+++The Inquisition+++

The Imperium is so vast and the task of directing the fate of humanity such an important one, that running the day-to-day business of empire is as beneath the Emperor as is the fate of a single planet or amere handful of billions of people. For this reason the will of the Emperor is executed via two colossal organisations - the Adeptus Terra (also known as the priesthood) and the Inquisition.

Inquisitors are special agents of the Imperium; free-roaming trouble- shooters bound by no laws or authority. Every Inquisitor is empowered to investigate any possible or potential threat to the future of humanity, whether that threat comes in the form of political aggression, administrative inefficiency or genetic deviation. There are no bounds to the Inquisitor's field of operation: alien plots, mutation, corruption, crime and incompetence aU come under his jurisdiction. Inquisitors usually operate alone, but where necessary they will requisition, hire or purchase men and materials to help with their duty. Many Inquisitors maintain a small personal staff to aid them in their work. They may also request the cooperation of the Adeptus Terra in matters where their special forces are required.

The most common threat posed to humanity, and therefore the most common problem faced by the Inquisitor, is that of psykers. The Inquisitor must be on his guard not only for individual psykers (who are mostly harmless) but for organisations, secret cults and other, so-called revolutionary groups working to protect and hide emergent psykers. Although such groups might start with good intentions, they always fall under the sway of psychically attuned aliens - creatures that wish only to destroy or enslave mankind. Another great threat to humanity which the Inquisition labour to expose is that of mutation - the constant pollution of the human gene-pool. Although most mutations are harmless, if the race is to develop into the new, psychically aware creature envisioned by the Emperor, other sinister and potentially dangerous mutations must be destroyed. Mutations which affect psykers can produce creatures almost as great a threat as some of the psychically attuned aliens.

His work through the galaxy has earned the Inquisitor the name of witch-hunter, torturer and worse. Where necessary he is both of these, and things more terrible, for any means justifies an end so vital and so endangered.

Profile. Inquisitors often come from the ranks of the priesthood. They have human profiles, but onlyan extraordinary human could take on the responsibilities of the Inquisitor.

Inquisitors are often drawn from the ranks of psychic members of the priesthood - so any Inquisitor has a 50% chance of having psychic powers. Psychic Inquisitors are also individuals who haw been judged by the Adeptus Astrapathica as mentally strong enough not to require ritual soul-bonding with the Emperor (see the Adeptus Astra Telepathica for a full description of this process).

Organisation. Every Inquisitor is a free agent, operating independently of other Inquisitors or central authority. They would, however, regard it as a matter of honour to repond to fellow Inquisitors in trouble or requiring assistance. Similarly, the first loyalty of every Inquisitor is to the Emperor, and an imperial command would be obeyed whatever the circumstances. Of all the Inquisition agents only one, the Master of the Inquisition, may be said to rank above the others. He works directly with the Emperor on Earth, and has direct access to the Emperor himself. His task is to report on the Inquisition's mission to the Emperor, and to communicate the Emperor's commands to scattered agents throughout the Imperium.

Equipment. There is no item of equipment which is unavailable to the Inquisition. Their very duty places them in constant contact with exotic, often alien, technology. Equipment carried by each agent is a matter of individual choice, and might be varied depending on circumstances. Most Inquisitors wear powered armour, often discreetly hidden under a tabard and worn without a helmet. An armour energy- field of some kind would feature on the equipment list of almost all agents. Weapons carried at all times would include at least one pistol (usually a bolter) and a sword (often a chain sword or power sword). Older, richer or luckier agents might even boast Jokaero digital weapons, even as many as ten, although 1-4 would be more usual.

A typical Inquisitor is represented here by the renowned Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau - a tireless exposer of psychic misdeeds and genetic deviance. He wears a suit of skin tight powered armour under a long, enveloping cloak. Like most Inquisitors, he distains the open wearing of a helmet in favour of civilian head-wear (Inquisitors tend to be eccentric in their dress as well as their life-styles). Under his cloak arehidden various energy-field devices - conversion field, stasis field and refractor field (only one can be used at once of course). His favoured weapon is the bolt pistol, although he also carries a power sword and three Jokaero digital weapons; hand flamer, laspistol and needle pistol. He has several grenades secreted about his person, including two each of blind, choke, haywire and knock-out, and one each of crack, plasma, stumm, tanglefoot and vortex. He also has a communicator, bio- scanner, energy-scanner, nose filters, photochromatic eye drops, an immune injector, infra-vision contacts, chemicals for the Jokaero needler, a porta-rack, a rad-counter, a stimulant chemical, a syn-skin applicator and sufficent chemical for three uses, three suspensors and a can of web solvent. As can be seen, Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau is equipped for just about anything - but then he has to be - he's an Inquisitor.

Uniforms. Inquisitors do not wear uniforms, instead they wear civilian dress - itself variable throughout the Imperium. They do wear a badge of office as a sign of authority, but as often as not they will be working under cover and would not display it.

From Rogue Trader