[Swarbie]

Ah, excellent. I was a little worried for a moment there.

[Zephon]

Right, that should be better,

NAME: Bernard Wyebold

RANK / AFFILIATION: Inquisitor / Ordo Hereticus

AGE / GENDER / APPEARANCE: 59 / Male / a little below average height, round, pinkish face, hair is currently its natural grey and straight. His most, some might say only, distinguishing feature would be his somewhat large, lobeless ears.

PERSONALITY AND BELIEFS: A defining belief of his is that all heretical cults are in some way linked. The similarities between them are proof enough that they sprang from the same source: an original cult. He believes that this cult is still in existence, secretly controlling most of the others, with members in very high places. These are not merely the ravings of a conspiracy theorist: Wyebold has amassed a library of information, carefully showing what he believes to be the links between each heretical thought. This tends to make him cautious, and he always prefers to gather information before acting, infiltrating agents, making great use of false identities, surveillance, blackmail and bribery. Wyebold disapproves of the more militant members of the Holy Ordos, and especially of overt behaviour. Personally pious, he tends towards the Amalathian philosophy, and distrusts both psykers and other mutants. He also feels partially responsible for his master’s death, feeling he should have investigated further before informing the old man of the problem.

ABILITIES / STRENGTHS / WEAKNESSES: While an excellent investigator, Wyebold is disinterested and inexperienced in politics, seeing it as an unnecessary distraction from the true purpose of the Inquisition (or any other organisation). He thoroughly examines the operations of heretics, and in the past has allowed diabolical plans to be carried out simply to avoid alerting his enemies of the presence of the Inquisition. When he feels he has sufficient information, he prefers to call on other forces of the Imperium to exterminate his target, such as the Arbites, PDF or Eccelsiarchy. It is usual for him to leave networks of agents wherever he goes, carefully placed to feed useful intelligence back to him. Wyebold trains his acolytes to act in much the same way, and operates a number of roving acolyte teams specifically charged with setting up new spy networks. His spies were responsible for many of Inquisitor Haldebran’s successes. However, his disdain of overt action usually means his acolyte teams lack the firepower or skills to deal with a major problem without assistance. Personally, he is a competent combatant, but no expert.

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT: as he believes the Inquisition should be centred on investigation, his equipment will usually be only what he needs to maintain his safety and whatever cover-identity he is currently using. Still, he isn’t stupid, and may be slightly paranoid, so he will usually be carrying at least one concealed weapon. He favours silenced stubbers and mono-knives, though he encourages the use of garrottes, knuckledusters and blackjacks.

SERVANTS: His staff is large, since he ran much of Haldebran’s organisation, though the parts he did not control were taken over by Inquisitor friends of Haldebran. His retinue is currently divided between those who worked for him when he was an Interrogator, and the remnants of those who worked for Haldebran’s other high-ranking acolytes.

HISTORY:

-950.M41 – born on Kavin II
-970.M41 –joins Enforcer cadre of one of the Margraves on Kavin II
-971.M41 –recruited from Enforcers to Investigation and Protection Division.
-976.M41 –an organised series of rebellions breaks out on Kavin II, exacerbated by Chaos cultist infiltration of local security services.
-977.M41 –interned in Camp XIV as suspected cult spy, later released by Inquisitor Haldebran.
-978.M41 –Kavin II rebellion decisively crushed. Purge begins.
-982.M41 –sets up the infamous network on Hidishar. Adherence to IPD protocols leads to over one hundred dead, including three Inquisitorial operatives, and the destruction of the network. 
-994.M41 –while cleaning up in the aftermath of a purge, uncovers a small cult. Delays clean-up operation on a pretext, and proceeds to conduct an investigation, revealing a conspiracy stretching into the higher levels of planetary government. Elevated to rank of Explicator.
-998.M41 –Elevated to rank of Interrogator.
-004.M42 –Inquisitor Haldebran and immediate retinue are ambushed and slain by heretics, leaving as most senior acolyte. He takes up Haldebran’s Seal, and methodically investigates for 9 months before calling on the Adeptus Arbites to eradicate all traces of heresy.
-007.M42 –ordained as full Inquisitor by three of his peers

[MarcoSkoll]

@Swarbie: As Koval says, it's a narrative roleplay.
I might note that however a character who died in 999.M41 might be a little interesting, given that the events we are discussing occur in 010.M42 (current Conclave time) - back in 999.M41, Lord Grolin was alive, and probably wouldn't have taken too kindly to people discussing his death and replacement.

Of course, we can survive a little timeline disorder.

All I'm willing to say on the matter is that I think 40K needs to move away from the IN THE GRIM DARK GRIM DARKNESS THERE IS ONLY GRIMDARK GRIMDARK GRIMDARK angle, because if you add too much it just gets boring.

Indeed. You really don't want to overdo the Grimdark.

Humour, whether in universe or from the perspective of us as outside observers, should be part of the 40k universe. And it's not even as if it's not - take the Ork Codex for example (I quite like the rule: "A Warboss may not both have mega armour and warbike, as he would probably fall off a lot.") . After all, the point of the game and universe is to entertain, so as long as it's reasonable for the universe, I enjoy some humour and tongue-in-cheek stuff.

I don't know whether you'll have seen the character profiles I put in the Inquisitor Rules section, but the Quotes section of my profiles include a few that demonstrate the fact that my characters aren't entirely serious at times - particularly Silva who, amongst other daft quips, has the quote: "With all this cliché around, you'll hurt yourself."

Dragging this back on topic kicking and screaming, I like Lyra. The blurb on the graviton grenade is quite funny, too, and her Pure Luck thing is quite characterful.

If you want to make some odd technology, involve a mad scientist.

As I said further down the topic, the basic idea for her was to do a bit of a tribute to Indiana Jones - although very much less prone to getting into his near suicidal action sequences (that job belongs to other characters of mine). I thought an archaeologist Inquisitor was an interesting idea.

I will however say that she doesn't really have much of a power level on her

No, she doesn't, but she's not really a "charge in all guns blazing" type. She's capable of holding her own and defending herself, as you'd expect of an Inquisitor, but she is a covert Inquisitor rather than an overt one.

~~~~~

Anyway, a fuller profile for Lyra. As I say, I'm looking to further develop her in this roleplay, so what will probably happen is that I come back and add a few things as we go, most likely to the personality and quirks sections.

When I've got a couple of reasonably succinct biographies for her two companions, I'll add them. However, I imagine they'll be less important.

FULL NAME: Lyra Joandra Rhodes

TITLE(S): Inquisitor of the Order Perditus / Doctorate of Archaeology

AGE / GENDER / APPEARANCE: 98 Terran Years; Female; Height: 5' 3" / Weight: 107 lbs. She has blue eyes and light blonde hair in a long pony tail. Right handed.

Slight of build, although of respectable physical fitness, Lyra's physical appearance is of a woman around 30, and remains relatively free of the scars that litter the bodies of other Inquisitors.

ATTIRE: Having grown up in a hot and sunny region of her home planet, Lyra's attire tends to reflect the habits of her youth. As such, she usually wears a light blouse and trousers, but supplements it with an array of hard wearing leather items intended to protect against sunburn or scorching hot surfaces.
These items are made up by the wide brimmed hat, jacket (woven with flak fibres as a measure of protection), elbow length gloves and knee length boots that she is typically seen with.

PERSONALITY: Lyra is most easily described as feisty. Despite being close on a century old, she hasn't ever really lost her youthful exuberance, and approaches her work with enthusiasm and optimism unusual amongst those that have served the Inquisition for as long as she.
Willing and able to put a sense of humour to use, she is generally described as a pleasant woman to be around or work with.

However, those who know her know that this doesn't mean she can be pushed, as she is very much a "one chance" woman. While she will forgive once, crossing the line twice is to risk her very real fury.

She, like all Inquisitors, is possessed of strong opinions - she will defend them persistently, although she almost always does so in a manner that some find infuriatingly calm and logical.
The exceptions to this manner are her rejection of the title of Inquisitrix on the basis that it is superfluous and sexist. Her responses alternate between ignoring and verbally grilling anyone who uses it to address her.
No-one has yet had the balls to try finding out what happens if you call her a Doctrix of Archaeology.

BELIEFS: Lyra, like most other Perditus Inquisitors, generally follows an Amalathian viewpoint, although she has shown by example that she is not utterly averse to seeing change exacted.

ABILITIES / STRENGTHS / WEAKNESSES: Given her Doctorate and experience, Lyra's real strength lies in investigation and research. It is telling that while she has taken on some very sizable investigations, she has always been at the helm of collating and analysing the information, rather than simply leaving the work to a team of savants like many Inquisitors would.
While she is in the main intelligent and well educated, she is not particularly well versed in some areas which would be considered conventional within the Inquisition, such as sciences or military knowledge.

In combat, Lyra's expertise tends towards hand-to-hand fighting, an intentional compensation for the weaknesses of her energy field at short ranges. Although, through both necessity and practicality, she has practised to a capable skill level with handguns. The obvious limit on her combat prowess is the physical limits of her feminine frame.

It has been noted that Lyra seems to enjoy more than her fair share of good luck, fortuitous flukes and near misses.

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT: Not being particularly heavily built, Lyra tries to avoid carrying a huge weight of equipment, and therefore favours a compact energy field over physical armour.

Her primary ranged weapon is a Cassett Pattern 62 Revolver in 9mm Magnum, which she received as a 90th birthday gift from (then) Interrogator Skoll – it is a marginally larger weapon than she would perhaps naturally choose, but her long standing friendship with the other Inquisitor makes it a favourite.

Her close quarters weapons are a power knife (although she may on occasion use the adjective "vorpal", a common colloquial term for power weapons on her home-world) and shock maul, both being compact but powerful weapons, and between them offering her a welcome range of options in melee.

She is also at times seen carrying a modestly sized object that most assume to be some form of grenade, although the effects of it are known to few but herself. As a final last resort, she also carries a compact stub pistol in a holster concealed up the back of her jacket.
   
SERVANTS/ACQUAINTANCES: Lyra employs Kasrkin Sergeant Kai Gillmore as a bodyguard and advisor on military matters. A combat experienced soldier from Tryphosa, one of the many worlds which mirrors Cadian military doctrine, he is very much the muscle of Lyra's entourage.

She is also usually seen with Maya Avens, a psyker whose powers revolve around deception, shock and awe - through use of psychic smoke and mirrors, Maya is capable of disappearing from view, destroying concentration and when circumstances demand, seemingly metamorphosing into a terrifying beast of fire and flame.

Lyra maintains reasonable contacts within the Inquisition, especially Inquisitor Skoll, as well as their mutual mentor, Inquisitor Lembus Byssus.

HISTORY: Born to a family on Ilibac Prime which was reasonably successfully ran several tailors, Lyra enjoyed the benefits of a well-off family with connections amongst the wealthy.

From an early age, Lyra had always shown interest in her education, and when she passed into adulthood, her father pulled some strings with some clients, allowing her to follow the path of a scholar reading early Imperial history.
Her first paper was on the infamous M33.75X Jagodian political conspiracies and their repercussions within the sector – it is still considered a leading text on the subject.
Using this success as a gateway to progress into field work and archaeological research, she later wrote a second paper, this time on the subject of M32 Ineaci plumbing technologies.

At age 33, after six well received papers, building a positive reputation and receiving the title of Doctor,  she was recommended to Inquisitor Byssus for his investigation searching for the Asirael archives.
It took the best part of two years to track the Asirael archives, time enough for Byssus to have grown highly fond of Lyra – discarding his original plans to mind-scrub her to contain any knowledge of the archive, he instead took Lyra on as his acolyte.

Her experience as a scholar proved highly valuable to Byssus’ investigations, and after a lengthy training, at the age of 57, Lyra was officially promoted to the rank of Inquisitor in her own right.

23 years later, she was first introduced to Byssus’ next acolyte, Marco Skoll. As a favour to Byssus to allow him to attend to personal matters, she oversaw the acolyte for a four month period of his training. It didn't take particularly long for a friendship to be forged between the two - they remain in frequent contact, being far closer to each other than their mutual master.

In recent years, Lyra has been on the hunt for the Palix Array, an ancient warp lens rumoured to have been constructed within the Carthax Sector by Pre-Imperial civilisation.
Although a handful of excavated records detail basic facts about its appearance and function, the details given about its location are of little use, being either vague to the point of uselessness or associated with place-names unknown to the Imperium.

It is no simple task, but few could be said to be better suited to solving it than Lyra.

QUIRKS:
-   She is well known for a lopsided smile. No-one has yet worked out where she picked up the habit.
-   Will usually drink before or after eating, but usually not during.

~~~~~

Anyway, there's my profile. Assuming we're on the move, I'll try and get up a section... well, I was going to say tomorrow, but it's really today now.

[Swarbie]

@Swarbie: As Koval says, it's a narrative roleplay.
I might note that however a character who died in 999.M41 might be a little interesting, given that the events we are discussing occur in 010.M42 (current Conclave time) - back in 999.M41, Lord Grolin was alive, and probably wouldn't have taken too kindly to people discussing his death and replacement.

Of course, we can survive a little timeline disorder.

Ah, no. I meant the only datasheet I've tried to write so far is for a character who died in 999.M41, but who is definitely not Fabio. Fabio is, at the moment (this may change as I continue writing my story), the only surviving member of Inquisitor Jorken Rovel's retinue. He has only become an inquisitor in the last 7 years or so, having been in a coma for a long period (probably around a year) after the Invasion of Schindelgheist. Three of Jorken's old associates approved his ascension to the rank of Inquisitor after serving as an acolyte to one for two years.

The Inquisition has now, after 10 years, given him Jorken's data-log, as they were unable to crack the codes he used. At first he was arrested, but as he was an Inquisitor and refused to give the Inquisition the key to decoding the data-log while under arrest, he has been released and given orders to decode the data-log. The two members of his retinue have orders from high members of the Inquisition to keep an eye on him and report his progress to the most senior member of the Inquisition in their vicinity. This may eventually involve the more senior members of this roleplay learning his history.

Hope this helped to clear things up a bit.   

[Koval]

OK, here goes:

NAME: Ottokar Wyebold

Instant problems, in that his first name is too similar to Grant's. however, this is workable, and could be the subject of a few jokes.

AGE / GENDER / APPEARANCE: 49 / Male / a little below average height, round, pinkish face, hair is currently its natural grey and straight. His most, some might say only, distinguishing feature would be his somewhat large, lobeless ears.

Well, he's a bit young for an Inquisitor, but I'll let it slide because he's only recently been promoted from the look of things.

PERSONALITY AND BELIEFS: A defining belief of his is that all heretical cults are in some way linked. The similarities between them are proof enough that they sprang from the same source: an original cult. He believes that this cult is still in existence, secretly controlling most of the others, with members in very high places. These are not merely the ravings of a conspiracy theorist: Wyebold has amassed a library of information, carefully showing what he believes to be the links between each heretical thought. This tends to make him cautious, and he always prefers to gather information before acting, infiltrating agents, making great use of false identities, surveillance, blackmail and bribery.

An interesting theory but how long's it taken him to amass this "library"? Did it pass down to him from his old mentor?

Wyebold disapproves of the more militant members of the Holy Ordos, and especially of overt behaviour. Personally pious, he tends towards the Amalathian philosophy, and distrusts both psykers and other mutants.

Safe choice to start off with.

He also feels partially responsible for his master’s death, feeling he should have investigated further before informing the old man of the problem.

This may need more explanation...

ABILITIES / STRENGTHS / WEAKNESSES: While an excellent investigator, Wyebold is disinterested and inexperienced in politics, seeing it as an unnecessary distraction from the true purpose of the Inquisition (or any other organisation).

The two Ottos would get on so well.

He thoroughly examines the operations of heretics, and in the past has allowed diabolical plans to be carried out simply to avoid alerting his enemies of the presence of the Inquisition.

So he's an Amalathian with Recongregator tendencies?

When he feels he has sufficient information, he prefers to call on other forces of the Imperium to exterminate his target, such as the Arbites, PDF or Eccelsiarchy.

Not entirely sure about the mention of the Ecclesiarchy, but Arbites/PDF are fine.

It is usual for him to leave networks of agents wherever he goes, carefully placed to feed useful intelligence back to him.

This is the traditional approach of the Inquisition, to be fair.

Wyebold trains his acolytes to act in much the same way, and operates a number of roving acolyte teams specifically charged with setting up new spy networks.

He's been an Inquisitor for about a year and already he's taking on acolytes? At his tender age?

His spies were responsible for many of Inquisitor Haldebran’s successes.

In order to fix this I'd change it so he doesn't have acolytes per se, but was just very influential and good with logistics and team management while under Haldebran.

However, his disdain of overt action usually means his acolyte teams lack the firepower or skills to deal with a major problem without assistance. Personally, he is a competent combatant, but no expert.

It works... I personally dislike it but it works.

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT: as he believes the Inquisition should be centred on investigation, his equipment will usually be only what he needs to maintain his safety and whatever cover-identity he is currently using. Still, he isn’t stupid, and may be slightly paranoid, so he will usually be carrying at least one concealed weapon. He favours silenced stubbers and mono-knives, though he encourages the use of garrottes, knuckledusters and blackjacks.

Ergh. For the covert stuff, this is ok, but he surely has the means to requisition a needle pistol. He sounds like the sort of guy for whom it would be a very fitting and characterful addition.

SERVANTS: His staff is large, since he ran much of Haldebran’s organisation, though the parts he did not control were taken over by Inquisitor friends of Haldebran. His retinue is currently divided between those who worked for him when he was an Explicator, and the remnants of those who worked for Haldebran’s other high-ranking acolytes.

How many of them would necessarily be loyal to him, though?

-998.M41 – Elevated to rank of Explicator.

Pretty sure this is the lowest rank for a proper acolyte, are you saying he wasn't strictly Inquisition material before this?

-008.M42 –Inquisitor Haldebran and immediate retinue are ambushed and slain by heretics, leaving as most senior acolyte. He takes up Haldebran’s Seal

While ultimately a variation on the deathbed promotion idea, this is still a deathbed promotion... Also, set the date back to 004 or something, otherwise this really is a deathbed promotion.

-009.M42 –begins searching for Inquisitors willing to sponsor his rank

Again, I really dislike how the date's worked. I'm pretty sure you've not left enough time between field promotion and actual ordination.

It's workable, but this will be why you post for critique, I imagine...

[Zephon]

The name is quite embarrassing. I just picked the first name that came to mind... it must have come to mind because you'd already used it. What about Bernard? I could bump his age up by a decade, it isn't too important. When I started, he was about 90.


His 'library' is hyperbole: it's all of the files on cults he has, painstakingly cross-referenced to show how they are all linked. Some of the raw information would have come from Haldebran, but much of it Wyebold recorded himself.

This may need more explanation...

In brief, he informed Haldebran of the presence of a cult before he had finished checking how far the taint spread. Haldebran went off to deal with it, despite Wyebold’s request for more time, and fell victim to a coordinate strike by a group that had far more power than expected. Wyebold blames himself for passing on incomplete information.

So he's an Amalathian with Recongregator tendencies?

He is definitely Amalathian, he just likes to make sure he catches every last heretic when he purges, and until he has fully investigated he will let them get away with murder to avoid spooking his quarry.

Not entirely sure about the mention of the Ecclesiarchy

Mobs! Torches! Pitchforks!

He's been an Inquisitor for about a year and already he's taking on acolytes? At his tender age?

Until recently, they were Haldebran’s men, and he was just the spymaster who actually gave them orders, received the reports and organised training. Perhaps it is Dark Heresy’s influence, but I tend to refer to almost any employee of the Inquisition as an acolyte. It’s a bad habit.

Ergh. For the covert stuff, this is ok, but he surely has the means to requisition a needle pistol. He sounds like the sort of guy for whom it would be a very fitting and characterful addition.

But a needle pistol shows that you are someone who can afford a needle pistol and you wouldn’t just ditch it in a gutter when done with it. He would call say that if someone needs shooting, it is better that it looks like they were shot by someone after their wallet. He is also austere, and doesn’t think much of ‘fancy gadgets’. Some of his staff are a bit more open minded. When the time comes to start purging, he might borrow something impressive to wave about while commanding minions.

How many of them would necessarily be loyal to him, though?

Quite a problem for him that, though the most interesting of Haldebran’s networks and agents (it particular, his spies within the Inquisition) were snaffled by the three friends of Haldebran who elevated Wyebold to Inquisitor.

Pretty sure this is the lowest rank for a proper acolyte, are you saying he wasn't strictly Inquisition material before this?

Sorry, I was running off my own version of the ranking system: where interrogator is above explicator, but only a bit and the interrogator always accompanies the Inquisitor, which is how Inquisitor Zephon ran things on the other side of the galaxy two hundred years ago.

[MarcoSkoll]

I just picked the first name that came to mind... it must have come to mind because you'd already used it. What about Bernard?

Heck, I quite like the idea that we might have two similarly named characters. It's like what happens if you ask for James, Chris or Dan in amongst my group of mates. You'll get at least three answers from different sides of the room.

Anyway, there's a post from me. It's the normal lengthy and colour coded stuff. Enjoy.

[Koval]

post from me, picked up the yelp thing and ran with it.

[Swarbie]

Same here. Anyone for a lho-stick? Fabio has some to spare.

[MarcoSkoll]

Excellent, my diabolical master plan has worked - I like to put things in to help give other people ideas.

Obviously, I suspect most people have seen it, but just to be certain that it hasn't gone missed, if looking for information on Grolin or the Carthax conclave, the Chronicles thread is pretty much the source for general facts: http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=352.0

[Koval]

Craaaaaaaaaaap. Just realised that it's all the way on the other side of the friggin' galaxy from where Grant's meant to be based (Ultima Segmentum, few hundred light years coreward of Ultramar -- not exactly the far frontier of Segmentum Pacificus)

crap, crap, crap... uhh, need a fix...

[MarcoSkoll]

A little dodgy galactic geography isn't terminal. It happens anyway when characters from different Segmentums hit the gaming table, so you can't be too serious about it.

While most of my characters have had their background altered a little to tie in with the Carthax Sector, they've still appeared all over the galaxy - Marco is obviously part of After Hours on Kurabata Prime (northern Segmentum Solar, unless I've forgotten), but was promoted in the Carthax sector. Although, that part of his background was added after he had started involvement in After Hours.

But largely, I've stopped giving the Segmentum of any given planet, mostly so the information just isn't there to be contradictory.

[Zephon]

Is it vital that Grant be in Ultima? Do you have a lot of material placing him there already? Otherwise, the only thing I can think of his the standard 'warp did it'.

[Kallidor]

Tried to use this character several times but never quite got his background right. I'm hoping this time I've got it sorted.

Name: Molovich Czernarvok, Inquisitor

History: Molovich was born on the Forge World Accatran, one of a hundred 'siblings' specially bred to join the ranks of the Skitarii. Following extensive tests Molovich was inducted as a Skitarius Irrumperii. Not widely known the Irrumperii are specialist infiltrators and investigators largely under the command of the Divisio Mandati and used as part of the vanguard forces which scour those worlds which draw the attention of the Divisio in order to gather intelligence to aid the Imperial authorities.

Operating aboard the Imperator Titan Sanctus Occisor Molovich worked closely with the Inquisitor Xiao Napthine. Naturally she formed a close bond with the Skitarius due to his specialist nature. Molovich was quickly able to learn from Napthine and with his genhancements, neuro-upgrades and modifications became a highly skilled operative which the Inquisitor used ruthlessly. In the end Molovich became far too valuable an asset to risk on infiltration missions and became a member of Napthine's staff on permanent secondment. Due to this the Adeptus Mechanicus made Molovich an adept of the Machine Cult to ensure that his loyalty was to them first.

Molovich worked with Napthine for over seventy years until the Inquisitor became too old to continue in her glorious role aboard Sanctus Occisor. Molovich was an Inquisitor already in all but name and under Napthine's direction it was to be only a matter of time before he was given his own seal. However the Adeptus Mechanicus had not forgotten him and he was recalled to Mars to take part in the Holy Mysteries of the Machine God. This also provided the ideal opportunity to completely download every single thought on coded engrams implanted at birth and which are usually used to assess the function of a unit after its termination.

Molovich spent the next twenty years on Mars in communion with the Omnisiah. In addition to all the previous upgrades he had received Molovich was given a unique suit of fright armour with the intention that he would return to the Inquisition, be granted his seal and thence forth always be a figure that would not only strike terror in the foes of man but ensure he was seen first and foremost as an adept of the Machine Cult.

Returning to the aged Napthine Molovich was finally made a full Inquisitor. He served for a time aboard the Sanctus Occisor before becoming embroiled in a Genestealer plot on Ictus. Molovich became a legend on that world when he fought atop the battlements of the palace of the Imperial Commander. As the xenos cult was slowly revealed and destroyed the bloated Patriarch dragged its bulk out of the labyrinthine sewer system in a desperate attempt to secure victory. As dozens perished to the abhorrent psychic might of the Patriarch Molovich stood alone. 
Wych fire boiled the flesh from his bones leaving only twitching augmetics and shorting cables and even then, forced down onto his knees before the Patriarch Molovich still lived. In a last act of defiance Molovich was heard to call upon the Emperor and the Omnisiah. No doubt Molovich thought it would be his last prayer but a malfunctioning rocket hit a two hundred metre high statue of the Emperor, breaking off his sword hand at the wrist and the stone blade fell from the heavens, destroying the Patriarch utterly and cleaving the armoured wall in two, leaving Molovich's battered body completely untouched.

Characteristics: Molovich is a bear of a man, standing nearly seven feet tall. His legs and arms are armoured bionics and his bear torso is criss-crossed with scars, many decades old. After his hear destruction on Ictus, Molovich required extensive grafts and his skin is deathly pale and translucent, veins pumping purplish blood and ribbed cables that force syrupy unguents through his augmetics clearly visible.

Molovich rarely uses his flesh-voice and as he has aged has come to reject his organic origins just as happens with all members of the Cult Mechanicus over time. He reserves his flesh voice as a rare honour for those closest to him and when he does speak his voice is a harsh whisper. Normally Molovich cants anything he has to say in binaric but for those who are unaugmented he uses a peculiar form of communication. Vat grown, just like himself, Molovich is able to jack directly via a cranial socket into a customised servant which he speaks through. At this time the servant appears as a young girl whose child-like voice is totally at odds with the hulking Molovich although why this servant appears as a child none can say.

From his left shoulder sprout a fan of blades, a stylised wing/cog to symbolise the union between the Mechanicus and the Imperium. His right shoulder incorporates a pauldron from which hangs a heavy crimson cloak, worked through with binaric prayers and adorned with feathers, scales, beads, ork teeth and other primitive decorations. Also from this shoulder Molovich has a servo arm which carries a masterpiece of las-weaponry. The heavy gun is devastatingly powerful yet can maintain a steady rate of fire and when not in use folds nearly behind Molovich, the long barrel of the weapon rising menacingly behind him. When not trudging relentlessly into battle using his las weapon Molovich wields a mighty power axe. The haft of the weapon is eight feet long and is carried like a battle standard by an even bigger Praetorian. The most obvious thing about Molovich is that he lacks a face. His mandible was replaced with a combat mechanism that allows him to bite through armour and bone. Purified by Molovich himself the jaw was taken from an Ork boss during one of the many campaigns between the forces of the Arch-Arsonist and Legio Destructor. The crude ork mechanism was highly modified to more represent the holy human form but it still retains several ork glyphs too rude to translate. From the nose up Molovich's head is an armoured cap, like a Merryweather helmet that conceals the eyes completely with the cockscomb brought down to form a wedge to deflect blows from the face and skull.

Associates: Molovich has numerous retainers, most of which are little more than servitors. The only non-augmented human to accompany Molovich is his Interrogator. Loathe to take on an apprentice of his own Molovich became obliged when an old comrade died. Arisha Dolan is a young woman with a promising career within the Inquisition. Unfortunately for Arisha she is almost phobic about bionics and is often utterly terrified of her master. A naturally distant sort Molovich also maintains a physical distance from those around him but seems to derive a sick pleasure from looming over Arisha who quails before him.

[Kaled]

I've been following this RP with interest as it ties into the Spring Conclave, and to get things going (and to help with the question of 'who is Lord Grolin?') I figured I'd share some information that will be in the player pack.

Lord Marcus Grolin's death was ostensibly due to natural causes, although there are some who believe they have evidence that he was murdered.  These rumours are being deliberately suppressed until they can be properly investigated so as to avoid throwing the Conclave into disarray - but there are stories of mysterious figures seen in the catacombs under the Inquisitorial fortress, a fortress guard who was found dead that night and that Grolin had taken a Rogue Trader as a lover and she left the system just before his death.  His personal navigator, Terah Nola sensed his passing and he was pronounced dead by his physician Doctor Godiva.  I see him as having served the Conclave for a long time, maybe rising to head of the Ordo Hereticus before becoming head of the Conclave.  As for his beliefs, I figure he was probably a Monodominant in his youth, but mellowed with age and became outwardly much more moderate.  As head of the Conclave, his main focus would be in ensuring that the Inquisitors in the sector work to combat the enemies of the Imperium rather than squabbling openly amongst themselves, and he'd use his considerable political power to keep them in line, while still allowing them freedom to persue their own investigations and beliefs.  Other than that, I have no real background to Grolin so feel free to make up whatever you want.

As for the succession - any Inquisitor has the right to put himself forward as a candidate; however in the past no Inquisitor Ordinary has risen to head the Carthaxian Conclave.  Then during the run up to the High Conclave called by Calleia at Tigguo Cobauc, the candidates must vie for nomination by attempting to gather as much support as possible from their peers and other influential figures within the sector before the final vote at the High Conclave.

Currently the following Inquisitors have put themselves forwards as candidates;

Lord Inquisitor Calleia – Calleia is acting head of the Carthaxian Conclave and the leader of the Helios Cabal, a body of Inquisitors dedicated to combating the threat of the deadly Graveel Hegemony.  Even though he has never chosen to join an Ordo, Calleia is well respected and his independence means there are many ready to support him should he be nominated to succeed Lord Grolin.

Inquisitor Lord Praetus – Lord Praetus has led the Ordo Hereticus in the Carthax Sector for over a century.  In the past he was seen as the frontrunner to succeed Lord Grolin; however he is becoming rather frail and it may be that he is physically not up to the demands of the role.  Despite this fact, there are still many within the Conclave who would back him.

Lady Inquisitrix Ingrid Zwolak – Lady Ingrid heads a cell of Amalathians operating in the Carthax Sector and is a leading candidate to succeed Lord Grolin.  Several months ago, dark rumours surfaced claiming Zwolak was being manipulated by dark forces.  A thorough investigation has cleared her of any taint and her popularity remains as strong as ever.  Should there be some dark secret in Zwolak's past, she may be the ideal candidate for someone willing to use blackmail to control the head of the Carthaxian Conclave.

Inquisitor Iacton Regis – Regis is well respected as a learned and scholarly Inquisitor.  He retired from the field three decades ago and is seldom seen outside the the Inquisitorial Library on Farness II.  Many feel that his centuries of service and well-rounded career would make him an ideal Inquisitor Lord.  For an Inquisitor Ordinary to be elected head of the Carthaxian Conclave is unheard of, however there are many who would be ready to support Regis.

Inquisitor Ze Thiago – Almost nothing is known of Inquisitor Thiago.  He announced his presence in the sector at the last meeting of the Conclave and since then has kept a low profile but rumours persist that he seeks the lordship.  Those who have met him appear to dislike him intensely and many rumours surround him.  Some claim that his secret is as simple as him being a Pariah, others that he is touched by the dark powers.  There have even been claims that he is an infil-traitor placed within the Conclave by powers unknown.  Despite all this, it is said that he not only desires the lordship, but that he has the support to claim it.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, players do not have to support someone from this shortlist, and it'd be really good if some players decided to put their own player characters or NPCs forward as candidates.  Also, during the course of the day players are likely to meet other NPC Inquisitors who they may wish to support.  In case you were wondering, some of the candidates have mysterious pasts with the intention that they can be used as plot hooks by players - so if someone turns up to the Spring Conclave with a Chaos warband (for example) they may want to write that Ze Thiago is in fact an agent of disorder who has infiltrated the Conclave.  The characters above have no background other than what is written here (although since I've made a model of Calleia, he may get more in future), so feel free to expand on what is written however you see fit.

Hopefully that'll be of some use to you...

- Dave