MedHammer 40,000 Inquisition

There are as many supposed "symbols" of the Inquisition as there are planets in The Imperium, There are some consistent pieces however. Most symbols seem to incorporate the Letter I, an Eye, and three horizontal strikes.

There is no inquisition, it does not exist.

Its a common myth among the more imaginatively paranoid that there is some sort of secret order of "Inquisitors." A secret society that is above all organizations in the Imperium. That it answers only to The Triumvirate or even only to The Emperor himself. There is no evidence of such an agency, and the Imperial government has consistently denied the Existence of The Inquisition. That has not stopped those speculators from seeing the secret order secretly infiltrating every facet of the Imperial life.

Alleged Origins

Like all good myths, The Inquisition is rooted in a kernal of Truth. As any Archivist or student with a basic grasp of history would tell you, yes there was once a secret order called The Sigilites. The Sigilites are a NOW EXTINCT society of ancient origins. It is known that their leader, Malcador, was a close friend of The Emperor and aided him in the unification of Terra, as well as with the creation of The Adeptus Astartes. However it is also known that Malcador was the last of this order, and that the Order of The Sigilites died with him.

Additionally, it is well known from Malcador's own published journals, that he petitioned the Emperor to create an organization of exceptional individuals who would protect The Imperium from Unknown threats. However, this inquisition is unlike the popular boogeyman of The Inquisition. Malcador's Inquisition was one of Gold Rossettes, investigators, and unlimited authority. Its presence was open, and its judgments were well known. A boistrous organization that had more in commmon with the bumbling braggadocio of Ultramar's "Secret" Vigil Opertii, than any true secret society. It is also well known that this nascent inquisition, such as it was formed, was a failure. The scheming of Alpharius succeeded in not only avoiding detection of This Inquisition but also in killing Malcador and critically wounding The Emperor. Consequently it is recorded in the Records of The Council of Terra that this order was considered a failure and was formally dissolved.

It is here that the imaginations of the citizens begin to fill in the blanks. "What if" they ask themselves "The Inquisition reformed itself. What if instead of being an open secret of investigators in crept deeper into shadows, deeper than even Alpharius could reach? What if they order of Sigilites was reformed and continues its ancient work of controlling Humanity's destiny in secret. It is thought that rather than brandishing symbols of authority like An Arbites or Ancillae, it has instead secret operatives working at the highest levels of every organization. There are even more fanciful speculations that believe that this Inquisition has its eyes in the Imperium's enemies, spying on Angron's hive, Mortarion's bloodship, Perturabo's Citadel of Pleasure, and even Alpharius' secret network. This is nonsense.

Leadership Myths

• There are some who believe that it is run by Alpharius himself
• Some believe Alpharius had a secret brother "Sigilus" represented by sigma who governs the Inquisition.
• Some believe that Malcador is still alive and runs his inquisition from the shadows.
• Some believe that The order is governed by a servo skull of Malcador
• Some believe it is controlled telepathically by The Emperor
• Some believe it is controlled by the Terran government, who deny all claims of its existence.
• Some believe it has no leadership, so as to not be infiltrated again.

Rival Organizations

In the Hidden world of Shadows, there are believed to be many organizations fighting in the dark. Some of these claim to be on the same side as the Imperium, others may have similar goals, but none are to be trusted.

Ultramar

Ultramar is accused of many things, flamboyant, anarchic, arrogant, zealous, but Secretive is never used to describe the culture or the people. However; there are many who suspect that the only reason such a pathetic country has not collapsed on itself is because of the secret societies that hold it together. The Inquisition is said to view these institutions with contempt and suspicion. As for all intents and purposes, they follow a chaos god, whose interests can not be proven to be truly in line with the Imperium.

The Vigil Opertii

Ultramar's Secret Service as founded by Roboute Gulliman. They are considered to be boistrous and clumsy, with their agents loving to flash rossettes and perform sloppy investigations, however at the upper tiers of the organization, they are said to be ruthlessly effective.

The Ancillae

The Handmaidens of Tarasha perform many functions for the Ecclesiarchy. They operate in public, filling many of the imperium's Churches, hospitals, medic tents, schools, and libraries. But this only makes them a vast and powerful intelligence network.

Daughters of Tarasha

Considered to be incredibly dangerous, these are Ancillae who have effectively been transformed into Champions of Yug'nomia. They detect inquisition infiltration and will root them out with the zeal and fanaticism to their god.

Imperial Organizations

All of these organizations claim to serve the Emperor and the Imperium, and yet they all seem to come at the throats of the Inquisition. Are they blinded by their own myopic objectives? Are they all corrupted by the ruinous powers, is the Inquisition corrupted, or is everyone so deep into cover they cant tell friend from foe? Whatever the reason, none of these groups trust each other despite being part of the same side.

The Lion El Johnson

The Lion's two organizations seem just as suspicious of eachother as they are of chaos.

Cadian Auditores

One would think that after the Fall of Cadia to the Imperium, the Auditores would have less to do amid chaos's great retreat. Not so it seems as The Lion's human secret police are still prowling the segmentum. Arrests, assassinations, and disappearances are as common as ever. In fact there have been many Dark Angel's marines who have mysteriously died to chaos snipers. Though none dare say it out loud, some in the segmentum obscurus believe that the Lion's two organizations are at war with eachother, rooting out inquisition agents.

The Dark Angels

The Lion's Talent for counter intelligence is as famous as his distrust of all things and all people. Headed by the Lion itself, he watches for the activity of the fallen, and any activities of the Ruinous Powers. For whatever reason, the Lion's hatred of malcador has warped into convinction that the Inquisition is merely an extension of the Alpha Legion. Or at least these are the stories that the superstitious of obscura tell themselves whenever friends or neighbors mysteriously Disappear in The Segmentum Obscura.

Dorn's Spies

There are no rumors, nor knowledge of what Dorn's spies are, if they have a name or organization. Like Dorn, they seem to be as silent and unassuming as he is. Whoever they are, they have made it impossible to extract any information out of the Segmentum Tempestus.

The Night Lords

The Night Lords have been masterful spies since the Great Heresy, but following the deception at the hands of the Alpha Legion, the Lord of The Night was humiliated. He, like The Lion have devoted much of their time fostering strong intelligence networks. However, while The Lion focuses on Chaos corruption, the Sons of Curze have focused on Xenos infiltration as well as the corruption of crime and sin. An admirable goal to be sure, however it has put him at odds with other intelligence gathering orgs, who have seen many of their informants flayed and crucified on lamp posts.

"Roqseneh's Dowry" Tallarn Haffyrxene

When Macharios married into the Tallarni house of Emir Hedya Roqseneh he recieved her dowry of a vast intelligence network, gathered by the migrant fleet during their mellenias in nomadic exile. This dowry was inherited by the state of Macharia, and now serves as its own intelligence service. Its focus is securing the security and sovereignty of Grand Macharia, whether that threat comes from The Ruinous Powers or The High Lords.