The Inquisition

The Inquisition, or the Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition to give it its full name, is the most powerful organisation within the Imperium. Its agents, the Inquisitors, are the ultimate defenders of the Emperor and Mankind. They have the highest authority, second only to the Emperor himself, and no one is above their scrutiny. It is their duty to scour the Imperium, seeking out any threat from without and within, and have the power to act accordingly to combat any menace they come across. Psykers, mutation, rebellion, corruption, incompetence and alien attack are all within their jurisdiction, and their attention encompasses all from the lowliest clerk to the High Lords of Terra.

Inquisitors are highly individual, each operating in their own way, with their own style and appearance. Some flaunt their vocation openly; others work in the shadows, unseen by those they protect.

Within the Inquisition there are a number of Ordos which specialise in a particular kind of threat - the Daemon Hunters of the Ordo Malleus, the alien experts of the Ordo Xenos and the Ordo Hereticus which concentrates on heresy and insurrection by the Emperor's servants. As well as these semi-official organisations, there are a number of philosophies or factions within the Inquisition, each of which has its own view on how the Emperor and the Imperium is best protected.

Inquisitors are legendary across the civilised worlds of the Imperium, a combination of saints who inspire and horrors used to scare children into obedience. For an Inquisitor, the end always justifies the means, for they alone can truly begin to comprehend the threats to Mankind's existence and the sometimes drastic measures needed to combat them. They are utterly ruthless, loyal to their cause before anything else and empowered to use any means they deem necessary to complete their work. They are known as witch-hunters, torturers and executioners, and they are indeed these things and many more. However, most often it is their skills as investigators that are put to use, uncovering secret plots, following the spoor of alien influence and tracking the tell-tale signs of Chaos infestation and daemonic corruption.

In appearance, Inquisitors have no uniform and are as varied as the worlds in the Imperium they operate on. They range in age from fiery young zealots to hoary veterans who have fought in the darkness for many centuries. Some wear ostentatious robes and symbols of their allegiance, those from a noble background may keep their refined and well-tailored coats and shirts, while many Inquisitors wear powered armour of some description, often highly decorated or worn under a sleeveless tabard or coat.

Inquisitors carry a wide range of weapons and wargear, and are well equipped to deal with whatever threat they may face. Many favour a combination of sword and pistol, from elegant rapiers and bolt pistols, to heavy double-handed falchions and melta pistols. In addition, they carry all manner of other gear, such as grenades, photochromatic or infra-contacts, filtration plugs, digi-weapons, personal force fields, rad and chem-counters, motion detectors, implements of restraint and interrogation, and many have bionic eyes, limbs and organs, either to improve their abilities or to replace body parts which have become damaged over decades of conflict.

Some use even more outlandish weaponry, taken from their defeated foes - alien guns, daemon-possessed weapons, distort shields and other exotic pieces of hardware. More puritanical Inquisitors consider such equipment to be cursed and heretical, but others believe that to defeat their enemies they must turn their own weaponry against them.

Inquisitors who belong in one of the Ordos may have access to equipment specialised to their task, such as the psycannons and psyk-out grenades of the Ordo Malleus, or the toxin needlers of the Ordo Xenos. Coupled with the style of their insignia and other accoutrements, an Inquisitor's dress and equipment can tell a trained eye a lot about his allegiances and beliefs.

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New Miniatures from The Inquisition