It is said that the formation of the Inquisition was brought about by the direct order of the Emperor prior to Horus' assault on Terra. Malcador the Sigilite, the First Lord of Terra, summoned to him men of 'character, skill, and determination'. Never again would the Emperor be caught unaware or find himself lacking in the tools needed to deal with heresy, sedition, or corruption! Supposedly there even exists a written charter, penned by the Emperor (or Malcador, depending on who is telling the tale) setting the Inquisition apart from the rest of the Adeptus Terra, getting its power directly from the Emperor and reporting to him alone.

Whatever the truth might be, that is how the Inquisition operates. They consider themselves apart, and none save the Emperor are beyond their scrutiny. That said (the tales of the ancient charter aside) the Inquisition holds no formal power in the Imperium. None at all. For example, there are no laws of Terra that force the Adepta to comply with the orders of the Inquisition. Nor does the Inquisition receive any funding or formal support from Terra. That, however, does not mean that the Inquisition is without power – far from it...

Rather than lean on something as meaningless and limiting as laws and budgets, the Inquisition relies on 10.000 years of carefully crafted informal power. Ten millennia have been spent cultivating contacts and gathering resources. Ten millennia have been spent worming into every nook an cranny of Imperial society (and beyond). Ten millennial have been spent perpetuating a code of obedience – obedience through fear. Only the very powerful or very foolish have the nerve to stand up against an Inquisitor – either that, or they harbor dark secrets that need ferreting out...

The powers and resources of the Inquisition are without limit, but they are not inexhaustible. It has taken thousands of years and the diligent service of uncounted Inquisitors to create this power base, but to destroy it would take only centuries and a score foolish agents. Therefore the Inquisition moves in the shadows, preferring to work through agents and proxies rather than moving openly (there are of course exceptions to this rule, a flamboyant few who keep a high profile, but this too is to the Inquisition's advantage, drawing attention away from those who do the real work). And when chasing such elusive prey as heretics, witches and xenos it is best to keep to the shadows, lest the prey see you and flee righteous retribution.

The same goes for requesting assistance; the Inquisition can count on the support of the Adepta in all things, but if every Acolyte goes crying of aid at the first sign of trouble, what would that do to the Inquisition's power base over time? Navy cruisers requisitioned as personal transports, regiments of Guards reassigned at the first sign of trouble, entire Arbites precincts ordered to crack down on minor deviants? Only to find the enemy long gone? No, that would erode the fearsome reputation of the Inquisition! No, the Inquisition only calls upon the Adepta when it absolutely has to. The same goes for acting against the Adepta; it is only done when it has to be done, lest fear be replaced by resentment and hate – a subtle but important distinction.

Although there are always Inquisitors whose methods are blunt and destructive, the Inquisition is not a weapon of war in the sense of the Astartes, the Army, or the Navy. Yes, they hold the power of to destroy entire worlds by declaring Exterminatus, and sometimes that needs to be done, but the Inquisition is the light that finds the root of corruption and the scalpel that cuts it out, leaving the organism not only alive, but ignorant of the danger it was in. If force is to be applied against every little sin or at the first sign of taint, there would quickly be no human worlds left...