Inquisition Quotes
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This article collects famous quotes made by members of, or about, the Inquisition, sorted in alphabetical order. This article includes members of the Space Marine Chamber Millitant, the Grey Knights and Deathwatch.
For quotes made by, or about, members of the Ecclesiarchy see their dedicated article, and for the members of their Chamber Millitant the Adepta Sororitas, see their dedicated article.
N.B. Inquisitors utter statements about other factions all the time; such quotes should preferably be collected in other articles (e.g. a quote made by an Inquisitor about the Eldar should be collected in the Eldar Quotes article).
Contents
Attributed
Inquisition Texts and Prayers
| Document | Quote | Source |
| Canticle of Absolution | Our will shall be our weapons, our faith shall be our armour. | Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond Warhammer 40,000 - Grey Knight Paragon |
| The First Book of Indoctrinations | The weak will always be led by the strong. Where the strong see purpose and act, the weak follow; where the strong cry out against fate, the weak bow their heads and succumb. There are many who are weak; and many are their temptations. Despise the weak for they shall flock to the call of the Daemon and the Renegade. Pity them not and scorn their cries of innocence - it is better that one hundred innocently fall before the wrath of the Emperor than one kneels before the Daemon. | Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness, pg. 230 |
| The Daemon has many forms. You must know them all. You must tell the Daemon from his disguise and root him out from the hidden places. Trust no-one. trust not even yourself. It is better to die in vain than to live an abomination. The zealous martyr is praised for his valour: the craven and the unready are justly abhorred. |
Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness, pg. 222 | |
| Transcription of suppressed texts, from the archives of the Gethsemene Reclusium | Know this adept, for your journey has been long and you are to be trusted as few will ever be. Psykers represent Humanity's future, the ideal creature into which mankind will evolve; a more powerful, more intelligent and more capable life form. As yet this race is weak, its members lacking the mental strength needed to face the dangers of the psychic universe. Were the new race of psykers permitted to develop free and unprotected, the whole of Humanity would soon be destroyed. We few who are privy to this truth have guarded it selflessly for nigh on four millennia, since the end of the great schism from which our order was born. It is our sole concern, for the very future of our race depends upon us, and us alone. | Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition), pg. 14 |
| Declaration of Inquisitorial mandate, Inquisitorial representative, Senate Imperialis | So great has been the calamitousness of these times, and such the inveterate malice of the heretics, that there has been nothing ever so clear in our statement of faith, nothing so surely settled, which they, at the instigation of the enemy of the human race, have not defiled by some sort of error. For which cause the holy Inquisition hath made it Its especial care to condemn and anathematise the principal errors of the heretics of our time, and to deliver and teach the true and Imperial doctrine; even as It has condemned, anathematised, and decreed. | Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition), pg. 28 |
| Oath of the Grey Knights Seventh Brotherhood, attributed to its first Grand Master | We die, though our war is eternal, We are doomed, but we walk in darkness, We are forgotten, yet the future is our gift to humanity.' |
Crucible (Short Story) |
| Rubric of Protocol, by Inquisitor Crowe, Standard actions of interrogation as described |
Action I: Verbal interview without duress. |
Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 15 |
| The Rhyme of the Ancient Acolyte | If you knew back then, what you know now, you wouldn’t ask ‘Why, my lord?’, but ‘How?’ |
Dark Heresy Core Rulebook, pg. 28 |
| Inscription upon Conclave chamber doors, Mare Cinis, Suluk |
HERETICUS – FAITH IS MY SHIELD |
Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 18 |
A
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Inquisitor Allendyne | His loyalty couldn't be bought at any price; but it could be rented remarkably cheaply. - after the execution of Rogue Trader Parnis Vermode for trafficking in interdicted Xenos artifacts |
The Traitor's Hand (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Omnibus), ch. 9, pg. 601 |
| Justicar Alaric of the Grey Knights | We do not know what our chances of survival are, so we fight as if they were zero. We do not know what we are facing, so we fight as if it was the dark gods themselves. No one will remember us now and we may never be buried beneath Titan, so we will build our own memorial here. The Chapter might lose us and the Imperium might never know we existed, but the Enemy - the Enemy will know. The Enemy will remember. We will hurt it so badly that it will never forget us until the stars burn out and the Emperor vanquishes it at the end of time. When Chaos is dying, its last thought will be of us. That is our memorial - carved into the heart of Chaos. We cannot lose, Grey Knights. We have already won. | Grey Knights (Novel), ch. Twenty |
| You had to use the whole Trail. Saint Evisser, the cardinals, every single citizen, you had to move them all into position to beat us. Remember that. You put your plan in motion before the Trail even existed, because you knew it would take nothing less. We made you work, daemon. You feared us so much you had to move star systems to make us dance to your tune. | ||
| Inquisitor Apollyon, Ordo Xenos | He who allows the alien to live shares in the crime of its existence. | Warrior Coven (Novel) - Kill Squad: A Deathwatch Omnibus, ch. 2, pg. 202 |
| Artemis, Watch Captain of Deathwatch |
Do not ask, “Why kill the alien? Rather ask, “Why not?” | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 35 |
| Azkariel, Codicier of Deathwatch |
With a thought I can shatter bone and crumple steel, shield my comrades behind a banner of impenetrable force or augment their might with my own. I am a living weapon – honed, deadly and versatile enough to take the fight to the xenos foe and prevail. | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 69 |
B
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Ksenia Baek, Inquisitor, Ordo Hereticus |
Fear not, for the wards I've placed upon your bones will preserve your soul even if the flesh is flensed from them by the horrors duty demands you face. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 27 |
| Be saved, mutant, filthy as you are. Even a wretch like you can earn salvation serving the God-Emperor’s Inquisition. - directed towards a psyker |
Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 68 | |
| Arbitrator General Bex van Sturm | Inquisitors? They’re sneaky bastards. Useful, yes, even necessary, but I wouldn’t buy a used aircar from any of them. | For the Emperor (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Omnibus), ch. 8, pg. 133 |
| Inquisitor Brand | Of creations most foul I beheld the Lord of All and knew that I was dead. - from Recollections of Inquisitor Brand, Chapter 87 |
Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition), pg. 18; Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus |
| Brand, Watch Captain of Deathwatch |
Amongst a hundred men, there may be none fit for the Adeptus Astartes. Amongst a hundred Space Marines, there may be one fit for the Deathwatch. | Deathwatch Core Rulebook, pg. 25 |
| Inquisitor Havelock Brundsted | Turning the weapons of the enemy against him is, of course, of grave danger to one’s soul. It is nonetheless a satisfying thing to see. | Dark Heresy: Daemon Hunter, pg. 66 |
C
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Ciaphas Cain, Commissar |
I'm sure most of the men in the galaxy are familiar with the sinking feeling that accompanies the words "Do you think you could do me a little favour, darling?", but when the woman asking the question is an inquisitor it's even less wise than usual to say "No". | Duty Calls (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Defender of the Imperium (Omnibus), ch. 6, pg. 303 |
| Carrhe, Second Voice of the Silent, Explicator |
It’s true that the stain of ruinous knowledge can weigh heavy on a woman, but upholding His word and law will always be its own reward. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 58 |
| Arnaut Cisneros, Interrogator |
Heed my warning, Acolyte. The Imperial Creed teaches us that xenos are foul and corruptive beings, and that is true. But as servants of the Inquisition, we must stand as examples of utmost purity and unwavering devotion. You will be punished for showing any shred of leniency. You will be cleansed for showing any notion of corruption. How do you think Inquisitor Serranus lost his arm? He did that to himself. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 54 |
| Corvean, Watch Captain of Deathwatch |
To fall upon the enemy with meteoric fury, death blazing from your clenched fists, armoured body impervious to shot and blade, and to tear the heart from the foe – that is the way of the Inceptor, and it is a doctrine that has seen the foul xenos defeated time and time again. | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 80 |
| Torquemada Coteaz, Inquisitor Lord |
There are those amongst our Ordo who say that I seek advancement for my own purposes, and they are correct. My purpose is to destroy the daemonic and if I must rise to command an entire sector to do so, then so be it. I am a servant of the Emperor and only those who consort with Warp-spawn need fear my ambition. | Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition), pg. 56 |
| Let none judge my deeds but the Emperor himself, for no other possesses the right nor the vision. | White Dwarf November 2019, pg. 27 - Index Imperialis: Inquisition: Heroes and Villains | |
| Brother-Captain Cynewolf of the Deathwatch | The ethics of booklearning and scholarship I leave to the savants. But for what it's worth, I would have burned it without a second thought. – on the Necroteuch affair |
Xenos (Novel), ch. Twenty-One |
| Inquisitor Czevak | You are not free whose liberty is won by the rigour of other, more righteous souls. You are merely protected. Your freedom is parasitic; you take and offer nothing in return. You who have enjoyed freedom, who have done nothing to earn it, your time has come. –Inquisitor Czevak’s address to the Inquisitional council of Ryanti |
Black Crusade Core Rulebook, pg. 20 |
D
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Inquisitor Defay to Sarthos | Chaos is the great devourer, the enemy of all humanity, and I have been made its pawn. My duty to the Emperor has been manipulated and corrupted from the very start. So just kill me, if that is what you intend. | Warhammer Monthly 38, pg. 13 |
| Utorian Denash, Watch Master of Fort Pykman |
I am vigilance. I am the hunter’s patience and the castellan’s fortitude. I am the burning brand that banishes the shadows, the shield that holds the monsters at bay and the sword that pierces their foul black hearts. I am oath, duty, victory. I am the Deathwatch, and my vigil shall never end. | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 30 |
| Inquisitor Titus Drake | Things are very seldom what they seem. In my experience, they’re usually a damn sight worse. | For the Emperor (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Omnibus), ch. 9, pg. 155 |
| Harker Dunne, Forge Labourer |
Be silent! They are the eye that sleepeth not — mention their name again and they will appear, and when they do, death will be the least of your worries! We are all sinners here, even the pure! | Wrath & Glory Core Rulebook, pg. 63 |
| Jerran Dynaskus, Interrogator serving Lord Inquisitor Dezah |
Scour every rat hole, pressure every official, root out every weakness, and twist until they scream the confession we need. Xendenarius, I want the city’s cogitator-screed picked clean. Ghreen, see what skulls you can crack among the Enforcers. Skharen, go and play with the syndicates, cartels, and gutter crews that the worshipful adepts tells us do not exist — see what truths your skin-peeler can elicit. We must miss nothing. Our master demands as much, and his patience has limits. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 119 |
E
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn | I am forty-two standard years old, in my prime by Imperial standards, young by those of the Inquisition. All my life, I have had a reputation for being cold, unfeeling. Some have called me heartless, ruthless, even cruel. I am not. I am not beyond emotional response or compassion. But I possess - and my masters count this as perhaps my paramount virtue - a singular force of will. Throughout my career it has served me well to draw on this facility and steel myself, unflinching, at all that this wretched galaxy can throw at me. To feel pain or fear or grief is to allow myself a luxury I cannot afford. | Xenos (Novel), ch. One |
| I'm excusing a lot because I recognize the trauma and the loss you have suffered. But my patience isn't limitless... unlike my authority. | Xenos (Novel), ch. Three | |
| I'm an inquisitor. I do not get angry. | Xenos (Novel), ch. Three | |
| - Who do you work for? - The Emperor. - Then imagine I'm Him and you won't be far wrong. |
Xenos (Novel), ch. Three | |
| My lord, what foetid corner of the Imperium breeds these fawning idiots? Now you really owe me. | Hereticus (Novel), Prologue | |
| The guilty and the polluted fight. They deny. They struggle. In my lifetime, I have brought down nine marked Diabolus. None went quietly. | Malleus (Novel), ch. Sixteen | |
| The Book of Exorcisms, the Verses of Inquisitor Enoch | We are at War with forces too terrible to comprehend. We cannot afford mercy for any of its victims too weak to take the correct course. Mercy destroys us; it weakens us and saps our resolve. Put aside all such thoughts. They are not worthy of Inquisitors in the service of Our Emperor. Praise His name for in our resolve we only reflect his purpose of will. | Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness, pg. 220 |
| Caecilius Elbegdorj, Interrogator |
You think you know heresy? You think the warnings of the Ministorum, the edicts screeched from habway Lex hailers encompass the whole bounds of the law, and that the heretic merely exists beyond these strictures? There are laws so natural, so innate, that no good citizen of the Imperium could comprehend what it is to break them. The Heretic is an unnatural thing, a beast as foul as any mutant or xenos. To slay them is a mercy to be delivered without sentiment, without hesitation, and without doubt. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 50 |
| Aion Escher of Ordo Xenos, Grandmaster of the Damocles Conclave |
War is not a binary condition. Despite superficial appearances to the contrary it does not begin or end with a single discrete event. There may be catalysts and culminations, but their antecedents and consequences – cultural, material and even metaphysical – extend through times past and future like ripples in a river that flows two ways. Accordingly, the war between the Imperium and the Tau Empire did not begin and end with the Damocles Gulf Crusade. That conflict was the first great blossoming of our enmity and it will not be the last, but we have now entered a subtler phase of the game. Fifty years have passed since the crusade. Nothing has changed. Everything has changed.
Here on the margins of the Damocles Gulf we are embroiled in a cold war, an intricate game of deceit, manipulation and coercion waged against a master player. It is a delicate struggle, but never make the mistake of thinking it any less inimical to the Imperium than the voracious depredations of the tyranids or the bleak pogrom waged by the necrons, for the tau are playing for the hearts and minds of mankind. If they triumph our species may survive, but its destiny will not. |
Fire and Ice (Short Story), Title Page |
F
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Thraviam Flast, Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus | I carry with me an Inquisitorial Seal. It is a small, unassuming object contained in a neat box of Pluvian obsidian. It is a modest thing. Relatively plain, adorned with a single motif and a simple motto. Yet with this little object I can sign the death warrant of an entire world and consign a billion souls to Oblivion. | Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition), pg. 21 Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 20 |
G
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Garrvac, Veteran of Deathwatch |
When I fought the alien scourge alongside my brother Iron Hands, I was but a warrior. Now, as a Veteran of the Deathwatch, I am a weapon, optimised to slaughter xenos in the Emperor’s name. | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 42 |
| Inquisitor Felroth Gelt | Now, you face a somewhat better class of heretic. | Dark Heresy: Ascension, pg. 196 |
| Ghalis, Watch Sergeant of Deathwatch |
How many have given their lives in service to Humanity, their names never to be recorded, their deeds never to be celebrated? The Deathwatch seek not laurels; it is sufficient that the Emperor knows our names and our deeds. - (three days before his death at the claws of an Uberlord of the Nebulax Diaspora.) |
Deathwatch Core Rulebook, pg. 304 |
| Pontius Glaw | Your daily work brings you closer and closer to the warp, increases your understanding of orderless powers. Gradually, without noticing it, even the most puritanical and rod-stiff inquisitor becomes seduced... The first step is the knowledge. An inquisitor must understand the basic traits of Chaos in order to fight it. In a few years, he knows more about the warp than most untutored cultists. Then the second step: the moment he breaks the rules and allows some aspect of Chaos to survive or remain so that he can study it and learn from it... The third step... the third step is the line itself. When the inquisitor becomes a radical. When he chooses to use Chaos against Chaos. When he employs the agencies of the warp. When he asks the heretical for help... So... are you going to ask me to help you? | Malleus (Novel), ch. Twenty |
| Inquisitor Katarinya Greyfax, Ordo Hereticus |
Faith. In the right hands, it is humanity’s greatest weapon. yet even the finest blade is rendered fallible by its wielder. In the wrong hands, the mighty sword of faith can do more hurt to the Emperor’s realm than can all the treacherous daemons of the warp combined. This is why those who profess to be the most holy amongst us must be put to the sternest test. | The Gathering Storm Companion, pg. 7 |
| Inquisitor Bastalek Grim | I know not if he represents the greatest threat or greatest hope for the future of the Imperium. I only pray We stop him before We find out. - In regards to his pursuit of Cypher in the events leading up to the Era Indomitus |
The Gathering Storm Companion, pg. 68 |
| Lord Hephaestos Grudd | The daemonic are without number, and their legions span the galaxy. But faith does not tire. Should it take us an eternity, the Ordo Malleus will find and exterminate them all. | Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition), pg. 17 |
| Look upon this hammer I hold before me, for it is far more than a weapon. It is a symbol of the Imperial justice that smites the diabolic enemies of the Imperium wherever they are found, just as I. Though it has banished even a mighty Greater Daemon to the hell from which it was spawned, it remains true and pure, just as I. Furthermore, it is a symbol of my order and my office, of the authority granted to me by the divine will of the Emperor. By that authority, I am commanding you and your entire regiment to obey me without question or hesitation. Advance, or it will not be daemonic blood that stains my hammer this day. - addressing Colonel Molian of the 223rd Gudrunrite Rifles |
Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition), pg. 22 | |
| I shall not counsel you against fear of the daemon: the Emperor knows you have none. But even psycannon and daemonhammer cannot carry the day against such a foe, for what use is the bolter shell against disease, terror and madness? No, it is faith! Faith is our impenetrable shield and when faced with such belief the daemon becomes weak. Faith is our fiery sword and with it we burn out the diabolic cancer of Chaos wherever it is found. |
Dark Heresy: Ascension, pg. 173 | |
| Grunwald, Inquisitor, Ordo Xenos |
Mankind has never been alone amongst the stars. There have ever been the other races of the universe. It is neither in Man’s nature to share his worlds with the aliens nor in theirs to share with Man. And so there has always been conflict and war. An unending series of wars. Wars of annihilation. Wars of genocide. The alien races are an abomination. We must fight them to their last breath; no quarter asked, none given. Even the places of the alien must be abhorred and shunned. Any trace of their being must be erased from the landscape lest its foul taint blight us. | Dark Heresy: Ascension, pg. 171 |
H
| Speaker | Quote | Source | Notes |
| Poltus Hale, Ordo Malleus Interrogator |
A small mind is a tidy mind, that is true. But those Gangers are so doltish they’d summon a daemon before they’d realise they were reading a heretical text. Thank the Emperor they’re all illiterate. | Wrath & Glory Core Rulebook, pg. 68 | In regard to Hive Scum. |
| Stormtrooper Sergeant Havlock | Understanding is overrated. | Dark Heresy Core Rulebook, pg. 267 |
|
| Inquisitor Aegidius Halikarn, Ordo Hereticus | The soul of the Imperium teeters on the edge of damnation. Our role is not only to prevent its fall, but to ensure that the blessedly ignorant masses never learn just how close we have come to failure. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 8 |
|
| Assume nothing - no writ no warrant, no seal, save my own - is truly valid. The heretic hides behind the titles and honours of the Imperium just as surely as they lurk among the wretched and the malcontent. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 26 |
||
| Inquisitor Historical Galbus Heer | You must face the truth squarely and without flinching from duty. Our Enemies are mortal no longer. Mercy for such as they is a chimera, self-deception is its only ally. Dedicate this weapon, given unto your hand at the behest of the Emperor, to their destruction. Regard its function as your only duty: you live only to bring cleansing fire. Take up your rod and staff, your armour and psycannon, and go forth. - from Lectures to the Ordo |
Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 8 |
|
| Heliates, Chaplain of Deathwatch |
Three Corvus Blackstars fell upon Karnat, slipping undetected through the planet’s atmosphere and delivering their deadly passengers into the heart of the Aeldari enclave. As battle raged, the aircraft swooped overhead, black shadows of death. As dawn broke they were gone, and their passengers with them, leaving naught but ruin in their wake. - Chaplain Heliates, on the battle of Karna |
Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 87 |
|
| Inquisitor Herrod | We are fighting a war, the beginning of which none can remember and the end of which none of us shall ever see. It is a war without boundaries, without rules or principle, a war that must be fought without conscience, without remorse, and without limit. There is no reward for victory, only a price for failure. | Dark Heresy: Ascension, pg. 191 |
Address by Inquisitor Herrod to the forces of the IX Expeditionary Force prior to deployment onto Colony Cluster Phosphor, believed to have been overrun by the Vile Savants. |
| Inquisitor Horst | Admiral Spire, it is said that heresy is like a tree. It's roots lie in darkness while it's leaves wave in the sun. You can prune away its branches, even cut the tree to the ground but it will grow again, ever stronger. Such is the nature of heresy and why it is so difficult to destroy. Some may question my right to destroy a world of ten billion souls, but those who understand realize I have no right to let them live. No sacrifice is too great; no treachery too small. - In conversation with Admiral Spire |
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada (Video Game) | Partial quotation also found in Exterminatus Extremis |
I
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Ignerious, Epistolary of Deathwatch |
The witches of the xenos races use their abilities with reckless abandon, rending reality like the beasts they are. Ours is a purer power, our minds sanctified by the Emperor himself, our souls fortified in adamant and iron. Thus we bestride the battlefield of the empyrean like conquering heroes, and the filthy aliens scatter before us like shadows before a burning brand. | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 100 |
| Issad, Brother-Captain of the Grey Knights | As my battle-brothers are clad in armour of Truesilver, so shall they ride to war in gleaming chariots, protected against all harm until the moment of battle is come. - at the Inquisitorial Conclave of Coriolanthe |
Imperial Armour Volume Two (Second Edition), pg. 204 |
K
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Inquisitor Lord Fyodor Karamazov | There is no such thing as a plea of innocence in my court. A plea of innocence is guilty of wasting my time. Guilty. | Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition), pg. 45 |
| Josef Karta, Acolyte |
I was a farmer for most of my life. We didn’t know the xenos were already living among us. I was forced to take up arms against the invasion when the war began. I needed to learn all I could about them to lead the fight; I had no choice. When the Inquisitor came and purged the xenos from our land, they spared my mind from being purged too, said I knew the enemy too well, and that my fight continues elsewhere... | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 10 |
| Inquisitor Kartize, Ordo Xenos | There is no end to the abomination of the alien. Do not allow any guise of sentience to stay your hand – there can be no hesitation when the survival of humanity as a species is at stake. | Fantasy Flight Games - Teaser to "Enemies Without", Supplement to Dark Heresy Second Edition, (last accessed 9 August 2015) |
| Khaj’katai of White Scars, Veteran of Deathwatch |
In the breach at Caltagula the Tyranids outnumbered us thirty to one. It hardly seemed a fair fight... for them. | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 43 |
| Khyron, First Grand Master of the Eighth Brotherhood | Already, you exalt me for my triumphs,
When I ask only that you remember me for my treacheries Victory is nothing more than survival. It carries no weight of honour or worth beyond what we ascribe to it. If you wish to grow wise, learn why brothers betray brothers. |
The Emperor's Gift (Novel), ch. Twelve, pg. 153 |
| Fidus Kryptman, formerly Lord Inquisitor of Ordo Xenos |
One cannot consider the fate of a single man, nor ten, nor a hundred, nor a thousand. Billions will live or die by our actions here, and we have not the luxury to count the cost. - Inquisitor Kryptmann (presumably Kryptman) |
Apocalypse, pg. 12 |
| We are neither spies, soldiers, nor enforcers, yet we are all these at once. We are whatever the Imperium needs us to be. We alone know the horrors that await Mankind should the Imperium fall, so we alone are willing to do whatever it takes to prevent it. Whatever that makes us. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 5 | |
| They call me shameless gambler. They call me reckless menace. They call me murderer.
|
War Zone Octarius - Book 1: Rising Tide, pg. 1 |
L
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Tarn Laggarian, Confessor |
One world. Nineteen days. A hundred damned souls absolved in death by my hand. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 59 |
| Lauraedian, Veteran of Deathwatch |
In the Emperor’s name I have fought across burning plains and amidst lightning-wreathed peaks, in the cold void of space and through the ruins of cities laid low. I have done battle with the mutant, the heretic and the alien, and I have become their bane. | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 41 |
| Lias du Ortise, Inquisitor , Ordo Malleus |
They are beyond comprehension, beyond mortal flesh, beyond even time and mortality. They are beyond many things, but never my hate! | FFG Site Teaser for Enemy Beyond Supplement for Dark Heresy Second Edition - (last accessed 16 October 2015) |
| Lichtenstein, Inquisitor, declared Excommunicate Traitoris 998.M41 |
Do not presume to judge me or the methods I choose to employ, petty-minded fool. You cannot comprehend the magnitude of the task I have undertaken nor the consequences of my failure. | Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition), pg. 24 |
| Loffengar, Inquisitor, Ordo Xenos |
If you can confront the xenos, look upon the xenos, even think upon the xenos, without revulsion, then you are as damned as they. | FFG Site Teaser for Enemy Without Supplement for Dark Heresy Second Edition (last accessed 11 October 2015) |
M
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Mabuse, Inquisitor, Ordo Malleus |
Lady, I advise you to run away now. Right now. Do as the brother-sergeant instructs you. Why? Why?! |
Brothers of the Snake (Novel), Part Six-V, pg. 181 |
| Malcador the Sigillite | You are Astartes indeed, and that will never alter. But you are a Death Guard no longer. You are a ghost, a figure that stands between light and dark, trapped amid the grey. And I have need of such a man. - to Battle-Captain Garro |
Garro: Oath of Moment (Audio Book), Track 5: Flashback |
| Those who can overcome the pride born of conquest, who can temper glory with modesty, fashion shields against the blades of those who seek to bring them low. Those who let pride blind them instead find humility only upon their death bed, when it is already far too late. - automemorials of Malcador the Hero |
War Zone Damocles: Kauyon, pg. 63 | |
| In this age of darkness, only one thing is certain. Each of us, without exception, must choose a side. | Vulkan Lives (Novel), Chapter Seven | |
| Inquisitor Malden | You get more with a kind word and an Excruciator than with just a kind word.[Note 1] | For the Emperor (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Omnibus), ch. 2, pg. 47 |
| Inquisitor Malich | Though Mankind is at the brink of this great apotheosis, you must be ever vigilant for the stillborn harbingers of this change. Where you seek the pure and strong, there too will you find the impure and weak. Where you find but one worthy of life, you will also find a million twisted, deformed monstrosities for whom death by your hand is a mercy. Therefore, look first for the mutant, for he may never hide his sin from you, and in his midst there will be revealed to you that which you seek. But be ever vigilant, for even should you find one with the gift, only one in a thousand psykers will be strong enough to resist the perils of the Empyrean and be allowed to live. - from Admonitions on the Duties of the Witch Finder (suppressed M38) |
Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition), pg. 9 |
| Grand Master Mandulis of the Grey Knights | Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the daemon, I shall fear nothing. For I am what the daemon fears. | Dark Adeptus (Novel), ch. Twenty |
| Xerxes Melnyk, Interrogator serving Inquisitor Ksenia Baek |
That reverence you hold for the Emperor, the stuff you’ve been taught since you were a kid? Treat the Inquisitor just the same. They are an extension of His Will. Inquisitor says jump, you say, ‘off what spire?’. Inquisitor says purge, you use tooth and nail if that’s all you’ve got. Inquisitor says die; you run headfirst into whatever monstrous thing is staring back at you. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 11 |
| Throne damn these wretches! Mortis, they’ve got your name and description on the vox. Castella, manufacture him a new cover story and a disguise before the worship ceremony at the Cathedrum — the circumstantial evidence is pointing towards Deacon Tzarelle, but whoever these “Shifting Eye” heretics are, they’ll go to ground if we aren’t careful. Take your weapons and your seal, but by the Emperor’s Teeth, keep them concealed. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 120 | |
| Marr, Inquisitor |
There is no better measure of a man than the quality of his enemies. - Attributed |
Dark Heresy: Ascension, pg. 187 |
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| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Neve, Inquisitor-General |
The place breeds recidivists like a pond breeds scum. – on Chaos Cult activity on Cadia |
Malleus (Novel), ch. Twelve |
| Galan Noirgrim, Master of the Ordo Malleus | Heresy is like a tree, its roots lie in the darkness whilst its leaves wave in the sun and to those who suspect nought, it has an attractive and pleasing appearance. Truly, you can prune away its branches, or even cut the tree to the ground, but it will grow up again ever the stronger and ever more comely. Yet all awhile the root grows thick and black, gnawing at the bitter soil, drawing its nourishment from the darkness, and growing even greater and more deeply entrenched. Such is the nature of heresy, and this is why it is so hard to destroy, for it must be eradicated leaf, branch, trunk and root. It must be exorcised utterly or it will return all the stronger, time and time again, until it is too great to destroy. Then we are doomed. - Prelude to The Abominatus |
Warhammer 40,000: Wargear, pg. 55 |
| Now the past must unveil one of its darkest secrets, the story of the Plague of Unbelief and its most heinous vector Bucharis the Apostate Cardinal of Gathalamor. Never has the Imperium endured such a crisis of faith, not since the dark days of the Horus Heresy itself. – The Abominatus |
Warhammer 40,000: Wargear, pg. 63 | |
| Galthor Nox of Mortifactors, Watch Sergeant of Deathwatch |
There are those who speak of the xenos in terms of their cultures, their desires and motivations. Such asinine prating misses the point entirely. The xenos can and must be viewed as a singular whole, a disease afflicting the Emperor’s realm. And we, the Deathwatch, are the cure. | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 94 |
O
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Grand Master Osma of the Ordos Helican | Gregor Eisenhorn, in fealty to the God-Emperor, our undying lord, and by the grace of the Golden Throne, in the name of the Ordo Malleus and the Inquisition, I call thee diabolis, and in the testimony of thy crimes, I submit this carta. May imperial justice account in all balance. The Emperor protects. | Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition), pg. 10 |
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| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Inquisitor Gregorina Praxia of the Ordo Hereticus | Governor, let me speak plainly. The hero of the Battox Sector campaign lends me his armies freely. I am allied with the Arbitrators of a dozen sub-sectors. Adepta Sororitas Canonesses Superior speak my name in praise and offer me aid without my asking. You rule a backwater that barely avoids economic collapse. And yet, you refuse my demands? I invite you to reconsider. — Inquisitor Baran Patahbo in council with Governor Nahasi of Sha’ol — pre-emergence of the Great Rift |
Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 121 |
| Inquisitor Gregorina Praxia of the Ordo Hereticus | The ignorant consider the Imperium Sanctus safe. To them I say look upon the Nephilim Sector. Once a bastion of Imperial order, now it is the Pariah Nexus—a somber graveyard presided over by soulless Necrons who see humanity only as a verminous infestation to be eradicated. | Imperium 15 |
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| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Inquisitor Quixos | My enemy’s enemy is a problem for later: In the meantime, they might be useful. – attributed |
For the Emperor (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Omnibus), ch. 12, pg. 201 |
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| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Lady Olianthe Rathbone, Inquisitrix Prima |
There is surprisingly less to most men than meets the eye. | Dark Heresy Core Rulebook, pg. 30 |
| Ah, I see that you think to take this matter up with the Lord Marshall? Yes? Oh, but I am afraid that Lord Gorman and myself have a mutual understanding of considerable pedigree. You understand, I am sure, my dear. —words of Inquisitor Rathbone in confrontation with Senior Arbitrator Drusil |
Dark Heresy: Ascension, pg. 110 | |
| Inquisitor Gideon Ravenor | Chaos claims the unwary or the incomplete. A true man may flinch away its embrace, if he is stalwart, and he girds his soul with the armour of contempt. - from The Spheres of Longing |
The Armour of Contempt, pg. 3 |
| Sister Revati of the Order of the Sanctified Shield | Their methods are oft impious, and many take on the sinister aspects of those they are duty bound to destroy. Our creed is of cleansing flame and holy light; remember that when you work with those agents of the shadows. | Wrath & Glory Core Rulebook, pg. 63 |
| Caspiel Rex, Inquisitor |
This is the Emperor’s planet, the Emperor’s Throne damn you. You want it, you traitor pigs? Come take it from us! - on Venta Secundus |
Strategy Cards for Planetary Empires expansion game, card Hold At All Costs - Minor Stratagem", (saved archive page, dated February 2011, last accessed 6 October 2015) |
| Athocles Van Roth, Inquisitor of Ordo Xenos |
+++ What the greenskins achieved with this 'crown' is not just fascinating, it is tantalising. The ability to disrupt the power of synapse creatures with a technological device... If we could replicate it, even to just a small extent, we could change the face of the galaxy for all Mankind. Will this be difficult? Yes. Will it be hazardous in the extreme? Undoubtedly. We must pursue this opportunity regardless. I could be Humanity's saviour. +++ | War Zone Octarius - Book 1: Rising Tide, pg. 24 |
| Inquisitor Alis Ruad, Ordo Hereticus, (possibly Ordo Malleus) |
Acolyte, I gave you no more of a stern warning than your fellows. My Rosette is not a child’s toy nor a ticket to be brazenly waved for passage. Though your actions saved Hive Sepkos for now, you have abused the authority I presented you. You will submit for re-indoctrination immediately or be hunted and executed by your peers. Conduct yourself properly, for once. - Note attached to Reindoctrincation Order KL8934-M2d |
Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 11 |
| I have clashed with creatures the sight of which would sear your soul to the core. I have bested horrors that chill with a gaze and tempt unreasoning terror. I have faced death eye to eye and blade to blade. I have stared into the eyes of insanity and met their all-consuming stare. I have done all this for you, for your protection, and to guarantee a future for Humanity. You dare, you who cowers, quivering in the safety of your glittering hive, to question me!? | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 14 |
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| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Inquisitor Nashir Sahansun | Lords, ladies, generals, admirals, colleagues.
|
War Zone Octarius - Book 1: Rising Tide, pg. 4 |
| Damien Savantas, Interrogator, Ordo Hereticus |
Get yourself together before the Inquisitor gets a look at you. Lesson number one: fear her just as much as you would your enemies. She’ll throw you out the airlock if you’re not presentable for her court. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 28 |
| Look upon this hammer I hold before me, it is far more than a weapon. It is a symbol of the Imperial Justice that smites the diabolic enemies of the Imperium. It is a symbol of my Holy Order and my office, of the authority granted to me by the God-Emperor and the great Inquisitor Ruad. Obey me without question, or it will also symbolise your punishment. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 52 | |
| Julius Scipio, Deathwatch Librarian and Loremaster of the Kabiri Archives |
Be thankful the God-Emperor wills you die but once in His service! Beware those who serve any other, for they shall die a thousand times in the name of their master, and yet shall not know victory! | Deathwatch: The Achilus Assault, ch. 81 |
| Konstan Serranus, Inquisitor, Ordo Xenos |
Flame, bolt, and blade - all are but tools. Your true weapon against the xenos is contempt. Let it fester in your heart, let it strengthen your will, and their wiles will not assail you. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 28 |
| The darkest hour has come. Lothos, go to the fleet commander and have them blockade the planet – no one gets off this rock until the last foul xenos has been purged from the surface. Skarr, rally the Ministorum to gather and safeguard the people and tell that damned Magos to shut down their manufactorum. Karpath, ascend the spire and take control of the planetary relay, kill the chatter. I will remain on the flagship — know that the Deathwatch are coming. Do not fail me. — Encoded Missive from Inquisitor Konstan Serranus to his acolytes |
Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 122 | |
| Isembard Shoal, Inquisitorial Acolyte |
In all the years I’ve known you, not once have you turned down an opportunity to boast about your collection. Just between the two of us, how did you acquire an Æonic Orb? - Shoal while undercover |
Wrath & Glory Core Rulebook, pg. 247 |
| Qualtak Shoran, Inquisitor |
The creatures of the Warp have but one trait with which you need concern yourself - their undying contempt for the Emperor. It is your task to quell the rebellion they preach, and the only sure way is to destroy them utterly. - attributed |
White Dwarf 114 (UK), pg. 11; Warhammer 40,000 Compendium, pg.5 |
| Vaedrian Shenol, Watch Master of Watcher Keep |
There are those who believe that, because the alien too is threatened by the rise of Chaos, we can somehow find common cause. These xenophiles are heretics who would have us put our trust in the xenos beasts, leaving us helpless as they plunge their blades into our backs. There can be no tolerance, no compromise, no peace with such animals. There can be only war, and the endless purgation of the xenos threat. | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 6 |
| Sliff, Trackless Chain Routerunner, Cruciator |
A doc’s hands can help or hurt, easy as anything. All comes down to who’s holding the leash. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 57 |
| Grizmund Sol, Ordo Hereticus Interrogator |
I understand the irony, governess, but fear not; I have been trained by the Emperor’s own sages, the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. Through the protection of His shining light, I am made incorruptible. Besides, who better to hunt a witch than a Psyker? | Wrath & Glory Core Rulebook, pg. 53 |
| Soldevan, Inquisitor , Ordo Hereticus |
What is your duty? To look the universe in the face and then spit in its eye. To die with a curse on your lips and your finger on the trigger. To know that you are doomed, but try anyway. | Dark Heresy Core Rulebook, pg. 12 |
| Peytr Strolke, Acolyte |
Disregard the gaps you feel in your memory – know that you have seen too much, and removal was necessary. The [REDACTED] completed their mission on [REDACTED]; the [REDACTED] threat led by [REDACTED] were effectively purged by their supreme will. But take heed; perhaps we overshot our ambitions this time. - Message from Acolyte Peytr Strolke, Sent to Acolyte Peytr Strolke. |
align=center|Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 16 |
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| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Inquisitor Taarn | Aliens are scum, they must be eradicated from our worlds, purged from the galaxy, destroyed wherever they appear. However, on occasion they can prove a useful tool... | Dark Heresy: Ascension, pg. 173 |
| Tandariss, Watch Captain of Deathwatch |
We are all of us noble, faithful, loyal. We are devoted servants of the Emperor and combatants of exceptional might. Yet we all possess our own doctrinal peculiarities, our own ego. Amongst lesser warriors, such differences would prove insurmountable, tearing the squad apart. Amongst we Adeptus Astartes, overcoming such differences only tightens our bonds, and makes us stronger still. | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 64 |
| Eskender Thracius, Ordo Xenos Inquisitor, declared Excommunicate Traitoris |
And yet you accuse me of being a madman, you who have never had your sanity tested so sorely. What right have you to call me heretic and blasphemer, who have not heard the whisper of the dark gods in your ear? You are weak. Vulnerable. Human in your frailty. I am strong, and yet you still judge me for my sins, thou who art most sinful to the heart? Every scholam child knows, “Only the insane have strength enough to prosper: only those who prosper truly judge what is sane". | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 6 |
| Inquisitor Atellus Thrax | Trust in the God-Emperor. But trust your blade, too. | Dark Heresy: Daemon Hunter, pg. 66 |
| Tiamach, Venerable Dreadnought of Deathwatch, formerly Keeper of the Solemn Archive |
Though it has been lifetimes since I last knew true fear, no undertaking inspires such disquiet, such potent unease of the spirit as to venture onto a Space Hulk. To be alone within the carcasses of the lost, it is the truest test of one's mettle, and even amongst the mighty Astartes there are those who have not the stomach for it. | Deathwatch: Ark of Lost Souls, pg. 92 |
| Toreus of Genesis Chapter, Chaplain of Deathwatch |
Hatred. It is our greatest weapon against the endless xenos threat. Hatred of their unclean forms, their unnatural weapons, their rapacious appetites and their false deities. Hatred of every aspect of their alien nature. Let hatred lend strength to your arm and steel to your resolve. Let hatred carry you to victory over these unclean creatures, until nothing remains of them but butchered meat and burning ruin. | Codex: Deathwatch (8th Edition), pg. 71 |
V
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Inquisitor Globus Vaarak | There shall be no mercy for those too weak to adhere to the correct course. For mercy shall destroy us if it erodes our strength and weakens our resolve. Find courage in your hatred of the xenos, the impure and witch. To do otherwise is to shame the very foundations of the institution you represent. - informal address to retinue |
Dark Heresy: Purge the Unclean pg. 6 |
| Inquisitor Amberley Vail, Ordo Xenos |
Even if you could take us both, and I sincerely doubt that, I've lost count of the number of people I've met who thought they could outrun the Inquisition. But you might as well give it a try if you really want to. After all, there's a first time for everything. - on Gravalax |
For the Emperor (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Omnibus), ch. 10, pg. 172 |
| So there it is: unimaginably ancient Xenos artefact somewhere on the planet in the hands of a renegade, the hive fleet poised above our heads ready to rip this world apart, hidden 'stealer broods everywhere making an early start on their behalf, and now a bloody Chaos cult crawling out of the woodwork just in case we were getting bored. Welcome to my world, Ciaphas. - on Periremunda |
Duty Calls (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Defender of the Imperium (Omnibus), ch. 11, pg. 345 | |
| Some Inquisitors believe the Emperor’s work is best done by charging around the place like a grox in a ceramic emporium, leaving a trail of carnage and destruction in their wake, while others prefer not to let the enemies of all that’s good and holy get clean away by making it blindingly obvious they’re coming for them. - commenting on Ciaphas Cain's speculation that she enjoys elaborate disguises and cover stories for their own sake rather than for stealth |
Duty Calls (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Defender of the Imperium (Omnibus), ch. 12, pg. 349, fn. 1 | |
| Interrogator Caprice Valentino | Why should you help me, General? In five years’ time, I’ll be an Inquisitor, and you won’t. | Wrath & Glory: Forsaken System, pg. 118 |
| Shahin Vane, Acolyte, Ordo Hereticus |
May foul blood feed my blade this night. | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 56 |
| Lord Varlak | Curses! Just when you've finally managed to bring the whole world under your evil influence some pathetic little Inquisitor goes whining off to the Adeptus Terra about rogue psykers and daemonic possession. I mean, do I look possessed? Well, do I? DO I??? - Personal log of Lord Varlak, 995.M41 during the Purging of Korsk II |
Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition), pg. 40 |
| Voxanitor, Apothecary of the Absolvers |
Were anyone other to suggest our exalted gene-seed be mutated, I would have their head, Inquisitor. I respect your authority, and will permit your snooping zealots to pry but one time — but know that this will not be forgotten. | Wrath & Glory Core Rulebook, pg. 63 |
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| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Inquisitor Whitlock | I am minded to raise you to the position that you have craved and dreamt of for so long. I am, though, reticent. My friend, you are the finest apprentice I have ever tutored and there is no one I would trust more between here and the Golden Throne. Because of this I am loathe to place the burden of our high office on you: Its glitter is a lie and its rewards no more than the dry ash of a funeral pyre”. - Inquisitor Whitlock to Inquisitor Cydan before Cydan was raised to the rank |
Dark Heresy: Ascension pg. 182 |
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| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Akrep Xie, Watch Master of Eye of Octos |
The xenos have broken out. Repeat, the xenos have broken out.
|
War Zone Octarius - Book 1: Rising Tide, pg. 10 |
X
| Speaker | Quote | Source |
| Yorin XIII, Ordo Xenos Confessor |
An excellent companion she was, very droll indeed — if a little imprudent. Saved my life in that daemonic interlude on Charybdion. Of course, we recompensed her with those scintillating art pieces we found, I imagine she made a few Thrones on those. ‘Tis a shame I had to purge her. The story of how she acquired that blasphemous xeno-servitor must have been fascinating. —Relating to a Rogue Trader |
Wrath & Glory Core Rulebook, pg. 66 |
Unattributed
| Quote | Notes/Context | Source |
| Trust No One. | - Inquisitorial Maxim | Dark Heresy: Ascension pg. 212 |
| By this oath, I pledge to stand by thee, against traitor, beast, or fiend, for only in death does my duty end. | Retinue Oath | Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond Warhammer 40,000 - Bastion Protector |
| Your objections are irrelevant; I am an Inquisitor, and I answer to none save the Emperor of Mankind. Regarding my methods, He seems content to remain silent. | Inquisitor [NAMES REDACTED, SEE CASE ID #3421-G3/Delta-48F3 ‘Vitezovich’] | Imperium Maledictum: Inquisition Player's Guide, pg. 24 |
| You have been told the Inquisition; that shadowy organisation which defends Mankind and the Emperor from the perils of heresy, possession, alien dominance and rebellion.
You have been told the Inquisition are the ultimate defence against the phantoms of fear and terror which lurk in the darkness between the stars. You have been told the Inquisition are the bright saviours in an eclipse of evil; purest and most devoted warriors of the Emperor. You have been told the Inquisition is united in its cause to rid the galaxy of any threat, from without or within. Everything you have been told is a lie! |
unknown | Inquisitor Rulebook, pg. 2 |
Trivia
 |
Note 1
Possibly a reference to gangster Al Capone who is quoted to have said: "You can get more with a kind word and a gun than with just a kind word."
