Lannes, Inquisitor

The late Inquisitor Lannes served as Executor to the sector Ordo Malleus and later as Princeps Inquisitor of the Inquisition prior to the 13th Black Crusade. He is recognized as the Inquisitor who exposed Morpheus Vrool’s planned invasion of the Hibernian subsector. His investigations also (posthumously) exposed the corruption of his political rival, the Cardinal Duke Thracko’s.
== Early History ==
Very little is known of Lanne’s early history or how he earned his rosette. Lannes seemed to suddenly appear on the Agrippa Sector stage where he became a vocal critic of both Princeps Inquisitor Hraxis and Cardinal Duke Thrackos. Most of his criticism stemmed from the sector governments complacency and what he saw as a foolish campaign against the Eldar in Scylla. 
Despite his numerous political enemies, he managed to be raised to the post of Princeps Inquisitor by the High Lords of Terra, perhaps in recognition of the divided political landscape of Agrippa.
Lannes did not relish his post as Princeps and spent very little time on the throne, preferring to continue to operate as an agent in the field. He took great pride in being an active Daemon Hunter, having little time for the occult assessment of his craft. His main goal was to destroy as many Daemons as he could and not study the nature or reasoning behind it.
Lannes and his protégé Ionnes Commena were also experts in the field of Eldaran Xenos linguistics which he pursued as a hobby outside his calling as a certified Daemon Hunter. Indeed, the Ordos Xenos attempted several times to recruit him recognizing his exceptional ability in this field of study.
== Prelude to the Hibernian Invasion ==
Lannes felt very strongly that the fall of the hiveworld Cathedral 1 late in M41 should have been a wake-up call to the sector government as a sign that Chaos was on the move in the lower region. Only a few heeded this warning as the Cardinal Duke deflected Imperial attention towards the Orks at Litha Station and the Eldar problems in the north. At this time Imperial officials were unaware that the Cardinal Duke himself was deep in the throes of Chaos influences and using his authority to distract Imperial interests away from the danger. Even the Imperial Marshal Goethe (A Hibernian sympathizer) and many of the Great Houses were taken by the Cardinal Duke’s insistence that the Hibernian frontier was secure.
Lannes continued his investigation with the assistance of supporters in the inquisition, House Dukas, and Victrix Astartes Space Marine chapter.
After operation OPAL dissolved, Lannes ally Inquisitor Cathar continued to follow the Night Stalkers plot. Her findings further reinforced Lannes theory that Vrool was on the verge of a massive planned invasion of Imperial territory. 
== The Fall of Lannes ==
Even after settled Imperial worlds began to fall by Vrool’s (now confirmed) invasion fleet, sector officials were slow to mobilize. The Cardinal Duke continued to insist that the real danger was not from the south. House Dukas managed to convince other Houses that the danger was real and assembled a small House fleet to sprint to the aid of Hibernia. Only when the bulk of this fleet was nearly sacrificed in a protracted hit-and-run campaign, did Parliament dispense with the Cardinal Duke’s orders. Legislation to muster the House armies began. (This move later set the stage for a political show-down between the houses and Thrackos.) This in turn stirred Goethe’s support and Vrool’s invasion was finally acknowledged.
All of the political wrangling took time and meanwhile, Lannes focused his attention on Hibernia, and with the absence of Goethe, he worked with the PDF leader (Colonel Vandergarde) to prepare for the worst. 
Also at this time Inquisitor Cathar followed her leads to nearby Corsca on leads from the Night Stalkers plot. On Corsca she discovered that the ruinous powers were setting a trap for Lannes. She immediately made a run through the Hibernian blockade to warn him.
Alas, Cathar was too late to save Lannes but did manage to play a key role in containing the Daemon assassin responsible for his death.
Supported by the VA Green Knights, Lannes, confronted Vrool’s Daemon at the opening of the Battle of Fladgate City. This heralded the full scale attack on Hibernia. In those crucial moments, Lannes triggered the psychic bomb planted to destroy him and both he and the 1st coy. VA was wiped out. Bolstered by this event, The Chaos overlord Longinus the Immortal pressed his attack.
== Controversy ==
There are two controversies that cast a shadow over the events surrounding Lanne’s assassination. Who actually killed the Daemon remains in question. In addition, who planted the psychic bomb that killed Lannes?
Several conflicting versions of the event have surfaced. In the end the motley Imperial defence force managed a small victory. However, the battle appears to have been merely a distraction as Chaos began landing troops throughout the planet.
There is no doubt that Inquisitor Lannes and the 1st. coy. Victrix Astartes managed to grievously wound Vrool’s Daemon assassin before falling to the psychic attack. Whether this blow was fatal remains is unlikely as most witnesses recall the Daemon continuing to rampage for some time after Lanne's death.
In addition, there has risen a conspiracy theory that the psychic bomb used in the trap to destroy Lannes was actually an internal plant and placed by a corrupted Victrix Astartes infiltrator.
This theory has been pressed by several Inquisitional officials and may have led to the current dispersal of the chapter. Indeed, no other information about the fate of the VA exists on official record.
Inquisitor Cathar’s team who arrived as the psychic bomb was triggered played a hand in the destruction of the Daemon, and many believe that Cathar’s first agent Salazar Cantimir earned his first Daemon Hunter laurel by laying the final blow. 
On official Ordo Malleus records both Lannes and Cantimir are listed as the individuals who destroyed the Daemon. 
However, others insist it was not the work of the Inquisition at all but a lone Imperial guard lasgun, or the meltas of a supporting Victrix Astartes land speeder that managed to finally take the warp entity down. Indeed the destruction of the Daemon occurred within the heat of a major Chaos offensive led by Longinus the Immortal and that hundreds of combatants were involved in some capacity at the time. Without a doubt, scores had supported the attack.
Who really destroyed the Daemon remains a moot point as Lannes and his prior investigation leading up to the battle has retained credit as the champion of that fateful day. Cantimir himself referred to Lannes as the hero although he refuses to confirm one way or another who exactly killed the Daemon.
== Aftermath ==
An application has been submitted to Terra to have Lannes declared an official Imperial saint in Agrippa. Many believe that if Lannes had not tenaciously followed his investigation and mustered the defence of Hibernia the planet would have been lost. Terra has put the application on indefinite hold. No doubt the shadow of treachery has been cast on the event and until this has been resolved it is unlikley Lannes will be raised to sainthood. He has however, been granted official Imperial Martyr status by the Blodsburg Cathedral and what remained of his effects (shards of power armour) are now housed as relics in the Cathedral.
Lannes was completely correct in his original theory and later it was clear that Vrool’s invasion was actually in conjunction with Abbadon the Despoiler’s 13th Black Crusade. 
The fall of Lannes and the Battle of Fladgate City heralded the full scale Hibernian war and Agrippa’s involvement in the 13th Black Crusade.
== See Also ==
*The Holy Inquisition of the Agrippa Sector
== External Links ==
* | Dukas (pdf)
* | Observations and Histories of the Eldar Race in the Agrippa Sector by Inquisitor Lannes
* | Bloodbath of the Animals as translated by Inquisitor Lannes
* | Some Rough notes on Eldar cosmology by Inquisitor Lannes
Category:Who's Who
Category:Inquisition of Agrippa