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Defay

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Defay was a once respected Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus, a grizzled survivor and an investigative master. Defay was one of the 300 Inquisitors who attended the Triumph of Thracian around 338.M41, and one of the sixty who formed the Council for the Apotropaic Congress scheduled during the event.[1]

Biography

 
Inquisitor Defay[5b]

Survival

During the Xandrian Uprising which was the result of a stir from the Eye of Terror, Defay and some members of his retinue were assaulted by horrors of the Warp and insidious temptations. Only Defay survived these events.[5a]

His proven tenaciousness granted him access into the inner sanctum of the Ordo Malleus, where he received the new task to investigate a chaotic taint on Nicodemus. It would be there that Defay eventually cut contact with both the Inquisition and his pupil, Gravier.[4a]

Interrogation

Spoiler!
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: First and Only (Novel)

Beforehand, following the imperial victory on Darendara roughly ten years before the onset of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, Inquisitor Defay and his young pupil joined the Hyrkan Sixth Regiment to uncover the cause of the world's secession. They began questioning the Secessionist captives taken during the final assault. As an old friend of Commissar-General Delane Oktar, Defay specifically requested for one Cadet Commissar named Ibram Gaunt to assist him, his name having been called by a witch under his purview. Defay allowed the two to meet – allegedly – unobserved, which resulted in the Unsanctioned Diviner performing a disturbing ritual which revealed glimpses of the young officer's future.[2]

Nicodemus

Spoiler!
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: Inquisitor Ascendant (Graphic Novel Series)

[[File:Defay&Gravier.jpg|Inquisitor defay and his pupil, Gravier{{Fn| It was on Nicodemus that Defay and Gravier discovered evidence of Chaotic activity, with multiple deadly encounters while trying to manoeuvre around the politics of the planet. It was eventually revealed that that the corruption lay within the noble bloodline of House Matheldas. With the aid of Nicodemus' Cardinal Sarthos, they succeeded in destroying the tainted House, but it was soon discovered from an untainted member of the bloodline that the Cardinal himself had hidden that very corruption from the proper authorities for decades.[4a][5c]

Knowing this Defay sent his acolyte to gather archival proof while he went to confront the ecclesiarchal representative. Following brief accusations and just as brief a denial, Defay unceremoniously beheaded the Cardinal right as Gravier brought proof, late as it was, that Sarthos had been part of the Matheldas bloodline all along. But in killing Sarthos the Inquisitor had unwittingly unleashed the traitor's true Daemonic form. Sarthos' devious new form easily overwhelmed and captured the two agents of the Inquisition.[4a][5d]

At the mercy of Sarthos, who was now openly revealing his allegiance to Tzeentch, Defay was goaded into a rage in order to bring hidden powers to the surface, for a fallen Inquisitor would be a rare gift to the Ruinous Powers. When the fiend started using Gravier's safety as leverage, an enraged Defay destroyed the Daemon using his newly awakened psychic powers. In spite of this victory, the Inquisitor feared that he had been corrupted by Chaos' taint. This caused Defay to immediately flee, leaving Interrogator Gravier behind and cutting off contact with the Inquisition.[3a][4a][5e]

Fugitive

Spoiler!
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: Inquisitor Ascendant (Graphic Novel Series)

For five years Gravier served as an Interrogator to Inquisitor Klantz while spending months seeking his first master unsuccessfully. Inquisitor Reiker, charged by the Inquisition with the task of finding Defay, sought Gravier who had been reassigned to help him his renegade master.[4b][5f]

Their long search led them to Sepulchris, where they confronted Defay as he was investigating how to open a Warp gate on the world. Ultimately though, Gravier's loyalty to his former master won out and Reiker was killed in the battle that followed. But by then, Defay had fully fallen to Heresy. He struck down Gravier before opening the Warp portal.[3b] What became of Defay after this though, is not known.[3a][4b][5h]

Post Mortem

Spoiler!
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: Inquisitor Ascendant (Graphic Novel Series)

26 years later, a battle-servitor responding to the name of Inquisitor Gravier was recovered from the Forge World of Urdesh, whether to start the search for Defay or not is unknown.[5i]

Appearance

Defay was a tall, imposing figure clad in ornate armour with a long purple cloak. His facial features were usually concealed behind a blank cloth hood that gave him sharp angles and a terrifying look, with unsettling eyes glinting through the slits. When the mask was removed it revealed a curved and pale visage marked by a stern expression, but one that wasn't without a certain warmth according to some who met him.[2]

Character

Unlike the picture many Imperial citizens may have of Inquisitors, Defay has shown a great degree of compassion and patience throughout his career. When painless ways were available to reach his goal, he would take them, even if it meant acceding to the requests of potential Heretics.[2] He often took the time to listen and take all perspectives into account in his search for the truth, taking great offense whenever a loyal servant of the Emperor was falsely accused or abused unjustly. This reckless gentleness didn't stop him from being a formidable warrior who has survived against desperate odds as the sole survivor. And when no more doubt existed in his mind, he had no qualm executing the guilty.[4a]

Trivia

Conflicting sources

See also

Sources

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