Editing Crucible:Templar I

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= Templar =
{| class="codex-infobox codex-infobox--hero"
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| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[File:TemplarI.jpg]]
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! Real Name
| Mark Masters
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! Identity
| Secret (historically)
|-
! Affiliation
| [[Crucible:The Midnight Men|The Midnight Men]]
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! Base of Operations
| Los Angeles (Golden Age)
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! Era
| Golden Age
|-
! Status
| Unknown
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! First Appearance
| ''SPINE-CHILLING TALES #13''
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! Creator
| Ed Messina
|}

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“Try your tricks.”
<br>— '''Templar'''
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'''Templar''' was the mystical identity of '''Mark Masters''', a Los Angeles police officer who became the chosen bearer of relics tied to the ancient Knights Templar. During the Golden Age, when crime and the occult often walked hand in hand, Masters stood as one of the few figures capable of confronting supernatural threats directly, bringing with him both the discipline of law enforcement and the authority of something far older.

== Background ==

Mark Masters began his career as an ordinary policeman, distinguished more by his persistence than by any hint of destiny. That changed when he was assigned to investigate a robbery at a Los Angeles museum, a case that quickly escalated beyond conventional crime. The culprits were not merely thieves, but a cell of Nazi agents attempting to seize a cache of ancient artifacts connected to the Knights Templar, relics long believed lost to history.

Masters pursued the case with characteristic determination, tracking down the agents and recovering the stolen items. What he uncovered in the process, however, was not simply a plot, but a legacy. Among the artifacts was an ancient shield, and within that shield resided a guiding intelligence—whether spirit, echo, or something else entirely—that recognized in Masters the qualities it required.

The Knights Templar, it revealed, had never entirely vanished. Their mission endured through chosen champions, each bearing their relics in times of need. Masters was invited to take up that mantle, not as a symbol, but as a continuation.

He accepted without hesitation.

== The Midnight Men ==

As Templar, Masters entered a world that existed alongside ordinary crime but operated by very different rules. His abilities and the protection afforded by his relics brought him into contact with [[Crucible:The Midnight Men|the Midnight Men]], a loose but formidable alliance of individuals who confronted supernatural and occult threats beyond the reach of conventional authorities.

Within the group, Templar quickly established himself as a steady and reliable presence. While others specialized in investigation, ritual, or arcane knowledge, Masters brought a directness that proved invaluable. He was not interested in theorizing about evil; he intended to meet it head-on and end it.

== Powers ==

Through his bond with the Templar relics, Masters gained abilities that elevated him far beyond ordinary human limits. He possessed superhuman strength and resilience, allowing him to endure physical punishment that would incapacitate most opponents, and he developed an acute sensitivity to supernatural forces, enabling him to detect occult threats long before they manifested openly.

These powers did not make him flamboyant or overwhelming in combat, but they made him extraordinarily difficult to overcome, especially when facing entities that relied on fear, illusion, or magical manipulation.

== Skills ==

Masters’ effectiveness was rooted as much in his training as in his powers. His background in law enforcement gave him a disciplined, methodical approach to investigation, while his initiation into the Templar legacy provided him with a working knowledge of occult practices, defensive rituals, and the nature of supernatural threats.

He was also an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant, preferring to close distance and bring engagements to a decisive conclusion rather than rely on elaborate tactics.

== Technology ==

Templar’s equipment consisted primarily of ancient relics rather than modern technology. Chief among these was his blessed shield, which rendered him largely immune to hostile magical effects and allowed him to withstand attacks that would otherwise bypass physical defenses. He also employed traditional weapons associated with the medieval order, adapted to modern combat but retaining their original symbolic and mystical significance.

== Personality ==

Mark Masters was a pragmatic and disciplined man who approached even the most bizarre situations with a policeman’s mindset. To him, the supernatural was not something to be feared or romanticized, but something to be understood and contained. He spoke little, acted decisively, and rarely allowed himself to be distracted by theatrics or intimidation.

This grounded perspective made him particularly effective against opponents who relied on psychological manipulation, as he refused to grant them the reactions they sought.

== Reputation ==

Among the Midnight Men, Templar was regarded as one of the most dependable members of the group, a figure who could be relied upon to hold his ground against threats that would overwhelm others. His presence provided a measure of stability in encounters that might otherwise spiral into chaos.

Within occult circles, his reputation was quieter but no less significant. Entities that encountered him more than once learned that his resistance to magical influence made him an unusually dangerous adversary.

== Legacy ==

Templar’s career did not end with him. Decades later, the mantle was taken up again by [[Crucible:Templar II|Templar II]], confirming that the legacy of the Knights Templar continues to move forward through chosen champions. Masters was one bearer in a lineage that extends across centuries, each inheritor adapting the role to their own time while preserving its essential purpose.

His contribution was not to redefine the mantle, but to carry it faithfully, ensuring that when the time came, there would be something left to pass on.

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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Heroes]]
[[Category:Golden Age]]
[[Category:Ed Messina]]