Inquisition

The official seal and symbol of the Inquisition. Variations exist.

NOBODY EXPECTS THE IMPERIAL INQUISITION!
- Lord Inquisitor Ximénez

Also known as the Emperor's pet psychopaths - at least according to Commissar Cain. Strange how he gets away with this heresy. (It was because the Inquisitor writing it was his lover, and he was probably dead when it was published.)

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. 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

Bet you weren't expecting that.

So when it became obvious that the Emperor's plan to starve the Chaos Gods with 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 heretic, the 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 without, from within, and from beyond.

As part of their duties, Inquisitors have damn near unlimited power, up to and including 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

Organization

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, Hereticus, and 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, Inquisitors 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:

• Ordo Malleus - They are guys who hunt daemons. This branch works with the Grey Knights.
• Ordo Hereticus - Guys who like to hunt witches, heretics and mutants. This branch works with the Sisters of Battle.
• And the Ordo Xenos - The guys who fight aliens. All the time. This branch 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 promincence). 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 Ork Sharpshooters and 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 Commissariat 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 Necrons, maybe? (Looking after the 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.
• 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.
• 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 members, they must be absolutely swamped.
• Ordo Senatorum- Unknown purpose. Perhaps it has something to do with the 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.
• 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.

Philosophies

The Inquisition is a big and complicated place, and many have different philosophies on how to protect the Imperium and stop Chaos. These are defined as 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, but a number of them fall into Radicalism (which can be classed as lesser heresy in its most extreme forms). Puritanism can fall among three major philosophies:

• 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 Inquisitions purpose is to protect the Imperium as that plan becomes visible. Change is considered the greatest enemy (which may have 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 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.
• 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 space pansies who would abandon you in a heartbeat, space pansies who would torture and rape you in a heartbeat, green hooligans who would fight and kill you in a heartbeat, giant spacebugs who would eat you in a heartbeat, undead robots who would atomize you in a clock tick and things much worse, this is an understandable worldview. Unfortunately, the Monodominants take things a few steps further, wanting to eliminate all mutants, including the Psykers (Astropaths and Navigators) that humanity needs to keep functioning, as well even Space Marines.
• 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.
  • 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.
  • 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

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 inevitable, 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 before brought into the service of the Chaos Gods. Radicalism can fall into a lot more branches than Puritans, and the following is merely a list of the most common forms it can take:

• Horusians: One of the most dangerous forms of radicalism, Horusians (named after 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.
• 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.
• 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 the modern views of western society Inquisitors giving a crap about 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.
• 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.
• Xanthism: The most overtly and well known form of Radicalism, Xanthians (named after Lord Inquisitor Zaranchek Xanthus, executed for heresy in M.32) believe that using Chaotic artifacts such as possessed swords and Daemonhosts are viable weapons against the Archenemy. 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. 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.)
  • 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ocularians: A minor faction obsessed with learning how to predict and divine the future, no matter the cost of doing so.
  • 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 praticular 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 by summoning daemons and similar like other radical groups. 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 Humanoid Maggots and other horrors that not even the Tau will try to convince to join the Greater Good.

Song

(tune)

The eye that sleepth not.

The Inquisition (Let's begin)

The Inquisition (Look out, sin)

We have a mission

To kill all the Xenos (Xenos, Xe-e-nos)

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 Xenos just can't refuse)

Confess, don't be boring

Say yes, don't be dull

A fact you're ignoring

It's better to lose your schlicktau than your skull (Or your gavalt)

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, Eisenhorn!

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 Eisenhorn

Walk this way

We got a new game you might want to play!

Pull this handle, try your luck

Who knows, Eis, 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!)

See Also

• Daemonhunters
• Witch Hunters
• Their completely serious historical predecessors
• Alienhunters
• Zombiehunters
• Ordo Sicarius
• Ordo Chronos
• Dark Heresy
• Tactics/Inquisition
• A video showing one of the more feared inquisitors