Cult-Stalker

"We are at war with forces too terrible to comprehend. We cannot afford mercy for any of its victims too weak to take the correct course. Mercy destroys us; it weakens us and saps our resolve. Put aside all such thoughts. They are not worthy of Inquisitors in the service of our Emperor. Praise His name for in our resolve we only reflect His purpose of will."
–The Verses of Inquisitor Octus Enoch
One of the greatest threats facing the Holy Inquisition
within the Calixis Sector is that of recidivism. There
are cults devoted to the Dark Gods hidden within
all levels of society and it is the Inquisition's job to root them
out. Each Chaos cult plans its own way to escape detection
until it can grow to the point of dominating society. Mere
survival is particularly important on Imperial worlds, where
Chaos worship is the greatest of heresies and Inquisitors are
always vigilant for any taint of Chaos. Extremist political
organizations make especially good fronts for cults,
since they naturally attract power-hungry and
mentally unbalanced individuals, who are often
well-suited to becoming cult members. A very
successful cult can even gain enough power to
become the governing body of its home planet
without having to resort to rebellion. Thus, many
Calixis Adeptus Arbites precincts keep dedicated
squads of Cult-Hunters on hand. The Arbites'
Judges prefer to take care of cult problems
quickly and quietly as the knowledge of a cult’s
ongoing survival within their sphere of influence
could lead to further civil unrest, or draw the
attention of heavy-handed Inquisitors.
Often, cults lair in unsavory parts of cities
where no Arbitrator would dare go without
formidable backup. As they do not want to call
attention to this problem, a “troubleshooter” is
occasionally brought in from the local criminal element
to assist the Adeptus Arbites by infiltrating the cult.
Usually this service comes at the price of a pardon for
the troubleshooter's lesser crimes, but some rare street
scum are willing to help with an investigation purely
out of devotion to the God-Emperor.
One notable success took place on Malfi when the
Adeptus Arbites conscripted several small Hive gangs
to infiltrate a suspected blood cult. Judge
Chal York coerced a troubled Kestrali noble
dynasty to enter into the slave trade, selling
his Cult-Stalkers into the pit fights. York was
assassinated shortly afterwards. The nobles
of the Kestrali dynasty, unable to prove
their innocence in the sanctioned operation,
were put to death in the wake of the Judge's
death. The Cult-Stalkers were forgotten to
the Adeptus Arbites.
Nearly a decade later, Inquisitor Medina uncovered the
blood cult in her investigations. The ex-gang's numbers had
dwindled to only a handful, but they were now the elite guard
and some of the cults most trusted members. Never failing
in their duties or faith, these former criminals had proven
that they were loyal to the God-Emperor above all else. They
presented their years of meticulously gathered information to
the Inquisitor, and on her authority executed over a thousand
citizens in one bloody night, and presented themselves for
execution. Their sacrifice ended a daemonic incursion before
it even began.
==Alternate Career Rank==
Cult-Stalkers need to have a keen eye for detail and strong,
inquisitive minds. Those that come from the Scum career are
more often than not con-men who use their silver tongues
to gain access to a cult and infiltrate its ranks. They pass any
information they gain on to their Arbites contacts, who can
then swiftly and mercilessly destroy the cult.
Required Career: Arbitrator or Scum
Alternate Rank: Rank 1 or higher
Income: The character's Income becomes Outcast, but
uses Table 2-3: Cult-Stalker Income rather than the Scum
Income Table presented in the DARK HERESY Rulebook.