Inquisition - Inquisitorial Symbolism & Ciphers: Although Traitors and other nefarious individuals have claimed Inquisitorial status to further their own ends, such is the fervour with which the Inquisition hunts down these rogues, and the well-communicated manner of their agonising deaths, that it is a brave man or woman who dares such a thing. The absolute trust and authority with which the Inquisition must operate cannot be threatened and Inquisitors will go to any lengths to expose a fraud and bring them to justice.In addition to their Inquisitorial Seal, an Inquisitor's clothing and personal effects may well contain all manner of subtle information about their philosophy, allegiances and contacts. There is no set cipher to this iconography, for it has developed over ten thousand Terran years and contains many levels of hidden meanings, and indeed some symbols will mean various things to different Inquisitors in different parts of the galaxy.This symbolism is not always a conscious effort on the part of the Inquisitor. By its secretive nature, much information passes between Inquisitors either in written form or by word of mouth. In time, certain artefacts have come to symbolise a variety of meanings, some of which are relevant only to particular factions or Ordos, others that are more widespread.The Thorians, for instance, make great use of the skull symbol, as a representation of the Emperor-in-Death. Skull buttons, cufflinks, tattoos, earrings, or other decoration may be worn as a sign of reverence, but is also recognisable in certain situations by other Thorians.However, it cannot be said that the skull is the emblem of the Thorians, for no such thing exists and the skull is a popular symbol throughout the Imperium, imparting a variety of meanings depending on how and where it is rendered. In addition to the skull, the Thorians will often have other symbols about their person, such as a scroll clasped in a hand -- supposedly the hand of Promeus himself as he left the first conclave -- and also a broken lock, the solving of the riddle of the Divine Vessel.Inquisitors are, of course, exceptionally observant and will instantly pick up these and many other details upon meeting another individual. They will already know a little of the other Inquisitor and their purpose before a word is spoken.Cells will often take this one step further. Agents for one Inquisitor in a cell may not know who else their master is working with, and an Inquisitor will not necessarily know who are the agents of his allies and who are either bystanders or enemies. To overcome this, a cell will often agree on a symbol or set of symbols with which to identify themselves and those operating for them. This can be as subtle as a particular type of stitching used on the hem of robes and coats, or more open such as the wearing of a particular style of ring or broach.By these means, Inquisitors can identify and cooperate with their allies without fear of betraying themselves, or their comrades. Some cells, particularly those that are operating exceptionally covertly and perhaps investigating local Imperial officials of power and means, will also adopt a peculiar form of language.All Inquisitors will learn various codes and battle-tongues from their master or mistress while they are an Interrogator, and there are several spoken by Inquisitors all across the Imperium in one form or another. However, it will also be one of the qualified Inquisitor's first tasks to modify or create a secret tongue of his own.Inquisitors are pragmatic for much of the time, and every Inquisitor is taught early on that their loyalty to the master may one day have to be forgotten and they will investigate their former mentor. In such situations, security cannot be compromised, and so there is the need for every Inquisitor and his or her warrior band to be able to communicate in a unique manner.The cell will, either through meeting one another or by use of intermediaries, agree upon a form for their code-speak, corresponding to one of the basic language foundations used throughout the Inquisition. Some are utterly impenetrable to others reading or listening, and appear to be nonsense, others are hidden within everyday phrases and conversation, with carefully placed code-words to convey the true nature of the message.As with their visual appearance, an Inquisitor's use of different types of cipher can say a lot about what they believe and whom they learned their skills from. As mentioned earlier, a cell does not consist solely of Inquisitors, but also their agents. This varies from their immediate comrades that accompany them to distant contacts that provide other forms of support or information.When cooperating as part of a cell, an Inquisitor may pass on certain details of their informants and allies to the other members of the cell, though it is an unspoken tradition that where possible an Inquisitor only deals with his own aides and confidants unless absolutely necessary.Using the visual keys and code-language, the Inquisitors will be able to make their loyalties known to this intermeshed network of accomplices and agents and thus utilise their services if required. For their part, the agents will have been told of others working with their master or mistress, but information is power and so any one individual is unlikely to know who ultimately they are working for, and will instead only be aware of the cell through a layer of intermediaries and scant contact.They may not even know it is the Inquisition that is pulling the strings. It is not unusual for an Inquisitor, even when contacting his agents directly, to masquerade as a lesser functionary to protect his identity.All of this allows the cell to deal with the threat for which it was created. A cell will last as long as the particular problem or menace remains, and may last for several standard years. Cells are transitory creations and may contain Inquisitors who are only allied through common acquaintance and may never meet all of the other members of the cell. However, should they do so, they will know immediately they are in the presence of their co-conspirators.Given the diverse nature of the threats combated by the Inquisition, which pay no heed to time or space, a cell may not convene with each other for several years while its members pursue their own missions in accordance with the cell's goals. On the other hand, the cell may see concentrated, almost frenetic activity for several days or months, during which the situation is resolved.Cells formed over longer periods may well meet again when another threat arises, as an Inquisitor seeks out tried-and-tested companions to aid him. Others will disband never to cross paths again, although the knowledge learned and the shared experience will be kept by the Inquisitors involved for the rest of their lives.It is through the organic ebb and flow of the cells that ideas, theories and acquaintances can eventually pass from one end of the galaxy to the other over the span of standard years, decades, generations and centuries. Philosophies that may well have fallen out of favour near Terra may only just be catching attention in the southern rim or the Eastern Fringe.The Inquisitors know full well the impossibility of maintaining any kind of structure across the great gulfs of space covered by the Imperium, unlike other Imperial organisations, and for the last ten thousand years it is an approach that has, on the whole, been very successful.In all, it is important to remember that cells exist for a specific purpose, to combat a common threat identified by the Inquisitors within that cell. Inquisitors are free to leave cells or to invite new members to join the effort, and they are organised on an ad-hoc basis