Grand Master is the supreme office of the Temple, “the principal figure”, held by one person at a time by order, not by blood. Its holder has lived several lives, has forgotten the previous ones, and enjoys “a doubly long life”.
| Type | Office |
| Named holder | Jacques de Molay |
| Spanish entry | Gran Maestre |
Seat
He sits stiffly on a throne on a blue cushion with fleurs-de-lis on fields that are also red. His hall, the one “where the grand master is”, lies in the great temple of the Temple, which “is under attack by evil forces, by devils, by demons, by shapeshifters”. He is not recorded appearing outside it. His face, voice and apparent age are not described.
Insignia
- The Grand Master’s belt, which “gave a brutal added strength” to its wearer. The belt now worn is “the former grand master’s belt”, worn by someone other than its original owner.
- The Grand Master’s Sword, the order’s distinctive weapon; its material, shape and current bearer are not recorded.
At least one “deceased Grand Master” exists whose objects still work.
Functions
- Levy: “the grand master recruits the best veterans” for the defense.
- Command: “the grand master comes and tells you: find the damned one”; he names the enemy and sends the hunt.
- Presence: one enters the throne hall to receive orders.
In the Order of the Temple he is named as Jacques de Molay, “its grand master”.
Many lives
According to a faun and an oracle, the Grand Master has lived several lives and forgotten the earlier ones, and develops “a doubly long life”, “just as his wife had double the life”. His wife’s name is not recorded, nor whether her double life is cause or consequence of his.
Conflicting accounts
- In one account the Grand Master sits on his throne and commands.
- In another, “the true grand master died, he died at the door”.
Both coexist with the shapeshifters’ attack. Whether the enthroned one is an impostor, the accounts are two moments of one crisis, or a man of many lives can die at the door and still sit inside is unresolved.
Open questions
- Of which order is he Grand Master in each appearance? One record places him in the Order of the Temple; another asks, “Master of which order?”
- How is a Grand Master chosen, and why is the former Grand Master’s belt worn by another?
- “The alchemical Great Work” (its nigredo and “purification in the distillate”) and “the Great Wheel of the Planes” appear near this name, but nothing links them to the office.