Here's something I was working on...

Excerpt from an Ashfeld History Book:

The faction war rages on for us, the Knights of Ashfeld, and even our Roman brothers have joined us in this bloody conflict. Centurions and Gladiators rush to our aid, and yet we still barely pull out costly victories amidst crushing defeats and hopeless stalemates. While it is believed that the Romans are our only source for help, there is one order of warriors that we have yet to run to.

There was a legend among us knights, that atop Mt. Ignis, was an Order of warriors, unlike any seen before. A group of warriors that held reputation of leaving death and destruction in its wake. They are called Templars, paragons of might and justice that fight in the name of their God. Their Order is far more ancient than that of Wardens and Lawbringers and was founded during the time of Centurions.

But not much is known about these warriors as they rarely even appear in battle. Even now, locals speak of them as if they were a myth, a cautionary tale to those who dwelled Mt. Ignis. But in recent years, their appearances have been more frequent, and their heroic victories become legendary among the Knights of Ashfeld. And some even had the privilege of a chance encounter. Here are a few excerpts regarding the encounter between the mysterious Templars and the Knights of Ashfeld.

Warden

"He is what we Wardens aspire to be. He is a man of moral integrity and his resolve does not break easy. I admire the mercy and compassion he gives his enemies, but I cannot fathom that he also massacres so many others without mercy. The fact that he slaughters so many and yet still faces his God amazes me already. Lawbringer and I may hold conflicting views, but that man always seems to know when and when not to kill. You will find him butchering a horde of Vikings in one moment, and then you will see him feeding their orphaned children in the next.

I find it hard to believe how he can kill so many soldiers, yet reserve so much mercy to the others. It bewilders me how he can make a distinction between those worth his mercy and those who need killing. He is an enigma but he is also a man of good values and morality, and I admire his dedication to justice and peace. If he can keep both practicality and idealism on the battlefield, maybe I can to.

I really hope that I can visit him on Mt. Ignis someday, maybe he can teach me more about the Holy mission."

Conqueror

"I remembered it like it was yesterday. It was a patrol gone wrong, and I was jumped by some filthy barbarian Shaman. I was bitten in the neck, and I thought I was gonna die there. But suddenly, like a guardian angel, he came and killed her. A stab through the stomach before kicking the bitch off my body. I couldn't really see him all that well since the blood loss was making everything fuzzy.

I was truly scared to be at the stranger's mercy, seeing him kill that barbarian bitch with ease. I could only imagine what he was about to do to me. But instead, he took out a rosary and knelt before me. He asked me if I wanted to confess, and I replied with a shaky yes. I told him all my misdeeds as a criminal. Rape, murder, torture, you name it. I thought that he would be angry, but instead, he put his hand on my forehead and whispered: "Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.". I had done some truly despicable things in my life, things that I still regret up to now. But this man, in my most vulnerable state, granted me mercy without question, even after hearing the things I have done. I then woke up in a castle infirmary, with my rescuers saying that a mysterious knight brought me there.

Any other person would have killed me after knowing the things I did, but that man showed me mercy. His Holy mission is what inspires me to keep fighting."

Peacekeeper

"He's delusional if he thinks that he can just slaughter hundreds of people while showing mercy to others. In both regards, I personally think he just kills when he feels like it. If he really hated killing then he should have never become a warrior in the first place. These noble acts of mercy have only cost us more lives and resources. And sparing the barbarians and samurai will do us no good.

There is no in-between, it's either you're noble and just like the Warden, or you're cold-hearted executioner. If you're doing both then you're just fooling yourself. His talk of mercy and compassion is sickening when he is covered in the blood of hundreds. It's ironic how he kneels in a mountain of corpses while praying to his God. If it weren't for his amazing skill, he would have been a liability for the Legion with all his acts of feeding and tending to the enemy.

The legends of his kind are just blown out of proportion, and his Holy mission is a load of crap."

Lawbringer

"I couldn't believe it myself until I saw one up close. You can tell just from the looks of him that he does not mess around. And they say us Lawbringers are scary. When a village near Mt. Ignis was under attack, they sent one. *One*. By the time I ran in to help him, he was already kneeling in a mountain of corpses muttering his prayers. We both held a respect towards each other for our values of order and justice, but he seems to disagree with my ways of dealing justice.

Though he executes enemies when necessary, he is often merciful to the weak and vulnerable. I've seen him give food and water to the vikings and samurai held prisoner. He gave confession to every single one without hesitation. Every innocent civilian, be it samurai or viking, is either spared or given food for their journey. He is as weary of the world as I am yet he still holds onto his virtues so dearly, I can only wonder how he manages to do it.

In the end, he is a gentle guardian full of mercy and compassion for the innocent and the redeemable, but a frightening butcher of those who refuse to confess their sins. And that is the will of his Holy mission."

Centurion

"Ah yes! The Templar! He's an odd duck, I tell you what! Take it from me! I revel in battle just as much as the next guy, but he always seems so regretful about fighting. Every time we finish a battle, he's always in a somber mood. It tends to ruin my spirits whenever I'm paired up with him. Every time I tried complimenting him on his work, he just glares at me before walking away. That guy has one hell of an attitude!

But thankfully, he's always up for a good drink and a game of chess, and that's what matters! We see eye-to-eye on a lot of matters except fighting, and that's the problem. I fight for glory and every kill I get is a reward! But that man has a bad habit of getting in my way. Every time I try to claim some citizens and prisoners for the colosseum, he just stops me. And goodness, there's no reasoning with him when it comes to those matters. We had a heated discussion about showing mercy to our enemies and it nearly ended in a fight before he composed himself. I find it so hard to see why he sympathizes with the enemy so much.

He's generally a fun person to be around, but his beliefs are really so damn annoying! I couldn't care less about his Holy mission, but it's getting on my nerves!"

Gladiator

"Hmmm... It's honestly hard to come up with an opinion of that man. Centurion and I both revel in battle, but he always seems to regret it so much. I generally would say that I have neither good things nor bad things to say about him. It's a shame too, since I always had a thing for strong fighters, and he certainly fits the bill.

He's a damn good fighter, and every spar with him is always a good time. But he seems to hate fighting. I always just see him praying and reading, which annoys me greatly. I mean, he has so much talent yet he wastes it doing quiet and pansy things. I'd literally kill to have the battlefield skill that he has and he always takes it for granted. What's more, he looks down on me! He says that my WHOLE career is built on nothing but slaughter and mercilessness! The nerve of him! But... He is also a good man. Though he looks down on my arena origins, he genuinely appreciates that I am fighting for something greater than myself. I can't really understand this whole mercy and compassion thing of his, but I won't let it bother me.

I'm actually hoping to know more about these Templars. This Holy Mission sounds like one hell of a challenge if the Templars are so devout about it."

A general consensus seemed to be that the Templar was a warrior that fought fiercely, but also reserved compassion and mercy to those who needed. All accounts attributed this behavior to the so-called "Holy Mission" of these Templars. A surviving account of an interview of the Templar shed a little more light on the Holy Mission.

Templar

"I am a Templar, servant of God and His Holiness, Pope Eric. I am an enforcers of His will and I will do it with absolute efficiency. But as servants of God, I must grant the enemy mercy. I must know when to turn the other cheek and to give myself for the innocent and vulnerable.

But I must also know when to stand up for myself. I must know to serve justice when the line is crossed. I must protect those within our jurisdiction and the innocent people who suffer from the evils of this world. That is the Holy mission. I must be a paragon of mercy and compassion, but also be an enforcer of justice and peace. The world is rarely an easy place to be morally upright, and every moral situation is rarely black-and-white."

However, the more important question was: Are these Templars going to join the war and help the Knights win? This was answered in another excerpt:

"That is not my decision to make. Pope Eric has deemed the Romans necessary enough to win this faction war and I don't plan on defying him. However, if the Holy mission shall soon require aiding our Ashfeld brothers, then we will not hesitate to enter. For God Wills it. Deus Vult!"

Marcus sat down and read the book. These Templars were really fascinating and he wondered why they were so powerful. They never were as famous as the Warden or the Lawbringer yet they seemed so much more superior to them. But he felt a slap on his hand, as he received a glare from Lusia.

"Ow!" Marcus expressed.

"Hide that book! We're meeting someone important!"

"Who could it possibly be?"

"A representative from Mount Ignis!" Mary hissed.

"Mount Ignis?" Marcus wondered before his face paled. "You don't mean–"

"Yes, a Templar representative." Mary nodded before hearing the door.

"But why is it so low-key? The other tournament guys aren't even here. And the guards aren't even that many!"

"I chose you and Lusia because you two will be the ones to entertain him. I've met him before and I know that he hates formalities. I concluded that you two were the best personalities for him to deal with."

"And here he is now."

The Templar came in, but it was strange. He was holding a tanned woman like a prisoner. The tanned woman had white war paint all over her, and wore a feathered helmet. All the knights in the room were shocked to see him with someone. The Templar then threw the girl to the floor and crossed his arms.

"I want answers."

"I was going to ask the same thing." Mary added while approaching him. "Why do you have a tanned woman held prisoner?"

"Because she attacked and terrorized a village near Mt. Ignis." The Templar replied. "I interrogated her and I found out that she was looking for a relic, a relic that apparently your family is keeping."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Maybe not, but your father does." The Templar replied while dropping the woman before Mary. "I'll have a word with him. Have your guards put this woman in custody."

"Okay..." Mary sighed while gesturing for the guards to take her away. "Do you wish for the tournament representatives to follow you?"

"Have them by my room, I will need their help on this." The Templar replied while taking off his helmet, revealing an adult man, well in his then approached Marcus. "My name is Thibault de Vallede, I am a member of the Templar Order."

"I am Marcus, it is an honor to meet you."

"I am Lusia, I am honored to meet you."

"Okay Marcus, Lusia. I want you two to meet me at my room later." Thibault instructed carefully. "There is something important we need to discuss."

"Understood."

The Templar turned and glared at Mary.

"Don't think I will let this pass Princess. Your family will pay for the damages done to the village."

"Yes, of course." Mary choked out.

Thibault then stomped his way past them and onto the throne room. Mary, Marcus, and Lusia sat down as Mary massaged her forehead and sighed.

"He's usually not like this. Whatever that tanned woman was looking for, it must have been important."

"Some sort of relic?" Lusia questioned.

"Well our family has kept a lot of relics from the faction war, so I wouldn't be surprised if we had what she was looking for."

"Putek!" (Shit!) The Agila cursed while jumping off the side window of the castle and onto another roof. "Hinuli nila si Chenoa!" (They caught Chenoa!)

"He Comancheʻo ia, nāna e mālama." (She is a Comanche, she will manage.) The Koa replied before cradling the relic. "E hoʻi hou kāua ma hope o ka loaʻaʻana o kēia kāleka i kahi palekana." (We'll come back for her after we get this relic to safety.)

"Ikaw na pupunta! Ililigtas ko si Chenoa!" (You go! I'll save Chenoa!) The Agila said before the Koa stopped her. "Ano!?" (What!?)

"ʻO Luningning,ʻaʻole au e manaʻo e hiki ana." (I don't think that's possible yet.) The Koa said while looking behind them.

The Koa pointed a shaky finger behind them to see a Shinobi and an Orochi standing with their weapons.

"Dakara, korera wa, mawari o hashirimawatte hito o koroshite iru yarōdesu." The Orochi said with disgust. (So these are the bastards running around and killing people.)

"Wareware wa sorera o jinsoku ni jobunsuru." The Shinobi said before drawing his weapons and getting into stance. (We will dispose of them quickly.)

The Agila and the Koa glanced at each other before they drew their weapons. Agila pumped herself up while swinging her kris dagger and kampilan. The Koa spun his Ihe spear while glancing at Agila. The Agila then said.

"Maghanda ka Ikaika!" (Get ready Ikaika!)

"E hana kākou i kēia wikiwiki a me ka maʻalahi." (Let's make this quick and subtle.)

"Oo naman. Hindi namin maiiwan ang sinumang saksi." (Of course. We cannot leave any witnesses.)

The two fighters got into stance as they prepared to face each other on the rooftops of Ashfeld.

Here's an update!