The Prosperitas Conclave

Few Imperial Citizens truly understand the Inquisition. All Imperial Citizens know that it exists; the Inquisition makes no secret of its existence - but very few understand its true purpose – and this is exactly how the Inquisition operates. If heretical thoughts never stray beyond thoughts and acts of rebellion die in the planning because would-be rebels are too terrified of the idea that anyone might be one of their agents, then the Inquisition is doing at least a small part of its job.

Four Things That Common Citizens Believe About the Inquisition

The Inquisition has eyes everywhere; it can take over Arbites and Enforcer security monitors; it can pull thoughts from your head with the aid of Psykers; it has agents who appear like common citizens, constantly reporting to it.
They answer to no authority save the God-Emperor’s - no Imperial Citizen, Highborn or Low, is beyond their reach when it comes to enforcing their unknown will.
They have unlimited resources, their reach as an organisation stretches across the galaxy and there is no place they cannot go, for they are the agents of the Imperial Throne.
They need no evidence of lawbreaking to act, if they deem an individual to be a threat to the Imperium they will simply take that individual when they least expect it. Nobody expects the Inquisition when it comes for them.

This is what most citizens are raised to believe, but you are a servant of the Inquisition, and as a result, know far more about it then you should:

Four Truths About the Inquisition

The Inquisition does not exist, not in the sense that most Imperial citizens believe it to. It is nothing more than a collective term for the unknown numbers of highly unique individuals granted that most nebulous of powers, authority, and tasked with leading their servants in the ancient shadow wars hidden from the common folk of the Imperium. Any unity is a fleeting thing, an arrangement of convenience between these individuals, and not representative of any recognisable structure of any other division of the Imperium.
The wars they pursue and threats they face are unknown to the Imperium for a reason. While some deal with mundane internal security issues, others fight wars against impossible beings that - if Imperial citizens knew were real - would shatter the tentative order the Imperium has established with oppression. They go to extreme lengths to protect this secrecy; those that serve alongside them are often conscripted into service, executed to protect their souls, or are subjected to mind-wipes by Inquisition psykers to remove the memory of what they witnessed in their service.
The only unlimited resource they have is their legal authority. Anyone who has spent time with the Inquisition knows that the resources of an individual Inquisitor differ wildly; their wealth is not guaranteed, but they gamble upon the fear most of the Imperium possesses of them to convince most other Imperials into following their direction. They must pick their fights carefully, often operating against or underneath the interests of other Imperial bodies, as they are still just as mortal as any common Imperial citizen. Inquisitors who make themselves too many enemies in the Imperium can often find that comes back to bite them later.
Nobody ever leaves Inquisitorial service. Any individual Inquisitor can easily convince their fellows, or a member of an Imperial body that a wayward agent is a threat to the carefully maintained order of the Imperium. No matter that individual's temporal wealth and power, few ever leave service before they give the ultimate sacrifice to their Inquisitor.

The truth about the Inquisition beyond the carefully cultivated fear and lies that it has developed around its stated purpose of protecting the Imperium is vastly more terrifying than the visions of black-hatted spectres that swoop down upon unexpecting citizens for straying but an inch from the acceptable norms of the Imperium that most citizens believe to be their core purpose.

Anyone who has had the unusual duty of serving as a servant of the Inquisition will quickly learn a very clear fact – that the Inquisition is composed of individuals with wildly differing ideologies, tactics and even goals. Invested with the ultimate authority of the God-Emperor to act in His Name as His holy tools in a shadow war that has stretched over millennia, their power lies in smart politicking, dire threats, and reminding others in positions of Imperial power of the consequences of failing to let them carry out their work.

It is that work that is the most terrible secret any individual can learn, because once the purpose of the Inquisition and the truths of the universe are known, then an individual can never again return to being innocent. They say a servant of the Inquisition never truly retires, and they are correct – no matter how much temporal power a servant of the Inquisition might possess, they will always remain beholden to it, because should they show signs of betraying the truths about their former Masters, death will be sudden, and swift.

Four Truths About the Ordos Prosperitas

No Servant Sees The Full Picture. It is very easy for an agent to get arrogant and believe they are the only element of the Conclave making an impact when even an individual Inquisitor is usually operating many different teams at the same time each addressing threats before they reach the notice of each other. No more true is this is the Prosperitas Sector where myriad threats are being constantly confronted by Inquisitorial teams which never cross paths.
Trust is a Limited Commodity Inquisitors in the Prosperitas Sector have learned the hard way that there are sinister powers out there seeking to destroy them. Agents earn reputation and trust it is not freely granted within the Ordos Prosperitas more so any other gathering of Inquisitors a sense of paranoia hangs around these Inquisitors and many shield secrets from each other.
Threats often come from within. The Ordo Hereticus has oft been the most numerous of the major Ordos in the Sector not least because for many years the greatest threats met by the Inquisition have come from cults and other internal threats to the stability of Imperial worlds rather than those that come from without.
Threat prediction is as esoteric as it is information warfare. The Prosperitas Conclave has an immense amount of patience for divination, using seers and augars alongside less mystical forms of threat prediction to locate threats even before the first hints hit more conventional spy networks. This can lead to some of its order seeming strange or without foundation.

The Ordos Prosperitas

Nobody is entirely clear when the Inquisition first began to establish roots in the Prosperitas Sector. It is almost certain that there were Inquisitors accompanying Warmaster Durovera I when the Prosperitas Crusade first began its long campaign to bring the Sector back into Imperial compliance. What is known is there are ancient structures that far-predate the Crusade that suggest that the Inquisition was present, if covertly, monitoring the pre-Imperial heretical ‘Regency’ in the Sector. These ancient sealed ‘Black Sites’ are located beyond the notice of the general Imperium and only permit entry to them via the use of Inquisitorial seals and specialised ‘keys’: it is these sealed vaults and hidden safehouses that the Inquisition has relied upon in a sector where it is vastly undermanned and outnumbered.

The Prosperitas Sector is a frontier sector of the Imperium, and until recently has been of very little interest to all but the few Inquisitors that serve within it. The endeavour of humanity, the secret war against the Archenemy in the shadows of the Prosperitas Crusade, has been not without a series of brutal defeats for the Inquisition including the near-extermination of its number in the Blacksite 101 massacre of the then-Conclave. The latest Conclave has existed but a handful of years and is small with no more then ten Inquisitors active within the Prosperitas Sector at any one time.

The Conclave possesses a Chamber Militant composed of a number of regiments of Stormtroopers and additional forces gathered from the Prosperitas Crusade over the course of centuries and pressed into permanent service. The Chamber is usually commanded by the Inquisitor Militant, a position granted to an Inquisitor by the Conclave, who also serves as its direct liaison to the High Command of the Prosperitas Crusade.

Notable Inquisitors of the Prosperitas Sector

The Structure of the Inquisition

The Inquisition has no centralised authority where it does not wish to create it, it is fundamentally dependent on the skills and resources of a single Inquisitor and their Servants. Every single Inquisitor serves as a representative and embodiment of the will of the Inquisition and through them, the God-Emperor’s will made manifest. At one time the Inquisition may have had its own internal structures to police the actions of its members but as the Imperium has grown so vast and fragmented it has fallen upon their peers to hold an Inquisitor to account. The Holy Ordos, most importantly the Ordos Majoris, represent the only truly permanent structures of the Inquisition. It is not required though for an Inquisitor to join them, but most do, to access the resources kept and shared out by their Inquisitorial peers within them. This lack of central leadership and guidance is key to the Inquisition’s survival. Due to the fragmented nature of Imperial space and the unreliability of long-distance communication some Inquisitors can go their entire careers without ever meeting another Inquisitor. Autonomy is valued, allowing the scattered Inquisitors to continue their sacred duties unhindered by chains of command.

An individual Inquisitor surrounds themselves with a network of contacts and retinues of servants, willingly or unwillingly recruited into pursuing their agenda. Contacts are largely kept on the outside, sometimes only communicated with through proxies and servants of the Inquisitor, never knowing who they are truly aiding with their actions and information. Retinues represent Inquisitorial servants that answer directly to the Inquisitor, often by a lead agent close to the Inquisitor’s inner circle. An Inquisitor might have one or several retinues, each formed for a specific purpose, often unaware of each other. These ‘Cells’ are directed by the Inquisitor but rarely come together except for times of dire need. Sometimes these Cells will operate distantly from the Inquisitor they serve acting as autonomous ‘hands’ of their Inquisitor's will, enforcing their power beyond their physical reach. Rank amongst Inquisitorial servants is limited to the structure an individual Inquisitor decides, normally based on radiating ‘circles’ of trust; an Inquisitor might keep an inner circle of devoted servants always close to them, while outer circles are kept at arm’s length. Outside the immediate servants of their Inquisitor though, no Inquisitorial agent possesses authority other others that others don’t choose to give them.

Conclaves

In more established regions of the Galaxy local Inquisitors will often form a more centralised organisation known as a Conclave. Conclaves usually claim to serve the purpose of preventing Inquisitors working at cross-purposes and promote coordination, but in many cases are often viewed as simply a way for more established and powerful Inquisitors to ensure outsiders cannot disturb their established order in a region. Sometimes Conclaves are just occasional gatherings, Inquisitors and their servants summoned together to discuss a specific issue - in some regions, such as the Prosperitas Sector, established Conclaves are more permanent agencies, with their own resources.

In regions of the Imperium where Conclaves exist, or indeed amongst the servants of a particularly powerful Inquisitor, entire quasi-religious Orders dedicated to providing certain services and trained servants to the Inquisition arise. Some of these are deviant sects of the Imperial cult adopted and embraced by the Inquisition, whereas some are founded and created by Inquisitors and their servants.

The Holy Ordos

Inquisitors and Inquisitorial Agents are usually aligned with one or more of the Holy Ordos - the specialist divisions of the Inquisition. Ordos are not like the Inquisition, united things, rather they are more like ‘colleges’ of speciality. They are a way for an Inquisitor to declare what threats they specialise in dealing with.

The three Ordos Majoris claim the largest membership of Inquisitors, and through ancient arcane pacts they possess the most shared material power and come the closest to representing true ‘bodies’ within the otherwise individual-driven Inquisition.

The Ordo Malleus

First of the Holy Ordos, the Ordo Malleus traces its roots back to the Inquisition’s foundation; their mission could be said to be the founding mission of the Inquisition. Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus fight shadow wars against the forces of Chaos, the Archenemy, and most notably the impossible eldritch terrors of the Daemonic forces. Their sworn duty is to guard the Imperium against the ever-encroaching threat of the Archenemy and its minions.

Within the Prosperitas Sector the Ordo Malleus is in a prominent position. The encroaching Warp threats that emerge from the Eye-storm in Subsector Tenebris and other ancient evils draw more of their number to the sector. Cults of the Dark Gods are common here.

The Ordo Xenos

The Ordo Xenos was born from lessons of human complacency. Humankind often believes it is the dominant power in the universe, but it is not alone in it. Xenos, non-human cultures and monsters, lurk in the shadows of the mighty Imperium. Though the Imperium seeks to stamp them out many, such as the Orks, or Eldar, are persistent threats to Imperial lives, cunning or resilient enough to survive repeated attempts to exterminate them. The complacent attitude of the Imperium towards ‘inferior’ xenos has brought it close to the brink of destruction more than once, and so the Ordo Xenos are charged with guarding against these threats, monitoring alien cultures, and ensuring they are wiped out before they threaten the Imperium again.

Within the Prosperitas Sector the Ordo Xenos has a small presence in the Sector - a small number of Inquisitors from this Ordo have kept an eye upon the Orks that have plagued the sector in recent years, and upon the Shavastii who have an ancient grudge with the Imperium, but the sector has grown blind to threats like these, and more and more the Ordo Xenos look to xenocults bubbling up from within this wayward frontier sector.

The Ordo Hereticus

The Ordo Hereticus has perhaps the most mundane task of the Ordos Majoris, but arguably the busiest. It is tasked with protecting the Imperium against threats from within. It wields its authority to bring judgement upon corrupt officials otherwise impossible for other bodies of Imperial law to bring to justice, and it acts to censure and exterminate heretical cults - be they of the archenemy or xenos, or be they non-Imperial religions or even unapproved divergent sects of the Imperial Cult. It is an aggressive force and attracts many Inquisitors more interested in pursuing the Imperial status quo then any other Ordo. It also monitors threats to Imperial purity such as the emergence of Psykers and the populations of Abhumans and Mutants.

Within the Prosperitas Sector the Ordo Hereticus has largely existed in support of the Sector Ecclesiarchy. Witch Hunters are a common sight in the Prosperitas Sector where attitudes towards Psykers and other abhumans and mutants have always been strong, straddling duties to the Ordo and the Imperial Cult. It has only in recent years been that the Ordo has demonstrated more effective leadership, as corruption has been exposed amongst Imperial officials.

Minor Ordos

There are perhaps hundreds of specialised Ordos Minoris comprising a handful of specialists responsible for more complex threats. It would be impossible to list them all, but a few specialists from their ranks have been active in the Prosperitas Sector in recent years. These include the specialist censors of Imperial History, the Ordo Redactus, who have been active in editing the relatively short history of the Sector’s founding.

Philosophical Divisions

To call the Inquisition divided is an understatement. There are numerous divisions of philosophy, sometimes shared and sometimes unique to individual Inquisitors across the Inquisition. There are schools of thought within the broad ‘colleges’ of the Ordos. To use the Ordo Xenos as an example, there are factions who philosophically believe that Imperial security can only be secured by utterly exterminating all non-human life in the Galaxy; while at the other extreme there are Inquisitors who believe it is best to subjugate xenos, and their technology, to the service of humankind. These factions have formed along ancient philosophical lines - and their disagreements are as long lasting, some schisms going as deep as to have formed during the Inquisition's founding. Each of these philosophies, and the divisions within the Inquisition they cause, live on as teachings, passed from Inquisitors to their servants, causing disagreements that sometimes erupt into hidden conflicts within the Inquisition.

This is ultimately because the Inquisition is a religious organisation. At the heart of an Inquisitor's authority is the assumption that they are beholden to no authority but the God-Emperor on Terra, and this relationship in an increasingly fanatical Imperium places an incredible burden upon an Inquisitior that charges them with interpreting the God-Emperor’s will in protecting the Imperium.

Most Inquisitorial servants are unaware of the specific philosophical groups within the Inquisition; most Inquisitors are largely ignorant of more than a few too - but it is easy enough to place Inquisitors on an abstract spectrum represented best by two extremes: Radicals and Puritans. This is very much a spectrum however, there are Inquisitiors who would largely identify as Puritan who will toe the line of methods typically considered ‘Radical’ who share space with Ultra-Puritan Inquisitors who will never ever toe the line no matter the cost of refusing to compromise their philosophical ideals.

Puritans

Puritan philosophy focuses on enforcing the conservative ideals of the Imperial Creed, assigning death as the only price for heresy, and distrust of psykers, mutants and xenos. At the most extreme Puritans are unyieldingly hostile to many of the things that the Imperium tells them to distrust, believing it their duty to actively purge the galaxy of genetically divergent mutants and abhumans and exterminating all non-human life as the only method to ensure the Imperium’s security. More moderate Puritans are simply hidebound in their approach to affairs, following proscribed procedure and precedent from their peers, or following the guidance of the Imperial creed and Imperial law in directing their actions.

Radicals

Radical philosophy focuses more on fulfilling the mission of the Inquisition at any cost, being willing to wield Inquisitorial immunity from prosecution to bend or break law and creed to achieve the outcome that benefits the Imperium. At the most extreme a radical Inquisitor might well be willing to even imperil their own soul if it means they achieve their goals and mission. While the Imperium might consider an ultra-puritan Inquisitor a political bother, an ultra-radical Inquisitor always runs the risk of being viewed as an active threat by their peers and Imperial institutions. It is of note, that despite common perception amongst more puritanical elements of the Inquisition, Radicalism does not always represent an individual who deals in matters where their soul in the balance; some radical Inquisitors are as faithful and loyal to the God-Emperor as their Puritan colleagues. What sets them apart is their views often place them as opposed to the Imperium as it is in the 41st Millennium making them willing to challenge it or, in extreme circumstances, work to bring about reform or reconstruction of it along lines they believe the God-Emperor would have preferred.

Very few Inquisitors begin their lives at either extreme of the spectrum; they are almost always outsiders as individuals and their positions are shaped by their experiences. The long nature of lives preserved by various means of technology and alchemy mean that Inquisitors and indeed Inquisitorial agents who serve them will often shift their views throughout their lifetimes based on their experiences. Most Inquisitors settle into a grey area identifying publicly as one of these two broad sides of the spectrum, while privately finding the areas where they are willing to compromise.

Chambers Militant

The Chambers Militant are military organisations tied to the Inquisition. The Ordos Majoris command ancient alliances with mysterious warriors of the Imperium enabling them to call upon ancient pacts to summon them when all other options have failed. But some Inquisitors and Conclaves possess their own Chambers Militant comprised of so-called ‘Black Regiments’ of Inquisitorial Stormtroopers and many other unique warrior orders.

Inquisitors

Inquisitors are a varied bunch of individuals. There is no formal process by which one is raised to the rank in truth; it is normally accepted that a gathering of their peers, called a ‘Conclave’ is encouraged to bestow the rank upon a chosen individual, usually after a period of apprenticeship and servitude to another Inquisitor. However, there are plenty of Inquisitors who have been granted their rank in more unusual circumstances, or on the death of the Inquisitor they once served.

The core legal proof of an Inquisitor's position is their seal - a unique bio-encoded stylised icon along with myriad papers proving their rights. Upon ascendance it is down to the Inquisitor to carve out their position and power. This is, largely, why many Inquisitors foster a public personality despite the secrecy of their mission. Whether they strike fear or inspire awe, Inquisitors rely upon their persona to open doors and secure the resources for their hidden wars. But most carry out their wars via agents, only taking to the field when they are needed the most.

The Inquisition has but one rank, Inquisitor – but a Inquisitor may assume a myriad of titles in the manner of a member of the Imperial Nobility. However, these are rarely representative of any temporal power unless granted to them by some other arm of the Imperium; nor do they represent any formal superiority within the Inquisition itself - all Inquisitors are equal in law, but some possess better ability to enforce their rights and thus stylise themselves with titles to ensure that is recognised.

It is common for Inquisitors to be addressed by a noble title of seniority such as Lord, Lady or Liege when in a formal situation.

Servants of the Inquisition

Much like Inquisitors themselves, the servants of the Inquisition are individuals who stand out from the ordinary stock of Imperial citizens. Specialists in combatting certain threats, survivors of battles against impossible beings, and those possessed of unique traits valued by the Inquisition that would usually mark them as outsiders in the Imperium. These individuals are usually referred to as ‘Agents’ collectively, sometimes by the honorific of ‘Throne Agents’ representing their close ties to the God-Emperor's authority invested in their Inquisitor. Some Inquisitors operate an entirely flat structure amongst their Agents, but most operate an inner circle more commonly known as ‘Acolytes’.

Agents

Agents usually fulfil some form of specialised role. The exact title of each individual agent changes from Inquisitor to Inquisitor, if they possess a title at all, but most fulfil an archetypical role with their cell, attributed to their specialities. The titles that follow are by no means exhaustive, but do best represent the roles commonly found in most Cells and Retinues. In most cases cells use these to determine responsibility for certain duties, but many cells see members combine multiple roles:

Physiks represent the medical staff of an Inquisitor, dedicated practitioners of the healing arts, dedicates to the survival of their cell, but equally expected to keep prisoners alive throughout interrogations.
Excoriators represent skilled gatherers of information, capable of acquiring information through myriad methods. Some, are skilled torturers, but more so are simply manipulators and ‘faces’ capable of acquiring information more subtley.
Hierophants represent the spiritual security of their retinues, often recruited from the Imperial Faith, they are individuals of great will responsible for shepherding the faith of their cells and providing confession, as well as Exorcism where it is needed.
Mystics represent those born with the powers of the Warp, psykers, often assigned other duties but deliberately ‘othered’ within their cells to make it clear to others their status apart from humanity, though in some cells they are treated far better.
Sages represent the centres of intellect, skilled archivists, specialist researchers, Mechanicus and others who all provide some form of specialised non-combat aid to the Imperium through their vast knowledge.
Warriors represent the muscle of Inquisitorial retinues, providing force protection to their fellow agents, or assassins to remove specific threats, serving to provide direct, physical, opposition to foes.
Penitents represent a unique place in a retinue, an individual convicted of something and bound into service of the Inquisition, so they might repent for their sins. They are alive at the will of the Inquisition alone. Sometimes they are simply abhumans, ‘endured’ by puritan inquisitors for their talents and given lease to die for the Emperor.

Acolytes

Acolytes are set apart from the rest of their cells, they are those who exist within the direct and trusted inner circles of their Inquisitor’s agents. They are often considered ‘proto-Inquisitors’ and apprentices of their Inquisitor, the trust offered them often considered representing a step on the pathway of eventually becoming an Inquisitor. It is a not a guarantee of course, but most Inquisitors walk this path. There is a misconception that most Acolytes are stylised by the title of ‘Interrogator’ but there are many titles assigned to them, representing their value to their Inquisitor:

Interrogators are commonly seen as their Inquisitor's ‘hands’: broadly varied in their specialities and dedicated primarily to acting on their Inquisitor's behest, they are valued for their loyalty and obedience most of all above any skills they possess.
Deductors often operate more independently of their Inquisitor, tasked with investigating a specific concern or problem or monitoring a specific region of space. They often spend years apart from their Inquisitor working a specific case alone until finally reporting in when they believe higher attention is needed. They are arch-informants, often running rings of localised contacts to provide an Inquisitor the most complete overview of a world when they make contact.
Intelligencers are charged with the duty of managing intelligence and knowledge, each is a specialist in an area of knowledge, be it a specific threat, or in information monitoring and analysis, dedicating their entire lives to an existence within dusty librariums and archives, or linked in to monitoring endless scrawls of information. They are the arch-sages of the Inquisition, savants tasked with information management and research tasks.
Elucidators act in concert with their Inquisitors, governing and guiding specific investigations, focused on providing their Inquisitor with a steady flow of reliable information to support their work. Generally granted independence to pursue information gathering they are the spymasters of the Inquisition ensuring nothing escapes the view of their Masters.
Agitators are specialised solitary acolytes, granted the independent duty of dealing with threats to their Inquisitor by any means necessary they are defined by a creed of permissions granted to them by their Inquisitor, either to infiltrate and out heretical and criminal groups, or to bring judgement on an Inquisitors foes. They are the Inquisition's bloodhounds, sometimes sleeper agents lying in wait for their prey to present themselves.