De Molay

De Molay was the Hierarch of the Preston Consilium. He was a Mastigos of the Silver Ladder, and was a member of the Cwn Annwn, presumably one of the very first outside Anglesey.

History
Little of de Molay's past prior to his arrival in Preston is known by any better source than inference. He's a member of the Cwn Annwn, and as that Legacy is between ten and twenty years old, we can infer a spell in Wales. There are references to Silver Ladder of similar temperament called Templar, Clairvaux, de Paynes and Marshal spending short periods in various Southern Consilia. In each case there is a scandal and either a trial which ends in expulsion or no trial and record that the man fled.

Whatever the case, de Molay arrived in Preston in 1999, already a powerful magus, and made a bid to join the Cabal known as the Ministers but was knocked back. He took this as a personal affront and within a year two of the Ministers were dead, though no link was ever proven and the remaining members had the power to enforce a thorough investigation.

By 2001 de Molay was head of the Silver Ladder and forming a cabal around himself. His rapid promotion showed a mastery of the 'dead mens shoes' theory of advancement, and his temper had made a huge impression on the Consilium, giving him direct ties to the Wicked Sisters Cabal. His own Cabal, the Poor Knights, was not one to be crossed - himself, Raven, Seventh and Fidelis wielded great power which, in Preston's turbulent world, meant more than political power.

In 2005 he invited Argent to the Consilium as a direct step to to counter the shock tactics that Retrograde and Moonlight were employing. He became Hierarch later that year.

In 2013, however, the death of Ford changed his path. There's no need to create internal dissent when you have an external enemy, after all, and with vicious harangues and careful citation of relevant Lex Magica he created an atmosphere of distrust of the Consilium by the Bay, drawing on old perceived offences too. Some mages, who had maintained ties, were disturbed by this, but outnumbered, and it seemed that war was certain.

It's been speculated that the Argent Agenda was intended to turn the cold war hot. Whether that's true or not, the actual fallout was spectacular, leading to the Convocation Trials and de Molay's arrest. While he initially played a trump card designed to distract and, if necessary, hamstring Branwen and Matholwch in retaliation, events moved too quickly for him, with Argent's testimony to Rowntree leading to Rayth and Coleridge being despatched to a Preston address on Haderach's orders.

There, Rayth's Unseen Sense kicked in, discovering the Hound attached to de Molay's soul while they examined the mages he was torturing. A Thyrsus of the Consilium of the Lakes brought in by Coleridge attacked the Hound with a Spirit working, and noted that no damage appeared to have been done.

Recognising it as a Cwn Annwn's bonded ally, Rayth identified the bite marks on de Molay shortly afterward, and Hawthorne ordered his execution before he could deliver formal charges against Branwen and Matholwch.