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| - For the first few millennia of its existence, the Ordo Hereticus was but a rumour even to other Inquisitors, so fanatically was its secrecy guarded. All this came to an end following the Age of Apostasy, when it was decided that the Ordo would serve better by casting an intimidating shadow, rather than existing as a myth too easily ignored. As the Ecclesiarchy flourished, so too did the Ordo Hereticus grow with it, for nothing piques an Inquisitor's suspicion more readily than a holy man claiming to speak with the Emperor's voice. Often, its agents pose as servants of the Ecclesiarchy, feigning subservience to a Cardinal's will until they have sufficient proof of the man's guilt -– it is a rare priest with whom a member of the Ordo Hereticus cannot find fault.
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| abstract
| - For the first few millennia of its existence, the Ordo Hereticus was but a rumour even to other Inquisitors, so fanatically was its secrecy guarded. All this came to an end following the Age of Apostasy, when it was decided that the Ordo would serve better by casting an intimidating shadow, rather than existing as a myth too easily ignored. As the Ecclesiarchy flourished, so too did the Ordo Hereticus grow with it, for nothing piques an Inquisitor's suspicion more readily than a holy man claiming to speak with the Emperor's voice. Often, its agents pose as servants of the Ecclesiarchy, feigning subservience to a Cardinal's will until they have sufficient proof of the man's guilt -– it is a rare priest with whom a member of the Ordo Hereticus cannot find fault. The Ordo Hereticus was formed to specifically act as a check upon the power of the Ecclesiarchy, ensuring that another man like the High Lord Goge Vandire could not gain the level of power and control over the Imperium's massive governmental machinery that he did when he nearly usurped the Emperor's own rule and that of His surrogates among the High Lords of Terra by becoming both the Master of the Adeptus Administratum and the Ecclesiarch of the Adeptus Ministorum at the same time. Although the Ecclesiarchy has its own internal regulatory bodies, it is still the role of the Inquisition to monitor all of the state organs (including the Ecclesiarchy) of the Imperium. The Ecclesiarchy must be particularly guarded, however, because of the extraordinary role that the faith of the Imperial Creed has come to play in the daily lives of the Imperium's people since the end of the Horus Heresy 10,000 standard years ago. Nothing can move the men and women of the Imperium like the power of their faith in the Emperor of Mankind, and there are many corrupt individuals like Goge Vandire who would try and exploit this reality for their own selfish gain. Even worse are those who would pervert these honest expressions of faith into something darker and heretical, such as the creation of a new Chaos Cult that ultimately drives a planetary rebellion against the Emperor. The arrival of an Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor is met with as much trepidation as awe, since none know where their gimlet gaze may land and upon whom their suspicions might fall. In addition to monitoring the Ecclesiarchy -- ensuring that Wars of Faith do not exceed their mandate or that its many Cardinals do not amass more power than is deemed appropriate -- the Ordo Hereticus keeps a close eye on many other Imperial organisations: the Adeptus Arbites, the Adeptus Astartes, the Adepta Sororitas and also fellow members of the Inquisition. They monitor doctrinal and physical purity, and no one is beyond their jurisdiction. It is a brave man who crosses the path of a Witch Hunter, as simply by opposing a member of the Ordo Hereticus an individual may be damned and declared Heretic and Extremis Diabolus.
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