The Imperial Templar Order started as the military arm of the Imperial Chantry, though it now falls under the jurisdiction of the magisters and the Imperial Circle of Magi.
Background[]
Mages in the Tevinter Circle of Magi are controlled by high-ranking magisters instead of the Imperium's templars.[1] Since the restoration of the magocracy, the Imperial Templar Order falls under the authority of the magisters and thereby the Circle of Magi. Lord Seeker Lambert van Reeves claimed that the Order has no real power in Tevinter. In effect, this has reduced the templars' main function to merely enforcing Imperial law.[2]
In special cases, or with sufficient bribes, unique mages known as "justicars" step in and take over for the investigating templars. Templars who wish to consult a mage for their case but do not wish to be "walked over" by a justicar may hire external help, such as private investigators.[3]
While Imperial templars may still intervene if a mage uses forbidden magics, and they retain the Right of Annulment at their disposal, they usually only act against mages who are weak or have fallen out of favor with the magisters. Notably, Tevinter does not consider the moderate use of blood magic inherently dangerous or forbidden, so long as it is restricted to the use of one's own blood or that of a willing participant. That level of blood magic can only garner so much power, however, and Tevinter mages always seek more. The line is crossed when mages start using sacrifices and demon summoning, and presumably any mage of rank does the forbidden kind behind closed doors while the others are quietly shut out of power or have the templars sent after them.[4][5]
Another key difference between the Imperial templars and their southern counterparts is that there is no Tevinter equivalent for the Seekers of Truth, which provides oversight for both templars and mages throughout the rest of Thedas. Few, if any, Tevinter citizens are even aware that the Seekers of Truth exist or of the differences between Seekers and templars.[6]
History[]
In 9:17 Dragon, a group of Imperial Templars, accompanied by magister Urian Nihalias, clashed with a group of southern Templars as they hunted the same group of apostates in the region surrounding Caimen Brea, close to the border with Orlais. The southern templars' leader, Ser Lambert van Reeves, managed to defuse tensions through respectful negotiations before the situation could devolve into open conflict. In 9:27, a group of Imperial Templars led by Magister Urian and aided by Ser Lambert orchestrated a coup against the Imperial Divine, arresting him and five high-ranking magisters in a single night. After the resulting trials, Urian assumed the title of Imperial Divine.[7]
Involvement[]
Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights[]
The Streets of Minrathous
Abilities[]
The majority of Imperial templars lack the ability to counter magic and are primarily utilised as soldiers. In fact, modern Tevinter mages invariably find themselves completely bewildered upon witnessing their magic nullified by non-Imperial templars, having never previously encountered such an ability within their homeland.[8][1]
The templars can occasionally make use of weapons enchanted to subdue magic, though they are only meant to be used in specific and approved circumstances.[3]
Known members[]
- Brom – Knight-Templar in Minrathous[3]
- Jahvis – Knight-Captain in Minrathous[3]
- Lenos – Knight-Commander in Minrathous
- Rana Savas – Knight-Templar in Minrathous[3]
- Tarquin[9]
- Tassia – Knight-Commander in Nessum
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 David Gaider. Why don't mages go to Tevinter?. Bioware Social Network. Retrieved July 19, 2015
- ↑ Based on dialogue with Fenris.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights, The Streets of Minrathous
- ↑ Mentioned in dialogue with Dorian Pavus.
- ↑ Dragon Age: Inquisition- Sexy and Talented Dorian Joins! (First Conversation) + Flirt. YouTube.
- ↑ Mentioned in dialogue between Cassandra Pentaghast and Dorian Pavus.
- ↑
Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 203
- ↑ Based on Cullen Rutherford's report after completing the War table mission The Tevinter Resistance.
- ↑ Short Story: Minrathous Shadows
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
