History
The Khand Sector is a collection of planetary systems that formed an extended celestial arm of the galaxy at the furthest extent of what was once the Imperium of Man. However with the ending of the Emperor's Great Crusade to unite the far reaches of the galaxy under the banner of mankind, many former Imperial worlds fell back into darkness, over a slow and agonizing process. The Khand Sector held its ties with Terra for several millenium after the Horus Heresy, until the Age of Apostasy in the 36th Millenium. Seeing the horror and bloodshed that was ripping apart the Imperium, the Imperial sector governor at the time, Siegfried Josef Ananias von Markanian, cut all ties with the Imperium. The extortionate tithes that the then head of the Ecclesiarchy, Goge Vandire, extricated from the Khand Sector by threat of force was bringing the economy of the sector to its knees and causing mass shortages in food due to many foodstuffs being requisitioned for nearby shrineworlds. Before the situation could deteriorate any further, the Sector Governor took immediate action in concert with the local Astartes Chapter Master and Adeptus Mechanicus overlord.
This was not done out of self interest or rebellion against the Golden Throne, but rather to preserve and protect the Khand Sector which, by M36, had become a large and powerful sector with its own forge worlds, agri-worlds, and hive worlds. Feeling that the governor's choice was the correct one, an entire Space Marine Chapter, the Knights of Sanguinius, vowed to protect the Khand Sector and the bloodline of House Markanian as the hereditary rulers of the sector. With the backing of the Knights of Sanguinius Lord Governor Markanian was able to gain the allegiance of the Arch-Magos Heskarad and his Adeptus Mechanicus underlings, who agreed to serve House Markanian in return for certain bits of technology and the right to unlimited natural resources. The local Ecclesiarchy overlords either agreed to continue serving and backing House Markanian, knowing that they were too far away from the center of the Imperium for Ecclesiarch Fraternis Templars to reach them, or were executed for heresy by several Inquisitors that agreed to help Markanian preserve a slice of His Majesty's Imperium.
Now, in M42.23.128, the current Lord Governor and Commander Justinian Maximus Siegfried von Markanian has decreed that the Khand Sector must expand and try to once again reach out to find the lost vestiges of the God-Emperor's Imperium of Man.
[The following details are unknown to my nation at the present time, but help to make more clear the circumstances of my nation's existence]
The Khand Sector was fortunate and blessed by its decision to separate itself from the catastrophe that was the Age of Apostasy. Seeing that His Imperium was threatened by dire circumstances, the God-Emperor of mankind summoned his power and encircled the Khand Sector with a massive warp storm that lasted, for those within, for a few centuries and was believed to simply be another of the usual anomalies that are known to happen with the warp. However this warp storm created by the Emperor of Mankind did far more than that. It transported the entire Khand Sector through time and space and shoved them into a different universe all together. While largely the planets and systems of this universe mirrored that of the old, this was no longer the direct domain of Him on Earth. The Khand sector and all of its dependents had been sent to the Delta Quadrant of the Milky Way Galaxy.
While investigations by the Navis Nobilite, Adeptus Astra Telepathica and the Inquisition are ongoing, they are stumped. For though they are within a separate galaxy and different time, the light of the God-Emperor still shines through the ether. The Astronomican, that guiding light that allows for safe warp travel between the stars, continues to shine. This confuses authorities that discover more and more evidence that they are no longer within the Emperor's domains. As well as the clear evidence of the ever present light of the Astronomican, the necessary steps of soul-binding a psyker so that they become sanctioned and marginally safe from the enticements of daemon possession are still in evidence as they require the power of the God-Emperor to function properly.
So while the Khand Sector must come to terms with its new reality, it can be safe in its assurance that while they are far from their original home the guiding light of the God-Emperor of Mankind remains with them.
Economy
The economy of the Khand Sector is a varied and myriad beast. Inter-planetary trade is what maintains the largest section of taxable income that the Imperial Government requires through tithes. The main arbitrators of this trade are the trade cartels, large hereditary aristocratic families that were founded by rogue traders or wealthy nobles. Trade fleets scour the entire sector with goods and in search of new sources of wealth at the behest of the various heads of the cartels. In partnership with many of these cartels are several houses of the Navigator Houses, who provide the necessary navigators for safe travel through the warp. In return for the services of these special psykers, the trade cartels pay large sums of money to the various Navigator Houses.
The Administratum maintains all of the port facilities that are used by the merchantmen and via various taxes are able to procure money off of tarrifs and the very ability to dock at a facility. Though the cartels are kept from owning their own docking ports, there are a few shadow ports that are owned by a few criminal organizations that charge sums of money from the cartels in return for turning a blind eye to any and all merchandise that passes through their ports. While the Inquisition has known of these ports for millennia, they have decided to use them for their own purposes from time to time instead of shutting them down.
In order to compete economically with other more well endowed planets, some planetary governments devoted their entire surfaces to the production of a few specialized items. This is a large example of the agri-worlds, who concentrate on various types of grain, tuber plants, and the ubiquitous grox, a reptilian livestock that provides ample amount of meat and nutrition; though there are of course specialty foods and pleasures that only the rich and powerful can obtain.
Society
Society and life-styles within the Khand Sector varies greatly from planet to planet. Planet Khand, for example, is the height of civilization and progress; as is its just due as the sector capital. It's massive hive spires are filled with the various economically endowed members of high and middle class society. However there are only a few noble houses that could be considered super-rich and powerful, leaving a fairly broad plain of casual wealth that is spread fairly evenly amongst the rest of the population, meaning that there are very few very poor people on Khand. While the Imperial Governor does inherit and rule as part of a dynasty, there is little evidence of the other feudal aspects of the ruling hierarchy. The reigning governor and his line are looked upon as the saviors of the sector, this thought reinforced by the Ecclesiarchy, and generally have ruled and governed for the betterment of the people. This is reinforced by the high standard of living that exists throughout the Khand Sector thanks to the efforts of the Adeptus Mechanicus, through whom the great secrets of the STC Archives has revealed thousands of machines capable of easing life for the common man and woman of the Khand Sector.
Each planet has its own traditions and ways of ruling itself, though all ultimately pay obeisance to the Imperial Sector Governor. However life is very different on the forge worlds of the sector, where the Mechanicus holds power over the lives of trillions of citizens. Because they are born on forge worlds, most of these citizens are raised with the ideals and beliefs of the Mechanicus, instead of what would normally be taught on other Imperial worlds not run by the Mechanicus. This has allowed for a wide base from which the Mechanicus to draw recruits into the ranks of its tech priests and skitarii guards. Innovation is looked upon with favor, with few restrictions to what the Mechanicus may be allowed to achieve, so long as it serves the Protectorate as a whole. This arrangement is carefully looked after by the Inquisition.
[In terms of technology and the relative high standard of living, this is due to the STC archive that my nation discovered and maintains. These archives are not an STC machine in itself, but is a large library (in essence) filled with STC blueprints, allowing the Mechanicus to build more advanced machines than would have been available to a regular world or sector of the Imperium of Man. This allows my nation to have a level of technology comparable to what the IoM had at the height of the Great Crusade (see the Horus Heresy series for details).]
The Adeptus Ministorum, or the Ecclesiarchy, that oversees the Cult of Terra and its worship of the God-Emperor of Mankind has a fairly muted presence. This is not to say that the Protectorate is a secular society, but rather that in favor of order and in light of what was causing the original split of the Khand Sector from the Imperium (a split of power caused by the power-hungry members of the Ministorum) the church of the God-Emperor maintains a secondary role. Many still remember, through the history lessons of the schola progenium, those dark days of the Age of Apostasy.
Government of the Khand Sector
Organizational Chart of the Imperial Government
All power is ultimately derived from the God-Emperor of Man, and his acting regent in the Khand Sector, the reigning scion of House Markanian, in the ruling of the Protectorate, as it has come to be colloquially called. House Markanian's ruling head acts with supreme power, acting as head of the Adeptus Administratum within the Khand Sector. Nearly all the major merchant houses and trade fleets are either directly owned by House Markanian or lesser houses that are related to them. As such, House Markanian keeps a firm grip on the economy of the sector, ensuring that they have control of not only the Imperial Guard via the Departmento Munitorum but also the means by which the Adeptus Mechanicus supplies its forge worlds with food, workers, and materials.
Beneath the Lord Governor, who has the title of Lord Protector in his position as supreme authority in the Khand Sector, is the Council of Nine, made up of representatives from the most powerful organizations within the Khand Sector. They are made up of a representative of House Markanian acting on the part of the Administratum, the Arch-Magos of the Mechanicus, a Lord General of the Imperial Guard, Cardinal of Khand for the Ecclesiarchy and Cult of Terra, a High Inquisitor representing all Ordos, the Master of the Astronomica, the Chief Envoy of the Navigator's Guild, the Master of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, and the Grand Master of the Knights of Sanguinius for the Adeptus Astartes. They are known as the Council of Nine by many, and for major matters of state act as the governing body for the sector by majority vote. House Markanian has traditionally and usually always held the majority vote, as it controls directly the Administratum, the Imperial Guard, and the Navigator's Guild, and cherishes the support of the Space Marines and the Astropaths; though occasionally the Grand Master of the Knights of Sanguinius has been known to change sides on certain issues.
Beneath the Council of Nine are the planetary governors, or Imperial Commanders, who are lesser nobles that rule the different planets of the Khand Sector in the name of House Markanian. They also, together, form the Lesser House of Nobles, that decide smaller trade issues and problems that need never bother their betters on the Council of Nine.
The Full Title of the Lord Governor:
His Imperial and Lord Commander, Governor Justinian Maximus Siegfried von Markanian, by the Grace of the God-Emperor, Margrave of Bandenburn, Count of Hohenzollern, Duke of Zilesia and of the County of Glatz, Grand Duke of the Lower Riverine and of Saxoni, of Angria, of Westkalia, of Lunenburg, Prince of Rugen, of East Friesland, Prince of Halberstadt, of Verden, of Ravensberg, of Hohenstein, of Tecklenburg and of Lingen, Count of Mansfeld, of Sigmaringen and of Veringen, Lord of Xenophon.
Administratum
Controlled by: Sector Governor, Lord Protector, Master of the Administratum Justinian Maximus Siegfried von Markanian
Function: is comprised of innumerable divisions and offices, consisting of untold billions of clerks, scribes and administrative staff constantly working to manage the Sector at every level, from assembling war fleets to levying taxes. It is unlikely that any one man, even the Master of the Administratum himself, has an idea of how many divisions exist within the monstrous Administratrum. Each office or department is involved in some specific aspect of administration, including even the administration of the Administratum itself. Most of the divisions are petty and of little interest. Most well known are the Departmento Munitorum and the Estate Imperium. The Estate Imperium is not a powerful enough organization within the Khand Sector to be deserving of a seat on the Council of Nine, it's purpose is to keep and furnish records of Imperial organizations, and to keep track of planetary tithes for the Imperial Tithe. The Departmento Munitorum however is vitally important to the functioning of the Imperial war machine.
Adeptus Astra Telepathica
Controlled by: Lord Severus Valerius
Function: responsible for the recruitment and training of psykers into the service of the Imperium. The Adeptus Astra Telepathica trains the majority of Imperial psykers, which become known as Sanctioned Psykers.
Organization: The Adeptus Astra Telepathica is divided into a recruitment body (the League of Blackships) and a training body (the Scholastia Psykana). These two are united under the Master of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and his advisory council of several hundred senior officials from the two divisions.
Departmento Munitorum
Controlled by: Lord General Tiberius Plautus
Function: a department of the Administratum devoted to the general administration, supply and command of the Imperial Guard. The Munitorum has ultimate responsibility for the raising of new regiments, training of troops, provision of equipment and supplies, and transportation of troops and equipment to and from theatres of war. It is primarily a logistical organization, like the Administratum, but while the Administratum deals with civilian logistics, the Munitorum deals with the logistics of war.
Adeptus Arbites
Controlled by:Grand Provost Marshal Lucullus Markanian
Function: Lex Imperialis, Imperial law, embodied within the great Book of Judgment. Their organization represents the soldiers and police of the Adeptus Terra. Each of the Khand Sector's worlds have their own government, laws, and their own local police forces to enforce those laws. The Arbites concern themselves only with the enforcement of the Imperial law, the broader laws to which the entire Khand Sector is subject.
Hierarchy of the Administratum
Besides the management of the Imperial Guard, Officio Assassinorum, and other organizations as vital to the Imperium, the Administratum is charged with overseeing the Imperial Tithe -- the price owed to the Imperium by order of the Emperor himself. Each planet within the Imperium is calculated to such a degree as to make clear how it may contribute to the greater whole of the Imperium. If a planet is not able to pay it's tithe, then it is considered to either be under unusual circumstances (such as a xenos invasion), or in open rebellion against the Master of Mankind. The tithe comes predominantly in three forms. A planet must:
- They must pay a tithe of manpower in regiments for the the Imperial Guard.
- They must provide goods for warfare, such as food, weapons, vehicles, or minerals to make any of the above.
- They must provide the league of Black Ships with all the unsanctioned-psykers that the planet has managed to capture.
The Sector Governor, Sub-Sector Tribune, or Lord Solar may change a local system's tithe grade and the terms by which it must fulfill that tithe. This decision is made for a variety of reasons. The tithe grades are as follows, from the largest to smallest:
Exactis Extremis - The largest Tithe Grade
Exactis Particular
Exactis Median
Exactis Prima
Exactis Secundus
Exactis Tertius
Decuma Extremis
Decuma Particular
Decuma Prima
Decuma Secundus
Decuma Tertius
Solutio Extremis
Solutio Particular
Solutio Prima
Solutio Secundus
Solutio Tertius
Adeptus Non or Aptus Non - No tithe allowed due to past events like an Exterminatus or if the world is a Space Marine Chapter Homeworld.
The Imperial Guard is the primary fighting force of the Imperium and of the Protectorate, so numerous in size that even the Departmento Munitorum cannot place a figure on the number of Guardsmen under arms at any one time; the daily lists of new recruits and toll of casualties can run into the millions in a single day. It would be infeasible trying to put any exact number on the strength of the Guard; however, it is believed that there must be many hundreds of millions of Imperial Guardsmen, divided into millions of regiments. This absolute numeracy provides the Guard with its main power; their ability to deploy in numbers that, eventually, result in victory.
The Guard forms the very backbone of the Imperium; without it, Mankind would surely perish. Whilst Guardsmen are hardly the equals of Space Marines, fighting neither with the advantages of genetic enhancement or the most powerful personal weaponry, the Guard possesses the courage and the manpower to face and annihilate the enemies of the Emperor across the galaxy.
Within the Khand Protectorate there are several different worlds that pay large tithes each decade for fielding new Imperial Guard regiments to protect and safeguard the Khand Sector, either from internal rebellions and heresy or from attack without against insidious Eldar pirates, Ork incursions, or the malign forces of Chaos. Such has been the traditions of the Imperial Guard within the Khand Sector that the Imperial Guard has become very much a home-grown lifestyle, coloring the command levels and below with its own particular regional elements. It has given rise to different, and often times competing, types of Guard units. Within these regiments, it is up to the Commissars trained by the Schola Progenium on the planet Khand to ensure discipline and to find that no Guardsman is ever found wanting in the eyes of the God-Emperor.
Saint Celestine and her retinue, M38
Though it is not unknown for women to serve in some regiments of the Imperial Guard, there are no other warriors like the Brides of the Emperor, also known as the Daughters of the Emperors, or the Sisters of Battle. Formed from women who were orphaned and raised within the convents of the Ecclesiarchy and acting primarily as the militant arm of the Cult of Terra, the Daughters are true fanatics in whatever cause they commit themselves to. Several saints of the God-Emperor have originated from the ranks of the Sisters of Battle, many of the Imperial Guard units considering them holy warriors. The Sisters of Battle are under no allegiance other than that of the Ecclesiarchy and only ever cooperate with the Imperial Guard when it suits their needs. This is a fact which has frustrated many Guard commanders in need of precise planning and discipline instead of blind fanaticism that the Sisters are known for. There are several different Orders within the Adepta Sororitas, but the main one that sticks out is the Order of the Violet Rose which believes that it is their duty to defend the God-Emperor's domain and to spread his word and faith throughout the stars, making them a strong force for Imperial Guard officers wishing to expand beyond the borders of the Khand Sector and beyond.
Previous known as the Brides of the Emperor, it was during the reign of Saint Celestine that the Emperor's Saint had a vision and proclaimed that to called the "Brides of the Emperor" was too much a show of hubris on behalf of their order. In recognition to the fact that the Emperor's Angels of Death, the Space Marines, call each other battle-brother, Saint Celestine decreed that from thence forth their orders would bear the title of "Sisters of Battle" and thus was the Adepta Sororitas born.
Each member of the Sisters of Battle is called a Battle Sister, the most common rank. Above them are the Seraphim, who are the elite of the Sororitas. And then commanding large groups of battle sisters, are the Sister Superiors. The current Sister Superior of the Order of the Violet Rose is Sister Marian Drexel.
Primarch: Sanguinius - The Angel
Founding Chapter: Blood Angels
Chapter Motto: Cruor testis est sperma imperiosus. The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Imperium.
Specialty: Planetary Assault, Deep Striking
Battle Cry: Primarch-Progenitor, to your glory and the glory of Him on Earth!
Codex: Liber Sanguinary Aeternum
Note: Space Marine Size Comparison Chart
Founded in the year M34 by the Blood Angels chapter, the Knights of Sanguinius entered the Khand Sector as part of the original crusading army that took control of it. In the wake of their victory and in honor of their first Chapter Master who died, they consecrated and developed the world of Sanguinary, making it their home. Following the last words of their dead Chapter Master, the Knights of Sanguinius vowed to protect the Khand Sector and ultimately, in the wake of the Age of Apostasy, the ruling Imperial governors of House Markanian.
The Knights are currently led by Chapter Master Leonidas Mercado, who wears a set of artificer armor forged upon Holy Terra itself and blessed by the God-Emperor's Saints and by the very blood of their Primarch, Sanguinius. Beneath Chapter Master Leonidas is his second in commander, First Captain Eridus Drask who also holds the chapter title 'Bearer of the Cup.'
Organization of the Chapter
The Knights do not follow the Codex Astartes as rigidly as other Space Marine chapters might. Seeing the need for more than the mandated 1,000 battle brothers that the Codex claims to be the full strength of a chapter, the Knights of Sanguinary have a full 3,000 battle brothers, forming 30 companies of 100 space marines each. Though it has not been claimed as yet, there is talk amongst the brothers for the founding of a second Space Marine chapter from the ranks of the Knights. Their increase in numbers was due to the plea of the ruling Lord Protector in the year M39, when several dozen threats were falling upon the Khand Sector at once. The need for more space marines became paramount and thus the Chapter Master agreed. With the help of the Adeptus Biologus of the Mechanicus, the gene seed of the chapter was replicated efficiently enough for more novices to reach the rank and abilities of a fully fledged Astartes.
The chapter maintains sixteen battle-barges and a strike cruiser, one for each company of the chapter.
The Soul of the Chapter
Space Marine Chaplains are the spiritual leaders of Space Marine chapters. They are also warriors, and live and fight alongside their battle-brothers. In battle they are frequently found in the fiercest fighting, chanting the Chapter's sacred battle creeds, and inspiring their brethren to further feats of bravery. They are spiritual leaders as well as Marines, which means they fight with as much savagery as any of their brothers. To enemies they appear as terrifying and sinister figures in black power armour and skull-visaged helmets.
In order to maintain the spirituality of the chapter, there is the High Chaplain, the head chaplain of the chapter who commands the other 29 chaplains, one of each attached to a company. Their armor is different from the rest of the Chapter's, painted black and decorated with votive scripts to the God-Emperor. The current High Chaplain is Chaplain Thanatos, who took a new name upon receiving the rank and honor of his post. As High Chaplain Thanatos, upon reaching that position, a battle-brother gives up his former identity and none of his fellows may ever again refer to him by his former name or rank. Master artificer armor is given to him, inherited from their founding Legion, the Blood Angels. Those that have reached this rank are considered to be the most devout and exemplary of the teachings of the Primarch Sanguinius.
Master of the Forge
One of the most sacred positions within the Chapter alongside that of the High Chaplain and Chapter Master, is the position of 'Master of the Forge.' Over a hundred of the Marines within chapter are Techmarines. Prospective Techmarines are chosen from those within the Space Marine Chapter who show an affinity for machines. They are sent to Nahiliast Prime for thirty years of training and taught the machine lore. Techmarines are fully members of the chapter, and although not directly connected to the Adeptus Mechanicus, they are still considered members of the Cult Mechanicus. Their armour is modified to accommodate their cybernetic enhancements and their backpacks are upgraded with several servo-arms and mechadendrites. Their armour is painted the rust red of the Adeptus Mechanicus, but their Chapter badge is retained and displayed on one of the shoulder guards, so as not to disrespect the armour's spirit. The current Master of the Forge is Techmarine Lycurgus. It is his duty to oversee the maintenance of the Chapter's war gear, vehicles, and weaponry; as well as to make new and more powerful weapons for the Chapter to use in battle. Lycurgus is also famous for adapting the Penitent Engine to a more useful design.
Librarium
The Knights of Sanguinius also maintain at their chapter fortress a Librarium, the command and communications center of a Space Marine chapters' fortress-monastery, and its repository for centuries of wisdom and history, culled from the reports, treatises and memoirs of the chapter's greatest warriors and finest minds. Most of the servants who work in the Librarium are psykers - those who are full battle-brothers of the chapter are known as Librarians. A Librarian is a Space Marine psyker and command unit. They fulfill several important specialist roles in the Chapter: off the battlefield they are responsible for interstellar psychic communications. In battle they utilize their abilities as powerful psykers. They also among the most knowledgeable of the Chapter's history and traditions.
All potential recruits into a Chapter are scrutinized by Librarians for psychic ability. Those with psychic powers undergo judgment that divides them into those who will join the Chapter as Librarians, and those who are too weak in power or character that they would present a danger. Worthy psychic candidates are passed on to the chapter Librarium for training. The rate of attrition is the greatest for psychically gifted candidates, as they must not only be strong enough to survive the training that the normal candidate must undergo, but possess the mental strength to endure the shaping of their minds and to fend off the daemons and entities of the Warp who see the strong form and mind of a Librarian as a great prize. The four battlefield ranks of Librarian, in ascending order of importance, are Initiate, Codicier, Epistolary and Chief Librarian.
On the battlefield, Librarian psychic powers often manifest in useful, and often destructive, ways. These can include anything from projecting energy bolts to erecting powerful protective fields. The more powerful Librarians tend to use their powers in more subtle ways, stepping out of time for a moment to anticipate their enemy's next move or redirecting bullets away from friendly targets. To aid them in using these powers, and protecting themselves, Librarians wear psychic hoods. These devices incorporate psychically-nullifying crystals which provide defense against enemy psychic attacks. They are often armed with force weapons, which only Librarians and other psykers can use to full effect, channeling their powers through the weapon.
The current master of the Chapter Librarium and possessor of the title Lord of the Blood Secrets, is Chief Librarian Tacitus Faunus, believed to be one of the most powerful psykers in the Chapter's history and the most powerful living psyker besides the Master of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica: Severus Valerius. Beneath him are four other battle-brothers that hold the rank of Chief Librarian, eighteen Epistolaries, thirty-two Codiciers, and fifty Initiates.
At the time of the split of the Khand Sector from the Imperium of Man at the height of the Age of Apostasy, there was already a hidden temple of assassins located in the sector. Sensing that there was no true corruption within the Sector Governor Markanian in his decisions and that he may be guided by visions from the Emperor, the temple master appeared before Markanian and in return for the support of the sector government, the assassin master would pledge his skills and temple to House Markanian. Thus it was that a new branch of the Officio Assassinorum was created in miniature, a mirror copy of what once existed on Terra.
The Officio Assassinorum (Office of Assassins) is the Imperial organisation responsible for the recruitment, training, and deployment of elite assassins. The Officio's head, the Grand Master of Assassins, due to the power of his organization and by tradition, was once a member of the Council of Nine, and by tradition only by their edicts allow for deployments of assassins. Targets are key figures, such as rebellious Imperial governors, heretic prophets, powerful demagogues, successful alien leaders, etc. The Officio consists of different types of temples; each temple is unique and specializes in its own methods of killing. The heads of individual temples are called directors.
Assassins are recruited at a very young age, from the orphans of Imperial servants raised in the Schola Progenium, and from the populations of feral worlds. They then undergo ten years of intensive training at the School of Assassins on Khand. From then onwards they live and operate from one of the Assassin temples said to be located somewhere throughout the sector. They are harshly tested and trained, their senses and resolve heightened with implants. Even after the initial training, the life of an agent of the Officio remains hard, unforgiving, and completely secret. The temples use many exotic types of equipment, such as synskin, a substance that once sprayed onto the body, forms a black outer skin which protects the wearer from the environment and enhances strength.
There are four temples that follow divergent paths to accomplishing their assassinations:
Vindicare Temple - sharpshooters, specialists in sniping and marksmanship.
Callidus Temple - chameleons, specialists in infiltration and impersonation.
Eversor Temple - berserkers, drug-fueled killing machines.
Culexus Temple - Pariahs, psykers are their exclusive targets.
In recognition to the tremendous power that the Officio holds and how their small but poignant force can massively shift events around them, the Inquisition created a small department to monitor the Officio Assassinorum and see to it that they do not fall astray or become corrupted, either by human failings or the influence of Chaos.
The Inquisition is the most secretive and powerful organization within the Khand Sector alongside the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Administratum, and the Knights of Sanguinius. Unknown to all but the Lord Governor and a few select members of the Council of Nine, the Inquisition maintains several hidden fortresses and even a deep space shipping station throughout the Khand Sector. It is by their vigilant eye and hand that the worst threats, both within and without, to the Khand Sector are eliminated while the citizens of the sector remain blissfully ignorant. Such is their creed: to hunt out and destroy the heretic, the mutant, and the xenos.
When the Age of Apostasy first split the Khand Sector from the Imperium of Man, there was already a strong Inquisitorial presence in the sector. As it was a fringe area, the Ordos Xenos and Hereticus kept a watchful eye on the sector. However in the wake of the tragedy that split the Imperium of Man in two in M36, events came to a head, leading the Inquisition down a path that they had never before walked upon. And Imperial sector governor proposed to break off all contact and communication with the Imperium. It was a radical thought and one that nearly had Lord Governor Markanian killed. However as more and more information entered the Khand Sector concerning the events taking place within the Imperium, several agents of the Ordos Hereticus and Ordo Malleus were the first to bring word of the civil war, it became clear that the Khand Sector had to act before it too was swallowed by the turbulent times.
The then highest ranking member of the Inquisition in the sector agreed to support the lord governor. High Inquisitor Vespasian of the Ordos Xenos, the largest faction present of the Inquisition, united the Ordos together in order to provide solidarity to the continuation of the peace and preserve part of the God-Emperor's realm from falling into Chaos.
In the decades following this forced isolation, a grand conclave was called for all Inquisitors within the sector. There it was decided to elect a Inquisitorial Representative to sit upon the Council of Nine and to act as the head of the Inquisition in the Khand Sector. Unsurprisingly, High Inquisitor Vespasian was chosen. Because he required that all three ordos be united in their efforts and did not harbor grudges over his being raised from the Ordos Xenos, Vespasian supplied massive amounts of funding and support for all arms of the Inquisitorial ordos, making it so that all three had an even footing.
Within the Ordos there is a small splinter of surviving Grey Knights, numbering only thirty, that had escaped into the Khand Sector and refounded themselves there, making it their home. They have kept their order as pure as it ever was since its inception and have maintained that since thirty there was at the beginning, so shall there always be until the end. This small group is led by an Astartes warrior that exemplifies the ethos of the Grey Knights, elected by conclave, and is given the title of Justicar.
Current Inquisitorial Representative and Lord Inquisitor
[url]Lord Inquisitor Demetrius van Wulff[/url]
Current Justicar and Leader of the Grey Knights
Justicar Lazarus Oberron