Templars of Xitos

The Templars of Xitos are a religious order based in the city of Ironforge. They follow the teachings of their patron, Xitos, deity of craft and the arts.

Mythology & Lore

The Templars of Xitos adhere to the common mythos of Galactus, in which the deities of light, headed by Althea, waged war against the deities of the Abyss. However, given the great importance mining and metalworking have in Ironforge, the deity Xitos takes on high importance to the folk living there. Thus, the Templars were formed to honor this deity's importance.

The templars believe that Xitos played a key role in the end of the Era of Creation and light's victory against the Abyss, as Xitos forged not only the chains which hold the Abyss imprisoned, but also many of the weapons that the other deities used in the war and still use today. Although many folk do credit Xitos with the creation of these important objects, the Templars believe that Xitos is one of the only reasons the deities were able to win the war, and that other folk understate these contributions greatly.

Divine Origins

The Templars of Xitos first came about a few years after Ironforge became a bustling town. It began as a small gathering of craftsfolk who were particularly devoted to the teachings of Xitos, and soon grew into an official religious order housed in a large complex. As the following grew, they began to develop traditions and rituals, slowly becoming a prominent part of Ironforge's social and political environment.

Tenets of Faith

To the Templars, craft and the arts are essential to achieving spiritual peace. As such, all members spent a great deal of their time honing and perfecting their own skills, whether metalworking, painting, or even weaving. The choice of skill is up to each individual, and they are provided with the skills and tools necessary to hone this skill.

The templars also believe in severing one's tethers to the physical world to strengthen their connection to their imaginations and creativity. They are not allowed to pursue romantic relationships with one another or with outsiders, as those relationships create attachments to the material world. They may form friendships with other Templars, but not with outsiders.

When joining the Temple, new Templars must shed their old lives and spend their first year in total isolation from the outside world to erase their previous connections. They swear fealty to the Temple and the other Templars, recognizing that they will spend the rest of their lives in honor of Xitos, creating works in his name and honing their craft.

Political Influence & Intrigue

As a prominent institution in Ironforge, the Templars of Xitos have great influence, both in economic and political spheres. Each year, the Templars host a festival for Xitos, opening their gates for three days to welcome the public in. During the festival, they sell many of their creations from the previous year, and since the Templars usually become masters of their craft, these creations have high value and the Temple pulls in quite a lot of income from this. About half of this is used to fund the Templars for another year, but the other half is saved for times when the Temple may need to buy some favors from officials or organizations in Ironforge. The templars also command great respect from others as masters of craft, so they have another leg up for negotiations. As such, the Temple can easily push its agenda where it wants to without much resistance even from its stark opponents.

The Templars are not wholly invested in the goings-on outside the Temple walls, so they do not often use their power to make changes. When they do, however, it is for issues important to the Temple's own beliefs. One such issue is the matter of guilds. Templars place great value in artisans and craftsfolk, and is a strong supporter of artisans' guilds. They often contribute financially to these guilds especially when those guilds are fighting for their members' rights. The Templars have been known to make large donations to the city council for public works projects, in exchange for the council listening to the guilds' petitions and agreeing to their terms.

Type

Religious, Temple