Paladins

The paladins were a special class of knight found within Zantine, Amarnan, and Dalite society. They specialized in combat, defense, and warfare against magic users and supernatural beings. They were typically men, though some women have been documented.
Their primary role was to defend against militant magic users in the Old Exekian Empire, and they would carry out the penalty dealt to such people (either execution or banishment). To do this, they wielded special weapons and learned how to exorcise spirits.
The weapons of the paladins were made from a material known as Exekian steel. While its origins have long been kept a secret from the outside world, the divine metal is in fact derived from Exekian blood, which has anti-magical properties. Originally, the blood was freely given; if it was taken by force, supposedly the weapon would be cursed to shatter in the heat of battle. But after the fall of the Old Exekian Empire, the paladins began forcibly taking Exekian blood from unwilling captives, in many cases resulting in the Exekian's death.