Witch Hunters

The Empire is overflowing with hidden enemies. Mutants, cultists, and witches are everywhere. Bloodthirsty undead stalk the night. And the deep forests are home to greenskins, beastmen - and far worse things. It's not enough to watch the borders - a close eye must be kept on all citizens, all the time.

Enter the Witch Hunters. These men (and a few women) are a sad necessity of life. It's their job to hunt the hidden predators, to uncover the cults, and root out evil. Their gaze pierces lies and illusions. Their wit unravel the plots of their enemies. They do what lesser men dare not, can not do. They... wait just a minute... that's what the minstrels would have you believe. 

In truth, Witch Hunters are a mixed bag. While there are certainly some brave, skilled warrior-investigators out there, they are a shockingly small minority. Some witch hunters are little more than thugs, strutting through the towns and villages of the Empire, demanding adulation and obedience in equal measure. Others care little about guilt or innocence as long as they get to torture peasant girls and hang a few petty criminals. A few are outright frauds, pretending to do the work of witch hunters only to live off the locals.

Witch hunters are not above the law. They can't go around stealing or killing random strangers. What they can do is name someone a heretic, a mutant, a witch, or in league with the Dark Powers. Such individuals do not have the protection of the law and indeed anyone aiding and abetting them are subject to harsh punishments also.

Witch hunters have been around for as long as anyone can remember. They had a great upswing in authority and prestige under Magnus the Pious who demanded the temples aid his hand-picked men with rooting out hidden threats. There is currently no one source of witch hunters, no Imperial Inquisition so to speak. Instead, anyone can (in theory) be a witch hunter. That said, pretending to be a witch hunter isn't all that common. It could quickly become fatal if you confront real cults - or if the locals see through your bluff...

Here are some of the common sources of witch hunters:

Imperial Witch Hunters: These guys are sponsored by the Emperor. Their number has dwindled throughout the reign of Lutipold. It's a time of peace and stability, so the need for witch hunters is not that great, right? Their main advantage is that they "wield the authority of the Emperor," meaning they can expect help from local authorities throughout the Empire.

Sigmarite Witch Hunters: These guys are sponsored by the church of Sigmar. In the latter years of the 25th century they are becoming more common - and the temple has taken to cracking down on "false witch hunters." Like Imperial witch hunters they have a big advantage: the backing of a major temple that has a presence in almost every village throughout the Empire.

Verenean Witch Hunters: Few in number, these witch hunters are nevertheless quite effective. They use novel investigation techniques to uncover heresy and cut out the rot without damaging the host needlessly. They are also highly organized and share information with each other. Bova von Dunkelberg is an example. Peter Baden-Würt (the hanged witch hunter outside Unfer). Unfortunately they lack the innate authority of the Imperial and Sigmarite hunters.

Sponsored Witch Hunters: These are sponsored by local authorities. "Local" being anything from a local town council to one of the major provinces of the Empire. They can be just as effective (or ineffective) as other witch hunters, but lack any authority outside the immediate area.