Ranger

Rangers are wardens of the mer against the strange monsters that exist across Aesalia. They specialise in hunting a chosen prey and dedicate themselves to protecting the mer from the threat it posses. Oftentimes Rangers exist as social outcasts due to their rugged and obsessive manners though many groups exist of likeminded rangers such as the Order of the Horn. Ranger magic is, unless tutored by a wizard, crude and forged with a mixture of other spellcasters understandings most often being butchering's of spells passed down through generation. The power of the spells comes in balance from their own arcanum and from the latent arcanum in the nature of Aesalia. 
Rangers rarely understand arcan unless pertinent to their chosen hunt or taught by a wizard. Those rangers whose spells came from wizards or a literate spellcaster rarely know the real meaning of words beyond 'this noise makes this occur'. Rangers are as likely to use Druidic, Holy Words, Chi Shifts and Bardic Tonal Magic as they are to use arcan to use their spells. 
Following the restriction and criminalisation of unauthorised magic in the empire Rangers were prohibited from using magic without a writ. This led to a gradual decline in rangers beyond the Witch Hunters and Inquisitors of the church and those of the Order of the Horn who were granted special rights. Many ranger orders managed to bypass the law however due to their presence on the fringe of society.

Career

Career Progression

Hunter
Masters of their craft hunters specialise in the tracking and extermination of their chosen prey. Hunters have varied skills and knowledge and make up the bulk of Rangers numbers. Hunters make up the majority of rangers and serve a vital but often forgotten service to the realm.
Beast Master / Swarm Keeper
Those Rangers most in tune with beasts often raise one, or a swarm, and use old magic to bind it, or them, to themselves allowing them to act as one in a fight and preventing their pet from dying so long as they breathe. Beast Masters tended to travel amongst more forested areas and often spawned entire orders inspired by their chosen beast companion.
Gloom Stalker
Venturing in the darkest reaches of the land Gloom Stalkers are most common among Dwarves who spend decades at a time in the underdark fighting enemies unknown to the world above. Gloom Stalkers often work independent of one another with their knowledge and teaching preserved at out-of-the-way shrines and 'schools' upon stone slabs. Those that choose the path of the gloom stalker are welcomed as heroes on their brief returns to civilisation but the damage of the underdark often leaves them quite unable to fully appreciate 'civilised' life. 
Horizon Walker
Specialising in threats of an extra-planar nature horizon walkers sought out and eradicated devils, angels, genie and entities of chaos wherever they emerged. These rangers often had a greater understanding of magic and used in more liberally to find and hinder their prey for a final and savage death. 
Following the restriction and criminalisation of unauthorised magic in the empire Horizon Walkers were largely assimilated into the church as inquisitors and witch hunters. 
Monster Slayer
While Hunters can manage the majority of Aesalian beasts the most horrifying creatures require the use of a Monster Slayer. These rangers are devoted to a full and masterufl understanding of the weaknesses and tricks in killing the most vicious and dangerous creatures of the land, the kind often forgotten or turned to myth. Monster Slayers rarely live long but where they act it is with unchallenged worthiness.
Faey Wanderer
Managing the relations of the mer and the faey Wanderers are the rangers that adventure into the Faeywild or manage the faerie circles that exist throughout Aesalia. Wanderers are often treated with mistrust by mer who question their loyalties and sanity but welcomed by faey as curiosities and friends. Most magic of the Faey Wanderers comes from the faey themselves and often their training comes from a past familial debt or loyalty. 
Following the restriction and criminalisation of unauthorised magic in the empire Faey Wanderers were strictly prohibited and viewed as no better than warlocks. The Wanderers ability to slip into the faeywilds made them very difficult to catch however causing great tension between ranger orders and the church.

Type

Military