About the Templar:
Christian Military Order during the crusades. Established european banking system. Rumored to have religious relics including the Holy Grail, Spear that spilled Christ’s blood, and the Skull & Bones. Downfall came pretty quickly with the end of the Crusades. Rumors & conspiracies, lead to their arrests in 1307 by King Phillip. Basically they broke about a dozen of Robert Greene’s Rules of Power after a masterful application of them on their way up.
Three Legends:
The Headless Templar of Prague
Appears between midnight and 1AM on Liliová Street in Prague. He rides through the street holding his head in his outstretched hand while riding his white horse. Sound like another story you might have heard? It should. Turns out that it wasn’t just Ichabod Crane, but there are many a headless horseman story.
Why did the horse get condemned along with his master?
Interesting how it seems perfectly OK to retell the same myth across cultural lines with only slight variations (i.e. the color of the horse.) The core of the ghost story is universal. I wonder how long that holds up in the age of the Internet…
His haunt sure seems creepy enough…
Skull of Sidon
Origin of the Skull & Bones private flag. The initial versions of this story isn’t tied to the Templars, but it gets tied to them as part of their trials and fall.
A knight and a noblewoman were in love, but couldn’t marry because of previous vows and circumstances. The lady died unexpectedly. The wicked Knight dug up her body and violated it. (Necrophilia or Oneitis?) After he was done, a voice told him to come back in 9 months. Upon returning the knight found a skull and two bones which the voice bade ‘guard it Well, for it would be the giver of all good things.’ He did so, defeated his enemies, and a legend was born.
In some versions, he kept the skull and bones in a chest and, while on a ship, one of the crew opened the chest and the ship promptly sunk. The skull floated away and sunk any ship in it’s path, hence the genesis of the pirates story and their lecherous reputations, but how about that Cross of Coronado from Indiana Jones?
Source: Holy Blood, Holy Grail.
Embalming Your Enemies
Hugo de Medianc was dispatched from France to hide the Templar’s treasures in Siete Picos mountain. Along the way, he met and fell in love with the Condesa Blanca (White Countess) who spurned him, because she was in love with Roger de Alenza. He decided to give her a present, and offered her the petrified body of Roger de Alenza in the form of a statue for her palace. The Countess did not accept it and sent him away. Clearly insane, Hugo consulted a the monk Oriel for advice. Foolishly, the monk tried to extort the location of the Templar’s treasure from Hugo, who promptly killed him and kidnapped the Countess. With mounted soldiers chasing him, he reached the top of the mountain known as Ventana del Diablo (Devil’s Window,) where he jumped off with her and disappeared. Legend says Hugo’s ghost wanders the mountains of Valsaín to this day.
Go Phoenix Go 
