Inquisitorial Interactions

[Saulus]

If the Grey Knight army on the tabletop is like any other, it doesn't entirely match up with the fluff I imagine. Is it 'true' that an Inqusitor could be the leader, and superior of a Grey Knight detachment? I mean, Inquisitors are great and all, but how do they 'get away' with bossing around a non-zero number of Grey Knights? Or is it more likely that this is a rarity, and technically the Grey Knight's are on loan from a Captain and answer to him primarily in the event on conflicting orders?

In short, Inquisitors confuse me. How do they even come to be? Appointment? Merit (ex-acolyte)?

[Rej]

An Inquisitors power stems from his/her Authority. And their Authority is that of the Emperor of Mankind. An Inquisitor can have authority over the Grey Knights because the Emperor has authority over them. To deny an Inquisitor is to deny the Emperor himself. The only person an Inquisitor has to answer too is the Emperor or another Inquisitor.

As for how they come to be, it's like a Master-Student paradigm. Inquisitor eventually finds someone that he believes worthy of becoming an Inquisitor, said person becomes Inquisitors Acolyte/Interrogator (there are a number of names) but basically apprentice, Inquisitor in training. Eventually they take some tests, prove themselves worthy and get an Inquisitorial Seal all of their own. After awhile, once they gain experience and all that Jazz they'll take an apprentice all of their own.

As for Grey Knights, there actually the militant arm of the Ordo Malleus, basically the Inquisitions private army for dealing with Daemons. So an Inquisitor would have Authority over the Grey Knights, and if push came to shove they'd have to follow the Inquisitions orders. However, I doubt any Inquisitor would try an override a Grey Knight in military and tactical situations, deffering to their greater experience and expertise in combat situations. Hence in the game the Grey Knights take the lead role, they're there to win the fight. The Inquisition will deal with the wider and over arching strategic implications of a campaign.

[LinnScarlett]

I'll add on to Rej's comments:

As to their Authority, they derive it from what is called 'the Inquisitorial Remit', as given physical shape by their rosette (it's a Secret Police badge, really). The Inquisitorial Remit is the authority that Rej refers to, and has supposedly been instated by the Emperor himself, through Malcador, in the wake of the Heresy to shield and police the Imperium. However, I would add to Rej's comment, that the only persons outside the jurisdiction of an Inquisitor are the Emperor himself, and the Adeptus Custodes. They DO have authority over their peers, but how successful pulling a fast one on a peer is, depends on two things 1. sheer clout/influence/fame 2. what dirt you can dredge up on the other. They police themselves and nobody polices them, as it goes. They cull their own ranks of radical elements, but what exactly is a radical depends very much on which Inquisitor you ask: if you ask three Inquisitors, you are going to get three different opinions. And a good chunk of Inquisitors see any peer who thinks differently of their purpose and methods, as a radical... They are rife with factions, and none of these really see eye-to-eye. The largest and most widely accepted puritan factions are the Monodominants, followed by the Thorians (although they can be complete Closet Radicals) and the Amalathians. Both former already see the latter as 'near the edge of no return'.

Me and a friend of mine always troll-logic joke that, if faced with an Inquisitor, you should shout at them that they are a dirty radical. If they start lecturing you on their moral high grounds, you can relax, for they're clearly a Monodominant. If, however, they immediately shoot at you, then you should shoot back, because they are obviously a radical. 

As to the apprentices, there is no formal institution or regulations to how a new Inquisitor comes to be. It is entirely at the behest and discretion of an already established Inquisitor, and the only requirement is that upon 'graduating' (so, to be officially found worthy and given a rosette of their own) their merit has to be agreed upon by at least two other Inquisitors, beside their mentor (Yes, they only need to agree. I am sure you could pay your way in if you found the right ones to ask...). Preferably, this includes a Lord Inquisitor. Many Inquisitors take acolytes because they wish to instruct new Inquisitors, many also take them because they wish to have peers that agree with them and their methods. I am sure you can see that the way in which this process works, will create an intricate web of power-relationships between different Inquisitors, their erstwhile pupils, and their own once-mentors. All of which are ropes that get pulled, confirmed and cut, only to be tied once more, as the situation demands. Things such as pupil-mentor loyalty, favours, and the like are not as uncommon as you might feel comfortable with. The process of becoming a Lord Inquisitor is even more ambiguous, as it is not a rank at all. It is more a mark of recognition, a formalisation of a position the Inquisitor already has through connections, skill, clout, etc. Becoming a Lord Inquisitor is invitation-only, and requires at the least two Lord Inquisitors to put their seals down for you. Nepotism, anyone? You bet. The Inquisition reminds me in many, many ways of organised crime/the Maffia in its structuring. Especially if you look how Sector (and Subsector) Lords keep winding up mysteriously dead, only to be succeeded by a powerful peer or even their groomed-for-it peer.

As for the power balance with the Grey Knights, that really depends very much on both the Grey Knights and the Inquisitor. There are various (including canon) Inquisitors, and certainly Lord Inquisitors, that lead Grey Knights (and also other Space Marines, they are equally under the Remit as everybody else) into battle. True, these are usually from the Ordo Malleus. I wouldn't put my money on who is more knowledgable - a Grey Knight or a Lord/Inquisitor, that is a veeeerrrryyyy dangerous topic (although I am inclined to think Inquisitor, but see below) - when it comes to all things Warp and Deamons, but they rarely are at odds with their goals and are thus often seen working together.

Admittedly, I am personally not taken with the 5E overhaul of the Grey Knights, for a plethora of reasons, so you must excuse me if I sound not all that impressed by them: they're still militant arm lackies to me! Shiny militant arm lackies, sure, but lackies nonetheless.

I should conclude this post though, I can go on forever about the Inquisition... 

[Saulus]

Thanks guys, the relation to a Mafia parallel I suppose is the easiest to make. Admittance into the group most likely requires some kind of pseudo initiation by your sponsor Inquisitor.

One question about Inquisitor Lords, you put it as put their seals down, do you mean give up, or just vouch? I imagine the latter lest the population of Inquisitors gets extinguished.

And yes, I got the impression that the Grey Knights, great and powerful warriors, are just basically hired guns. Conceivably, an Inquisitor could buy his way in, and hijack a handful of these super soldiers under false pretext for personal gain? I mean, it just seems GK can be relatively easily fooled and played by more unscrupulous powers.

[LinnScarlett]

Yea, I imagine most have a sort of 'initiation/graduation' thing the acolyte must show their skills in, most likely leading a case with their mentor only supervising rather than leading the case himself. But it could be anything (because there are no rules or requirements other than whatever the mentor comes up with and two other Inquisitors agree to :p)

Oh, sorry, 'putting your seal down' is probably me just using a dutch expression. Yes, it means to vouche for of course. Many wield it as an implicit favour too, and I imagine a lot of politicking goes about with such stuff. T'is dangerous waters, thats for sure! And waters many Inquisitors - including the (in)famous Gregor Eisenhorn - conciously choose not to set course for. Of course, just as many ambitious ones (like his rival Leonid Osma) do.

They always were hired guns, and they always will be to me. I just don't like the whole 'we are the spezjalust spezjul gary stus of a faction (Space Marines) already rife with gary stus'. I just can't take them very seriously any more. Hehe. To me they will always be my most faithful of Astartes brothers, as keen as I to rid the galaxy of deamon filth and some of the most rewarding allies to work with. And that has to be enough, they're getting no pedestal from me. :p

And yes, they can, and I do believe they have been misused in one of the BL books. It just makes me chortle even harder. In the end, Astartes are all bio-engineerd child soldiers (...); and to have a good understanding of peoples personalities and motives, you need a lot of interaction with people, especially during your child/teenagehood. So, it's a weakpoint, and might be why so many Chapters do not easily work with outsiders at all. They can trust their chapter-brothers (although even those, not always....)

If there is anything else you wish to know, I'll be happy to keep blabbing. I do love the Inquisition. If you want a good BL series about them, you should really get a hold of the Eisenhorn trilogy. If you want to read something quick that shows of my own boggling with the big 'I'; check our fluff board. Burn The Heretic especially heavily features the Inquisition.

[Lord Sotek]

If the Grey Knight army on the tabletop is like any other, it doesn't entirely match up with the fluff I imagine. Is it 'true' that an Inqusitor could be the leader, and superior of a Grey Knight detachment? I mean, Inquisitors are great and all, but how do they 'get away' with bossing around a non-zero number of Grey Knights? Or is it more likely that this is a rarity, and technically the Grey Knight's are on loan from a Captain and answer to him primarily in the event on conflicting orders?

In short, Inquisitors confuse me. How do they even come to be? Appointment? Merit (ex-acolyte)?

In short, they don't.

De facto, Inquisitors have no direct command/authority over *any* Astartes force. If an Inquisitor makes a demand and Astartes meet that demand, it is only ever for one of three reasons:

1. The Astartes respect the Inquisitor in question enough that they decide to honor her request.
2. The Astartes are complying in order to avoid making waves. The Inquisitor's influence here is not direct authority over the astartes, but indirect authority from the other branches of the imperium the Inquisitor *could* use her authority to sanction/threaten the space marines with.
3. The Astartes are complying to prove their own innocence, avoid being declared traitor, or redeem a past misdeed. Here it as much the Astartes' own motivations over their honor as any direct Inquisitorial authority compelling the Marines' actions.

Now, contrary to the unfortunate mess implied in Ward's codex, the Grey Knights aren't just some chapter of silver-armored sues with too many toys and a barrel of monkeys. The Grey Knights are First Amongst Equals of the space marine chapters, beyond any doubt or reproach. They answer to no one except their own officers and the Emperor. This is not because of some arbitrary authority or mandate, though their mandate does protect them. It is because they are simply The Single Mightiest and Unimpeachably Heroic Chapter, to a degree that none question their purity, motives, or orthodoxy.

As such, an Inquisitor, most particularly an Ordo Malleus inquisitor, would always be interacting with the Grey Knights in the first of the three possible relationships; the Inquisitor makes a request of the Grey Knights out of respect for their peerless martial skill and daemonhunting prowess, and in return, if the Knights respect the Inquisitor enough, they will deploy forces alongside her entourage. In exceptional circumstances, or for a particularly respected inquisitor, the Knights might be willing to temporarily and informally second overall command to said Inquisitor.

The only other possibility I can think of for an Inquisitor interacting with Grey Knights is if the Inquisitor is a heretic and the Knights are hunting them down. That's really about it; you don't ever get to order Grey Knights around, just ask them nicely to do things and hope that they think you're a cool enough person to agree.

[Wargamer]

It is worth noting here that, since the release of Inquisitor all those years ago (does anyone even remember this 56mm roleplaying game even exists?) the nature of the Inquisition has been rather... muddied.

Prior to that, Inquisitors were more or less unopposed. Their power was absolute, their authority unquestionable, and their reach infinite. An Inquisitor could do whatever he or she felt was needed to protect the Imperium, and woe befall all who opposed them.

Then the world changed. Or rather, the Inquisition changed. Gone was the absolute power, replaced instead by a mandate over the Imperial citizenry and the organisations drawn from their ranks. This distinction, though apparently tiny, opens up a whole new world of potential; now the Mechanicum and Astartes are technically beyond Imperial jurisdiction, as may be some other branches. A planetary governor has no choice but to bow to the will of the Inquisition, but is that true of an Archmagi of the Omnissiah, or a Chapter Master of the Astartes, or the master of a Navigator House?

Just as the power of the Inquisition fragmented, so too did the power of the individual Inquisitor. We learned that entire sub-sects of the Inquisition have been declared "Radical", or worse yet "Excommunicate Traitoris". There are Inquisitors who bind Daemons into ritually-prepared hosts, who consort with Mutants and Heretics, or who covetously hoard the secrets of the Alien to further their own ends. These men, supposedly the unimpeachable bastions of Imperial Truth are now revealed to be fragmented and often borderline traitorous in their behaviour. "Everything you've been told is a lie"; what better tag line could that game have possibly had?

It is worth noting that, from a certain point of view, the Grey Knights are on equal or superior footing to the Inquisitors. After all, the Grand Master of the Grey Knights is also technically an Inquisitor Lord, giving the Grey Knights a curious dual-authority; both the primary ally of the Ordo Malleus, and the Order's most physically-powerful Inquisitors.

Remember also that the Grey Knights exist for a singular purpose; the annihilation of the Daemon and those who consort with the Ruinous Powers. No other matter demands their attention, and it is likely that they have authority enough to ignore, or even punish an Inquisitor who would waste their time on lesser matters.

[LinnScarlett]

Inquisitors are great fun to write, you should really check out my stuff. Especially 'Burn The Heretic' I am pretty proud of, you will see two Inquisitors of the same Ordo, even of the same philosophical faction, disagree on things! And there is a third Inquisitor there. Two are friends, two have a relationship. And it's one big mess! 

Here is a link to the story: http://archiveofourown.org/works/706858/chapters/1305178

A good book/trilogy about the Inquisition is the 'Eisenhorn Trilogy' by Dan Abnett. There is also the books by Sandy Mitchell, but I forgot their names. I haven't read them but my BF and a friend really liked them too. Mitchell is the writer of Ciaphas Cain.

In my head the Inquisition, as it is now, is really like the scillian Maffia (or, actually, the Gestapo, but I can't usually say that out loud >_>)