Polypsykana

An offshoot of the Xanthites, based in the Calixis Sector, the
Polypsykana is a Radical faction obsessed with the power of
psykers. Members believe that the psyker is a natural evolution of
man’s development into a higher being. After all, the Emperor is
the greatest psyker of all, who keeps the Imperium intact through
His immeasurable strength of will, even guiding ships safely
through the warp by igniting the blazing beacon known as the
Astronomincan. The faction believes that this transformation of
humanity is inevitable and ultimately humanity’s only salvation.
To this end, members work to protect and nurture psykers and
increase the role they play within the sector. In addition, they work
in secret on psy-tech, psy-breeding and other, more questionable,
activities, all intended to spread what they see as the psy-gene to
as much of humanity as possible.
==Overview==
The Polypsykana are a minor ascensionist faction that
believes mankind is destined to evolve into a psychic race
and that this transformation should be facilitated and guided.
The beliefs of Polypsykana Inquisitors are not unique to the
Calixis Sector or to the present times; similar beliefs and
theories constantly boil beneath the surface of the Inquisition
as a whole. Despite its individual features, the Calixian
Polypsykana faction is but one manifestation among many.
Like most factions obsessed with the psychic ascension of
mankind, Polypsykana Inquisitors see this final evolution of
humanity as inevitable, so long as it is not directly prevented
from occurring. Those most likely to attempt to prevent the
spread and rise of psychic power are those who see the witch
as an abomination to be cleansed---and the most dangerous
of these are their fellow Inquisitors.
Polypsykana Inquisitors and their agents are primarily
concerned with protecting psykers from the predations of
their firebrand colleagues. The Calixis Sector has a higher
than normal rate of humans born with psychic abilities---a
fact that might be tied to the manifestation of the strange
phenomena known as the Tyrant Star---and Polypsykana
Inquisitors spend considerable resources watching for nascent psykers in the sector population and extracting fledgling
psykers to safety before others can burn them at the stake
for what they are. Polypsykana operatives have also poured
energy into hastening the awakening of mankind to its
psychic future by using eugenic techniques and developing
powerful psy-active drugs.
== Polypsykana Domains ==
Polypsykana members work within the core worlds, spending
their time shepherding and protecting psykers from the
teeming throng of humanity on such worlds as Scintilla,
Tranch, and Malfi. This is not to say that they contravene
Imperial doctrine and keep these psykers for themselves; they
ensure that as many psykers as possible survive to board the
Black Ships. They also work to guarantee that those who take
the journey to Terra are as prepared as possible for the terrible
ordeal they must face. The faction has an equal interest in
feral and frontier worlds, places where the touch of the warp
is little understood and almost universally feared. In these
places, they work to uncover new psykers and place them in
positions of safety and power.
== Polypsykana Operations ==
The “awakening” of psykers is primary to the goals of
the faction. Despite the dangers, members believe that a
true evolution will only take place should enough psykers
emerge among humanity. They refer to this event as the
“consciousness,” a time when there will be more humans born
with psychic powers than without. If this event is to come
about, they must ensure that as many psykers as possible
live to develop their powers and pass their gifts on to the
next generation. They must also try to better understand just
why some people are born with the gift and some without, a
process still little understood within the Imperium.
== Polypsykana Inquisitors ==
Once a teacher in the Scholastia Psykana, Inquisitor Hettesh Kane
became a dedicated member of the Ordo Hereticus, using his
considerable psychic powers to root out and destroy rogue
psykers. His experiences and his own personal belief, however,
led Kane to become more and more convinced that psykers,
properly trained and of substantial moral fiber, could achieve
almost anything. He took to schooling and developing those
he captured rather than destroying them and, though he was
not always successful, began to turn some of those who were
once foes into acolytes and agents. Kane continues his work
within the Calixis Sector, and though he does not hate or
despise those without psychic ability, he certainly pities them.
His gaze is firmly fixed on a time when all mankind will be
able to shape the warp to their will.
==Polypsykana Secrets==
The Polypsykana has developed and successfully tested a drug
known as “vision.” Based on the more common drug, spook,
but at least four times as powerful, vision awakens more of
a person’s mind to the warp and allows him to truly tap
into that vast reservoir of energy. Users of vision can exhibit
multiple Minor Psychic Powers and, on rare occasions, crude
versions of major powers. Unfortunately, the side effects are
even more severe than spook. Repeated use in even the most
strong willed of individuals can lead to mutation and, in some
cases, even possession.