Space travel is certainly exotic and dangerous, but not to the extent that you've been led to believe in various heretical publications. If the interstellar ships are so rare and the trip so fraught with danger, it would mean that any interstellar commercial activity is impossible. How can you have entire worlds more or less dedicated to agriculture or mining if transporting their harvests is costly or dangerous? Indeed, if interstellar society is to function, travel between the stars (and by extent getting stuff into or down from orbit) must be cheap enough and safe enough to be commonplace.

The end result is that hauling cargo through space is much like hauling cargo across the oceans of the Earth today – slow, cumbersome, but cheap - and quite safe. Well, maybe not quite that safe; perhaps the ships that ply the void should rather be compared to the sailing ships of earlier ages, more at the mercy of the elements and with less ability to utilize such things as wireless communication and radar. So just picture that; enormous freight haulers carrying millions and millions of tons of cargo, slowly making their way through real space to reach their jump points (sailing within sight of land) and then making the transition into the immaterial ocean of the Immaterium (sailing on the high seas, out sight of land and dependent on currents and wind patterns).

We have then established that space travel for commercial gain is common enough and cheap enough to warrant not only the transportation of exotic and low-bulk commodities, but the wholesale transportation of bulk goods and even raw materials. That said; space travel is still only something most people only hear about. They do not travel unless they have a compelling reason to do so. Tourism is not really a factor, so unless they have reason to travel because of their work, the most compelling reason to go into space is to go on a pilgrimage. Indeed, the average hive-worlder never even sees the sky, let alone get onto a starship to travel to other worlds!

One final note; although it is rarely mentioned (probably because the Navigator Houses would rather keep feeding perception that they are needed) a starship can cross the Warp just fine without a navigator aboard. Well, maybe not 'fine', but it can be done. But such a ship is limited to short jumps (a handful of light years) and the chance of a mishap or getting thrown of course is somewhat higher. This is what a lot of local vessels have to make do with, as well as those of many lesser alien races – they don't have any navigators do they?

Green Knights Chapter Adeptus Astartes Battle Barge Glorious Retribution here seen in orbit over Protasia. Battle Barges such as this one are marvels of ancient technology. Also note the cavernous launch bays on either side of the vessel, ideal of launching squadrons of Thunderhawks and support craft. Smaller Astartes Strike Cruisers look like slender versions of the Battle Barges.

Just a word of caution; although I'll be integrating a lot of my own stuff into Calixis I also intend to use a variety of published adventures and background info. So for your own enjoyment don't read the published adventures and don't delve into Disciples of the Dark Gods as it gives away too much detail regarding several of the major heresies in Calixis Sector. Come to think of it; ignorance is the best defense against the unknown!

After player characters have been generated and a short description of appearance and personality (some input here is required, more detail can be added later, but the GM needs to know something of the PCs basic personality traits and motivations) the GM will generate an appropriate background description. Players are free to offer up some input, but the ultimate decision as to where and how they spent their pre-Inquisition lives rest with the almighty GM (he already has some cruel ideas worked out).

Additional detail will be give as to how and when the PCs came to the attention of the Inquisition and how they were recruited into Tancred's Cadre. More on that later, for now it is sufficient to know that all players will have had a personal (but not necessarily pleasant) encounter with Interrogator Xerza that led to their recruitment. Pending, of course, approval by Tancred himself, which involved an excruciating mind-scan. And before that a period that has left only hazy memories of endless interrogations, testing, and seemingly meaningless psycho-mental training.

The PCs will also have seen field service together once (on both counts). More detail will be provided on this later, but it will be a narrative based upon the Free Demo Adventure 'Shattered Hope'. The PCs, embarked on a starship with Xerza and a few others are en-route to Scintilla when they are diverted to the frozen hell-hole called Sepheris Secundus, where something dark and foul is stirring in the deep mines. We won't actually play the adventure as such, but rather use it as a way of describing how the PCs came to be blooded together. Oh, maybe you'll be allowed to offer some input along the way, which could help out your character – or not. If you're lucky you might get some additional XP, gear and/or NPC contacts.

Beyond that the PCs are very junior agents of the Inquisition, recently recruited and accepted, and although they have had one impromptu field assignment they are as green as they come! Each one has been sent separately with cover identities from Hive Tarsus and the Haegum to the capital Hive Sibellus in the north, where months have passed without word from their new masters. Have they perhaps been forgotten, a clerical error ending their careers before they could even begin? Only time will tell...

Anyway, the goal here is to have the characters ready to start play once we're ready to roll beyond just having some stats on a problem; that is is many way the least important part). IMO it helps a lot if the PCS already know each other, know of at least some NPCs, and generally be somewhat integrated into the setting. If you'd rather start from scratch, i.e. meeting the Inquisition for the first time I'm willing to discuss such an approach. Also, since you're so green your PC might not know everything that is presented in this blog; some of that knowledge might come only later. I have provided it because I've found that having MORE info is generally better, since it makes it easier for players to envision the world – things hidden in my mind alone does no-one any good. So keep that in mind.

Ah yes, one final thing. PCs are supposed to be men of character, skill, and determination. They need not love the Inquisition, may even hate it for all I know, but they all bring special skills to the table and are all motivated to work for the Inquisition. So maybe you're a witch and was forced to choose between the Inquisition and the Black Ships (tough choice that one ;-), but since then you've come to grudgingly accept the work that you do. Something like that. So no starting heretics...

The creature commonly referred to as the Quartermaster, the Quartermaster-General or sometimes just the General, is a hulking brute of a man that spends most of his time in the darkness beyond the adamantine portal that leads into the Sphere. His area of responsibility includes all things related to the supply and maintenance of the Haegum's assets. If Acolytes are in need of equipment or other material resources (save money, which is handled by the Master Exchequer) they must deal with the General; exotic or extensive requests will earn his ire, and so will failing to return specialist items.

To aid him Obsirius has a cadre of servitors of various types to carry out his wishes, and it is these creatures the Acolytes must normally deal with – the Quartermaster rarely shows himself or allow anyone into his presence. When Obsirius does appear in public he always keeps his massive frame shrouded by a heavy hooded cloak inscribed with many dire runes of archaic significance, much like those displayed by the Adeptus Mechanicus. Rumor has it that he really is one such adept, heavily augmented so that his body is no longer fully human. Others will tell you that he's most likely a low-level mutant of some kind, perhaps even an Ogryn (that either is unnaturally intelligent for his kind or has had mental augmentation work done).

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...

Hives, or Hive Cities, are a common sight throughout the galaxy. Their populations range from a few hundred million and into the billions - there are Hive Cities, particularly in Segmentum Solar, that have populations of tens of billions of people, perhaps even more than that (it is fiendishly difficultly to make an accurate census). And that is for just one city – some planets have numerous Hives of various sizes, for a total population that starts to exceed the imagination.

Image from unknown low pop-density Hive City

To those that have lived in a Hive, or even just visited one, it can be difficult to understand why man would want to crowd together like that. Well, man doesn't really want as much as he is governed by what he must do. Hives are just about the only practical way of harnessing a population of such staggering sizes. Hives are, in short, the most economical way of keeping people alive and productive. The amount of energy, food, water, transportation, sanitation etc. needed per capita is vastly lower in a Hive City than in any other form of human settlement.

Hives are also very easily defended. Massive armored shells or barrier walls are the norm, with endless defensive weapons emplacements scattered across the perimeters. The Hive itself, with its labyrinthine structure and endless supply of manpower is also a great defensive asset; taking a Hive by force requires an expenditure of military assets that would baffle even the most hardened commander.

The compact nature of the Hive also means its 'small' enough in terms of a space/energy ratio to be effectively shielded. Although big Hives can cover thousands of square miles, this is nothing compared to the area covered by an entire planet. Although there are tales of entire planets shielded by forbidden machines from the Dark Age of Technology, such feats are beyond the limits of current Imperial engineering. But Hives can be shielded and frequently are; an unshielded Hive is nothing but a death trap waiting for the enemy to unleash high-yield strategic weapons.

Hives can also protect against a hostile environment. Some Hives are located on barely-habitable worlds, and only the life-support systems of the Hive keep its occupants alive. Other Hives are located on worlds thoroughly raped by man for millennia; these places may have been garden worlds once, but thousands of generations of mining and industrial activity have rendered them barren or inhospitable.

Which brings us over to an oft-overlooked aspect of Hives; many are largely self-sufficient. Despite horror-stories about starving Hives isolated by Warp-storms, many Hives can manage quite well on their own, at least for a time. Take food production for example; although most Hives import vast quantities of food from off-planet, this is often low-bulk or luxury goods. The majority of food production takes place in the Hives soaring hydroponic spires or in deep faux-flesh vats. Water is extracted using a variety of methods, and everything is thoroughly recycled. Many Hives sit atop mineral-rich areas, and mines have been sunk deep into the planetary crust. The same goes for energy and waste; energy is oft geothermal or created by huge fusion plants, while waste that cannot be reclaimed are stored deep below ground or even hurled into the planetary core. Of course, being self-sufficient doesn't make the Hive's rulers rich, so a Hive will always be linked in terms of industry and commerce to other Hives and worlds. But an isolated Hive won't simply die overnight either.

Hive also offer a way of keeping the population under control. So the Hive keeps people in, just as much as it keeps enemies out. And while it is indeed impossible to monitor or police the teeming masses, it is still infinitely easier and most importantly much cheaper, than had the population been scattered across an entire planet!

Hives then, are the Imperium's way of keeping its teeming billions alive, productive, protected, and under control. No more, no less. And as there are no other viable alternatives things are not likely to ever change. Hives exist in Calixis, but only the Hives of Malfi (and possibly the two major Hives of Scintilla) are big enough to be worthy of comparison to the Hives of Segmentum Solar...and even they fare poorly, being small and unimportant in against a galactic backdrop. Nevertheless, the Hives of Calixis will play an important part in the upcoming campaign...

Tancred has greater resources than the average Inquisitor - he has, after all, been active in Calixis Sector for quite some time now. He has contacts and informants scattered across Calixis - even beyond its borders according to some rumors – and heads a large network of Acolytes and Adepts (of which Xerza is the most senior).

Since Inquisitors like Tancred, who opt to exist outside the mainstream Conclaves, have no resources beyond those that they can themselves procure, Tancred also has quite a few business interests that generate both revenue and influence. This business conglomerate is run from the Haegum - or more spcifially by the many businesses that act as a front for the Haegum.

It is Xerza that oversees his estates and business affairs, as well as his various Adepts, Acolytes and contact-informants. Indeed, to the rest of the organization she is the de-facto Inquisitor. She even carries Tancred's Inquisitorial Seal, the very symbol of his power and authority. Xerza also sits in his place in the Conclave, which is somewhat controversial, but not altogether unheard of since some Inquisitors are either unable or unwilling to appear in person.

The exact extent of Tancred's operations is known only to Xerza, but they are believed to be quite extensive. Below Xerza are a number of lesser Interrogators that serve as field-team leaders or hold important staff positions. Proven Acolytes are know as Explicators and are given more freedom in how they conduct themselves and are also more likely to be given specialized equipment, and access to restricted information. Explicators either work in teams with more junior Acolytes or form all-veteran squads for especially sensitive or dangerous missions.

Parts of the cadre spend their entire careers on distant worlds, never setting foot in the Haegum – Tancred's headquarters in Hive Tarsus – or even hearing of its existence. Other Acolytes visit only rarely, perhaps a few times, a dozen at the utmost, throughout their entire Inquisitorial career. To others, however, the Haegum is both headquarters and home – a place where they spend not only duty hours, but most of their free time as well.

Inquisitor Tancred is a very reclusive individual; only communicating with the world indirectly through his prodigal-proxy, Interrogator Senioris Xerza. He has, on occasions, spoken directly to his Acolytes, though never in person – instead he speaks through Xerza, using her mouth to voice his words. This is very rare, however, reserved only of special occasions.

Tancred is very, very old. He arrived in Calixis Sector almost two centuries ago, but is known to have been active in Segmentum Tempestus before that (for how long is not know to the members of the Calixian Enclave – whatever records exist are safely locked away in the archives of the Tempestus Ordos).

Extreme age has sapped away most of his physical strength, but left his mind clear and strong. He is not really mobile as such, being completely tied to his Mechanicus life-support capsule. The exact location of his capsule is known only to Xerza, but its quite likely located somewhere on Scintilla.

Tancred is a very potent and subtle psyker; he was once classified as a Delta Grade, but that was many years ago. He is now a potent and experienced Alpha Grade. Indeed, he is something of an exception to the norm, for there are very few low-grade psykers who are able to hone their mediocre skills to such a degree as Tancred has. His talents run towards teleempathy (including the ability to create the focus for a 'gestalt' with other willing teleempaths) and teleprescience (Tancred spends much of his time seeking portents and omens, shifting through and endless amount of meaningless gibberish to find hidden truths).

Tancred is a Puritan/Thorian, but with extensive Radical/Polypsykana contacts. He would never condone something as vulgar as trying to effect the rebirth of the Emperor – that would be interfering with His Divine Plan. But Tancred believes both that He works through mortal agents and that He will eventually return to lead his people once more.

Interrogator Senioris Xerza is Inquisitor Tancred's aide and proxy; and the only person known to regularily see the Inquisitor in person. By rights she should have been promoted to Inquisitor many years ago, but for her own reasons she would rather continue to work under Tancred.

Her background is not well known to the Acolytes, not because its all that secret, but rather because it is ancient history now. What is know is that she once worked as a gunship pilot for the Scintilla branch of the Adeptus Arbites. She still has uncanny piloting skills, possibly a spin-off effect of her telekinetic abilities – she has an intuitive understanding of forces, vectors, and speeds.

At some point during her service her psychic abilities were discovered, but she  apparently ended up in Tancred's retinue instead of being hauled away by the Black Ships. She is most assuredly a psyker, but not a Psykana-sanctioned one. Instead she became  Tancred's protege and received her training directly from him. Not entirely unknown within the Inquisition, but not strictly Puritan either.

Xerza is a mature woman of indeterminable age. The fine lines that grace her beautifully chiseled face suggests a woman in her early forties, but in the  distant dark future looks can be deceiving. Most likely her real age is in excess of one century, but access to rejuvenation treatments and advanced medical care has slowed the inevitable ravages of time. Her hard dark eyes can sometimes give a clue as to the real age and experience of the soul that looks out of them – but then again there are few who can muster enough willpower to look her in the eye for long.

Interrogator Xerza is a very tall woman, standing in excess of 1.8 meters tall, that somehow manages to combine a slender frame with hard muscle and ample feminine curves. It is likely that her body is a product of good genes, lifetimes of grueling physical conditioning, and the best body-sculpt money can by.

She keeps her luxurious dark locks long, always finding yet more ways to artfully arrange it in both ways both practical and esthetic. When it comes to clothing, jewelry and makeup she also seems to have an inexhaustible supply of new looks, each one perfectly tailored to the situation.

Xerza is, like her master Tancred, a powerful psyker, a rare Beta Grade with extensive experience to back up her raw power potential. In addition to her uncannily accurate teleemphatic skills she is also a strong telekine – a psyker with the ability to manipulate physical objects with but a thought.

When in combat she wields her kineblade with deadly precision, using her psychic powers to augment the speed and power of her weapon and to ward off her assailants' blows. If aware of the danger Xerza can even protect herself from enemy bullets, or turn them back on her attackers.

On those occasions when she goes into the field she prefers to wear a armored black body-suit, much like those used by the Adeptus Arbites, except that hers has been tailor-made to accommodate a range of unusual equipment and athletic combat moves. Various straps and buckles have artfully crafted from psi-reactive materials to allow Xerza to more effectively use her own telekinetic powers upon the suit; she can make truly amazing leaps with little effort, even a sort of limited flight is possible is she puts her will to it.

Xerza shares many of Tancred's traits and ideologies, but they disagree over one fundamental item – Xerza does not believe in the reincarnation of the Emperor. To her he is the Immortal God-Emperor who has sacrificed himself to protect and defend the race of man. Nothing more, nothing less. If ever he can lay down his burden it will be because humanity has evolved and grown strong enough to protect itself from the both the enemy within, xenos aggression, and the horrors of the Warp.

Hi,

This blog is intended for the development of the upcoming Dark Heresy campaign. The campaign will be set in the Calixis Sector (the standard locale from the DH books).

To be continued...