vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Orders Famulous - Wargear: Shield Robes - When not clad in their well-known power armour, the Adepta Sororitas will often wear their armoured robes. These are consecrated mesh robes designed for both devotional study and martial training. Traditionally worn by the Orders Non-militant in their support roles and by novitiates as they are being instructed in the ways of the Sisterhood, they act as secondary clothing for a Battle Sister while their power armour is being maintained or when they return to their Convent. Eschewing regular clothing, the robes and the power armour are typically all a Battle Sister will wear. Shield Robes are not limited to the Adepta Sororitas. Clerics who find themselves in combat or who bring faith and fire to the enemies will also wear them. Often these robes are stylized and detailed with images from the lives of Saints or with iconography meaningful to a single cult.StaffChaplet-Ecclesiasticus - With each bead on the string representative of an act of penance performed by a Sister, the Chaplet Ecclesiasticus is often worn around the neck or waist depending on its length and preference of the wearer. In some cases each bead represents ten or even more acts of penance going as high as a thousand acts per bead. The Chaplet is combat ready, each bead made of adamantium.Ring of Suffrage - Designed to cause minor discomfort when twisted, a Ring of Suffrage is utilised as a form of corporal mortification, to remind the individual of the burdens they bear as a citizen of the Imperium, as well as the trials and tribulations endured by the Saints and the God-Emperor Himself.Scoriada - A flail used for self-mortification.Stub Revolver with Two Reloads
Orders Hospitaller - Hospitallers in the Calixis Sector: In the Calixis Sector, the Hospitallers have an exceptionally good relationship with the Astra Militarum. Their efforts have saved millions of lives and no place more than on Tranch with the sisters at the Sainted Encarmine Hospital.In that never-ending civil war against Imperial secessionists, the Sororitas have provided solace for the wounded and dying and have even taken up arms upon occasion to defend the hospital. When the Shroud Council attempted to make a statement by taking the hospital by force, they were surprised to find battle-ready warriors defending it, wielding their patients' Autoguns and Lasguns. Needless to say, the attack was repelled rather quickly.Second in size to the Orders Famulous, the Sisters Hospitaller are very valuable to the Ecclesiarchy because of the faith they inspire. Many a jaded soldier has embraced the Imperial Creed more devoutly after a Sister Hospitaller saved his life. As a result of this personal contact with units of soldiers and officers, they can also provide the Imperial Guard with advance warning of emerging problems with morale or heretical ideas among the troops.The bedside execution of cult leader Silas Grimm by a Hospitaller novitiate during the Mining Riots on Pellucida IX is a staunch reminder that Heretics have no place in the leadership of good troops. His taint forced the Inquisition to purge one-third of a division of Astra Militarum troops and burn down the barracks in which they lived. The remaining troops then served with distinction in quelling the riots following the purge.
Orders Hospitaller - Becoming a Sister Hospitaller: Though the Sisters Hospitaller are reputed to be the "gentle" arm of the Adepta Sororitas, in many ways this is far from the truth. As healers, doctors and spiritual counselors, they are peerless among the Orders. They are, however, still willing and able defenders of the Imperial Creed, ready to crush the life from a Heretic, mutant, or alien threat.A Hospitaller's convictions, like those of her fellow Sisters, are rooted in their desire to defeat the enemies of the Emperor without hesitation. Likewise, those undeserving will either not receive any care or will be sped along to meet the Emperor face-to-face for final judgement. It is for this reason that Sisters Hospitaller cannot always be utilised in an interrogation of confirmed Heretics, as they tend to die in their care prior to divulging information.
Orders Hospitaller - Known Orders Hospitaller: Order of the Eternal CandleOrder of SerenityOrder of the Cleansing WaterOrder of the TorchOrder of Quiet SorrowOrder Vespila
Orders Hospitaller - Wargear: Hospitaller Carapace - Often serving in combat zones, Sisters Hospitaller require more protection than other Non-militant Orders. The distinctive Carapace Armour is a welcome sight to injured Guardsmen and Inquisition Acolytes alike, an angel of mercy sent by the God-Emperor Himself. In addition to its protective qualities, the hooded habit is often coated in incense and unguents and the rest of the armour is sealed and treated against toxins.Hospitaller Medicae Tools - The Order Hospitaller equips its Sisters with the best battlefield medicine tools found outside the Apothecaries of the Adeptus Astartes. The kit has a variety of sacred oils, unguents, surgical tools, and sterilisers to help those who lay wounded in battle.Chaplet-Ecclesiasticus - With each bead on the string representative of an act of penance performed by a Sister, the Chaplet Ecclesiasticus is often worn around the neck or waist depending on its length and preference of the wearer. In some cases each bead represents ten or even more acts of penance going as high as a thousand acts per bead. The Chaplet is combat-ready, each bead made of adamantium.Ring of Suffrage - Designed to cause minor discomfort when twisted, a Ring of Suffrage is utilised as a form of corporal mortification, to remind the individual of the burdens they bear as a citizen of the Imperium, as well as the trials and tribulations endured by the Saints and the God-Emperor Himself.Stub Revolver with Two Reloads
Orders Pronatus - Orders Pronatus: The Orders Pronatus is one of the non-militant Orders Minoris of the Adepta Sororitas who specialise in retrieving, guarding, studying and repairing artefacts of value to the Adeptus Ministorum.
Orders Pronatus - History: The Orders Pronatus specialise in retrieving, guarding, studying and repairing artefacts of value to the Ecclesiarchy. This includes the uncounted thousands of holy relics revered by the peoples of the Imperium, but it also relates to items captured by the forces of the Imperium that are considered too powerful or significant to be allowed to fall into enemy hands.The sisters of the Orders Pronatus also have the responsibility of maintaining and blessing the many banners and symbols of the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas. They have even been called upon to reconsecrate the livery of other Imperial adepta, as was the case when they repaired the Chapter banner of the formerly disgraced Lamenters Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes after its involvement in the Badab War.It is said that the Sisters Pronatus who repaired the banner wept openly as they did so, so terrible to contemplate were the sins of the Lamenters against the Emperor. To this day, the standard is known as the Banner of Tears.Some Orders Pronatus are known to have given all in the defence of the artefacts they are charged with guarding or studying, and the fate of the Pronatus' Order of Blessed Enquiry is a salutary lesson in the risks inherent in hoarding an object imbued with the evil of the Ruinous Powers, even if the intent is to safeguard Humanity from their corrupting influence.
Orders Pronatus - Notable Orders Pronatus: Order of the August Vigil - One of the Orders Pronatus, specialising in the guardianship and defence of holy relics across the Imperium.Order of the Blessed Enquiry - One of the Orders Pronatus, believed to have been destroyed due to their collection of artefacts of the Chaos Gods. It is rumoured that they had discovered Slaanesh's true name and were responsible for the creation of the anti-Daemon weapon known as the Daemonifuge.Order of the Eternal Gate - One of the Orders Pronatus. Imperial records speak of the Order of the Eternal Gate, whose responsibility is the retrieval of ancient or dangerous relics and artefacts for the Ecclesiarchy from across the galaxy.Drusian Order of Footfall - On the void station of Footfall in the Koronus Expanse, a small reliquary was maintained by the Drusian sect of the Ecclesiarchy in the Calixis Sector. A small group of sisters were reassigned from various Orders Militant to the Orders Pronatus to help the Drusians guard the reliquary. Sister Argenta was one of these battle-sisters.
Orders Pronatus - Notable Orders Pronatus Sisters: Argenta - Argenta is a battle-sister currently of the Orders Pronatus and a former sister of the Order of Our Martyred Lady of the Adepta Sororitas currently serving in the retinue of the House von Valancius Rogue Trader dynasty in the Koronus Expanse of the Segmentum Obscurus. The terrible tread of gigantic Titans, the scream of Drop Pods entering the atmosphere -- these are the sounds that make the hearts of Heretics tremble. So too does prayer -- the holy battle prayer of the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas. Also known as the Sisters of Battle, these fierce and devoted women make up the militant arm of the Ecclesiarchy, the state church of the Imperium of Man. The orphaned daughter of Astra Militarum officers, the child that would become Sister Argenta received harsh training in the Schola Progenium -- the crucible of the Imperial military elite. Only one memory survived from before the ordeal of training -- or was it merely a dream? In this vision, the girl saw grey ship hulls and dirty military camps, dank trenches, faceless people in Astra Militarum uniforms, the roar of a counterattack, the crescendo of her mother's heart-rending cry, broken by an ominous silence...and the golden Aquila lying among the ashes, so immaculate, so alien in this gloomy and bleak environment. The symbol of the God-Emperor of Mankind. Somewhere in the malicious oceans of the Warp, the Emperor was fighting the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. For the young orphan, He became a semantic constant, an object of worship, an impeccable role model, the reason she had survived hell. Guided by this shining symbol, sure that she had been chosen for some great, as yet unknown, purpose, the girl proved herself time and time again in the Schola and ascended to the ranks of the Adepta Sororitas. Her birth name was forgotten, replaced by a new one -- Argenta, the name of a local saint worshipped in the Calixis Sector and the Koronus Expanse. A long and crooked path then led her to Footfall, where she was to join a small mission of her order to guard a holy reliquary. It seems that Argenta lives and breathes for one purpose -- to achieve perfection worthy of the Emperor's most faithful warriors. She is unstoppable, audacious -- sometimes too audacious. The battlefield is her temple, and bolter rounds are the words of her fervent prayer. When she rushes into battle, the ship's bulkheads reverberate with the passion of her prayers, and her allies feel the surge of power. But what led the young sister away from her duties as a guardian of the reliquary? Was it a holy epiphany or a fall from grace? This remains a tightly held secret...
Orders Sabine - Orders Sabine: The Battle Sisters of the Orders Sabine accompany the Missionaria Galaxia on missions to rediscover human-settled worlds and to prepare them for re-integration into Imperial society and culture. These Battle Sisters specialise in infiltrating primitive societies and introducing elements of the Imperial Creed to the natives.This process can take generations as the Sisters arrange royal marriages and act as court advisors. When the Missionaria Galaxia arrives on such a world the local leadership is then primed to accept the spread of the Imperial Cult without struggle or strife.
Orders Sabine - History: A little-known group amongst the peoples of the Imperium, the Orders Sabine operate at the very edges of human space, perhaps only returning to Terra or Ophelia VII once in a Sister Sabine's lifetime. The Orders Sabine accompany the Missionarius Galaxia on missions to newly rediscovered human worlds, and they specialise in infiltrating those often regressed and primitive societies that it is believed would oppose the arrival of the Imperium. Sisters Sabine often set themselves up as prophets of the Emperor, preaching the Imperial Cult in secret or fomeming revolt against the religious leaders of a world.When the Missionarious Galaxia arrives and announces its presence to the world's peoples, the Sisters Sabine will have prophesised such an event, and will lead those natives sympathetic to the Imperial Creed in a sudden and deadly coup against their leaders. Through their work, the Sisters Sabine are often cut off from the Imperium for a great many years, and many have the appearance of having "gone native," adopting the clothing, language and manners of the culture they are infiltrating. It is only when her true purpose is revealed that the Sabine will throw of their disguise and become, once again, a pious servant of the God-Emperor.
Ordinatus Ulator - Ordinatus Ulator: The Ordinatus Ulator was a potent weapon system deployed by the ancient Mechanicum's Centurio Ordinatus during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras that served as a form of powerful sonic artillery.
Ordinatus Ulator - History: The Centurio Ordinatus was a section of the Mechanicum's Divisio Militaris, the Mechanicum organisation responsible for the development, maintenance and operation of the mighty Ordinatus war machines. Every individual Ordinatus was a unique construction named after the Imperial world on which it was first employed or built.A rare and truly arcane weapon system of staggering power, the Mechanicum's Ordinatus Ulator was one of the smaller classes of Ordinatus, an Ordinatus Minoris, but nevertheless was one of the most potent war machines at the Imperium's disposal. In the time of the Great Crusade, Ordinatus macro engines were rarer than even the Battle Titans of the Legio Titanica, and only a handful of Forge Worlds had the resources, or indeed the doctrinal blessing and religious authority, to produce or maintain such embodiments of the Omnissiah's divine wrath. Such was the sacredness of these machines above all others that an entire sub-cult of the Mechanicum was devoted to their worship and propitiation.Three of these deadly Ordinatus platforms were to be given over to the Warmaster Horus at the behest of the Renegade Forge World of Xana II. These Ordinatus, named Mithrax, Nepothax and Ashurax after Ancient Terran deities long dead of worship, were first to be demonstrated before the Warmaster's chosen emissary at the Forge World's own proving grounds on the moon of Xana-Tisiphone, then afterwards, their ceremonial handover would act as a symbolic sealing of Xana's loyalty to Horus.In the end, however, two of the three were captured by Loyalist forces led by the Blackshield commander Endryd Haar during the Xana Incursion in 009.M31, and one was destroyed during that battle.
Ordinatus Ulator - Armament: An Ordinatus Ulator carries a trio of Volkite Culverins as its secondary armaments, but its primary weapon is the Ulator-class Sonic Destructor. A terrifying weapon whose origins lie in the shadows of the Age of Strife, these devices, though inferior copies of the unique armament of the great Primus Ordinatus Mars, still operate on an order of magnitude far beyond anything mounted on even the largest super-heavy tank found in the Imperium's common arsenal.Using a Plasma Reactor akin to those found on Battle Titans to power a directional sonic transduction generator of staggering force, it emits a varying waveform of destructive sound energy able to shatter the most resilient materials. The annihilating wave-pulse traverses the battlefield wreaking havoc in its path, the particular effect of its design meaning that the larger the target struck, the more damaging the wave's impact.
Ordinatus Ulator - Notable Ordinatus Ulator: Ordinatus Ulator Ashurax - The Ashurax was captured by Endryd Haar's Blackshields in the Xana Incursion.Ordinatus Ulator Mithrax - The Mithrax was also captured by Endryd Haar's Blackshields during the Xana Incursion.Ordinatus Ulator Nepothax - The Nepothax was destroyed during the fighting of the Xana Incursion.
Ordo Chronos - Ordo Chronos: The Ordo Chronos was one of the Ordos Minoris of the Inquisition that operated within the Jericho Reach. This mysterious and incredibly obscure Ordo was formed to investigate the potential ramifications of potential time travel through the Warp, particularly the potential for deliberate manipulation of this phenomenon.Details on what the Ordo found in their investigations are virtually nonexistent as the entire organisation disappeared from the face of the galaxy, taking their secrets with them.It is not known how or why this occurred, or if it was voluntary on behalf of the Ordos or not, though whispers of the involvement of dark technologies, long-forbidden, have surfaced over the centuries since this mysterious incident.However, by the time of the early 42nd Millennium, the Ordo Chronos was known to be active once more, having either been reconstituted with a new membership or having returned from wherever it had gone.
Ordo Chronos - History: Few have ever heard of the Ordo Chronos, even amongst the senior ranks of the Inquisition, and still fewer have any inkling as to its mission. It is generally believed that this particular Ordo came into being as a result of the study of the effects of Warp travel and the passage of time.Due to the unpredictable nature of Warp travel, it has been known that occasionally a vessel will be becalmed in the Warp. By the time it manages to extricate itself from the Immaterium the crew will have experienced the passage of mere solar months, while in the material universe many standard centuries may have passed.Far less common, however, are those occasions when a vessel has become embroiled in a Warp phenomena that has resulted in it being expelled from Warpspace at a point of time before it actually set out.The Ordo Chronos, so it is believed, was established in the Jericho Reach in order to combat any temporal anomalies that might arise from these and similar events. This Ordo's Inquisitors feared that if such void travellers appeared in the past, they might somehow alter the proper course of events, potentially interfering with the fate of Mankind and the Emperor's intentions.Over several centuries, the Ordo Chronos investigated these instances thought to be related to all manner of temporal phenomena, their work eventually expanding beyond the original Warp-related events to others, perhaps even those of a deliberate nature.Then, for some unexplained reason, the entirety of the Ordo Chronos disappeared. No one truly knows how many members the Ordo had, but in a single moment, every Inquisitor linked to this mysterious Ordo disappeared or went into hiding.Over the centuries whispered tales hint at the involvement of Renegade factions within the Adeptus Mechanicus and the pursuit of certain technologies long-forbidden to that ancient brotherhood.No one living knew how or why they vanished, or if someday, their members might return. The Ordo Chronos remained the subject of legend amongst those few who knew they had ever existed.It was said that some of these individuals stayed eternally vigilant against the doom such an event might presage for the future of Humanity itself, should they one day return.By the time of the 42nd Millennium, the Ordo Chronos had either returned from their disappearance or been reestablished with new Inquisitors, as its members began an internal feud known as the Chronostrife once the resurrection of the Primarch Roboute Guilliman made clear that the Imperial Dating System itself had fallen deeply into error with the passage of the millennia.
Ordo Chronos - Chronostrife: By the start of the Era Indomitus, the Ordo Chronos was involved in an ongoing and bitter internal conflict over the Imperial Dating System, for the Emperor's calendar had not survived the passing of the millennia intact.During the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, the standard Imperial Dating System had provided some idea of the order of events over time, but like everything else the Emperor had created, the calendar had become degraded by both dogmatic adherence and thoughtless revisionism over the centuries.Various rival dating systems had evolved from the Imperial Standard, making a true chronicle of the Human-settled galaxy almost impossible to construct. As the Indomitus Crusade's first phase drew to a close, Roboute Guilliman, the Lord Commander of the Imperium and Primarch of the Ultramarines, calculated the current year by the five main factional variants of the Imperial Calendar to be anywhere between the early 41st Millennium and an entire millennium later, and that was leaving out the numerous lesser, more heretical interpretations.Guilliman had been hoping to find a solution to the Imperium's tortured dating system, but had instead found there was none. It was just one more item that would ultimately require his personal attention to repair.
Ordo Hereticus - Ordo Hereticus: The Ordo Hereticus is one of the three Ordos Majoris of the secretive organisation known as the Holy Ordos of the Emperor's Inquisition. They are tasked with protecting Mankind from itself, by combatting such internal threats to the Imperium as treason, mutation, heresy, apostate members of the Ecclesiarchy and Unsanctioned Psykers, colloquially known as "witches" across much of the Imperium.It is this latter function that has earned the Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus the name "Witch Hunters." Mutants, rebels and Heretics are also targeted by the Ordo Hereticus. The ordo has no qualms at all about acting against threats in the other Imperial adepta and many a Renegade Adeptus Ministorum cardinal or corrupt Tech-priest has met their end at the hands of a Witch Hunter.These Inquisitors are some of the most feared individuals in the entire Imperium, and like all Inquisitors they have ultimate authority over any other Imperial organisation in the Adeptus Terra and can demand assistance from any other source of authority in the Imperium.The Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus are generally considered darker and more sinister than even their Ordo Xenos and Ordo Malleus brethren because of their focus on eliminating the Human enemies of the Emperor within the Imperium, which have transformed them into a grim, paranoid and unforgiving lot.The Ordo Hereticus' Chamber Militant are the Sisters of Battle, the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas, and they also make use of the Inquisitorial Black Ships to round up Unsanctioned Psyker mutants from across the galaxy. The members of the Ordo Hereticus can also call upon the military forces of the Ecclesiarchy, the Frateris Militia, whenever necessary, though more often they will simply requisition units of the Astra Militarum as needed.
Ordo Hereticus - Portfolio: Although primarily concerned with monitoring the Ecclesiarchy to prevent its clerics from subverting the Imperium's delicate political balance between all the different loci of Imperial power, the Ordo Hereticus has expanded its jurisdiction to encompass the other threats to the Imperium of Man from within: witches, mutants, Heretics, Traitors and other Human deviants who would threaten the lives, or even worse, the souls, of the Emperor's subjects.Hereticus Inquisitors are the most feared members of the Inquisition, as their focus is on Mankind itself and they are pitiless towards those they deem to have failed the Emperor or broken His trust. And under the fierce and unflinching gaze of a Hereticus Inquisitor, there are few now alive who have not failed the Master of Mankind in some way in either word or deed. The arrival of an Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor on a world is met with fear and awe, as no one but the Inquisitor themself knows where or upon whom their attentions will fall.However, many Witch Hunters, for all the awe and terror they deliberately inspire, know the value of secrecy and stealth in the execution of their duties. The ordo employs a myriad of agents, investigators, informants, scholars, and infiltrators as Acolytes for this purpose. The reason for such tactics are simple. For a heresy to be purged, it must first be uncovered. The Ordo Hereticus can match the most labyrinthine plotters and secretive cults with dark machinations of their own, as many unsuspecting Traitors and Heretics have learned.Although the Ordo Hereticus is extreme in its methods and utterly unforgiving in its persecutions, it has every cause and right to be. The Imperium, though vast and seemingly invulnerable, faces the ever-present danger of a slow death by rot from within. This rot must be discovered and cut out. The eternal war of the Ordo Hereticus is one with no bystanders and no innocents. It is a war waged without pity or relent, not just to defend the status quo or enforce the Imperium’s rule, but because the body and the soul of Humanity itself is at stake.The members of the Ordo Hereticus monitor the Wars of Faith inspired and commanded by the Ecclesiarchy, to ensure they remain within the objectives assigned by the ecclesiarch and the other High Lords of Terra. They ensure that the teachings preached by priests of the Imperial Cult remain true to the spirit of the Emperor's will (and the orthodoxy of the Adeptus Ministorum). They regulate the wealth and stellar territory claimed by the higher-ranking members of the Ecclesiarchy, to prevent the princes of that institution, its bishops and cardinals, from gaining more temporal power than is appropriate, not wishing to see a repeat of the Reign of Blood.The Ordo Hereticus is also called upon to monitor other Imperial organisations for internal threats, including the Adeptus Arbites, the Space Marines, and even the other Ordos Majoris and Minoris of the Inquisition itself. Only the Emperor is beyond their jurisdiction or their suspicion, though attempts to root out perceived threats in the other ordos of the Inquisition can be a difficult task at best.
Ordo Hereticus - Heresies of Faith and Thought: "True heresy" as it concerns the Ordo Hereticus is crudely defined as: adhering to, promulgating, or acting on a theological or political doctrine contrary to the orthodoxy of the Adeptus Ministorum's Imperial Creed or the Lex Imperialis (which is itself considered of divine impute, being based upon the word and gift of the God-Emperor).In practical terms, the crime of heresy covers a multitude of sins ranging from the denial of the Emperor's divinity and direct rebellion against the rule and rights of the Adeptus Terra to all manner of blasphemies and irreligious practice. In broader use, heresy, as expounded from the pulpit by Imperial Confessors, is coined as a pejorative term to define any crime, sin, or deviancy of thought that the Imperium's moral guardians find objectionable.However, the Imperium is a truly vast place with countless variations of culture and doctrine, not all of which fit together comfortably. The extent of the fervour with which heresy in this sense is treated and just what is considered "heretical" by the fanatics and extremists of a given world over another can vary enormously.
Ordo Hereticus - Crimes of Bodily Corruption and Witchcraft: The fundamental nature of what it is to be Human is under constant threat by the mutant and the psyker. Corrupted in flesh, to the Ordo Hereticus the mutant represents deviation from the physical norm and a potential taint of Chaos. With mutation, it is commonly believed that spiritual corruption and depravity often follows as naturally as carrion draws vermin.Under the Lex Imperialis and the pronouncements of the Adeptus Ministorum's Imperial Creed, to be a mutant is to be removed from Humanity. It is to be accursed and become the enemy simply by virtue of existing. Many mutants, who are more rightly classed as Abhuman because their bodies have been deformed by generations of industrial pollution or exposure to alien biospheres and are thus utterly blameless of Warp taint, are still rendered suspect and are often the victims of the zealot's wrath.However, more measured and reasoning factions within the Ordo Hereticus do see and make the distinction, preferring not to waste their time rounding up a few chem-dregs when real Chaos-corrupted deviants may be hiding behind a wealthy façade. These elements favour a pragmatic approach of brutal enforcement and vigilance. Others of a more Puritan mind favour the simpler solution of simply destroying them all...just to be safe.This latter course of action meets stiff resistance and can make such Inquisitors powerful enemies on worlds whose entire economies rely on an underclass of Abhuman labour to survive and prosper. On the whole and for the good of the wider Imperium, the pragmatist's approach of the control and repression of mutants usually wins out. However, when Warp taint or rebellion rears its head, the powers of the Holy Ordos let slip the Emperor's hounds and whole worlds may be heaped high with pyres as a result.The witch, by comparison, poses a danger far greater than any other Traitor or Heretic, embodying a constant threat to the souls and lives of all those around them. Not only are such individuals potential avenues by which the horrors of the Warp may be unleashed on the unsuspecting mass of Humanity, but their unrestrained and often untrained psychic powers make each and every one of them a potential planetary-level cataclysm waiting to happen.Each is capable of crimes and atrocities (by accident or design) unimaginable to the average citizen, from causing spontaneous fires and waves of nightmares, to the willful enslavement of others as living puppets and the slaughter of innocents by no more than a stray thought. The persecution of the witch and the Unsanctioned Psyker is the central goal of many within the Ordo Hereticus and it is a dangerous task indeed. It calls for the utmost guile, ruthlessness, and savvy, for few prey are more dangerous.
Ordo Hereticus - Sin of the Past: Although the central tasks of the Ordo Hereticus are widely known, there are other, rarer kinds of crimes that also concern them. The veneration of false gods and forbidden lores that hearken back to the sins of Humanity's ancient past merit the direst enmity of the ordo. Some are crimes so proscribed that even to know of them is enough to warrant summary execution.Others, such as the worship of the false godhead known as "progress" and the pursuit of technologies and sciences proscribed since the time when the Emperor walked among His people, are treated with the same scorn and hatred as any mutant cult.The ordo's involvement in such matters has brought it into conflict in the past with other powerful groups such as the Adeptus Mechanicus and their counterparts among the Ordo Xenos, who might dispute both its involvement and its methods.
Ordo Hereticus - Hereticus Investigations: It is the Emperor-given duty of all Inquisitors, Throne Agents and Acolytes to root out the enemies of Mankind wherever they hide, and to purge these threats. However, perhaps for no other ordo is the process of examination so important as for the Ordo Hereticus.Whereas the xenos attacks in great hordes or invades from massive troopships, and the Daemon descends upon the worlds of the Imperium through breaches in the very fabric of existence, the Heretic, psyker, Traitor, and even mutant so often lurk unseen amongst the innumerable masses of Humanity.In order to distinguish these enemies and find them amongst the masses of pious citizens, the servants and members of the Ordo Hereticus must hone their skills as detectives and investigators, until identifying clues and following leads to heretical activity is all but second nature.
Ordo Hereticus - Physical Clues: Physical clues are often vital to an Ordo Hereticus Witch Hunter's work. Potential Heretics are everywhere, but Acolytes have not the time to question every worker who misses a shift, or every noble who idles their time in illicit pursuits.Inquisitors and their retinues must constrict their attentions to only those heresies that truly threaten Humanity, and the presence of physical evidence can be invaluable in narrowing their focus. The remnants of dark rituals, pendants, and markings showing allegiance, and myriad other clues can identify the presence of a threat.
Ordo Hereticus - Heresy of Deed: Many acts are heretical in themselves, or serve as signs of heresy. Although Acolytes must often work from the scene of a crime in order to identify and pursue the Heretics responsible, with the Emperor's guidance they sometimes are fortunate enough to directly observe a heresy in action.This might come about because the Acolytes are operating undercover or unseen, allowing them to observe a Heretic's crimes unbeknownst to them. At the other end of the spectrum, directly confronting a suspect with their suspicions, or merely announcing their identities, might drive the Heretic to act rashly and flee or attack the Acolytes -- both great crimes in themselves, as well as indicators of guilt in previous matters.
Ordo Hereticus - Heresy of Form: It is well-known that physical mutation is often a sign of spiritual corruption by Chaos. Although communities of mutants are tolerated on some Imperial worlds as an underclass, in most places, a mutation is a clear indicator of greater heresy. Even in locations where mutants are suffered to live, the presence of a mutant outside of strictly isolated areas might indicate rebellion or some other heresy is afoot.Of course, mutants who are able to conceal their mutations are certain to do so. Additionally, cult members sometime intentionally mark their dark allegiances on their flesh through ritual scarring, branding, or electoos. Although a powerful clue, the use of such marks can also be a liability to Acolytes attempting to infiltrate a cult, who might face the choice of accepting such marks or revealing their true loyalties.
Ordo Hereticus - Heresy of Craft: Many Heretics take a perverse pride in their treachery, creating blasphemous items to either celebrate their heresies or corrupt others. These vary greatly, and while some are obvious works of heresy, others are more subtle, such as paintings laced with fine iconography.The works of Heretics come in countless forms. Weapons incorporating xenos technology, tomes of blasphemous lore, philosophical treatises questioning the divine right of Mankind to rule the galaxy, ritual masks depicting alien gods, talismans of profane symbols -- these are just some of the examples. Heretics might create such items personally, or might purchase or inherit them, and many could be many Terran millennia old.
Ordo Hereticus - Informational Clues: Although not as reliable as physical clues, Acolytes must often rely on informational clues. This might be because the Heretics have taken pains to hide or destroy the evidence of their crimes, or because the nature of the heresy is such that it leaves no physical evidence -- at least not until it is too late.
Ordo Hereticus - Heresy of Thought: Knowledge is power, and heretical ideas are just as dangerous and damaging as physical acts. The Acolytes might discover heresy of thought by covertly monitoring a suspect, or earning a Heretic's trust to the point that they reveal their true beliefs. For those Witch Hunters who employ the gifts of psykers, telepathy provides an avenue to discover heretical thoughts when the perpetrator is wise enough to avoid giving voice to their blasphemies.Whether an individual intends to act on their heretical thoughts is irrelevant. Giving voice to such ideas spreads the seeds of heresy to others, which is a great crime in itself. In the eyes of some Puritan Inquisitors, even holding such thoughts is a crime against Humanity, for such an individual might later make the transition from speculation to action, or might decide to share their dangerous ideas. Ideas hold great power, and the mere thought of the most dangerous ideas marks one as a Heretic just as surely as any act.
Ordo Hereticus - Heresy of Tolerance: In some cases, the knowledge of an ongoing heresy and failure to act on the information is truly a heresy in itself. Someone who knowingly harbours Rogue Psykers, sells weapons to rebels, allows friends or family to join a heretical cult, or otherwise tolerates actions that threaten Mankind, even in a small way, are surely Heretics themselves. For by their inaction, they give strength to the enemies of Mankind.
Ordo Hereticus - Accusation of Heresy: The Adeptus Terra and the governments of many worlds constantly remind citizens to report heresy whenever possible (lest they become guilty of heresy of tolerance). Many citizens, whether out of fear or duty, report minor or imagined infractions that, while worthy of the attentions of local authorities, are not the concern of Acolytes.However, rarely, a dutiful citizen reports the presence of a truly grave heresy. In some cases, the citizen might simply be suspicious of a neighbour. For even if the informant does not understand the nature of their neighbour's crime (and it is good they do not), the Acolytes' efforts can reveal the truth. In some cases, an accuser might even be able to furnish additional evidence, or lead the Acolytes to clues.
Ordo Hereticus - Correlational Clues: Correlational clues often propel an investigation forward. They arise from other kinds of clues, allowing the Acolytes to make sense of seemingly random acts, insane writings, and illogical ideas.In the work of the Ordo Hereticus, correlational clues might take the form of a revelation that a series of seemingly unrelated murders is actually the work of a cult dedicated to the Blood God, or that failures amongst a hive city's vital systems are due to intentional sabotage.
Ordo Hereticus - Dark Patterns: As an investigation develops and Acolytes amass clues, patterns often emerge. These can sometimes be mundane and logical, such as narrowing down the location of a Heretic by examining where their crimes occur. However, patterns also arise that can even border on the supernatural. Inexplicable occurrences, such as unidentifiable smells that linger in the wake of a cult's members, or nightmares disturbing the sleep of hivers at regular intervals, can identify the presence of heretical activity.Such incidents might seem to be random occurrences at first, their significance only becoming apparent as an investigation develops and the Acolytes learn of additional incidences. As the Acolytes identify such patterns, they might reveal the location of the Heretics, the nature of the Heretics, or even their plans. With the Emperor's guidance, such leads allow the Acolytes to find the culprits and halt their designs.
Ordo Hereticus - Ciphers and Hidden Messages: Heretics, by their nature, often operate discreetly. Sharing their blasphemous ideals openly would quickly bring down the wrath of the local planetary Enforcers, the Ecclesiarchy, or even the Inquisition. To protect themselves and facilitate safe communication, cults, secret societies, Traitors, and groups dedicated to protecting mutants or Rogue Psykers often develop codes and secret signs.To reveal the presence of these Heretics, Acolytes must be able to at least identify ciphers as such, even if they are unable to decrypt them. Acolytes might notice repeated symbols associated with the Heretics, even things as subtle as a feather of a certain colour tucked somewhere in their clothes, a particular hand signal, or a seemingly innocuous phrase.Although a single occurrence of such a sign is by design unremarkable, the Acolytes can discern the importance of these hidden messages by being aware of repeated sightings. Once aware, they can use this information to identify the Heretics through the very ciphers intended to keep them hidden.
Ordo Hereticus - Heresy by Association: The most stringent and merciless of Witch Hunters often feel that association with a Heretic is a sign of heresy in itself. Even if no other evidence is available, purging those affiliated with the Heretic is safest. Friends and family of a Heretic might claim ignorance of their deeds, but mere proximity to such a corrupting influence might leave a stain on the soul.Even if only one in a thousand such associates has truly been tainted by the acts or ideas of the Heretic, it is safer to destroy them all. As it is said, innocence proves nothing.
Ordo Hereticus - Chamber Militant: The Adepta Sororitas, also known as the Sisters of Battle or the Daughters of the Emperor, are a penitent organisation within the larger Adeptus Ministorum of women devoted to the worship of the God-Emperor of Mankind and the orthodox interpretation of the Imperial Creed.Although there are many different orders within the Sisterhood that perform many different specialised functions across the Imperium, the most well-known are the Orders Militant, which form the military arm of the Ecclesiarchy and also serve as the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Hereticus.After the Age of Apostasy, the Ecclesiarchy was forbidden from possessing any "men under arms" by the Decree Passive issued by the famous Ecclesiarch Sebastian Thor, the righteous successor of Goge Vandire. A loophole was found and exploited by later ecclesiarchs by refounding the Daughters of the Emperor as warrior-nuns after merging them into the greater sisterhood of the Adepta Sororitas. The Sisterhood serves, among its many other functions, as an internal regulator of the Ecclesiarchy and as the army of the Adeptus Ministorum, spreading the True Faith in the God-Emperor throughout the galaxy.Centuries ago, following the Age of Apostasy, the newly reformed Adepta Sororitas and the Ordo Hereticus forged an agreement to assist one another in fighting the Emperor's enemies. This agreement, made at the Convocation of Nephilim, is still shrouded in mystery and it is suggested among some Inquisitors that the Sisters of Battle and the Ordo Hereticus are following some secret plan that only the canonesses of the Sororitas and a few Inquisitor Lords fully understand.Whether this is true or not, a Witch Hunter can expect to find common purpose with the Sisters of Battle, and the two organisations work together extensively. Although very different in their methods of tackling a problem or internal dissent (Hereticus Inquisitors tend to be analytical, methodical and suspicious, while the Sisters of Battle are zealous and unquestioning of Imperial Creed dogma) the sisters and the Ordo Hereticus also share the common purpose of eradicating threats to the Imperium from within.Even though the Adeptus Sororitas and its Sisters of Battle remain part of the Ecclesiarchy's structure, they respond when called upon by Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus who need a more forceful resolution to a particular problem.
Ordo Hereticus - Ordo Hereticus Relics: Liber Heresius - First laid down during the Age of Apostasy, this tome has grown to contain the wisdom of thousands of Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors. By properly interrogating its pages, the reader can glean sufficient wisdom to predict and counter the strategies of Renegades and Traitors before their ruinous schemes come to fruition. Over the course of centuries, the Liber Heresius has become incredibly unwieldy, as each new wielder scribbles his or her own notes into its broad margins.
Ordo Hereticus - Sources: Black Crusade: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 367Codex: Inquisition (6th Edition), pp. 12-13, 22, 39, 50, 83, 101, 107, 130-131, 136, 154, 167Codex: Tyranids (3rd Edition)Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition)Dark Heresy: Ascension (RPG), pp. 169-170Dark Heresy: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 220, 226, 257, 268-269, 318-322Dark Heresy: Disciples of the Dark Gods (RPG), pp. 21-22Dark Heresy: Enemies Within (2nd Edition) (RPG), pp. 138-140Dark Heresy: The Radical's Handbook (RPG), pg. 233Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (Video Game)Deathwatch: Rising Tempest (RPG), pg. 47Rogue Trader: The Navis Primer (RPG), pg. 114Grey Knights (Novel) by Ben CounterDawn of War II - Retribution (PC Game)
Ordo Hydra - Ordo Hydra: The Ordo Hydra is an extremist offshoot of the secret society known as the Illuminati that is dedicated to the use of certain extreme measures to destroy the existence of Chaos in the universe once and for all. It is composed mainly, but not entirely, of Illuminati who are also Inquisitors, some of whom occupy extremely high ranks in the Inquisition.Its origins can be found in the pathological hate of Chaos by these Illuminati, coupled with their impatience over the uncertain outcome and very long-term timeline to fruition of the mainstream Illuminati organisation's plans. In their impatience, the Ordo Hydra's members used sorcery to conjure an entity from the Warp called the Hydra, which was a form of psychic "virus" supposedly controlled by the Ordo Hydra that was capable of infiltrating a human mind and completely dominating it.Their plan was to infect as many human worlds in the Imperium as possible with this entity, and then through the use of this virus they planned to direct the uncountable masses of infected humans as a single hive mind to deliver a concentrated, collective psychic blow to Chaos within the Immaterium, which the Dark Gods would presumably be unable to resist. The Ordo Hydra believed that this blow could be struck against Chaos much sooner than the more long-term plans of the rest of the Illuminati would have allowed -- at most, in a matter of Terran centuries rather than several millennia.The "mainstream" Illuminati were determined to stop the Ordo Hydra's plan since it would result in the de facto psychic enslavement of much of Mankind even if the plan had proved successful. There was also the real possibility that the Ordo Hydra's plan would have backfired, resulting in the creation of a fifth Chaos God within the Warp comprised of the collective psychic unconsciousness of the infected humans. Such an outcome would precipitate the complete domination of the galaxy by the Ruinous Powers and thus ensure the final victory of Chaos rather than defeating it.The differences between the various Illuminati factions led to secret operations that involved the assassinations of rival Inquisitor-Illuminati, and the use of multiple double agents. In one instance, the "mainstream" Illuminati used a double agent named Zephro Carnelian to manipulate the Ordo Malleus Inquisitor Jaq Draco into joining the Ordo Hydra, hoping that Draco would realise the fearful implications of the secret Ordo's plans and act against it.Draco was indeed appalled by the Ordo Hydra and its plans, and clandestinely traveled to Terra, where he became one of the few mortals to enter the Hall of the Golden Throne in the depths of the Imperial Palace. There he revealed his knowledge of the Ordo Hydra's plan to the Emperor of Mankind Himself. Imperial records do not currently indicate what measures, if any, the Emperor and the Imperium took against the Ordo Hydra after Draco's revelations.
Ordo Maledictum - Ordo Maledictum: The Ordo Maledictum is an Ordo Minoris of the Inquisition created during the Era Indomitus.Its members seek any means by which the Great Rift might be driven back or even closed altogether.
Ordo Malleus - Ordo Malleus: The Ordo Malleus, whose Inquisitors are often referred to as "Daemonhunters," is one of the three primary sub-divisions or "Ordos Majoris" of the Imperial Inquisition, tasked with protecting the Imperium of Mankind from the Daemonic dangers of Chaos.Along with the Ordo Hereticus ("Witch Hunters") and the Ordo Xenos ("Alien Hunters"), the Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus make up the majority of the byzantine secret police force and galaxy-wide intelligence service that is the Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition.Aided by the elite, psychic Grey Knights Chapter of Space Marines, who serve as the Ordo Malleus' Chamber Militant, it is the task of the Inquisitors and Acolytes of the Ordo Malleus to destroy the physical manifestation of Chaos, Daemons, in realspace as well as any other mortal agents of Chaos who threaten both the peace and the souls of the Imperium's people.