Inquisitor
At once loved by the people as valiant protectors of the Empire and feared as the ever-vigilant eyes of the Empress, there are few forces as famed as that of the storied Imperial Inquisition. For the group sometimes referred to as the Order of Lights, in mimicry of the Shugenja orders, both reputations are entirely deserved, and the golden signets they wear are in some ways symbolic of the Empire itself.
Inquisitors hail from all corners of the Isle, and from all sorts of backgrounds. Although not widely known, there are actually even a handful of non-human Inquisitors - mostly changelings, but there is at least one doppleganger among them. The one thing they all share is loyalty - absolute, unshakable loyalty. If a single scrap of doubt is found in their hearts during the order's final test, they fail at once - although they still generally end up in a highly desirable job, having exhibited immense skill to have even made it so far.
Though the term tends to be used to refer the the collective as a whole, it only properly describes the mightiest of the people most citizens consider "Inquisitors". These are those who have passed their Final Test, and bear the golden signet of the order. They have laid bare their very souls to the Empress, and found themselves to her approval. Their authority is without limit - they answer directly to the throne, and they are authorized to take whatever action they deem necessary in defense of the Empire. An Inquisitor could - if she deemed it necessary - strike down a Daimyo in the midst of his court, and walk away unscathed. With this knowledge, they tend to position themselves around the power centers of the realm, their identity clearly exposed to all. They consider any disadvantages that this brings to be well worth it, in light of the fact that their mere presence has a tendency to preempt wrongdoing and corruption. Inquisitors are given great freedom and seldom choose to work together, preferring to use their Interrogators. (Mechanically, all True Inquisitors are characters of at least 15th level. These don't all necessarily have to be inquisitor levels... but they usually are.)
Below them are what are generally termed Interrogators. Generally, Inquisitors are exceedingly high-profile individuals - thus, when they wish to act subtly, they do so through their Interrogators. While not as powerful, these members of the Inquisition are far more numerous, with each Inquisitor generally commanding anywhere from three to a dozen of them. Interrogators are largely anonymous, with steps taken to ensure that anonymity should it begin to crumble. It is not at all uncommon for an Inquisitor to take credit for the actions of her underlings - a practice which only enhances their apparent potency and mystique. After all, it is a much more terrifying thought to beleive that twenty crime-lords across the city were all dispatched by one crusader than it is to accept that it was well over a dozen individuals working in tandem. (Mechanically, Interrogators are all characters of at least 7th level. They almost always have at least one level in Inquisitor, but it is common for them to specialize through multi-classing, so as to be ready for whatever the situation calls for. Shugenja and Samurai are both common choices.)
When the situation is too minor to concern the higher ranks, a mission is usually handed off to Acolytes. In essence, Acolytes are Interrogators-in-training. They have graduated from their classes and passed their trials and exams, but require additional training in the field before they can make the jump to a proper Interrogator. An Acolyte circle tends to number between three and six, and is attached as an auxiliary resource to a group of veteran Interrogators whose duty it is to mentor them and manage their missions. While technically trainees, they are also assets in the field - given that they are usually matched to requests of would-be mentor groups, they are expected to pull their weight. (Mechanically, any assembly of low-level characters could be an Acolyte circle. They don't even need Inquisitor levels, though they tend to pick them up if they don't have them.)
