Marcus
Introduction
The Knights Templar were the elite fighting force of their day, highly trained, well-equipped and highly motivated; one of the commands of their religious order was that they were forbidden from retreating in battle, unless outnumbered at least three to one, or if their Templar flag went down.
Not all Knights Templar were warriors. The mission of most of the members was one of support - to acquire resources which could be used to fund and equip the small percentage of members who were fighting on the front lines. Because of this infrastructure, the Templar warriors were well-trained and very well-armed. Even their horses were trained to fight in combat, kicking or biting the enemies. The combination of soldier and monk was also a powerful one, as for the Templar knights, martyrdom in battle was one of the most glorious ways to die.
The Templars were also shrewd tacticians, following the dream of Saint Bernard who had declared that a small force, under the right conditions, could defeat a much larger enemy.
Marcus had been a Vatican guard. An orphan of unknown origin he had been trained and groomed from an eary age. He had been granted his freedom as a reward for his success and bravery, but fighting was all he knew.
As he had no known roots or family, Marcus decided to travel to Jerusalem, to see if he could discover himself through his adopted Christian faith. The year was 1176 and King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem was under enormous pressure from the massive forces of the Moslem warrior leader Saladin.
It is here that Marcus found the Knights of the Temple of Solomon, or rather, they found him.
