Board Thread:Series general discussion/@comment-2112031-20170322125406/@comment-18014300-20170404195722

The Wikia Editor wrote: I'm mostly wondering why they felt the need to introduce the Council of Elders in the first place. I'm guessing the writers needed a group of evil elders to whom Alan Rikkin could present the Apple and were not aware of the existence of the Inner Sanctum.

Speaking of which, a thought occured to me that Alan Rikkin might have been the Grand Master of the Inner Sanctum, assuming, of course, that you think of the Inner Sanctum as a Rite. It's the only explanation I can think of for how Rikkin can be a Grand Master and a Guardian simultaneously.

I think the Inner Sanctum is an entity of its own, distinct from Rites. Alan Rikkin is specifically the CEO of Abstergo and the Inner Sanctum and therefore its head anyways, so maybe that's why he's called a Grand Master in the novel. I think being the head of a Rite isn't mutually exclusive from holding a position in the Inner Sanctum. However, because the Guardians rank above the Inner Sanctum, it is a little weird that Rikkin is a member of both, but this isn't impossible. Perhaps the Templars specifically designate one of the position of Guardians to the CEO of Abstergo and the head of the Inner Sanctum. Perhaps the Templars, as many (corrupt) authoritarian regimes do, allow individuals to hold more than one office simultaneously.