Inquisition

Template:IntWik Template:InqPortal The Inquisition (formally The Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition) is a secretive organisation within the Imperium. They act as the secret police of the Imperium, identifying and destroying any threat to mankind and to the Emperor's realm.

Formation of the Inquisition

The Inquisition is believed to have been created by the Emperor of Mankind shortly before his internment within the Golden Throne. In the days before the final confrontation between the Emperor and Horus, the Emperor told Malcador the Sigillite to summon "men of character, skill and determination" who would be tested and trained to become an elite group of investigators with the task of rooting out treachery and heresy. This marked the founding of the Imperial Inquisition. Among the first Malcador approached for this duty were Death Guard hero Nathaniel Garro and former Sons of Horus Marine Captain Iacton Qruze¹.

There were originally only two Orders within the Inquisition, but a third (the Ordo Hereticus) was created after the events of the Age of Apostasy.

Orders of the Inquisition

There are three major Ordos of the Inquisition, each of which specialises in combating specific threats to the Imperium and the prosperity of mankind. Although Inquisitors from any Ordo are expected to deal with any kind of threat they encounter, it is the role of the Ordos to produce agents who are particularly adept at tracking down and destroying certain types of threat. The three major Ordos are Hereticus, Malleus and Xenos.

• The Ordo Malleus (Daemonhunters) - concerns itself with daemonic threats to the Imperium.
• The Ordo Xenos (Alien hunters) - seeks out and eliminates alien influence and corruption within the Imperium.
• The Ordo Hereticus (Witch hunters) - specialises in discovering and destroying heretics and traitors within the Imperium.
• The Ordo Sepulturum - focuses on the research, containment, and destruction of plague zombies and those infected with the Obliterator Virus.
• The Ordo Obsuletus - Investigates phenomena (such as the Legion of the Damned), and determines if they are threats to the Imperium.
• The Ordo Dialogus - Responsible for translating alien languages and artifacts, works with the Ordo Xenos
• The Ordo Militum - Polices the Imperial Guard, Imperial Navy, Commissariat, and Sisters of Battle
• The Ordo Sicarius - Polices the Officio Assassinorum

Role of the Inquisition

As it is not bound by the laws of the Adeptus Terra, the Inquisition is immensely powerful. It is answerable only to the Emperor, and no one, besides the Emperor himself, is exempt from their scrutiny. Members of the Inquisition are divided into various ranks, but the ordinary Inquisitor is a free agent compared to the desk-bound scribe of the Adeptus Terra.²

Their role is to investigate, to uncover dissent and inefficiency, to destroy hostile aliens and any other threat to humanity. The main threat to the Imperium and mankind is posed from within, by corruption and disloyalty within the departments of the Adeptus Terra, as well as by psykers. The other threat posed from within is that of mutation, the constant corruption of the human gene-pool. There are no bounds to the Inquisition's field of operation: alien plots, mutation, political corruption and incompetence all come under their jurisdiction.²

If he has good cause, an Inquisitor may demand any service from any citizen or servant of the Imperium, up to and including the High Lords of Terra (the Adeptus Custodes who guard the Emperor's palace and person are exempt, as their duty to the Emperor is clear and unchanging. When it comes to the Adeptus Astartes, Inquisitors often show some discretion and ask).

The Inquisition necessarily exists and operates outside the bureaucracy of all other Imperial departments. It is part of the duty of the Inquisition to monitor other Imperial departments, rooting out corruption, incompetence and treachery. It has little in the way of a hierarchy - the majority of Inquisitors are peers, under a single Master and the Emperor himself - and has none of the bureaucracy of many of the departments of the Imperium, allowing it to operate relatively efficiently. Because it is vital the Inquisition itself does not become corrupt, its integrity is ensured by its secretive Inner Order, which roots out heresy and corruption from within the Inquisition's own ranks.

Inquisitors also have absolute power to judge supposed heretics, mutants, rogue psykers and the like, with no appeal. Practically all possible verdicts are ultimately death sentences, although the means by which they are achieved differ. Traitors, the worst grades of offenders, are considered irredeemable and will be quickly executed. Heretics may be redeemed, receiving absolution through death in service to the Imperium. This service may consist of arco-flagellation, conscription into Penal Legions, bound into a Ministorum's Penitent Engine or, in the case of penitent psykers, joining the retinue of an Inquisitor.

If a world is deemed to be irredeemably corrupt, an Inquisitor may condemn it to Exterminatus. This is the most extreme solution, as it destroys a possibly valuable world of the Imperium.

Actions

An Action is how the Inquisition interrogates its prisoners. (see article for details)³

Philosophy

The Inquisition can be broadly divided into two differing schools of thought: Puritanism and Radicalism.

To the conservative Puritans, it is of the utmost importance that Inquisition doctrine be upheld, and are often found persecuting those Inquisitors who are deemed heretical.

The pragmatic Radical Inquisitors follow the Imperial doctrines in spirit, believing that the ends justify the means, and find little value in adhering to convention too closely. They often try to fight fire with fire, using Chaos or alien weaponry, employing Daemonhosts, or committing other acts that would be deemed heretical by their more conservative brethren.

Inquisitors of both sides are found in great number, and while often at odds with each other, are equally interested in the survival of the mankind and the defeat of its enemies. Puritans and Radicals are further divided into individual philosophies, leading to further friction:

Puritans

• Thorianism - These members of the Inquisition believe that the Emperor will some day be reincarnated. This is the most 'radical' of the Puritan ideologies due to the possible upheaval that could result should the Thorians actually be able to summon the Emperor into a new form, as Believers and Unbelievers would turn upon each other. Named after Sebastian Thor, thought to be an avatar of the Emperor.

• Monodominance - This philosophy holds that man can only survive in the Galaxy at the death of every other creature, be it alien, mutant, or even psyker (which would potentially harm the Imperium, seeing as all galactic communication and long-distance travel is psychic in nature). They are arguably the most extreme of the Puritans.

• Amalathianism - The conservative philosophy of Puritanism. It advocates unity between Imperial organisations and lack of tumultuous change. It was at the birth of this philosophy, on Gathalamor, at Mount Amalath, that Lord Commander Solar Macharius was spurred on to his grand conquest of nearly a thousand worlds.

Radicals

• Xanthism - The most obviously Radical grouping within the Inquisition, it advocates the use of warp-based weaponry, such as daemon possessed swords, daemonhosts, and generally turning the power of Chaos against itself. Named after Inquisitor-Master Zaranchek Xanthus, executed as a heretic in the 32nd millennium.

• Recongregationism - The Imperium, after millennia, has become decadent and corrupt according to this philosophy. To remedy this, Recongregators consider that the Imperium should be rebuilt, lest it stagnate further and collapse under the pressure of countless threats from both without and within.

• Istvaanism - To this ideology, conflict is desirable to further progress through strife. It holds that mankind has made its greatest achievements after periods of conflict, such as the Horus Heresy, or Age of Apostasy. It is the place of the Istvaanians to strengthen mankind through adversity, and so follow a 'survival of the fittest' doctrine. The philosophy is named after the Isstvan III virus-bombings that initiated the Horus Heresy.

History

Inquisitors were not well known in the Warhammer 40,000 universe until the release of the 54mm miniatures game Inquisitor, which is a narrative game, based around warbands which often comprise of an Inquisitor and his henchmen. The creation of Inquisitor was followed by a great deal of information about the Inquisition, and the organization attracted the interest of fans. This led to the creation of Codex: Daemonhunters and Codex: Witch Hunters, both based around armies led by Inquisitors (of the Ordo Malleus and the Ordo Hereticus, respectively).

Famous Inquisitors

• Inquisitor Lord Torquemada Coteaz - infamous adversary and destroyer of Daemons; his name is a homage to Tomás de Torquemada
• Inquisitor Lord Fyodor Karamazov - Ordo Hereticus
• Inquisitor Czevak - one of the few non-Eldar to be allowed access to the infamous Black Library
• Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn
• Inquisitor Silas Hand - hero of the Daemonifuge graphic novel
• Inquisitor Kalypsia- Inquisitor in charge of Deathwatch Kill Team in the Warrior brood novel
• Inquisitor Kryptman - Tyranid expert of the Ordo Xenos
• Inquisitor Quixos - radical that was eventually slain by Inquisitor Eisenhorn
• Inquisitor Gideon Ravenor - previous acolyte to Gregor Eisenhorn
• Inquisitor Jaq Draco - Renegade Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus, raided the Black Library and stole the Book of the Rhana Dandra.
• Inquisitor Georgius Matejus - Ordo Malleus radical hunter - Accompanied with Brother-Captain Karl Ruben of the Grey Knights Chapter.

Related Articles

• Inquisitor
• List of Inquisitors
• Inquisition Quotes

Sources

• ¹Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow.
• ²Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
• ³Malleus by Dan Abnett
• ⁴Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition)
• ⁵Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition)