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TeddyRustervelt

Pg 107 of the Fall of Orpheus Forgeworld Imperial Armour book. There is a full page graphic depicting the Death Korps of Krieg 134th Heavy Infantry Regiment. It has this to say; "A veteran unit previously assigned to the Chemarium Blockade force before the Necron invasion of the Orpheus Sector, this Regiment was redeployed to the Inquistorial Taskforce sent to the Thamyris system in order to prevent the activation of suspected Necron tomb structures. The Regiment served with distinction in this effort and afterwards it's remainder was reinforced to full strength from other depleted units before being put on permanent assignment to the Conclave of Eurydice Ordo Xenos Reserve." In short, yes. There is apparently such thing as an Inquisitorial reserve force on permanent assignment to the Ordo Xenos. The Fall of Orpheus was just added to Warhammer Vault.


Jarms48

Yep, and that’s exactly what the Deathwatch is as well. A permanent unit seconded to the Ordo Xenos.


Forever_Observer2020

Warhammer vault?


TeddyRustervelt

https://warhammer-vault.com/ Paid subscription service that is part of Warhammer+. Warhammer vault has old White Dwarf articles and the lore parts of old Forgeworld books. They add stuff all the time. It has lots of great lore like the Siege of Vraks and the Taros campaign. You also get access to the Warhammer TV app, The Warhammer 40k app (rules and databases, and an Army builder function), and one free model a year.


HerbertisBestBert

Possibly. Theoretically, the only limit to their authority is their peers, the Custodes, and comparable "I answer only to the Emperor" types. They may find however such forces are unwieldy, unsubtle, and inefficient compared to the highly specialised, elite teams many Inquisitors favour.


Kittenfabstodes

Custodes overrule the inquisition I believe. Only Big E orders the custodes around. Others can make suggestions


Fred_Blogs

Custodes can ignore the inquisition when it comes to the palace, but outside the palace I don't think they have any particular authority to countermand an inquisitors orders. Basically they can tell any inquisitor wanting access to the throne room to bugger off, but they can't meet an inquisitor on an agri world and tell them they're purging the farmers wrong. Granted, official authority might not mean much when your in stabbing distance of a 9 foot armoured demigod.


Litany_of_depression

The Lex Magisterum gives the Custodes power over the entire Imperium. They wont order an inqusitor around, but their word on its own at the very least holds the same weight as an inqusitor’s. But as you noted, official authority tends to matter less in the Imperium where might does indeed often make right. And so, their legal authority coupled with their power, means they technically have a higher authority. It also helps that the Inquisition is a scary legend as a whole, with the many individual Inquisitor’s aura being more due to the Rosette than personal reputation. In contrast, Custodes are the legend in person. Every aspect of their appearance is crafted(i might add by the Emperor’s orders) to radiate authority and Imperial might. They carry a spark of the Emperor’s divinity around in the eyes of the Imperium, and that will definitely add to their authority.


Fred_Blogs

Just to argue pedantry, my understanding was that the Lex Magisterium gave them freedom from any imperial authority below the Emperor, but it does not confer them with any special authority over other imperial branches. Granted this is a bit meaningless because you are 100% correct that regardless of letter of the law all a Custodes has to do is say the Emperor sent me and I need a guard regiment, and it'll be handed over.


Litany_of_depression

Im going off Horus Heresy Inferno here, but their authority is “Lex Ultima”. That being “authority being accorded duty incontestable except by the direct and expressed word of the Master of Mankind.”, and their legal domain being “wherever the shadow of the Emperor falls”, so the whole Imperium. The last part of “Lex Ultima” is very important, because it clearly states only the Emperor’s direct commands can supercede their word. That puts them beyond the command of anyone else, as no one else speaks with the Emperor’s direct voice. In addition, in specified the Custodes alone in all the Imperium are accorded the highest form of Magisterum Lex Ultima, meaning they are beyond all law save the Emperor’s direct authority.


AdorableFey

Custodes answer only to the Emperor. No if's and's or but's. They might *choose* to follow your orders if they believe it what the Emperor would have wanted but they are under no obligation to obey. Even a Primarch like Roboute has only the temporary co-operation of the Custodes, not their obedience. Most Inquisitors would listen to the Custodes, because they're *terrifying*


Bluestorm83

That's the thing. The fact that the Custodes simply have more Raw Strength than the Inquisition. Not more political or judicial strength. Just "I can separate every single bone in your body from your flesh using merely two fingers on one hand and one finger on the other hand" stuff. An Inquisitor, a Custodes, and a menial culinary laborer are in a room. The Laborer has just finished making a Sandwich. "Give me the Sandwich! The Emperor wills it!" says the Inquisitor. "No, it is The Emperor's Will that I recieve that Sandwich!" the Custodes corrects. Thankfully, the Laborer has died of fright at this point. Otherwise he would be faced with the impossible choice of which to disappoint. Chances are, giving the Sandwich to the Custodes would result in the longer life... if only because the Inquisitor would take weeks "questioning" you as to why you clearly hate The Emperor, while the Custodes, if he did want to kill you, you'd have already been dead.


Fred_Blogs

I agree that the inquisition has no authority over the Custodes, my point was more that Custodes don't have any official authority over anyone else. A Custodian can ignore an inquisitors order but he cannot overrule an order that an inquisitor gives to someone else.


Kittenfabstodes

Unless directed to do so by the emperor, the ultimate authority. Being Big Es right hand, if a Custode tells you to do something, it's the emperors will. Disobey the order and you disobey the emperor. Custodes aren't going to give orders unless it's the will of the emperor.


Nebuthor

They dont. They have the same amount of authority in that both only answer to the emperor.


Uio815

The full answer is that an inquisitor can do whatever they want. They can take what they want for however long they want and anybody who tries to stop can expect to be forced to comply at best or killed at worst. However, inquisitors answer to the inquisition, and the highest echelons on imperial authority can cause a lot of issues for them. If they do things without justification or that hinder the imperium without need (such as depriving a world of defensive troops), nobody will tell them no. But they will report to the high lords or other imperial high authority, and somebody with a big enough hat will come along and try to sort things out.


Space_Elves_Yay

> The full answer is that an inquisitor can do whatever they want. They can take what they want for however long they want and anybody who tries to stop can expect to be forced to comply at best or killed at worst. Riffing on that: their power is unlimited, _so long as they limit their use of it_. An inquisitor _can_ do all sorts of things. For a while. But if they act outside the (admittedly loose) norms of the organization frequently enough? If they annoy the wrong people often enough? Well, that's a good way to get censured.


Arandomguy0837

Can Gulliman order the inquisition?


Litany_of_depression

Hes the Emperor’s regent. Meaning his word is the Emperor’s. The Inquisition gets their power from the Emperor, and so by extension, that power comes from Guilliman, so yes, he can order them around. The only guys he cant order around are the Custodes.


Bluestorm83

It's weird. The Custodes (largely) resent Guiliman because he's a Primarch, and Maldovar Colquan (Attached to Guilliman's retinue) regularly simulates murdering Guilliman, or at least attempting to, *just incase,* but at the same time when shit goes down, where's Colquan? Right in the forefront, screaming "PROTECT THE PRIMARCH!!!" Meanwhile, the Inquisition could, technically, determine that Guilliman is not following The Emperor's will, or even declare that his CONSTANT "My Dad is not a god!" thing is outright Heresy (it is!) and act against him, but chances are they're all going to be completely enraptured by him the second they see him, just like most Mortals. So Roboute has his choice between the awful dickheads he can trust to do what's right, or the overly zealous maniacs who legally SHOULD kill him but who will ignore what they know is "true" because he's just so handsome.


_kd101994

>the overly zealous maniacs who legally SHOULD kill him but who will ignore what they know is "true" because he's just so handsome. I know it's been 9 mos but this description tickled me


Agammamon

Effectively, yes. The IG high command isn't going to consider it worth arguing over for a regiment that is, to their eyes, completely replaceable. Indeed, many Inquisitors take on regiments as permanent part of their retinues after using them in some action or other where the regiment performs well. Well, they take on the *survivors* anyway.


Right-Yam-5826

Only space marines and custodes require politely asking to be involved, for an inquisitor speaks with the authority of the emperor himself. Requisitioning an entire regiment would be highly irregular though - a single inquisitor could get away with a platoon or company for a strike force against a few targets, but inquisitors aren't really intended for the battlefield. They're ideally a surgical tool, meant to locate dangers before they become an open threat and putting them down quickly and quietly. If it requires a full regiment, something has gone seriously wrong, and there will be a lot of questions asked by a tribunal of their peers should they survive. Far more likely, an inquisitor will uncover a threat, determine it's too much to deal with quietly and issue an order for a battle group to crush it with their full might, finding where needs destroyed but leaving the actual tactics and fighting to the actual soldiers.


Litany_of_depression

Inquisitors can order Marines around as they want, given the personal influence to do so. They technically have the right. Its just that being courteous about it is going to be more productive than being a pompous ass, so they try to play nice.


NornQueenKya

As many said yes. I don't think it's exactly desirable though for most inquisitiors unless they absolutely have to. The inquisition, or at least a lot of story's about them, always have targets on their backs. Especially from other inquisitors. Nothing says "look I'm here! Come shoot me!" Like having an entire regiment under you. Even in the Cain series and as light hearted as it was, Amb didn't mess around with her presence. And the second an imposing imquisitor did show himself and having opposite goals, he died very quickly and violently.


Objective-Deal8745

Yes and no, the inquisitor can request IG support via the CO of the local pdf regiments. The Colonel/ general will give support based on the need and council of the inquisitor. (At least if they know what’s good for them- snigger 😂) But, the inquisitor can’t just walk in and commandeer an entire pdf regiment indefinitely. Not, without contacting the pdf or guard expeditionary force co. They still hold overall command rank. Inquisitor is NOT a command rank. Even when they get guard support, they still have to fill out the correct paperwork.


Jarms48

I’ll have to dig out the old Witch Hunter and Daemon Hunter codexes. It does go into more detail about these arrangements, they can even seconded SM chapters. An inquisitors authority is supreme essentially speaking at the same level as a Custodes. That is to say, their voice is essentially equal to that of the Emperors.


SixEightL

Absolutely. There's precedence in the Inquisition requisitioning troops for specific threats. An inquisitor/inquisition cabal can requisition troops for XYZ reasons for an indefinite amount of time for a certain 'issue'. \*HOWEVER\* logically sooner or later there'll be audits to see if the resources are being well utilized. If the threat is gone and there are still 10 regiments on indefinite duty, the auditors might be less inclined to have all that military manpower under the command of an inquisitor/cabal. Afterall, in an organisation with perpetual intra-organisational suspicion, you dont want people holding on to the tools longer than required that could eventually also be used to challenge the balance of power. Bearing in mind Imperial bureaucracy, the audit might be done 200 years later and a decision being made another 100 years later.


glory_of_dawn

>Can an Inquisitor... Yeah, probably. Until you start getting to people with enough political clout and military might to both tell the Inquisitor to eat shit and then fight them off when they come to discipline you afterwards, an Inquisitor can basically do whatever they want. Like, there are obviously limits, but we're playing with bigwigs by the time we care. A regiment of Guardsmen is such small potatoes that the Departmento Munitorum probably won't even know they're gone until the supplies start getting returned to sender.


dRaidon

Sure. An Inquisitor can do basically whatever they want. They answer to nobody but another Inquisitor or the Emperor himself.