The Imperial Inquisition stands as the most feared and secretive of the Imperium’s institutions. Founded in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy, it serves as humanity’s ultimate safeguard against every threat – whether the treachery of Chaos, the seduction of alien influence, or the rot of heresy from within. Wielding unchallengeable authority in the Emperor’s name, Inquisitors act as investigators, judges, and executioners all at once. They operate above the law of any planet or organization, answerable only to the Golden Throne itself, and their verdicts can condemn not just individuals but entire worlds. In the grim darkness of the far future, the Inquisition’s lore is etched in both salvation and horror, as necessary to the Imperium’s survival as it is dreaded by its citizens.
Origins and History
The origins of the Inquisition date back to the final days of the Horus Heresy in the 31st Millennium. As traitor armies besieged Terra, the Emperor commanded his regent Malcador the Sigillite to gather “men of character, skill, and determination” – loyal agents who would seek out the “alien, mutant, and heretic” threatening Mankind. Malcador assembled a secret group of twelve individuals (eight Astartes and four humans) and presented them to the Emperor before the final battle with Horus. These were the proto-Inquisitors, tasked with hunting down the enemies of humanity in the dark days after the Heresy. In the war’s aftermath, as Loyalist forces purged the traitors, the Inquisition took root as a hidden order dedicated to preventing such a catastrophe from ever occurring again. One early account even speaks of a lone Inquisitorial Representative appearing unannounced at the first anniversary meeting of the new Imperial Senate, signaling that the “Holy Orders of the Emperor’s Inquisition” had been established in secret.
For the first few centuries, the Inquisition remained shadowy and singular in purpose. By mid–M32, however, the Imperium faced new crises that shaped the Inquisition’s evolution. During the devastating War of the Beast (c. 544.M32), an apocalyptic Ork invasion, the Inquisition’s agents – still operating from the shadows – found their resources strained. In response, the Inquisition formally split into dedicated branches for the first time: the Ordo Xenos to combat the alien threat from without, and the Ordo Malleus to confront the daemonic threat from beyond. Though the Emperor’s original mandate had always included all dangers, this division allowed more focus in facing specialized crises. Millennia later, in the 36th Millennium, another upheaval prompted the creation of a third major branch. The Age of Apostasy – a time of brutal ecclesiastic corruption and civil war – showed that heresy and treason within the Imperium could be as deadly as any xenos invasion. After the tyrant Goge Vandire was toppled and order restored, the Ordo Hereticus was founded to police the “Enemy Within,” rooting out heretics, mutants, and rogue psykers among humanity. This gave the Inquisition its modern form of three primary Orders (Ordos Majoris), ever-present through Imperial history.
Throughout the ten thousand years since, the Inquisition’s history has been marked by secret wars and pivotal interventions. Inquisitors were integral in ending the reign of the Apostate Cardinal Bucharis during the Plague of Unbelief, ensuring the Imperium did not fragment in the wake of Vandire’s fall. In later centuries, they confronted the rise of new alien menaces like the Tyranids – famously, Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Kryptman’s ruthless actions during the Third Tyrannic War slowed a hive fleet’s advance at terrible cost. The Inquisition’s archives speak of countless such incidents: the purging of corrupted hive cities, the sanctioning of entire Astra Militarum armies exposed to daemons, and covert alliances with the Adeptus Astartes to contain or destroy threats. Though much of its work is unsung, the Inquisition has stood vigil since its founding, adapting to each new era of peril. In the current age, with the galaxy torn asunder by a vast Warp rift, the Inquisition faces perhaps its greatest challenge yet – but its past has steeled it for the task of protecting humanity, no matter the means required.
Structure and Organization
Ordos and Specializations: The Inquisition is not a monolithic organization but a collection of sub-factions known as Ordos, each focused on a particular category of threat. In the modern era there are three permanent Ordos Majoris – the major Orders that correspond to the classic trifecta of Imperial dangers. The Ordo Hereticus (Threat Within) hunts internal enemies: heretics, mutants, cultists, unsanctioned psykers, and even wayward Imperial officials. Sometimes called Witch Hunters, the Ordo Hereticus keeps a watchful eye on organizations like the Ecclesiarchy to ensure no repeat of the Apostasy occurs. The Ordo Xenos (Threat Without) is dedicated to combating alien influence in all forms – from open xenos invasions to hidden Genestealer cult infestations or corrupt officials trading in proscribed alien technology. Its agents are experts in xenology, often working closely with the Deathwatch Space Marines to exterminate dangerous species. The Ordo Malleus (Threat Beyond) focuses on the daemonic and the servants of Chaos, acting as the Imperium’s daemon-hunters. This Ordo was borne out of the Heresy itself and later formalized; its Inquisitors enlist elite Grey Knights and other assets to confront Chaos incursions head-on. Together, these three Ordos Majoris are ever-present, for their missions against heresy, aliens, and daemons are unending by nature.
Beyond these, there exist numerous Ordos Minoris – smaller, often temporary orders that address more esoteric or localized threats. Inquisitors have a great deal of freedom to form such specialist cells as needed. Some Ordos Minoris endure for centuries, while others arise in response to a single crisis and fade away afterward. Their mandates range from the surveillance of specific institutions to investigating bizarre phenomena. For example, the Ordo Sicarius was founded to monitor the Officio Assassinorum after a schism in its ranks. The Ordo Chronos was an ill-fated order researching Warp-based temporal anomalies (all its members mysteriously vanished). There are Ordos devoted to the containment of nihilistic cults, the study of dangerous technology (Ordo Machinum over the Adeptus Mechanicus), the quarantine of Warp-tainted plague outbreaks (Ordo Sepulturum), and even the secrecy of the Inquisition’s own history (Ordo Redactus). This flexible structure allows the Inquisition to address any conceivable threat. An Inquisitor may freely move between Ordos or operate outside any formal Order if they choose, joining like-minded colleagues on a case-by-case basis. What binds them all is the shared oath to defend Humanity, by any means necessary.
Ranks and Hierarchy: Uniquely, the Inquisition has no centralized command or rigid rank progression – each Inquisitor answers only to the Emperor (and by extension, their own conscience and fellow Inquisitors). In theory, all Inquisitors hold equal authority. In practice, a rough hierarchy exists based on experience and influence. New recruits start as Acolytes, who serve in an Inquisitor’s retinue and learn the craft. They come from all walks of life – soldiers, scholars, hive gangers, even former heretics – any with the potential to prove useful. Under a demanding apprenticeship, acolytes who prove their worth may be elevated to the rank of Interrogator (or Explicator), effectively a senior acolyte entrusted with significant responsibilities. In time, usually after demonstrating exceptional judgement and zeal, an Interrogator is formally granted the title of Inquisitor, becoming a fully empowered agent free to pursue their own investigations. Many Inquisitors will gather their own warbands of acolytes and specialist agents (savants, assassins, psykers, muscle, etc.) – these loyal operatives are sometimes termed Throne Agents, acting as extensions of the Inquisitor’s will.
Above the ordinary Inquisitors are the so-called Inquisitor Lords. This is not an official rank denoting superiority, but rather an honorific often used for the most senior, influential, or accomplished Inquisitors. Inquisitor Lords may preside over regional Inquisitorial conclaves or lead major multi-sector investigations. By tradition, an Inquisitor who serves as the Inquisitorial Representative on the High Lords of Terra is considered an Inquisitor Lord of the highest standing. (The Inquisition maintains a seat at the Senatorum Imperialis, although it is often vacant; when present, the Representative’s voice carries tremendous weight in Imperial policy.) In day-to-day operations, experienced Inquisitors can call conclaves of their peers – assemblies to share information or jointly decide on a course of action against large-scale threats. A convocation called by a particularly eminent Inquisitor Lord is termed a High Conclave. Still, even the Inquisitor Lords do not command other Inquisitors by hierarchy; respect and influence are earned, not given by rank. The Inquisition thus functions more as a loose federation of individual agents and small cabals, rather than a formalized bureaucracy. This lack of rigid structure, while chaotic, grants the Inquisition enormous flexibility – it can respond to threats anywhere with agents who answer to no one but the mission itself.
Methods and Powers of the Inquisition
The Inquisition’s authority is absolute and unparalleled. By the Emperor’s decree, an Inquisitor’s mandate grants them sweeping powers to combat any threat to humanity “by whatever means are necessary.” Every Inquisitor bears the Inquisitorial seal (rosette) that, in theory, allows them to override all other Imperial jurisdictions – they may commandeer troops and resources, pronounce judgement, and take action without needing approval from planetary governors or even Chapter Masters. As the fiction goes, “the word of an Inquisitor is absolute and beyond reproach – except by other Inquisitors.” In practice, Inquisitors must use discretion in exercising this power. They often act covertly or subtly, preferring to root out a cult with stealth rather than announce their presence. But when needed, they will appear openly and invoke the full terror of their office. An Inquisitor’s approach can range from that of a spy – operating in disguise, gathering intelligence through networks of informants – to that of an avenging crusader, arriving with a retinue of warriors and delivering fiery judgement.
Tactics of Terror and Secrecy: Inquisitors commonly employ fear and interrogation as tools. Many are experts in extracting confession and information from the guilty (or merely suspected) – the Inquisition’s dungeons are places of nightmare across the galaxy. Through techniques ranging from psyker-assisted mind-probing to more mundane torture, they pry secrets from traitors and heretics. The mere mention of an Inquisitor’s arrival is enough to make corrupt planetary officials quake. Inquisitors are not above using terror as a weapon: public executions, auto-da-fé burnings of witches, and dramatic trials that demonstrate the cost of heresy are used to keep populations in line. They carry devices like excruciators, arcane torture instruments, and are authorized to administer extremis punishments on the spot. Many Inquisitors travel with grim-faced enforcers – black-armored Inquisitorial Stormtroopers or squads of Adeptus Arbites on loan – to back their demands with force of arms. When subtlety fails, an Inquisitor will not hesitate to unleash destruction. They can call upon elite Chamber Militant forces assigned to their Ordos: the Grey Knights Chapter for Ordo Malleus, the Deathwatch kill-teams for Ordo Xenos, and often the Sisters of Battle for Ordo Hereticus. In extreme cases, Inquisitors invoke the ultimate sanction: Exterminatus. If a planet is so corrupted by Chaos or infested by xenos that recovery is impossible, an Inquisitor can declare Exterminatus – the sterilization or destruction of all life on that world. As horrifying as this act is, the Inquisition firmly believes it is better for a billion souls to die than for a single chaos plague or Genestealer cult to spread further. Over the aeons, countless worlds have met this fate at Inquisitorial order, their names erased from Imperial records for the greater good.
At the same time, covert operations are a staple of Inquisitorial work. Inquisitors often operate in the shadows, especially when a threat is nascent and secrecy is paramount. Disguise, deception, and infiltration are common tactics. An Ordo Xenos agent, for instance, might pose as a smuggler to bust a xeno-tech black market, or quietly infiltrate a Genestealer cult to identify its leaders. Inquisitors employ specialists such as cultist informants, off-world spies, or even sanctioned xenos mercenaries (Radical Inquisitors are known to cut deals with aliens when it serves their ends). They also make extensive use of high technology – from gene-scanners and psychic scrying devices to liberated alien weaponry – whatever edge is required to outwit their foe. Mobility is another asset: most Inquisitors have a dedicated ship (often a fast frigate or disguised merchant vessel) that allows them to appear anywhere in the Imperium with little notice. The Imperium’s vast bureaucracy actually aids their secrecy; an Inquisitor’s ship can slip through the cracks or invoke Inquisitorial privilege to bypass normal checkpoints. By moving quietly, an Inquisitor can investigate a planet for months, even years, before the local authorities ever realize an agent of the Holy Ordos was among them.
Relations with Other Factions: While the Inquisition’s authority theoretically eclipses all others, in practice Inquisitors often face a balancing act when working alongside the Imperium’s myriad forces. The Inquisition has the right to requisition the service of the Adeptus Astartes, Imperial Guard, Mechanicus, or any other branch – but that doesn’t mean such allies will be happy about it. In many historical cases, tensions have erupted. The Inquisition’s insistence on secrecy after daemonic incursions famously put it at odds with the Space Wolves Chapter during the First War for Armageddon. The Space Wolves bristled at the Inquisition’s brutal “containment” of the victorious Imperial Guard and civilian survivors (who were sterilized and sent to labor camps to suppress knowledge of Chaos), leading Wolf Lord Logan Grimnar to openly defy Inquisitorial orders. This standoff, known as the Months of Shame, even saw Space Wolves battle Inquisitorial Storm Troopers and Grey Knights – a rare open conflict between the Emperor’s servants. Similarly, the Inquisition has clashed with the Adeptus Mechanicus when declaring certain technological research forbidden; the Ordo Machinum exists to monitor tech-heresy within the Mechanicus itself. For the most part, however, open conflicts are rare. The Astra Militarum and Imperial Navy usually comply with Inquisitorial directives (an Inquisitor arriving on a battlefield can take command of regiments or order a fleet redeployed at will). Most Space Marine Chapters, too, grudgingly respect an Inquisitor’s authority, as they know the consequences of being declared traitor. Indeed, the Inquisition can excommunicate even an Astartes Chapter if evidence of heresy is found – a fate that has befallen chapters like the Traitor Marines of old, and nearly befell the Chapter known as the Celestial Lions after they challenged an Inquisitor’s methods. (According to unconfirmed reports, after the Celestial Lions criticized an Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor for unnecessary civilian killings, their Chapter Master and Librarians were mysteriously assassinated, crippling the chapter. No formal censure was announced, but many suspect the Inquisition’s hand in this retribution.) These examples, along with countless tales of Inquisitors manipulating or coercing planetary governors and cardinals, have cemented the Inquisition’s feared reputation. Yet at the same time, cooperation is common and often essential – Inquisitors frequently act as the liaison between various Imperial forces during crises, coordinating Space Marines, Battle Sisters, and Guardsmen to handle different facets of a threat.
Ultimately, an Inquisitor’s power is limited only by their cunning and the scrutiny of their fellow Inquisitors. Abuse of authority is not unheard of – there are dark legends of Inquisitors who fell to madness or corruption, turning the tools of terror against the innocent for personal gain. To counter this, the Inquisition also polices itself. Inquisitors keep a watchful eye on their colleagues’ activities, and internal ideological factions often form, debating proper doctrine. If an Inquisitor strays too far – for example, dabbling in forbidden Chaos lore or consorting with xenos beyond what their peers consider acceptable – they risk censure or a secret trial by other Inquisitors. Such internal purges are rare but very real; the Inquisition has eliminated its own in the past to preserve its integrity. Thus, the Inquisition walks a knife’s edge: given absolute license to do what it must, yet ever mindful that failure or corruption means harsh judgment by its own. This relentless commitment has allowed the Inquisition to endure as the Emperor’s ultimate shield. Fear and secrecy are its weapons, and with them the Inquisition has waged an unending war in the shadows, so that the Imperium of Man might endure the countless horrors that besiege it.
Famous Inquisitors and Key Events
Throughout its long history, certain Inquisitors have achieved legendary status – celebrated as heroes of the Imperium or infamous for the extremes of their zeal. Their deeds, for good or ill, have often shaped Imperial history. Below we highlight a few of the most notable Inquisitors and Inquisition-led operations:
• Gregor Eisenhorn (Ordo Xenos): A renowned Inquisitor of the 41st Millennium, Eisenhorn’s career is a study in the fine line an Inquisitor walks between purity and damnation. He began his service as a Puritan of the Amalathian faction (emphasizing strict adherence to Imperial doctrine), but over decades of battling heresy and daemons, his methods became increasingly unorthodox. Eisenhorn’s early triumphs – such as quelling the Necroteuch cult – earned him a reputation as a principled, relentless agent. However, in pursuit of a greater evil (the heretic Quixos), Eisenhorn resorted to using a bound daemonhost – an act utterly abhorred by orthodox Inquisitors. This shift towards the Radical Xanthite philosophy (using the power of Chaos against Chaos) led many of his peers to brand him a possible heretic himself. Indeed, Eisenhorn was declared rogue at least twice and hunted by fellow Inquisitors, only to be later vindicated when his actions ultimately saved worlds from doom. His story, chronicled in later centuries, illustrates the moral complexity of the Inquisition. Even as a radical, Eisenhorn remained devoted to Humanity’s survival. He is credited with vanquishing the daemon Cherubael (after dangerously binding it), cleansing the heretical house of Glaw, and training a generation of acolytes – one of whom, Gideon Ravenor, became a famous Inquisitor in his own right. Eisenhorn’s legacy is controversial but impactful: he showed that even an Inquisitor might tread near damnation in order to serve the Emperor’s will.
• Torquemada Coteaz (Ordo Malleus): A paragon of righteous fury, Inquisitor Lord Coteaz is celebrated as a fearsome daemon-hunter and witch-breaker. As High Protector of the Formosa sector, Coteaz commands great authority and has personally led the purge of innumerable cults and Chaos manifestations. He is fiercely Puritan – utterly intolerant of any compromise with the Warp. A defining moment of his career came at the Conclave of Varoth, when his own mentor presented a bound daemon artifact, proposing to use its power for good. Coteaz responded by smashing the artifact with his daemonhammer and denouncing his mentor as a heretic on the spot. In the trial that followed, Coteaz proved that the senior Inquisitor had indeed trafficked with darkness, and personally executed him, firing his ashes into a star. This bold action won Coteaz both renown and mistrust – some Inquisitors worry about his ambition, but none question his unflinching loyalty to the Emperor. Coteaz’s methods exemplify the Inquisition’s motto “Innocence proves nothing”. He famously carries a psyber-eagle familiar and a massive thunder hammer, and wears gilded power armor etched with wards. In battle, he has fought alongside the Grey Knights to banish Greater Daemons and led stormtrooper forces to crush cult uprisings. His every action broadcasts an unyielding message: no mercy for the heretic. Coteaz remains a senior voice within the Ordo Malleus and a nightmare to the foes of Man.
• Fyodor Karamazov (Ordo Hereticus): Perhaps the epitome of the Witch Hunter, Inquisitor Lord Karamazov’s name is spoken in terrified whispers on hundreds of worlds. Also called the “Pyrophant Judge of Salem Proctor,” he is infamous for conducting literal witch trials from atop his unique Throne of Judgement, a walking cybernetic throne armed with heavy weapons and inscribed with scrolls of Imperial law. Karamazov is a staunch Amalathian (ultra-conservative Puritan) who believes the Emperor’s plan must unfold without deviation. He brooks no excuse for heresy or mutation – in Karamazov’s court, a plea of innocence is itself proof of guilt (for “a plea of innocence is guilty of wasting my time” as one of his notorious pronouncements goes). His record of purges is staggering. It is said he has ordered more executions of psykers, witches, and suspected heretics than perhaps any Inquisitor alive. Whole populations have been consigned to flame on his word. Notably, on the world of Salem Proctor, Karamazov put to death an entire community of innocents because they might someday nurture heresy – an act that earned him the enmity of even some within the Ecclesiarchy and more moderate Inquisitors. Yet, his results are undeniable: wherever Karamazov goes, witch-covens and cults are utterly scourged. After the Abraxan Purges (930.M41), he was presented with the Throne of Judgement as a symbol of his authority. Karamazov’s unwavering stance (“even the innocent have no defense in my court”) serves as both inspiration and warning to Inquisitors – a reminder of the fine line between devotion and fanaticism. To the Imperium at large, he is the embodiment of the Inquisition’s frightening resolve to sacrifice anyone and anything in the name of purity.
• Katarinya Greyfax (Ordo Hereticus): A figure of legend reborn in the present time, Inquisitor Greyfax played a pivotal role in recent, epoch-shattering events. A veteran witch hunter from the 41st Millennium, Greyfax was initially a strict Puritan renowned for hunting psykers and heretics – until she was captured by the Necron Overlord Trazyn and imprisoned in a stasis-tomb for centuries. Released during the Thirteenth Black Crusade (999.M41) to fight the overwhelming Chaos invasion of Cadia, Greyfax found herself a relic in a bizarre new age. She emerged from stasis to witness sanctioned Imperial psykers freely wielding powers on the battlefield and even Space Marines afflicted with the curse of the Wulfen fighting alongside the Imperial Guard. At first, Greyfax was appalled – the sight of what she deemed heresy and mutation nearly drove her to turn her guns on her allies. But demonstrating the adaptability that makes the Inquisition strong, she set aside her old prejudices out of sheer duty. Greyfax fought valiantly in Cadia’s defense, even working with the Living Saint Celestine (whom she initially considered an idolater) to battle Abaddon the Despoiler. After Cadia’s fall, Greyfax joined the hero’s caravan that brought Primarch Roboute Guilliman back to Terra. By the Primarch’s own command, Greyfax has become an instrumental agent in the ongoing Indomitus Crusade. As a psyker herself – albeit an extraordinarily disciplined one – Greyfax now turns her telepathic powers and paragon laser (Condemnor) bolter against the Chaos threats erupting across the galaxy. She and her retinue have hunted Cult Magi in the shattered worlds of Imperium Nihilus and duelled Greater Daemons amidst the Cicatrix Maledictum. Inquisitors of her own Ordo whisper that Greyfax’s experiences have made her more radical (her willingness to ally with xenos like the Eldar farseer Eldrad is cited). Regardless, Inquisitor Greyfax’s revival in this dark time has been a boon to the Imperium – a reminder that even from the distant past, the Inquisition’s finest will arrive to do their duty. Her presence on the front lines of the Indomitus Crusade underscores the Inquisition’s renewed commitment to combating the myriad new threats of the modern era.
• Inquisitor Kryptman and the Tyrannic Wars: No discussion of Inquisition-led operations is complete without mentioning Inquisitor Lord Fidus Kryptman of Ordo Xenos, architect of one of the most consequential (and controversial) stratagems in Imperial history. During the onslaught of Tyranid Hive Fleet Leviathan in late M41, Kryptman took measures so extreme that they alarmed even his peers. Facing an unstoppable Hive Fleet devouring world after world, he invoked a scorched-earth policy: he deliberately abandoned and virus-bombed dozens of Imperial worlds in the Tyranids’ path, denying the aliens biomass. This act condemned billions of Imperial citizens to death at his order. Kryptman then manipulated the Tyranids into attacking the Ork empire of Octarius, hoping the two xenos forces would cripple each other – a gambit that did initiate the grinding Octarian War. Ultimately, Kryptman’s brutal strategy likely saved the heart of the Imperium from the full brunt of Leviathan, buying precious time. But the Inquisition could not publicly condone his methods. Kryptman was declared Excommunicate Traitoris via Carta Extremis for the genocide of Imperial populations and stripped of his title. Even so, he continued his work in exile, and many quietly consider him a savior of humanity. The Kryptman Gambit, as it’s known, illustrates the kind of dreadful calculus Inquisitors are prepared to make – damning their own souls and reputations if it means sparing the Imperium an even worse fate.
These figures are but a few among countless Inquisitorial agents who have left their mark. Others might be noted as well: Inquisitor Kryptman’s protege and successor in Tyranid expertise, Inquisitor Czevak, who infiltrated the Eldar Black Library; Inquisitor Valeria of Ordo Xenos, who harnessed Necron technology; Inquisitor Tannenberg, who launched the Nemesis Tessera campaign against daemons – the list is endless. Each Inquisitor operates as a pivotal character in their sector’s drama, often turning the tide of wars or preventing calamities unseen by the wider Imperium. The Inquisition as a whole has also spearheaded major purges and operations that altered Imperial history. The Age of Apostasy’s end was facilitated by Inquisitorial agents coordinating with Sebastian Thor to depose Goge Vandire. The Plague of Unbelief was put down in part by Inquisitors rallying loyalist forces against heretic governors. During the Necron awakening, Ordo Xenos inquisitors have worked alongside the Adeptus Mechanicus to investigate tomb worlds. And in every Black Crusade of Chaos, the Inquisition labored tirelessly behind the scenes – whether by destroying cult networks ahead of the invasion or ensuring that any compromised Imperial commanders were swiftly removed (often permanently). Through these actions across millennia, the Inquisition has again and again proven decisive. Their victories are seldom celebrated openly; more often they are recorded only in classified annals, the public never knowing how close they came to utter doom. Yet the Imperium endures largely because of those victories in the shadows.
The Inquisition in the Modern Era (Indomitus and the Great Rift)
The opening of the Great Rift in the 42nd Millennium – a galaxy-wide Warp rift that split the Imperium in two – has ushered in perhaps the gravest test the Inquisition has ever faced. The era of the Indomitus Crusade (the ongoing crusade led by Roboute Guilliman to reclaim and stabilize Imperial worlds) finds Inquisitors spread thin, confronting unprecedented phenomena on a million fronts. In response to the Rift’s creation (the Cicatrix Maledictum), the Inquisition has raised new vigilance and even established new structures. A notable development was the formation of the Ordo Maledictum, an ad-hoc minor Ordo devoted solely to investigating and combating occurrences related to the Great Rift and the surging daemonic activity accompanying it. While all Ordo Malleus Inquisitors by necessity fight the flood of daemons pouring from the Rift, the Ordo Maledictum coordinates cross-Ordo knowledge – dealing with anomalies in Warp space, helping to seal or study smaller rifts, and cataloguing the many Warp-born plagues emerging in the galaxy’s dark half (Imperium Nihilus).
In the wake of the Rift, the Inquisition has redeployed massively. Communication is difficult across the warp storm’s divide, so Inquisitors in Imperium Nihilus (the isolated, darker segment) have taken on extraordinary autonomy. Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors, accompanied by squads of Adepta Sororitas, have been dispatched across both sides of the Rift to assess which worlds can be saved and which have fallen to madness. The Inquisition rides aboard Indomitus Crusade fleets, acting as advisors – or executioners – as needed. It is often an Inquisitor who determines if a liberated world is free of corruption or must be subjected to quarantine/exterminatus in the Crusade’s wake. The Ordo Xenos, for its part, keeps watch for opportunistic alien forces striking beleaguered systems; reports indicate increased Tyranid hive fleet incursions and an expansion of T’au influence during the chaos, both of which demand Inquisitorial intervention. Inquisitors also monitor the proliferation of bizarre cults that have arisen in despairing populations cut off from Terra. The cult of the Emperor’s return, the Celestinian Reformation – movements that might hearten the faithful or lead them astray – all draw the eye of the Inquisition in this time of flux.
The Indomitus Crusade itself has benefitted from Inquisitorial support. Inquisitor Greyfax, as noted, became one of Guilliman’s trusted instruments, hunting down Chaos Lords and sorcerers that could unravel the Crusade’s gains. Other Inquisitors have coordinated with the beleaguered forces on the far side of the Rift; for instance, cells of Ordo Malleus and Grey Knights conducted joint operations during the Nachmund Gauntlet passage to stem the daemon tides so Crusade fleets could pass through safely. Inquisitors are also at the forefront of confronting the dark blessings of Chaos that spread in the Rift’s wake (such as the Psychic Awakening, which has seen uncontrolled mutations and psychic powers flare across entire sub-sectors). According to Ordo Malleus reports, the scale of demonic incursions since the Rift’s appearance is without precedent – daemon worlds forming practically overnight in some warp-storm zones. The Inquisition’s response has been brutal: whole populations deemed compromised have been annihilated en masse. One Ordo Malleus account notes that billions of Imperial citizens were sacrificed in a scorched-earth effort to contain a massive demonic outbreak early in the Indomitus era. This illustrates that the Inquisition, faced with galaxy-wide calamity, has only become more willing to employ extreme measures swiftly to prevent greater horrors. Their motto “better to kill a hundred innocents than let one heretic live” has been scaled up to planetary levels in these dark times.
Yet it is not all burning and killing – Inquisitors also seek solutions. Some radicals within the Ordo Xenos have quietly opened dialogues with unlikely parties (there are rumors that Inquisitor Kyria Draxus cooperates with an Eldar corsair band to track a Chaos artifact, and that other Inquisitors have bargained with the Ynnari, the mysterious Eldar believing in Ynnead, to gain their aid against Slaanesh’s forces). In the shadows, the Inquisition even explores ancient technology to bolster the Imperium’s chances. The resurrection of a living Primarch (Guilliman) was an event that some Inquisitors greeted with hope, and others with concern – the Thorian faction within the Inquisition (which believes in possibly resurrecting the Emperor or using saints to channel His power) feels vindicated, while Puritans eye such miracles warily. This dynamic has reinvigorated internal debates among Inquisitors about the Imperium’s future. But regardless of personal creeds, the Inquisition as a whole remains united in purpose: to secure the Imperium through the worst of this new age.
As the Era Indomitus progresses, the Inquisition is essentially everywhere and nowhere – an Inquisitorial presence might be advising Lord Commander Guilliman on Chaos cult activity one day, and the next day a lone Inquisitor stands on a forgotten frontier world, rallying local PDF to hold off a genestealer uprising until reinforcements arrive. They have created new contingencies like the Inquisitorial Black Ships now doubling as mobile fortresses in isolated regions, and they’ve reinvigorated old alliances (such as calling upon the Officio Assassinorum to eliminate particularly dangerous renegade leaders preemptively). Importantly, the Inquisition has also taken great pains to control information in the Great Rift era. With fear and superstition rampant, Inquisitors work to suppress chaotic propaganda and quell doomsday cults. In many places, they are the law now – acting in the stead of disconnected segmentum authorities.
The Imperial Inquisition today stands at the forefront of Humanity’s fight for survival. Without it, the Imperium would likely have fractured entirely during the catastrophe of Cadia’s fall. Instead, the Inquisition helped hold a semblance of order, giving Guilliman’s Crusade a fighting chance to reclaim lost systems. As new threats emerge – the silent horror of the Necron dynasties awakening, the onslaught of ever-growing Tyranid hive fleets, the insidious corruption of Chaos spreading through the Rift – the Inquisition meets them head-on in tireless vigilance. Their methods may be grim, even cruel, but as one Inquisitor famously said: “We have not the luxury to count the cost. Billions will live and die by our actions here.” In this modern era of war and upheaval, that ruthless calculus guides the Inquisition more than ever.
Immersed in lore and driven by unshakeable faith, the Imperial Inquisition remains both a sword and a shield for mankind. Its history is written in the blood of the guilty and the innocent alike, its organization an ever-adapting web of dedicated souls. From the secret birth at the end of the Heresy to the crucible of the Great Rift, the Inquisition endures. As long as humanity faces annihilation in myriad forms, the Ordos of the Inquisition will be there – hunting the witch, burning the heretic, silencing the alien – to ensure that the Emperor’s light, however faint, continues to shine across the galaxy.
