The Order of St Michael

The Order
The Order of St Michael is a secret sect of the Catholic Church, unbeknownst to most of the clergy, under direct command of His Holiness the Pope. The Order is tasked with the elimination of major evil threats, such as Demons, Witches, Vampires and so on, and are a few of the select people on Earth to be fully aware of supernatural existence.

Founding
The Order of St Michael was founded at the turning of the 13th century by Pope Innocent III when he came to realise the truth of the events behind the Fourth Crusade. Innocent himself had initiated the Fourth Crusade, but began to distance himself from it and even threatening those who continued to involve themselves with excommunication when he saw how the leaders of the Crusade had begun to use the war for their own purposes, ransacking Christian cities for treasure, rather than the focus of recapturing the Holy Land. It soon became clear to him, both through observation and through networks and accounts, that many of the Crusaders had become possessed by Demonic forces. Taking a stand, Innocent established The Order of St Michael, naming it after the most famed of the Archangels, whose purpose was to lead the forces of Heaven into battle against evil.

Membership
Only few within the Church know of The Order's existance, and those that do or are a part of it are sworn to secrecy. The Pope himself holds control over The Order, though it is run by a selected Cardinal, appointed by the Pope himself. The Order itself comprimises of members of many different skills, from alchemists and blacksmiths to librarians and researchers. However, The Order's most valuable and necessary attribute are its Hunters. These are the men and women who are placed with the task of tracking down and eliminating supernatural threats. While The Order possesses many humans, they also recognise that humans alone are generally unsuited to tackle threats of the paranormal alone. To this end, The Order also employs many supernatural creatures, in particular, Demi Witches and Warlocks. As the combination of both mortal and immortal parents, Demi Witches/Warlocks are highly sought out by The Order for their power, without their guaranteed damnation into Hell. Also employed are creatures such as Werewolves and even Vampires occasionaly.