Death Cult - Role: Uncounted Death Cults are known to exist, scattered across the length and breadth of the Imperium, from the densely populous worlds of the Segmentum Solar to the most isolated of frontier planets. Death Cults are essentially religious sects composed of utterly ruthless killers dedicated to shedding the blood of the enemies of Mankind in honour of the blood of martyrs (the seed of the Imperium) and the Emperor.All such cults are highly secretive, and indulge in a wide range of ritual practices. As such, most Death Cults walk a perilous line between fanatical dedication to the Imperial Creed (albeit expressed in a quite singular manner) and outright doctrinal heresy. Many, in fact, step over an invisible line. Thus, they become pawns, knowingly or ignorantly, of the Ruinous Powers. Many are the cults that have stumbled into the arms of Khorne or Slaanesh through increasingly extreme ritualistic practice. It is little wonder that the Ecclesiarchy views the Death Cults with great distrust, and that the Inquisition keeps a very close eye on them.The life of a Death Cult assassin is utterly dedicated to ritualised death. No two Death Cults are exactly alike, but all share the belief that the ultimate worship of the Emperor is to carry on the work of the slaying of the enemies of Humanity. Cult assassins train endlessly in a wide range of weapons, honing their skills so that every stroke of the blade, every drip of blood spilled is an offering to the Emperor.Often, Death Cultists have many deviant practices, including devouring Human flesh in cannibalistic rituals and performing ceremonies focused around the drinking of blood. The vast majority of Death Cult assassins eschew the use of ranged weapons, though a number make use of short-ranged weaponry such as throwing stars, stilettos, and the like. Many Death Cults prefer to use a number of highly-specialised and lovingly maintained melee weapons, including punchdaggers, rending claws shaped like eagle talons, or even entire blades carved from the bones of the Imperial faithful.The targets of the Death Cult assassins are those deemed by the cult's leadership to be deserving of death. Few cults engage in indiscriminate murder, for local authorities would soon challenge them, although those in more isolated regions may occasionally do so. Most instead concentrate their efforts on a particular group of enemies. Some hunt down those they have deemed heretical in the eyes of the Emperor, perhaps adherents of a rival Death Cult or natives of a planet that once defied the will of the Emperor. Others hunt down particular species of alien. Some cults defend a specific territory, believing perhaps that the Emperor Himself once trod there and any who trespass upon such holy ground must be slain.Many Death Cultists believe themselves purified by consuming the corpse of an enemy. Drinking the enemy's blood claims the enemy's strength and skill for themselves. Many offerings of blood are drained from the dead and presented by such cultists to the Emperor during a pilgrimage to a great cathedral of the Ecclesiarchy.In addition to the specifics of those they hunt, many Death Cults are equally discerning in those they employ as hunters. Some Death Cults recruit only from a particular region, or from a specific socioeconomic class. Others recruit assassins from those who have no hope, such as the dispossessed orphans of hive city gangs or refugee communities. Still more recruit exclusively from the followers of a particular strand of the Imperial Creed, creating in effect an invisible core within the faithful.It is rumoured that some cults abduct would-be assassins at a young age, stealing babes away in the dead of night to be raised by hooded strangers until inducted into the cult. Some cults employ only men, others only women, citing a myriad of theological reasons as varied as the cults themselves.When not engaged in the hunt, a Death Cult assassin either hones their martial skills, meditates upon some aspect of the cult's dogma, or engages in one of the cult's bloody rituals. Most of these rituals involve the shedding of blood in some manner. Sometimes, it is the blood of the cult's adherents that is spilled, in remembrance of that shed by the Emperor in the name of Mankind. Others conduct grisly ritual sacrifices of captured foes, and these often stray perilously close to heresy and excommunication.Because of their prodigious skills at combat and murder, many Death Cult assassins end up in the service of individual Inquisitors. It appears that there is no formal connection between the two groups. Rather, the Inquisitors strike some manner of pact with individual Death Cults, perhaps overlooking a doctrinal transgression in return for the services of a Death Cult assassin in their retinue. In some cases, an Inquisitor has been known to be inducted into the cult's membership or to have persuaded the cult to take on a trusted Acolyte and teach them the arts of death in which it specialises.To become a Death Cult assassin, an individual must display both exquisite martial skills and an utter dedication to the Emperor. It is this unique blend of deathly expertise and religious fervour that makes Death Cult assassins the utterly lethal weapon they are. In a Death Cult assassin, an Inquisitor can be certain they have the services of one dedicated to a singular cause from which they may never be knowingly turned.