Lex Imperialis
The Lex Imperialis, also called the Dictates Imperialis[1] or simply the book of law,[5] is the legal code of the Imperium. Claimed to be the word of the Emperor himself, it is a vast body of laws and codes compiled over ten thousand years that Judges of the Adeptus Arbites spend their entire lives studying and compiling in the Book of Judgement. Though each world of the Imperium has its own unique set of rules, the Lex Imperialis is the definitive and absolute word, ruling above all others. The Lex Imperialis is ruthlessly enforced by the Adeptus Arbites.[1]
The principal laws of the Lex Imperialis are known as the Injuncta Cardinal. All Arbitrators can recite it by heart and it is often found emblazoned across their Precinct Fortresses.[4] While the Dicatates Imperialis are extensive, the huge volume of prior cases and sometimes contradictory rulings can make it difficult to determine the correct decision. In especially complex cases, it may take centuries to reach an outcome. A Judge may spend his entire life deliberating, scrutinizing, and trying to fathom out the issues, only to pass his work on, unfinished, for others to continue. Millennia later, though the accused are long dead, a ruling is finally made and justice must be meted out upon the distant descendants and those obscurely associated with the original transgressor.[2]
All mutants are considered illegal by the Lex Imperialis, however, miscellaneous mutants amongst scavvy populations and beyond remain rife throughout the vast and squalid Imperium.[6] It is required by Imperial Law that all psykers must undergo the Adeptus Astra Telepathica's testing and sanctioning process. Those that do not submit themselves to be collected by authorities and retrieved by the League of Black Ships, or otherwise evade this process, are labelled rogue psykers and considered illegal fugitives.[3] According to the Lex Imperialis, it is punishable by death for a proctor to abandon their weapons and equipment.[5]
See also
Sources
- 1: Inquisitor Rulebook, pgs. 6-7
- 2: Dark Heresy: Book of Judgement, pg. 9
- 3: Dark Heresy: Ascension, pg. 48
- 4: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, Character Portrait Frame - Proctor
- 5: Sepulturum (Novel), Chapter V
- 6: Wrath & Glory Core Rulebook, pg. 105
