The Rise of the Inquisition

In the aftermath of the Burning Reformation, the Inquisition expanded its influence drastically, becoming a shadow government within the Empire. New laws empowered Inquisitors to imprison, interrogate, and execute suspected heretics without trial, their agents operating with impunity.

Key Events:

• The Midnight Edicts: Secret decrees that authorized mass arrests and expanded the use of torture to extract confessions. Even high-ranking nobles were not immune.
• The Cleansing of Blackstone: An entire city was put to the torch after a Lunar cult was uncovered, with thousands executed. Survivors were sent to re-education camps in the Emberwastes.
• The Codex of Purity: A document that formally outlawed all unsanctioned magic and expanded the definition of heresy to include even minor infractions.

By the end of this era, the Empire was at its peak, controlling vast lands and wielding religious and military dominance over much of the known world. However, the heavy-handed tactics of the Church and Inquisition sowed the seeds of rebellion and unrest that would come to haunt the Empire in the centuries to follow.