Ordo Templariis

The Ordo Templariis is an unofficial military order of the Imperial Cult that came into existence in the early 41st Millennium.

While the Ecclesiarchy is prohibited maintain "men under arms" by the Decree Passive, many bands of fanatical worshipers of the Emperor continued to exist, eventually united together as the Frateris Militia. The group that would become the Ordo Templariis originated as the personal bodyguards of Emil Rebreanu, Arch-Cardinal of the Veldin Sector diocese. He formed a group of a few hundred Crusaders who eventually became a tight-nit brotherhood and fought in Imperial Crusades independently. After their initial success it grew more famous and attracted new followers from among the Frateris Militia, though only the most capable among them were selected. It was not long before it came to call itself the Ordo Templariis and grew beyond the service of just Arch-Cardinal Rebreanu, serving many different officials of the clergy.

Since then the Ordo Templariis has expanded in Segmentum Obscurus in the form of various small cells spread out among the systems. Some of the Cardinals in the region secretly not only tolerate it but use it to provide assistance in situations when the heavy-handedness of the Imperial Guard or disorganized zealotry of the Frateris Militia are undesirable, as well as to wage Wars of Faith. The presence of so many Forces of Chaos in the Segmentum has assured that the Templars' services are frequently demanded. Since it is a decentralized organization not directly affiliated with the Ecclesiarch or the Holy Synod itself, it is more or less tolerated by the Imperial government as long its activities do not get out of hand.

Organization
Due to its unofficial nature and the prying eyes of the Inquisition, the Ordo Templariis is a heavily decentralized organization the main block of which is the local cell. They typically cover a planetary region or a single city, with the next on the hierarchy being the planetary cell, usually led by a Master who oversees all Templar operations on that world. Cells on those levels are often aligned with the local dioceses for simplicity. Above them is a theoretical sub-sector cell, which really only exists as an administrative unit and consists of a single Master of the Order that oversees the planetary cells in his assigned region. Masters of the Order answer to the leader of the Ordo Templariis, the Grand Master, who oversees both their financial holdings in Imperial space and military operations on the front.

These cells are used to manage their recruitment and dealings with the clergy on a local level while minimizing the possibility of an infiltrator from the Ordo Hereticus or anyone else making contact with the higher leadership. Contrary to popular belief in the Imperium, the Templars were not only a military organization but also had contacts in the business world in order to finance their crusades. Local and planetary cells were frequently in contact with the local clergy in order to get information and access to potential recruits.