandalized later Crusaders coming from Europe. They could have absorbed
much in the way of science and philosophy from Arabic sources, and, in the eyes
of the Church, this would have made them heretics.
Some writers have linked the Templars with the Johannite (or Mandaean)
heresy in particular. This belief denounced Jesus as a false prophet and identified
John the Baptist as the true Messiah. As with all Templar legends, there is no hard
proof, but an attachment to Mandaeanism could explain the reports of Templar
rituals that involved trampling or spitting on the cross, which symbolizes the role of
Jesus as Messiah and Savior. It is certainly possible that individual Templars
became attached to Mandaeanism, but it is impossible to claim with any certainty
that it infected the Order as a whole. Other writers dismiss the heresy argument
entirely, and suggest that the Templars were ritually abusing the symbol of Jesus’
death as a sign of devotion to him.
SORCERY
Building on accusations of heresy and witchcraft, some tales paint the Templars as
sorcerers who discovered some magical knowledge in
the ruins of Solomon’s Temple. King Solomon is
described in non-Biblical sources – both Christian
and Islamic – as a magician of great power.
At the time of the Crusades, the Islamic world
was far in advance of Christendom in the arts and
sciences. The concept of the number zero came from
the Muslim world, and the Arabic system of
numerals replaced the Roman system in Europe and
remains in use today; this is just one example.
Following Arthur C. Clarke’s maxim that any
sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable
from magic, many in Europe regarded the Islamic
world – and the knowledge that came from it – as
dangerous and possibly diabolical. It should be
remembered that Lovecraft’s ultimate forbidden tome, the Necronomicon, was said to
have been translated into Greek from an Arabic original titled Khitab al-Azif.
Henry Cornelius Agrippa, one of the most prominent Renaissance writers on
occultism, discussed the Templars in his De Occulta Philosophia of 1531, hinting that
black magic formed a part of the Templar heresy.
16
To date, there is no hard evidence that the Templars were – or even thought
they were – in possession of magical lore or other powers. However, heresy and
witchcraft are almost indistinguishable in some eyes, and some popular fiction
paints them as an order of warlocks. In Spain, a series of movies featured vengeful
undead Templars terrorizing 1970s Portugal. In Britain, a TV miniseries called
The Dark Side of the Sun combined Templar-fueled Gothic romance with conspiracy
theory in a tale set, strangely, on Rhodes, the stronghold of the rival Knights
Hospitaller. A series of seven French novels titled Les Rois Maudites (The Accursed
Kings) speculates about the effects of de Molay’s dying curse on Philip’s successors;
it was made into a TV mini-series in 1972, and remade in 2005.
ALCHEMY
The Templars have been linked to the practice of alchemy by many later
commentators. Some use alchemy to explain the Order’s legendary wealth, while
others include alchemy as a part of the scientific and esoteric knowledge that the
Templars acquired from the Muslim world. Some writers – most notably the
authors of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail – link the alleged worship of a head to
an alchemical process.
In the coded language of alchemy, the phrase Caput Mortuum, or “Dead
Head” referred to the Nigredo or “Blackening” that was said to take place in the
final stages of the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone. Accounts of the Templars
worshiping a head may be garbled and partly-understood reports of alchemical
experiments.
DRUG USE
When asked to describe the idol Baphomet by their interrogators, the captured
Templars came up with a wide range of answers. To some it was a head, to others
a cat, a satyr, a crow, or a feminine demon. The head was said by some to be
white, and by others black or gilded. To the modern mind, this lack of consistency
suggests that there was no idol and the individuals under torture were saying
whatever they could devise to make the pain stop. To the medieval mind, though,
this suggested very strongly that the idol was magical and shifted its form.
Some Templars, indeed, claimed to have seen it shift form, perhaps in response
to the question of why descriptions of it varied so widely. A few historians have
seized upon this isolated fact as suggesting that the Templars used some kind of
hallucinogenic drugs in their rituals – drugs of whose existence they may have
learned from the Arab world, and whose use by shamans across the world was not
commonly known in medieval Europe. As with most Templar legends, there is no
hard evidence for or against this theory, but it is perhaps significant that at least
one historian who suggested that the Templars used psychedelic drugs was writing
in the late 1960s.
17
TEMPLAR LEGENDS
SCOTLAND
It has been said that Templars fought alongside King Robert the Bruce of
Scotland at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, but contemporary accounts do
not mention them and no source for the story can be traced back further than the
19th century. Some have suggested that the tale is an
attempt to salvage English pride by crediting
powerful allies with the Scottish victory.
Roslyn Chapel, also in Scotland, has been linked
to the Templars in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
and The da Vinci Code, among other books. Built
more than a century after the Order was dissolved,
it is a conventional square church in contrast to the
round shape (said to reflect the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre in Jerusalem) of all known Templar
churches. Alleged Masonic symbols have been
identified in parts of the architecture, and the
Sinclair family, its builders, are known to have had
Masonic ties, but no Templar connection has been proved.
EXPLORATION
There are rumors that the Templars commanded a series of secret ports, from
which they set out on voyages to unknown lands. One such port was said to be at
Peñiscola near modern Valencia, Spain. Commanded by a castle carved from the
rock, it was here that the schismatic Pope Benedict XIII (previously Cardinal
Pietro de Luna) retired in 1417 when Avignon, the seat of the schismatic papacy,
proved indefensible and his expedition to take Rome by force was stillborn.
THE NEW WORLD

A persistent legend tells of a lost Templar fleet – laden with treasure in some
versions – that fled to the New World before the voyage of Columbus in 1492.
Another story is that Columbus’ navigators who were members of the Knights of
Christ and used Templar knowledge to steer him across the Atlantic. This,
according to the tale, is why his ships had a Templar cross on their sails. No
documentary or material proof has been found in support of either story, but
there are various sites in North America that are linked to the Templars by local
legend.
The mysterious Oak Island money pit in Nova Scotia is thought by some to
hold a cache of Templar treasure, and there have long been supposed – but
unproven – links between the Templars and the part of New France known as
Acadia (renamed Nova Scotia under British rule).
18
NEWPORT TOWER
© 2004 MATTHEW TRUMP, USED UNDER THE CREATIVE
COMMONS ATTRIBUTION-SHARE ALIKE 3.0
It is also claimed that the Templars visited the site of Newport, Rhode Island,
in 1398, and may have constructed Newport Tower (COLONIAL GOTHIC
GAZETTEER, pp. 32-33), possibly as an astronomical observatory. However, the
conventional explanation that the structure is the base of a windmill from the
earliest days of colonization has not been disproved.
THE OAK ISLAND MONEY PIT
Oak Island lies off the southern shore of Nova Scotia. The so-called Money Pit
was discovered in 1795, and so far it has resisted all attempts to reach the treasure
that it is said to contain – including a 1971 excavation that went down 235 feet to
bedrock. In the world of Colonial Gothic, it could be the Heroes who discover the
mysterious pit and try to recover its treasure.
Beneath a shallow covering of dirt and leaves, the top of the shaft was capped
by a layer of flagstones. Tool-marks can be seen on the walls, and the soil fill was
punctuated about every ten feet by a layer of logs. At 40, 50, and 60 feet, there
were also layers of charcoal, putty, and coconut fiber.
At 80 or 90 feet there was a stone slab inscribed with symbols which
researchers have interpreted as indicating that a treasure of two million pounds
19
TEMPLAR LEGENDS
was buried forty feet further down – that is, at about 120-130 feet below the
surface. Two million pounds at 1795 or earlier value would be equivalent to
billions of dollars in the present day. The slab itself was lost in the early 20th
century.
All attempts to reach the treasure have failed. The pit constantly floods to the
33-foot level, filling so rapidly that even 20th-century pumps were defeated. There
was one report of a stone-lined “flood tunnel” at 90 feet, but subsequent
expeditions failed to locate it. The shaft itself has collapsed on many occasions.
Cameras lowered into the shaft in 1967 captured images of what were said to be
chests and human bones, but the images were unclear and this claim is disputed.
Some claim that the pit contains the lost Templar treasure, while others link it
to pirates such as Captain Kidd and Blackbeard. Still other theories suggest that
the pit was dug by French engineers during the French and Indian War to hide the
treasury of the French fort of Louisbourg before it fell to the British in 1758, or
that a servant of the doomed Marie Antoinette escaped to the New World with
her jewels (some of which are indeed missing) and hid them there at some time
after the queen’s arrest in 1789.
20
THE SKULL & BONES

The Templars are also associated with the symbol of the skull and bones. Some
commentators have gone so far as to suggest that the use of this symbol in the Jolly
Roger some 400 years later indicates that the fabled lost Templar fleet is somehow
connected to the origins of Caribbean piracy. Others claim that the use of the
symbol by societies such as the Skull and Bones at
Yale University indicates some Templar link.
Founded in 1832, this society has counted
many politicians and power-brokers among
its members, and is itself surrounded by a
fair amount of conspiracy theory.
There are two main stories
explaining the Templar connection to
the symbol of the skull and bones. One
is based on the report that a skull and
two femurs were all that remained of
Jacques de Molay after the flames of his
execution died down. The other is more
grisly, and was certainly in circulation
during the events that led up to the fall of
the Order.
According to this story, recorded by
English writer Walter Map a few decades
before the arrests, a great lady of the
town of Maraclea, in the Principality of
Antioch, was loved by a Templar lord of
Sidon. She died young, and after her burial,
her lover disinterred her body intending to
commit an act of necrophilia. A disembodied
voice told him to return in nine months, when he
would find a son. He did so, and found a head on the
legs of the lady’s skeleton. The voice spoke again, bidding him to guard it well,
“for it would be the giver of all good things,” and so he took the head away with
him. It proved to have great magical power, for he could defeat his enemies merely
by displaying the head to them. In due course, it passed into the possession of the
Order.
This story is repeated multiple times in the Inquisition’s records, and at least
two Templar knights admitted to being familiar with it. If one believes the tale,
then the skull and bones is a symbol of the magical head allegedly worshiped by
the Templars.
After the destruction of the Order, the story passed down into the traditions of
Freemasonry, which also adopted the symbol of the skull and crossbones,
especially on gravestones. However, this use was by no means exclusive to Masons
21
TEMPLAR LEGENDS
and appears in graveyards across Europe. The skull and bones was first used as a
military emblem under Frederick the Great of Prussia (1712-1786), who was a
Freemason, and its use spread into many other armies, apparently without any
reference to the Knights Templar.
THE ASSASSINS
The Hashashiyyin, or Assassins, were another storied organization that operated in
the Holy Land during the Crusades, and it is perhaps inevitable that legends have
grown up linking them to the Templars. It is certain that the Templars made use of
local Islamic mercenaries during the Crusades, and some commentators have
pointed to similarities in the organizational structure of the two groups to suggest
that the Templars were, if not an actual offshoot of the Assassins, at least inspired
by them.
It has been claimed that the Templars received a payment of three thousand
gold pieces from a Syrian branch of the Assassins, but this payment (if it existed)
might have been a tribute or a bribe rather than a payment between two linked
organizations with a common agenda. It seems unlikely that any Muslim group in
the medieval Middle East would make common cause with Christians for any
reason at all. Saladin himself expressed a particular hatred for the Templars, and
took a solemn oath to execute Templar captives rather than ransoming them back
to their people, as was the common practice with noble prisoners.
ANTI-MONARCHISTS
Some commentators have noted that the Templars’ widespread presence and
independence of the monarchs in whose kingdoms they operated made them
something like a modern multinational corporation. Combined with the conflict
between Jacques de Molay and Philip IV of France (and, to a lesser extent,
Edward II of England) and their interest in building a Templar state, this has led
to speculation that the Order was secretly working to overthrow the royal houses of
Europe and create a world government.
Like many other Templar legends, this theory surfaced in the 18th century
amid the increasing popularity of Freemasonry and a growing dissatisfaction with
royal government. It seems likely that those who saw themselves as the successors
to the Knights Templar wanted to co-opt the Order into their own plans and
aspirations, thus giving their causes a longer and more distinguished ancestry.
22
3
Templar Secrets
This chapter recounts the role of the Knights Templar in the world of COLONIAL
GOTHIC. Some of what follows is based on established history. Some is speculation
building upon certain facts, and the rest is invention to suit the purposes of the
game.
THE BEGINNING
Once they were established in the Temple of Solomon, Hugues de Payens and his
companions began to hear stories about the place and its founder. They learned,
among other things, that both Jews and Muslims revered the ancient king as a
powerful magician as well as a wise and just ruler. But one story in particular
caught their attention.
In designing the Temple along with his master builder Hiram Abif, Solomon
had made provision for a secret mechanism in the Holy of Holies, which would
lower the Ark of the Covenant into a secure underground hiding-place if the
Temple should ever be attacked – as it had been by the Babylonians some 1,700
years previously. The Ark of the Covenant had not been seen since. The knights
immediately determined to discover the Ark, and began secret excavations under
the Temple Mount.
23
TEMPLAR SECRETS
It took many years, but finally they broke through into an underground
chamber. However, the Ark of the Covenant was nowhere to be seen. Instead, they
discovered a mass of ancient parchments written in a dizzying array of languages.
Taking care not to reveal the source of their find, they consulted various Jewish
and Muslim scholars, working through trusted intermediaries.
The knights were astonished to find that they had stumbled upon the library of
King Solomon himself. It was full of magical, scientific, and alchemical texts
whose knowledge had been lost for centuries. One document in particular was to
shape the future not only of the Knights Templar, but of the whole world.
The document recorded a conversation between Solomon himself and a
captive demon. Under the threat of various magical tortures, the demon revealed
that the forces of evil used differences of religion and nationality to divide and
weaken humanity. No mortal was immune to possession or corruption, and the
most powerful – princes and priests – were the primary targets. By plunging
humanity into an endless sequence of political and religious wars, Evil was guiding
the world of men toward its own destruction.
24
REVELATION
Hugues and his companions looked at the world around them with new eyes. The
holy Crusades, to which countless good men had pledged themselves, were no
more than a ploy to weaken the forces of good across the Middle East and in
Europe as well. Anyone, whether a king, a bishop, or even the Pope, could be a
servant of evil or an unwitting pawn. The only hope for humanity lay in setting
aside differences of nationality, culture, and religion and working together to
ensure the triumph of good over evil.
The Templars realized right away that to spread their knowledge openly would
lead them all to the stake as condemned heretics. Whatever was to be done, it had
to be done secretly. No one outside their own Order could be trusted, and even
those who subsequently joined the Order must be looked upon as potential spies
and traitors until it was certain that they could be trusted.
Using their expanding network of preceptories and the funds generated by
their growing banking operations, the Templars monitored
events across Europe. Everything they learned
confirmed what the demon had told Solomon.
There was not a kingdom nor a bishopric that
had not been infiltrated by agents of evil, and
they used greed, lust, blackmail, and trickery
to turn previously good men into their
servants.
With the fall of the Crusader kingdoms,
the Templar s’ rivals, the Knights
Hospitaller, were working to create their
own state on the island of Rhodes. Following
a similar idea, Robert de Craon, the second
Grand Master of the Templars, made overtures
to the powerful Counts of Toulouse, planning to
establish a Templar state in the Languedoc. From this base, he thought, the Order
could set about the work of driving evil first from France, then from all
Christendom, and finally from the world.
These overtures led to disaster. Somehow, the Templars’ secret knowledge
leaked out in a garbled form, and gave rise to the Cathar heresy. The Church was
alerted, and the Templars were forced to abandon the region.
King Philip IV of France owed the Templars a fantastic sum of money, and
their relationship with the troublesome Counts of Toulouse angered him. Putting
pressure on Pope Clement, Philip arrested hundreds of Templars and had the
Order officially dissolved. Concurrently with the fall of the Templars, the Church
conducted the brutal Albigensian Crusade in Languedoc to stamp out the the
Cathar heresy.
Under torture, some of the captured Templars confessed to what they knew,
but the tale grew in the telling. Where the Templars had come to regard
25
TEMPLAR SECRETS
Christianity as just one of several religions, they were accused of spitting and
trampling on the cross, and of revering Baphomet, or Mohammed. The
metaphors in some of their alchemical texts were twisted into claims that they
worshiped an idol in the form of a bearded head. Additional charges were
embellished or invented until the whole Order seemed to consist of heretics and
criminals.
DIASPORA
Pope Clement was not a willing ally in Philip’s persecutions. He resented the
French king’s overbearing power, and was afraid that this attack upon an Order
that answered only to the Popes was an attack on his own power. Reading some
Templar documents recovered by his secret agents, Clement learned a little of the
truth.
Although he could not save the Templars, he salved his conscience as best he
could. In 1308 he secretly pardoned them, arranging for the pardon to be misfiled
in the Vatican’s archives so that it could not be used against him. He also ordered
that the Templars’ wealth should be turned over to the Knights Hospitaller, who
were still under his control, and ordered the Hospitallers to provide refuge for
former Templars. Some Templars did indeed take refuge with the Hospitallers, but
many refused to trust the Pope whom they blamed for the destruction of their
Order.
Some joined the Teutonic Knights, who had gone to Transylvania after
quitting the Holy Land. Their mission there was to help the King of Hungary
against the Turks, but they witnessed many strange things in those shadowed
woods and mountains.
Other Templars went to Scotland. The kingdom was at war with England,
which had joined in France’s persecution of the Order, and it had also been
excommunicated. King Robert the Bruce welcomed the assistance of several
hundred heavily-armed knights, and the Sinclair family, which had Templar
connections through its Saint-Clair branch in France, welcomed the Templars to
their family seat at Rosslyn.
The Templars knew that this respite was only temporary. They had to get away
from Europe altogether if they were to have any chance of surviving to regain
strength and rejoin the battle against evil.
THE NEW WORLD

In time, the Teutonic Knights left Hungary and were fighting in northern Europe.
From former Templars among them, the Order received copies of the Vinland
Sagas, which told of Leif Ericson and his voyages to a new world across the
Atlantic Ocean. The first Templar fleet arrived in what is now Newfoundland in
the summer of 1398, carrying the the volumes from Solomon’s library that had
26
not been captured as well as many other treasures. Their cargo was securely
hidden, and a few of the Templars remained to settle and trade with the natives,
who called them Saguenay (from an Algonquin legend told to French explorers, of
a lost kindgom of white men). Very quickly the Templars came into contact with
the Mandoag, fighting their evil with both magic and steel.
Independently, the surviving Portuguese Templars, who now called themselves
the Knights of Christ, followed routes that the Order had used for over two
centuries to bring Spanish explorers to the Caribbean and Central America. Cut
off from their Scottish cousins, they had no idea that a Templar settlement had
already been founded further north.
Among the first French settlers in North America were agents of the Knights
of Malta, as the Hospitallers were know known. Since the fall of the Templars, the
Popes had protected and promoted this second order of religious knights, keeping
them from falling under the influence of any temporal rulers and teaching them to
regard themselves as soldiers of the Church. The Knights of Malta had learned of
the Templar exodus to the New World and coveted the lost treasure, which they
believed to be purely monetary. Although Pope Clement had ordered that the
Templars’ wealth should be turned over to the Hospitallers in 1307, he had been
unable to prevent the bulk of it from disappearing into the royal coffers of
England and France, and the Knights of Malta were hungry for the Templar gold
which they felt was their due.
Forewarned by agents in Europe, the Templars
of Saguenay melted into the growing
population of New France. Their treasure
remained hidden, and they sowed false
rumors and legends that sent anyone
seeking them on a series of wild goose
chases.
The Templars knew that they
could not stop the flow of colonists to
t h e N e w Wo r l d . E u r o p e a n
governments wanted to turn North
America into a copy of Europe, but
the Templars saw an opportunity to
establish the state they had dreamed of
since the fiasco in Languedoc.
In the British colonies, the Templars
were successful in encouraging immigrants who
owed nothing to Britain or Rome. Non-Anglican
Protestants came to the colonies in great numbers, and quickly came to resent the
increasingly high-handed behavior of Parliament and the colonial governors.
New France proved to be a different matter. Cardinal Richlieu noticed that
Protestant Huguenots were heading to New France in search of religious freedom,
and foresaw the problems that would be created for Catholic France by having
27
TEMPLAR SECRETS
Protestant colonies. He decreed that only Catholics – or those that had renounced
their former religious affiliation and converted to Catholicism – could travel to the
New World.
Undeterred, the Templars took a different tack. Seeing how Richlieu’s policy
slowed the flow of immigrants from France, they decided to slow it further. They
championed the fur trade, which sent profits to France while requiring
comparatively few actual colonists. They also acted to thwart land reforms that
would have expanded New France’s agricultural base, discouraging farmers from
seeking their fortune in the colony.
Slowly but surely, the difference in the growth rates of New France and the
Thirteen Colonies began to tell. When the Seven Years’ War broke out in Europe,
the Templars took the stronger British side in the local theater of conflict, known
to Americans as the French and Indian War and to Canadians as the War of the
Conquest. Their intention was to place New France under British rule, and then
have it rebel along with the colonies further south. They only succeeded in
achieving their first objective.
THE FREEMASONS
Among the knowledge that the Templars recovered from beneath the Temple
Mount were the secrets of Hiram Abif, the master mason who had build the
Temple for King Solomon. Combining this knowledge with more mundane
architectural and mathematical expertise derived from the Islamic world, some of
the early Templars had supported the construction of great cathedrals across
Europe: the tallest buildings yet seen in Christendom, with soaring arches and
delicate flying buttresses supporting an expanse of stained glass that made them
seem like pieces of Heaven set upon the Earth for the glory of God, rivaling the
temporal glory of the royal castles and reminding the world of the power of the
Church.
Early in the process, the Templars came into contact with the master masons
who oversaw construction. While laborers and other draftsmen were tied to the
trade guilds of their home towns, these master masons traveled from place to
place, using their expertise wherever it was needed. They were “free masons,” and
the guild they formed used that name.
When the Order was dissolved, some of the surviving Templars maintained
links with the free masons, and even hid among them. Their ability to cross
borders without question was valuable, and many Templar treasures found their
way to safety in carts of masonic tools and materials.
In the middle of the 17th century, the Freemasons began to enroll
“speculative” members who were not masons by trade. In Scotland and elsewhere,
the Templars began to shape this organization into a tool for their own use. It
became a club for the great and the good, transcending national and religious
barriers. At its highest levels, it served to keep certain Templar secrets alive. Its
28
growing influence worried the Catholic Church so much that Catholics were
prohibited from becoming Freemasons under threat of excommunication.
In England the growth of any secret society could not escape the notice of Sir
Richard Southwell and his minions. This shadowy figure had helped to establish
the Tudor dynasty on the throne and continued to advance English interests
through agents such as the mystic John Dee and Elizabeth I’s dreaded chief of
secret police, Sir Francis Walsingham. Around the turn of the 18th century, a
struggle began for control of Freemasonry.
Southwell knew about the Templars from secret papers dating to the time of
Edward II. While appearing to act under pressure from his father-in-law Philip IV
of France, Edward had jumped at the opportunity to suppress the Order in
England, ridding himself of a massive debt to the Templars while diverting their
confiscated funds to his own coffers and giving many of their estates to his favorite
(and alleged lover) Hugh Despenser. The defeat of the English army at
Bannockburn placed the Scottish Templars beyond Edward’s reach, and they
helped Scotland thwart many of Southwell’s plans to bring Scotland under
English rule.
It was not until 1692 that Southwell’s agent John Dee, long supposed dead, but
granted immortality, like his master, by the legendary Elixir of Life, infiltrated the
Masons and discovered their links to the Templars. Thirsting for their mystical
knowledge and the lost Templar treasure, the Dee and Southwell began a
29
TEMPLAR SECRETS
determined effort to bring Freemasonry under their control. The first major step
in their campaign was the creation of the Grand Lodge of London in 1717, from
which they planned to control the whole of Freemasonry in England and beyond.
The Templars reacted in 1723 by arranging for the publication of James
Anderson’s Constitutions of the Free-Masons in London. This book effectively
moved the Freemasons out of the shadows, and resulted in a flood of new
members and new lodges that hampered Southwell’s efforts to take over. Of
greater significance was the work’s republication in Philadelphia in 1734 by one
Benjamin Franklin; although overlooked by Southwell, this edition encouraged the
founding of many American lodges, which were independent of London and
more easily managed by Templar agents in the Colonies. Southwell responded by
sending agents to America to bring these lodges under his control, but the
Templars were ready and managed to thwart his plans in many cases.
REVOLUTION
Although they were unable to bring British
Canada into the War of Independence, the
Te m p l a r s c o n t i nu e d t o e n c o u r a g e
Revolutionary thinking in the Thirteen
Colonies. By 1775, they were engaged
in a clandestine war against the British
Freemasons, who were still under the
control of the ailing Southwell. Many
colonial lodges had grown up
independently of British influence,
and avoided the growing controversy
between Ancients and Moderns that
threatened to tear Freemasonry apart.
With Southwell on one side and
the Mandoag on the other, the
Templars of North America are
struggling to realize their dream of
establishing a democratic state where
neither kings nor priests can dictate to
the people. By stripping away the veneer of politics and religion, they hope to lay
bare the truth of the struggle between good and evil, and create in the proposed
United States of America a power that will be unswervingly and incorruptibly on
the side of good.
It goes without saying that the forces of evil are working to ensure that this
never happens. Even if imperialism fails in North America, the new nation will
still be populated and led by fallible mortals who can be corrupted or deceived into
serving darker masters.
30
4
Encountering
Templars
The Heroes in a COLONIAL GOTHIC campaign can encounter Templars in a
variety of roles, both as friends and foes.
PRESENCE
There are currently Templar preceptories in Baltimore, Jamestown, New York
City, Philadelphia, Savannah, and Charlestown, and Templar agents are active in
Boston and Quebec. Each preceptory is under the command of a Master, who
reports to the Grand Master in Scotland.
Many preceptories are based at taverns, where people of all kinds can meet
without raising suspicion. The Templar affiliation of a tavern is often hidden in its
name: “The Temple of Rest” is a common name for Templar meeting-places, and
others have hidden references to the Crusades or the Templars’ alleged crimes:
“The Saracen’s Head,” “The Trip to Jerusalem,” and so on.
31
ENCOUNTERING TEMPLARS
ORGANIZATION
As in the past, the Order is headed by Grand Master, who resides in Scotland. The
highest authorities in North America are the Masters of the six preceptories
named above.
Templar agents in the field are still known as knights, and still account for no
more than 10% of the Order’s membership. Many Templars live quiet lives in
Colonial towns and cities, working as bankers, teachers, librarians, or merchants
and waiting for a call to action from the Master of their preceptory.
Templar knights are divided into four ranks: knight, squire, sergeant, and
brother. It is only awarded in recognition of long and faithful service. Below
knights come squires, who are regarded as knights in training. Only the son of a
knight, who has been raised in the Templar tradition, may join the Order as a
squire. Below squires are sergeants. At the discretion of a Master, an applicant
with an extensive military background or other experience of operations in the
field may be admitted to the Order as a sergeant rather than a brother.
Templar chaplains have only two ranks: deacon and chaplain. In order to be
admitted as a deacon, an individual must be an ordained minister or priest (of any
religion or denomination), a skilled magician, or a scholar.
32
Applicants with no qualification for a higher rank are admitted as brothers,

and may be promoted as either knights or chaplains depending upon the interests
and abilities they display as brothers. Keep in mind brothers are not chaplains.
They can become chaplains if they show interest and ability.
Knights or chaplains may be promoted to the rank of Master, but this only
happens when a new preceptory is founded or a current Master either dies or is
promoted to Grand Master.
THE TEMPLAR TREASURE

The precise nature of the Templars’ legendary treasure and its hiding place, have
deliberately been left vague. If the Heroes set out in search of it, the GM should
feel free to improvise. The GM must also decide how much of the Templars’
treasure is still lost by the time of the American Revolution.
Finding the whole of the Templar treasure should only come at the end of a
long and complex investigation involving a web of mysterious clues as complex as
those depicted in The da Vinci Code or the movie National Treasure. The monetary
value of the treasure would be incalculable, and would certainly upset the careful
historical balance of Colonial Gothic – whoever possessed the treasure would be
able to raise and support a massive military force and win the war in a matter of a
few months.
A more challenging approach, hinted at in Chapter 3, is to rule that the
treasure consists of knowledge rather than gold. Given the magical power that
Solomon was said to command, the library must surely contain spells of enormous
power – but again, the GM must beware of putting anything in the Heroes’ hands
that would enable them to destroy anyone or anything in their path. This would
take all the challenge out of future adventures.
AGENDAS
Templar agents encountered by the Heroes might be involved in a number of
different activities, each serving the Order’s goals in a different way.
REVOLUTION
As has been seen in the previous chapter, the Templars still nurture their dream of
founding a perfect Templar state as a base for their ongoing struggle against the
powers of darkness. Many hope that the nascent United States of America will
become this state, and are secretly active in the revolutionary movement. Others
are working in the Province of Quebec, trying to encourage the mixed British and
French population to throw off their allegiance to both crowns and throw in their
lot with the Thirteen Colonies.
33
Some of them work in the shadows, influencing powerful men and employing
agents of their own – such as the Heroes – to move their own plans forward or to
thwart the plans of the British. Others are active in organizations such as the Sons
of Liberty, although they keep their Templar affiliation a secret. A few are in
London, evading Southwell and his agents as they work to influence Parliament to
pass ever more provocative measures that will stoke the fires of revolution.
The Heroes may already have met Grant de Beers, the Templar agent who
plays a major role in FLAMES OF FREEDOM: BOSTON BESIEGED. While many of
Boston’s Freemasons are Southwell’s agents – wittingly or otherwise – the fight
goes on for control of the American lodges, and Templar agents elsewhere work to
protect Masonic lodges from Southwell and his minions. His control of the
Freemasons must be destroyed in order for America to be truly free.
In France, a few isolated groups of Templar agents are working to sow
revolutionary fervor there and bring about the long-desired fall of the French kings
– a fitting revenge for Philip’s betrayal of the Order. While their efforts are
meeting with some success, their agenda does occasionally bring them into conflict
with the Templars of the Thirteen Colonies. An alliance with France would be a
powerful weapon against the British, and Templar agents working to promote such
an alliance find their efforts are sometimes sabotaged by other Templars who are
devoted to bringing down the French monarchy.
Adventure Seeds:
• The Heroes are hired to protect a French diplomat sent to review the
Continental Army and assess the value of an alliance with the Americans.
Radical anti-French Templars have set out to assassinate him and prevent
any alliance, while another group of Templars has been sent to stop them.
A chance word during the encounter between the two groups leads the
Heroes to conclude that they are members of the same organization.
• A local newspaper editor has received a packet of letters from an unnamed
source. The letters appear to be a correspondence between their local British
governor and Parliament, outlining plans for even more oppressive measures
against the colonists. If the letters are made public, revolutionary sentiment
in the colony will mount even higher, but the editor want help authenticating
the letters and finding out who sent them. In fact, there is a Templar agent
on the Governor’s staff, who is using drugs and magical influence to force
him into ever taking harsher measures.
THE MANDOAG
The Templars first encountered the Mandoag soon after their arrival in the New
World. The conflict between the Mandoag and the Cahokians was in its final
stages when the Templars came on the scene, and they were unable to prevent the
Mandoag from claiming final victory. Ever since then, though, the Templars of
North America have devoted themselves to the fight against the Mandoag and the
recovery of lost Cahokian knowledge.
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In summoning Oh-tum-axne, the Blackness, the Mandoag almost destroyed

themselves as well as the Cahokians. Weakened as they were, they could not
prevent the Templars from becoming established in the New World. Since then,
the Templars and the Mandoag have been locked in a relentless struggle of magic
against magic. It is a struggle that will last until one side has completely
annihilated the other, and one into which the Heroes can very easily be drawn.
Before the Cahokians were finally destroyed, the newly-arrived Templars had
the opportunity to meet with some of their most powerful magicians and learn a
few of their secrets in exchange for the promise of military and magical aid
against the Mandoag. While the Templars were unable to prevent their
annihilation, the recovery of lost Cahokian wisdom has become a major priority.
This knowledge must be kept out of the hands of the Mandoag, and the Templars
can only become more powerful by possessing it for themselves. The Order has
secretly sponsored a number of expeditions into Upper Louisiana and the Ohio
Country in search of Cahokian relics, and Heroes with strong wilderness skills
may even have participated in some of them without knowing who their sponsors
truly were.
Adventure Seeds:
• After the destruction of the Cahokians, Oh-tum-axne was stopped by a
group of Templar magicians using some of King Solomon’s most powerful
spells. It is now imprisoned in a cavern in the Ohio Country whose
entrances have been magically hidden and covered by powerful wards.
However, the Templars have discovered that a powerful Mandoag shaman
is trying to locate the demon’s prison to free the Blackness and turn it
against the colonies. There are no Templar agents close enough to prevent
this, and the Heroes begin to have strange and disturbing dreams urging
them to seek out the place and guard it until help can arrive.
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• The Heroes come across a group of colonists abusing an old native man –
sadly, an all-too-common sight. If they intervene and drive off the
attackers, they discover that the man speaks very good Latin and also an
archaic form of French. He tells them that he must get to Saguenay, and
promises them that they will be rewarded by the people who wait for him
there. The man is a near-immortal Cahokian shaman who encountered the
Templars centuries ago and has been living in hiding since the defeat of Oh-
tum-axne, and his attackers were members of an evil cult allied to the
Mandoag. He does not know that the Kingdom of Saguenay no longer
exists, but he can use his magic to find any Templar agent within fifty
miles. The Templars will reward the Heroes for bringing him to safety, but
will try to hide their true identity at any cost.
HEARTS & MINDS

While some Templar agents are actively promoting independence from Britain,
others are working behind the scenes to promote and foster the high-mindedness
that will be essential to the establishment of a perfect Templar state and a bulwark
against the forces of evil.
The Order is active in most of the colonial universities, working to turn them
from training schools for ministers into bastions of liberal and rational thought
devoted to uncovering new knowledge in the sciences and elevating public
consciousness through the arts. Many noted scholars are either Templars or
members of Templar-protected Masonic lodges, and through correspondence with
their counterparts in Europe they strive to bring the very best of modern learning
within reach of the colonial population. While this is not a dramatic labor – except
for the regular spats between traditional and reforming professors – it is a vital
work.
The Templars also regard America’s universities as potential recruiting-
grounds. Within their walls the brightest and best of America’s youth can be
observed as it encounters new ideas and grapples with age-old problems. Knowing
that the universities are the breeding-ground for the next generation of leaders,
the Order keeps a close but kindly eye on them and takes measures to ensure that
their researches to not lead promising young men into the clutches of evil.
Adventure Seeds:
• The Heroes have an acquaintance who is a student or professor at one of
the colonial universities. A member of his debating society recently
discovered an ancient manuscript on natural philosophy, which was added
to the society’s library. Since then, the society’s rooms have been broken into
multiple times by people who were looking for something in the library. The
intruders have always been repelled, but they keep coming back. On their
most recent visit two members of the society were temporarily paralyzed by
some kind of magic spell, and their friend knows that the Heroes have
experience with this kind of case. The manuscript is a fragment from King
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Solomon’s library, stolen from a Templar preceptory and sold by the thief.
The Templars will do anything to get it back, but they wish to avoid killing
or seriously injuring any innocent parties.
• A professor has gone missing from the nearest university to the Heroes’
current location. Although a lot of his papers have also disappeared,
investigation reveals hints that he was researching the history of the Knights
Templar, and may have uncovered evidence that they survive in some form to
the present day. The professor’s researches brought him too close to the truth,
and the local Templars have kidnapped him to prevent their existence from
becoming public knowledge. They have not yet decided what to do with him:
they may induct him into the Order and place him under their oath of
secrecy, or they may magically tamper with his memory and bury his
research before returning him to the university.
FRIENDS & ENEMIES
THE FREEMASONS
As has already been stated, the Masonic lodges of the Thirteen Colonies are a
battleground as the Templars fight against Southwell’s attempts to bring them
under his control. The growing schism between the pragmatic Ancients and the
esoteric Moderns adds a confusing second dimension to the conflict.
Adventure Seeds:
• A prominent member of the local business community hires the Heroes to
help track down the source of some documents that would ruin him if they
were made public. As they investigate, the Heroes discover that the man is a
member of a colonial Masonic lodge which has been under pressure to
submit to the Grand Lodge in London. Among the lodge’s secret documents
are some that mention the Templars, and although they are couched in terms
of Masonic allegory, they could enable Southwell’s agents to locate a nearby
Templar preceptory if they are captured.
• The Master of a local Masonic lodge has written a long and rambling
book tracing the links between the Freemasons and the Knights Templar.
Much of it is pure invention, but it contains enough secret truths to worry
the Order. Their agents have made several attempts to steal or destroy the
manuscript before it can be printed, which has drummed up more publicity
for the book. Are the attempted thefts a publicity stunt? Is the author more
knowledgeable than he seems? Or is this a fishing expedition by Southwell’s
agents, intended to force local Templars to show their hand so they can be
tracked down and destroyed?
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THE INQUISITION
Agents of the Inquisition work secretly in Quebec and Maryland, hiding within
the structure of the Catholic Church. There are also active cells in Boston,
Newport, New York City, and Savannah.
Ever since the formal dissolution of the Order, the Inquisition has been
following up on reports of surviving Templars and tracking them down as
condemned heretics. It is not known whether the Inquisition is aware of the
Chinon Parchment (see p. 7) absolving the Templars of heresy, or indeed whether
such knowledge would induce the inquisitors to cease their pursuit of surviving
Templars.
Adventure Seeds:
• While investigating reported Mandoag activity in the Green Mountains, the
Inquisition has stumbled upon the ruins of a Templar castle that was
destroyed by the Blackness. Part of the Templars’ treasure lies buried in a
secret chamber under the castle, and a party of Templar agents – the
Heroes – is sent to recover it before the Inquisition can organize an
expedition to bring it back.
• A local bookseller, who has been a valuable source of information in the
past, has gone missing. No one knows where he has gone, and no one knows
that he is a high-ranking Templar chaplain. He has been kidnapped by
agents of the Inquisition and moved to a safe location for interrogation. The
Heroes must rescue him before he is forced to tell what he knows about the
Order’s activities in North America.
THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA

The descendants of the Knights Hospitaller have become a Catholic secret society
that is active in the Province of Quebec (see COLONIAL GOTHIC: NEW FRANCE).
They have links to the Catholic Church and to other
Catholic societies including the Compagnie du Saint
Sacrement de l’Autel, its offshoot the Société de
Notre-Dame de Montréal, and the various Jesuit and
Sulpician missionary societies.
As descendants of the Knights Hospitaller, the
Knights of Malta continue the centuries-old rivalry
between the Hospitallers and the Templars. One of
the Templars highest priorities is the location and
recovery of all Templar treasures in North America.
Another objective is to expose and recruit (or, if
necessary, destroy) surviving Templar groups and
ensure their return to Catholicism.
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The hunt for Templar treasures has so far met with little success. Before the
French and Indian War, the Knights used their influence with Bishop Dosquet of
Quebec to place the Congregation of the Holy Ghost in charge of all missionary
activities. Using missionary work as a cover, their agents among the Congregation
moved widely across Acadia and the surrounding areas, following up on local
stories of the Kingdom of Saguenay and other rumors of Templar activity.
Subsequent bishops were less supportive of their efforts, especially when the
anticipated gold was not found, but the Knights of Malta continue their search.
Another major objective is to keep British Canada out of any American
revolution, while fostering good relations between the Thirteen Colonies and
France. Their aim is to ensure that the coming war is so costly for Britain that its
hold on North America is weakened, and to create an atmosphere in which French
rule can be reinstated – not only over the former New France, but over the
Thirteen Colonies as well.
Adventure Seeds:
• The Heroes come into possession of the first in a series of clues to the
location of a lost Templar treasure. As they follow the enigmatic trail, they
come into conflict both with Templar agents and the Knights of Malta.
Both groups will try to prevent the Heroes from finding the treasure and
thwart any moves that their rivals make.
• The search for a kidnapped missionary leads the Heroes to discover a cell of
the Knights of Malta active in Baltimore or some other city with a
significant Catholic population. The missionary is descended from a
Templar who took refuge among the Hospitallers in the 14th century, and
during his missionary work on Acadia he discovered the ruins of a Templar
church whose carvings put him on the trail of a cache of Templar gold.
Both Orders want to locate the gold first.
THE MANDOAG
The Templars came into contact with the Mandoag shortly after their arrival in
the New World, and witnessed the final destruction of the Cahokians at Mandoag
hands. Having seen for themselves the Mandoag’s thirst for destruction and the
terrible power of the things they have summoned, The Templars regard the
Mandoag as the greatest threat to North America, and, indeed, the world.
Templar agents fight tirelessly against the Mandoag with all the resources at
their disposal, and encounters between Templars and Mandoag are almost always
fought to the death.
Adventure Seeds:
• A series of magical assaults on a local tavern puts the Heroes on the trail of
a Mandoag shaman. He has discovered that the tavern is home to a
Templar preceptory and is determined to destroy it, and if possible to
recover any magical books it contains, along with a prisoner who has the
39
skill to read and understand them. The Heroes have a few days to get to the
truth before a group of Templar knights arrives to kill the shaman and
silence anyone who knows too much.
• While fighting a group of Mandoag, the Heroes encounter a shaman
wielding a medieval sword with a Templar cross set into the pommel. If he
is captured and questioned, the Mandoag reveals that the sword has been
handed down among his people over the centuries, and originally came from
a race of bearded warriors who fought them long ago. The sword may have
some magical power, and the shaman may bargain for his life with the
promise to show the Heroes where the item came from, spurring their
eagerness with tales of treasure. The treasure may be real, or the Mandoag
may plan to lead the Heroes into a trap.
THE ROSICRUCIANS
The Rosicrucians are said to be the most accomplished alchemists in the world.
They share many of the Templars’ loftier goals, and they have the secrets of the
Elixir of Life and the Philosopher’s Stone. There are Rosicrucian lodges in
Quebec, Philadelphia, and New Orleans, as well as many in Europe.
The organization is currently headed by Southwell’s onetime agent John Dee,
who is based in The Hague. He has broken with Southwell, and the Rosicrucians
are now in open conflict with the Freemasons as well as their traditional enemies,
the Inquisition.
Following the Rosicrucian policy of moving
between lodges every ten years, Dee is due to visit
the Philadelphia lodge in 1779, and as a preliminary
to this move the Rosicrucians are making secret
inquiries about the Templar presence in North
America. The few Templars who are aware of the
Rosicrucians’ interest in their Order are unsure of
how to react: are the Rosicrucians a potential ally or
another threat? For the present, the Templars try to
thwart Rosicrucian investigations while learning as
much about the Rosicrucian lodges as they can.
Adventure Seeds:
• The Heroes are hired to track down a
medieval manuscript that is said to be in the private collection of a local
scholar. The scholar vehemently denies the existence of the manuscript,
asserts that he would never sell it even if it existed, and throws the Heroes
out. Later that night, the scholar’s house is broken into and the manuscript
stolen. The Heroes find themselves accused of burglary and theft, and must
stay clear of the law while they find the true thieves. They discover that the
theft was carried out using magic, and find the body of a local magician
floating in the river. What they have yet to discover is that the previous
40
owner of the manuscript is a Rosicrucian, who bought the document as part

of a cache of medieval papers in an auction in Europe. Several of the
documents mention the Templars, and the Templars are eager to get their
hands on all the papers.
• One of the Heroes’ favorite taverns has burned to the ground. As they pass
by the smoking ruin, a character with the Sense skill can make a TN -2
check to realize that the fire was magical in origin. Further investigation
uncovers more evidence of powerful magic having been used. By asking
around, the Heroes can learn that shortly before the fire started, a smallish
man was seen to enter the tavern and ask a number of strange questions
that sounded like nonsense – or some kind of code. If the Heroes keep
investigating, they may be able to find out that the small man was a
Rosicrucian trying to make contact with the Templars whose preceptory was
based in the tavern. Disturbed by his questions, a few Templars tried to
capture him, and a magical duel ran out of control as he defended himself.
Now, the preceptory has relocated to a secret location, and the Rosicrucian
is in hiding.
THE SONS OF LIBERTY

The Sons of Liberty are a rowdy and loosely-organized group which posts anti-
British propaganda and organizes protests which often turn violent. Most Sons of
Liberty are not aware that there are Templar agents active in the Thirteen
Colonies, but they have proved a useful tool in the past by providing noisy protests
that distract British eyes from Templar operations.
Adventure Seeds:
• The Heroes have befriended a leading member of the local Sons of Liberty.
He has started receiving anonymous notes giving him details of when and
where his group’s protests will have the greatest effect, and although the
information is always sound, he resents the feeling of being used. He hires
the Heroes to track down the source of the notes and discover the writer’s
agenda.
• The Sons of Liberty are conducting a loud protest in the city, which
interferes with the Heroes’ current mission. Taking a roundabout route to
avoid the disturbance, the Heroes happen upon a group of men loading a
large crate into a cart. The men are heavily muffled as if to hide their
identities, and draw pistols and swords to warn the Heroes away. The men
are low-ranking Templar agents, and the crate contains books and
manuscripts on loan from a sister preceptory, on their way to the docks to be
returned. The Templars will not take kindly to any interference.
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USING THE TEMPLARS

The Knights Templar can fill many roles during the course of a Colonial Gothic
campaign. They can be encountered as friends or enemies, or as a shadowy
enigma to be pursued. Ideally, the Heroes should be kept guessing as to whether
the Templars are friends or enemies. The truth should always be just out of reach.
PATRONS
Colonial Gothic Heroes can encounter a Templar agent in the role of a patron,
like Grant de Beers in BOSTON BESIEGED. A Templar patron may provide the
Heroes with material assistance and information, as well as sending them on
missions that further the Templar cause in some way.
However, it is unlikely that the Heroes will ever know that their patron is a
Templar. The only time a Templar agent will reveal his or her affiliation is when
approaching a character who has performed well enough to be considered for
membership in the Order, and has been thoroughly investigated and found
suitable. Everything will be conducted in the utmost secrecy.
For a character who has been inducted into the Templars, the local preceptory
offers a regular source of missions and assistance, but the character will have to
prove his or her loyalty and ability many times over before being fully trusted.
Contact will be restricted to the character’s patron and perhaps one or two other
members, so that no junior member of the Order can give away information that
will harm the preceptory or the Order if they are captured and interrogated.
If a Templar character performs well and is promoted, a few more contacts are
revealed, but only if these contacts are necessary to carry out a mission. Only the
most senior members of a preceptory know the identities of all the members.
DEUS EX MACHINA
If the Heroes get into trouble while working against the Order’s enemies, it is
possible to have one or two Templar agents step in to help. The Order keeps a
close eye on its enemies and on its enemies’ enemies – they could prove to be
useful tools, or even friends.
Once again, the Templar agents will not usually reveal their identities, and
they will never identify themselves as Templars. Unless they wish to maintain
contact with the Heroes and use them in future plans, the Templar agents will melt
away as quickly and suddenly as they appeared. Trying to discover the identities of
their mysterious saviors can develop into a major story arc within the campaign,
and if the Order thinks the Heroes have potential as agents, things can develop
into a complex test as they follow enigmatic and often misleading clues to their
goal.
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LOOSE ENDS
The schemes of the Knights Templar are many and complex, and it is quite
possible for the Heroes to stumble unwittingly into some Templar operation. They
may help or hinder it, but once they come to the Order’s notice they will be
thoroughly investigated.
They may start to feel as though they are being watched or followed, but they
will have great difficulty spotting their watchers and confronting or capturing them
will be almost impossible. Returning to their lodgings, they may find some very
subtle sign that their belongings have been searched. Nothing has been taken and
nothing is out of place, but a character with a very high Observe skill might notice
some sign: the dust on the windowsill disturbed, or a very slight recent scratch on
the doorstep. What happens next depends upon what the Templars find out about
the Heroes.
If the Templars decide to leave the Heroes alone, surveillance will become less
noticeable but will not stop altogether. Over the coming weeks and months, the
Heroes may become slightly paranoid as they find subtle clues that someone has
been following their movements and activities.
If the Templars decide to stop the Heroes, they can take a number of different
approaches. Trusted contacts may suddenly move to another city, or rumors may
spread that make them less willing to do business with the Heroes. Lodgings may
become harder to find, with all available rooms booked by someone who never
seems to use them. A series of clues draws the Heroes way from the area on what
turns out to be a wild goose chase. Taken individually there seems to be nothing
suspicious about any of these events, but the Heroes may develop the feeling that
someone is conspiring against them.
If the Templars decide that the Heroes could be useful, things will suddenly
become easier for them. A potential contact who has been avoiding the Heroes
may decide to invite them to dinner, enemies may suddenly disappear, and
anonymous notes may give them vital information. This may be even more
worrying to some players, as their benefactors prove impossible to identify.
ENEMIES
If the Heroes are affiliated to an organization hostile to the Templars (see pp.
37-41), more direct action may be taken. Their enemies may suddenly find it
easier to track them down and attack them or thwart their plans. Money and
equipment may disappear from their hiding places. Carriages and firearms may be
sabotaged, causing injury or even death. The Heroes may be arrested and even
convicted on false charges. As always, the Templars will not show their hand
openly, but the Heroes will be in no doubt that some powerful unseen enemy is
trying to get rid of them.
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5
Templar Characters
It is not easy for a Hero to join the Knights Templar. The Order is secretive by
nature, and only survives to this day because of the great care it has taken to
detect would-be infiltrators from the Inquisition, the Knights of Malta, and other
enemy organizations.
A Hero may come to the attention of the Templars in many ways, but the best
is to fight tirelessly against evil. Once the Order has taken notice of a potential
recruit, there follows a period of investigation as the Templars establish what kind
of person the Hero is. These inquiries are always made in secret, but a cautious
Hero may become aware that he or she is being investigated. In most cases, efforts
to find out who is investigating the Hero will come to nothing. An approach is only
made if the Hero uncovers direct evidence of Templar activities, or does the
Order some great service.
To join the Order, a Hero must be recommended by an existing Templar and
approved by the Master of the sponsor’s preceptory. The rank at which a Hero
joins the Order depends on ability and experience, as explained in the previous
chapter (p. 31).
Upon joining the Order, a Hero immediately gains the skill Templar
Knowledge at base rank, without expending any skill or experience points. He or
she also gains the Fates Templar Assistance and Templar Oath. At the rank of
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Chaplain or Knight, a Templar also gains the skill Templar Secrets at base rank,
also without the expenditure of any points.
TEMPLAR SKILLS
The following skills are available only to members of the Knights Templar.
TEMPLAR KNOWLEDGE (REASON)

The character knows the basic history of the Knights Templar as set out in
Chapter 1, and also knows that the Templars live on as a secret society devoted
to vanquishing evil in all its forms, including the destruction of supernatural foes.
This skill is also used to identify fellow Templars and Templar signs.
Successful use of this skill enables a Hero to recall a specific fact of Templar
history or organization. The TN is based on how obscure the fact is.
To recognize an unfamiliar Templar, the Hero must make a roll against this
skill, resisted by the other Templar’s Diplomacy skill.
To recognize Templar signs and symbols (for example, a secret inscription or
the metaphor in a tavern’s name that marks it as a Templar meeting-place), the
Hero must make a roll against this skill with a TN determined by the GM.
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TEMPLAR CHARACTERS
TEMPLAR SECRETS (REASON)

The character knows the secret history of the Templars, as set forth in Chapter 3.
Successful use of this skill enables a Hero to recall a specific fact. The TN is based
on how obscure the fact is.
TEMPLAR FATES
TEMPLAR ASSISTANCE
The character is a member of the Knights Templar, and owes a duty of assistance
to all members and a duty of obedience to his or her superiors in the Order –
specifically, those of a higher rank within the same preceptory. Likewise, the
character may command those of a lower rank within the same preceptory, and
can appeal for help from any fellow Templar he or she encounters.
TEMPLAR SECRECY
The character has sworn an oath not to reveal the existence of the Knights
Templar – including the fact of his or her membership – to outsiders under any
circumstances. Breaking this oath will lead to punitive action by the character’s
superiors, and the character may not take any other oath which may require him
or her to break this one.
OTHER ADVANTAGES
Aside from these skills and Fates, membership in the Knights Templar offers
certain other advantages.
REFUGE
Any Templar, from any preceptory, has the right of refuge among other Templars.
In order to claim this right, the Templar must appear at the preceptory and claim
it by correctly identifying himself or herself as a Templar. This requires a Routine
(+0) check against the character’s Templar Knowledge skill.
Once given refuge in a Templar preceptory, the character is entitled to food
and shelter for a period of up to one week, and the protection of the preceptory’s
members for so long as he or she remains in the preceptory. He or she is also
entitled to medical treatment or magical healing, according to the severity of the
character’s wounds and the resources of the preceptory.
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MATERIAL ASSISTANCE
Using this right, a Templar character can borrow equipment from a local
preceptory for use in a specific mission if the mission is sanctioned by the Order
and the equipment is returned afterward.
Having successfully claimed refuge, a Templar may claim material assistance
from any Templar preceptory on a successful Bargain check. If the request is in
any way suspicious (for example, if the character asks for secret records or an
unreasonably large sum of money without giving a good reason), the check is
resisted by the Master’s unmodified Reason.
RESEARCH
A Templar may also request research assistance from any preceptory on a
successful Templar Knowledge check. The TN is determined by the impression
the Hero has made on the preceptory’s Chaplain or other staff, and the obscurity
of the information being sought. If the check succeeds, the staff of the preceptory
will assist with research, giving the character a bonus of +1 to +4 on his or her
own research rolls according to the resources at the preceptory’s disposal.
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TEMPLAR CHARACTERS
MAGIC
As mentioned in Chapter 3, the Knights Templar have access to the great library
of Solomon himself, which is a treasure-house of magical knowledge. Templars
with suitable skills may have the opportunity to learn spells of all kinds by gaining
the approval of their Chaplain.
The process of gaining approval can be dealt with in various ways. It can be a
roleplayed negotiation where the Hero’s player makes a case for being given access
to a particular spell, and the GM, as the Chaplain, evaluates and either approves
or denies the request. It can be a simple Bargain skill roll with a TN determined
by the GM’s estimation of the Chaplain’s opinion of the Hero. Access to a spell
may also be given as a reward for successfully carrying out a mission.
TEMPLAR MAGIC
Possession of the library of Solomon gave the Knights Templar access to powerful
magic, including both common and arcane spells, as well as certain powerful relics.
Two of them are described here.
THE HEAD OF WISDOM (ARCANE SPELL)

Time: 6 Rounds
Range: 10 feet
Duration: Rounds equal to twice caster’s Resolution
Sanity: 10
The Templars’ use of this spell is what led to accusations that they worshiped a
bearded head. In fact, the spell is a powerful divination technique tapping into the
wisdom of Solomon himself. This spell is only known to the highest-ranking
Templar Chaplains, and will not be taught to any person who is not of similar
rank within the Order.
Cast successfully, the spell summons a phantasmal image of Solomon’s head,
and enables the caster to ask questions of it. One question may be asked per
round. Questions must be asked in Hebrew, and answers are given in the same
language.
As with the Divination skill (COLONIAL GOTHIC RULEBOOK, pp. 53-55), answers
are often obscure and couched in allegory, requiring interpretation. The more
successful the casting, the clearer the answers will be. Failure means that the head
does not appear and the caster may not attempt to cast the spell again for a
number of days equal to his or her Resolution.
A Dramatic Success halves the usual Sanity cost. A Dramatic Failure doubles
the length of time during which the caster may not attempt the spell; the Sanity
cost is also doubled unless the caster makes a successful Resolution check.
48
THE SEAL OF SOLOMON (RELIC)

History: The tales of King Solomon’s magical exploits all mention his great
Seal, the relic whose power enabled him to command spirits, demons, and jinn.
This magical ring is made of iron and brass, and inset with a Star of David
surrounded by lesser magical signs. The Seal was thought lost at Solomon’s death,
but he had foreseen that it had to be hidden to prevent its power falling into the
wrong hands. The Knights Templar discovered the Seal in Solomon’s secret
library beneath the Temple Mount, and it has remained in their possession ever
since. Its exact location is a closely-guarded secret known only to the Order’s
Masters and the highest-ranking Chaplains, and its power is only used in the direst
circumstances. The last time the Seal of Solomon was used, it helped the
Templars and their Cahokian allies defeat and bind Oh-tum-axne, saving the
entire North American continent from devastation.
Effect: A character wearing the Seal of Solomon gains a +6 bonus to all tests
and checks when dealing with spirits, demons, and devils. This includes spells to
summon, bind, and banish them, as well as attempts to command them. The
wearer also has Fear -6 against such creatures. Pressed into lead, wax, or another
substance used to seal a portal (from the mouth of a bottle to a door), the Seal of
Solomon prevents any spirit, demon, or devil from passing through.
49
TEMPLAR CHARACTERS
SAMPLE CHARACTERS
TEMPLAR KNIGHT
The term “knight” is now applied to all Templar field agents, as well as to the
highest rank of field agent. This individual is typical of the sergeant rank, which is
the most commonly encountered level of Templar knight.
Might 9, Nimble 9, Vigor 7, Reason 8, Resolution 7, Resolve 37,
Vitality 45, Sanity 40
Skills: Language – English [Fluent], Brawl [9], Dodge [7], Magic – Spells [8],
Melee [10], Observe [8], Templar Knowledge [8]
Gear: Good quality clothing, infantry sword, flintlock pistol
with powder and shot.
Fates: Templar Assistance, Templar Oath.
Templar knights can be found in all walks of life, but tend
to be individuals whose daily life brings them into contact with
a large variety of people. When not actively engaged on a
mission, a Templar knight monitors the community, keeping
his eyes and ears open for any hint of something out of the
ordinary that should be investigated.
At higher ranks, Templar knights tend to have
Investigation and Stealth skills as well as increased combat and
magical skills. Those of Knight rank also have the Templar
Secrets Fate.
TEMPLAR CHAPLAIN
The chaplains are the priests, scholars, and magicians of the
Order. There are two ranks – deacon and chaplain, and this
individual is of deacon rank.
Might 7, Nimble 7, Vigor 7, Reason 9, Resolution 9, Resolve 45,
Vitality 35, Sanity 45
Skills: Language – English [Fluent], Language – Latin [9], Lore [6], Magic –
Spells [Four Spells at Power Rank 8], Sense [8], Study – one subject [8], Templar
Knowledge [8].
Gear: Good quality clothing, books, paper, pen and ink.
Fates: Templar Assistance, Templar Oath.
Templar deacons are often ordained ministers or academics. Their position in
the world gives them the opportunity to pursue their more esoteric studies secretly
50
and without raising any eyebrows. They pursue independent research when the
Order does not require their services for a specific mission or project, and, like the
knights, they keep their eyes and ears open, sending regular coded reports to their
superiors.
Individuals of chaplain rank have increased skills in their particular area of
expertise, whether it be religious, academic, or magical. They also have the
Templar Secrets Fate.
TEMPLAR BROTHER
The “Templar Agent” statistics on p. 251 of the COLONIAL GOTHIC RULEBOOK
reflect the lowest level of Templar. In addition to the statistics and skills given
there, every Templar Brother has the skill Templar Knowledge and the Fates
Templar Assistance and Templar Oath.
These junior members of the Order can be from any background. The fact
that they are unremarkable is one of their greatest assets as they go about the
business of their preceptory. Templar Brothers do not normally operate outside of
the city where their preceptory is located unless they are detached for a specific
mission under the command of a knight or chaplain. In such a case, they will
usually act as servants to their superior, in fact as well as in appearance.
CHARACTER TEMPLATES
COLONIAL GOTHIC TEMPLATES provides a selection of partly-built characters based
on colonial types, which can be used to create Heroes or NPCs. To create Templar
agents of various ranks, simply add the relevant skills and fates listed above.
Brother: Any with a “colonist” background.
Sergeant, Squire, or Knight: Able Seaman, Artilleryman, Cavalryman,
Explorer, Hunter/Trapper, Infantryman, Infantry Officer, Minuteman, Naval
Officer, Scout, Trader.
Deacon or Chaplain: Academic, Hermetic Mage, Minister, Official,
Physician, Schoolteacher, Surgeon.
MASTERS
The Master of a preceptory is a powerful individual in terms of personal ability as
well as influence. No game statistics are given here for a Templar Master, but if the
GM should need to create a Master NPC for an adventure, the following points
should be borne in mind.
Masters are the most powerful Templars that the Heroes are ever likely to
encounter. As such, they should be built using the point allowances for Veteran or
Legendary characters on p. 235 of the COLONIAL GOTHIC RULEBOOK.
51
TEMPLAR CHARACTERS
To ascend to the rank of Master, a Templar must have spent many years as
either a knight or chaplain of the highest rank, and will have the skills and ability
scores to match. Even if he came up through the knight career path, the Master of
a Templar preceptory will have considerable magical knowledge and power.
Templar Masters are forbidden to take the field except in the most unusual of
circumstances. They are tied to their preceptory, sifting through the reports that
come in from lesser members and planning operations to further the Order’s
interests. They are the spiders at the heart of each Templar web, and although
they know every member of their preceptory, it is very rare that the more junior
members have any idea of their Master’s identity.
52
6
Excerpt
53
EXCERPT
THE WORSHIP OF THE GENERATIVE

POWERS:
DURING THE MIDDLE AGES OF
WESTERN EUROPE
BY THOMAS WRIGHT
Assisted by J. E. Tennent and George Witt
London, J. C. Hotten
[1865]
54
THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

But the most remarkable, and at the same time the most celebrated, affair in which
these accusations of secret and obscene ceremonies were brought to bear, was that
of the trial and dissolution of the order of the knights templars. The charges
against the knights templars were not heard of for the first time at the period of
their dissolution, but for many years it had been whispered abroad that they had
secret opinions and practices of an objectionable character. At length the wealth of
the order, which was very great in France, excited the cupidity of King Philippe
IV, and it was resolved to proceed against them, and despoil them of their
possessions. The grounds for these proceedings were furnished by two templars,
one a Gascon, the other an Italian, who were evidently men of bad character, and
who, having been imprisoned for some offence or offences, made a confession of
the secret practices of their order, and upon these confessions certain articles of
accusation were drawn up. These appear to have been enlarged afterwards. In
1307, Jacques de Molay, the grand master of the order, was treacherously allured
to Paris by the king, and there seized and thrown into prison. Others, similarly
committed to prison in all parts of the kingdom, were examined individually on
the charges urged against them, and many confessed, while others obstinately
denied the whole. Amongst these charges were the following: 1. That on the
admission of a new member of the order, after having taken the oath of
obedience, he was obliged to deny Christ, and to spit, and sometimes also to
trample, upon the cross; 2. That they then received the kiss of the templar, who
officiated as receiver, on the mouth, and afterwards were obliged to kiss him in
ano, on the navel, and sometimes on the generative member; 3. That, in despite of
the Saviour, they sometimes worshipped a cat, which appeared amongst them in
their secret conclave; 4. That they practised unnatural vice together; 5. That they
had idols in their different provinces; in the form of a head, having sometimes
three faces, sometimes two, or only one, and sometimes a bare skull, which they
called their saviour, and believed its influence to be exerted in making them rich,
and in making flowers grow and the earth germinate; and 6. That they always
wore about their bodies acord which had been rubbed against the head, and
which served for their protection.1
The ceremonies attending the reception into the order were so universally
acknowledged, and are described in terms which have so much the appearance of
truthfulness, that we can hardly altogether disbelieve in them. The denial was to
be repeated thrice, no doubt in imitation of St. Peter. It appears to have been
considered as a trial of the strength of the obedience they had just sworn to the
order, and they all pleaded that they had obeyed with reluctance, that they had
denied with the mouth but not with the heart; and that they had intentionally spit
beside the cross and not upon it. In one instance the cross was of silver, but it was
more commonly of brass, and still more frequently of wood; on one occasion the
cross painted in a missal was used, and the cross on the templar’s mantle often
served the purpose. When one Nicholas de Compiegne protested against these two
acts, all the templars who were present told him that he must do them, for it was
55
EXCERPT
the custom of the order. 2 Baldwin de St. Just at first refused, but the receptor
warned him that if he persisted in his refusal, it would be the worse for him (aliter
male accideret sibi), and then “he was so much alarmed that his hair stood on end.”
Jacques de Trecis said that he did it under fear, because his receptor stood by with
a great naked sword in his hand. 3 Another, Geoffrey de Thatan, having similarly
refused, his receptor told him that they were “points of the order,” and that if he
did not comply, “he should be put in such a place that he would never see his own
feet.” And another who refused to utter the words of denial was thrown into
prison and kept there until vespers, and when he saw that he was in peril of death,
he yielded, and did whatever the receptor required of him, but he adds that he
was so troubled and frightened that he had forgotten whether he spat on the cross
or not. Gui de la Roche, a presbyter of the diocese of Limoges, said that he
uttered the denial with great weeping. Another, when he denied Christ, “was all
stupified and troubled, and it seemed as if he were enchanted, not knowing what
counsel to take, as they threatened him heavily if he did not do it.” When Etienne
de Dijon similarly refused to deny his Saviour, the preceptor told him that he must
do it because he had sworn to obey his orders, and then “he denied with his
mouth,” he said, “but not with his heart; and he did this with great grief,” and he
adds that when it was done, he was so conscience-struck that “he wished he had
been outside at his liberty, even though it had been with the loss of one of his
arms.” When Odo de Dompierre, with great reluctance, at length spat on the
cross, he said that he did it with such bitterness of heart that he would rather have
had his two thighs broken. Michelet, in the account of the proceedings against the
templars in his “History of France,” offers an ingenious explanation of these
ceremonies of initiation which gives them a typical meaning. He imagines that
they were borrowed from the figurative mysteries and rites of the early Church,
and supposes that, in this spirit, the candidate for admission into the order was first
presented as a sinner and renegade, in which character, after the example of Peter,
he was made to deny Christ. This denial, he suggests, was a sort of pantomime in
which the novice expressed his reprobate state by spitting on the cross; after which
he was stripped of his profane clothing, received, through the kiss of the order,
into a higher state of faith, and clothed with the garb of its holiness. If this were
the case, the true meaning of the performance must have been very soon
forgotten.
This was especially the case with the kiss. According to the articles of
accusation, one of the ceremonies of initiation required the novice to kiss the
receiver on the mouth, on the anus, or the end of the spine, on the navel, and on
the virga virilis. The last is not mentioned in the examinations, but the others are
described by so many of the witnesses that we cannot doubt of their truth. From
the depositions of many of the templars examined, it would appear that the usual
order was to kiss the receptor first in ano, next on the navel, and then on the
mouth. 4 The first of these was an act which would, of course, be repulsive to most
people, and the practice arose gradually of only kissing the end of the spine, or, as
it was called in mediæval Latin, in anca. Bertrand de Somorens, of the diocese of
Amiens, describing a reception at which more than one new member was
admitted, says that the receiver next told them that they must kiss him in ano; but,
56
instead of kissing him there, they lifted up his clothes and kissed him on the spine.
The receptor, it appears, had the power of remitting this kiss when he judged there
was a sufficient reason. Etienne de Dijon, a presbyter of the diocese of Langres,
said that, when he was admitted into the order, the preceptor told him that he
ought, “according to the observances of the order,” to kiss his receiver in ano, but
that in consideration of his being a presbyter, he would spare him and remit this
kiss. Pierre de Grumenil, also a presbyter, when called upon to perform this act,
refused, and was allowed to kiss his receiver on the navel only. A presbyter named
Ado de Dompierre was excused for the same reason, 5 as well as many others.
Another templar, named Pierre de Lanhiac, said that, at his reception into the
order, his receptor told him that he must kiss him in ano, because that was one of
the points of the order, but that, at the earnest supplication of his uncle, who was
present, and must therefore have been a knight of the order, he obtained a
remission of this kiss.
Another charge against the templars was still more disgusting. It was said that
they proscribed all intercourse with women, and one of the men examined stated,
which was also confessed by others, that his receptor told him that, from that hour,
he was never to enter a house in which a woman lay in labour, nor to take part as
godfather at the baptism of any child, but he added that he had broken his oath,
for he had assisted at the baptism of several children while still in the order, which
he had left about a year before the seizure of the templars, for the love of a
woman of whom he had become enamoured. On the other hand, those who
replied to the interrogatory of the king’s officers in this process, were all but
unanimous in the avowal that on entering the order they received the permission
to commit sodomy amongst themselves. Two or three professed not to have
understood this injunction in a bad sense, but to have supposed that it only meant
that, when the brethren were short of beds, each was to be ready to lend half of
his bed to his fellow. One of them, named Gillet de Encraye, said that he at first
supposed it to be meant innocently, but that his receptor immediately undeceived
him, by repeating it in less covert terms, at which he was himself so horrified that
he wished himself far away from the chapel in which the ceremony took place. A
great number of templars stated that, after the kisses of initiation, they were
informed that if they felt moved by natural heat, they might call any one of the
brethren to their relief, and that they ought to relieve their brethren when
appealed to under the same circumstances. This appears to have been the most
common form of the injunction. In one or two instances the receiver is described
as adding that this was an act of contempt towards the other sex, which may
perhaps be considered as showing that the ceremony was derived from some of
the mysteries of the strange sects which appeared in the earlier ages of
Christianity. Jean de St. Loup, who held the office of master of the house of
templars at Soisiac, said that, on his reception into the order, he received the
injunction not to have intercourse with women, but, if he could not persevere in
continence, he might have the same intercourse with men; and others were told
that it would “be better to satisfy their lust among themselves, whereby the order
would escape evil report, than if they went to women.” But although the almost
unanimity of the confessions leave hardly room for a doubt that such injunctions
57
EXCERPT
were given, yet on the other hand they are equally unanimous in denying that
these injunctions were carried into practice. Almost every templar, as the questions
were put to him, after admitting that he was told that he might indulge in such
vice with the other brethren, asserted that he had never done this, and that he had
never been asked to do so by any of them. Theobald de Taverniac, whose name
tells us that he came from the south, denied indignantly the existence of such a
vice among their order but in terms which themselves told not very much in favour
of the morality of the templars in other respects. He said that, “as to the crime of
sodomy,” he believed the charge to be totally untrue, “because they could have
very handsome and elegant women when they liked, and that they did have them
frequently when they were rich and powerful enough to afford it, and that on this
account he and other brothers of the order were removed from their houses, as he
said.” We have an implied acknowledgment that the templars did not entirely
neglect the other sex in a statement quoted by Du Puy that, if a child were born
from the intercourse between a templar and a virgin, they roasted it, and made an
unguent of its fat, with which they anointed their idol. Those who confessed to the
existence of the vice were so few, and their evidence so indefinite or indirect, that
they are deserving of no consideration. One had heard that some brethren beyond
the sea had committed unnatural vices. 6 Another, Hugh de Faure, had heard say
that two brothers of the order, dwelling in the Chateau Pelerin, had been charged
with sodomy; that, when this reached the ears of the master, he gave orders for
their arrest, and that one had been killed in the attempt to escape, while the other
was taken and imprisoned for life. Peter Brocart, a templar of Paris, declared that
one of the order, one night, called him and committed sodomy with him; adding
that he had not refused, because he considered himself bound to obedience by the
rules of the order. 7 The evidence is decidedly strong against the prevalence of
such a vice among the templars, and the alleged permission was perhaps a mere
form of words, which concealed some occult meaning unknown to the mass of the
templars themselves. We are not inclined to reject altogether the theory of the
baron von Hammer-Pürgstall, that the templars had adopted some of the
mysterious tenets of the eastern Gnostics.
In regard to the secret idolatry with which the templars were charged, it is a
subject involved in great obscurity. The cat is but little spoken of in the
depositions. Some Italian knights confessed that they had been present at a secret
chapter of twelve knights held at Brindisi, when a grey cat suddenly appeared
amongst them, and they worshipped it. At Nismes, some templars declared that
they had been present at a chapter at Montpellier, when the demon appeared to
them in the form of a cat, and promised them worldly prosperity, but they appear
to have been visionaries not to be trusted, for they stated that at the same time
devils appeared in the shape of women. An English templar, examined in London,
deposed that in England they did not adore the cat, or the idol, but that he had
heard it positively stated that the cat and the idol were worshipped by the templars
in parts beyond sea. A solitary Freshman, examined in Paris, Gillet de Encreyo,
spoke of the cat, and said that he had heard, but had forgotten who were his
informants, and did not believe them, that beyond sea a certain cat had appeared
58
to the templars in their battles. The cat belongs to a lower class of popular
superstitions, perhaps, than that of the templars.
This, however, was not the case with the idol, which was generally described as
the figure of a human head, and appears only to have been shown in the more
secret chapter meetings on particular occasions. Many of the templars examined
before the commissioners, said that they had heard this idol head spoken of as
existing in the order, and others deposed to having seen it. It was generally
described as being about the natural size of a man’s head, with a very fierce-
looking face and a beard, the latter sometimes white. Different witnesses varied as
to the material of which it was made, and, indeed, in various other particulars,
which lead us to suppose that each house of the templars, where the idol existed,
had its own head, and that they varied in form. They agreed generally that this
head was an object of worship. One templar deposed that he was present at a
chapter of the order in Paris, when the head was brought in, but he was unable to
describe it at all, for, when he saw it, he was so struck with terror that he hardly
knew where he was. Another, Ralph de Gysi, who held the office of receptor for
the province of Champagne, said that he had seen the head in many chapters;
that, when it was introduced, all present threw themselves on the ground and
adored it: and when asked to describe it, he said, on his oath, that its countenance
was so terrible, that it seemed to him to be the figure of a demon--using the
French word un maufé, and that as often as he saw it, so great a fear took possession
of him, that he could hardly look upon it without fear and trembling. Jean
Taylafer said that, at his reception into the order, his attention was directed to a
head upon the altar in the chapel, which he was told he must worship; he
described it as of the natural size of a mans head, but could not describe it more
particularly, except that he thought it was of a reddish colour. 8 Raynerus de
Larchent saw the head twice in a chapter, especially once in Paris, where it had a
beard, and they adored and kissed it, and called it their saviour. Guillermus de
Herbaleyo saw the head with its beard, at two chapters. He thought it was of silver
gilt, and wood inside. He “saw the brethren adore it, and he went through the
form of adoring it himself, but he did it not in his heart.” According to one
witness, Deodatus Jaffet, a knight from the south of France who had been received
at Pedenat, the receptor showed him a head, or idol, which appeared to have three
faces, and said to him, “You must adore this as your saviour, and the saviour of the
order of the temple,” and he added that he was made to worship the idol, saying,
“Blessed be he who shall save my soul!” Another deponent gave a very similar
account. Another knight of the order, Hugo de Paraudo, said that, in a chapter at
Montpellier, he had both seen, held, and felt, the idol or head, and that he and the
other brothers adored it but he, like the others, pleaded that he did not adore it in
his heart. He described it as supported on four feet, two before and two behind.
9 Guillaume de Arrablay, the king’s almoner (eleemosynarius regius), said that in the
chapter at which he was received, a head made of silver was placed on the altar,
and adored by those who formed the chapter; he was told that it was the head of
one of the eleven thousand virgins, and had always believed this to be the case,
until after the arrest of the order, when, hearing all that was said on the matter, he
“suspected” that it was the idol; and he adds in his deposition that it seemed to
59
EXCERPT
him to have two faces, a terrible look, and a silver beard. It does not appear very
clear why he should have taken a head with two faces, a fierce look, and a beard,
for one of the eleven thousand virgins, but this is, perhaps, partly explained by the
deposition of another witness, Guillaume Pidoye, who had the charge of the relics,
&c., belonging to the Temple in Paris, and who produced a head of silver gilt,
having a woman’s face, and a small skull, resembling that of a woman, inside,
which was said to be that of one of the eleven thousand virgins. At the same time
another head was brought forward, having a beard, and supposed to be that of the
idol. 10 Both these witnesses had no doubt confounded two things. Pierre Garald,
of Mursac, another witness, said that after he had denied Christ and spitten on the
cross, the receptor drew from his bosom a certain small image of brass or gold,
which appeared to represent the figure of a woman, and told him that “he must
believe in it, and have faith in it, and that it would be well for him.” Here the idol
appears in the form of a statuette. There was also another account of the idol,
which perhaps refers to some further object of superstition among the templars.
According to one deponent, it was an old skin embalmed, with bright carbuncles
for eyes, which shone like the light of heaven. Others said that it was the skin of a
man, but agreed with the others in regard to the carbuncles. 11 In England a
minorite friar deposed that an English knight of the Temple had assured him that
the templars had four principal idols in this country, one in the sacristy of the
Temple in London, another at Bristelham, a third at Brueria (Bruern in
Lincolnshire), and the fourth at some place beyond the Humber. 12
Another piece of information relating to this “idol,” which has been the
subject of considerable discussion among modern writers, was elicited from the
examination of some knights from the south. Gauserand de Montpesant, a knight
of Provence, said that their superior showed him an idol made in the form of
Baffomet; another, named Raymond Rubei, described it as a wooden head, on
which the figure of Baphomet was painted, and adds, “that he worshipped it by
kissing its feet, and exclaiming, ‘Yalla,’ which was,” he says, “verbum Saracenorum,” a
word taken from the Saracens. 13 A templar of Florence declared that, in the secret
chapters of the order, one brother said to the other, showing the idol, “Adore this
head--this head is your god and your Mahomet.” The word Mahomet was used
commonly in the middle ages as a general term for an idol or false god; but some
writers have suggested that Baphomet is itself a mere corruption of Mahomet, and
suppose that the templars had secretly embraced Mahometanism. A much more
remarkable explanation of this word has, however, been proposed, which is, at the
least, worthy of very great consideration, especially as it comes from so
distinguished an orientalist and scholar as the late baron Joseph von Hammer-
Pürgstall. It arose partly from the comparison of a number of objects of art,
ornamented with figures, and belonging apparently to the thirteenth century.
These objects consist chiefly of small images, or statuettes, coffers, and cups.
Von Hammer has described, and given engravings of, twenty-four such images,
which it must be acknowledged answer very well to the descriptions of their “idol”
given by the templars in their examinations, except only that the templars usually
speak of them as of the size of life, and as being merely heads. Most of them have
beards, and tolerably fierce countenances. Among those given by Von Hammer
60
are seven which present only a head, and two with two faces, backwards and
forwards, as described in some of the depositions. These two appear to be
intended for female heads. Altogether Von Hammer has described fifteen cups and
goblets, but a much smaller number of coffers. Both cups and coffers are
ornamented with extremely curious figures, representing a continuous scene,
apparently religious ceremonies of some kind or other, but certainly of an obscene
character, all the persons engaged in which are represented naked. It is not a part
of our subject to enter into a detailed examination of these mysteries.
PLATE XIV
PRIAPIC ILLUSTRATIONS FROM OLD BALLADS
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EXCERPT
The most interesting of the coffers described by Von Hammer, which was
preserved in the private museum of the duc de Blacas, is of calcarous stone, nine
inches long by seven broad, and four and a half deep, with a lid about two inches
thick. It was found in Burgundy. On the lid is sculptured a figure, naked, with a
head-dress resembling that given to Cybele in ancient monuments, holding up a
chain with each hand, and surrounded with various symbols, the sun and moon
above, the star and the pentacle below, and under the feet a human skull. 14 The
chains are explained by Von Hammer as representing the chains of æons of the
Gnostics. On the four sides of the coffer we see a series of figures engaged in the
performance of various ceremonies, which are not easily explained, but which Von
Hammer considers as belonging to the rites of the Gnostics and Ophians. The
offering of a calf figures prominently among these rites, a worship which is said
still to exist among the Nossarii, or Nessarenes, the Druses, and other sects in the
East. In the middle of the scene on one side, a human skull is seen, raised upon a
pole. On another side an androgynous figure is represented as the object of
worship of two candidates for initiation, who wear masks apparently of a cat, and
whose form of adoration reminds us of the kiss enacted at the initiation of the
templars. 15 This group reminds us, too, of the pictures of the orgies in the worship
of Priapus, as represented on Roman monuments. The second of the coffers in
the cabinet of the duc de Blacas was found in Tuscany, and is rather larger than
the one just described, but made of the same material, though of a finer grain.
The lid of this coffer is lost, but the sides are covered with sculpture of a similar
character. A large goblet, or bowl, of marble, in the imperial museum at Vienna, is
surrounded by a series of figures of similar character, which are engraved by Von
Hammer, who sees in one group of men (who are furnished in the original with
prominent phalli) and serpents, a direct allusion to Ophite rites. Next after these
comes a group which we have reproduced in our plate, 16 representing a strange
figure seated upon an eagle, and accompanied with two of the symbols
represented on the coffer found in Burgundy, the sun and moon. The two symbols
below are considered by Von Hammer to represent, according to the rude
mediæval notions of its form, the womb, or matrix; the fecundating organ is
penetrating the one, while the infant is emerging from the other. The last figure in
this series, which we have also copied, 17 is identical with that on the lid of the
coffer found in Burgundy, but it is distinctly represented as androgynous. We have
exactly the same figure on another coffer, in the Vienna museum, 18 with some of
the same symbols, the star, pentacle, and human skull. Perhaps, in this last, the
beard is intended to show that the figure must be taken as androgynous.
On an impartial comparison we can hardly doubt that these curious objects,--
images, coffers, cups, and bowls,--have been intended for use in some secret and
mysterious rites, and the arguments by which Von Hammer attempts to show that
they belonged to the templars seem at least to be very plausible. Several of the
objects represented upon them, even the skull, are alluded to in some of the
confessions of the templars, and these evidently only confessed a part of what they
knew, or otherwise they were very imperfectly acquainted with the secrets of their
order. Perhaps the most secret doctrines and rites were only communicated fully to
a small number. There is, however, another circumstance connected with these
62
objects which appears to furnish an almost irresistible confirmation of Von

Hammer’s theory. Most of them bear inscriptions, written in Arabic, Greek, and
Roman characters. The inscriptions on the images appear to be merely proper
names, probably those of their possessors. But with the coffers and bowls the case
is different, for they contain a nearly uniform inscription in Arabic characters,
which, according to the interpretation given by Von Hammer, contains a religious
formula. The Arabic characters, he says, have been copied by a European, and not
very skilful, carver, who did not understand them, from an Eastern original, and
the inscriptions contain corruptions and errors which either arose from this
PLATE XV
“IDOL” IDOL OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
63
EXCERPT
circumstance, or, as Von Hammer suggests, may have been introduced designedly,
for the purpose of concealing the meaning from the uninitiated. A good example
of this inscription surrounds the lid of the coffer found in Burgundy, and is
interpreted as follows by Von Hammer, who regards it as a sort of parody on the
Cantate laudes Domini. In fact, the word under the feet of the figure, between them
and the skull, is nothing more than the Latin cantate expressed in Arabic letters.
The words with which this Cantate begins are written above the head of the figure,
and are read by Von Hammer as Fah la Sidna, which is more correctly Fella Sidna, i.
e. O God, our Lord! The formula itself, to which this is an introduction,
commences on the right side, and the first part of it reads Houvè Mete Zonar feseba
(or sebaa) B. Mounkir teaala tiz. There is no such word in Arabic as mete, and Von
Hammer considers it to be simply the Greek word , wisdom, a
personification in what we may perhaps call the Gnostic mythology answering to
the Sophia of the Ophianites. He considers that the name Baphomet is derived
from the Greek words , i. e. the baptism of Metis, and that in its
application it is equivalent with the name Mete itself. He has further shown, we
think conclusively, that Baphomet, instead of being a corruption of Mahomet, was
a name known among the Gnostic sects in the East. Zonar is not an Arabic word,
and is perhaps only a corruption or error of the sculptor, but Von Hammer
thought it meant a girdle, and that it alluded to the mysterious girdle of the
templars, of which so much is said in their examinations. The letter B is supposed
by Von Hammer to stand here for the name Baphomet, or for that of Barbalo, one
of the most important personages in the Gnostic mythology. Mounkir is the Arabic
word for a person who denies the orthodox faith. The rest of the formula is given
on the other side of the figure, but as the inscription here presents several
corruptions, we will give Von Hammer’s translation (in Latin) of the more correct
copy of the formula inscribed on the bowl or goblet preserved in the museum at
Vienna. In the Vienna bowl, the formula of faith is written on a sort of large
placard, which is held up to view by a figure apparently intended for another
representation of Mete or Baphomet. Von Hammer translates it:
“Exaltetur Mete germinans, stirps nostra ego et septem fuere, tu
renegans reditus fis.”
This still is, it must be confessed, rather mysterious, and, in fact, most of these
copies of the formula of faith are more or less defective, but, from a comparison of
them, the general form and meaning of the whole is made perfectly clear. This
may be translated, “Let Mete be exalted, who causes things to bud and blossom!
he is our root; it (the root) is one and seven; abjure (the faith), and abandon thyself
to all pleasures.” The number seven is said to refer to the seven archons of the
Gnostic creed.
There are certainly several points in this formula which present at least a
singular coincidence with the statements made in the examinations of the
templars. In the first place the invocation which precedes the formula, Yalla (Jah
la), agrees exactly with the statement of Raymond Rubei, one of the Provencal
templars that when the superior exhibited the idol, or figure of Baphomet, he
kissed it and exclaimed “Yalla!” which he calls “a word of the Saracens,” i. e.
64
Arabic. 19 It is evident that, in this case, the witness not only knew the word, but
that he knew to what language it belonged. Again, the epithet germinans, applied to
Mete, or Baphomet, is in accord with the statement in the formal list of articles of
accusation against the templars, that they worshipped their idol because “it made
the trees to flourish and the earth to germinate.” The abjuration of the formula on
the monuments seems to be identical with the denial in the initiation of novices to
the order of the Temple; and it may be added, that the closing words of the
formula involve in the original an idea more obscene than is expressed in the
translation, an allusion to the unnatural vice in which the templars are stated to
have received permission to indulge. There is another curious statement in the
examinations which seems to point directly to our images and coffers--one of the
English witnesses under examination, named John de Donington, who had left the
order and become a friar at Salisbury, said that an old templar had assured him
that “some templars carried such idols in their coffers.” They seem to have been
treasured up for the same reason as the mandrake, for one article in the articles
against the templars is that they worshipped their idol because “it could make
them rich, and that it had brought all their great wealth to the order.”
The two other classes of what the Baron Von Hammer supposed to be relics of
the secret worship of the templars, appear to us to be much less satisfactorily
explained. These are sculptures on old churches, and coins or medals. Such
sculptures are found, according to Von Hammer, on the churches of Schöngraber,
Waltendorf, and Bercktoldorf, in Austria; in that of Deutschaltenburg, and in the
ruins of that of Postyén, in Hungary; and in those of Murau, Prague, and Egra, in
Bohemia. To these examples we are to add the sculptures of the church of
Montmorillon, in Poitou, some of which have been engraved by Montfaucon,
20 and those of the church of Ste. Croix, in Bordeaux. We have already
21 remarked the rather frequent prevalence of subjects more or less obscene in the
sculptures which ornament early churches, and suggested that they may be
explained in some degree by the tone given to society by the existence of this
priapic worship; but we are not inclined to agree with Von Hammer’s explanation
of them, or to think that they have any connection with the templars. We can
easily understand the existence of such direct allusions on coffers or other objects
intended to be concealed, or at least kept in private; but it is hardly probable that
men who held opinions and practised rites the very rumour of which was then so
full of danger, would proclaim them publicly on the walls of their buildings, for
the wall of a church was then, perhaps, the most effectual medium of publication.
The question of the supposed templar medals is very obscure. Von Hammer has
engraved a certain number of these objects, which present various singular
subjects on the obverse, sometimes with a cross on the reverse, and sometimes
bracteate. Antiquaries have given the name of abbey tokens to a rather numerous
class of such medals, the use of which is still very uncertain, although there
appears to be little doubt of its being of a religious character. Some have supposed
that they were distributed to those who attended at certain sacraments or rites of
the Church, who could thus, when called up, prove by the number of their tokens,
the greater or less regularity of their attendance. Whether this were the case or
not, it is certain that the burlesque and other societies of the middle ages, such as
65
EXCERPT
the feast of fools, parodied these “tokens,” and had burlesque medals, in lead and
sometimes in other metals, which were perhaps used for a similar purpose. We
have already spoken more than once of obscene medals, and have engraved
specimens of them, which were perhaps used in secret societies derived from, or
founded upon, the ancient phallic worship. It is not at all improbable that the
templars may have employed similar medals, and that those would contain
allusions to the rites in which they were employed. The medals published by Von
Hammer are said to have been found chiefly on the sites of settlements of the
order of the Temple. However, the comparison of facts stated in the confessions of
many of the templars, as preserved in the official reports, with the images and
sculptured cups and coffers given by Von Hammer-Pürgstall, lead to the
conclusion that there is truth in the explanation he gives of the latter, and that the
templars, or at least some of them, had secretly adopted a form of the rites of
Gnosticism, which was itself founded upon the phallic worship of the ancients. An
English templar, Stephen de Staplebridge, acknowledged that “there were two
‘professions’ in the order of the Temple, the first lawful and good, the second
contrary to the faith.” He had been admitted to the first of these when he first
entered the order, eleven years before the time of his examination, but he was only
initiated into the second or inner mysteries about a year afterwards; and he gives
almost a picturesque description of this second initiation, which occurred in a
chapter held at “Dineslee” in Herefordshire. Another English templar, Thomas de
Tocci, said that the errors had been brought into England by a French knight of
high position in the order. 22
ENDNOTES
1. Baronius, Annales Ecclesiastici, tom. xxi, p. 89, where the two bulls are
printed, and where the details of the history of the Stedingers will be
found.
2. Procès des Templiers, edited by M. Michelet, vol. i, pp. 90-92.
3. Procès des Templiers, ii, 418.
4. Procès, i, 254.
5. See the Procès, ii. 286, 362, 364.
6. Procès, i, 307.
7. Procès, ii, 213.
9. Procès, i, 190.
66

12. Du Puy, Hist. des Templ., pp. 22, 24.
13. Wilkins, Concil., vol. ii, p. 363.
14. Du Puy, Hist. des Templiers, p. 21.
15. See our plate XIV.
16. Plate XV, fig. 1.
20. Du Puy, Hist. des Templiers, p. 94.
21. Montfaucon, Antiquité Expliquée, Suppl. tom. ii, plate 59.
22. Wilkins, Concil., ii, 387.
67
Bibliography
BOOKS
Ambrosini, Maria Luisa. The Secret Archives of the Vatican. Little, Brown & Co, 1969.
Baigent, Michael, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. The Holy Blood and the Holy
Grail. Jonathan Cape, 1982.
Baigent, Michael and Richard Leigh. The Temple and the Lodge. Arcade Publishing,
1991.
Brown, Dan. The da Vinci Code. Bantam Dell, 2003.
Clifton, Chas S. Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics. Barnes & Noble, 1992.
Daraul, Arkon. Secret Societies: A History. MJF Books, 1989.
Haag, Michael. Templars: History and Myth. Profile Books, 2009.
Heckethorn, Charles William. The Secret Societies of All Ages and Countries. University
Books, 1897.
Hopkins, Marilyn, and Tim Wallace-Murphy. Templars in America: From the Crusades
to the New World. Red Wheel/Weiser, 2004.
Mann, William F. The Knights Templar in the New World: How Henry Sinclair Brought the
Grail to Acadia. Bear and Co, 2004.
Ralls, Karen. Knights Templar Encyclopedia. New Page Books, 2007.
68
FILMS & TV
El ataque de los muertos sin ojos (Return of the Evil Dead). Dir. Amando de Ossorio,
1973.
El buque maldito (Ship of Zombies). Dir. Amando de Ossorio, 1974.
The da Vinci Code. Dir. Ron Howard, 2006.
The Dark Side of the Sun. TV series. Dir. David Askey, 1983.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Dir. Steven Spielberg, 1989.
La Noche del Terror Ciego (Tombs of the Blind Dead). Dir. Amando de Ossorio, 1971.
Les rois maudits (The Accursed Kings). TV mini series. Dir. Claude Barma, 1972.
Les rois maudits (A Cursed Monarchy). TV mini series. Dir. Josée Dayan, 2005.
National Treasure. Dir. John Turtletaub, 2004.
Note: English titles are no exact translations, but the titles under which the movies were distributed
in English-speaking markets
69
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THE TEMPLARS

Chicago & Virginia

Written by Graeme Davis

Published by ROGUE GAMES, INC.

12° created by Richard Iorio II & James Maliszewski

Printed in the United States of America.

The Order Grows 5

Chapter 2: Templar Legends 11

The Holy Grail 11

The Holy Blood 15

The Skull & Bones 21

Chapter 3: Templar Secrets 23

The New World 26

Chapter 4: Encountering the Templars 31

Friends & Enemies 37

Using the Templars 42

Chapter 5: Templar Characters 44

(A Templar Knight) is truly a fearless knight, and

The Templars is the ﬁrst in a series of COLONIAL GOTHIC sourcebooks covering

Chapter 4: Encountering the Templars discusses the Order’s agendas and

THE ORDER GROWS

The Chinon Parchment

JOINING THE TEMPLARS

THE HOLY GRAIL

THE DAMSEL OF THE SANCT GRAEL OR HOLY GRAIL,

FULL-LENGTH PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SHROUD OF TURIN

THE HOLY BLOOD

THE NEW WORLD

THE SKULL & BONES

THE NEW WORLD

Applicants with no qualiﬁcation for a higher rank are admitted as brothers,

THE TEMPLAR TREASURE

In summoning Oh-tum-axne, the Blackness, the Mandoag almost destroyed

HEARTS & MINDS

FRIENDS & ENEMIES

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA

owner of the manuscript is a Rosicrucian, who bought the document as part

THE SONS OF LIBERTY

USING THE TEMPLARS

TEMPLAR KNOWLEDGE (REASON)

TEMPLAR SECRETS (REASON)

THE HEAD OF WISDOM (ARCANE SPELL)

THE SEAL OF SOLOMON (RELIC)

THE WORSHIP OF THE GENERATIVE

THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

objects which appears to furnish an almost irresistible conﬁrmation of Von

11. Procès, ii, 218.

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