How did the Inquisition rise to power?

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**Jazzylee**

I get that Lorgar wrote the whole book that invented the idea that the Emperor was a god, but now i'm confused. The Inquisition hates Chaos, so why would they believe in a book written by a heretic? And how did they magically get almost everyone in the Imperium to worship the Emperor if they all believed in the Imperial Truth at the time?

**Sterling191**

Spoiler Alert: the Imperial Truth wasn't universally accepted (point a genocidal army at a population, demand they say something you want them to say, and chances are they're gonna say it), and without Big E the lords of Terra needed a way to keep the masses in line. Oh and that whole "faith as a weapon against Warp shenanigans" bit.

Enter religion, the Ecclesiarchy, and later the various branches of the Inquisition to keep those at the top on top.

**Engrenages**

Sterling191 wrote:
Spoiler Alert: the Imperial Truth wasn't universally accepted (point a genocidal army at a population, demand they say something you want them to say, and chances are they're gonna say it), and without Big E the lords of Terra needed a way to keep the masses in line. Oh and that whole "faith as a weapon against Warp shenanigans" bit.

Enter religion, the Ecclesiarchy, and later the various branches of the Inquisition to keep those at the top on top.

IIRC the Inquisition predates the Ecclesiarchy, as it was pioneered by Malcador (who was an adherent to the Imperial Truth).

**Sterling191**

Engrenages wrote:

IIRC the Inquisition predates the Ecclesiarchy, as it was pioneered by Malcador (who was an adherent to the Imperial Truth).

Big I was founded by Malcy yes, but as with just about everything else in the Imperium, the M31 and M32 interregnum morphed and twisted it into the institutions that we see in the present.

Plus all the bullshite in M36 with those Thor and Vandire fellows.

**Jazzylee**

Sterling191 wrote:
Spoiler Alert: the Imperial Truth wasn't universally accepted (point a genocidal army at a population, demand they say something you want them to say, and chances are they're gonna say it), and without Big E the lords of Terra needed a way to keep the masses in line. Oh and that whole "faith as a weapon against Warp shenanigans" bit.

Enter religion, the Ecclesiarchy, and later the various branches of the Inquisition to keep those at the top on top.

Interesting, I never knew the Imperial Truth wasn't universally accepted, I thought everyone believed in it like they do now with Emperor Worship.

**Sterling191**

Spoiler alert: not everyone in M42 believes the galactic lightbulb is divine.

**BrianDavion**

Jazzylee wrote:
Sterling191 wrote:
Spoiler Alert: the Imperial Truth wasn't universally accepted (point a genocidal army at a population, demand they say something you want them to say, and chances are they're gonna say it), and without Big E the lords of Terra needed a way to keep the masses in line. Oh and that whole "faith as a weapon against Warp shenanigans" bit.

Enter religion, the Ecclesiarchy, and later the various branches of the Inquisition to keep those at the top on top.

Interesting, I never knew the Imperial Truth wasn't universally accepted, I thought everyone believed in it like they do now with Emperor Worship.

nope. you saw a number of people secretly clinging to their old faiths. possiably the most notable example of this, as well as the most harmful was Kor Pheron, Lorgar's father and first captain of the Word Bearers. He secretly kept to the old faith of his home world, and actively moved to hide and preserve similer religions on worlds they conquered. this faith was of course chaos worship.

**locarno24**

For that matter the 'emperor is a god' didn't come purely from Lorgar, either. As a primarch, he was the most obvious and highest ranking person promoting the view, but emperor-worshipping sects popped up in lots of places.

The Lecticio Divinitatus was unsigned, and - as with copies-of-copies books, mutated between different branches of the cult. What Euphrati Keeler is doing in the lead-up to the siege of terra is putting them in touch with one another. They merge, feud, share ideas, and eventually a dominant faction called the Temple of the Saviour Emperor ends up becomming something that leads to the Ecclesiarchy.

The 'public acceptance' is supposed to happen post siege of terra - codex witchhunters talks about an imperial army hero of the siege who takes the name Fatidicus - we don't know who he is yet in the stories - but if he was a hero of the siege, it can't happen until the scouring (when the Emperor's dead-ish, the primarchs start vanishing and generally the Imperium needs something to believe in to survive).

The Inquisition was VERY mixed about views on Emperor-worship and deification of the emperor at first. See a famous bit of fluff on the inside of the Inquisitor rulebook....

A single candle guttered on an ornate silverstick in the centre of the room, throwing a yellowish, fitful light over the faces of the cowled figures stood in the dusty chamber.“The Golden Throne works,” one said, hisvoice aged and cracked. “The Emperor’s life can be sustained indefinitely.”
“His soul lives on?” another inquired, his long, sharp nose protruding from under the lip of his hood. “It is not an empty husk?”
“It is not,” the first confirmed. “TheEmperor has ascended to the next plane,but the link ’twixt body and spirit remains strong.”
“Then it can be brought back,” suggested the third, a young woman whose flowingwhite hair spilled from her hood and downto her waist. “The Emperor need not suffer this hideous eternal life in death.”
“We cannot risk such a thing!” the first hissed. “What if the spiritual link were severed? What if the person brought back was not the man we once knew? Changed?News of the Emperor’s... ascension isalready widespread. He is being revered asa god already on a hundred worlds. In this time of rebuilding, we need a symbol. The Emperor has shown us the way. Anyway,who would believe the Emperor had returned so soon? It will cause a civil war more devastating than that of the fool Horus, and even now we have yet to start counting the cost of that. No, better that this knowledge remains hidden. When we pass on to join the Emperor, it will die with us.”
“You cannot deny Mankind the Emperor,” a fourth voice, deep and slow, stated firmly.“He and the empire he has built are Mankind’s only chance of survival.”
The woman and the deep-voiced man both withdrew into the shadows and a moment later the door creaked open, a chill draughtcausing the candle flame to flit wildly.
“Moriana, Promeus, wait!” the first man called out, but the door slammed shut in answer.
“We cannot let them do this,” the hawk-nosed man decided.
“No, we cannot,” the first agreed. “We must act quickly, get organised and claim the initiative.”
“It shall be done,” the other concurred

**TwilightSparkles**

First off the Inquisition predates the Eclesiarchy and the official adoption of the Emperor as an object of faith for the Imperium. The Inquisition comes into being during the Heresy , Makcador foresees that the future Imperium , if it survives, will have need of a way to watch for future Heresy taking hold and that to succeed this organisation needs absolute authority and independence. Later it becomes clear that the Inquisition itself must have an Ordo to "watch the watchers".

It's power comes from the authority - no one is immune to judgment because the authority is linked to them being the guardians of loyalty to the Emperor.

The Inquisitiin played no part in the establishment of the Imperial Truth because it didn't exist. Worlds complied during the crusade or were brought to compliance or destruction by Imperial military forces.

The first signs of the Imperial Truth becoming a religion began during the early heresy and spread in secret rapidly at all levels of the populace across hundreds of worlds , once The Saint manifests her power then it goes up a notch because you have something happening in direct contradiction of the Imperial Truth, proving it wrong; there are gods, there are daemons and somehow the Emperor is a weapon against them.