Imperial Praefects

No law is enforced more severely or with greater diligence throughout the Midaevian Empire and its Vassals and Colonies than that forbidding the practice of magic, with three notable exceptions; those carefully scrutinised magic-users who have been purchased by The Freelancers Guild , the Church's Praepostors and the Imperial Praefects.
Like many aspects of the Empire, the origins of the Imperial Praefects remain a closely guarded secret known only to a privileged few. Given the Empire's propensity to blur the line between science and magic, it is commonly assumed that the Praefects are just another in a long line of experiments by the Empire intended to extend the limits of their power over the Material Plane.
A few theories exist, written by scholars who are now likely confined to an Imperial prison, on the nature of the Praefects. It is assumed that their power is sorcerous is nature, and that they draw their energy from an inherent source, similar to those sorcerers who derive their power from a wild magic or draconic heritage. However, as anyone who has faced a Praefect in battle and somehow survived will tell you, it would be foolhardy to regard them as "just another kind of sorcerer". Praefects as a standard possess a level of power that only the wisest and most experienced magic-users could ever hope to achieve, performing spells of such unfathomable potency that they would leave a lesser spellcaster mentally and physically broken from the effort. They even have access to spells that, as far as what remains of the magical community is aware, have never been used before, and against which there is no defence.
Many of the Empire's earliest conquests were won on the backs of these mysterious practitioners. Battlefield survivors tell of tall, pale-skinned figures with brilliant blue eyes floating about the field on a fiery halo, vaporizing hundreds of soldiers with torrents of violet lightning, reducing cavalry charges to ash beneath a maelstrom of black fire, and flash-freezing legendary champions mid-stride before shattering them with a single blow of their staff.
In the current era of watchful peace, the Praefects have stepped back from the frontlines and assumed a variety of roles throughout the Empire. Since the end of the Northern Conquests, a number of them have been assigned to the search for and capture of magic-users, a task to which they have proven ruthlessly efficient. As well as this, they are assigned to the courts and castles of the Northern Kingdoms, both to serve the respective monarchs as magical advisers and remind the rulers when necessary of their oath to the Empire.
Praefects enjoy enormous amounts of privilege. If the Emperor is seen as a God, then the Praefects are considered his angels. Any crime they commit is often seen as merely an act of the Emperor's Will, whether that was the acquisition of supplies or the slaughtering of an entire village of people. Fortunately for the citizenry of the Empire, for all their power and position, Praefects for whatever reason demonstrate great restraint in their dealings with the common man. Inasmuch as it is best where possible to avoid crossing paths with one of them, it is commonly understood that you have nothing to fear from them provided you to speak to them respect and courtesy. Unless, of course, you are a magic-user, heretic, or other such enemy of the state.
Although each one of them possesses a small army of servants to tend to their every whim, Praefects will usually operate alone when on assignment. It is the same reason why a governor or nobleman, if they know a Praefect is operating their territory, will advise all their people to lock their doors and not venture outside. Because although a Praefect will do their best avoid collateral damage, when it comes to terminating their prey, they will not hesitate to lay waste to everything in a five mile radius to ensure the completion of their task.
Strength:
The size of the force available to the Imperial Praefects has long been a subject of debate among its opponents. During times of conflict, such as the War of Two Empires and the Altharadi/Imperial War, there numbers have seemed to tally in the hundreds, and yet as soon as peace resumes, barely a dozen of them appear to be active anywhere in the Empire.

Strength: Unknown (20 - 500)
Commander: The Hierarch of Enlightenment
Headquarters: The Ministry of Enlightenment

Type

Magic