The Imperial Order of the Ruby Rod: The Witchhunters

Composition

Manpower

The Order of the Ruby Rod has Studies in every greater city, each Province and at least a small house in each district and Canton within each province, including the Frontiers and the Core. Teams of three to as many as fifty may be found crisscrossing the Empire hunting the worst monsters, Fellspawn, Black Mages, Necromancers and Blood Mages. The whole many number 5000 to 6000, though only Imperial Accountants may know the true tally.

Equipment

Each Study in large cities or capitals has a reliquary where magical devices and weapons are stored under guard of Gem implanted Imperial Guard. They will typically have magic absorbing empty Arcane Crystal shard shirts. They are also equipped with various talisman and foci of protection and power, healing potions and weapons, magical and of silver and iron.
The Order of the Ruby Rod dress in red robes and hats over black shirts and trousers. The hat is secured by prayer bead straps. From the top of the hat are golden tail feathers said to represent the Phoenix. More feathers with each increasing rank: Campions, Captains, Field Major, Herald Major and Justicars. The Whole Order is under the High Justicar.

Weaponry

The well known weapon of the Witchhunters is the Crystal Bola which wraps and entangles a target while the crystal becomes a bomb to users of Magic - the drained Crystal overloads and explodes when exposed to high concentration Essence flows. Iron is used for it's potency against the Fae. Silver has virtue against Skinchangers and lycanthropes, as well as many other creatures.

Training

The invitation to the Order of the Ruby Rod is given to members of the Imperial services ( The Church, The Legions, Monitors or the Mages) who distinguish themselves by dedication or show good reason to want to hunt the magical threats and outlaws, or rarely, promising students of the Imperial Schools of Magic, The Most Holy Order of Heaven, Inquisitors or Fighting Legions ( typically of Torga ancestry, or a good Noble House family.) Special training is given in magical defense and methods of detecting evil magics and tracking their sources. If some show ability they may be instructed in magical offense and defense. The lore of creatures is taught so they might better be found and fought.

Logistics

Logistical Support

The Imperial gateways at Governor's Palaces and a few other locations across the Empire allow rapid transport of upto 10 persons at a time once per hour from one gateway to another. The network, worked by Imperial Mages, allows Legion, Monitor or Ruby Rod forces rapid travel for strike forces and information transfer.

Auxilia

The Monitors are scattered throughout the empire and may attempt to take on rogue Mages or evil creatures. Or they may report to the Ruby Rod. Likewise Nobles who are troubled by evil magics will request action by the Ruby Rod.

History

The Ruby Rods were created by the First Emperor and were instantly active in hunting Corrupted and Evil magic practioners, Unsealie Fae and rumored hidden Overlords that had escaped the revolution. The Order's parent had been the Siblings of Fire in the revolution and uprising. Because the The Fae : Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Goblins and Trolls, had been placed by the Overlords as bosses and rulers over the humans the Siblings and the later Order of the Ruby Rod disliked and distrusted the Fae, frequently engaging in sweeps to remove Goblins and Trolls who had not sworn themselves to the Court of Light, and questioning and torturing with iron to find Overlord collaborators or hidden/ covert Unsealie or worse still, The Dark Fae  court. The status of the fae races as second class citizens was enforced and encouraged by the Rod and the rest of the new Imperial bureaucracy and officers, with most driven from the Holy Island within 100 years and eventually mostly banned from the Shards and the Provinces, and granted their own lands in the South in IY 606.

The Ruby Rod helped crush the Pagan and heretical Elder Gods of the Golam between IY 582 and 831. The Order of the Ruby Rod continued winning glory in fighting the Dwarven Rebellion, exposing of Naga imposters fueling the War of 7 Dragons, the destruction of Necromancer of Varrell and her Harrowland allies, as well as the Great Corruptions in Ruip and in Kayut with it's four Fellspawn. Typically they have acted when the threats were less prominent as just a handful of agents with a Legion unit or Monitors against Bandits led by a Black Mage, Blood Mage or Necromancer or a bandit possessed by Banes, manitou or a Nemesis or other evil spirit. The Order of the Rod continues sweeping the land for threats and rumors, such as the hidden fortress Yichotuan, where it is rumored are a coven of Blood Mages who sacrifice to and worship an Elder God which feeds their infernal powers.

The special order of the Ruby Rod, the Siblings of Fire, are charged and appointed to hunt the Magically powered enemies of The Empire and The Order of Heaven, Heretics and Pagan enemies, Practitioners of Human Blood Sacrifice, Practitioners of Black Magics, Corrupted Fellspawn, Necromancers who practice evil magics, Blood Mages, Skinchangers, Unsealie Fae, The foul Naga, the Cannibal savage Lizard Kings, Titans and all manner of creatures and Spirits that the common people have no defense against. By order of the Emperor of the Phoenix Throne, The holy Island of Kuan and all the Shard islands -Torga the First, of the Purple Jade Clan of the Torga People. Signed by his excellency's hand and seal in this the 5th year of the New Calendar.

Type

Special Forces

Founding

IC 5

Overall training Level

Elite