Tech-priest

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Targetdrone.gif This article is about the Adeptus Mechanicus rank; for the novel by Rob Sanders, see Adeptus Mechanicus: Tech-Priest (Novel).
A Tech-priest.

A Tech-priest is an Adept of the Adeptus Mechanicus. They are the members of the Cult Mechanicus, a priesthood which forms a hierarchy of technicians, scientists, and religious leaders. The Tech-priests provide the rest of the Imperium with its technicians and engineers.

Though their bodies often incorporate many mechanical components, Tech-priests are human or abhuman,[17] and often use slave-machine Servitors to carry out heavy and monotonous labour for them.

Overview

Tech-Priests are Adepts of the Cult Mechanicus. The premiere engineers and technological specialists in the Imperium, they accompany nearly every branch of the Imperium to maintain machinery. Tech-Priests will provide religious rites, anti-corruption wards, and repairs to Machine Spirits to any machine they are qualified to oversee.[5]

Tech-priest force raiding a Necron World

The term ‘Tech-Priest’ covers a broad category of thousands of different roles. Genetors probe the mysteries of the biological, creating ever stranger cyborgs and slaughtering xenos by the thousand in order to excise yet more secrets. Artisans create and restore truly wondrous weapons of war, from ornate gamma pistols to the mind-boggling immensity of the Ark Mechanicus. Magi of all stripes pursue esoteric agendas as likely to end in triumph as they are disaster. Across the galaxy Transmechanics, Lexmechanics, Enginseers, Secutors, Trifactors, Myrmidons and Technoshamans labour alongside the wider Imperium to bolster Humanity’s war machine. Within the Adeptus Mechanicus the ranks become even more esoteric. Each Fabricator Locum can call upon Magi Technicus, Metallurgicus, Alchemys, Cogitatrices, Pedanticum, Tech-assassins, hive monitors and Holy Requisitioners, who in turn can command a body of fabricators minoris, Fulgurites, Corpuscarii, overseers, underseers, stasis clerks, and techno-dervishes. To even begin to comprehend the towering edifice of the Cult Mechanicus takes far more processing power than the human brain can provide.[5] When speaking with a tech priest, it can be beneficial to instead take into account the subtlety of each magos’ specialisation and address them accordingly. Ignorantly addressing a magos simply as a tech-priest could carry a demeaning aspect, due to how bluntly broad a category it is.[34]

Tech-Priests are often fast-grown in vats, infused with a instinctual level of knowledge due to data uplinks during their gestation. Members are born already post-adolescence and are promptly put to work.[8b]

Equipment

The personal equipment and wargear of a Tech-Priest varies greatly and can consist of anything from standard weaponry to more exotic pieces of Archaeotech. However typical wargear includes their Mechadendrites and an Omnissian Axe which acts as a badge of office. Tech-Priests of militant orders such as a Dominus are equipped with more radical weaponry such as Eradication Rays, Macrostubbers, Phosphor Serpenta, and Volkite Blasters. They are also typically protected by a Refractor Field.[9a] Standard Tech-Priest Enginseers are equipped with less exotic weapons, such as a laspistol and servo-arms.[9b] Tech-priests also have internal computational systems capable of running trillions of calculations in a few seconds.[23] Their various mechanical limb might be attached integrated into their body or be the interchangable slots of their servo harness.[36]

Hierarchy

The Tech Priest hierarchy[13]

Fabricator-General

Main article: Fabricator-General

Every Forge World maintains a ruling Fabricator-General and their subordinate Fabricator Locum.[5] However, it is the Fabricator-General of Mars that is the leader of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and as the Magos Mechanicus is also the head of its Cult Mechanicus. He also invariably holds a position on the High Lords of Terra. Accordingly his subordinate and second-in-command is the Fabricator Locum of Mars.[1][2]

The Ruling Priesthood

Tech-Priest[22]

The Ordinary Priesthood

Tech Adept

Main article: Tech Adept

Tech Adepts, tech-adepts or Tech-Priest Adepts, are adept grade members of the Martian priesthood. They are skilled in one or more disciplines.[29d] These individuals are fully initiated acolytes of the Cult Mechanicus and form the bulk of its ordained priesthood.[24e] Through rune and hammer, the Tech-Adepts are the wards of the arcane and they guard their knowledge jealously.[24b]

Tech-Adepts can be lumped together with some of the lower ranking Tech-Priests of the Martian cult. Although lower ranking, they can still command coteries of thralls, menials, and servitors that serve the Cult of the Machine, if they have the rescources. Although typically assigned maintenance and construction duties by their masters,[24a] there are a variety of specialist Tech-Adepts.[24d] Adepts of varying degrees also have the potential to control and command a myriad of powerful arcane weapons, automata, and battlegear depending on their own skill and resources.[27]

Acolyta

Main article: Tech Acolytum

Tech acolyta (plural),[29c] or acolytum (singular), are unranked members of the Cult Mechanicus that are still learning the lower mysteries of the Machine God.[29b] Acolyta are typically intellectually-promising youths or young adults of a Forge World.[29c] They are typically set apart from the common rabble to begin their study of the mysteries. What mysteries they eventually specialise in can differ depending who their tech-priest master or mistress is at the time. There is also some degree of autonomy, at least in the latter stages of an individual's studies, to choose who the tech-priest they study under is.[33]

Notable Tech-Priests

Tech-Priest[35]

Known Tech-Adepts

Images

See also

Sources

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