Meeting the First - The New Templar Order

[judgemewhole]

WHO: James Norrington, Templars, and Spies.
WHAT: Norrington summons the Knights together.
WHEN: This evening
WHERE: Tower off of the Tavern
NOTES: Warnings for language, for politics, and most importantly for Templars probably getting emotional. Plenty of NPC Templars, as well. Sections will be divided on different topics, please feel free to add your own!

As Norrington was the one who called the meeting, he and his small squad of Templars were the ones who set up the table - or rather tables. They shifted, switched, and basically mangled all the furniture into place so that when they were finished, they had a large circle of tables and chairs, all facing inward.

Norrington liked the symmetry. Not to mention the symbolism.

While his people made sure to procure refreshments from the Tavern - nothing stronger than ale and plenty of food because Maker knew how long they were all going to be there - Norrington sat at the table, with a number of books in front of him. One that sat at his right was of course The Chant Of Light. The others had books on the College of Enchanters, a few slender scrolls on the Dalish, and the Qun itself.

When the sun had started to fall, and all the templars arrived who were in fact, willing to come to the meeting, he closed the book on the Qun and pushed it firmly away, looking perturbed. Then he looked around to the crowd of faces around him.

"Good evening, Brothers and Sisters. Welcome to the first meeting of the New Templar Order. Let me begin by saying, if you are here then even while you have broken ties with the corrupt Seeker Lambert, or even with the Chantry itself, you still see yourself as following the path set before us. Long ago, the Templars were once the Inquisition itself -- and while their violent beginning was forcing the Chant of Light -- I think we can go back to the original purpose. To protect the people of Thedas - all the people of Thedas. To educate on the dangers, and benefits, of magic. To, as it was once asked of us by Andraste herself, walk through the fire on faith alone, to defend those who cannot defend themselves."

He stood up, looking around, "We all hold different ranks, outside of this room. We are Knights, we are Lieutenants and Captains. But here, we are as we have always been - Brothers and Sisters. We've been silent too long, caught up in the shame of the actions of the rogues and the Red Templars. No more, brothers and sisters, No More. We must stand up, and be counted. We must offer our aid, not just as swords for the Inquisition's army, but as their shields and instructors as well. From the filth of the old, something new must rise."

He leaned forward on the table, looking around, "But before any of that happens -- together, as equals -- we must decide who our voice will be, and what we will say to the mages ... after their vote. We must decide what our principles are, our concerns, and we must put them together intelligently -- and without malice. We will not prevail with violence, or rhetoric. We must be as calm as we are on the battlefield. So ... shall we begin?"

Comments

The Precepts of the New Order

[judgemewhole]

Re: The Precepts of the New Order

[judgemewhole]

"First things first - we dedicate ourselves to protecting the people of Thedas from the dangers of magic. Maelficarium, abominations, darkspawn magisters ... the darkspawn magister being our first and foremost concern." Norrington looked around the table, "What else?"

[byblow]

"Protecting mages from the dangers of Thedas, maybe?" Alistair suggests from the back, with a questioning lilt—the tonal equivalent of just a suggestion, with a hint of sass.

He probably shouldn't be here.

[equanimiti]

"You're thinking like a Grey Warden." Alayre suddenly states once Alistair gives his opinion. He glances over at his colleagues briefly before continuing.

"Though, I find myself applauding this idea despite the slight sarcasm. If we're to protect the mages from harm, it shouldn't only apply whenever we're at war with beasts and demons alike. Let us fulfill our duties and protect them from all who would do them harm, even from ourselves."

Nominating a Chairman

[judgemewhole]

Re: Nominating a Chairman

[judgemewhole]

"Now, we will need a spokesperson for the New Order. Someone who has a good reputation with both the Templars, the Mages, and of course the Inquisition. I would like to nominate Alayre Sauvetere to act as our Chairperson, and direct link to the other organizations in the Inquisition." Norrington folded his hands on the table, looking around, "Any objections? Seconds? Further votes?"

[equanimiti]

It shouldn't come as any surprise that he's been nominated. Alayre has personally made it his mission to listen to the concerns of Mages and non-Mages alike in regards with how to rebuild the broken relationship between Templars and Mages. While they're no closer to repairing relations just yet, Alayre is hopeful.

"Ser Norrington." He chimes in. "It would be an honor for me to represent our New Order with every intention of us promoting the change necessary to ensure a peaceful coexistence with the Mage Council and of the rest the Inquisition." Alayre pauses briefly as he addresses this small gathering of Templar.

"I cannot stress enough the importance of the New Order as we embark upon unifying all of Skyhold under one banner. While we are indeed members of the Order, I must state that we are foremost soldiers of the Inquisition. We must come together with all of our allies; the Mages, the Qun, and the Dalish, to ensure that Thedas will be protected from all those who threaten it while ensuring that the misdeeds of yesteryear doesn't continue with us."

[perseverances]

"I cannot agree more." Cullen hasn't spoken much during the meeting, but he feels that a good representative should be made. Norrington's nomination of Alayre was something Cullen could most certainly agree upon.

"He is the wisest decision among us all. I have never seen him lacking in any regard when it comes to relations between either faction. If the Inquisition is to survive be must be united with all."

Code of Conduct

[judgemewhole]

Re: Code of Conduct

[judgemewhole]

"I really think this ought to speak for itself. Our ... former brothers and sisters have proven themselves to be utter bloody bastards. We're going to have to form a code of conduct and stick with it." Norrington snorted as he leaned back, "I'm going to start it off with 'No Murdering Innocent People', if that's all right."

[equanimiti]

A slight sigh escapes Alayre once they reach this topic about conduct. It should go without saying that the Order hasn't behaved at it's best lately but when your ranks are plagued with sadists and rapists, this kind of chaos happens. This is why Alayre dares to speak up.

"Only a fiend without a conscious would murder the innocent so blatantly without remorse." Alayre states with a grim frown. "However, I fear that our ranks were plagued with psychopaths who once used their Templar titles to lord over our charges like cattle. We must ensure that our Templars are not sadists seeking havoc."

[nofury]

"Any group in possession of power has those that will abuse it. Every nation in Thedas has proven that. But the Inquisition has its own laws and code of conduct, which all must obey. Are there any points beyond that Templars should be held to?"

Maria knew all too well what certain Circles had been capable of, but they remained a small fraction of a greater whole in the Inquisition. She wasn't sure of the need to distinguish themselves in too many regards from every other soldier.

The Tranquil - the Care and Protection Thereof

[judgemewhole]

Re: The Tranquil - the Care and Protection Thereof

[judgemewhole]

" -- cannot stress this enough. It is vital that we see to the care of the Tranquil. We created them. We need to be responsible for them. Make sure they are fed, clothed, are doing something so they can feel useful." He rubbed his eyes, waving his hand. "These people are the ones who literally will not defend themselves - and after the horrors of Kirkwall and the White Spire? We cannot abandon our duty."

[equanimiti]

"Much agreed." Alayre confirms with a nod.

"The Tranquil must be cared for but the keyword there is 'care'. For too long, the Tranquil have been equally abused by criminals within our ranks. As Norrington has stated, we must take responsibility of them and not just by ordering them about."

He gives some of the others a slight look as he glances around the room. Alayre is making certain that everyone hears him loud and clear here. "The Tranquil take pride in keeping up-to-date with inventory storage and organizing the library. Even some have taken to caring for the gardens. Despite their lack of emotions and their lack of self, please remember that the Tranquil still retain their humanity. Therefore, I shan't tolerate anyone demeaning them."

[keeperofmagi]

"I have already spoken to Councillor LeBlanc about the care for the Tranquil," Nerva said, her voice solemn, arms crossed across her chest. "I agree that we have responsibility, but in light of the fact that the Order did not exist when we arrived, I asked her specifically to ensure that the Tranquil had duties befitting them, and they have been working on research in the Library. But I would willingly volunteer to head the efforts to care for them, if I had the resources to do so."

The Mages - Abominations, Education, and Partnership

[judgemewhole]

Re: The Mages - Abominations, Education, and Partnership

[judgemewhole]

"All right, you all want me to say it, so I will." He looked around the table, "The mages are free. We do not have oversight over them. So we either learn to ignore all of them until one of them becomes an abomination and we revisit a thousand horrors all over again ... or we seriously consider their proposal and make our own suggestions."

He opened his hands, "The floor is open, ladies and gentlemen."

[nofury]

"Dorian Pavus and I intend to continue our plan of group training among mages and Templars. Both to improve our ability against the enemy, and to provide some way for individuals to being to form bonds. But some oversight of untested mages has to happen. Is what the council has proposed enough?"

People in cages was not her vision, but the safety of the Inquisition as a whole would always trump any concerns over upsetting a council within it.

The Inquisition - How Can They Help Further

[judgemewhole]

Re: The Inquisition - How Can They Help Further

[judgemewhole]

"Now this ... I want to point out, is why we all joined. We wanted to stop the rifts, we wanted to help people. Demons are still covering all of Thedas, and we, the Templar Order, are the ones who have been fighting them for thousands of years. Think of all we can do if we just educate the soldiers on how to properly kill a demon." Norrington waved his hand. "We could save hundreds of lives by teaching one soldier how to take off an abomination's head. Right there."

[perseverances]

"Some of the Inquisition's soldiers have expressed their fear in regards to demons," Cullen says afterward. "We would take all willing should anyone want to lend a hand in training. Templars are among the best warriors in all of Thedas. I would see our soldiers properly trained like we all were."

I Spy Something That Starts with T

[arlathvhen]

Or: Ceiling Dalish is watching you.

One of the good things about being tasked with climbing all over the rooftops to clear out clutter and do repairs in hard to reach places is that you become quite skilled at figuring out where good eavesdropping locations are, and how to get there. So she knows about the hole in the ceiling of that room, and she knows about to shimmy up to the tavern roof and climb across to the room, being sure to stay on the side that had an actual roof, but close enough to the large hole that she could hear what it was that they were saying.

She wasn't really sure if this would be anything particularly amazing, doubted they'd open up with congratulating themselves on creating the Breach and killing the Divine and the Herald and what not. However, the Templars didn't want other people to overhear, and that was enough incentive for her. And besides, she'd promised that she would do this ages and ages ago. Now that it had finally come to fruition, she could hardly not do it, risks be damned.

So she crouched on the roof, trying to move as little as possible, close enough to the hole to hear without being seen by anyone looking up.

Re: I Spy Something That Starts with T

[keeperofmagi]

She had just said something particularly disparaging, was the odd thing. She didn't even remember what it was, later, but she had said something and then heard a sound. Almost like a snort. Her head snapped around, but there was nothing in the room beside them. Not even a mouse. She frowned at the empty room, before she quietly stood while the others argued. She walked over to the pile of debris, touching it with her toe and stepping up onto it, as if that would shake a mouse away, and then happened to look up--

Happen to look up and catch a glimpse of wide elven eyes and Dalish tattoos.

"What--"

Re: I Spy Something That Starts with T

[judgemewhole]

This is a room filled with Templars - and if there was anything a Templar hated more (outside of blood mages and abominations), it was a surprise. They didn't tend to take them well. So when Nerva said, "What- "

Norrington was already on his feet, blade out, looking around, and then up, "What ... what? Are we under attack?"