Imperial Inquisition

Inquisitors are but one aspect of the enforcement arm of the emperor. They serve in a separate realm, and their policing authority knows no limits save for the Emperor themselves. They are all highly trained psionics, raised from a young age to remain loyal to the Colonial Earth Empire and in turn the sacredness of their mission. They are ruthless, and rarely work with other departments.   The Inquisition in many ways a religious order. They operate broadly under Anthrochauvinism, especially Imperials who tend to make saints out of the great Imperial arms of authorities. Some inquisitors will take full advantage of that, and form their own crusader forces. Many devout or oppurtunistic entities might attach themselves to these crusader forces in order to rise in status behind a particularly powerful inquisitor.   They are headquartered out of Babylon , in an ancient temple that has been refurbished and rebuilt over the years since the first discovery of New Eden. Some claim, that during a more optimistic time, that this temple may have been the home of original ideologies of the ancient Be'Teu Order.   Inquisitors have a wide breadth of powers and autonomy, their authority only superseded by the most powerful within the empire. Their abilities are highly sought after, and those powerful inquisitors able to rise through the ranks often find themselves reccomended for positions with the High Houses within the Imperial Nobility.   Even Grand Admirals and powerful Houses are wary to cross a high ranking inquisitor, lest they risk an extrajudicial end. Inquisitors have no problem flexing their authority either, often to the chagrin of those they step on or distract. Many a time will a military invasion have its forces diverted so an inquisitor can dig up some ancient ruins far from the population centers, or an exploration ship diverted and sent through a highly dangerous hyperplane to an unexplored planet, just so that they can beat another rival inquisitor from arriving there first. The Emperor keeps them in line where he can, though drawing the ire of too many has been known to be lethal to a sitting empire without enough support. However, if the inquisitors draw the ire of too many of the Imperial Senate or the Imperial Court, they are in danger of getting obliterated by their compatriots.    

To Enforce and Command

  An apprentices are selected from the most loyal and ruthless of those training in the academy on Dol Amoth, and show a proclivity for using violence. There is always a careful balance maintained, where an apprentice is kept under the thumb of their sponsor for as long as possible. Wait too long, and another inquisitor or Lord might try to sweep your apprentice out from underneath you, promote them, and bring them into their own sphere of power. Move too quickly, and you lose a powerful asset that is directly under your control.   Once an apprentice is chosen to become a inquisitor, they return to Dol Amoth for their "Ascension". The ritual is complicated, and takes weeks. It involves heavy use of psycoactive drugs, ritualistic scarring, extensive cybernetic surgery, and ends in the hunting of lava elementals deep beneath the surface of the planet.   Successful candidates return as inquisitors. Inquisitors can do anything from policing in the Throne Worlds, mediating for the large houses at each others throats. Some are stationed with the exploration services, navigating the dangers of Far Space. They could also be posted as an military inquisitor to some grand admiral, commanding Shock Trooper Legions in the name of the Empire out in the Mid Rim, while also making sure the navy does not turn those weapons against the throne. Some get selected to join as an attache to the OIS , hunting rebels in Pacifica, pursuing their own nerfarious tasks as judicars. Regardless, wherever they are stationed, the inquisitors command not only respect, but fear as well. They are usually outside of any established command structure, and are free to act how they will, commanding the authority of the High Magistrates.   The inquisition has wide sweeping authority to put down threats, both external and internal, to the emperor and the empire as a whole.

Cults of Power

  The inquisitors are legally allowed to cultivate their own mystic cults. This is a means for them to recruit and fund followers in order to complete the goals of the greater tribunal order. This is a wary concession made early in the Empire's founding, as the inquisitors proved essential in putting down rebellious republicans. However, it has put the Imperial authority in a perilous spot, as inquisitor cults roam rampant, sometimes uncontrolled and dangerous spreading like fire through the interior of the Empire.   Only the senate can disband the Warrant of Worship, but the Senate is often tied up in gridlock to do anything except curb the greatest of violators. These cults are often fanatical in nature, and worship the Emperor as a God-King. Many are recruited from backwater worlds, where the local population lives barely above poverty standards. A shrewd and charismatic inquisitor can quickly gather an army around them, the difficult part is always funding them.