Saul Talith
Saul Talith is the Lord Captain of the Templar in Alliria and the head of the Great Templar Alliance.
An exceptionally gifted swordsman and intelligent young man, Saul has spent most of his life under the tutelage of the Broken Sword Templars, a sect of the organization that has made it's home in the great Merchant City.
Originally born to a minor noble house in Vel Anir, Saul and his mother fled the city when one of the Great Houses assassinated his father. His mother dying on the journey to Alliria, Saul was subsequently taken in by a Templar named Farrow.
It was through Farrow that Saul was inducted into the Order, and there that he learned his skills.
From a young age Saul all but entirely devoted himself to the Templar, learning the ways of the sword and practicing the unique form of 'anti-magic' that had been developed by the Broken Swords. He excelled in the training, and quickly rose through the ranks. By the time he was eighteen he earned the rank of Sergeant, and after that his climb only continued at a steady pace.
Notably, Saul is one of the few Templars who seems to have a sense of humor. Among his fellow he is the first to tell a joke, and strives to make sure no one is scowling for too long. Many presume this is a sort of coping mechanism due to the darkness that Templars deal with on a daily basis.
Whether or not this is true Saul has never actually confirmed, though he also has an exceptionally serious side. The young man takes his position incredibly seriously, and when it comes to the work of the Order he will stop at nothing to complete it.
Appearance
Though almost never without his helmet or armor, Saul is considered by most to be a rather handsome, if not roguish young man.Though never really conscious of his own appearance, Saul is a well kept individual. Part of Templar training is maintaining a sound body as well as mind, and he is in the habit of remaining well groomed. His eyes are a deep blue, and his face always decorated with a smile.
Like nearly every Templar, Saul walks around with a straight back and his head held high. With impeccable posture, many consider the Templar to think themselves above most folk. Saul is of course no different than most of his brothers, and this shows in his demeanor.
Seeing Saul without his helmet or armor is incredibly rare outside of the Templar Fortress and more often than not the man prefers to keep things that way.
Skills and Abilities
Saul is an exceptional swordsman and warrior. He has been trained to fight with sword and shield nearly since he was a child. Though not a blademaster like some other Templar Commanders, Saul is still a match for most people with a blade.Fast on his feet, Saul is an excellent soldier.
Having taken part in many battles the young man is an experienced fighter. He's taken part in small campagins against bandits, rogue mages, undead, and other monsters that haunt the night. Saul prides himself on his skills, and among the Templar he's said to have some of the fastest hands anyone has seen.
Of course Saul's true power lays within his skill in the Templar 'Anti-Magic'. Though few will admit it, this practice is a Magical Discipline born of the Original Templar Order.
Anti-Magic, though perhaps misnamed, is a Discipline that stresses the absorption and disruption of other Mages. The function is quite simple, though difficult to learn. Anti-Magic utilizes ones body as a conduit, siphoning and 'sealing' the magic of another being. This is of course incredibly dangerous, and one wrong move can spell an almost instant death.
This technique also only works on certain types of magic, and sometimes only for a short time. Anti-magic is highly dependent on the sorcerer one faces. For instance, a Necromancer attempting to siphon Saul's life would likely find surprise as his magic is absorbed and then sealed away, the connection simply broken and the price being paid through the Necromancers own life force. In the same instance however, a mage throwing a fireball would almost certainly suffer no ill-effects, anti-magic being unable to simply dispel conjured energy.
Anti-Magic is exceptionally situational and dependent on the sorcerers involved. A baseline however is an anti-mages ability to at least temporarily 'seal' and stop a mage from accessing their powers. This affect can only occur through touch, and takes an incredibly heavy toll on the Templar creating the effect. Cutting a mage off from their magic, even for a a short time, can feel like running ten miles in full armor. Sometimes the effect can even injure the Templar, depending on the Mage being cut off.
Though rare, this 'cutting off' can also be used to outright kill a mage in question. When done properly, the Templar quite literally uses the mages own abilities against him. Through his touch, the Templar overcharges the Sorcerer with his own abilities, killing him through the cost of Magic itself.
Of course, these effects are not universal, and are highly dependent on the Mage involved. Despite this however, Anti-Magic is an exceptionally powerful tool in Saul's pocket.
