The distaff was a group of psychic blanks, created and utilised by the inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn when hunting rogue psykers, because of their unique abilities. The leader of the distaff was Alizebeth Bequin. Normal people are strongly repelled by "blanks", and psykers find them unbearable to be around. The Distaff were instrumental in the defeat of the traitor Quixos in the battle of Farness Beta. Quixos, having collected a large quantity of psykers during the events up to the Thracian Atrocity, was deemed to be in a location of psychic strength, until the distaff neutralised the psychers' ability to attack troops by using their blank aura to repulse attacks.