The battle of good versus evil stands out in stark contrast against the decisions that must be made within that fight. The Templar serve a faithful Order whose beliefs and rituals are filled with promise. They believe in a higher power, and that they are warriors put here to battle darkness. The Cabalists are seekers of knowledge, and their goals and beliefs reflect this eternal quest. They often see the darkest hour as a new opportunity. Whichever path they tread, it is one that defines them heroes.

Templar

These are the followers of the ancient rites and rituals of the Knights Templar whose writings and disciplines foresaw the demonic invasion centuries ago. Since the Dark Ages their order has been prepared for this apocalypse, training in the ways of holy magic and organizing their followers for the eventual war against the forces of Hell.

Templar are the true believers, the keepers of the faith, and the destroyers of evil. They are extremely organized and regimented, their centuries of preparation giving them the best basic footing for waging war against the demons. They also control and defend the London Underground, which serves as mankind's sanctuary.

Templar utilize the basic military model of the secular world. Their ability to achieve discipline and uniformity, however, is what sets them apart. They have a clear separation within their hierarchy when dealing with societal administration and battle, and their chain of command is clear and strictly adhered to, making them extremely effective when fighting in groups.

The Order

The ways of the Templar are steeped in ancient rites and rituals. They follow The Rule and maintain their aptly named organization The Order with efficiency and clarity of purpose. In the aftermath of the demonic apocalypse, they have continued with their true purpose - maintaining watch over ancient relics of great power, and protecting the bloodline of man.

Templar techsmiths forge weapons that hold true to their martial and medieval roots, incorporating a mixture of technology and the arcane. Their training and holy rites reflect this melding of tradition and the modern era, as well.

Abilities

Templar skills and spells are ordered in three disciplines:

*Assault
These skills allow a Templar to increase his or her damage, improve his or her chances at landing critical blows, or even strike multiple targets at once. Some Templar can focus their will and righteous vengeance to add holy damage to their attacks.
*Invocation
These are ancient rites that greatly augment the offensive or defensive capabilities of the Templar for short periods of time. These often affect the physical abilities of the Templar, endowing a knight with supernormal strength, speed, defenses or fighting agility.
*Holy Aura
These radiant auras have a wide variety of effects, from damaging demons to providing greater defense to the Templar and his or her companions to flowing healing powers and so on. These auras are not active abilities in that once initiated they continue to emit their benefits until the Templar wills them to stop.

Cabalist

Delvers of arcane knowledge, students of the dark arts, and explorers on the fringes of science, Cabalists use the powers of the demons against them. Cabalists are spell-casters, and more specifically, summoners and controllers of demons and the primal forces of the netherworld. They seek to study and dissect the essence of the demons to achieve the next evolution of mankind.

Cabalists wield sinister spells and arcane artifacts, turning the weapons and powers of the demons back against them. They use "black" magic and arcane weaponry as their primary means of battling the demonic hordes, fighting fire with fire and blood with blood. Some have been so touched by the dark forces they wield that they display the traits of their enemies from whom they steal their power, riding the razor's edge between good and evil, control and corruption.

The Cabal

The Cabal has brought together disciplines of fringe science and ancient, arcane practices to unleash the inner potential of Mankind's spirit and bring about the next step in their evolution, known as The Awakening.

There have always been those who would be prime candidates to become "Awakened". Sir Isaac Newton was the first modern scientist and the last of the ancient magicians and alchemists. The works of Tesla clearly show that his research went well beyond the common understanding of man. There are some references to Cabalists in turn of the century ¡¡ãmajickal¡¡À texts by Aleister Crowley and in cult pulp fiction such as Lovecraft's Necronomicon.

According to ancient Babylonian texts, "The final step in The Awakening is for the Leader, the Great Eye of the Cabal, to pierce the veil and wrestle with the Lord of Hell. If he is victorious, he will gain possession of the Infernal Key of Nine Gates, giving him full command of all the energies from the dark planes."

Whether or not the Cabalists themselves succeeded in piercing the veil, the forces of Hell have flooded their world. Those that touched the darkness and lived to speak of it were changed. They see the other side of things, often looking at the fate of the world as the metaphor, "The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow." Although distrusted and misunderstood by most, these seekers of knowledge have shown their final allegiance to mankind on more than one occasion.

Abilities

Cabalist skills and spells fall into three schools:

*Mastery
These spells and skills allow the Cabalist to capture, control, and even train the minions of Hell. Properly invoked, these powers can be used to summon demons from the nether world and compel them to fight against their kindred.
*Evocation
These spells manipulate energy or tap an unseen source of power to produce a desired end. In effect, they create something out of nothing. Many of these spells produce spectacular effects, and evocation spells can deal massive amounts of damage. *Transformation
This school of learning allows the Cabalist to temporarily take on aspects of the demons and use the power they convey. These may be manifest as horns, spikes, elongated limbs, or even tentacles. Some extremely powerful Cabalists permanently alter their appearance in several ways, embedding portions of demons into their skin. This is obviously the most challenging and dangerous path to walk, although the power it unlocks is awesome.