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I have been looking around and can't find a place to put this question in, so I decided this was the best, sorry if this offends Anyway, are Inquisitors like the guys out of the SM army that go around the imperium and enlist guys to help them? Or are they like a super epic secret race that I've never heard of? Thanks

The Inquisition is the most powerful and secretive organisation within the Imperium. Its agents, the Inquisitors, are the last line of defence for the Emperor and Mankind. They are utterly ruthless, and empowered to use any means they deem necessary to complete their work, no mater how drastic those measures may seem. Inquisitors commonly carry a wide range of weapons and wargear, so as to be prepared for any threat they might face. Some Inquisitors use outlandish weaponry, taken from defeated foes - exotic hardware, alien guns and daemon-possessed weapons, whilst others feel that this is heretical behaviour in itself.

Whatever their Ordo allegiance and radical status, all Inquisitors are knowledgeable, dedicated servants of the Emperor, who serve in His name to defeat the enemies of the Imperium with whatever force they deem necessary.

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They are sort of like the secret police of the Imperium. They aren't directly involved with Space Marines, but they sometimes fight along side them (or Grey Knights) if they have a shared interest.

Umm... thanks. So they're for the Imperium.

Yes, generally they're normal humans albeit with the perks that are usually rewarded to the higher ranking humans such as prolonging their life through changing the rate of aging, bionic replacements or enhancements; that sort of thing. There are 3 circles known of the Inquisition; Ordo Hereticus (Witch Hunters), Ordo Xenos (Alien Hunters) and Ordo Malleus (Daemon Hunters).

Witch Hunters fight the mutants, traitors and psykers. If they are not a sanctioned psyker of some sort they are considered a witch or rouge. As Daemons enter through psykers it is important for them to be hunted. To the general population this is the entire Inquisition, being the outermost circle. Basically the inner circles are more secretive and known to fewer.

Alien Hunters I'm actually not to familiar on so I'll leave it to someone else to explain them a little.

Daemon Hunters, from what I've read, also watch the Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors for signs of taint as well. Generally the general population of the Imperium doesn't actually know about the existence of Daemons; if they come in contact with them they are killed or mind wiped if they are more important.

n0t_u wrote:Daemon Hunters, from what I've read, also watch the Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors for signs of taint as well. Generally the general population of the Imperium doesn't actually know about the existence of Daemons; if they come in contact with them they are killed or mind wiped if they are more important.

In early versions of their history the Daemon Hunters really were hard core and no one was allowed to know about daemons except them and the grey knights. This meant that after a world was "cleansed" of dameons by a combined force of Imperial Guard and Space Marines the planet would be completely wiped clean of all life, including the Imperial Guard forces to keep the daemons secret. The Space Marines, being rarer special forces would be removed from the planet pre-destruction and mind wiped to keep them available, but make sure they didn't remember the daemons.

Nowadays the Cadian IG are on the forefront of the battles vs. chaos and deamons and the exterminatus concept has gone by the wayside. IMO that has made the Ordo Malleus somewhat less impressive to me. Always liked the idea of them being the hardcore we must protect humanity from this at all costs types who even killed whole imperial armies to keep the secret from getting out. Now they just come in and help someone fight against chaos incursions and then take their leave. No where near as interesting.

I also have limited knowledge on the Ordo Xenos. They have not be detailed in much of the 40k history to any great degree. You might be able to find more information about them in the Imperial Armour 4: The Anphelion Project as there is an Ordo Xenos special character in that book that Forge World makes a figure for.

Skriker

They are a super epic secret race that you have never heard of
Think of it like this.
The Inquisitors are the watchmen of the Imperium.
"Ah" you may say "But who watches the watchmen"
They do that. They also watch the watcher who is watching the watchmen. And, they watch the watcher who is watching the watcher watching the watchmen.

There are actually five known branches of the inquisition, and potential dozens more minor branches we know nothing about.
The Ordo Malleus is the Daemonhunters, and their chamber militant is the Grey Knights. They are tasked with hunting Daemons anywhere they may be, and sending them back to the warp. They are the largest, most powerful branch, because of the nature of the threat they face.
The Ordo Hereticus is the Witch Hunters, tasked with eradicating rogues and renegades of all kinds. Whether it is a single individual rogue psyker, or an entire traitor planet, they will very commonly be found wherever heresy lurks. They are quite strongly integrated with the Ecclesiarchy and the Arbites (Police, basically), but afaik they have no actual chamber militant. They aqre the second largest Ordo.
The Ordo Xenos is the third largest branch, and the Deathwatch is their chamber militant. They are tasked with investigating aliens, and many Ordo Xenos inquisitors are 'accepted' among alien races - a couple have been in the Eldar Black Library, and I would imagine there will be more in contact with the Tau etc. Some Xenos Inquisitors are experts on certain races, and in general the Inquisitors are mankinds brightest people. However, not even an Inquisitor is safe from being declared excommicae traitoris (sp?) by another Inquisitor. All inquisitors carry the inquisitorial seal, which is used to authorise the exterminatus of a planet.
Those are the three main orders, but there a couple more known minor ones:
The Ordo Sepulturum is taked with fighting chaos-born viruses and plagues - primarily the zombie plague, but also others. They have no chamber militant and are relatively small and recently created, and they contain a number of radical inquisitors who want to try to reverse enginer the zombie plague and revive the emperor with it.
The Ordo Sicarius is tasked with policing the officio assasinorum. They, also, are secretive and small, with no chamber militant. They have operatives seeded throughout the temples of the Assassinorum (with the exception of the evesor temple, because they are held in statis most of the time) and these so-called assassin-inquisitors keep watch for treachery. This order was formed after Vandire's rein of blood.
You can find tons more infomation of the inquisition here:
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Inquisition

Inquisitors are detectives, fighters, commanders, gestapo, and the Spanish Inquisition all in one. They will find you, and if you've got something big to hide from Imperial authority, they will kill you. Read the Eisenhorn books from Black Library for more insight.

On the Ordo Maellus, theya actualy still do thoe whole "kill everyone to keep it a secret" thing, but no longer with the Daemons. The Grey Knights are a secret organization, and so if you fight alongside them, they will eventualy kill you to protect their secret; or memory-wipe you, depending on how important you are.

Inquisition are the secret police of the Imperium basically. Handle state security matters and are above Imperial law. Not a race, they're made up of humans who are mostly war orphans trained by the Schola Progenium.

Eldar Vampire Hunter wrote:
The Ordo Sepulturum is taked with fighting chaos-born viruses and plagues - primarily the zombie plague, but also others. They have no chamber militant and are relatively small and recently created, and they contain a number of radical inquisitors who want to try to reverse enginer the zombie plague and revive the emperor with it.

How awesome would a zombie Emperor be? Show of hands?

Nobody expects the Imperial Inquisition!

There are exactly two groups of people, in the entire Imperium, who are not subject to the authority of an Inquisitor: The God-Emperor Himself and the Adepetus Custodes, who maintain the Golden Throne.

Everyone else, from Chapter Master to Planetary Governor to lowest agri-serf, is subject to the unflinching gaze of the Inquisition.

The Ordo Xeno defends humanity against the predations of the Xeno. This is done either through massive wars and crusades, as in the Jericho Reach, or through careful observation of human society, which may be infiltrated by xenos such as the Tau or the Gene-stealer. They also prosecute inquisitions against illegal trade in xeno goods and artifacts.

Dunwich wrote:Inquisitors commonly carry a wide range of weapons and wargear, so as to be prepared for any threat they might face.

Especially Inquisitor Obiwan Sherlock Closseau.

http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2010/04/most-awesome-40k-character-of-all-time.html

Omegus wrote:

Eldar Vampire Hunter wrote:
The Ordo Sepulturum is taked with fighting chaos-born viruses and plagues - primarily the zombie plague, but also others. They have no chamber militant and are relatively small and recently created, and they contain a number of radical inquisitors who want to try to reverse enginer the zombie plague and revive the emperor with it.

How awesome would a zombie Emperor be? Show of hands?

Nurgle must do this now.

The way i think of it is: the inqusistion is like a supersized KGB.

most people know of it but nothing about it, and they have ultimate power