40K Lore: The Inquisition Are Not Heretics
Today Loremasters, we discuss the Myriad ways in which the Inquisition are not heretics, nor are any of their ideas remotely heretical, and that thinking otherwise is considered treachery no matter which segmentum of the galaxy you are in.
Greetings Loremasters, today we wish to discuss the dangers of thinking, reading, and interpreting information without the proper context or clearance with which to do so. As Loremaster-initiate Crenshaw pointed out before he was sent for mandatory reconditioning, the Inquisition are the most “hardcore” defenders of the Imperium, with a license to use weaponry that would make even the most jaded Astra Militarum Veteran green with envy.
Thus, there is no possible way in which any of there actions could be considered heresy. So, in view of that, Loremasters, today we bring you a review of the remaining “radical” factions of the Inquisition so as to disperse any treacherous thoughts that might be clouding your judgement.
One of the so-called “Radical” subfactions of the Inquisition is inextricably linked to the more recognized, certainly not heretical Puritan factions–the Thorians. It’s true, there is a link between the Puritan Thorians and their radical brethren in the Inquisition. For this we consider the life of St. Casophili, who on the planet Alena Three, encountered minions of the Chaos Gods at the head of several of the feral societies of that world. Using what few resources were available, Saint Casophili did what he could in order to counter the threat posed by the endemic and laid down the groundwork for a full Ecclesiarchy task force which was to continue his work.
However, as their forces moved from one settlement to another where they preached the word of the God-Emperor, their foes began to take notice. The council of priests could no longer bear a further threat to their power which they used to rule the world and thus moved against Saint Casophili by capturing and torturing him in order for him to recant his errant beliefs.
According to the chronicles of Casophili, it is said that his arduous odreal at the hands of the twisted priests led to his death by the wounds he had sustained. Whilst it is recorded that he had died at the hands of his tormentors, a miracle happened five days later when the missionary’s body was to be burnt on a sacrificial pyre to the Dark Gods. As the flames took hold on his body, Saint Casophili seemingly roused himself and jumped from the fires. Confronting his tormentors, he gathered a crowd and the story of the saint’s resurrection spread quickly whereupon he led the people of Alena Three against their priesthood.
This occurrence would normally have attracted the attention of Resurrectionist Inquisitors but this faction only dedicate themselves to one aspect of Saint Casophili’s tale. According to Casophili’s written works in latter days, during the five days he was between death and resurrection, he said he was a bodiless floating sensation that was adrift in a sea of sound and colour. He also claimed that he heard a myriad of voices whispering whilst other bellowed that swirled around him. Furthermore, he spoke of a great light that suffused everything which he believed was the Emperor. The fact that the saint’s soul returned to his body is not a concern for this Inquisitorial faction, as all Thorians believe that psychic energy can pass from an individual to the Warp and back again. However, it is the fact that Casophili’s writings claim that there exists a place where the soul resides which dominates the viewpoints of the Casophilians.
Or there are the Ocularians, who make prophecy and divination their weaponry against the dark forces that threaten the Imperium. Though their unorthodox methods have gained them recognition as one of the strangest Radical Factions, whose ranks are said to be made up of paranoid diviners and scholars, in their pursuit of divination, they wield knowledge, Loremasters. Knowledge which is in turn, power. So remember that the next time you are thinking of skipping our lecture on Agricultural practices of the Calixis Sector..
Or there are the Polypsykana Inquisitors who believe that humanity is destined to embrace the psychic power of the Immaterium, upon whose shoulders rests the burden of the Imperium. They believe that they themselves must serve as guardians and guide Mankind down this path of transformation into a fully psychic race. The Inquisitors of the Polypsykana believe that the metamorphosis is inevitable so long as attempts are not made in preventing it from happening. This is most likely to happen from other Inquisitors who see psykers as witches and abominations that need to be purged which necessitates the involvement of the Polypsykana Inquisitors.
Though I wish to reiterate that the various factions of the Inquisition never fight with each other, nor are we making such statements under any kind of duress or Inquisitorial decree.
The Recongregationistshold that the Imperium, after millennia, has become decadent and corrupt. To remedy this, Recongregators consider that the Imperium should be rebuilt, lest it stagnate further and collapse under the pressure of countless threats from both without and within.
Feudal Worlds within the Imperium are often subject to the attentions of Recongregator manipulation. A Recongregator who favors change from the top down would work to replace the established monarch of a Feudal World with a new bolder monarch who wants to reform the world outside of primitive tradition. An equally profound change could be made to the same Feudal World by introducing and spreading unconventional ideas amongst its population. Off-world technology that breaks the need to work by hand, weapons that remove the ability of the nobility to enforce their rule, or the idea that the nobility are not more worthy by birth can all cause the traditional rule of a Feudal World to become untenable and change to become a necessity.
Their goal of making the Imperium a more reformed and righteous place, especially at the expense of those noble-born sods, members of the nobility who may have lost their way, seems to be the Emperor’s work if you ask me.
Finally we have the Xenos Hybris about whom everything is redacted. Which means our completely duress-free lecture has come to a close.
