So with the new article we have the sorcerer king pacts it says that they cannot observe or strip the warlock of that power. My question to those with greater knowledge of how the setting works is what happens to those Templars that Kalsk had when he died? Were they stripped of their power or did they still have some of it? I can see a lot of poor orphaned warlocks having to go into hiding in this scary new world where they're magic is no longer legal.
The hard thing that no one knows how they'll pull off is explain how former slaves now rule Tyr (along with a former templar) if all the templars still have their powers? What has changed besides an absent superpowerful king? Why would Hamanu risk sending an army to take over Tyr if the city still has the same firepower at its disposal that it had before the rebellion?
In 2e templars lost their powers, and that explained everything: they suckered to the winners, ingratiating themselves into their favors, as by then they only had their martial training to help them against a vengeful mob - no more royal lightning to rain down on rebels.
I'm curious as to how they'll pull it off.
So the city is definately going to be freed, but since the rest of the novels are just a possible, future, it doesn't have to last.
I also think (though I'm nowhere near as setting-savvy as others here) that even the most powerful templars are an order of magnitude less dangerous than their SK.
Without a looming greater threat it should be easy to have templars fighting amongst themselves, as well as with merchants and nobles and influential free persons, making for a very different story; or, the city could fall into that after surviving an attack.
Whatever path leads to the most intrigue is the one I'll probably take.
I like Ian's suggestion: "hook up with the Veiled Alliance". No longer are Templar and Veiled Alliance from seperate classes - in fact, they could be able to share some knowledge. With the fall of Kalak, the VA might have swiftly and vigurously taken action, taken charge, and taken out some of the leading Templarate (either with executions, blackmail, threats, etc). The Slaves and Sadira might have had more support than the books let on, or maybe they're pawns of the VA.
Most of the city-states have quite powerful Templars. However, they would never try and betray their sovereign-tyrannt, because the tyrant always held some power over their head. In 2nd edition, the Templarate were dependant on the tyrant for their power... now it must be something else. We read in the Oba's article that she was the one responsible for dominance over the primal spirits of the land. Without the Oba, the primal spirits would have their revenge... or the city would be defenseless. Nibenay has his marriage (which might include vows stronger than words: "Until death do us part" becomes "In Nibenay's death do us die").
I'm not sure what exactly Kalak has over the heads of the Templarate (who are not all warlocks, but also psionicists, warriors, rogues and other arcane classes). If he was just a bully, then the Templarate are probably used to being bullyed. The first bully to take charge and step up to the plate (like Tithian, the slaves, the VA) might have been able to take the reins of the Templarate easily.