Knights Templar

The Knights Templar were a medieval military order from 1119-1312.  They aligned with The Pope and their job was to protect Christian Pilgrims.  Officially endorsed, the Order became the favored charity and grew rapidly in power and membership.  At the peak of the Order, there were between 15,000-20,000 members. 

Headquartered at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the knights battled marauding highwaymen and other religious factions.  The non-combatant members of the Order managed a large economic infrastructure across Europe.  This first banking system allowed pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem to deposit their valuables with a local Templar branch, receive a document indicating the value of the deposit, then retrieve their funds in an amount of treasure of equal value once they reached their destination.  This made the pilgrims less attractive targets for thieves.

In The Ruby Scepter,  some of the Knights' Templar members, including Grand Master Jacques De Molay, escape the Friday, October 13, 1307 execution when they flee from the Order's Portuguese branch  located in Tomar, Portugal.  Convent of Chirst Castle was built in 1160 by Gualdim Pais, founder of the city of Tomar.  The Knights Templar travel through Castile, now known as Spain, then stay close to the coast as they travel through France and Brabant, known as the Netherlands to Friesland where the portal to Ferane is located.  The Knights arrive on Ferane on February 9, 1308.  These Knights have taken with them some of history’s most notorious symbols of faith including the Holy Grail.  Along with the Holy Grail, the Knights took with them The Star, carved from the first tree on Earth by God, and the Mirror of Knowledge, both of which can see the future.  The Star, if you are lucky, tells you your future.  The Mirror of Knowledge gives kings the sight of what the future holds, but beware, you have to be wise to understand the images it shows you.