Witch Hunter

"Mana is the lifeblood of the land beneath us. The gift of life from the gods themselves, flowing through our very souls! And yet, these callous 'mages' and 'witches' deem it theirs to control, theirs to command, theirs to taint! All while clammoring under the banner of discovery! Who, if not we brave few, will stand against their terrifying manipulation of that gift? Who, if not we honored few, can truly save the gods?"

Witches in Edda are a particular type of spellcaster, with the ability to infuse items prepared in key ways with pure conceptual magic, which can be as broad or as specific as the wielder desires. Of course, even mages below a certain level have no idea what conceptual magic truly is, and the layman would know nothing of it, so fear abounded in the prime days of Witches, and where fear lingers, so does hatred and bigotry. Thus, did the Witch Hunters form, self-described noble and holy warriors of the land itself that fought against its abuse by these wayward spellcasters, and those who mirrored them.
After the Shattered Era began, with the very basis and understanding of basic magic broke and needed to reform, the general public was quick to blame the Witches and any other spellcaster they needed to blame, and the Witch Hunters entered a period of sheer veneration and nigh hero-worship, only ending when one of their own number exposed their fraudulence for all of Edda to see.

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Career

Qualifications

You do not need to have any specific qualifications to become a Witch Hunter, in fact its often preferred that their followers aren't "tainted" by the lies of intellectualism and deeper learning, instead being physically capable and resistant to the forces of magic.

Career Progression

Witch Hunters often don't have their own intense ranking system, such things breed self-importance more suited for the mages they hunt. Instead, there are merely Witch Hunters, there are Priests who aid them, and in rare cases where there are a large number of hunters to gather and organize, there is a Witchfinder General.

Payment & Reimbursement

In older times, Witch Hunters were either paid by the state in nations like Atalanta which took the profession more seriously, or by local bounty hunt managers, who treated them like any other quarry. In the modern day the few that exist are in fact illegal enterprises, so are only paid by the enefarious who would seek to use their skills or only by the "joy" of the job.

Other Benefits

In olden days Witch Hunters were revered as warriors of rightness and mortal existence, but in the modern day they earn nothing but ire and shame.

Perception

Purpose

The main purpose of the Witch Hunters was to get rid of those who society saw as nefarious mages. Witches were naturally a given, as propaganda of their arts and talents was abound for centuries. When there were no witches to blame, they moved on to those similar to them, Druids and Wizards, followed by others who they felt dipped too far into the Arcane, especially Sorcerers when that art of magic began to be apparent throughout Edda.

Social Status

In the heyday of Witch Hunting, roughly 5100 PE - 4400 PE, Witch Hunters were sought after and given many allowances, literal and figurative, in their goal of eradicating foul witchcraft and vile magic. Of course, following the Edict of Revelation from within the order, it became common knowledge that they were entirely full of it and only sought to line their own pockets and take out potential political rivals, rendering any status and providence they enjoyed entirely moot, which carries on to the modern day.

Demographics

Most Witch Hunters were Humans, lacking most of the inherent magical tie other races of Edda had, and they were almost entirely non-magic users, save for divine magic weilders who could justify their use of the Arcane Arts, most of the time.

History

The Witch Hunters began as a fringe organization taking advantage of public misunderstandings of how magic worked in general, especially Witches whose methods were much different from the usual Wizards and Clerics of the time. They were still relatively minor, and no one wanted to wish harm upon their neighbors who helped out the village, even if they distrusted the wizards in their towers or the witches in the foggy glens. 
But then, The Shattering occurred, and an unknown catastrophe rocketed through Edda, disrupting all prior known methods and formulas of magic, descending the land into a brief yet potent period of Chaos. For the entire era from 5000 PE to 4500 PE, Edda worked its best to relearn the new systems of magic that formed in its wake and restructured its understanding.
That is, the learned and skilled restructured their understanding. The layman had no idea what happened, only knowing that the earth churned in an unfamiliar way, and the handy candles and water buckets now refused to work. It was this time period that saw the rise of Witch Hunters throughout all the lands, championed by Malicieux Couteau, an Atalantan Elf and notable anti-magic leader.
As magic failed more and more and people delved into chaos and fear, his words focused their fear and paranoia into pure, targeted anger against whoever he and his followers deemed the appropriate target.
Several centuries of Witch Hunting went by, with magic users not in official colleges or political positions having to tow a very fine line, or risk being reported and cruelly tortured, at best. Their fame and status only grew and grew between 5100 PE into the Ensorcelled Era in 4400 PE. They likely would've continued gaining that fame and prominence, using Sorcerers, those with magic innately in their blood, as the next blood on the gears of their success and profit, if it wasn't for one of Malicieux's own children.
In 4400 PE, after Malicieux's death several decades previous, a letter was sent out to each member of the order. This letter was also sent to every government official, every leader of a church, and every reputable news source in the land. It was a letter revealing the true origins of the organization. Malicieux was no honest man fighting for the world, he was a con artist who wished to garner as much wealth, status, and glory for himself while removing other magical practitioners from any sort of playing field. Yes, the truth is he was secretly an illusionist himself who had, initially, sought to make a name for himself without any other competition.
Of course, The Shattering undid all the previous methods of spellcraft, and that included his illusory magic, and he had too attentive an army to retreat and study once more. Thus, he doubled down on the first half of his intent and sought to gain as much material wealth as possible. However, even he could not get enough to stave off death, especially not after so many battles against mages backed into corners, when they have very little to lose. 
With the public consensus already leaning back towards the acceptance of magic with new understanding spreading across the land, the reveal of the disingenuous nature of the Witch Hunters only served to sway them even further. Over the next few decades, various reports from independent sources would also chime in, revealing specific names who only wished to garner hate, draw blood, take prisoners for unsavory purposes, rout opponents, and so on and so forth, ruining any credibility or reputation the order could've maintained.
And thus, the organization went into hiding, with a majority of their members quitting, either out of disgust or fear of retaliation, leaving those who still exist to slink in the shadows, reduced to criminal murderers and zealots who hardly garner 1/1000th of the respect they use to claim.

Operations

Tools

Various herbs and styles of crafted metals carry magic-resistant properties, although none of the Witch Hunters normal gear carries anti-magic properties.

Workplace

Most Witch Hunters are rallied citizens, and so often take up arms from their own homes. However, the more serious groups often travel around chasing leads of potential Witches. In their golden years they could often take up shelter in local religious institutions or otherwise communal areas, but in the modern day they do not have such a luxury.

Provided Services

The Witch Hunter's purpose is to eradicate wayward magic users who drain the natural land of its power, leading to disaster in the local area. What disaster meant was left intentionally vague, so everything from a citywide plague to the disappearance of sheep was often blamed on Witches, and when those grew too rare, Wizards and other spellcasters. Essentially, anything other than paladins and clerics were targeted, and even then only those that the people accepted. Tracing, capturing, education, and especially execution were all skills and available methods of the Witch Hunters.

Dangers & Hazards

While the Witch Hunters stylized themselves as blessed and sanctified warriors, with specialized tools, they were often just populous head-strong fighters, who favored group tactics, manipulation, and wide-spread destruction to root out the mages in question. Of course, this left them vulnerable to the forces of magic they fought against, and their tools would often only grant resistance to magic, not immunity.

Alternative Names

Human Warriors, Bigots, Flame-Chasers

Type

Public Services

Demand

Originally: Desired. Currently: Shamed.

Legality

In their prime, the Witch Hunters varied from legal to socially accepted, but after the Edict of Revelation, they were largely branded as illegal, despite some official governments still using their skills.