Dark Heresy-Shadows of the Past (Inactive)

Game Master Shadoven

For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die.

Yet in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the Daemon-infested miasma of the warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the physchic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion, the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, to name but a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants-and worse.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruellest and most bloody regime imaginable. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.
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Inquisitor Vownus Kaede:

Inquisitor Vownus Kaede is a noted scholar, philosopher and an optimist. He is also a skilled swordsman, irreverent scoundrel and a self-righteous reprobate. Named after the rogue hero of Catuldynus's epic verse allegory The Once-Pure Hive, Kaede has spend most of his life living up to his namesake's legacy. Originating somewhere,"East of Sol and West of Macragge", Kaede signed on with a free captain at a young age and has never looked back. The details of his elevation to Inquisitor status are hazy and change with every telling. The only point that remains consistent is he was once a member of the Ordos Xenos, before finding his true calling as a Witch Hunter. Regardless of his chequered past, Inquisitor Kaede has been a respected member of the Tyrantine Cabal for over a decade.

Though he is nominally of Puritan leanings, Kaede is a skilled psyker who fanatically believes in the psychic future of the human race and is willing to casually comit almost any atrocity in order to safeguard it. He and the martially inclined acolyte bands he employes spend a great deal of time traveling between Calixis's subsectors chasing down ruours of hidden witches. Kaede absolutely detests Rykehuss's methods and takes a great deal of pleasure in spiriting promising young psykers out fro under the Witch Finder's pogroms. Inquisitor Kaede apears exactly the way Imperium citizens picture a Witch Hunter. From his wide brimmed hat, to his Inferno Pistol, to his ancient short bladed force sword named Slight Jest that he bears at his side, there is no mistaking his appearance and what it implies, which is exactly what Kaede wishes. To Kaede, the Tyrant Star prophecy is a delicious mystery to be unlocked.

The Scintillan Dictates:

In centuries past, legendary Inquisitor Heraclion Theos issued a series of letters that have now become common teachings for Acolytes of the Calixian Conclave. Originally intended for investigators stationed on the capital planet of Scintilla, later generations of scholars have read many deeper levels of meaning and interpretation into what, on the face of it, seem very simple instructions.

-THY MASTER'S WILL SHALT BE THE WHOLE OF THE LAW.
This is loosely translated to mean that Acolytes should not be held back by local custom and law. In ther service of the Inquisition, even the darkest of illegal acts are somtimes justified.

-THOU SHALD KNOW THY DUTIES.
Broadly speaking, Acolytes should know their remit and dutifully follow their instructions. This dictat is also interpreted to mean that Acolytes should not stand by and allow heresy and other transgressions to go unpunished even in their Inquisitor seems unaware of them.

-THOU SHALT NOT OVER ESTEEM THINE OWN IMPORTANCE.
This dictat causes some confusion amongst scholars. It is generally agreed to be an admonishment to remember that each Acolyte is but a small part of a larger picture, which only the Inquisitor has access to. Some believe it to be a reminder that sacrifice, even of ones own life, is a necessary part of the Inquisition's work.

-THOUGH SHALT NO MAKE IMPROPER USE OF THY MASTER'S PURSE, NOR HIS SEAL, NOR HIS NAME EITHER.
Perhaps the clearest of the dictates, this is almost universally held to be a warning against abusing the incredible resouces an Inquisitor can call upon. Most also believe that it is a commandment to be subtle in ones work, invoking the Inquisition only when absolutely necessary. Some Acolytes take this dictat to extrees, living in penury and never speaking the name of their master, lest they draw his wrath.

-THOU SHALT SEEK NO REWARD BUT HE SATISFACTION OF THY MASTER.
Commonly believed to be a warning against profiteering from investigations, this dictat has perhaps the widest leeway attached to it. Some Inquisitors closely watch their Acolytes and their possessions to ensure that they are not becoming too luxuriant. Others seldome bother looking into their servant's dealings. Most ensure that Acolytes do not display their status too openly, knowing that the temptation to show off, impress attractive strangers, claim recognition, free drinks or notoriety can all too easily lead to disaster or corruption.

-THOU SHALT BE GLAD OF THY MASTER'S PUNISHMENT, FOR IT IS DESERVED AND IT IMPROVES THEE.
Opinions vary wildly about this dictat, depending mostly, it seems, upon the nature of the person doing the interpretation. Some flagellants hold that deserved punishment is an Acolyte's lot, as a poor and stumbling vessel of the Emperor's will. Meanwhile, some point to the concept of constant improvement implied in the dictat as proof that Acolytehood is but a crucible, intended to burn away the impurity and forge a strong and powerful Inquisitor from what was once humble clay. Some, admittedly more cynical in nature, hold that the true essence of this dictat is a commandment to rejoice, for even whilst being punished, the lot of an Acolyte is far, far better than that of the average citizen.