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So the Fallen came into being 10,000 years ago. The Warp took them to its random bosom and, by all accounts, has been releasing them at random intervals over the intervening time.

Yet the fluff seems to suggest that the Inner Circle know how many remain to be accounted for. How is this possible?

On a different note, why haven't the Fallen made themselves known? The trouble that would cause for the DA and their Successor chapters would be monumental.

Legion records.
they likely have a list staring essentially "ok these dark angels where stationed here. these ones are accounted for. hence there are X many unaccounted for"

this is inprecise mind you and chances are there are a few of the fallen whom they're looking for who are already dead. having been killed by someone else unknowingly, tripped in the shower or otherwise died somehow over the millineia

According to the Cypher Dataslate, they don't know how many survived. The records were pretty much destroyed in the fall of Caliban. Not only that, not all the fallen were vomited out of the warp at the same time (to this day, there are still fallen that have yet to be coughed up into the Material realm). This makes the hunt for the fallen quite frustrating, to say the least..

They also have Luther incarcerated in the depths of the Rock and occasionally torture him for kicks, giggles, and information.

The Cypher dataslate also shows that most fallen are discovered using psychic means. Apparently it's pretty darn easy (RELATIVELY speaking) for Librarians to detect the psychic signatures of those that bear the Lion's gene-seed.

Judging from the stories in the dataslate, fallen also seem to have a typical way of acting and behaviour that the Dark Angels pick up on to figure out there are some in the area. I guess since most of them from their perspective were only recently coughed up from the warp, they haven't branched out to have as much variety in their actions as you'd think.

Cypher also leads the Dark Angels to some fallen, sometimes.

I guess the reason why they do not make themselves known is pretty simple.
They want to stay hidden, because when they reveal themselves, the whole DA chapter would instantly swarm towards them.
The Imperium does not like traitors, and it is unlikely they would take the time listen to him.

 Iron_Captain wrote:
I guess the reason why they do not make themselves known is pretty simple.
They want to stay hidden, because when they reveal themselves, the whole DA chapter would instantly swarm towards them.
The Imperium does not like traitors, and it is unlikely they would take the time listen to him.

Exactly. If they'd reveal themselves, it'd pretty much go 'Oh, so you're a traitor Astartes?', and then they die.

They also interrogate the captured fallen, sometimes for decades or centuries. After millenia of doing that, including capturing many captains of the legion who would have a general idea of who fell under their command, they probably have a good idea of what they are looking at. Even if all the legion records were destroyed, for hundreds or thousands of years afterwards (counting dreadnoughts here) there were survivors who could recollect the events and give an incomplete reckoning that all together was probably pretty comprehensive.

StewRat wrote:
So the Fallen came into being 10,000 years ago. The Warp took them to its random bosom and, by all accounts, has been releasing them at random intervals over the intervening time.

Yet the fluff seems to suggest that the Inner Circle know how many remain to be accounted for. How is this possible?

On a different note, why haven't the Fallen made themselves known? The trouble that would cause for the DA and their Successor chapters would be monumental.

DA have dreads thats been around since the age of forging thats what 7-8000 years old, roughly? This dosent take into account how long they served outside their dreads. Pushing it some of them could be 9000 years old or really stretching it even older,

I think some sources say some of the fallen DO make themselves known (at least, according to the wiki). They just get snuffed out (...along with anyone who heard them) pretty quickly by the DA when that happens.

That said, most of the trouble is within the DA's heads. Sure, it'd be a bit scandalous if the Imperium discovered they were covering things up all this time, but other than that, it's actually more of an honour thing. According to the Pandorax campaign novel, he Grey Knights and some parts of the inquisition actually already know a little of it (their extensive dealings with Chaos means they came across some fallen) but don't give a crap (although it's still a big enough deal that Draigo could blackmail Azrael with that info. ...well, a big enough deal to Azrael at least).

In the land of grimdark, only the impossible tasks are worthy of note. If the Dark Angels knew how many fallen there were and when their quest would end they would probably be a bit happier and cheerier.