[Inquisitor Octavian Lars]

While there's definitely some good ideas in there, the Coldstream Guards surviving 39,500 years stretches disbelief a little too far.
History can't even recall the entirety of the Imperium's existence. Any information from prior to the Heresy and Great Crusade is very, very scarce. There's a reason it's called a Dark Age.

While, in theory, a Guard regiment might have derived from the Coldstream (although given all the upheavals in the past and the ultimate replacement of what we would think of as the national boundaries, very unlikely), the name certainly would have mutated down the years (remember, the characters aren't speaking English, they're speaking Gothic that has been translated for our convenience, and there wouldn't be a direct translation), but the records and dates wouldn't exist to prove such a link and the most that the regiment might be able to claim is to be a "Pre-Crusade Regiment".

My thought on this was: A premier unit of infantry from neo-britain was given the title  in an honorific sense rather than them being the actual CGs of today, but claim to trace their roots back then.

EDIT: The other thing I don't like is when characters can't remember important chunks of their life, particularly when it's a character like this. Any Inquisitor worth his salt should at least be able to do some research (particularly as most Inquisitors will keep some sort of a log) and plug the basic details back together.

Missing parts of a character's history, unless done very well, usually comes across as either literary laziness or a plot hole that the writer can't work out how to fill.

It is laziness, because I was in a rush this morning and thought of that to fill in the gap. How would you suggest filling this in?

[MarcoSkoll]

My thought on this was: A premier unit of infantry from neo-britain was given the title in an honorific sense rather than them being the actual CGs of today, but claim to trace their roots back then.

But next to no pre-Imperial history is known, so there's not really any precedent for them even knowing the name, let alone recognising its significance.

It is laziness, because I was in a rush this morning and thought of that to fill in the gap. How would you suggest filling this in?

I personally use No More Plots^TM, but it's carcinogenic and quite fattening.

Skipping over large amounts of time doesn't have to all be in one huge chunk. As time travels slower in the warp, enough warp travel will do that anyway. (And as he's shifted from Segmentum Solar to the Pacificus, he's clearly done quite a lot of that).

If you're really stuck, come up with a load of names for rock bands, then decide how he defeated each of them. For example:

- 178.M41: Tames the Evanian Riots
- 256.M41: Executes the Arch-Lord Durne Limmbach for breaching the tenets of the Council of Nikaea.
- 349.M41: His famed operation against the Clone Kings of Angel's Folly.
- 422.M41: Loses right arm to the blade of the Pharoah-Assassin of Yngmar Secundus.
- 487.M41: Oversaw the High Conclave of Krane IV, called to judge the heresies of Lord Inquisitor Avendon.
- 532.M41: First recorded contact with the being known as the Oracle Mantis, which is now believed to have been responsible for conflicts on at least seven worlds.
- 591.M41: Names Planetary Governor Wexus Raiyn as a Haemovore cultist and delivers him to the excruciation chambers on Percan Beta.
- 644.M41: Declares warp region known as the "Vortex of Bile" Perdita, forbidding Imperial ships to approach.
- 703.M41: Locates the Ceremony of the Vision of Falsehood, and thus declares Exterminatus upon the moon Havan IV Beta.
- 753.M41: Pens the Warriors' Rite of Nothingness, a devotional vow now widespread amongst certain Inquisition Conclaves in the Segmentum Solar.
- 777.M41: Most recent of his bionic implantations.
- 857.M41: Officially believed to have died in his ongoing war against the Oracle Mantis. Does not reappear for thirty years.
- 942.M41: Has the Cult of Silence burnt at the stake for 31,872 counts of saviour-heresies.

[Koval]

Octavian: You've mixed up Wagner's name with Elgar's a couple of times. That's probably just a slip of the keyboard though -- the edit button is your friend.

The Terra angle surprises me a little, seeing as it's considered an enormous privilege to even get close to Terra, much less see it, or step out onto Terran soil* or breathe its air, but it's quite workable -- I'm fine with him initially being from Terra and being part of the Ordos Terran, though a little bit of diversity in where your entourage is from might be nice. There's a whole galaxy of worlds out there to hail from.

Your cruiser, though, needs a slight tweak, but could just be redesignated as being from Battlefleet Solar to avoid controversy. This is primarily because after Mars, Terra is the most heavily defended world in Segmentum Solar**; any fleet defending it is highly unlikely to either leave the Sol System, or suffer any heresy on any of its ships without the ship in question being blown into itty bitty pieces by the rest of the battlefleet. Hell, it took Necrons to trouble the Martian defenses, so heresy would get stamped out very violently.
I'm fine with it being Dominator-class, though, and there's an extremely good reason for that which I'm not yet willing to reveal

Re. the Coldstream stuff, I see where you're coming from, and I also see Marco's argument, but I'm gonna have to remind everyone involved that what we'd know as Britain (in fact, what we'd know as Europe) got turned into various wings of the Imperial Palace. That includes the Scottish Borders (which probably got turned into an Administratum bureau), so I seriously doubt that you'd be raising any troops from round those parts.
This is also why the largely Terra-centric angle surprises me, because Earth in the 40Kverse is essentially a giant planet-spanning version of the Vatican City, and I don't see the Vatican raising armies (the Swiss Guard being analogous, in this case, to the Adeptus Custodes).


Dolnikan -- Semplice immediately makes me think of Davros (Michael Wisher/Terry Molloy rather than Julian Bleach), though I'm not sure whether you initially had that in mind.

You've given us a character called Iota, but you've mentioned a Gamma Hepta under Semplice's profile. Similarly, the seventh and ninth iterations of Semplice's superior human project appear to happen at the same time. Were those just slips of the keyboard?

Dall's gun seems rather interesting -- I'm guessing it's a webber analogue? Is it xenotech, archaeotech, or just unusual?


*Okay, so it's more likely to be a palace floor or hive balcony, but I can still use it as a figure of speech.

**"In the Imperium" might've been stretching it, as Cadia and Macragge can debatably put up some rather stiff competition, but we can all agree that as systems in Segmentum Solar go, Sol is arguably the most heavily defended.

[Dolnikan]

Those were indeed some mistakes in the constant process of rewriting everything. The silt blaster is an alien weapon that works by propelling many dust particles at high speed(using much technobabble of course) to tear a target away.

[Koval]

Okay, that's pretty cool (and grisly). I'm guessing Dall just shoves a big rock into the chamber and lets the weapon do the rest?

[Inquisitor Octavian Lars]

My argument is that the cs guards are an honorific title for a premier infantry unit from terra or that area. And thanks for the help on the cruiser fluff!

Also, the reason for my terra centric is that I wanted a very baroque (heck and PATRIOTIC) warband. The fluff follows that idea.

[MarcoSkoll]

A silt blaster doesn't work for me.

The problem with it is that grit blasting in the real world has an effective range of inches. Tiny particles travelling fast is horrible aerodynamically. And if you actually get the particles fast enough to make it any meaningful kind of distance, they wouldn't be abrading the target, they would obliterate it.

I once got fed up with people's claims on a spudcannon forum about their tennis ball launchers that could fire a mile. So, I went and worked out how much energy you'd actually need to get something as aerodynamically inefficient as a tennis ball(a large blunt cross section, relatively little mass) that far.
The answer was that any tennis ball cannon that could actually fire a mile would also, if fired at any modern battle tank you can name reduce it to smithereens. And funnily enough, these same "mile cannons" seem to have difficulty getting though a few sheets of plywood.

Dust is far less aerodynamic (That's why it can hang in the air when tennis balls can't). To have an effective range of a few dozen yards, the muzzle energy would be obscene, as would the recoil.

Sure, there might be some sort of "anti-drag field" technobabble that projects an air tunnel that lets the particles reach a target some distance away, but to go to the trouble of developing (or even using) that kind of tech for the sake of accelerating dust particles is really counter intuitive.

[Koval]

My argument is that the cs guards are an honorific title for a premier infantry unit from terra or that area.

The actual Coldstreams would probably find this rather amusing...

Also, the reason for my terra centric is that I wanted a very baroque (heck and PATRIOTIC) warband. The fluff follows that idea.

Then just have them stem from a Cardinal world. Ophelia and Dimmamar are two prime examples. We get enough baroque just from it being 40K.

[Herald]

May I present for scrutiny Inquisitor Ambrose Barkley and his oddball associates for your scrutiny.

NAME: Ambrose Barkley

RANK: Inquisitor [No known Ordo affiliation]

DATE OF BIRTH: 836.M41

APPEARANCE: Ambrose does not fit the popular conception of an Inquisitor. He is a largely non-descript man who does not stand out from the crowd. At 5’10’’ he is neither noticeably tall nor short and is of average build. His is short but untidy and, whilst originally dark is now beginning to grey.  He has a prominent nose on which he usually wears round spectacles and pale skin. His face is slightly wrinkled although rejuvenat treatments mean he has the appearance of being in his forties or fifties. He has no visible bionic replacements or enhancements although the second and fourth fingers on his left hand are vat grown replacements.

He usually dresses in fairly plain robes of greys or browns with a small symbol of the Inquisition pinned to the left-hand side of his chest. If the occasion calls for it he will dress more formally but dislikes doing so.

HISTORY:
836.M41- Born on the shrine world of St. Menda’s Rest. His mother is a field medic invalided out of regimental service and his father a chef.
853.M41- Inspired by his mother he begins medical training.
855.M41- His medical studies are interrupted when he is conscripted to serve in the newly formed St. Mendan 18th Light Infantry in an ultimately futile campaign against the Ork held worlds to the galactic north of the Pyrrus Sector. He is ill-suited to life as a soldier but his previous medical experience sees him trained as a field medic.
859.M41- With the campaign abandoned the Mendan 18th are disbanded and Ambrose resumes his medical studies.
863.M41- He completes his medical studies and begins work as a civilian medic.
869.M41- His mother commits suicide after a long running battle with post-traumatic stress and depression caused by her military service prompting Ambrose to take an interest in psychology.
873.M41- Riots provoked by plans for a further campaign against the Orks engulf St Menda’s Rest and Ambrose refuses to treat rioters injured in clashes with authority forces leading to a number of threats on his life. Inquisitor Von Strauss, a key proponent of the campaign against the Orks, arrives to quell the riots that are halting the campaign.
874.M41- Von Strauss crushes the riots and leaves St Menda’s rest taking Ambrose with him.
880.M41- Following his role in unravelling the Croy Mysteries, in which the analytical skills developed during his medical training prove invaluable, Ambrose is made an Interrogator by Von Strauss. In this role his medical knowledge makes him a proficient torturer but it is not a role he enjoys.
889.M41- Ambrose begins working as an independent investigator on Von Strauss’ behalf and in this role is instrumental in uncovering the location of twelve illegal copies of the Valos Code.
922.M41- Promoted to full Inquisitorial status.
946.M41- Purges the noble houses of Kreol after uncovering widespread dabbling in sorcery.
950.M41- Following his experiences on Kreol he writes a treatise entitled The Sins of the Father in which he investigates the possibility of heresy as a genetic disease. The text is regarded as interesting but little is thought of his theory and some criticise it for attempting to make excuses for heretics.
973.M41- Publishes a further text on the causes of heresy: Heresy Born of Neglect. It is badly received as it seems to level criticism at the Imperium for driving some people to turn their backs on the Emperor.
990.M41- Diffuses a potential rift amongst the high command of the Granoan Pacification Campaign by recruiting General Redvers Sid to his personal staff.
003.M42- Begins an investigation into the psychology of prisoners on Bagrah Minoris in an attempt to draw links between the causes of criminality and the causes of heresy. In this process he recruits a number of the prisoners including the psychic null and convicted rapist Jethro Rawles and the fraudster Milo Banx.

PERSONALITY/BELIEFS: Having been raised on a shrine world Ambrose is incredibly pious and devoted to both the Imperial Creed and the Lex Imperialis. As such he finds heresy incredibly hard to understand and find a logical explanation for. Whilst for many it is enough to know someone is a heretic Ambrose wants to understand why feeling that if the root causes can be understood then it is something that could be cured in the same way as a disease. His research has ranged from viewing heresy as an actual physical disease, possibly genetic, to a psychological ailment and yet he is still far from understanding its causes.

Ambrose is a quiet spoken and mild-mannered man seemingly ill-suited for the authoritarian position of an Inquisitor and yet his staff have great respect for him. He has a comforting manner which, combined with his soft voice, makes people likely to open up to him. His fascination with peoples psychological motives, however, often leads him to pry into matters that people would rather leave untouched and when his curiosity gets the better of him he can come across as uncaring of the emotions of others as he enquires into their backgrounds and motivations. Many find his habit of constantly psychoanalysing those around him and his desire to talk about issues irritating.

ABILITIES/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Ambrose is an incredibly observant investigator and clever analyst, helped by an extremely good memory, particularly for names and faces. He is also a trained field medic.

Whilst he does have basic combat training from his time in the Imperial Guard and does keep his eye in on the shooting ranges he is not an overly proficient combatant and so relies on others if his investigations require physical violence. If he does become embroiled in combat himself he is far more proficient at range than in a melee where he cannot rely on brute strength, natural viciousness or lightning quick reactions as he possess none of them. 

WEAPONS/EQUIPMENT:  For his own personal defence Ambrose carries a simple laspistol, the weapon with which he was first trained in the Imperial Guard, and a combat knife which is mainly used as a utility tool. If expecting violence Ambrose will try and avoid being personally present but where this is not possible he will carry a Mars pattern lasgun, another weapon he is familiar with from his days in the guard, and protect himself with a refractor field concealed in an Aquila worn around his neck. He is almost never without a basic medical kit.

QUIRKS/NOTES:
Prefers to be referred to by his first name unless protocol demands otherwise and assumes that others will want the same treatment so is often seen as slightly rude.

SERVANTS/ACQUAINTANCES:
General Redvers Sid- Part of the high command during the Granoan Pacification with a reputation for brilliant strategies but high casualty rates, hence the nickname ‘Suicide’ Sid. A rival in the command structure exposed his involvement with a Cydonian Death-Cult, the Emperor’s Hands, and linked this to a desire for high casualty rates to fit with the cult’s ideology of shedding blood in the Emperor’s name. The two clashed leading to a potentially dangerous split in the campaigns command which was only resolved when Ambrose recruited the General to his personal staff. Sid is not only a brilliant strategist but his sword skills, honed in military duels and perfected by the Emperor’s Hands, make him the most dangerous melee opponent in Ambrose’s employ despite his advanced age.

Jethro Rawles- A pariah and convicted rapist recruited from the penal colony on Bagrah Minoris who hides his disfigured face (due to injuries inflicted by his father) behind a theatrical mask which changes to reflect his mood and expression. Incredibly violent and with a burning hatred of psykers, who he blames for the way he is despised, he acts as Ambrose’s torturer a role he evidently enjoys. He refuses to use ranged weapons as with a gun it is far too easy to accidently kill someone quickly with a gun.

Milo Banx- an accomplished fraudster and confidence trickster also recruited from Bagrah Minoris, Banx is the youngest and arguably most mentally stable of Ambrose’s permanent staff. While his skills are useful his innocence and naivety are often a hindrance and his combat skills are even less existent than those of Ambrose himself.

QUOTES:
“You would not choose to become sick or to go mad so why would you choose to turn your back on the Emperor? As with disease and madness it must be the cause of an external factor.” Inquisitor Barkley.

“Mad? Possibly, but definitely interesting. Jethro certainly has some psychological issues stemming from childhood paternal conflict and Redvers has turned violence into his highest form of religious expression but the important thing is they have skills that are beneficial to me and hence the Imperium. If we spurn their skills then we risk this neglect driving them away from us and into heresy.”


Thats come out quite long I fear but I got a bit carried away, hope it all makes sense and there are no glaring errors.

[Koval]

All seems to make sense, although I do hope that Jethro is kept away from other people when off-duty. At first glance you're also a bit light on combat types, but that can be covered for and/or revised as needed. I trust Marco to spot things I haven't, though

Interesting that you've brought an Untouchable on board, though I must admit I find the General your most interesting vassal -- I wonder what sort of angle his death cult background will take him in.

[Koval]

Rather than give out profiles for Inquisitor Haines (since there are a few things that I'd rather not reveal until after we start), Andreas, or Rowena Memphis (who is dead), I'll link some (not all, some) relevant tropes so that you have a rough idea of who the characters are.

Madoc Haines:
The Big Guy: Comes in at 6'10", and he's built like a brick outhouse.
Mighty Glacier: See above.
Genius Bruiser: He's an Inquisitor. Comes with the job description.
Artificial Limbs: Both arms and his spine are cybernetics.
Drop The Hammer: He's Ordo Malleus, and lugging around a thunder hammer that's about as big as he is.
When All You Have Is A Thunder Hammer: Haines doesn't always resort to this, but the threat of being smacked with a gihugic hammer can come in pretty handy from time to time. Also useful at bypassing door seals.
Hand Cannon: Carries a bolt pistol as a sidearm.
Playing With Fire: Carries a hand flamer as his other sidearm.
First Gray Hair: Inversion -- Haines has more grey than the average British summer sky, but doesn't care much. Extends to his beard.
Combat Pragmatist: With something as lethal as a thunder hammer, it's pretty difficult for this trope not to take effect somewhere along the way.

Andreas Tuominen:
Gentleman And A Scholar: Though you'll have to take my word for it for the moment.
Weak But Skilled: Because he wouldn't be an Inquisitor's aide if he couldn't take care of himself.
Servile Snarker:
Haines: And how much ammo?
Andreas: Three cells. Which is three more than you have, my lord.
Hand Cannon: Haines owns a plasma pistol, but it's usually Andreas that carries it (or so Andreas claims)

Rowena Memphis:
Fake Video Camera View: See prologue.
Predecessor Villain: If Haines is to be believed.
Lightning Gun: Carried a Dalek death ray as a sidearm. I wish there were an easier way to describe that.
Psycho Electro: Mild version, stemming from the above.
The Heretic: From the Imperium's point of view. From her point of view, Defector From Decadence applies instead, mixed with Humans Are Bastards.
Nietzsche Wannabe: Had shades of this.
Blondes Are Evil: In this case, yes they are.
Mood Swinger: Usually ended up somewhere around "impulsive" and "quixotic". I blame my earlier writing style not exactly matching up to modern standards.


EDIT: Some for the antagonists.

Kalen Goruvich:
War Is Glorious: He's a World Eater. He's going to believe this.
Blood Knight: World Eater.
Ax Crazy: World Eater.
Proud Warrior Race: XII Legion.
Determinator: He's survived so many wars that he doesn't remember how long he's been fighting. Most recently, he survived the massacre of his own strike force, and all that did was piss him off and give him a reason to hunt down Agares.
Evil Weapon: He bound Agares into his own hellblade. That sword's gonna be pretty damn evil.
NO INDOOR VOICE: Every one of his lines that we've seen so far has been shouted very angrily.

Zagan:
The Soulless:
Zagan: I died at Skalathrax, and now I exist only to kill and to make myself whole once more.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Skalathrax did horrible things to Zagan's mind, which considering he's a World Eater is saying something.
Neutral Evil: Doesn't have enough emotion left to be either Lawful or Chaotic Evil.
Large Ham: Despite also being The Stoic.
The Unfettered: Aside from point 5, from what we've seen so far.
Combat Pragmatist: He doesn't bother engaging an enemy fleet himself. So he makes the enemy fleet itself do it for him...
Cool Starship: Even by the standards of the Imperial Navy, since grand cruisers are ancient. Not to mention the upgrades (we've already seen his shields shrug off a nova cannon shell, for example)
Magic From Technology: How his Technopathy works. Minor overlap with Demonic Possession and Puppeteer Parasite.

Varachen of the Flayed Skull:
Deal With Khorne: Which probably won't end well, knowing Khorne.
Disposable Vagrant: Arguably from Khorne's point of view, and from the point of view of whoever backstabbed him.
Damaged Soul: Whether Varachen has ever been "resurrected" by Haemonculi is open to debate, but he does fit the trope well enough, if only because of Slaanesh munching on his soul.
Cold-Blooded Torture: His lifestyle post-backstab started off as this, because he Loves The Sound of Screaming, but eventually he had to escalate that into full Ax Craziness because the longer he stayed away from Commoragh, the worse it got.


Will add more stuff, possibly actual profiles, when doing so becomes relevant.

[Herald]

Yeah Jethro really isn't very nice at all, think a combination of the Joker and Rawshack from Watchmen with extra-nastiness thrown in. Ambrose keeps him on a very short leash though and I hope his untouchable nature won't pose any issues plot-wise, if they do he can always misbehave early on and be sent back to brood on his own.

Sid is really the only combat-character but he's really very,very good at it. If anymore combatants are needed, which with the description of Haines seems probable, I'll think up some further associates or recruit from any resources available during the RP, or really on getting other characters to fight for me as Ambrose really is a lovely chap.

[Dolnikan]

I must confess that I had never yet heard of anyone called Davros, but that's probably because I hardly ever watch tv. His wiki however is very interesting and I'm sure that I'll take some ideas from there for him.

I know that the weapon doesn't make much sense when looked at too closely. It is a xenos weapon designed by a species which is very good at field-based techno babble. It's mostly because I wanted something different.

[Dolnikan]

NAME: Anterus Semplice

AGE: 286

RANK: Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos

APPEARANCE: Semplice is ancient and battered by his years of service. His many injuries have left him almost completely immobile. A few years ago he was burned horribly by a team of assassins sent by one of his rivals when his previous chair burst into flames. Almost nothing of his body is visible, only part of his right arm remains of flesh and is visible, the rest is hidden behind metal and plasteel. He wears a bland silver mask over his face. The device that keeps him alive is bulky and noisy, it has a built-in force field, flamethrower and lasgun. He speaks through a vox projector and has a hoarse voice.

BELIEFS: Semplice beliefs that humanity is not yet as perfect as it could be. In his career he has found that xenos are superior to humans in many regards. He attempts to rectify this matter by continuing the work of the Emperor by enhancing humanity for the struggle against the enemies that surround it. To this end he initiated and oversaw the Stratiotes project together with Magos Biologis Haskil. The project was never completed because inquisitor Khar attacked the secret location where the work was done and killed Haskil and destroyed most of the work that was done to that point, all Semplice has left are a few notebooks. He aims to uncover more knowledge which would allow him to restart the project.

PERSONALITY: Semplice is controlled and prefers to work from behind the scenes. He has little to no attachments except to Iota Tettares who he sees as his child. He has a tendency to get obsessed with his goals and on multiple occasions has persisted too long on futile efforts, this has led to more than a few of his injuries.

ABILITIES: Semplice has lost almost all physical abilities he once had. The one arm he has left is withered and cannot be used to lift much more than a quill. Mentally he remains at his peak, he knows a lot about most subjects.

HISTORY:
714M41   Anterus Semplice is born as the child of two administratum clerks on Doristor Prime.

719M41   After his parents die Semplice is sent to the Schola Progenium on his homeworld. He excels in many fields but is especially proud of his skill with the chainsword.

732M41   Becomes a commissar-cadet under commissar Dorgal of the 749th Trevask Line Infantry.

739M41   Promoted to full commissar after the storming of the fortress of Irgli on Mystim.

740M41   Assigned to the Doristor 1294th Doristor light infantry which is part of a taskforce operating against the Atinian League, a collection of four species of xenos occupying a small empire.

742M41   Inquisitor Gormatan takes a small force of three regiments onto one of the Atinian moons. The operation turns into a disaster and most of the inquisitor’s staff and almost all troops die. The few survivors are taken as permanent members of his staff.

759M41   After years of service Semplice is promoted to interrogator.

811M41   Semplice becomes a full inquisitor and member of the Ordo Xenos

828M41   While investigating the activities of a minor cult on Helena’s Gate a bomb is placed in his vehicle and he loses not only his legs but also suffers severe damage to his spine crippling him forever.

914M41   Increasingly obsessed with the strength of xenos breeds and their advantages over humans Semplice meets Magos Biologis Haskil and sponsors his research into creating superior humans.

977M41   In the growing conflict between two rival cells Semplice is attacked by a band of unknown assassins. They set his wheelchair on fire and thinking him dead leave him horribly maimed. He is discovered by his few allies and kept alive.

992M41   Haskil’s ninth batch of children is successful at last, for the first time they aren’t stillborn and horribly mutated.

998M41   Inquisitor Khar attacks the facility where the Stratiotes Project is located. Semplice narrowly escapes with three of the Stratiotes but Haskil is lost together with most records of the research. Semplice flees the sector after faking his death.

NAME: Iota Tettares

AGE: 20

RANK: Interrogator

APPEARANCE: Iota Tettares is pale and has no hair at all. She is of moderate length and is quite thin. She has a long thin face with large dark eyes. She preferably wears simple dark robes decorated with symbols of faith. She has thin, almost colourless lips. She is considered unattractive by most people and looks cold. She has a soft monotone voice. On many occasions she wears wigs and make-up to look more normal. If she goes to fight she puts on body-armour decorated with skulls.

PERSONALITY: Iota Tettares is devotedly loyal and rational. She beliefs herself to be special because of her being spawned in the Stratiotes Project and being its only survivor. In private she feels lonely and wants to be close to others. Her strange appearance and manners however tend to chase off almost everyone.

ABILITIES: Iota Tettares is highly skilled in multiple fields. She is very intelligent and has great martial skills. Socially she often behaves awkwardly and suffers from sudden convulsions. She is particularly skilled with ranged weaponry. The process that was used to create her was far from perfect which causes the convulsions. She also reacts badly to bright lights and needs a diet containing several specific compounds her body cannot produce by itself.

WEAPONS: A thin-bladed chainsword and a shuriken pistol.
HISTORY:

992M41   Born as part of the ninth attempt to create a new type of human in the Stratiotes Project

995M41   Training in martial fields starts, it is given by veterans from the Imperial Guard

998M41   When the facility where she lives is attacked she narrowly escaped with two of her sisters and the inquisitor.

007M42   Inquisitor Semplice uses the services of the three survivors for the first time when he has them cleanse a nest of mutants. The operation is a complete success

009M42   Both her remaining sisters die while attempting to steal several tomes from Brukian II, a forge world. Iota Tettares escapes with the books.

Other associates:

Gophion Dall:    An expert xenobiologist. He considers himself to be a great researcher. He remains unaware of Semplice’s plans and motivations. In combat he uses an Atinian Gluon Disruptor and wears intricately decorated armour.  He is starting to grow old but remains vain and arrogant.

Kuma Karnak:   A minor tech priest and a former student of magos biologis Haskil. He is responsible for keeping the inquisitor alive. He knows much about him and his plans but always keeps to the background.

Pantariste:   Imperial Guard veteran, trained Iota Tettares and bodyguard of the inquisitor. She distinguished herself in one of Bashrok’s many regiments and is highly loyal. She resents the unnaturalness of her remaining student but nevertheless does her duty. Armed with a Bashrok double lasgun and a series of grenades.

Unbroken:   The Unbroken is the ship Semplice uses as a base of operations. It came into his hands after it was reclaimed from a space hulk by the Jade Serpents chapter. It is a relatively small transport vessel but still large parts of the ship remain empty. It is crewed mostly by servitors and has a living crew of only six thousand. The captain, Hyrule Gol was a minor merchant officer when the ship got its new crew. Over the years he has risen to command the vessel. He is not overly competent but so far Semplice has found no one to replace him. The hip is armed like the average ship of its size, that is to say, lightly. It has however been fitted with slighly more powerful engines.

[Koval]

Revised version of Semplice looks fine, although Dall still seems to be carrying a "Silk Blaster" rather than a "Silt Blaster". Actually, the more I think about it (so it's not just you and Marco), the less sense it makes -- it would sting like all hell but the worst it would do to someone is take off a few layers of skin cells. You can still do different without being overly impractical, and there's still plenty of ways to incorporate loads of weird field-related technobabble. Sonic blasters, for instance. You could even weaponise the field itself -- not suggesting you bring a conversion beamer to the party, mind you, but manipulating a repulsor field to tear something apart from within should be well within the purview of even the Mechanicus, never mind whoever designed the weapon. Granted, that would still be horribly impractical, but so are a lot of things in 40K.