Index: includes/functions_messenger.php
===================================================================
--- includes/functions_messenger.php	(Revision 10449)
+++ includes/functions_messenger.php	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -182,17 +182,8 @@
 			trigger_error('No template file for emailing set.', E_USER_ERROR);
 		}
 
-		if (!$template_path)
+		if (!trim($template_lang))
 		{
-			$path_check = (!empty($user->lang_path)) ? $user->lang_path : $phpbb_root_path . 'language/';
-		}
-		else
-		{
-			$path_check = $template_path;
-		}
-
-		if (!trim($template_lang) || !file_exists("$path_check$template_lang/email/$template_file.txt"))
-		{
 			// fall back to board default language if the user's language is
 			// missing $template_file.  If this does not exist either,
 			// $tpl->set_custom_template will do a trigger_error
@@ -205,13 +196,23 @@
 			$this->tpl_msg[$template_lang . $template_file] = new template();
 			$tpl = &$this->tpl_msg[$template_lang . $template_file];
 
+			$fallback_template_path = false;
+
 			if (!$template_path)
 			{
 				$template_path = (!empty($user->lang_path)) ? $user->lang_path : $phpbb_root_path . 'language/';
 				$template_path .= $template_lang . '/email';
+
+				// we can only specify default language fallback when the path is not a custom one for which we
+				// do not know the default language alternative
+				if ($template_lang !== basename($config['default_lang']))
+				{
+					$fallback_template_path = (!empty($user->lang_path)) ? $user->lang_path : $phpbb_root_path . 'language/';
+					$fallback_template_path .= basename($config['default_lang']) . '/email';
+				}
 			}
 
-			$tpl->set_custom_template($template_path, $template_lang . '_email', 'email');
+			$tpl->set_custom_template($template_path, $template_lang . '_email', $fallback_template_path);
 
 			$tpl->set_filenames(array(
 				'body'		=> $template_file . '.txt',
Index: includes/template.php
===================================================================
--- includes/template.php	(Revision 10449)
+++ includes/template.php	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@
 	* Set custom template location (able to use directory outside of phpBB)
 	* @access public
 	*/
-	function set_custom_template($template_path, $template_name, $template_mode = 'template')
+	function set_custom_template($template_path, $template_name, $fallback_template_path = false)
 	{
 		global $phpbb_root_path, $user;
 
@@ -103,13 +103,25 @@
 		$this->root = $template_path;
 		$this->cachepath = $phpbb_root_path . 'cache/ctpl_' . str_replace('_', '-', $template_name) . '_';
 
-		// As the template-engine is used for more than the template (emails, etc.), we should not set $user->theme in all cases, but only on the real template.
-		if ($template_mode == 'template')
+		if ($fallback_template_path !== false)
 		{
-			$user->theme['template_storedb'] = false;
-			$user->theme['template_inherits_id'] = false;
+			if (substr($fallback_template_path, -1) == '/')
+			{
+				$fallback_template_path = substr($fallback_template_path, 0, -1);
+			}
+
+			$this->inherit_root = $fallback_template_path;
+			$this->orig_tpl_inherits_id = true;
 		}
+		else
+		{
+			$this->orig_tpl_inherits_id = false;
+		}
 
+		// the database does not store the path or name of a custom template
+		// so there is no way we can properly store custom templates tehre
+		$this->orig_tpl_storedb = false;
+
 		$this->_rootref = &$this->_tpldata['.'][0];
 
 		return true;
@@ -254,6 +266,12 @@
 			trigger_error("template->_tpl_load(): No file specified for handle $handle", E_USER_ERROR);
 		}
 
+		// reload these settings to have the values they had when this object was initialised
+		// using set_template or set_custom_template, they might otherwise have been overwritten
+		// by other template class instances in between.
+		$user->theme['template_storedb'] = $this->orig_tpl_storedb;
+		$user->theme['template_inherits_id'] = $this->orig_tpl_inherits_id;
+
 		$filename = $this->cachepath . str_replace('/', '.', $this->filename[$handle]) . '.' . $phpEx;
 		$this->files_template[$handle] = (isset($user->theme['template_id'])) ? $user->theme['template_id'] : 0;
 
Index: docs/CHANGELOG.html
===================================================================
--- docs/CHANGELOG.html	(Revision 10449)
+++ docs/CHANGELOG.html	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@
 		<li>[Fix] Fall back to default language email template if specified file does not exist. (Bug #35595)</li>
 		<li>[Fix] Update users last visit field correctly when changing activation status. (Bug #56185)</li>
 		<li>[Fix] Database updater now separates ADD COLUMN from SET NOT NULL and SET DEFAULT, when using PostgreSQL &lt;= 7.4 (Bug #54435)</li>
+		<li>[Fix] Do not store email templates in database. (Bug #54505)</li>
 		<li>[Change] Move redirect into a hidden field to avoid issues with mod_security. (Bug #54145)</li>
 		<li>[Change] Log activation through inactive users ACP. (Bug #30145)</li>
 		<li>[Change] Send time of last item instead of current time in ATOM Feeds. (Bug #53305)</li>