A Master Vigilant, dedicated to hunting down those who violate the laws of the Imperial Orders of Magic.
The Colleges of Magic are loath to leave their dirty laundry to be washed in public by the Witch Hunters or other authorities. Consequently, each Order employs its own watchdogs and investigators, devoted to discretely exposing those who break their oaths and practice dark magic, necromancy, or diabolism. Since Vampires are so often students of these black arts, these observers also take pride in hunting and destroying the princes of darkness. Masters Vigilant, also called Magisters Vigilant, still pay their dues to their College, as per a magister lord, but they are not expected to take apprentices. Their duties across the Empire prevent them from attaining the control of magic that many of their colleagues possess, but they have many other skills and talents useful in other sorts of situations, and they command great respect and fear amongst their own kind.[1a]
Role
A Master Vigilant rarely operates openly. To maintain his secrecy, he uses cells of trusted minions, and goes to great lengths to preserve his identity even from them. Some masters appear to their agents masked, other prefer to correspond with letters written in cryptic code. All maintain an alias.[2a]
Some agents are chosen because they possess skills useful in the pursuit of rogue wizards or vampires, others because their social class allows them to infiltrate where most cannot enter. All share one thing in common: their hatred of the enemies of the Empire, which binds them to their master.[2a]
Agents never suspect that they are working for a representative of the Orders of Magic. Many distrust the Orders as much as they despise followers of Chaos or the Undead. Those that give a damn suspect that they are working for a clandestine arm of Imperial government. Most are content that their work rids the world of abominations, and do not feel the need to question their master’s motives.[2a]
