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Inquisition

2017-02-17T06:21:01Z

2A02:C7D:CA0:8500:88A7:179:F0EC:889E: /* Hierarchy */

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf_Y4MbUCLY '''NOBODY EXPECTS THE IMPERIAL INQUISITION!''']
 - ''Lord Inquisitor Ximénez''

 ''It does not follow that because the devil has been given power over someone on account of his sins, that power must come to an end on the cessation of the sin.''
 - Malleus Maleficarum

 ''[https://youtu.be/zOERyX3xnHQ?t=29s "My chief weapons are surprise and fear!"]''
 - Inquisitor Adrastia. She did it, boys! She did it, she said it! *AIRHORNS*

[[File:Inquisitorial_Symbol.png|thumb|100px|right|The official seal and symbol of the Inquisition. Variations exist.]]
Also known as the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor]]'s pet psychopaths - at least according to [[Commissar]] [[Ciaphas Cain|Cain]]. Strange how he gets away with this [[heresy]]. (It was because the Inquisitor writing it was his lover, he was probably dead when it was published and she probably agreed with him on the matter in regards to many of her colleagues.)

MP jokes aside, the Holy Orders of the Officio Inquisitorus, or just Inquisition, are the "secret" police and internal investigators of the [[Imperium of Man]], the eponymous hunters of the alien, the mutant and the heretic. The inquisition is a semi-omnipotent organization that has authority over every other organization and watch every single life in the Imperium for the slightest signs of heresy 1984-Big Brother style. On the plus side, though, literally ANYONE can become an inquisitor if they really impress and win all their FOR THE EMPRAH rolls; really, even hab worker #343332791984. The Emperor and his guards are the only people in the Imperium beyond their jurisdiction; even the High Lords can be (and were) subject to Inquisitorial investigation. Plus they're FUCKING ASSHOLES! (Most of them, but there are a couple that are sympathetic. Key word being COUPLE.)

==History==
[[Image:Inquisitors.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Bet you weren't expecting that.]]

So when it became obvious that the Emperor's plan to starve the [[Chaos Gods]] with [[Imperial Truth|atheism]] was a failure due to the [[Horus Heresy]], the Big E ordered [[Malcador the Sigillite]] with the formation of the Inquisition. Charged with finding "men of character" to seek out the [[heresy|heretic]], the [[xenos|xeno]], the [[daemon]], and the unexpecting, the Inquisition serves as the secret protectors (or murderers) of the [[Imperium of Man]], guarding it from those who would destroy it from within, from without, and from [[Warp|beyond]].

The Inquisition began with the [[Knights-Errant]], a group of proto-Grey Knights drafted from Loyalist Space Marines (including those formerly from Legions that had turned traitor) that were active during the Heresy, forming the beginnings of the Ordo Malleus (the Ordo Malleus wouldn't form proper until the Inquisition also made the Ordo Xenos). Over time, the other ordos were added; the Ordo Xenos after the [[War of The Beast]] (partly to manage the brand new [[Deathwatch]]), the Ordo Sicarius after [[The Beheading]], and the Ordo Hereticus after the [[Age of Apostasy]], and so on. Over time, the Inquistion's overall mission became less about fighting the machinations of Chaos so much as preserving the status quo as much as possible, as deviance was to be interpreted as disloyalty, and therefore, Heresy.

As part of their duties, [[Inquisitor]]s have damn near unlimited power, up to and including [[Exterminatus|the destruction of worlds]]. If they have good cause, they can demand service from anyone, from lowly citizens to the [[High Lords of Terra]]. The only people officially exempt from this are the [[Adeptus Custodes]], who can legitimately say they have a more important job in guarding the Emperor on the Golden Throne. In practice, though, Inquisitors tend to at least say "please" and "thank you" when they require service from the more powerful Imperial organizations, especially [[Space Marines]], since they tend to get turfy about taking orders from any non-Space Marine save the Emprah. Those who don't tread lightly tend to get a close encounter with a [[chainsword]].

"''Innocence proves nothing.''"

Inquisitorial motto

==On the Tabletop==

In the past, the Inquisition was represented by three different armies, that being the [[Daemonhunters]], [[Witchhunters]], and <s>[[Alienhunters]]</s> Okay that last one doesn't have any genuine tabletop representation. However, these armies ended up being split apart, with their chambers militant effectively becoming independent armies with their own codices as the [[Grey Knights]], [[Sisters of Battle]], and [[Deathwatch]] respectively. The disadvantage to this move was that these new armies suffered from a lack of unit choices, especially the Sisters of Battle, who lack the variety in vehicle and infantry support normally enjoyed by other factions such as the Space Marines. Realistically, unless you're up against an equally under-equipped enemy, allying up with another force is practically a necessity.

As for the Inquisitors themselves, you could still field them, but only as an allied detachment to a mainline army, such as the Imperial Guard. And like the factions mentioned above, they lost not just their chamber militants, but also their basic troops in the form of Inquisitorial [[Stormtrooper]]s (in fact the Inquisition can't field troops at all, only elites in the form of henchmen). They do have a few unique units like [[Jokaero]] and [[Crusaders]], but without some cheap units to help screen the enemy you'll end up with an expensive and easily outnumbered army, as you can only take 36 henchmen at most per inquisitor. However, they do come with a number of transports (including the nominally [[Space Marine]]-only [[Land Raider]]), which can be a boon to armies lacking in vehicle options. And if you want to bring [[Officio Assassinorum|assassins]] with you, you'll get them through the inquisitor. Besides, fluff-wise an Inquisitor would normally want plenty of meat-shields to do the shooting for them anyways.

After getting reorganized into Codex: Imperial Agents, Inquisitors can now play closer to their original incarnation if you so choose. Inquisitors can now easily call upon detachments from other organizations, including Grey Knight Terminators, Sisters of Battle, or Deathwatch, depending on the Inquisitor's Ordo. They can also utilize astropaths, enginseers, assassins, etc.

== Organization ==

[[File:PPI.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Heresy]], [[chaos]], and [[xenos]]. These were the most dangerous threats to the [[Imperium]] that were foreseen, but the [[Emprah]] of Mankind suddenly foresaw something more threatening than the three: EXTRA HERESY. Thus, the Inquisition was born! Using their ultra abusive authority, the [[Ordo Malleus]], [[Ordo Hereticus|Hereticus]], and [[Ordo Xenos|Xenos]] have dedicated their lives to defending the Imperium, and killing the enemies of the Emprah!]]

The Inquisition is unique among Imperial departments in that it has no formal definition of a hierarchy or structure. However, [[Inquisitor]]s with common interests tend to band together to tackle issues too large for a single Inquisitor, and over time, these coalitions have coalesced into bodies called ''Ordos'' which specialize in handling a particular class of threat to the Imperium. Inquisitors will also form looser, smaller groups called ''conclaves'' to handle specific threats -- for example, a single [[Tyranid]] invasion, or threats pertaining to a particular planet. Conclaves usually include members of a single Ordo, but there's no rule against having multiple Ordos represented, and some Inquisitors actively form conclaves with experts in diverse fields.

There are three ''Ordos Majoris'' in the Inquisition:

*[[Daemonhunters|Ordo Malleus]] - They are guys who hunt [[daemon|daemons.]] This branch works with the [[Grey Knights]].
*[[Witch Hunters|Ordo Hereticus]] - Guys who like to hunt [[wizard|witches]], [[heresy|heretics]] and [[furry|mutants]]. This branch works with the [[Sisters of Battle]].
*And the [[Alienhunters|Ordo Xenos]] - The guys who fight aliens. All the time. This branch occasionally works with the [[Deathwatch]].

Several ''Ordos Minoris'' exist as well, although their exact number is uncertain (especially because an Ordo is only as big as the number of Inquisitors who care about its particular issue -- the factor that separates the major Ordos from the minor ones is that there are always plenty of daemons, heretics, and xenos to go around, while other threats rise and fall in prominence). The best-known (relatively speaking) are as follows:

*Ordo Aegis- They help with keeping the Cadian Gate secure.
*Ordo Astartes- They try to keep some degree of control over the [[Space Marines]], with "try" being the operative word. Some recent breakthroughs have been made with the introduction of [[Vindicare|Ork Sharpshooters]] and [[Minotaurs|dickery]].
*Ordo Astra- They keep stellar maps up to date.
*Ordo Barbarus- They watch over pre-industrial worlds to make sure Chaos cults can't spring up on them.
*[[Ordo Chronos]] - They specialize in the possibility of time travel (particularly because time in the Warp doesn't flow normally), and they sought to deal with temporal anomalies, such as a ship reaching its destination before it actually left its starting point. Unfortunately for them, they just up and vanished without a trace. Nobody knows where they went and as a result this Ordo has been essentially forgotten by the rest of the Inquisition.
*Ordo Custodum- They make sure Holy Terra stays secure and devoid of heretics.
*Ordo Desolatus- Purpose unknown. For some odd reason it only has one member.
*Ordo Excorium- They make sure nobody tries to call in an [[Exterminatus]] without having a good reason for it first. The Imperium could probably use more of them, seeing as Exterminatus seem to happen all the time for things that could probably have been resolved in other ways. They are doing their job since by official statistics, over 90% of Inquisitors who declared a single Exterminatus were stripped of their rank and declared heretics for this exact reason. But they really need to put some effort to prevent such kind of behavior. Print some guidelines or something.
*Ordo Machinum - They ensure that the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] properly integrate STC variants (and the occasional piece of xenos tech) into Imperial technology while also trying to keep their hoarding tendencies to an acceptable level.
*Ordo Militarum - Their role is to ensure that the Imperial armed forces remain loyal. The [[Commissar]]iat is their child organization.
*Ordo Necros- Nobody's entirely sure what they do, but since they apparently needed an entire Ordo to supervise them (The Ordo Vigilus), it must be really important. Something to do with the [[Necron]]s, maybe? (Looking after the [[C'tan|Void Dragon]]?) Something to do with a nature of death and the afterlife? In any case, someone was and is really fucking worried about them and whatever the hell they're doing (These came through after multiple words fell to Nurgles plagues which resurrected the dead as warriors and the Inquisition said "Well fuck, we better assign someone to look after the trillions of dead guardsmen we left in this field Grimdark)
*Ordo Originatus- They act as the Inquisition's historians, attempting to sift through ten thousand years' worth of myths and legends for the few grains of truth that remain.
*Ordo Obsoletus- only mentioned in the fluff a few times, the Inquisitions official department of What The Fuck just happened here? Tends to chase up inexplicable events like the Legion of the Damned turning up. Basically the 40th millennium's X-Files. Tend to be suspicious about miracles.
*Ordo Redactus- The Inquisition's equivalent of the Ministry of Truth, which makes sure that the secrets of the Inquisition's past stay secret. Naturally, this can be quite a problem for the Ordo Originatus if the two don't work together.
*Ordo Thanatos - Unknown purpose. Considering though they are named after the Greek word for death, it points to their purpose having some relation to death, perhaps investigating means of immortality?
*Ordo Sanctorum- This branch keeps a close eye on the [[Ecclesiarchy]] so a second Reign of Blood doesn't occur.
*Ordo Scriptorum- Like a grimdark version of the NSA, they examine and investigate written records and communications and try to cut through the Administratum's red tape when doing so would keep the Imperium safe and secure. Occasionally referred to as the Ordo ISO 9000.
*Ordo Scriptus- Oversees official historical records on Terra. Since they only have 6 (Inquisitorial) members, they most likely make use of great amounts of administratum resources, and even then they are constantly and horribly out of date.
*Ordo Senatorum- Unknown purpose. Perhaps it has something to do with the [[High Lords of Terra|Senatorum Imperialis]] and their staff?
*[[Ordo Sicarius]] - They watch over the [[Officio Assassinorum]] to make sure that they don't try to repeat [[The Beheading]].
*[[Zombiehunters|Ordo Sepulturum]] - They're dedicated to fighting plagues and diseases, but mainly the Zombie Plague and the zombies that result.
*Ordo Vigilus - their purpose is to keep an eye on the Ordo Necros. Someone must have been really concerned by Necros to make an Ordo for the sole sake of keeping an eye on an Ordo.

And nice red uniforms OH DAMN.

Most of the Ordos are very straightforward, doing jobs that are necessary to keep the Imperium running and acting as checks and balances to other powerful organizations in the Imperium, making sure at least most of the various factions play nice while they're around to do important things.

(More or less how they act on /tg/ - [[Media:I.png]]

==Hierarchy==
[[Dark Heresy]] gives us a look at the inner workings of the Inquisition in how they operate and recruit people. Many of them come from nearly every other organization of the Imperium, with a few criminals and death cultists thrown in.

*Acolyte - these are the guys who get recruited (or press-ganged) into the Inquisition's service, for the long term that is. While an Inquisitor can commandeer anyone they need for a particular mission, these agents officially belong to the Inquisition and have received training for their part in the organization. Reasons for recruitment can vary between a person's skills being seen as valuable, to the person in question has seen too much but can be put to use instead of purged, or if the person in question is simply expendable. Acolytes are often servants or meatshields for inquisitors, but if a particular agent shows a high degree of resourcefulness, they may be selected for becoming an inquisitor's personal retinue.
*Throne Agent - An Inquisitor's trusted aides, they tend to be more experienced than acolytes and aid in investigations. Throne Agents who are especially talented with a history of success may be recommended to become Inquisitors themselves.
*Explicator - Apprentice Inquisitors, they train directly under an Inquisitor on how to investigate.
*Interrogator - Inquisitors in training sent out into the field. They have their own rosettes and can order people around, but still lack the authority to perform independently. Once they have enough field and leadership experience they get promoted by the approval of three Inquisitors or one Inquisitor Lord.
*Inquisitor - the full monty. These are the guys who get to root out Heresy, order Exterminatus, rope entire armies into service, and so forth.
*Inquisitor Lord - Not a rank per se, rather a title that recognizes the power and influence of an individual inquisitor. Invitation-only and requires the agreement of three existing Inquisitor Lords. They tend to be the oversees of a particular conclave.
*Master - One of, if not the Head Honcho for a sub-sector.
*Grandmaster - Like the master, but for an entire sector.
*Inquisitorial Representative - The elected representative to the [[High Lords]]. Oddly, it's not considered a desirable final career stage for an Inquisitor, and tends to be a figurehead for whatever shadowy conclave is on Terra at the time.

==Philosophies==

The Inquisition is a big and complicated place, and many have different philosophies on how to protect the Imperium and stop [[Chaos]]. While there are dozens of doctrinal and philosophical disputes, the two important branches are either Puritans or Radicals. Both are fucked up assholes.

===Puritans===
Puritans, simply put, are those who refuse to employ the measures of the enemy, such as xenotech or the Warp. Most Inquisitors start out as Puritans or on the spectrum of Puritanism, but a number of them fall into Radicalism eventually (which can be classed as lesser heresy in its most extreme forms). Puritanism can fall among three major philosophies:

*{{anchor|Amalathianism}}'''Amalathianism''': The most conservative form of Puritanism in the Inquisition, Amalathians (named after Mount Amalath, where its tenets were first set down at an Inquisitorial conclave) believe that the Emperor has some sort of divine plan for the Imperium, and the Inquisition's purpose is to protect the Imperium as that plan becomes visible. Change is considered the greatest enemy (which may have [[Tzeentch|some sense to it]]), with the exception that they seek to overcome the factionalism so common within the [[Adeptus Terra]]. The irony that the Amalathians are themselves technically a faction is not lost on them. You'd think that a group which holds the Imperium at present is perfect would be off its rocker, but they're actually a fairly reasonable group who prefer to [[/tg/ gets shit done|get shit done]] rather than bicker and bitch over territorial disputes. [[Gregor Eisenhorn]] was once a staunch Amalathian, but he eventually fell into Radicalism in his later years.
*{{anchor|Monodominant}}'''Monodominant''': The most extreme form of Puritianism in the Inquisition, Monodominants are basically [[Humanity Fuck Yeah]] taken to its illogical extreme. They believe that humanity, and ''only'' humanity, should be allowed to continue to exist. Given that the average inhabitants of the galaxy are [[Eldar|space pansies who would abandon you in a heartbeat]], [[Dark Eldar|space pansies who would torture and rape you in a heartbeat]], [[Ork|green hooligans who would fight and kill you in a heartbeat]], [[Tyranid|giant spacebugs who would eat you in a heartbeat]], [[Necron|undead robots who would atomize you in a clock tick]] and [[Chaos|things much worse]], this is [[Grimdark|an understandable worldview]]. Unfortunately, the Monodominants take things a few steps further, wanting to eliminate all [[mutant]]s, including the [[Psyker]]s ([[Astropath]]s and [[Navigator]]s) that humanity needs to keep functioning, as well even [[Space Marines]]. 
*{{anchor|Thorianism}}'''Thorianism''': The most radical form of Puritanism, Thorians are named after [[Sebastian Thor]], the hero of the [[Age of Apostasy]], and believe that Thor held part of the power of the Emperor within him. The Thorians thus believe that it is possible to reincarnate the Emperor of Mankind into a new body, allowing him to rebuild the Imperium and launch a new [[Great Crusade]]. As a result, Thorians closely study the nature of the human consciousness and the Warp, while also keeping a close eye on individuals that show enough power to be potential hosts for the Emperor's soul (such as Living Saints). They are extremely close to the [[Ecclesiarchy]]. 
**{{anchor|Anomolian Beholders}}'''Anomolian Beholders''': A conservative branch of Thorianism which takes a more passive approach to the resurrectionist ideology; they are more content with observing humanity for signs of the God-Emperor's return than actively trying to bring him back. 
**{{anchor|Ardentites}}'''Ardentites''': A variation of Thorian belief that claims the power of the Emperor was dispersed throughout humanity as a whole rather than being concentrated in any one individual. Derisively referred to as "miracle chasers" by the rest of the Inquisition for their many failed attempts at proving their beliefs.

===Radicals===
'''''[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Illusive_Man Salvation comes with a cost. Judge us not by our methods, but what we seek to accomplish.]''''' 
- Inquisitor Jack ''"The Illusive Man"'' Harper. Founder of the Xanthism cell, codenamed "Cerberus". 

Radicals are those Inquisitors who believe in fighting fire with fire--specifically, using the weapons of the enemy against the enemy. According to [[Gideon Ravenor]], Radicalism is an inevitable product of an Inquisitor's ideology being tested, as the more one learns about the nature of the enemy, the more they realize that the enemy has a lot better toys than the Imperium. However, given that most Inquisitors will face Chaos at some point, and given the inherently corrupting nature of the Warp, Radicalism may lead to one hoping to fight the Archenemy with its own tools before brought into the service of the Chaos Gods instead; consequently, an accusation of Radicalism is only slightly less serious than an accusation of outright heresy. Radicalism can fall into a lot more branches than Puritanism, and the following is merely a list of the most common forms it can take:

*{{anchor|Horusians}}'''Horusians''': One of the most dangerous forms of radicalism, Horusians (named after [[Horus|Horus Lupercal]]) believe that power the Chaos Gods imbued Horus with to fight the Emperor can be used to create a new body for the Emperor. Mostly consists of older Inquisitors who have become angry with the other resurrection theories failing to get shit done.
*{{anchor|Istvaanism}}'''Istvaanism''': One of the most violent forms of Radicalism, Istvaanians (named for the virus-bombing of Istvaan III, which began the Horus Heresy) believe that conflict is desirable, and mankind only grows in a state of violence (while it is said that "necessity is the mother of invention", the culture in 40k minimizes technological advancements). In practice, this leads to various conflicts that would otherwise remain minor suddenly becoming unmanageable because an Istvaanite was covertly funneling resources to one or both sides. Possibly the only group in the galaxy who views the Imperium's biggest problem as too ''few'' wars.
*{{anchor|Recongregationism}}'''Recongregationism''': Radicals who believe that the Imperium has become stagnant and corrupt, and needs to be rebuilt lest it collapse further. Unfortunately for them, they aren't entirely sure about how to do this, or how it should be rebuilt after tearing down the old order. Some of the more extreme Recongregators end up like Lilean Chase, an Inquisitor who fell to Chaos and founded the Cognitae (or at least its ''40K'' incarnation), arguably these inquisitors may be the closest thing to <s>the modern views of western society</s> Inquisitors giving a crap about ordinary people, as shown in a small story one of them used a cadre of Xenos Hunters composed of Space Marines from dubious chapters ([[Black Dragons]], [[Flame Falcons]], etc) to simultaneously stop a [[Necron]] incursion and topple an oppressive planetary government with the hope something better will go out of the consecutive population uprising.
*{{anchor|Revivificationism}}'''Revivificationism''': Essentially the radical form of Thorianism, Revivificators believe in studying the effects of death and dying so that they can reverse the process and revive the Emperor of Mankind. Revivificators have a deep interest in studying the Eldar as a result, and have less ties to the Ecclesiarchy. Also occasionally try to summon angels (daemons) of the Emperor, with predictable results.
*{{anchor|Xanthism}}'''Xanthism''': The most overt and well known form of Radicalism, Xanthians (named after Lord Inquisitor Zaranchek Xanthus, executed for heresy in M32) believe that using Chaotic artifacts such as possessed swords and Daemonhosts are viable weapons against the Archenemy which should be used whenever possible. They hold that only by controlling the power of Chaos can Chaos be defeated. Eisenhorn eventually followed Xanthism after being forced to use Cherubael to save the lives of his retinue. (Most of the time, this ends up spectacularly backfiring when their tools rebel at the worst possible time- or worse, corrupt them into the service of Chaos. The Ruinous Powers hate each other, but they aren't always complete idiots about it, and when you play with fire, you only have to drop it once to set the whole house ablaze.)
**{{anchor|Phaenonism}}'''Phaenonism''': A splinter group of Xanthism, considered extreme even by other Radicals. Their dabbling with tech-heresy alongside the traditional Xanthite methods led them to openly deny the Emperor's divinity and embrace the powers of the Warp, seeking to rebuild the Imperium in their own image. Despite being declared Excommunicate Traitoris, there are still some Phaenonites in the Inquisition, although they have taken great caution to conceal their allegiances from their fellow Inquisitors.
*{{anchor|Libricars}}'''Libricars''': An extreme version of Amalthianism that insists that even the smallest deviations from the status quo warrants purging. Unlike the Amalthians, they will do absolutely ''anything'' to ensure the status quo. Needless to say, the Recongregators hate them.
*{{anchor|Oblationists}}'''Oblationists''': Bizarro Monodominants that insist that the truly righteous (i.e. themselves) must allow themselves to be damned through the use of the Warp, the xenos, and the unclean to keep humanity safe. At the same time they believe that anyone else using these things will be hopelessly damned and ought to be purged. The hypocrisy of this is lost on them.
*{{anchor|Ocularians}}'''Ocularians''': A minor faction obsessed with learning how to predict and divine the future, no matter the cost of doing so.
**{{anchor|Antiquarti}}'''Antiquarti''': A subgroup of Ocularians that seek to predict the future by discovering patterns within events in the past. That wouldn't be hard if anyone allowed them to see the few books on the past, since no one teaches history in the grimdark future.
*{{anchor|Polypsykana}}'''Polypsykana''': A group that believes humanity is evolving into a fully psychic race (which appears to be true) and that it is a good idea for them to do everything they can to accelerate this process (which is clearly arguable). They do this by trying to protect nascent psykers from their Puritan colleagues, though they have also been known to harbor witches and other rogue psykers as well.
*{{anchor|Seculos Attendous}}'''Seculos Attendous''': A minor faction that views the [[Ecclesiarchy]] as an obstacle to mankind's progress and seeks to weaken it wherever they can. They're probably the only group of people in the Imperium who have realized that fact. A shame that they can't agree on what to replace it with on the absurdly tiny chance they succeed.
*{{anchor|Casophilians}}'''Casophilians''': Another branch of Thorianism interested in learning how to summon a deceased soul back to the Materium in the hope that doing so could be the first step to resurrecting the Emperor. (In practice, this would probably resemble a form of "reverse daemon summoning".) Relatively conservative by Radical standards, they are one of the few factions that can be considered open to new ideas and are known to work especially well with the Anomolian Beholders.
*{{anchor|Xeno Hybris}}'''Xeno Hybris''': A small group which sees strict anti-alien policies as being counter-productive to the Imperium of Man. They feel that sometimes Xenos can be useful or be learned from, especially when working against chaos. Many inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus in particular will do this to deal with the forces of chaos every now and again, but the Xeno Hybris makes seeking said cooperation their hat. At the very least, these guys are not tempting fate to the same extent by as other Radicals since their toys are much less likely to eat their souls. Even so, this position would most likely be more popular if the aliens the Imperium deals with on a regular basis were less of a bunch of dicks themselves or consists of [[Slaugth|Humanoid Maggots]] and other horrors that not even the Tau will try to convince to join the Greater Good.

==Song==
([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUMkcBctE7c tune])

 The eye that sleepth not.
 The Inquisition (Let's begin)
 The Inquisition (Look out, sin)
 We have a mission
 To kill all the Heretiiiiiics~ (Heretics, He-he-he-heretics~)
 We're gonna teach them (Wrong from right)
 We're gonna help them (See the light)
 And make an offer that they can't refuse.
 (That the heretics just can't refuse)

 Confess (confess), don't be boring
 Re-peeeent~ (Repent), don't be dull
 A fact you're ignoring
 It's better to ditch the skull throne than your skull

 The Inquisition (What a show)
 The Inquisition (Here we go)
 We know you're wishing that we'd go away
 But the Inquisition's here and it's here to stay

 The Inquisition (Oh boy)
 The Inquisition (What joy)
 The Inquisition (Oi oi)

 I was posting down in /tg/, I was minding my own business
 I was about to post some Loli Daemonette.
 Then these Ordos Hereticus plunge in
 And they throw me in a dungeon
 And they shoved a revved up chainsword up my ass.

 Is that considerate?
 Is that polite?
 And not a tube of Preparation H in sight.

 I'm sittin' flickin' daemons
 And I'm lookin' through the thickens
 When suddenly these guys break down my walls.
 I didn't even know them
 And they grabbed me by the scrotum
 And they started playing Ping Pong with my balls

 Oh, the agony!
 Ooh, the shame!
 To make my privates public by a game!

 The Inquisition (What a show)
 The Inquisition (Here we go)
 We know you're wishing that we'd go away
 But the Inquisition's here and it's here to-

 Hey, Torquemada!
 What do you say?

 I just got back from the autos-du-fe,
 Autos-du-fe? What's the autos-du-fe?
 It's what you oughtn't to do but you do anyway!

 Skit scat doodlebac doodle be bay

 Will you convert?
 NO NO NO NO!
 Will you confess?
 NO NO NO NO!
 Will you revert?
 NO NO NO NO!
 Will you say YES?
 NO NO NO NO!

 Now I asked in a nice way
 I said pretty please
 I bent their ears
 Now I'll work on the knees

 Hey Torquemada
 Walk this way
 We got a new game you might want to play!
 Pull this handle, try your luck
 Who knows, Torq, you might win a buck! (All right)

 Put it in the ship.
 (In the ship In the ship!)

 How we doing? Any Heretics repent today?
 Not a one! Nay Nay Nay!
 We've flattened their fingers,
 We've branded their buns.
 Nothing is working!
 SEND IN THE NUNS WITH GUNS

 The Inquisition (What a show)
 The Inquisition (Here we go)
 We know you're wishing that we'd go away
 So come on all you Heretics and you Xenos
 We got some big news for all of yous
 You'd better change your point of views today

 'Cause the Inquisition's here and it's here to stay!

(bet you weren't expecting that song, either!)

==Codex==

They`re currently in codex Imperial Agents. [[Games Workshop|Jerks...]]

==See Also==
*[[Daemonhunters]]
*[[Witch Hunters]]
*[[Spanish Inquisition|Their completely serious historical predecessors]]
*[[Alienhunters]]
*[[Zombiehunters]]
*[[Ordo Sicarius]]
*[[Ordo Chronos]]
*[[Dark Heresy]]
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Inquisition(7E)|Tactics/Inquisition]]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isw7nLOdYXM A video showing one of the more feared inquisitors]

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[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Inquisition]]

Adeptus Custodes

2017-02-17T06:12:10Z

2A02:C7D:CA0:8500:88A7:179:F0EC:889E: /* Notable Custodians */

[[File:Adeptus Custode.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Paladins of the 31st millennium. The 41st ones are marginally less clad in gold and a lot more naked.]]

''Each one of the Ten Thousand represents genetic lore acquired over many lifetimes. Each one of you is unique, a work of art never to be repeated. I am miserly with your lives, where I would spend so many others without a thought.'' - [[Emperor|Big Emps]] making it absolutely clear who his favourite creations are.

The Adeptus Custodes are the guardians of the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor of Mankind]] and the most badass group of genetically engineered/enhanced warriors/motherfuckers the galaxy has ever known (with the exception of the Assassins and the Primarchs). So badass <strike>in-fact that they can get away with dressing like drag queens and transvestites (they love skirts).</strike> Well, the skirts are actually a bit closer to the ancient Roman Legionaries, which is pretty awesome in itself, and on the whole they come off as elite and badass.

==Origins & Design==
[[File:1264391028586.jpg|700px|thumb|center|And people bitch about Space Marines and Grey Knights having overdone armor....]]

The Custodes are warriors unmatched in the galaxy, genetically-engineered by the Emperor himself. The Emperor first created these elite warriors back in the old days of his conquest of Terra, making them souped-up and more long-lived versions of the already hilariously OP [[Thunder Warriors]]. In a somewhat dickish move, his preferred recruits for the Custodes were the children of his conquered enemies. While the Thunder Warriors were eventually replaced by the far more stable but slightly less powerful Space Marines, the Custodes apparently still use those ancient methods (but geared towards producing far more stable warriors) and as such lack a gene-seed.

Although the Custodes were among the first genetically-modified warriors to be created by the Emperor, they were never intended to be part of a conquering army ''(though The Wolf of Ash and Fire shows that the Emperor sometimes rolled with a hundreds-strong posse of Custodes in battle)''; such a role was to be filled by the latter [[Adeptus Astartes]] armies. This is revealed both in their mindset and training: While Custodians share a semblance of kinship with one another within the formation, they do not foster the same spirit of brotherhood that is instilled within the Astartes in order to function together as a unit. Indeed, when the Emperor remarks that it is humanity's nature for brother to fight brother, one of His Custodians responds that he wouldn't know anything about it, because he has no brothers. Unlike the heresy era Astartes, who were at least capable of empathising with other human beings, the Custodes were generally single minded to the point of autism. Doesn't that concern the Emperor? It's a waste of their time. Actually only one Custodes - Diocletian Coros - was shown to act like this. The rest may not have been like that. Indeed, at least one - Aquillon - was shown to be capable of bonding with a Space Marine and regretting the human costs of a Compliance action.

When preparing for war, each Custodian prepares and inspects his equipment individually, rather than on military parade. The individuality of each Custodes is further promoted by the fact that the processes required to produce them is not as refined or as simple as that of the Astartes and thus they are not "mass-produced" as the Astartes are; meaning that each Custodian is a unique investment for the [[Imperium]]. It is implied in "False Gods" that the creation of a Custodian was a long and arduous process, utterly different from the creation process of a regular Astartes and much costlier, further, in "Master of Mankind" it is indicated that the age of induction into the Custodes is considerably younger than for Astartes. The given example is of a child of four years of age, so far too young to have proven themselves a worthy candidate for selection, yet they still impose dangerous tests or surgeries that the candidate may not survive.

One ritual that the Custodes do share with Astartes is the recognition of mighty deeds, manifested in their case with the awarding of names, which are added to the Custodian's title to represent the actions he has performed in service to the [[Emperor]]. ('''Constantin Valdor''' obtained 1932 names prior to the assault of Horus upon Terra.) Such names were inscribed onto the inside of the warrior's battle armour as marks of individual pride.

The training of the Custodes also differed immensely from the Adeptus Astartes, since they were intended to be bodyguards rather than soldiers. It is clear from their '''Blood Games''' that Custodians are trained in the arts of assassination -- both improvised and professional -- in order to counter possible assassination attempts on the Emperor. It is common for several Custodians to be on detached duty for these Blood Games so that the organisation remains vigilant against developing threats. Even pre-Heresy, they were clued up enough to recognise Warp-sorcery for what it was.

Furthermore it is clear that the Custodes are also well-versed in the political etiquette of Terra, and have been known to act outside of Imperial law, to infiltrate influential Noble Houses and to investigate any potential threats. (A role that a Space Marine would ''never'' be expected to fulfill.) This aspect of the Custodian mindset is advantageous, given that the Captain-General of the order often shares a seat with the [[High Lords of Terra]] and thus allows him to navigate the political maneuverings of the Imperium's various agencies, while still remaining an awe-inspiring warrior.

==Capabilities==

[[File:War in the Webway.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Custodes getting shit done during the 5 years spanning War in the Webway, giving the [[Death Guard]] and [[Iron Warriors]] resilience envy.]]

The martial capabilities of the Adeptus Custodes remain largely unknown. What is known is that they possess skill beyond even a 'normal' member of the [[Adeptus Astartes]]. It has been said that the Adeptus Custodes are to a Space Marine what a Space Marine is to a member of the Imperial Guard. They are similar to the ''[[Grey Knights]]'', the militant arm of the [[Ordo Malleus]] branch of the [[Inquisition]], in that both are elite, secret organisations with close ties to the [[Emperor]]. Custodes are unique as they have neither a known [[Primarch]] nor do they use gene-seed to produce their genetic modifications. They stand a full head taller than a Space Marine and it is said that they were almost the same size as a Primarch. In fact it was said that '''Constantin Valdor''', Chief Custodian to the Emperor during the Horus Heresy, was the same size as the traitor Primarch [[Alpharius]] of the [[Alpha Legion]] (not a great achievement after all, considering Alpharius was the shortest of Primarchs - the size of a tall space marine)

Dan Abnett's ''Blood Games'', however, provides a different version of the relationship between the Astartes and Custodes. Abnett claims that, although Custodians are slightly larger on average than Space Marines, to an observer it would be a tough bet on who would win in a fight based on strength and size alone.

James Swallow's ''Sword of Truth'' sees [[Brother-Captain|Captain]] [[Nathaniel Garro]] fight a one-on-one duel with a mid-level Custodian ''(if there is such a term)'', which he finds is one of the toughest battles of his life and only wins by playing to his opponent's overconfidence and manages to exhaust himself in the process.

Aaron Dembski-Bowden's ''The First Heretic'' further expands on the Custodes fighting style and armoury. Each weapon used by the Custodes is gene-coded to only be used by only that Custodian (Argel Tal stole some and used his demonic powers to unlock them and then kill loyalists. Even funnier when you remember that certain [[Blood Ravens|bloody magpies]] have working Custodian bolter in their armory and some [[Minotaurs|Greeks]] have a Halbard). The weapons are given to them personally by the Emperor (or at least they were in the 31st millennium, they've probably dropped this rule by the 41st) and as such one of the highest [[Heresy|heresies]] possible is to allow a non-Custodian to handle the weapon. Perhaps the most notable thing about the Adeptus Custodes is the radically different combat approach between them and the Adeptus Astartes: Custodes are not brothers. While Space Marines are trained to support their battle-brothers in combat, each Custodian fights by himself, never intending to receive support from their fellow Custodes. The [[Word Bearers]] who observed this were utterly dumbfounded by this approach, thinking the fighting was just "wrong", despite their fighting being individually perfect. They are "tigers" compared to the "wolves" the space marines represent. Ironically though, one becomes good friends with a Word Bearer to the point that they end up fighting in lockstep like true Astartes (even more ironically, that Word Bearer is possessed by a daemon). Also, he has a Custodian named Vendatha kill 3 WB chapter masters in a second, and then survive a full bolter magazine and sword to the face. And on top he has 3 Custodes kill 7 out of 11 the original possessed marines the Gal Vorbak, including a beautiful final kill. Winning.

But in Graham McNeill's ''The Outcast Dead'', an armed and armoured Custodes fights an unarmed and unarmoured World Eater and [[What|loses]] when the World Eater breaks open his armour and [[Rip and tear|rips out the Custodes spine through his chest]], something he threatened to do earlier. So fuck knows how good Custodes are, since Black Library's writers can't get their collective shits together and decide. That or Khorne just felt like trolling the Emperor that day. To be fair, said Custodian was crippled so his physical capabilities were just under what was required for active duty guarding the Emperor, hence the reason he was stuck on guard duty.

''The Outcast Dead'' also provides an example of a Custodian taking on two Astartes at the same time. While Saturnalia dies, he does succeed in killing both of his opponents.

In Anthony Reynolds ''The Purge'', Word Bearer Captain, Sor Talgron makes his personal assessment on Custodians, where while he figures that a single Custodian would likely have little problems dispatching a single Legionary, the larger the theatre of war became, the more the odds would tip in the Astartes favour. Because although Custodians might be peerless warriors, they are not soldiers.

In Guy Haley's ''Throneworld'', a Shadow Seer and a Death Jester kill a dozen Custodes between the two of them, before being brought down by "hundreds" more. Note that, although ''Throneworld'' is set 1500 years after the Horus Heresy, it's clear that the Custodes were still equipped with golden armour, so inadequate equipment is not an excuse for their poor showing.

The thing is that Custodes are still individuals, just as the Astartes are. Despite some level of genetic normality their gene-seed can bring among the Marines, some Astartes may be more skilled, tougher or faster than their brethren and the same applies to Custodians. While an 'average' Custodes will be far deadlier than an 'average' Astartes due to intensive training and physical and biological superiority, the mightiest warriors among the Legions may be able to beat one of their golden cousins.
Thuswhere the average Astartes would be a take-all-comers warriors some Custodes will specialize in infiltration, some will specialize in war, some go more into politics. With enough Custodians, this means that they eventually cover nearly any possible route to attack the Emperor. This would ensure that any opponent attempting to penetrate the Custodes' defenses (being ''bodyguards'' of the Emperor and all) would run into fighting the Custodes who specialize in countering their plan, whatever it may be. Anyway, the overall martial superiority of Custodes makes no doubt for the Astartes themselves, and facing one is generally seen as a death sentence. But because of the lack of exclusive focus on military and strategic matters compared to what Astartes get, if two large forces of equal size came together, it is likely that the Custodians would be cut to pieces due to the Astartes superior coordination and battlefield control.

Or would they be ?

''The Master of Mankind'' by Aaron Dembski-Bowden shows how Custodes deal with real battles. While fighting as individuals, they seem to have an instinctive sense of coordination without needing hierarchy or orders, each warrior knowing exactly how to fight alongside his peers without burdening them. It is also implied that Custodians apply the logic of Blood Games to warfare, gathering and assimilating any information they can about their adversaries as they fight, and probably spending thousand of hours studying the strategies of every opponent met during the Great Crusade. Astartes included ? Very likely. In fact, the Legio Custodes probably knows more about the Legions than the Legions may think, while only a few Astartes have fought alongside Custodians, let alone ''against'' them.

All this means that Custodians as individuals are arguably among the most dangerous warriors and tacticians in the entire Imperium, both [[Ultramarines|well-prepared]] and [[Alpha Legion|adaptable]]. As an army, it is safe to assume that they would enter battle with enough planning, strategic insight and tactical support to face even the Legiones Astartes.

==Role==
[[File:Shirtless custode.jpg|300px|left|thumb|Chest armor is for pussies anyway...]]
They have the final word on security in the Imperial Palace, and even the High Lords of Terra are subservient to them within its walls.

Although their full numbers remain unknown, three hundred Custodes guard the Emperor's chambers at all times. Also, back before the God-Emperor was interred into the Golden Throne, the Adeptus Custodes was known as the ''Legio Custodes'' (Custodes Legion), and numbered in ten thousand golden warriors. It is strongly believed that this is their same number today.

Only three hundred of the Adeptus Custodes serve as the actual personal guard of the Emperor, called the Companions. These are those Custodes that are privileged enough to be in the Emperor's physical presence. Each unit of Companions is led by a Centurion. It was one such Centurion that led a small group of Companions to meet [[Alicia Dominica]], head of the Brides of the Emperor (later Sisters of Battle) during Vandire's Reign of Blood. One such Custodian, Constantine Valdor, was the Chief Custodian during the Horus Heresy. He was the most honoured of all the Emperor of Mankind's creations. No other being had served the Emperor for as long as he, save [[Malcador the Sigillite]]. Valdor was a proud and respectful warrior unmatched in his devotion and loyalty to the Emperor. Valdor was ever-present at the Emperor's side, always protecting him from unseen enemies and saving the Emperor's life innumerable times. Along with Malcador, Valdor was his most trusted friend and advisor.

Constantine Valdor was one of the first members of the Council of [[Earth|Terra]]. He also had a close relationship with the Primarchs Rogal Dorn and Leman Russ, although initially Russ and Valdor didn't see eye to eye. Dorn was ever-present at the Imperial Palace during the great Crusade and so Valdor and the Primarch spent much time together. On the other hand, Valdor only earned Russ's respect when the former defeated Horus in a sparring match. The two were then together during the Battle of Prospero. There is no mention of when or how Valdor was killed if he was killed at all. He stepped down from command as a High Lord so that he could protect his beloved Emperor, now ensconced within the Golden Throne.

===Effectiveness===
Occasionally you see questions raised on forums regarding their effectiveness after apparently spending 10,000 years on guard duty, suggesting that despite their biological augmentations; without any actual combat experience they might have simply become a symbolic organisation since Terra is so well defended by other means.

In fact the Custodians sat through most of the [[Age of Apostasy]], not participating until the last moment to bring order when the fighting made it to the Imperial Palace. They also were mysteriously absent during [[The Beheading]] when the [[Officio Assassinorum]] started leveling city blocks. Added to the fact that the ''admittedly'' very old pictures of Custodians show them not even bothering to wear their armour any more indicates that they don't actually have very much to do these days.

However, one very important fact remains: The Golden Throne is a portal to the [[Webway]] which was [[Magnus|broken]], and it takes the [[Emperor]] every ounce of his concentration to stop that energy spilling out into a new [[Eye of Terror]]. Underneath the Imperial Palace [[Malcador the Sigillite]] showed one of the human founders of the [[Inquisition]] a series of adamantium doors the size of Imperator Titans, and even when standing at the first door it sounds like the greatest battle of all time was going on behind them. So while the [[Grey Knights]] are cruising through the galaxy responding to daemonic threats, the Custodians are holding the line at home, fighting perhaps the most significant ''(and secret)'' battle in the history of mankind, making them perhaps the most badass of any fighting forces EVER.

However-however, the recent HH books have clarified a bit more about this. There ''was'' a war between the Custodes and daemons that was fought in the webway after it was damaged by Magnus' warning attempt, but presently, its sealed now. The Custodes and Sisters of Silence fought together in order to beat back the tide of traitors and daemons trying to force themselves through the damaged gate, while the AdMech was given the task of repairing the gate. This was also the time the Emperor had to confine himself into the Golden Throne to help mend with the repairs and he managed to finalize this by creating a massive golden sun in the middle of the webway entrance to fry daemons trying to get through, although maintaining it was an incredibly taxing job that only he is able to reliably do (Malcador was temporarily assigned to this job when the Emperor got up to give Horus a proper stomping and he withered away into dust from the ordeal).

However-however-however, the Custodes' know their stake in the Imperium's and The Emperor's future: should anyone or anything manage to breach the Emperor's chamber; humanity is doomed in all senses of the word, and they have to be in the right condition and in the right place at the right time. Its not unreasonable to assume that the Custodes didn't budge while the Imperium was burning around them (twice) because that could very well be an opening an assassin was expecting as it is not unreasonable to assume Custodes are likely keeping themselves at peak performance to be ready at a moment's notice because only the ballsiest of assassins would even think of trying to infiltrate Holy Terra itself, they have to be ready to take on anything the galaxy can throw at them.

If you're thinking "isn't that what the Palace Guard is for?", well about that: during [[The War of The Beast]] and the Imperium was freaking out over an unstoppable Ork WAAAGH, an elite squad of seven Eldar Harlequins managed to infiltrate The Imperial Palace and muscle their way through palace security in an effort to warn The Emperor about something (or so they claim). They were only stopped at the Eternity Gate after an army of angry Custodes confronted and proceeded to cut them down.

So while it might be unreasonable for the Custodes not to assist the Imperium during its most dire times of need: their own duties are something they cannot slack on for even a moment.

===Divisions and ranks===
The Custodes are divided into four castes based on their combat roles, each with a fancy Greek-ish name (thanks GW for improving our culture) :
*Hykanatoi (from Ἱκανάτοι/''hikanatoi'', "the able ones", [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikanatoi| one of the regiments of the 9th century Byzantine army]): These appear to be the rank and file Custodes, armed with Guardian Spears and Sentinel Blades. Based on what was seen in ''Master of Mankind'', they function in an infantry role in battle.
*Kataphraktoi (κατάφρακτοι, "fully covered", Greek designation for heavily armoured cavalery): The [[Jetbike]] squads, serving as mobile fast attack units. During the War in the Webway, they also served as couriers, relaying messages to other spots when the Vox was on the fritz.
*Tharanatoi (probably a deformation of θάνατος/''thanatos'', "death"): The [[Aquilon Terminator|Terminators]] of the Custodes. They were armed with [[flamer]] weapons known as "firepikes" (yes, it's also the name of the weapon used by [[Exarch]]s of the [[Fire Dragons]]).
*Moritoi (from Latin ''mortis'', "death", with the same Greek-ish flavour): Finally, we have the [[Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought|Dreadnoughts]], Custodes who have been mangled too much to continue living without the Dreadnought. Being a very philosophical-minded group, the Custodes often hold debates on whether or not the warrior inside is alive or dead, and have come to the conclusion that all that matters is that the Emperor has decided to keep the Custode living.

In terms of rank, the Custodes are less rigid in their ranking structure than the Space Marines and the Imperial Guard, with "ranks" being more like signs of respect for senior veterans. Indeed, given the Custodes often solitary mindset, they rarely give orders to each other. That said, their familiarity with each other manages to avoid the destructive lack of cohesion this would entail in other armies. The known "ranks" are as follows:

*Captain-General/Magisterium Maxima: the "leader" of the Adeptus Custodes and Chief Custodian to the Emperor of Mankind.
*Tribune: The three senior most officers under the Captain-General. During the War in the Webway they served as the senior commanders of the combined Custode/Silent Sister/Mechanicum forces.
*Prefect: A mid-level rank below the three tribunes. It's duties are mostly unknown at this time.
*[[Shield-Captain]]: The leader of a squad of Custodes. Note that the three above ranks can and will hold this rank when leading squads in the field.

==Notable Custodians==

[[File:Constantin valdor.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Constantin Valdor, murdering stuff for the Emprah since the Unification Wars.]]

*'''Constantin Valdor'''- The big cheese of the Custodian Guard. A monster of a man, he was described as being a head taller than Amon (who was already significantly larger than an Astartes) and the size of a Primarch (Alpharius to be exact). At one point he defeated Horus himself in a sparring match, however, it is never stated how old Horus was when the duel took place. Valdor was one of the Emperors closest friends and his second most trusted advisor (Malcador the Sigillite being #1). He was described as being the mightiest warrior in the entire Imperium with the exception of the Primarchs and Big E himself (he was almost killed by Phosis T'Kar on Prospero however, only surviving because Phosis [[Chaos Spawn|accidentally rolled 22 on Chaos Boon]]). Naturally he shared a close relationship with a number of the Primarchs, the most notable being Horus, Rogal Dorn, and Leman Russ. Also, he rolls with the [[Officio Assassinorum]], so he earns massive bonus points there. At the end of the Heresy, he was one of the high lords of Terra, but stepped down sometime after that to be able to look after the Emperor personally. He has since been replaced as Captain-General: in M32 the Custodians are commanded by a new guy called '''Beyreuth'''. This makes Valdor one of the major characters of the Horus Heresy whose fate is unknown at this time.

*'''Amon Tauromachian'''- One of the most notable Custodes. In combat, unarmoured, versus three " Migou" ([[H.P. Lovecraft|I see what you did there]]) or Genestock Ogres from Nei Monggol (Ogryns anybody?) Amon is impressive, he is apparently strong enough to effortlessly break an Ogryn's arm, relieving it of its punch-dagger, then ram it through the poor sods skull. One of them grabs him from behind in a bear hug, which he literally shrugs off, then punches his hand through the Ogryn's chest and rips out its heart. Mary Sue you say? All this is from Dan Abnett himself from his short story ''Blood Games''. Also, he is probably refered to in ''The First Heretic'' as an instructor of at least 2 other Custodes, even though the "last" (well, gene-stock/family) name of said Amon is not revealed.

*'''Aquillon Marithamus'''- the "Oculi Imperator" who was charged with leading four other Custodes, watching over Lorgar and the Word Bearers after the Monarchia kerfuffle. They were kept in the dark about the Heresy until Isstvan V, but left alive because Erebus wanted their blood. Aquillon embarked on a tragic bromance with Argel Tal. It ended badly - Aquillon killed Argel Tal's mortal waifu Cyrene, and the possessed Astartes [[Rip and Tear|bit his head off]].

*'''Ra Endymion:'''One of the three Tribunes, and perhaps the only person truly privy to the Emperor's whole plan to elevate humanity into the webway and cut them off from Chaos. Told to him in a series of psychic dreams gifted from the Emperor. He was left in command of the webway armed forces after his two predecessors were killed while fighting the forces of chaos that forced their way through in the wake of Magnus's Folly. When the Emperor briefly rose from his chair to burn out the Daemons and give time for his forces to fall back, Ra was forcibly possessed by '''Drach'Nyen''', the [[Chaos Undivided|undivided]] daemon born from humanity's first act of murder. Since the Emperor couldn't kill it, he figured it would be safely stored in a Custodian's body, and the reason Ra was told the Emperor's plan was to give him a reason to keep fighting against the Daemon in his mind. By 40k we can assume he eventually gave up, as Drach'Nyen is now literally in the hands on [[Abaddon]]. He is also an absolute beast in battle, slaughtering Astartes legionaries like Astartes do with regular humans (fluffy as hell considering the [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Talons_of_the_Emperor_(30k)|Legio Custodes Tribune's rules for 30k]]).

*'''Diocletian Coros:''' The big cheese in charge of the Terran side of the War in the Webway. An unapologetic arsehole with zero time for anything not covered by his orders, to the point of almost shooting child refugees because they minorly delayed him. He makes it abundantly clear that the Custodians fight for the Emperor and '''NOT''' the Imperium, and considers that if enough of the Astartes felt the same way then the Horus Heresy would never have happened. Still, have to feel a bit sorry for him, as he was told by the Emperor that the dream of humankind was dead after the webway was sealed. That's got to be rough.

*'''Sagittarus Malacque:''' One of the original Custodians and the first to become a [[Custodes Contemptor Dreadnought|Dreadnought]]. Noted to be choleric and wild, he was nearly killed during the battle in the [[Webway]] but survived.

===Non-canon===
[[File:Pillarstodes.jpg|400px|left|thumb|[https://youtu.be/R9w_uoUHgiE?t=1m40s ''"After the confinement of the Emperor within the Golden Throne, the Custodes abandoned, among other things, the use of their armour, and their traditional colour of red was changed to black."'']- Horus Heresy: Collected Visions. Hence, the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDEbsZpweDo Pillarstodes] meme isn't actually too far from the truth.]]

*'''[[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device#Team_Emperor|Little Kitten]]'''- known on /tg/ as the Captain-General of the group during "[[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device]]". May or may not be Constantin Valdor, it's kept deliberately contradictory, what's known is that he was the Custodian who brought Alicia Dominica to the Emperor during the [[Age of Apostasy|Reign of Blood]]. Known for basically telling Big E what is everything. Called "Kitten" for purring up the ranks of the Custodes. Despite the vaguely British accent, he is highly American as he hates [[Tau|Communist fuckers]] with a passion. <s>(It's actually because [[Shadowsun|one]] was tsundere enough that she dropped him before he could tap that ass.)</s> SHIT'S NOT CANON! What is canon though is that he is a black guy (that is, normal human black guy, not [[Salamander]]-Class black). Also manage to beat up a million ton's worth of [[cheese]] in [[Yu-Gi-Oh|a children's card game]].

*'''"[[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device#Imperials_(So_sorta_good_guys)|Fab-Custodes (Wamuudes, Custodisi, Karstodes)]]"'''- aka the Pillar-stodes, See 2nd picture for an idea of what they look like. Their whole image is based on the old post-heresy depiction of the Custodes from [[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader|First Edition]]. They are NUTS, even more so than [[Rage|the dipshit who wrote twilight]]. They are oily, snickering, gay as [[Slaanesh]]'s hell and love it. Seriously, even Kitten knows this and is worried for the Emperor's safety around them, saying that none of this was his idea.

==Getting a codex==
[[File:1474071012706.jpg|300px|right|thumb|We have leaked information of the Custodes from [[White Dwarf]]! Woot Woot! Damn do those models not disappoint! The hype train has no breaks!]]
40k Has have custodes available BEFORE 30k. Damn it forge world!

Forge World confirmed that Adeptus Custodes, will indeed, get not only rules, but models. The rules will likely be in Burning of Prospero book, which was (originally) the 3rd book in the third HH trilogy. They will be released alongside Sisters of Silence rules (also getting models, let us hope they have nipple spikes like the old Blanche art!)

Rules can be found on this PDF: https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/Datasheets/Burning%20of%20Prospero%20Imperial%20Datasheets.pdf

As this is going to be a whole army/faction on the tabletop, with likely two different incarnations in the rules to represent them in different time periods. For more details on specific units as they arrive, got to their pages - such as [[Custodian Guard]] or the [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Talons of the Emperor (30k)|tactics page]] for more general commentary.

==See Also==
*[[Grey Knights]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Custodies-pic-1.jpg|A Custodes. Pimped out beyond recognition? Maybe. Awesome? Hell yes!
Image:Custodes_01.jpg|Custodes Squad.
Image:Custodes-size-comparison.jpg|Size comparison between a Custodes and a Spess Mehreen.
</gallery>

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[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]]