Callidus Temple

Callidus Assassins

The Callidus Temple is one of many different temples that makes up the Officio Assassinorum.

The Callidus Assassins are the most cunning of all the assassins and they specialise in trickery, deception, deceit, infiltration, and impersonation. Their greatest asset is the shape-changing drug Polymorphine. This drug coupled with the correct training can change their very shape and appearance allowing them to impersonate other persons, also members of the opposite sex, and even humanoid Xenos like the Orks and the Eldar. Meh'Lindi, one of the most cunning agents, managed to impersonated successfully a Genestealer hybrid for a time^1,2. One can assume that the impersonation of a Tau is possible, but no reports confirming this are known to this date.

This makes them experts at getting close to their target, be it rebellious Imperial governors, corrupt Imperial high officials, Heretic prophets, Xeno leaders, etc. This allows them to manipulate the enemy plans and eventually assassinate the main target at the best possible moment. Polymorphine works better with women, and therefore the vast majority of the temple-members are women.

The traitor Primarch Konrad Curze, aka Night Haunter, was assassinated by M'shen, a Callidus Assassin. However he allowed her intrusion as he wanted to die.

Wargear

Calidus assassins, besides being exceptionally well trained in martial arts, normally use whatever weapon they are allowed to carry in the presence of their target³. On occasion they make use of rare weapons like the C'tan Phase Sword and the Neural Shredder.

The C'tan phase swords have a special link to the Necron gods, the C'tan. A report⁴ shows how Jaramshaela, a Callidus assassin, tried to assassinate the heretical Imperial governor Takis who later turned out to be the Deceiver. The phase blade was absorbed back into the C'tan and she was flayed alive.

Notable Callidus Assassins

• Mehlinidi
• Asaid Virenus, the rogue assassin

Reference and sources

• ¹Deathwing, short-story The Alien Beast within by Ian Watson. One has to mention that Meh´lindi had to undergo special surgery to be able to impersonate a Genestealer hybrid.
• ²Inquistion War Trilogy by Ian Watson
• ³Eternal Damnation (Graphic Novel), comic strip The lonis gambit by Christian Dunn.
• ⁴Codex: Necrons (3rd Edition), page 8
• Into the Maelstrom, short-story The Raven's Claw by Jonathan Curran.
• Obvious Tactics (Graphic Novel), by David Pugh.
• Codex Assassins (2nd Edition)
• Codex: Assassins (3rd Edition)
• Thorion Faction Sourcebook