Adeptus Astra Telepathica

The Adeptus Astra Telepathica is the organisation tasked with controlling all human psykers outside of the Adeptus Astartes and Navis Nobilite within the Imperial Trust. Even those psykers within the Inquisition are required to have passed the trials of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. While it grew out of the Imperial organisation of the same name the Adeptus Astra Telepathica of the Imperial Trust has made massive strides in several areas, mostly due to the combination of powerful, controlled psykers and psychic knowledge that Avernus provides. The Adeptus Astra Telepathica is based on Avernus, and the vast majority of its senior members are Avernite, a demographic that is unlikely to ever change.

## Organisation

The Adeptus Astra Telepathica is led by a High Grandmaster, who has ultimate control over the order subordinate only to the laws of the Imperial Trust. Given that the High Grandmaster of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica has a seat on the High Council he is considered to be one of the most powerful people within the Imperial Trust. (Of course with High Grandmaster Ridcully's skills and connections he is actually more powerful then the rest of the Imperial Trust in his own right).

Below the High Grandmaster are the three Departmental Grandmasters, each of whom controls one of the three major Departments that cover the vast majority of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. These Departmental Grandmasters along with other senior psykers form the advisory council which assists the High Grandmaster with his duties.

The three Departments of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica are the Department of War, which oversees Battle Psykers, the Central Department which oversees the Psyker Cities and Universities and all that occurs within, and the Regional Department which oversees non-combat activity outside of the Psyker Cities and Universities.

### Divisions, Offices and Orders

Within each Department are several Divisions, each of which has a purpose fundamental to the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. These Divisions area each led by a Division Master, and run most of the day to day life of most psykers.

Offices are set up to oversee all activity from the Adeptus Astra Telepathica within a particular region, most often a solar system that contains a Psyker University. Offices will contain members of multiple divisions of every department within the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, and the Office Master is considered to outrank all but the Departmental Grandmasters within their region, and to rank just below a Division Master outside of it.

Orders are gatherings of psykers with a particular purpose or specialization that is not important enough to require a full division. Most often an order is subordinate to a particular Department, or even Division, but Orders that answer directly to the High Grandmaster are possible. Each Order is led by an Order Master, who has a great deal of control over the members of the Order and little outside of it.

### Collages of Magic

The Colleges of Magic function as effectively giant Orders focused on the use of a particular Wind. This is a independent stratum of organisation within the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, and while the eight College Masters answer to the Grandmaster of the Central Department, the size of the Colleges makes them some of the most influential members of the Telepathica outside of the Grandmasters themselves. The majority of psykers will end up being members of one of the eight Colleges, though few of them will be active members who work primarily under the Colleges direction. Most members will receive semi-regular postgrad training from their respective Colleges in the use of their particular field.

## Training a Psyker

When a cooperative Psyker is located, either though self-reporting or the efforts of a Witch Finder, they are then transported to one of the great Psyker Universities of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica where they are given a though examination.

Once examined Psyker is assigned to a dormitory with psykers of a similar age and level of training, and where possible a similar power. For a psyker found as a child, as most major psyker are, this is where they will live until they take the trials at the end of their training, which is usually sometime in their mid twenties. In this time psykers will be given a varied thorough education, covering psychic disciplines and related skills, standard educational requirements, combat, craft and many other areas. Eventually a psyker will be considered ready to attempt the Sanctioning trails, which will allow the psyker to graduate and to leave the restricted areas of the Psyker University for the first time in decades. The trials come in three parts, first the Trials of Knowledge where a psyker proves that their education in academic matters is complete, the comes the Trials of Skill, where the psyker proves that their control over their powers and skill with them is sufficient. Finally comes the Trial of Will, in which the purity and strength of will of the psyker is tested to its limits. While a Psyker who fails the first two trials merely fails to graduate and is expected to retake them in a years time one who fails the Trial of Will is given the Emperor's Mercy to prevent their future fall.

After passing the trails as psyker applies to a particular division for membership, with their application effected significantly by the results of their Trials. Once accepted a psyker will have between five and ten years of intensive training before they become a full member of their division.