Rune Blades

The nature of the Griffenwald Theocracy makes it natural to be bigoted and persecute anything that would be...unseemly. The only magic truly tolerated here is Divine Magic and Runic Magic, others are hunted down though might be held sacred in certain pockets.

Due to this bigotry, it isn't uncommon to find roaming bands of "witch" hunters...people, whether professionally trained or just a raving mob, try and sniff out practitioners of magic so they can be burned, hanged, crushed, drowned, and other such but otherwise executed.

With the integration of Dwarves into Human culture, the potential of Runic Magic was noticed and put to great use. Combine this with the Theocracy's disdain for magic and blasphemy, it was only natural that the Rune Blades would be formed.

Though they are not officially recognized as part of the Inquisition, this order does originate from it and receive training from those handpicked by Grand Inquisitors. The warriors part of this organization fight only with swords and decorate their bodies, weapons, and armor with runes to help them combat their foes...magic users.

Rune Blades are augmented by divine runes to be the perfect anti-magic fighters, defending themselves against magical effects and being strong melee fighters. This makes them the perfect mage killers. They also trained in tracking and sensing magical essence so they can find their prey. They are also well versed in the knowledge of all magic fields so they have less of a chance of being caught off guard when confronting practitioners.

However, these warriors do carry a stigma with them. Thanks to the populations distrust and fear of magic, many do not like or trust a Rune Blade. Being covered head to toe with magic on their person and equipment, they often times come off less like living beings and more like magical constructs with unknown intentions. And it doesn't help that a great deal of Rune Blades care little for optics, which results in sights of them butchering seemingly random people in broad daylight, as their favored method of dispatching magic users is catching them outside of their liars, unprotected, and dampening their ability to use magic before they even know they're being hunted. It also doesn't help that the augments on their person make them seem otherworldly in action, as they have higher perceptions, speed, strength, and endurance than any human could possibly ever achieve without enhancement.

It is because of this stigma that the governance of the Theocracy do not officially claim ownership of the Rune Blades and will denounce activity of promoting Rune Blades if one so happens to catch the ire of the public. It is a lonesome road a Rune Blade wonders as they carry out their divine duty.

Rune Blades only use swords, as the weapon is highly versatile as opposed to other kinds, and its long double faced surface allows for vast amount of runic enchantment. They also do not wear heavy armor, preferring lighter materials which allows them to be faster and more agile. They can use runes to make these lighter materials stronger than steel anyways.

Thanks to the nature of the order, it is a very martial driven sect that behave a bit like a military, but it also doubles as its own academy as one needs knowledge of various magical arts to be effective in combat and being able to use runes, which means knowing runic languages. However there is no official "school" for Rune Blades, instead they use castles and keeps owned by Grand Inquisitors and go through training from aged Rune Blades that survived their career.

Most Rune Blades are orphans or sometimes even kidnapped and indoctrinated to join the order. It is entirely made up of Humans, as Inquisitors do not trust outsiders like Dwarves and Daeva to carry out this task. In some cases, Inquisitors would even sterilize Rune Blade initiates to ensure that they can have no future available to them that isn't serving as a Rune Blade.

Rune Blades are not allowed to own property nor do they work for coin. They are servants of the Theocracy and live as such. Grand Inquisitors tend to have several estates, and it is common that they lend a keep or a castle to be used effectively as a base of operations for Rune Blades. It is in these bases that Rune Blades sleep, eat, study, train, and essentially live while they do their service. These bases tend to be far from most civilization and tucked away in the shadows of the world, only visited by government suppliers to ensure they are fed and maintained. Sometimes Grand Inquisitors may even visit to ensure the Rune Blades are in line.

Sometimes you may find a Rune Blade that is able to break the programming and leave the order, becoming outlaws, branded as traitors. They tend to either escape by going into the Steppes or fleeing to the other Human lands. They will be reviled by the Theocracy, the Dwarves will try and apprehend them out of obligation, and the Daeva will see them as unholy creatures meant to be purged. But, thanks to the animosity the other Human kingdoms hold against the Theocracy, they care not for the norms of the church and will not care about renegade Rune Blades that will probably end up as high class mercenaries. But thanks to their nature, it would be rare that they would be not spied on if they escape to the deserts of the Sultanate, a land filled with mysticism and reverence of magic of all kinds.