Greyspell Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Hi there, Long time lurker, first time poster. I have been working on an Adeptus Mechanicus force and had a question about the internal security/secret police/inquisition of the AdMech. On my journey through the depths of AdMech lore I have identified 2 groups which either appear or claim to fill this role. The Prefecture Magisterium - Doctrinal covenant of the Machine Cult charged with preserving dogma and the persecution of techno-heresy. Magisterium Cohorts and hunter-killer claves are maintained on all Forge Worlds under the authority of the Archmagos Intendant. Collegiate Extremis - This is the judicial branch of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It is similar to the Adeptus Arbites in function: traitors to the Omnissiah are prosecuted and their crimes analysed. At its head is the Lords Dragon, an ancient cabal orchestrating the Collegiate, perhaps of Archmagi Veneratus of whatever divisiones of the Mechanicus serve in the Collegiate. The main leaders of the Collegiate Extremis would, in theory, be on Mars, and each Forge World would have a Lord Dragon of its own to command the local members of the collegiate, but this is based on circumstantial evidence. The Collegiate's will is enforced on Forge Worlds by attached Skitarii Provosts, as they are known, and the Magos Juris carry out their will across the galaxy. In many ways the Collegiate Extremis serves as the Mechanicus' own internal variant of the Imperial Inquisition. So, I have a few questions. Which of the two above groups truly fill the role of "AdMech Inquisition"? How do they tie in with one another? What is their exact connection with the Lords Dragon? My current assumption is that the Prefecture Magisterium fills the role of "standard police force" on Forge Worlds and the Collegiate Extremis is the true AdMech Inquisition. Please note that I am aware the actual Imperial Inquisition operates their own Ordo Mechanus to monitor the AdMech, this group is not involved with my query. Any clarification would be much appreciated, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucien Eilam Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 None of them are really the "Adeptus Mechanicus Inquisition". The Inquisition is a very specific thing, which has authority over the Adeptus Mechanicus just like any other Imperial institution. I don't think any of them is really a police force either. The description of the Collegiate Extremis you have there was originally fan fiction from a small Adeptus Mechanicus forum. I'm guessing you got it from the 40k wikia? I don't think it has much basis in official publications. The term was mentioned in the 3rd edition Necron codex in an intercepted message transcript of a Tech-Adept being interrogated for tech-heresy by unknown members of the Cult Mechanicus. He "[demands] immediate representation before the collegiate extremis". The phrase wasn't even capitalised. From context they're apparently in some sort of position to judge people, but "collegiate" suggests to me something more like an academic board of governance than a police force or inquisition. The Lords Dragon are a near-mythical organisation mentioned in the 40k RPG books, a secret cabal of Tech-Priests specific to the Lathe worlds of the Calixis sector. As far as I'm aware, they're never been mentioned in connection with the Collegiate Extremis in any official publication - that link comes from the fan fiction mentioned above. If they exist at all, they're more like an unofficial secret society who've taken it upon themselves to judge their peers than a police force. They're probably the closest thing to the Inquisition in terms of behaviour though - secretive and operating via agents. The Prefecture Magisterium is from a chart in The Horus Heresy: Extermination. It's a military organisation, not a police force. From the description, they seem to be responsible for securing relics and purging tech-heresy in warzones before anyone else is exposed to it. Sort of like the Word Bearers Ashen Circle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleSymphony Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 I wish I could give you answers, but wanted to query a couple of points. The Prefecture Magisterium seems to also pre-HH, so may not exist after the Martian Civil War. I was under the impression that the majority of forge worlds were maintained and policed by the Skitarii belonging to that worlds Arch-Magos, and would be named according to their wishes. And could the two theological side lead to multiple 'police' forces? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyspell Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 Thank you both for your input. I did indeed acquire my definitions from a wiki - not the most reliable source I know! To summarize: The prefecture magisterium are pre-HH and may no longer exist. If they do it is not in a capacity related to inquisition style operations. The collegiate extermis is almost entirely fan fiction. The Lords Dragon are the closest thing to an AdMech insquisition. The Inquisition is a very specific thing, which has authority over the Adeptus Mechanicus just like any other Imperial institution. Is the Adeptus Mechanicus considered to be under the direct authority on the inquisition? I was under the impression that the AdMech was autonomous and exempt from inquisitorial rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucien Eilam Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Nobody is exempt from Inquisitorial oversight, not even the High Lords of Terra. That's the whole point. Exercising that authority is another matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommodusXIII Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Thank you both for your input. I did indeed acquire my definitions from a wiki - not the most reliable source I know! To summarize: The prefecture magisterium are pre-HH and may no longer exist. If they do it is not in a capacity related to inquisition style operations. The collegiate extermis is almost entirely fan fiction. The Lords Dragon are the closest thing to an AdMech insquisition. Also, 4. The Lords Dragon/Ordo Juris are an artifact of Fantasy Flight Games' roleplaying series and may not be strictly 'canon' as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jareddm Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 It is canon in that it applies to the Calixus Sector, to this particular trio of Forge Worlds, and gives precedence for such an organization existing on other Forge Worlds, simply operating under a different name with different methods and different organizational parameters. The existence of redundant institutions is a feature of 40k, not a sign of conflicting canon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommodusXIII Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 By 'may not be strictly canon' I mean that it's the result of a third party. A licensed third party, sure, but there have been canon conflicts with licensed projects in the past. So I automatically put it on a slightly-lower tier. I'm not telling anyone to ignore it, just not to trust it implicitly as gospel truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminus Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Ordo Machinum oversees the Mechanicum. All that stuff above is fanwank or tertiary sources at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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