Brother Rayner Swetman
Sergeant-Brother of the Knights Templar • Crusader
Basic Information
Name: Brother Rayner Swetman
Origin: Born 1200 in Southampton, England. The only son of a pious wool merchant who was a freeman of the city.
Order: Knights Templar
Current Status: Sergeant-Brother, fully professed member of the Order
Current Age: 18 (May 1218)
Skills: Templar military training, formation fighting, spiritual discipline, monastic vows
Background & Entry into the Order
Rayner was raised in a devout household. His father, a supporter of the military orders, saw in his son a calling for a higher purpose than trade. In 1216, at the age of 16, Rayner presented himself at the London Temple to join the Order. He renounced all worldly possessions, and his family's inheritance was signed over to the Knights Templar as a dowry upon his entry.
Life in the Order (1216-1218)
Rayner spent his novitiate at the London Temple, where he underwent rigorous spiritual and military training. He took the monastic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, committing his life to the defence of the Holy Land.
In 1217, having proven his discipline and skill, he was sent with a contingent of new brothers to the Templar stronghold at Acre. The Order provided him with his equipment: a mail hauberk, helmet, and a sword suited to his role.
In Acre, his training intensified as he learned to fight as part of the disciplined Templar formations.
Current Status (May 1218)
Rank & Role
Sergeant-Brother of the Knights Templar. As a man of non-noble birth, he serves as a warrior, but not a knight.
Situation
At 18, Brother Rayner is a fully professed member of the Order. He is now with the Templar contingent of the combined crusader army that has just landed in Egypt. He is a disciplined, well-trained, and zealous young brother, ready to fight for God and the Order in the great Siege of Damietta.