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Assassins? Inquisitors? Assassin-Inquisitors? Oh My!

Started by Papewaio, January 31, 2013, 09:41:27 AM

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Papewaio

So, based on some information gathered by my previous thread, here is an attempt at some background for Inquisitor Eli Solon.

Basic History

A failed assassin-in-training, Elijah Solon, is rescued by an Inquisitor of the Ordo Sicarius due to his mental and personal traits that would suit the Inquisitorial lifestyle rather than a full-blooded assassin. After several years as an agent of the Inquisitor, he begins training to become an Inquisitor in his own right.

More years pass, and as Solon is trusted more and more, he is sent to conduct his own investigations. During these, he makes connections, most significantly with someone who has an extensive library. He reads a lot, and eventually draws his own conclusions about the good of the Imperium [see Ideology below]. He spends the next years with more and more independence, building his own team and working from the shadows. Several cults spring up around where he is currently working, and soon the local planetary governor is overthrown. The cults start a civil war.

Horrified at this, and thinking that his acolyte has lost control, the Inquisitor makes his way across to the war-wracked system. He meets and confronts Solon, who denounces his mentors ideals and lays out his vision for the Imperium's future. Shocked at this, they enter a conflict. Solon triumphs over the Inquisitor's warband, and takes his rosette.

Eli Solon subsequently launches several simultaneous assassinations to cripple the rebellion, and helps to lead the PDF in a victory, restoring the planet to peace. A new governor is appointed. When Inquisitors of his late mentors' Conclave arrive, he states that the Inquisitor died trying to put down the uprising. After a thorough investigation, the Inquisitors believe this, raise Solon to full Inquisitor and leave.

Ideology

Eli Solon's Inquisitorial philosophy is a curious blend of Horusianism and Recongregationism. At the centre of his beliefs is that humanity needs the Emperor back. Having studied dark texts of the Horus Heresy, and Promeus' writings, he is utterly convinced that the only way to create a Divine Avatar is through Chaos energy. Solon realizes this will cause strife throughout the Imperium once it occurs, so until that time where he can resurrect the Emperor, he is preparing the Imperium to meet Him. To this end, he strengthens Imperial institutions by placing men who are willing to embrace change in positions of power. Even with his work, he knows the Imperium will be shattered with the Emperor's coming, He is simply trying to prepare the defences so it can survive their Savior's arrival.

To this end, Solon remains part of the Ordo Sicarius for three reasons: one, potential Divine Avatars pass through the assassin's training grounds every day, those who have mind and body working in harmony; two, he may then requisition those resources which are more effective at achieving his goals (namely assassins); and three, because the Ordo is known to operate under a veil of secrecy, his goals may be more easily hidden, as most Imperial servants would brand him a heretic and traitor.

Personality

As a result of his assassin training, Solon tends to be cold and aloof, trusting only himself. His ability to detach himself from his emotions borders on the sociopathic. He believes he is the only one who is capable of doing what is needed. His focus on his goals often takes him to obsession, which leads him to particular situations where common sense is ignored in pursuit of his aims. This can make him seem rash and arrogant at times.

So, what do you think?

Dolnikan

It certainly has one very nice plot hook, if anyone ever finds out about what he did he is in very big trouble. I would personally expect that the inquisitors would first take Solon on as an interrogator for a while, to see if he is worthy of the seal. It might also be useful to have some idea of what kind of assassin training he received, assassination can be done in many, many ways and it will be quite defining for who he is. What sort of people will he work with? How are his ties with whoever first trained him as an assassin? What does the Ordo Sicarius gain from him? IT isn't just that ordos are there for inquisitors, they also want something back in return.
Circles of the wise My attempt at writing something, please comment on it if you have any advise.

Papewaio

All right, I've revised the background (and name) of my Assassin-Inquisitor. THis was written at three in the morning after work, so sorry if there's mistakes.



Inquisitor Kaesion Silvanus was born on Talassar in the Ultramar system to a noble family. He lived the first six years of his life in relative comfort, training for a hope of being accepted into the vaunted Adeptus Astartes. However, his boyhood dream was not to be. Taken by the Black Ships three months after his sixth birthday, he was screened for psychic potential and found to be extremely talented in a rare form of the mental arts. Silvanus' natural aptitude for psychic tracking, along with his already developed combat skills and obsessive personality, meant that he was destined to follow the path of the assassin.

His first decade of training progressed well, his teachers realising that their student had a gift for this line of work. However, when the time came to be placed within a Temple for further, specialist training, it was discovered his body had such a severe intolerance to all manner of drugs that he would die from the level required for the Eversor and Callidus Temples, whilst the Vindicare Temple sis not believe he had the requisite marksmanship. As a psyker, albeit one with a very narrow focus, he was automatically excluded from the ranks of the Culexus assassins.

At a loss with what to do with Silvanus, his masters received a request for an assassin gifted in tracking skills by the notable Inquisitor Balthus. Kaesion Silvanus seemed to fit the bill perfectly, and was dispatched in his seventeenth year without a second thought. On the death world of Grigon VII, the fledgling tracker-assassin hunted down and killed seven of the twelve dissenting warlords, including a seven-day-long chase across the largest continent to cut down the notorious Ah Tuch.

Judging the youth to be useful, Inquisitor Balthus inducted Silvanus into his employ. He proved crucial in pacifying the Marn system and in obtaining the damning proof that led to Lord-Inquisitor Hern's trial and subsequent execution. Silvanus, for the first time in eleven years, was exposed to human emotion and contact. His cultured upbringing came to the fore, expressing a remarkable intelligence and a deep love for classical music.

After about a decade of working under the Inquisitor, Balthus decided to take the Talassari on as his apprentice, believing his quick mind to be as valuable as his murderous abilities. His experience in both being part of and helping to conduct investigations grew, and after giving evidence at the Trial of Reshef, his master allowed him enough leeway to go and conduct investigations parallel to his own.

His very first success was the uncovering and end of a smuggling ring around the Jeryll system. As a consequence, Silvanus came into possession of a large library full of heretical and sorcerous texts. Curious, his readings included the early works of Promeus. Unknown to Balthus, he began to form his own opinions on how to best serve the Emperor...
Under his almost complete autonomy, he helped fund a cult devoted to Chaos in order to further his knowledge of souls and the Warp. However, at the behest of his master, he was called away to help contain a virus outbreak. When he returned, his sponsored cult had grown far beyond what he had intended, and had infiltrated the entire system. Shocked, he resolved to extract all useful information before destroying his creation.

In the midst of his information gathering, the cult launched a bloody rebellion, throwing the system into turmoil. Inquisitor Balthus, after receiving a summons from one of Silvanus' staff, arrived to purge and cleanse. After conducting a thorough investigation, his protégé is revealed as the instigator of the rebellion and Balthus is horrified. Master and apprentice meet during one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Cue epic showdown. Silvanus and Balthus' fight was one as old as the Inquisition – the conflict of ideologies. In the end, his assassin background allowed Silvanus to prevail.
The sub-sector's Conclave, at that point, had arrived and with his inside knowledge, Kaesion Silvanus helps bring the system back to the Imperial Creed. The cult is blamed for Balthus' death and Silvanus is taken on as an Interrogator for another Inquisitor for another year and a half before being raised to a full Inquisitor.

Kaesion Silvanus is firmly convinced that Humanity needs the Emperor back in this time of darkness. He also believes that the best way to bring about His resurrection is through the use of Chaos. After all, Horus is the closest thing in ten thousand years to approach a Divine Avatar. To this end, he has studied his occult libraries extensively, learning as much as he can about the transition of souls to and from the Warp. His particular expertise in murder and stealth have served him well in this regard.

Kaesion still bears a deep love of his home region of Ultramar, and bears his fallen master's force sword. He has spent his career in secrecy and shadows, occasionally coming to the fore so as to not raise suspicion.

Profile
WS BS  S   T   I  Wp Sg Nv Ld
72 53 59 55 78  67 64 61 63

Psychic Powers - Detection, Psi-Track, Instability, Banishment
Abilities - Acrobatic, Stealthy, Tracker
                Tracker - When taking Awareness tests, or attempting to use either Psi-Track or Detection, Silvanus receives a +20% bonus to his appropriate scores.

Inquisitor Kaesion Silvanus carries a force sword, a laspistol with 2 reloads, carapace armour on his chest and robes on all other locations.



I'm not decided on who will be accompanying him yet, I'm tossing around the idea of an Daemonhost that was used as a n experiment, and possibly a member of Balthus' old staff. Maybe an Guard Veteran who's slightly unhinged?
Thoughts, comments, criticisms?