Inquisition - Ordos Minoris: Whilst the three great ordos of the Ordos Majoris are perhaps the best known and established, there are a number of smaller ordos charged with guardianship of particular aspects of the Imperium. Whilst in theory these smaller ordos are of equal rank and power to the Ordo Hereticus, Ordo Xenos and Ordo Malleus, in practice they seldom control as many resources as these great organisations.These minor ordos are significantly smaller than the main three, and are often formed to combat specific, rather than broad, threats to the Imperium. Some police the ranks of assassin death cults, whilst others tend the workings of the Black Ships. Rumours persist of Inquisition ordos which watch the officers of the Astra Militarum and Navis Imperialis, and others whose sole task is to purge the ranks of the Inquisition itself.Most of these Ordos Minoris are largely unknown, even to other members of the Inquisition. Many are little more than cabals of Inquisitors allied against a common threat in a specific region of the galaxy, while others are in essence specialised sub-ordos of the Ordos Majoris. Other, nigh-unknown ordos might interest themselves in matters so esoteric or specialised they are entirely unknown to their fellows. Below is a listing of some notable Ordos Minoris.Ordo Chronos - This mysterious and incredibly obscure ordo was formed to investigate the potential ramifications of time travel through the Warp, particularly the potential for deliberate manipulation of this phenomenon. This now-defunct ordo disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and their eventual return remains the subject of legend amongst the few who know they ever existed.Ordo Hydra - This ordo was an extremist offshoot of the secret society known as the Illuminati that was dedicated to the use of certain extreme measures to destroy the existence of Chaos in the universe once and for all. It was composed mainly, but not entirely, of Illuminati who are also Inquisitors, some of whom occupied extremely high ranks within the Inquisition. The Ordo Hydra is often cited as an Ordo Minoris, however the Ordo Hydra was a group who used a particular tool rather than a group who combated a specific threat, and so despite their name they were perhaps better described as an Inquisitorial cabal. They were defeated by the actions of the Inquisitor Jaq Draco who prevented them from unleashing a plot to unite all of Humanity as a single hive mind. This was intended to provide Mankind with the ability to destroy the Chaos Gods once and for all, but was more likely to result in the birth of a fifth major Chaos God who would render the Human species extinct and guarantee the final victory of Chaos.Ordo Machinum - Also known as "The Judicators of the Forge," the Ordo Machinum scrutinises the Adeptus Mechanicus. Specifically, they are concerned with the reintegration of recovered STC variants into the Imperium's armies and the rare adoptions of alien technologies into established Mechanicus protocols. Inquisitors of the Ordo Machinum often accompany Adeptus Mechanicus technoarchaeological teams to distant worlds, the better to see for themselves exactly what has been recovered. They often work in concert with the Ordo Xenos -- especially when the world in question has been under alien control or there is any suggestion of non-Human origin for the technology the Adeptus Mechanicus seek to recover.Ordo Militum - This ordo has the duty of monitoring the Imperium's military bodies, such as the Astra Militarum, the Navis Imperialis, the Officio Prefectus, the Militarum Tempestus, the Sanctioned Psykers of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, the Adeptus Astartes (although see below), and -- together with the Ordo Hereticus -- the Adepta Sororitas.Ordo Obsuletus - The Ordo Obsuletus' task is to monitor and validate unexplained phenomena and miracles said to have occurred across the Imperium. Since the Dark Gods, especially Tzeentch, are not above sacrificing whole hosts of their mortal servants to ensure that a plot comes to fruition, it is the duty of the Ordo Obsuletus to investigate whether a miracle is a genuine manifestation of the Emperor's will, or yet another convoluted xenos or Chaos deception. Events such as the appearance of the Legion of the Damned and the reappearances of Lord Varlak after his incineration on Korsk II, then again on Necromunda, and a third time on Vanor XXI, are their area of expertise. The Ordo Obsoletus is often cited as being an Ordo Minoris, but this is merely conjecture. It is possible that the Ordo Obsoletus is not, strictly speaking, an ordo at all, but a regional Inquisitorial conclave that refers to itself as an ordo.Ordo Originatus - This ordo is dedicated to unravelling ten Terran millennia of myths, exaggerations and lies within the records of the Imperium's history. This is a difficult task, raised to impossibility due to the opposing work of the Ordo Redactus, though there work has recently been made easier by the establishment of the core of historitors called the Logos Historica Verita who have been trained by the resurrected primarch and Imperial Regent Roboute Guilliman in the Era Indomitus to seek out the truth of Humanity's history since the Horus Heresy.Ordo Redactus - This ordo focuses their efforts into deliberately obscuring the past and redacting any records whose knowledge they fear might lead to the corruption of the minds of weak men and women. They also do so lest the enemies of Mankind discover some advantage through knowledge of the Inquisition's beginnings. The Inquisitors of the Ordo Redactus have discovered that their job has been made a great deal harder since the resurrection of Primarch Roboute Guilliman as the Lord Commander of the Imperium and Imperial Regent in the Era Indomitus. The primarch's dedication to the truth and uncovering an accurate chronology of Mankind's past since the end of the Horus Heresy is deeply disturbing, even frightening to the Ordo Redactus, and their agents have moved to quietly oppose the Ordo Originatus and the Logos Historica Verita wherever they can do so without tipping their hand.Ordo Scriptorum - Known also as the "Unsleeping Eye," the Ordo Scriptorum is one of seventeen ordos based on Terra itself; dedicated to the examination and investigation of records and communiqués. This may seem a trivial, almost facile task in light of the weighty matters pursued by other branches of the Inquisition, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Imperium constantly strains under the weight of its own colossal bureaucracy, and all manner of vital bibelots of information are lost or misfiled through simple Human error. The Ordo Scriptorum can only intercept a handful of these failures, but even one can prove the difference between the life and death of billions. Moreover, even the rumour that an Inquisitor is supervising a scribe's work is enough to galvanise them to more careful practice, ensuring that fewer such errors occur in the future.Ordo Sepulturum - This ordo is one of the smallest and newest of the Ordos Minoris, formed during the 13th Black Crusade. Their focus is to understand and combat the relatively new threat presented to the Imperium by the emergence of the undead Plague Zombies, Poxwalkers and the Nurgle-spawned Zombie Plague and Walking Pox.Ordo Sicarius - Founded by the legendary Inquisitor Jaeger in the wake of the deadly events that occurred during the Reign of Blood in the Age of Apostasy of the 36th Millennium, the Ordo Sicarius is tasked with investigating, moderating and controlling the Officio Assassinorum. Since Jaegar's reforms, no Imperial Assassin may be deployed without the majority approval of the High Lords of Terra. This is, of course, immensely impractical, and quite often, an Inquisitor of the Ordo Sicarius will sanction the Officio Assassinorum under the guise of an edict from Terra. While some believe this to be an abuse of their power, in a galaxy-spanning civilisation, such measures are essential to maintain a level of active response required to face the myriad threats to Mankind.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.Another minor Ordo, whose name is unknown, develops methods to limit the independence of the Adeptus Astartes. It was founded during the Horus Heresy and has since been almost forgotten. They were mentioned in the Space Wolves novel Wolfblade, where the Assassin Xenothan used a poison made from the first blossoms of the Mecurian Swamp Orchid that could temporarily paralyse Space Marines. It worked by disrupting and confusing the Space Marines' genetically-engineered poison-neutralizing gland, effectively turning it into a weapon against the Astartes. Note, that as the Ordo Militum (see above) is a relatively early and little-seen aspect of the Inquisition, this could actually be a reference to it or the Ordo Astartes mentioned below rather than a separate Ordo Minoris.