Within the Empire of Man, corruption takes many forms. While the melodramatic plays
of Detlef Sierck delight the nobles of Imperial cities with tales of hideous mutants and mustache
twirling villains, the truth is far more insidious and far more terrible. The followers of the
Ruinous Powers can cloak their evil behind smiling faces and noble deeds, preaching in soothing tones
the values of brotherhood and peace. And they can just as easily assume forms that
defy comprehension, festering in malignant power within the darkest depths of human civilization.
Chaos promises redemption, freedom, power and the fulfillment of every desire. It crosses all social
barriers, penetrates into the hearts and minds of the most devout, and devours all it touches.
So abhorrent is Chaos to the soul of humanity that even when presented with incontrovertible evidence
that this insidious force exists, a man will strive to deny it. Clinging to the hope of some
other explanation, some other justification. It is this wanton disbelief that allows the greatest
cults to form and thrive. To fight the forces of Chaos, one must embrace the power of certainty.
To know without a shred of doubt that whatever actions they take, no matter how vile and
outwardly evil they might appear are done in the service of a higher good. There are few men and
women who can put a town corrupted by Chaos to the torch and sword. Few who can ignore the cries
of burning men, women and children. But those that do, have earned the title… of Witch Hunter.
Where the noble Orders of the Empire have been built on solid foundations of tradition and
ceremony, and now claim sole dominion over the honorific of “Knight”, no overarching
organization controls the actions of the Witch Hunters or who might earn that title. They roam
the lands as both the bane of civilization and its most stalwart protectors. Anything unnatural,
they oppose. Witches and Warlocks, unsanctioned Wizards, Mutants, Cultists, Chaos Spawn,
Vampires and the Undead, all that does not conform to the good and righteous is cast down and purged.
They are often grim-faced individuals, working alone or in small groups. They have earned a
reputation as coldly dispassionate warriors, well-armed and sturdy. In the absence of any
standardized uniform, most prefer hooded cloaks or wide brimmed hats and adorn themselves with
every manner of protective talisman. Their profession forces them to be ruthless killers,
and every manner of rumor or aspersion follows in their wake. Among the citizens of the Empire, they
are equally feared, loved and hated. Tales are told of fathers forced to watch as their children
are burned on the pyre, or gigantic beastmen slain in single combat, of towns burned and towns saved.
Of those Witch Hunters who act with any kind of official authority, they do so as state issued
Templars within the Order of Sigmar. This is one of the many militant arms of the Cult of Sigmar
but centuries of tensions between the Church and the rule of the Emperors means that sanctioned
Witch Hunters now operate under the supervision of both. This arrangement is meant to prevent either
organization from gaining too much power, but this balance frequently shifts to one or the other.
Decentralized by design, Witch Hunters are divided into Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts,
each covering a large swathe of the Empire’s territory and each commanded by a Witch Hunter
General. Within each semi-autonomous district are various Chapter Houses, each commanded by
a Witch Hunter Captain. These provide areas of refuge and resupply to the various Witch Hunter
Templar’s that serve as the organization’s field agents. Autonomous and unrestrained by nature,
Witch Hunter Templars nevertheless rely on established Chapter Houses to rest, share
information, house prisoners, and cooperate with their Brothers or Sisters in need of assistance.
Supporting the Witch Hunters themselves are a variety of mercenaries, priests, licensed
wizards and zealots. These provide everything from additional military support to holy protection,
to maintaining wargear or records. Often these individuals will join
the retinue of a Witch Hunter, travelling with them in the pursuit of their targets.
While the Templars of Sigmar are the most famous of Witch Hunters, many other groups
exist. Each state within the Empire is known to employ agents beyond the control of the Church
yet empowered with the same level of authority. Both groups are hardened veterans driven by faith
and committed to the eradication of Chaos. Mercenaries too might sometimes adopt the
moniker of Witch Hunter, selling their talents to serve a community in need.
Increasingly however, a new type of Witch Hunters has emerged across the Empire. They are driven not
by Imperial Law, Faith or even the desire for gold, but rather reasons entirely their own,
be it guilt, hate, revenge or something else.
While their determination and zeal matches those Templars officially sanctioned,
they lack their infrastructure and support. Many of these renegade Witch Hunters meet grim ends,
but a few have earned the respect of their official peers through their impossible successes.
By whatever title they claim or what drives their actions, those who have dedicated their
lives to the destruction of Chaos have always existed across the history of the Empire.
The Templars of the Cult of Sigmar trace their heritage to Wolfgart Krieger,
said to have battled beside Sigmar himself in the wars against Nagash. But the modern
Order only truly emerged centuries later by the order of the Grand Theongonist Siebold the 2nd.
Beset by demonic cults and weakness upon the Imperial Throne,
he formed the Order of the Silver Hammer, a group of Warrior-Priests and investigators.
For decades their power grew, but as their ranks expanded, the caliber of their recruits weakened.
Too often the Witch Hunters were those of low character,
blinded by zealotry and easy prey to the very powers they sought to destroy.
They clashed with rival groups, those both heretical and loyal,
culminating in a tragic war against the Sisters of Sigmar within the doomed city of Mordheim.
In the aftermath of the Great War Against Chaos and the rule of Magnus the Pious, the Witch
Hunters were restructured and partly secularized. The Order of the Silver Hammer was legitimized
and placed above their rivals, but also forced to work within the boundaries of Imperial Law.
This agreement has endured ever since.
In the modern Empire, Witch Hunters are no longer free to burn and kill
at will as their forefathers might once have done. Yet their power remains considerable.
Any Imperial citizen, from the lowliest commoner to the highest noble can be arrested at their
command, interrogated and tortured until the truth of their crimes has been discovered.
In the greatest cities and deepest forests of the Empire, every aspect of the ruinous powers work in
the shadows to destroy the power of mankind. Yet the shadows are not the dominion of evil alone.
From darkness can spring light. This is a fact that even those most wholly consumed by Chaos
must remember, no matter how secluded their gatherings or how hidden their plots. All those
who have betrayed humanity in the service of the dark gods are not above the fear that one day
a stranger will emerge from the darkness, bringing with them faith, steel and fire.