Few lore expansions, just for fun: historical factions.

Was looking through old files and saw old concepts from four years ago but never published it. Considering today's lore, it probably breaks a lot. But then again, I was younger so probably wouldn't hurt too much.

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"By the blade and by the dawn, may the Light guide our path. Always."

-Matriarch l Luminara de Sablé upon the formation of the Order.

The Knights of the Temple Dawn, or the Templar Order, was a monastic order established centuries ago from the present day. Its members, hailing from different parts of the empire, are considered to be among the most elite corps of the Empire. Described as guardians of peace, justice and unity, they act in service of the Moniyan Empire as a Priest and Crusader order until they were disbanded and purged following the attempted coup led by their own ranks.

Organization and culture:

The order was monastic primarily, focusing on the defense of the state and its people and their faith in the Light resolute. Any member of society is free to join the Order if they willed it, as the Templars believed in the 'merit of the soul' where even people of dark pasts are welcome to join if their heart for redemption is present. An example of this is Reinhard von Bülow, who is a cruel, arrogant, and expansionist Lord who engaged in frequent raids on Vonetis Isles until a confrontation with Solari tribe leader Datu (his actual name, and an ancestor of Lapu Lapu) ended with the latter sparing him where Reinhard saw the error of his ways after the supposed 'uncivilized rats' showed more honor than him and his men, where he soon sought redemption, becoming Grand Master himself and devoted his time in penance, forever denouncing conquest and plunder.

They are fervent believers in the Light, where new recruits are trained to hone their abilities in their true potential, developing the elite status of the order. They are also known to be elite soldiers, being sent as backup for the main Imperial Army should the need arise, while also acting as diplomats and advisors to numerous Lords and Kings abroad. The order consisted of different classes: Knights, Magi, Priests, Pathstriders (Scouts), Footmen and the elite Justiciars.

History:

Centuries ago, the young Moniyan kingdom was under siege by the first invasion by the Abyss and was at the verge of being conquered as the demons closed into the gates of the then-capital of Crownsburg. Just then, a Knight-Lieutenant of the army named Luminara de Sablé, had been blessed by the Lord of Light in defeating the first Abyss invasion after killing the powerful Abyss General Gallienus Verus in combat, saving the Empire and forcing the demons to retreat.

Following this invasion, the order grew with the blessing of the Crown and the Church where she taught those who joined the order in wielding the Light in the name of the defense of the Kingdom, becoming its first Grand Master as the Templars secured the Kingdom from any incursion.Since then,the Templars acted as the guardians of peace and justice in the Empire, where numerous notable Grand Masters included Reinhard von Bülow (for his wisdom), Therésa Voiture (for her quick wits), Eduard Moreau, Godfrey Ironside, Michel Marceau (for his loyalty), and the last Grand Master, Gerhard de la Verendrye (for his strength).

Despite their loyalty to the crown, they held considerable political power in the government to decline operations they deemed dishonorable or did not adhere to their code, such as Reinhard's refusal to send in their troops to put down the rebellious breakaway regions that became Livonia, which became the first seed of distrust between the Crown and the Order.

Their feats of skill that included defeating invaded foreign and demon armies, wisdom, and piety, using the Light as took for healing. During the Battle of Roussillon, then Moniyan Army was in full retreat after the Livonians smashed through their battle lines. Fifty Templars stood against 3,000 Livonian troops, beating back the invading army despite losing 37 of their own members. This cemented them as legends for generations to come.

However, the amount of Grand Masters known for their wisdom is also equated by those inadequate in its tenets. Hugh la Touche was a Grand Master who became paranoid, convinced that the Abyss infiltrated Moniyan society. He became a zealot, using the order to hunt down suspected demons. This ended only when he was struck down by his own inner circle for his erratic behavior. Bernard Deveraux. A strict follower of protocol and a bureaucrat, prioritizing the state over the creed of his own order. Because he believed the the importance of status quo in maintaining order, he also protected the interests of those who benefitted it the most, the crown and the nobility. François d'Anville was an ultranationalist who took his duties too far, leading the Templars in their campaigns against the Abyss that were often unauthorized by the King. Louis Boschenry who is more of an unlucky streak than incompetence or evil. Elevated after the sudden death of Charles de la Serre after a battle. Under his leadership, an Abyssal rift nearly opened at the Capital, stopped only by his own fellow knights who sacrificed themselves sealing the rift.

Noble families of the Empire have interacted or were associates with the order. Other noble families had connections with the Templars themselves; Gareth and Lynette Baroque were Commanders of the Templar Order where their fencing became known, and Vidar Paxley had served as Marshal under Marceau, and William Vance had also served the order as a Pathstrider respectively.

Thirteen years before the Abyss invasion, Captain Tigreal Wertz was also invited to join by Gerhard, but he declined because of his obligations of the Imperial Army.

Then, there was the breaking point as the order, which had been at odds with the increasingly political Church of Light and believing the Empire had been rotten to the core after seeing how it strayed from its foundations after witnessing numerous violations like the treatment of the Smiths or its colonial ventures as well as actively resisting reform.

The Templars supported Achille la Lumiere in his bid to become Chief Minister, but was murdered by mercenaries sent by rival nobles. Achille's death angered the Templars, who could not abide the Empire's hypocrisy and continued spitting of its foundations. Gerhard sought to control these group, but his death at the hands of the Abyss, ended whatever restraints the Templars had as they resolved to depose the government, despite warnings it'll only lead to civil war, or the Abyss exploiting their division.

There, they plotted a coup led by Marshal Armand Bouchart to overthrow the government and force reforms by slaughtering the nobility and numerous imperial officials that they saw as enablers in what would later be known as the 'Night of the Crimsoned Silk' which saw the metaphorical de-fanging of the Empire. But this was stopped by the intervention by the Imperial Army and from their ranks, culminating in the death of Bouchart and most of the leadership along with the deaths of countless veteran Imperial soldiers.

Because of that the Templars were branded as traitors and were dissolved by Imperial decree, with its members hunted down or went into hiding. Many of them escaped to the Livonian Republic, who welcomed these holy warriors into their fold. The legacy of the Templars became fear and betrayal, in spite of their service, and the Church of Light, having rose to power, sought to erase their name and consolidate their new hold after filling the power vacuum.

Twelve years after their disbanding, the Lightborn Chevaliers succeeded the Templar Order as the Empire's elite force confronting the Abyss.

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The Circle of Four

Alice: Before you were even born to lead, the Old Guard made it their dream to one day send that little convent into oblivion, in spite of them putting the Queen...into retirement.

Dyrroth: Making sure they're in charge?

Alice: To keep themselves from tearing one another.

-Alice to Dyrroth.

The Circle of Four was the leading body of the Abyss during the Twilight Wars against the Moniyan Empire. Originally, the Circle consisted of the elite guards Umbrivion the Darkener, Galvanoth the Destroyer, Ragnos the Defiler, and Zola the Deceiver.

The current or Second Circle, consisted of Alice, Thamuz, and Dyrroth, although they function under the command of the returned Sovereign Obsidia.

History:

The First Circle was formed when the elite guard revolted against Obsidia, where they incapacitated and banished her, instilling a powerful spell that left her in a deep slumber into the Void. Because the Abyss was chaotic by nature and prone to infighting, they unanimously voted to function as a council, although Umbrivion is nominally the leader of the group. As leaders, they waged war against the fledgeling Moniyan Kingdom, where they were inherently brutal and swept the lands until they were stopped by the newly formed Knights of the Temple Dawn. For the next century, they waged war against the Empire. One by one, the Circle fell and Umbrivion died nearly unleashing the Eternal Twilight that would consume the whole Land of Dawn into perpetual darkness. Following their deaths, the Abyss fell into infighting. Although their General, Erebus the Eternal, emerged was the strongest and became the new God of Darkness, he was never able to reform the circle nor fully consolidate his control to the Abyss.

The Second Circle was reformed under Erebus' and the First Circle's protegé, Lord Aemilian Verus. There, he successfully recruited Alice and Thamuz to take over the thrones of Zola and Galvanoth respectively, and Alice brought over the lost Imperial Prince Dyrroth and raised him to occupy Ragnos' throne. The Darkener's throne remained unoccupied, but many believe that it already has under a cunning puppet master. They also recruited Helcurt, Moskov, Selena to be part of the Shadow Covenant, a black ops unit against the Empire and other threats to the Abyss.

When Obsidia returned, she sought vengeance on the First Circle, and she killed Erebus after a climactic battle where she prevailed against the Eternal. Rather than dissolve the Circle, Obsidia kept them under her control, and they now stabilize the realm against a future war against the Moniyan Empire.