Kovithian Inquisition

The **Kovithian Inquisition**, also known as the **6th Legion**, the **Inquisitor Arm of the Kovithian Church**, or simply, the **Inquisition** is an organization simultaneously in the Kovithian Church and the Legions of the Kovithian Empire. The 6th Legion was founded in the year 2S 1258 during the Darkeater Heresy. Since then, the increase of the Church's power in Kovithian politics has seen the Inquisition grow into a powerful and feared organization within the borders of the Empire.

## Kovithian Inquisition

### Also known as

* The Inquisition
* The 6th Legion
* Inquisitor Arm of the Kovithian Church

## Basic Information

### Type

* Religious
* Military
* Judicial

### Goals

* Safeguard the Kovithian faith
* Eliminate heresy to prevent dreadlord influence from spreading
* Slay demons and other dread monsters

## Membership

### Leader(s)

* Pontiff of the Kovithian Church
* Inquisitor Pontifex

### Notable Members

* Captain Apollo von Zeppenstein
* Carnifex Josef von Zeppenstein
* Pontifex Augustus Siegfried

## Relationships

### Allegiences

* Imperial Kovith
* Church of Kovith
* Kovithian Legion

### Enemies

* Anyone deemed heretics by the Church
* Demons

## Sigil

A sun bisected by a sword with an eye for a corona with high gothic text encircling saying “Kovar’s light will reveal the truth.”

## History

 *"The founding of the Kovithian Inquisition is also the story of the extermination of the Dark Eaters of Kyir. Both of these stories would not have come to be without the enigmatic commander of one of Kovith’s oldest legions and perhaps the most famous heretic in Imperial history; Caliban Demonsbane Helltraeger. The First Heretic. In order to understand fully Caliban’s sordid tale, it is important to understand the history of Kyir and the Dark Eaters. The true history of the Dark Eaters.*

*Much of what the Kovithian Empire, especially the church, will espouse about the forsaken legion is simply not true. They hold that the Darkeaters of Kyir turned to heresy and rebelled against their Emperor and Kovar, but the author presents a very different view. It is unfair and unethical in the author’s opinion to withhold the truth of what occurred, and they refer to this as a robbery of culture and heritage. The author states they will provide the true history of what occurred between the Dark Eaters and the very Empire they swore to protect, and by doing so, they will allow the reader themselves to reach their own conclusions about who Caliban truly was and about the charges of heresy."*

*- Caliban; False Prophet, Avenging Angel, or Unfortunate Soul?* by a brave but not foolish author.

### Founding - the Darkeater Heresy

The Inquisition that the Kovithian Church is notorious for was not created at the inception of the Church. In fact, it took over a millennium until the Inquisition was founded during the events of the Darkeater Heresy. Emperor Ori-Marie Apfelbaum Orchtenbrück II, under pressure from the Kovithian Church and with the threat of heresy within her borders, called for the Sixth Founding of Legions in Kovith’s history. Perhaps the most famous founding since the 1st founding during the Sunless Era, the Inquisition was the only regiment formed during this founding. As a result, they are often referred to as the Sixth Legion.

During the Darkeater Heresy, the regiment in the Kovithian Legion known as the Darkeaters of Kyir had threatened the balance of faith and power within the empire’s walls, and the Inquisition, along with support from the armies of the Duke Morgenstern, rode to the Valley of Woden where, after a brutal yet short conflict, Caliban, the False Prophet and the Darkeaters he commanded were defeated and the regiment officially disbanded. In the following months of the Battle of Caliban’s Folly (the name would stick for the Valley of Woden to this day), the remainder of the Darkeaters and those who followed their heretic creed were hunted down by the Inquisition and brought before the Church for special councils where they were expected to renounce their Caliban’s Creed and accept the Emperor as their savior or be executed for heresy.

### Intertwined in Kovithian History

The events of the Darkeater Heresy solidified the Kovithian Inquisition’s place within the Empire, and this marked a great increase of governmental powers for the Church as they now had a military force that pledged fealty not to a Kovithian lord, but instead, to the faith. Throughout the following centuries, the Church would use the Inquisition to stamp out heresy wherever it would arise, and slowly, the Kovithian culture grew less tolerant of those with different beliefs and those they deem outsiders or dreadborn as the Church not only actively encouraged these sentiments but enforced them through the Inquisition.

As the Empire, and thus the Church, grew, so did the Inquisitor Arm. Some Emperors would utilize their deific status in the Church to use the Inquisition to crush their enemies or skirt political treaties due to Inquisitors being considered a ‘religious force’ and not a ‘political army.’ Other Emperors have opposed the use of the Inquisitors, and as new political ideas and sentiments spread (such as the Neo-Gothic movement) across Imperial Kovith and its territories, more recent emperors have been more public in their disapproval of the Church and the Inquisition. The Inquisition has been criticized by the Nimmod and other people for their intolerance toward Imperial Kovith's tiefling population. Overall, throughout history, the Church and thus the Inquisition, have only grown more powerful and do not seem willing to relinquish said power, using the faith in the Emperor as a justification.

In the modern era, Emperor Agar Orchtenbrück II openly disproves of many of the Inquisition’s actions, but with the Empire being such a large state, it is impossible for even a God-Emperor to have oversight within their realm.

### *SteamSpell*

The Inquisition was featured in the *SteamSpell* campaign in a similar role to the one they play in *WovenRealm.* After defeating Dr. Branson's biomancer enclave at Steele Bastion, the Star-Touched provided the Inquisition with the details of the biomancer's locations so that the Inquisition could begin the work of bringing them to justice.

### Pre-Campaign

The heretical machinations of Pontiff Belphegor in the White City led to its destruction, inspiring a young Josef von Zeppenstein to join the Inquisitors.

At some point in Oleander's childhood, the Inquisition had grown suspicious of House Morgenstern, which spurred her flight to the Baumer House in Weidenhafen. The Morgenstern family was deemed heretics; Cordula was put to death and Egon was presumably exiled to a Woedican penal colony. Oleander's twin brother, Apollo, is adopted by Carnifex von Zeppenstein, and taking after his adoptive father, joins the Inquisition himself rising to the rank of captian.

At some point in his teenage years, Fenris was arrested by Inquisitors who had branded him. He described the fury Maus Ponyhosen had when they came after the Inquisitors was a sight to behold. He still bears the scars of this mark.

### Season 1

The Emerald Caravan first encounters the Inquisition during the events of S1E12 "Harvest Moon." The Inquisition, exterminated the populace of Brocktree that was either infected by the moths or could not escape the destruction of the village. In S1E15 "Dawn Star," The Emperor's Hammer, von Zeppenstein's personal unit, under Apollo's leadership was sent to serve a warrant on Sprucewall Abbey while conducting an investigation into the events at Brocktree and the surrounding area in Old Pashnew. Met with resistance from the abbey's residence, the Inquisition bombarded the abbey with the rail fortress and executed the remaining populace for heresy.

Carnifex von Zeppenstein personally had an audience with Lady Katarina Steel requesting the Inquisitors be given permission to enter Bailen territory to investigate alleged biomancy being practiced within the Eternal Trust commune. Lady Steel denied this request.

### Season 2

While attending the ball at Nature's Nectar in S2E13, the Emerald Caravan was informed just in time to escape Inquisitors who were called to the distillery.

## Role in Imperial Kovith

The Inquisition is a unique branch of the Imperial Legions in that instead of answering to a government official such as a duke, king, or prince, but rather, they answer directly to the Kovithian Church; they are the only part of Kovith’s military to do so, and this militaristic arm is put to wide use by the Church. The Inquisition claims their fealty is to their god’s avatar, the Emperor. Many members are ordained clergy of the Church though many of their lower, rank and file soldiers are not clergy, but they may be ordained priests as they move up ranks in the 6th Legion. Inquisitors who are ordained priests of the Church are trained in old rites of exorcism and turning the undead. Along with being clergy of the Kovithian Church, every member is trained in combat, including the modern weapons of the Kovithian Empire. With the funding of the Church, the Legion is able to be well equipped and keep expanding as the Empire’s territory expands.

Due to the Inquisition growing so large, it is often divided into separate unites, much like how other Imperial Legions are divided into special regiments with unique cultures, fighting styles, and tactics.

## Membership

As a part of the Kovithian Church, members are required to show devout faith toward the Church and the faith. As Inquisitors move up the hierarchy of the organization, they are required to become ordained priests of the church so that they can learn the unique exorcism rituals utilized to cleanse areas of occult magic. Inquisitors are expected to behave in a way that is in accordance to the faith of the Kovithian Church, which often perpetuates many of the issues of intolerance that the organization suffers.

The Inquisitor’s uniform includes a pointed helmet, armor, and the red robes of a priest of the church; this look has become iconic for them. In the modern era, a gas-mask has become a major part of their uniform to prevent breathing occult magics, or, more likely, breathing in the vapors of the various smoke bombs and spells they use.

### Notable Members

* Captain Apollo von Zeppenstein
* Carnifex Josef von Zeppenstein
* Pontifex Augustus Siegfried (current Praetor)
* Bishop Innocent Eisselgoth (founding Praetor)

## Trivia

* The Kovithian Inquisition is a part of the backstories for both  Oleander and  Fenris.
* The Kovithian Inquisition is inspired by both the historical Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church as well as the Inquisition from *Warhammer.*
* The appearance of the Inquisitors is inspired by a combination of the Abyss Watchers from *Dark Souls 3* and the Spanish Inquisition.