Changes

The first is that in the twilight hours prior to His internment within the [[Golden Throne]], while Terra lay besieged by the traitor forces of [[Horus|Warmaster Horus]], the [[Emperor of Mankind]] commanded [[Malcador the Sigillite]] to seek out "men of character, skill, and determination" to be tested and trained so that an elite group of investigators might be tasked to discover the alien, mutant, and heretic. Immediately prior to his assault on Horus's battlebarge, [[Malcador the Sigillite|Malcador]] presents twelve individuals to the Emperor, eight Astartes and four humans who he has gathered in response to the Emperor's commands. The Astartes are described as having cast aside their allegiance to their Primarch and Legion who sided with Horus; Maclador goes on to say that they are blessed with paranormal skills which are most apt in combating the horrors that have recently emerged from the warp⁹. Although the identities of the twelve presented to the [[Emperor of Mankind|Emperor]] are never revealed, it is known that among those individuals recruited by [[Malcador the Sigillite|Malcador]] were Captain [[Nathaniel Garro]] of the Death Guard, Captain [[Iacton Qruze]] of the Luna Wolves, and [[Sisters of Silence|Sister of Silence]] [[Amendera Kendel]]¹.

The second story is that immediately after the Emperor was interred in his Golden Throne, four trusted servants of the Emperor gathered in secret to discuss what was to happen next. Their opinions were divided; two believed the Emperor could be returned to life, the other two believed it folly to interfere with the events that had unfolded. The two resurrectionists, known as Promeus and Moriana, left Terra to begin their quest to bring the Emperor back to life. The two that remained acted quickly to establish themselves with the Senatorum Imperialis and created an organisation organization to combat the efforts of Promeus and Moriana; and it was from this seed, the Inquisition was formed¹⁰.

It is not known whether these two stories are simply a case of conflicting background, or whether both stories contain some element of truth. It is said that when the Senatorum Imperialis was convened on the first anniversary of the Emperor's Ascension , a grim-faced man joined the council and identified himself as a representative of the Holy Orders of Emperor's Inquisitors¹¹. The fact that they called themselves '"Orders' " plural could be taken to suggest that the early Inquisition was an amalgamation of several organisationsorganizations.

Within the modern Inquisition of [[M41]] there are three Ordos Majoris; Xenos, Malleus, and Hereticus, and an unknown number of Ordos Minoris. Each branch specialises specializes in the combat and investigation of specific threats to the Imperial domain. While [[Inquisitors]] from any Ordo are trained to deal with all potential dangers, it is the role of the Ordos to produce agents who are particularly adept at understanding and destroying specific abominations. Membership of an Ordo is not mandatory, and there are those Inquisitors who prefer not to join one.

* [[Ordo Malleus]] (The Threat Beyond): - Destroys daemonic threats and investigates the nature of the Daemon. The Ordo came into being immediately after the Horus Heresy, and therefore has been a part of the Inquisition from the beginning.⁴* [[Ordo Hereticus]] (The Threat Within): - Investigates and roots out heresy, mutation , and rogue psykers from humanity, and polices the Ecclesiarchy. The Ordo Hereticus was founded following the events of the Age of Apostasy.⁵* [[Ordo Xenos]] (The Threat Without): - Investigates and eliminates alien influence and plots against the Imperium. It is not known when the Ordo Xenos was founded, however it is believed to be of a similar age to the Ordo Malleus

In addition to the three major Ordos, there are an unknown number of Ordos Minoris. To date, only two of the minor Ordos have been explored in detail, however rumours rumors abound of Ordos created to police the workings of the Blackships, the Imperial military and others whose sole task is to purge the ranks of the Inquisition itself¹².

* [[Ordo Sepulturum]]: - Researches current plagues afflicting the Imperium and determines how best to contain, destroy, and cure them. Created to investigate a increase in outbreaks of the [[Zombie Plague]] just before the [[13th Black Crusade]].⁶* [[Ordo Sicarius]]: - Founded to police the activities of the [[Officio Assassinorum]] following the events of the Wars of Vindication which resulted from the events of [[Goge Vandire|Vandire's]] Reign of Blood.⁷

==Inquisitorial Conclaves, Cabals , and Cells==

* '''Conclaves:''' - Inquisitorial Conclaves can take two forms. The first is a gatherings called by an Inquisitor (if called by an Inquisitor Lord it is termed a '"High Conclave'") to discuss a particular subject ⁶. There are also more permanent regional Conclaves; these are federations of Inquisitors who watch over a particular area of Imperial space ¹². The larger of these regional Conclaves may have resources such as ships, armies, fortresses , and libraries for the use of their members. Not all sectors of Imperial space are covered by a Conclave, and some areas are devoid of a permanent Inquisitorial presence. The head of each regional Conclave is normally an Inquisitor Lord, and is nominally appointed by the High Lords on Terra There are also Conclaves operating at the Segmentum level ⁸, again headed by an Inquisitor Lord.* '''Cabals:''' - A cabal Cabal is a rare body instituted by a Conclave and dedicated to investigating a particular matter. Generally they gather Inquisitors from varied backgrounds and philosophies to form a specialist task-force. Often, Cabals are despised by many who see them as secret societies within a Conclave¹².* '''Cells:''' - Similar to a Cabal, a Cell is an ad-hoc group of Inquisitors who share a common goal. Often they are factional in nature, or are formed to confront a particular problem. The principle difference between Cabals and Cells is that the latter are entirely informal and are transitive in nature.¹⁰ Often one or more of the Inquisitors in the Cell will work overtly through investigation while the rest proceed through infiltration¹³.

The role of the ordinary Inquisitor is to investigate and deal with all potential threats to mankind and the Imperium. In the eyes of the Inquisition, there are multitudes of such potential threats. The main threat is posed not by invading aliens, but from within, by corruption and disloyalty within the Imperial organizations, 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 area of responsibility: alien plots, mutation, political corruption , and incompetence all come under their jurisdiction².

Inquisitors have the authority to condemn an entire world to [[exterminatusExterminatus]] if it is deemed to be irredeemably corrupt. Exterminatus, the obliteration of a world, is only resorted to when the level of corruption a world bears is so monumental that it cannot be wiped out by any other means.

Although there is no formal system of ranks or command in the Inquisition, there are a number of positions that may be held by an Inquisitor. These positions do not bring any more authority (an Inquisitor's authority is already absolute), however the incumbent Inquisitor will have increased influence over his peers by virtue of his office.

* '''Inquisitorial Representative''': - The Inquisitorial Representative is the voice of the Inquisition on the [[Senatorum Imperialis|High Lords of Terra]]. Although the role does not bring any additional authority above that of Inquisitor Lord, it does put the holder in a position of unrivaled power and authority due to the influence he has at the highest levels of power. The Inquisitorial Representative is nominated from amongst the Inquisitor Lords of the sectors surrounding Terra, and Inquisitors that have filled this role are referred to as an Inquisitor Lord Terran. It is not unusual for several Inquisitor Lords Terran to share the role of Inquisitorial Representative at the same time. The maximum term that an Inquisitor Lord Terran can serve on the Senatorum is five years, after which they must stand down.¹⁰* '''Inquisitor Lord''': - Also known as '''Lord Inquisitors''' or '''High Inquisitors''', Inquisitor Lords exist to help maintain the integrity of the organisationorganization, and to watch over and guide its members. The title is a recognition of an Inquisitor's power and influence rather than an absolute rank, and is more a formalisation formalization of a position enjoyed by the Inquisitor rather than an actual promotion. Promotion to the ranks of Inquisitor Lord is by invitation only; an Inquisitor must be nominated by an existing Lord and have his nomination approved by two others. It is an honour honor that is only extended to those that have proven their courage, ability, loyalty and integrity numerous times. Although the rank of Inquisitor Lord in itself brings no temporal authority, it is likely that such a respected and influential Inquisitor will have some measure of control over resources within the Inquisition or his Ordo and his control of those resources will give him some measure of authority over Inquisitors who wish to use them. For example a Lord Inquisitior Inquisitor may oversee the activities of all Inquisitors operating in the region covered by a regional Conclave; or he may orchestrate and monitor their activities of Inquisitors who are part of an Ordo or Cabal.⁸ ¹⁰* '''Grandmaster''': - The title sometimes given to the Inquisitor Lord who runs a sector or sub-sector Conclave; the Inquisitorial authority for a specific [[sector]] of Imperial space.³* '''Master''': - Where an Ordo has a strong presence in a sector or sub-sector, the senior Inquisitor Lord of each Ordo may be given the title '"Master'". Their role is to oversee and guide the activities of members of their Ordo and provide counsel to the Grandmaster. Upon the death of a Grandmaster, a successor is chosen by secret ballot between the three Masters.³* '''Inquisitor''': - The Inquisitor ordinary. The vast majority of the Inquisition is comprised of these individuals.

Recruitment within the Inquisition is not centralisedcentralized, and an Inquisitor is free to recruit whoever he so chooses as an acolyte. There are many different names given to acolytes, Interrogator, Explicator, Neophyte, Novitiates, Approbators , etc, but in themselves they carry no authority (only that which they are granted by their Inquisitor) . Although some Inquisitors may have their acolytes pass through various '"ranks' " on their progression to Inquisitor, those ranks are not standardised standardized across the Inquisition.⁸

For an acolyte to be raised to the rank of Inquisitor, the consent of three Inquisitors or an Inquisitor Lord is required. There have been cases where the situation has called for an acolyte to take on full Inquisitorial responsibilities immediately without the blessing of three Inquisitors or a Lord. For example if their Inquisitor is killed in action, their apprentice may inherit their Inquisitorial Seal and fulfil fulfill the role of an Inquisitor subject to repeal by another Inquisitor¹⁰.

*'''Amalathianism''' - [[Amalathian]]. The conservative philosophy of Puritanism. It advocates unity between Imperial organisations organizations 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.

*'''Monodominance''' - [[Monodominant]]. 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.

*'''Thorianism''' - [[Thorians]]. 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]].