vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Infestation of Drashin - Heart of the Swarm: The crusade's Thunderhawks met resistance as soon as they entered Drashin's upper atmosphere. Winged bio-constructs flew shrieking through the skies, acidic venom spurting from their chitinous weaponry. The spray hissed and sizzled wherever it struck a Thunderhawk, and the pilots were forced into dizzying evasive manoeuvres.Smaller Tyranid beasts swirled around the descending strike craft. Their shots barely scratched the hull, but their brittle bodies clogged the innards of the turbofan engines. With a shriek of tortured metal, Garadon's Thunderhawk plunged from the sky, avoiding collision with the ground below only through its pilot's deft skill. Undercarriage screaming and buckling, the front half of the craft slewed to a halt on one of the larger platelets.Its stern was not so fortunate, and was already threatening to sink into the magma, taking its precious cargo with it. Once again, the Thunderhawk's pilot proved his worth, coaxing enough life out of the craft's failing thrusters to hold the flyer stable whilst his passengers disembarked into the spore-choked air.By the time the thrusters finally gave out, the transport bay was empty. Only the pilot perished as the Thunderhawk slipped beneath the surface of the burning sea, his life a small price willingly given so that his Battle-Brothers could fight on.Garadon's demi-company had avoided death thus far, but it still waited to claim them. The rocky islands were swarming with Tyranids, and the nearest creatures broke off to engage them, effortlessly leaping the magma channels that lay in their path. Boltguns roared and the first wave of Gaunts was blasted to ichor-spattered bone, but Garadon knew the volley had bought only a little time. He could see larger bio-beasts moving in his direction and he knew that to stand his ground was to be overwhelmed.Just then, a thermal current briefly parted the spore clouds, and the sergeant caught sight of the Imperial Fists' 7th and 9th Company banners standing proud on a nearby summit. Pausing only to slam another magazine home into his Bolt Pistol, Garadon ordered the advance.
Infestation of Drashin - Into Darkness: Lysander soon lost track of time during his journey through the space hulk's corroded and pitted corridors. The captain could have been travelling for solar hours, or days, or weeks; he neither knew nor cared. All that mattered to Lysander was that his old company and his Chapter Master were somewhere in the darkness ahead.He still couldn't make communications contact with Vladimir Pugh, or any member of the 1st Company, though his sensors registered several other suits of Terminator Armour several Terran kilometres in the distance. Lysander made no account of the creatures he slew within the space hulk's tangled passageways.Gargoyles screeched out of the darkness, wings flailing madly. Genestealers dropped from ceilings or emerged from crawlspaces, talons lashing out at the intruders. All the attackers perished, pulverised under the crushing impact of his Fist of Dorn relic Thunder Hammer, or else blown apart by a Centurion's salvo.After a close-fought battle in which a crackling Trygon claimed two Centurions' lives, Lysander's strike force found a working conveyer which carried them deep into the vessel at phenomenal speed. When they stepped off the conveyor, they found the walls subsumed by pulsating organic matter that spat acid and lashed at them with vestigial tendrils.Torn scraps of flesh marred the corridors -- the remains of sphincter-portals shredded by the 1st Company's Chainfists. The carapaces of tiny bio-forms crunched underfoot at every step, and seething fluid dribbled down the waxy walls to collect in folds and hollows.Lysander could hear the sounds of battle echoing through the corridors now, and the sensor outlines of his fellow Terminators were solid where before they had been hazy. At no point did the tide of Tyranids cease, but Lysander was too close to his destination to yield.As Lysander's strike force began carving their own path through the swarm, the captain saw Pugh make another attempt to advance. A Hive Tyrant moved to block the Chapter Master's path, and he was hurled back in a spray of blood, but Pugh was not so easily thwarted.Rising to his feet, Pugh came forward again, the Hand of Judgement crackling as energy fields played around it. The monster's leg collapsed under Pugh's first punch, its torso under the second. High above the battle, a fresh brood of Genestealers burst forth from the Norn-Queen's birthing pouches to scuttle down the walls.
Infidel-class Raider - Infidel-class Raider: The Infidel-class Raider is an escort voidship used by the fleets of the forces of Chaos. It is widely believed that the  Infidel-class Raider was developed from stolen plans for a larger Imperial escort ship destined to replace the aging Cobra-class Destroyer. The Infidel is a relatively new design, combining a battery of punishing macrocannons with a sizeable array of torpedo tubes in the prow.Fast, tough, and incredibly dangerous when formed into squadrons, Infidels quickly gained a dire reputation amongst their Imperial Navy opponents. Infidels are often used by their vile captains to perpetrate surprise assaults, leading the way with a wave of boarding torpedoes with the Chaos ships following close behind ready to devastate any survivors with their broadsides.The Imperial Navy's attempt to reconstitute the data in the stolen plans for the Infidel would result in the development of the Falchion-class Frigate.
Infidel-class Raider - Notable Infidel-class Raiders: Exterminators - The Exterminators were a squadron of four Infidels that were involved in an ambush on an Imperial battlegroup stationed at the Hive World of Orar early in the Gothic War.  The Imperial battlegroup was attacked while preparing to put down a rebellion in a neighbouring star system. Most of the raiders were destroyed when the Imperial vessels and orbital defences fired on them.Talon Squadron - A small band of Infidels working together in the Unbeholden Reaches of the Koronus Expanse, Talon Squadron has raided settlements and starships in this region for the last five solar decades. Most recently, Talon Squadron inflicted severe damage to the ship of Rogue Trader Jeremiah Blitz, and the impetuous young gambler has sworn his intention to turn every last Infidel he meets henceforth into scrap.
Infidel-class Raider - Dimensions: Hull: Raider (Escort)Class: Infidel-class RaiderDimensions: Approximately 1.5 kilometres long, 0.25 kilometres abeam at fins.Mass: Approximately 6 megatonnesCrew: Approximately 24,000 crewAcceleration: 5 Gravities maximum sustainable acceleration
Infiltration Cadre - Infiltration Cadre: An Infiltration Cadre is a type of T'au Empire Fire Caste cadre utilised for reconnaissance in force. It is comprised of Pathfinders, Sniper Drone Teams and Piranhas engaging the foe with guerrilla tactics while calling down strikes by gunships and aircraft on key strategic targets.
Infinity Circuit - Infinity Circuit: An Infinity Circuit is a crystalline psychoactive matrix contained at the core of all Aeldari craftworlds, and is essentially composed of the wraithbone skeleton of the craftworld itself.Within this matrix, the souls of all the craftworld's dead reside in a form of group consciousness, providing both a well of psychic power for the worldship and a massive ancestral mind to advise and guide the living.With the birth of Slaanesh, "She Who Thirsts," the Infinity Circuit is the closest thing that the Asuryani now have to an afterlife; for if their souls are not captured at death in a Spirit Stone and integrated into the Infinity Circuit, they will be lost into the Warp and their soul energy devoured by Slaanesh.For this reason the Asuryani will defend their craftworlds with a fury and tenacity that is almost unrivaled amongst sentient species; they risk losing not only their home but the souls of their ancestors as well.The Aeldari souls preserved in the craftworlds' Infinity Circuits can muster only a tiny amount of psychic energy compared to the power that is Slaanesh. Yet the Asuryani believe that one day, when the last Asuryani soul is placed within the craftworlds' collective Infinity Circuits, they will unite into a new Aeldari god known as Ynnead, the god of the dead, who will fight and overthrow Slaanesh, allowing the Aeldari to begin anew. It is a faint hope, but the only one the Aeldari now possess for their dwindling race.On Craftworld Iyanden, the Infinity Circuit technology was mastered by the Farseer Mehlendri Silversoul at some point in the 33rd Millennium of the Imperial Calendar. She was one of the first of the Aeldari to recover Waystones from the Crone Worlds that were all that remained of the ancient Aeldari Empire and use her allied Bonesingers to adapt them to both contain Aeldari souls and integrate them into an Infinity Circuit.At the end, Silversoul realised that a soul had to be used to fully awaken the new psychic matrix and she offered up her own, willingly embracing death to offer a new hope of limited immortality to her people. Legend says that she lingers closer to the living world than other souls, and is always the first to welcome Iyanden's newly deceased into the Infinity Circuit's embrace.
Infinity Circuit - World Shrines: The World Spirit is the sentient, animistic entity comprised of pure psychic energy that serves as the spiritual heart of every Maiden World that belongs to the Aeldari Exodites.It is a psychic gestalt composed of the collective souls of every Aeldari who died on that planet and is very similar in form and function to the Infinity Circuits of the craftworlds.The World Spirit, like a craftworld's Infinity Circuit, actually has a physical locus on the planet, in this case a global grid of menhirs, obelisks and stone circles called a "World Shrine" that are scattered across the Exodites' planet and all crafted from psychoactive crystal.These regions are considered sacred by the Exodites and can be used by any psychically-active member of the Aeldari race to commune with the World Spirit, though this interaction is normally only undertaken by a trained Farseer.
Infoslave Skull - Infoslave Skull: An Infoslave Skull is a type of Servo-skull utilised by the commanding Sicarian princeps and Skitarii alphas of the Skitarii Legions of the Adeptus Mechanicus.These dextrous skull-and-digit adjutants that accompany senior Skitarii record hard data at a prolific rate.To know their findings are recorded and reported back is a great boon to Skitarii infantry, who draw courage and strength from the fact their sacrifices will not be in vain.
Infravisor - Infravisor: An infravisor  is a visor worn separately or integrated into a helmet's sensor system that allows its user to access and see in a wide range of the electromagnetic spectra, particularly the infrared wavelengths. When equipped, its user can see better in low-light conditions than a normal Human could in optimal daylight. Infravisors were used by the military forces of the Mechanicum and the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.
Ingo Pech - Ingo Pech: Ingo Pech was the First Captain of the Alpha Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras. Like many Astartes within his Legion, he was surgically modified to resemble his Primarchs Alpharius and Omegon.When the Cabal Perpetual named John Grammaticus sought to enlist the Alpha Legion into the service of the Cabal's agenda to destroy Chaos, he met with Pech as well as Thias Herzog, and the true Primarchs, all in the guise of Alpharius.Despite his rank as essentially the Legion's second-in-command, as was the Alpha Legion's custom, Pech later served under the command of Harrowmaster Kel Silonius during the Battle of Pluto.
Inheritor (Short Story) - Inheritor (Short Story): Inheritor is the twenty-seventh short story published in the Horus Heresy Series that was not originally part of an anthology novel. Inheritor was first published as an e-book and is now also included in the Eye of Terra anthology. Inheritor is a prequel to the video game Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, and tells the origins of Eliphas the Inheritor, the leader of the Forces of Chaos in the game, who appears later in Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising and Dawn of War II - Retribution.
Inheritor (Short Story) - Synopsis: On the world of Kronus, deep within the grand realm of Ultramar, Torquill Eliphas of the Word Bearers Legion brings his grand designs to fruition. As part of Lorgar Aurelian's Shadow Crusade, the Word Bearers' Ark of Testimony Chapter has fought alongside their berserker allies from the World Eaters for many solar months. But the slaughter of Ultramarines is not their only goal –- Eliphas seeks to harness the power of the Warp, in the construction of the mighty Templum Daemonarchia...
Injector Goad - Injector Goad: An Injector Goad is a special device used by the Biophaguses of Genestealer Cults that serves both as a tool in their sinister work of bio-alchemy and as a horrific weapon of war.The Injector Goad that each Biophagus carries contains concoctions of the alchemist's own devising, virulent gene-brews that temporarily grant one of their Aberrant subjects enhanced strength and speed.When marching to war surrounded by a phalanx of Power Hammer-wielding Aberrants, the Biophagus unleashes their finest creations, using the Injector Goad to hurl vials of corrosive acids and flesh-morphing mutagens that melt their foes into a protean ooze.A Biophagus Injector Goad can pump stimulating chemicals into the blood of their faithful Aberrant bodyguards, but it can also be put to use against mortal flesh in melee combat. Those struck with this weapon who do not bear the Genestealer Curse within their cells are dissolved from within by a hyper-adrenal alien cocktail.
Injector Pistol - Injector Pistol: An Injector Pistol is the primary weapon of the Death Guard Plague Marines known as Biologus Putrifiers. Biologus Putrifiers take a very active role in spreading disease upon the field of battle, lobbing Blight Grenades or using their cursed Injector Pistols to spread their epidemics far and wide amongst the ranks of their foes as they receive the Plague God's virulent blessings.Yet to simply observe the effect of Nurgle's gifts is not their way; samples must be extracted, and tests must be run. This is when their Injector Pistols come into play.Striding into the midst of their reeling foe, the Putrifiers pick out the most intriguing entities to assail. Some look for the most resilient enemies upon the field of battle; others seek out the most easily infected, the bravest, the swiftest, or whatever other esoteric criteria they decide their test subjects must display.With their victims selected, the Biologus Putrifiers strike. They fire their Injector Pistols into vulnerable spots such as exposed flesh, chinks in armour and eyelenses before squeezing a concentrated dose of foulness into the target's body.The results are rarely less than spectacular, with victims erupting in explosive boils, liquefying into screaming sludge, vomiting billowing clouds of flies, and countless other revolting -- and mercifully lethal -- symptoms.Those specimens whose deaths are especially fascinating are pierced with Injector Pistols once again, this time to extract whatever clotted foulness now passes for their blood, ready for later study.
Innana - Innana: InnanaT'auMining WorldVelk'HanSeptJericho ReachWhen the T'au first came to Innana, they were welcomed with open arms by a small Human population that had been dwindling for generations and was rapidly approaching the point at which it would become entirely unsustainable.The natives' woes were caused by the fact that the soil of their world was poorly suited to any form of agriculture and since the coming of the region's "Age of Shadow" and the severance of trade with the worlds of the old Jericho Sector, they had become increasingly unable to feed themselves.Soon after Innana's population declared their allegiance to the Greater Good, their newly declared loyalty was put to the test. The T'au discovered vast reserves of highly desirable minerals beneath the surface of Innana, minerals that rendered the soil all but barren, yet could sustain the empire's industry for generations.The Human population was offered the choice of remaining on their world to serve as labour in the Earth Caste strip-mining facilities that would soon arrive, or to be shipped out to live on other worlds in the Velk'Han Sept.Every man, woman and child voted to leave their barren world, and although they were subsequently dispersed amongst the stars, none regretted their decision.Soon after the Human population departed, Earth Caste mining cadres arrived and the process of systematically extracting the world's natural resources began.Vast refineries equipped with fusion-scourers and held aloft by powerful anti-grav generators roam the surface, following the richest seams of the rarest of minerals.The planet is now a scarred and blackened wasteland, its resources plundered to fuel the wars of the Greyhell Front and beyond.
Innerwyrm - Innerwyrm: The Innerwyrm is a Genestealer Cult that originally infested the abattoir Agri-world of Fleishgate.A lynchpin planet that provides the meat of grox, grontock and bovian to the Mawdlin System, Fleishgate has long been taken over by a Genestealer Cult, its primogenitor Purestrain Genestealer organism brought to the planet inside the guts of an immature Void Whale hewn apart for its meat.The cultists take their inspiration from the arm-length intestinal parasites they find inside the guts of their livestock, for their hidden cult grows strong within the mass of Humanity's ignorant herd.The use of the saw-spine wyrm-form as the symbol of the cult, based in part on the meat-cutting machines used in their daily slaughter, is not confined to Fleishgate; it occurs on many similar industrial Agri-worlds where circular ripping saws are used to grind rock, cut through steelwood roots or salvage the parts of manufacturing machines. It is also echoed in the armaments of Innerwyrm cultists themselves, who favour every manner of device that can carve, sear or blast apart the fleshy bodies of livestock and enemy alike.After the formation of the Great Rift, the Cult of the Innerwyrm spread far and wide across the Affluix Sector by using the grox-meat export network of Peregrim's World.The steroid-enhanced beasts grown by Ethod Peregrim's famous meat dynasty reached truly massive sizes, altered by the dictates of the industry's selective breeding to have vast torsos and abdomens -- large enough to contain Purestrain Genestealers sewn into their guts by Innerwyrm abattoir workers.By sending the massive grox carcasses to a dozen different worlds in the famously paranoid Fort Adere star system, the Innerwyrm agents bypass the complex bio-scanner protocols that would otherwise have picked up on the xenos biological tissue of the Genestealers smuggled within the meat.A new ecosystem is born on each of the infested planets, though it is not just grox meat that forms its sustenance.
Inquisition - Inquisition: The Inquisition, formally called the Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition, is a secret organisation that exists outside of the standard administrative hierarchy of the Imperium of Man. The Inquisition acts as the secret police force and primary intelligence service of the Imperium, hunting down any and all of the myriad threats to the stability of the God-Emperor's realm, from the corruption caused by the forces of Chaos, Heretics, mutants and rebels, to assaults from vicious alien species like the Tyranids, Orks or Drukhari.Although many Inquisitors consider themselves answerable only to the High Lords of Terra and the Emperor Himself, in reality there exists a class of high-echelon Imperial servants, to which Inquisitors belong, who all wield more or less the same levels of de facto political influence. Such worthies include Imperial planetary governors and sector lords, Astra Militarum generals, Space Marine Chapter Masters, Ecclesiarchy cardinals, Rogue Traders, Adeptus Mechanicus archmagi, Navis Imperialis Lord Admirals, Adeptus Arbites Judges, and the sector-level representatives of the Adeptus Administratum. Relations between these various groups are often seething with internecine rivalry and bitterness, and even within one grouping, deadly wars may be fought to gain influence and leverage. Imperial Commanders, for example, quite frequently engage in bitter and bloody territorial clashes between each others' fiefs, and the Inquisition is far from immune to internal strife.The Inquisition's infamous sigil was derived from the personal heraldry of Malcador the Sigillite, the Regent of Terra during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy and the second most powerful psyker in the Imperium after the Emperor of Mankind Himself. It was Malcador who first created the secret organisation that would later become the varied Ordos of the Inquisition at the start of the Heresy on the orders of the Emperor. The Master of Mankind had ordered the Sigillite to find a group of men and women of an "inquisitive nature" to search out the enemies of the Imperium, whether they lay within or without.The Inquisition is divided into three major orders or "Ordos Majoris" in High Gothic and many other minor ones, or "Ordos Minoris," each dedicated to confronting a very specific threat to the continued survival of the Imperium and Humanity.The Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus and their Chamber Militant, the Space Marines of the Grey Knights, seek to confront and defeat the forces of Chaos and the other threats from beyond wherever they assault Imperial space.The Ordo Xenos and its Chamber Militant, the Astartes of the Deathwatch, defend the Imperium from the myriad alien threats that lie outside its borders.The Ordo Hereticus and its Chamber Militant, the pious battle-sisters of the Adepta Sororitas' Orders Militant, seek to combat all of the very Human threats to the Imperium that lie within its organisations or on its worlds.
Inquisition - Other Notable Ordos Minoris: DesignationInitial FoundingEstablished StrengthArea of VigilanceOrdo AegisM40<<Unknown>>The Cadian GateOrdo AstartesM3250 InquisitorsChapters of Adeptus AstartesOrdo AstraM3450 InquisitorsStellar CartographyOrdo Barbarus<<Unknown>>10 InquisitorsPre-Industrial WorldsOrdo CustodumM35500 InquisitorsTerraOrdo Desolatus<<Unknown>>1 Inquisitor<<Unknown>>Ordo Excorium<<Unknown>>100 InquisitorsMonitoring usage of Exterminatus actionsOrdo MilitarumM35500 InquisitorsThe Astra MilitarumOrdo NecrosM375 Inquisitors<<Unknown>>Ordo SanctorumM36<<Unknown>>The EcclesiarchyOrdo ScriptusM386 InquisitorsOfficio Historica on TerraOrdo SenatorumM33<<Unknown>><<Unknown>>Ordo Thanatos<<Unknown>><<Unknown>><<Unknown>>Ordo VigilusM37<<Unknown>>Ordo Necros
Inquisition - Exterminatus: If a world is the subject of extreme corruption by Chaos or a xenos infestation like that of a Genestealer Cult, an Inquisitor may call down the verdict of Exterminatus, destroying all ecosystems on the planet and rendering the world completely lifeless.Many question the necessity of such acts, but the Inquisition feels fully justified in performing them. They feel that it is better for countless servants of the Emperor to be sacrificed than to let a single Heretic escape their wrath to endanger even more lives.Typically, though, such an act is reserved for only the most extreme cases, such as a massive outbreak of Chaos activity that threatens to corrupt other worlds or unchecked infiltration by Genestealer Cults that precede (or can cause) a Tyranid invasion that will consume an entire sector.
Inquisition - Excommunication: An Inquisitor has the power to declare an individual, or sometimes an organisation or planet, as Excommunicate Traitoris. This declaration excommunicates the accused from the Human race, and is an indication to other Inquisitors and adepta that the excommunicate party should be hunted down and killed for the good of the Imperium.Inquisitorial conclaves are often the venue for declaring excommunications and, in extreme circumstances, even a fellow Inquisitor can be so branded.Excommunication is never done lightly, but is a principal weapon of the Inquisition and one of the ways its authority can be used to protect the Imperium.
Inquisition - Organisation: The Inquisition does not have a formal organisation and is, at the most fundamental level, dependent upon the authority and skill of the single Inquisitor and his team of Acolytes and Throne Agents. Every Inquisitor embodies the whole Inquisition and is granted the same absolute power by virtue of the Inquisitorial Mandate.As the word of an Inquisitor is absolute and beyond reproach, except by other Inquisitors, the Inquisition is self-policing.At one time it was said that the Ordo Malleus was responsible for policing the Inquisition, however this idea seems to have been abandoned and there are now those within each of the Ordos who focus their time in purging the Inquisition of rogue elements; the Ordo Hereticus is particularly noted for having members who keep a close eye on fellow members of the Inquisition.Despite the lack of a formal organisational structure, there are many types of Inquisitorial groupings that an Inquisitor may belong to, however membership within these is not mandatory. For example, an Inquisitor may choose not to join an Ordo, however by not doing so he will be unable to access their resources.Similarly, an Inquisitor is expected to announce his presence to the head of the Inquisitorial conclave overseeing the sector or region of the galaxy in which he operates, however many Inquisitors prefer to work in secret.
Inquisition - Notable Conclaves: Calixian Conclave - As with many others throughout the Imperium, the Calixian Conclave has a long and labyrinthine history. This ancient establishment has gathered many resources over the years, ranging from small safe houses on distant planets to mighty fortresses like the Tricorn officio on the sector capital world of Scintilla. Troops, secret libraries, ancient pacts and even entire merchant companies are in the control of the conclave -- though many would be hard pressed to find any evidence of such a thing. There are also numerous hidden heresies and forbidden episodes buried within the annals of the conclave. The symbol of the Calixian Conclave is a golden chalice. At Inquisitorial gatherings, an ornate version of this chalice is often displayed upon a table, plinth or other prominent position. Tradition holds that it should be filled only half-way with clear liquid. The mythology of the conclave holds that this is either a draught from the well of knowledge or the waters of forgetfulness. The original charter in which this detail was recorded has been lost and copies of the tattered manuscripts seem to contradict one another. Darker whispers from the more Radical elements of the conclave whisper that the symbolic cup is in fact the Chalice of Corruption, a warning to those who would taste the mysteries locked within the Calixis Sector's apocalyptic fate.
Inquisition - Inquisition Cabals: A cabal is a rare body instituted by a conclave and dedicated to investigating a particular matter. They form a specialist task-force charged with the prosecution of a particular concern.Generally they gather Inquisitors from varied backgrounds and philosophies, all working together via their differing methods and focused on a single goal. Cabals are despised by many, who see them as secret societies or unnnecesary inner factions within a particular conclave.However, they have been shown to be a highly effective tool: by combining and focusing the activities of varied Inquisitors on a particular scheme, cabals have often achieved noteworthy successes.
Inquisition - Notable Cabals: Tyrantine Cabal - The Tyrantine Cabal of Inquisitors within the Calixis Sector is an example of a large and comparatively close-knit cabal. The ominous threat of the much prophesied Tyrant Star -- a strange apparition that heralds great disaster -- has forced Inquisitors to band together. Appearing as it does, seemingly at random throughout the sector, the Tyrantines have so far been unable to track or predict its wax and wane. Whenever events begin to herald the arrival of the Tyrant Star -- mass riots, dreams of a black wreathed sun, natural disasters, unprecedented psychic phenomena and so on -- nearby Inquisitors and Acolytes race to observe the appearance. The data they record is shared amongst the other members of the cabal and is much debated upon.
Inquisition - Inquisitorial Cells: There is also another resource that an Inquisitor can draw upon -- other Inquisitors. On occasion an Inquisitor may well encounter another of his organisation, or specifically request the aid of a comrade. These are temporary, short-lived affairs on the whole. However, repeated cooperation between Inquisitors can become established, and over time a growing group of Inquisitors will communicate regularly and assist each other.This is likely if the Inquisitors share some common goals and these "cells," as they are known, tend to be factional in nature and therefore can be used not only to further the cause of the Inquisition as a whole but also to fulfil the agenda of the Inquisitors involved.Some cells may only last a few standard years, as the duties of the Inquisitors take them apart to different worlds. The Inquisitors may never meet again, though sometimes a cell will continue to communicate sporadically over many years and large distances. In time a cell may contain a dozen or more Inquisitors, occasionally working together and passing on information to one another.A cell will often be formed to confront a particular problem -- a Daemonic manifestation for example. When this sort of threat reoccurs, an Inquisitor may call upon his or her old cell to confront the new menace. In this way, a cell may lie dormant for standard years or even solar decades, before the call is sent out and the Inquisitors gather.Given the secretive nature of the Inquisition, the way a cell operates is very much built upon keeping the members secure and to protect them from outside recognition. Many Inquisitors do not work openly, and simply identifying another Inquisitor can prove difficult. At some point, as suspicions are aroused, an Inquisitor will have to make the choice whether to declare himself -- risking discovery by a potential foe but also gaining a possible ally.If two covertly operating Inquisitors encounter each other, the manner of their meeting will determine their reaction. To ameliorate this state of affairs, all Inquisitors carry with them an Inquisitorial Seal. This may be a pendant, signet ring, actual seal or some other accoutrement, and is marked with a variation of the symbol of the Inquisition.This seal is proof positive that the Inquisitor carries with him the full authority of the Emperor. Should anyone doubt the veracity of a seal, they will normally contain other, digitally encoded information that will prove the identity of the bearer, utilising technologies seldom seen outside the Forge Worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Inquisition - Inquisition Hierarchy: The Inquisition does not have a formal hierarchy, and there is no system of ranks or command such as is found in the Imperial military or the Adeptus Terra.Authority within the Inquisition is governed by two factors -- reputation and influence. Seniority is in itself no indicator of authority, however most Inquisitors will take heed of the wisdom of an older and more experienced peer.
Inquisition - Inquisitor Lords: The Inquisition does not have formal organisation, and therefore there is no system of ranks or command as there are in the Adeptus Terra or the military. Authority within the Inquisition is governed by two factors -- reputation and influence. An Inquisitor may be willing to gainsay one of his fellows, but if confronted by several he will defer, thus an Inquisitor with experience and contacts can exert control over younger, less influential comrades.Seniority is in itself no true test of authority, but most Inquisitors will default to the wisdom of another that is older and more experienced. Despite this, there is a need for a higher tier of Inquisitor to help maintain the integrity of the Inquisition and to watch over the rest of the organisation and the marshalling of resources.They are known as "Lord Inquisitors," "Inquisitor Lords" or "High Inquisitors." Promotion to the ranks of the Inquisitor Lords is by invitation only, and is extended to those that have proven themselves numerous times, not only their courage and ability, but also their integrity and loyalty.To become an Inquisitor Lord, one must be nominated by an existing Lord, and to have the nomination approved by two others. Quite often this is a formality, as the word of an Inquisitor Lord is sacrosanct to his fellows and the chances of an Inquisitor actually being known personally by more than one Lord are exceptionally small.However, there is occasionally contention and a conclave may have to be convened to discuss the matter -- usually, but not always, with the nominee in attendance to answer inquiries as to their activities and beliefs. Being an Inquisitor Lord is a recognition rather than an absolute rank, and is more a formalization of a position enjoyed by the Inquisitor rather than an actual promotion.This is because an Inquisitor Lord has no real temporal dominion -- they are not responsible for any given area of the galaxy nor specific individuals. Instead, it is reinforcement of the Inquisitor's authority and in particular to power within the organization.The most obvious benefits are the ability to recognize the appointments of others to the ranks of Inquisitor, to convene High Conclaves and to requisition greater resources from the Inquisition's forces and agents.
Inquisition - Other Inquisitorial Ranks: Grandmaster - Grandmaster is a title sometimes given to an Inquisitor Lord who runs a standing sector or sub-sector conclave, such as Lord Orsini, Grandmaster of the Ordos Helican of the Helican Sub-sector.Master - Where an ordo has a strong presence in a sector or sub-sector, the senior Inquisitor Lord of each ordo in the region's conclave may be given the title "Master." In the Ordos Helican conclave of the Helican Sub-sector, for instance, there are three masters, one for each of the Ordos Majoris; who as well as overseeing the members of their ordos also provide counsel to the Grandmaster of the conclave and are responsible for choosing their successor should they die or retire.
Inquisition - Limitations on the Power of the Inquisition: The Inquisition's remit places it above all of the Imperium's institutions, with the exception of the Senatorum Imperialis -- the High Lords of Terra themselves. In theory, a single Inquisitor can denounce an entire planetary government, requisition whole armies of the Astra Militarum and hold the fate of populations in their hands.In practice, however, the reality is far more complicated. For a start, the Inquisition moves in many different ways, according to the judgement and character of its agents. Some are brash and bombastic, others dark and threatening. Some announce their coming so as to strike terror into the hearts of the Emperor's foes, while others move about stealthily, watching from the shadows before striking.An Inquisitor would be foolish indeed to arrive at a world suspected of imminent secession and attempt to arrest the Imperial Commander, for they may find the entire population rising in opposition. Therefore, an Inquisitor in such a position has to ensure that there are significant resources at hand to combat an uprising, and to attain them they have to gain the support of other bodies.In practice then, Inquisitors are essentially "peers of the Imperium." Although many consider themselves answerable only to the High Lords of Terra and the Emperor Himself, in reality there exists a class of high-echelon Imperial servants, to which Inquisitors belong, all who wield more or less the same levels of political influence.Such worthies include Imperial Governors, Astra Militarum Generals, Space Marine Chapter Masters, Rogue Traders, Lord Admirals of the Imperial Navy, Adeptus Arbites judges, and the sector level representatives of the Administratum.Relations between these various groups are often seething with internecine rivalry and bitterness, and even within one grouping, deadly wars may be fought to gain influence and leverage. Imperial Commanders, for example, quite frequently engage in bitter and bloody territorial clashes, and the Inquisition is far from immune to internal political strife.Against such a backdrop of bloody political manoeuvring, no one institution has total power over any other, regardless of the words scratched in spidery text upon ten thousand year old charters. The powers of an Inquisitor are not, in practice, defined by the remit of the Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition. They are constantly shifting in response to their position within the dark and feudal power structures within the Inquisition, as well as being subject to many outside influences.An Inquisitor that takes action against a powerful Heretic, only to find out later that the individual was being sponsored by a rival may find himself the target of attack. One that declares a world purgatus without the agreement of their peers may find themselves ostracised and unable to call upon the aid of their fellows in times of need. These and a million other factors serve to inhibit the powers Inquisitors can actually wield when operating in the field.
Inquisition - Inquisition Symbols: Perhaps the most common shared traditions are those steeped in powerful symbolism. In many ways, man is a very simple creature, who responds very well to certain images. The Inquisition knows this, and is happy to exploit it to suit its own needs.Fire is traditionally associated with the Inquisition and its works. The image of the cleansing flame is a strong one and Acolytes are encouraged to employ it when they have need to strike fear. Wherever there is the white-hot excruciator, a witch pyre or a promethium-dripping flamer, there too is the Inquisition.Other than the literal interpretation of fire as a weapon, there are other uses for such symbolism. Many Inquisitors consider their role to be that of the cleansing flame, there to burn away the rotting flesh of corruption. Some also hold that they are guardians of the Emperor's light, the holy flame of faith.Those that attend the Black Ships speak of fuelling the mystical beacon of the Astronomican, casting willing souls into the furnace of the Emperor's will. The hammer is also associated with the Inquisition. Many Inquisitors carry gorgeously bedecked warhammers with which to smite their foes.Like the Ecclesiarchy, many members of the Inquisition regard the hammer as a metaphor for piety, the force by which heresy and corruption are crushed. Warhammers are common gifts for Acolytes who have proven themselves especially adept at destroying cultists and heretics.
Inquisition - Inquisitorial Seal: Aside from the flame and the hammer, perhaps the most powerful of the Inquisition's symbols is the seal. Each Inquisitor bears an Inquisitorial Seal.This is a small amulet or icon in the shape of a stylised column that is derived from the ancient sigil of Malcador the Sigillite, who founded the Inquisition at the behest of the Emperor during the Horus Heresy.Thought to depict a pillar of strength or rod of control, this seal is their badge of office and for an Inquisitor to reveal it shows that he is demanding that his authority be respected.An Inquisitor who shows his seal to a planetary governor, for instance, expects to have the planet's resources at his disposal from that moment onwards. The Inquisitorial Seal is, in a sense, an Inquisitor's most important item of equipment, and he will never willingly relinquish it.Some seals incorporate circuits and sonic probes that can be used to hack into cogitators and open electronic locks, or double as simple weapons to ensure that the Inquisitor is never unarmed.
Inquisition - Inquisitorial Rosette: An Inquisitor and his cadre can also display the Inquisitorial Rosette, a symbol of the Inquisition incorporating the design of the Inquisition's seal worn on an Inquisitor's clothing or wargear.The rosette can be worn by those in an Inquisitor's employ and can also be displayed on vehicles or by the armed forces being used by the Inquisitor.The rosette signifies that an individual is in the employ of the Inquisition and is enough to ensure the fearful cooperation of most adepts and citizens who know of the Inquisition's purpose. The rosette, however, is used very sparingly, as most Inquisitors prefer to keep themselves and their Acolytes low-key.The rosette is most commonly used when in the company of fellow members of the Inquisition or when an Inquisitor wishes to strike fear and awe into the common man.
Inquisition - Fate of the Radical: The ultimate fate of the Radical is likely to be an unpleasant one, whether corruption and damnation at the hands of the forces with which he has dealings, or excommunication and execution at the hands of the Inquisition he purportedly serves.There is no strict hierarchy or formal organisation within the Inquisition, which is very much a council of individuals, an organisation of peers. There is no internal affairs department to which an Inquisitor can report another as being out of line or heretical, nor a division that deals with processing suspected cases.Instead, there is a fairly loose process by which suspected Heretics, Traitors, and Radicals within the Inquisition are dealt with by a conclave. This process begins with denunciation, followed by a trial by peers, and then either acquittal, execution, or excommunication.
Inquisition - Denunciation: The first step in the downfall of an Inquisitor is their denunciation to the Inquisition. Many Inquisitors skirt the boundaries of what is and what is not acceptable behaviour for an Inquisitor, but few will be called to answer these potential breaches -- such is the case where almost every Inquisitor is equally powerful, their authority on any given case answerable only to the Emperor.An Inquisitor who has truck with Heretics or worse might be whispered about wherever Inquisitors meet, rumours of their dastardly sins and fell behaviour spreading amongst Acolytes and Inquisitors alike, but nothing will be formally done about it.Informally, high-ranking Inquisitors or particularly vehement peers might dispatch investigation teams of their own to root out the truth of the matter -- unless one of the accused Inquisitor's peers is prepared to denounce him.To denounce an Inquisitor is a bold and dangerous move. It is to not only cast aspersions on the behaviour of an Inquisitor, but to declare him a Traitor, a Heretic, or worse. Such a move is not undergone lightly, for it can easily backfire, resulting in a souring of relations between Inquisitors of a conclave, or worse, the excommunication or execution of the accuser himself.The accuser must be sure of his own suspicions, sure enough to be able to convince a jury of peers that he is right. Once the accuser has made his denunciation, the accused is called to be judged and a jury of his peers is assembled, comprised of as many of his fellow Inquisitors as wish to answer the summons. Next, the accuser lays bare his evidence and makes his case.The accused gets the opportunity to defend themselves, calling whatever witnesses or presenting whatever evidence they feel appropriate, although in many cases they are not given much time to prepare. Finally, the jury passes judgement, declaring the accused innocent or guilty as they see fit.
Inquisition - Inquisitorial Relics: Grimoire of True Names - He who knows a Daemon's true name wields a terrible power over the beast, for it is the one verity that a Warp-spawn cannot deny. Accordingly, Grimoires of True Names are highly sought after by Daemon hunters, regardless of whether they intend to obliterate the Daemon, or bend it to their will. Alas, most are copies, with their information incomplete or subtly altered in such a way to put the reader at risk of damnation. Only one, the Malefact Maloreum, contains a complete and unswerving record of all the Dark Gods' daemonic servants. As such, it is highly sought after – and often fought over.Liber Heresius - First laid down during the Age of Apostasy, this tome has grown to contain the wisdom of thousands of Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors. By properly interrogating its pages, the reader can glean sufficient wisdom to predict and counter the strategies of renegades and traitors before their ruinous schemes come to fruition. Over the course of centuries, the Liber Heresius has become incredibly unwieldy, as each new wielder scribbles his own notes into its broad margins.The Tome of Vethric - First inscribed by the famed Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Macavius Vethric, this book has ever since served as record of alien perfidy and nuance. In the millennia since Vethric's death, the tome's contents have been annotated and expanded, to the point that it now stands as the Imperium's most complete treatise on xenos strategy, and contains a wealth of countermeasures for even the most innocuous of alien ploys. The only challenge lies in deciphering Vethric's almost illegible scrawl...
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