Ordo Venatorum de Magicis Malignis
The ability to do magic is a precious gift from God, and those who use it to cause harm maliciously are not only a danger to good men's lives and physical well-being, they are a danger to the souls of all they come in contact with. They have taken something profoundly sacred, and used it in service of the Devil. The very act of doing so, forever warps their soul, and they must be removed from this world before they can taint all around them.
Structure
Father Superior
The Father Superior is the ultimate leader of the order. Technically, the position does not have to be fulfilled by a male, per changes made in the order's bylaws during the First World War, however, there has yet to be a Mother Superior. He or she has the final say in all decisions regarding the Order, and in theory, in least, can overrule any of the other positions. In practice, they have generally been wise enough to listen to the Council of the Elders.
The Council of Elders
The Council of Elders are advisors to the Father Superior. In recent years it has been suggested that with the Oroboros Libraries taking on so much of the everyday responsibilities of the order, they should have separate representation on the council. As of yet, the suggestion has not gained much traction among the older and more traditional members of the order, but it grows increasingly popular among the younger members. Currently the council is comprised of four seats, each with unique duties and assumed areas of expertise.
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Pater Studiorum
The Pater Studiorum is in charge of the schools run by the Order. They also make final decisions on the overall curriculum, hiring and firing of Headmasters.
-Pater Magicae
The Pater Magicae is the representative of all mages within the order. They set policy on what is, and more importantly, what is not, an acceptable use of magic, as well as dictating what fields of magical study are too dangerous to pursue, even in a purely academic fashion.
-Pater Bellatorum
The Pater Bellatorum is the representative of all warriors within the order. They set the policy on standards for training in the martial arts and skill level expected of field agents, as well as ranking systems within field agents that are not associated with the Oroboros Libraries. In the past century, with the number of Oroboros Libraries being established and taking over the day to day monitoring of magic use in their regions, the number of direct field agents has decreased significantly. However, the Pater Bellatorum is seen as representing the needs of those who fight malicious magic without themselves having magic, or having very little. It has been argued that the Custodes Pacis and Custodes Populorumare represented by either the Pater Magicae or the Pater Bellatorum.
-Pater Sacerdotum
The Pater Sacerdotum is the representative of the priests of the order. They are usually chosen from the ranks of the Custos Animarum and among the responsibilities of this council seat is making sure that the Order stays true to its founders vision and philosophy. In spite of this, or perhaps because of this, this seat tends to be one of the more progressive voices on the council. They are also responsible for the administrative side of the Andersonian Church, maintaining a legal identity in the non-supernatural world, so that the Order's various schools, charities and churches do not have to exist purely in Faerie.
Culture
The core beliefs of the Ordo Venatorum center around three main pillars.
The first pillar is based in the Christian faith, although as filtered through the philosophy of St. Rinale Anders. The other two pillars extend from this, as they assume the existence of God, and believe in Jesus as Christ. The exact beliefs have adapted and changed with time, but the core teachings of forgiveness for the repentant and love even for your enemies have stayed the same.
The second pillar is that magic, and the ability to use it, are divine gifts from God, meant to benefit His children, not harm them. There is nothing inherently evil with magic, or those who use it. The order believes they have a duty to study this gift, understand it, and use it to benefit humanity. They also believe they have a duty to teach those who have been blessed with the ability to use magic in its ethical and responsible use.
The third pillar is that while magic is not in itself evil, like any tool, it can be used for evil, and those who misuse magic must be destroyed. It is worth mentioning that Saint Rinale, and thus the Order he founded, believe that magic used for evil is extremely corrupting, and that corruption must be dealt with swiftly to prevent it from spreading. If they believe a magic user is not past the point of no return, they will attempt to save them, rather then kill them. In the modern era, execution is seen as a last resort, saved for those who have deliberately used magic to torture or kill others, or used torture and death to raise energy for magical purposes.
Public Agenda
The primary public agenda of the Ordo Venatorum is to protect humanity from malicous magic users and magical creatures that prey upon them. This has remained consistent for all the years of the Order's existence.
Their secondary public agenda is to educate people about the ethical and responsible use of magic, and provide a haven for those who would use magic to help, not harm.
History
The Order was formed by Saint Rinale Anders in the tenth century. It was recognized as a valid religious order by the Roman Catholic church for many centuries, falling out of favor in the late fourteenth century. The Order was declared heretical in 1497, and the Order went into hiding, having themselves become the hunted. They moved the monastery that had grown around the originally small church built by Saint Rinale into a patch of Faerie they had cleared and claimed for the Order.
After the Roman Catholic Church declared them heretical, the Order was much reduced for some time. They eventually moved most of their mortal realm operations to the 'new' world, abandoning all operations in areas controlled by the Roman Catholic Church. By the eighteenth century, they were well established in North America, and respected among the supernatural community there.
In 1746 the first Oroboros Library was established near New York City. This led to major change within the Order, as the Custodes Populorum and Custodes Pacis gradually took over most roles of the hunters of the Order. The libraries were not separate and apart from the magical and supernatural communities, and were far more effective because of this. Today, if the 'Librarians' of the Oroboros Libraries are included, the Ordo Venatorum's membership numbers around twenty thousand people.
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