Lord Inquisitor Harlocke

# Lord Inquisitor Tomask Harlocke

Lord Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus, Grandmaster General of Ordo Malleus across the Lithesh Sector and neighbouring space.

Outwardly a moderate Amalatian with a forceful but balanced approach to fighting the enemies of Mankind. Secretly a member of a somewhat radical Inquisitorial cabal - the Scientas Sect - that seeks to utilise advanced technology, including that of intelligent Xenos races, to fight against Chaos and Xenos Horribilis threats.

Long-term contact of Cornelius'; he feeds Harlocke xenotech artifacts and information in exchange for Harlocke providing some degree of protection from Imperial agents who take exception to our activities. More recently, Cornelius has become a senior interrogator under Harlocke, acting as the Lord's primary agent operating in the Gaianan Stretch.

Harlocke was once an imposing man, his towering physique and burning eyes striking fear into many an enemy of The Emperor. In his mid 400s now, he is not so physically powerful, relying on augmetics and skimmer chairs to move him around. Nevertheless his eyes still burn bright and, on the infrequent occasions he has cause to take to the field in his resplendent black and gold Tactical Dreadnought Armour, he still sends chills down the spines of Heretics.

His life’s work is seeking out means to destroy the Archenemy that won’t lead to ruin. He has no time for daemonhosts or pacts with dark powers. But he is willing to utilise other unorthodox methods. Deep down he believes that humanity’s best chance of surviving the onslaught of Chaos, and that of mindless Xenos such as the great Hive Fleets, is to seek alliances where possible with intelligent Xenos civilisations and to utilise technology to its fullest extent, not fettered by the arcane beliefs of the priests of Mars. Although Malleus by trade, Harlock values diversity and flexibility, and thus collaborates freely with other Ordos, especially Xenos and Machinum.

These beliefs are deemed heretical by some, but they are not without support among other Inquisitors of the Lithesh sector. The sector’s location in the Ultima Segmentum puts it on the doorstep of Necron and Tau empires, as well as the Great Rift and Tyranid incursions. This rock-and-hard-place situation has driven many sharp minds to conclude that it is preferable to side with lesser evils where possible.

Though unconventional, Harlocke does not reach the extremes of some of his colleagues. He is eager to track down the rogue Ordo Xenos inquisitor who is rumoured to be breeding “controllable” Tyranids in a depraved attempt to counter the Hive Fleet menace. Such actions are folly, of course, and bring undeserved scorn on those who would use safer Xenos wonders to mankind’s advantage.

Harlocke has amassed a substantial power base in his centuries protecting the sector, and no lack of enemies. He operates out of a relatively unremarkable civilised world somewhere in the Lithesh Sector, where he maintains an impressive garrison that trains with the PDF. A network of spies feeds him clues and rumours that aid his endeavours, sending him out on great voyages to uncover secrets or weave alliances.

Harlocke’s Ship

* Invincible Class Battleship with a pair of Secutor Monitor-Cruisers with well tuned plasma drives as fast but heavy escorts

Allies:

* Forge world Lucius - he unravelled a radical traditionalist mechanicus plot against the High Magos who has sworn him a debt of gratitude. Many of his most prized war machines, most notably his pair of Monitor Cruisers, were provided by Lucius.
* Brother Captain Darig Tegvar of the Grey Knights 7th Brotherhood often lends martial aid on Harlocke’s most challenging expeditions. The two eminently pragmatic men have a strong bond of mutual respect.

Enemies:

* Inquisitor Cyclopis
* Most of the Mechanicus is not a fan of Harlocke - his willingness to seek out and promote xenotech and novel heretek has left him disliked among the Magi who know of his clandestine activities
* The Space Serpents chapter of the Adeptus Astartes has clashed with Harlocke several times before. Their mysterious motives and unconventional methods have given him cause to declare them heretical, but his judgement does little to stop them.