The Holy Inquisition

[SovietSeagull]

The Holy Inquisition

The inquisition is a subsection of the henarist church which acts as the sword and shield of the church. It was set up in 1421 to combat the use of magic which had been uneasily been tolerated under the Jarnsida regime. Inquisitors have no families. They do not know their parents. Their only tie is to the church, their god Henar, their lord and their king. They are raised from a very early age (Normally before 2) to hate all things magic. By age 6-8 they begin learning to wield a sword and from there their days are spent learning religious texts and sparring with each other. By age 12 they begin learning prestidigitations. By 14 they begin casting actual spells. They are taught from texts which were captured from mages after the civil war. They are raised to simultaneously hate the thing that they wield with the most power and use it to the highest possible efficiency. They leave the church as some of the most powerful casters in the entire realm. Before the civil war their talents would have been considered average for graduates of an arcane school however now that the very prospect of magic being taught in organised places has been outlawed (Excluding the henarist church) their skills are exceptionally good. By age 18-20 inquisitors become squires to more senior inquisitors who train them in the ins and outs of the business. The magic the inquisitors use is one of two things, either a counter such as a ward or on the offensive the inquisitor can use evocation or transmutation spells to directly attack the accused. Inquisitors are trained in the use of most if not all conventional weapons and when combined with the power of their magic it can make for an incredibly potent combination. An inquisitor might make use of his transmutation skills to turn a volley of arrows fired en masse into hundreds of bolts of fire to rain down upon heretics. They may use evocation to bring down great gusts of wind and lightning upon a person during combat either directly striking them with lightning or disrupting them with the loud cracks and howling of winds. They are given a ceremonial sword upon completion of their training. The sword features a rune above the crossguard that covers the sword in white tongues of flame used to represent their devotion to the church. This flame illuminates dark areas with a white glow and holy aura, the mere sight of a flaming white blade is enough to send most lesser spirits fleeing in terror. The blade does extra damage to all things unholy, a direct stab or slash may even ignite a malevolent spirit. However the flame is not traditional, you could pass it over a sheet of paper and it would not ignite. It glides across the skin of the untainted without burning a hair. Before the inquisitor is presented the sword it is ran over his chest, should the tongues of flame burn him he is declared a heretic and executed there and then. From there, they are presented with their shield which guards them from all things magical which features the rune of absorption which will capture arcane energy if it is directed towards the shield and discharge it in a bright white flash. Each inquisitor is given a set of sky blue robes which represent his pure devotion to serving the church. A set of mail armour with a incredibly ornate chest piece of hardened steel plate.  They wander the lands of their own accord. Some choosing to remain at a church to protect it or to provide overwatch upon a town. Inquisitors are the most powerful force in all the realm. Hands down. An inquisitor is worth 10 town guards, perhaps more. The inquisitor acts as a detective, he shall gain leads and tips from reports of heresy or magic and he shall conduct a investigation, should he find that the person in question is a heretic he will either capture them using runed handcuffs that prevent the casting of magic and return them to the church for further “Questioning”. It is said that no one has held out for longer than 3 days against an inquisition interrogation. They will use any means to extract information and do so ruthlessly. Once the heretic repents and confesses he will be judged by god and the church. Should he be found guilty he will be executed and sent to the heavens above to be judged by the almighty himself.