Interrogator - Friends in High Places: Whilst some Acolytes find themselves judged and tested at every turn before attaining the rank of Interrogator, others find their ascent inexplicably unobstructed. These are the rare individuals who appear to have the patronage (whether they are aware of it or not) of a friend in a very high place indeed.Within the shadowy circles of the Inquisition, it is nigh-impossible to trace even a small fraction of the impossibly complex webs of influence and intrigue that connects each member. However, it is undoubtedly the case that some Inquisitors "sponsor" promising Acolytes, lending them aid, often from afar, in the pursuit of their duties. The exact reason for doing this depends on both the Acolyte and the Inquisitor.There are some Inquisitors who indulge in anonymous patronage as what appears to be some form of cruel entertainment. They issue mysterious commandments and set nigh-impossible tasks whilst ensuring that the Acolyte has all the tools and every opportunity to succeed. In time, an Acolyte in such a position is likely to become resentful or paranoid, but if he can endure such torment for long enough, his capricious master grants him the rank of Interrogator.In other cases, there may be some form of binding link between Interrogator and patron, which again, the former may be entirely ignorant of. Several times in the histories of the Ordos Calixis of the Calixis Sector, an Acolyte has found himself raised to the rank of Interrogator, and discerned throughout his subsequent career the hidden hand of an unknown patron.Such was the case for Interrogator Abigayle Cruz, who ascended to the rank of Inquisitor after a career as an Interrogator that lasted only three standard years. She subsequently discovered that the father she had believed long dead was in fact an Inquisitor Lord, and that he had ensured her meteoric rise. Upon becoming an Inquisitor, her first act was to denounce her new-found sire for such blatant abuse of his position, and the two became sworn enemies.The aid which an Interrogator might receive from a distant patron ranges from cryptic messages containing high-level access ciphers received at exactly the moment they are most needed, to entire companies of the Astra Militarum being despatched to extract him from an otherwise hopeless situation.Some might wonder what the patron gains out of this arrangement. In many cases, there is indeed a price to be paid, a debt to be called in at some undisclosed point in the future. Many are the newly ascended Inquisitors who have found themselves beholden to a superior in this manner.The example of Witch Hunter Rzeel is a case in point. This zealous, fiery individual rose through the ranks from Acolyte to Inquisitor in spectacular fashion, being invited to join the ranks of the Ordo Hereticus within a Terran decade of being granted the Seal.It was only upon his induction into the Ordo that he discovered his rise had been sponsored and orchestrated by one Inquisitor Nhekalax; an individual ostracised by his fellows and widely believed to be set upon the path of the Radical. Rzeel found himself indebted to Nhekalax to such an extent that he had little choice but to share in the dark path of his erstwhile patron.