Inquisition - Excommunication: An Inquisitor declared guilty by a trial of their peers will typically be declared Excommunicate Traitoris, and then immediately executed for heresy then and there. However, many Inquisitors genuinely accused of such heinous crimes (heinous in the eyes of the Puritans, that is) are sensible enough to remain at large rather than turning themselves in to be judged; after all, in their eyes they are above the law and have done no wrong.In such a case, they will still be judged in absentia, and judgement passed to declare their guilt or innocence. Those Inquisitors found guilty in absentia will be declared Excommunicate Traitoris and a warrant will be issued for their arrest and execution across the sector or beyond. Being excommunicated means that they will have their Inquisitorial powers stripped from them, they will be branded a Heretic and a Traitor, and they will be cast from the light of the God-Emperor.This may seem all very straightfoward, but in application it is far from it. The galaxy is a very big place, and the Inquisition is but one organisation spread across a large area. Transmitting the excommunicated status of an Inquisitor amongst all the Inquisition's holdings within a sector can take standard years, and it can take far longer to spread word of the verdict to every individual Inquisitorial agent.It is not unheard of for word to spread to an agent of the Inquisition years after the judgement is passed, who in turn takes the law into his own hands and hunts down and executes the Inquisitor, oblivious to the fact that the Inquisitor has successfully appealed for innocence in the matter.Similarly, the authority of an Inquisitor relies upon the twin weapons of fear and respect. An Inquisitor's rosette is a totem that commands great respect, a symbol of a higher authority with no more real power than any other physical artefact.Being excommunicated does not strip an Inquisitor of any real status, for they are still able to command the fear and respect of others simply by virtue of who they are. In the eyes of Imperial law, they might be a criminal and a Traitor, but far removed from the centres of authority, on most worlds of the Imperium without a powerful Inquisitorial presence, they remain an Inquisitor in every respect.Obviously, the Acolytes of an Inquisitor who is excommunicated are similarly excommunicated, except they do not have the power or force of their own to rely on when things get sticky. The Inquisition will move quickly to seize holdings and finances, as well as to arrest or disband the network of contacts of an excommunicated Inquisitor, potentially curtailing the activities of him and his servants.However, any Radical Inquisitor worth their name will have put measures in place to prepare for such an eventuality, creating shadowy accounts and assets that remain hidden from the Inquisition. Some Inquisitors put contingency operations in place, designed to activate in the event of their excommunication or execution, to either safeguard their plans or ensure that their enemies reap a whirlwind of disaster.The excommunication of a particularly powerful or influential Inquisitor can result in a ripple of dissent or defiance within a conclave, either as an Inquisitor's shadow assets are enabled and begin to wreak havoc against their enemies, or as their allies within the Inquisition stand firmly by their side. The eruption of factional infighting within the Inquisition can be devastating, especially as it has the potential to escalate further still.