The Faculty
The Faculty is one of the three institutions that together comprise the Chain, and represents it intellectual centre of gravity.
Its purpose is neither simply to destroy nor merely to preserve, but to identify, recover, understand and maintain those objects, texts, technologies and entities whose existence presents an enduring threat to the Imperium of Man. Such things cannot always be destroyed. Many cannot safely be abandoned. Some, though terrible, may under carefully controlled circumstances prove indispensable in the Emperor’s service.
The duty of the Faculty is therefore absolute: Every recovered object must be identified. It must be retrieved without unnecessary exposure. It must be accessioned into the Chain’s archives, catalogued, studied, secured and preserved. Where necessity demands, and only under the strictest authority, it may be brought once more into service before being returned to its vault.
The Faculty exists so that dangerous knowledge is never forgotten, and dangerous power is never left unmanaged.
An Ancient Household
The Faculty is not a department or bureau but an enduring Inquisitorial household. At its head stands an Inquisitor Lord, invariably one of considerable seniority, surrounded by a permanent household whose membership evolves over centuries rather than decades. Interrogators rise to become Inquisitors. Acolytes become Interrogators. Specialists arrive from every branch of Imperial service. Others leave to found households of their own before, in time, returning to the Faculty’s orbit.
The institution itself has remained recognisably unchanged for millennia. Whether that history spans one, three or ten thousand years is a matter best left to its own archives. Its continuity lies not in the individuals who serve, but in the offices they inherit.
Within the Faculty serve scholars, interrogators, linguists, sanctioned psykers, savants, artificers and investigators, together with vast numbers of augmented servitors and bonded servants whose cognitive abilities range from little more than biological machinery to minds of startling sophistication.
The Faculty as it exists today was begun as a project in the 3rd Edition of Warhammer 40k – the Daemonhunters codex of 3rd edition provided a brilliant canvas and framework for storytelling, with quirky units, flexible composition, and deeply characterful fluff. I immediately built out a force based on a lightly converted terminator captain, some of the daemonhosts models, and some conversions and even models from the Warmachine range.
As an army they were a complete glass hammer – utterly devastating against some chaos forces, if used very carefully, and very luckily, but otherwise less of a speed bump and more of a bug smushed on the windscreen of my opponent.
One key aspect was their use of allies, so I jumped at the chance to mix and match my small IG force, and the beginnings of the Relictor-like force that became The Shard.
The household is personal, irregular and long-serving. Crusaders, death-cult assassins, acolytes and specialists gather around the office rather than a formal military establishment. Some are retained for decades; others survive only a single expedition.
Its household also includes a modest but exceptionally capable military arm. Veteran storm troopers protect its archives and accompany retrieval missions. Naval breachers undertake void insertions where conventional forces cannot operate. Navigators have, from time to time, entered its service, while persistent rumour maintains that more than one Rogue Trader has accepted the Faculty’s commission in preference to the freedom of their own Warrant.
The Faculty is capable of prosecuting war. It simply prefers not to.
Doctrine
The Inquisition contains innumerable philosophies: Some Inquisitors are remembered as Puritans. Others are condemned as Radicals. Between these poles lies an almost infinite landscape of competing doctrines, methods and compromises.
The Faculty occupies a place that is difficult to classify.
It is intellectually rigorous to the point of obsession. It is uncompromising in matters of evidence, record and procedure. Yet it has never embraced the simplistic certainty that every dangerous thing must immediately be destroyed. Some artefacts cannot be replicated. Some enemies cannot be understood without study.
Some victories require weapons that no sane commander would willingly wield.
The Faculty neither celebrates such necessities nor recoils from them. It simply records them.
The Emperor’s Necessary Heresy
To outsiders, the Faculty resembles a daemon-hunting organisation. This is not entirely inaccurate.
Yet daemonology is only one discipline amongst many. The Faculty concerns itself equally with xenos technologies, archaeotech, forbidden histories, proscribed sciences, impossible mathematics, warp phenomena and every other class of knowledge whose misuse might imperil humanity.
Its members understand a truth that many within the Imperium would rather ignore; that to defeat the darkness, one must first understand it. Understanding, however, must never become fascination.
That is the line the Faculty has walked for longer than living memory.
Current Office Holders
The Faculty is an enduring institution whose offices outlive the individuals who occupy them. The following are among those presently serving within its household.
Lord Inquisitor Arcturus Karghull
Master of the Faculty and guardian of its traditions. Exercises ultimate authority over accession, preservation and the sanctioned employment of proscribed artefacts. Maintains the constitutional relationship between the Faculty, the Shard and the Levy.
Based on the 90s era metal Terminator Captain, with weapons changed to be a close combat monster. In 3rd Ed the character was very capable especially facing daemonic opponents.
Inquisitor Scorscha
The senior field investigator responsible for leading most recovery missions, conducting high-risk enquiries, and preparing future Inquisitors for independent command. Frequently entrusted with the recovery of artefacts from active war zones. Driven and committed, scorscha has always inspired deep loyalty from her household, several of whom accompanied her into the Faculty.
One of several WarMachine minis that came out in the 90’s and I just had to add to the army. Very fiddly, but that hammer is lovely!
Interrogator Cyrce Kevorkian
Specialist in the examination, provenance and accession of recovered relics and overseer of Augmetics and Servitors in Household. On accession missions Cyrce specialises in giving stand-off support with long range firepower and arcane intelligence.
A Copplestone Future Wars mini with loads of character – years later I was delighted to see Katee Sackhoff’s Starbuck rocking a very similar look!
Martial Agent
Commands the Faculty’s military household during investigations and retrieval operations. Coordinates Storm Troopers, Naval Breachers and attached specialists while serving as the Lord Inquisitor’s battlefield bodyguard. Formerly a Breacher serving with Chief Morrow, she was promoted into the direct household after the almost complete loss of her squad.
Acolytes and Warriors
Accompanying Lord Arcturus, Scorscha, and Cyrce into combat are acolytes of the martial branch. Some of these are unique individuals: the Martial Agent herself was once a member of the Breachers attached to the Faculty, and the shield wielding armed retainers are loyal retainers of Inquisitor Scorscha from her earlier postings.
Deathworld Veteran
Close combat bodyguard for Inquisitor.
Once the sergeant of a Levy Platoon, he was sole survivor of the unit after a particularly challenging but successful accession. Goran suffered substancial wounds, both physical and psychic, but has returned to service a
One of the newer Imperial Agents models, initially release for Kill Team, this model and several others have been added to the Faculty recently, and fit right in.
Crusader
Close combat bodyguard for Inquisitor
A deeply commited militant member of the Inquisition, this crusader is like thousands of other on a penitent itinerary across the Imperium. For now his sword arm serves the Faculty – one day he may yet join as an Interrogator, or his quest may continue.
Shield Bearers
Close combat bodyguard for Inquisitor
Origin – Retainers from early posting of Inquisitor Scorscha
These were Valhallan Imperial Guard Sergeants, with a tiny bit of conversion – swapping their chain swords for shields. They go great with Scorscha’s look.
Combat Servitors
Close combat bodyguard for Inquisitor
Centuries old servitors – usually employed on maintenance duties supporting relic artifacts. Highly effective in combat.
Gun Servitors
Fire Support
Highly optimised servitors- two of them are only lightly augmented, and served in penal battalions. Some weaponry donated by The Shard.
In 3rd edition an inquisitor led unit could, with the right acolytes, have some very useful rerolls and other shooting skills. Cyrce led this unit with some servo skulls and psykers delivering a startlingly effective specialist firebase capable of ripping apart daemonic foes.
Deathcult Assassins
Roving independent combat operatives.
Only losely associated with the Faculty, the Deathcult provides between 2 and 4 assassins at any time. As psychically robust combat specialists they have proven to be indispensable, if somewhat esoteric.
Stormtroopers
Like many Inquisitorial Households, the Faculty Maintains several squads of specially trained Stormtroopers. Most are drawn from Levy troops, having proved themselves, and are trained at ‘The Anchorage’ in the specialist drills and doctrine of the Faculty. At one point the Levy included Kasrkin of Cadia – following the fall of Cadia, that units equipment and traditions became a standing part of the Faculties Stormtrooper establishment, and to this day Squad Alpha wear Kasrkin armour.
Lt Harrow is the current commander of the force, a dedicated professional, he leads his men with an enthusiasm that belies the profound weight of responsibility he bears.
