How are Inquisitors recruited/ trained?

[TURBULENCE]

So I've been planning and building a fun little Ordo Xenos task force when I get burnt out on my Death Guard. It's fun cause unlike my Death Guard, there's way more room to start writing some personal lore for the charts characters. The list is mostly guard stuff, representing my Inquisitor's personal storm trooper forces, but I'm taking three Inquisitors in a SC detachment. One is the Inquisitor herself, one represents a special weapons member of her honor guard (the rest are represented by Crusaders and an astropath) the third I was thinking of writing out as her apprentice. Which leads me to the the title question. Do they take apprentices? How exactly are they chosen and trained for their powerful role?

[Cpt_Reaper]

Going from Dark Heresy, to be chosen as an apprentice Inquisitor, or an Interrogator, the person is usually selected from the many acolytes under the command of the Inquisitor. They may or may not be psykers but must have to major ties to any particular faction that may cause a conflict of interest in their duties. So a tech priest is out but an Arbitrator might if they so choose to accept the promotion.

[Kinstryfe]

From what I've read over far too many years (and if my memory serves me), I believe most Inquisitors tend to be recruited and trained by other Inquisitors. In essence the Inquisition is a bunch of schools of philosophy fighting for power with each other as much as they fight their chosen enemies, rather than a central agency or school that handles everything for them (think Commissars). An Inquisitor's authority is absolute, but only so long as the forces necessary to enforce that authority agree, which is why so many Inquisitors travel with their own forces. Once an Acolyte has reached a stage where the Inquisitor thinks they are sufficiently trained, they can get their own sigil and split off on their own. And since Inquisitors depend on connections for much of their power, having many Inquisitors which you have trained in your own philosophy operating on their own is likely a good position for an Inquisitor to be in.

[Melete]

Yeah, it's an apprenticeship thing. Inquisitors take acolytes from Adepts and other Imperial citizens they encounter throughout their travels, and more senior acolytes who are "on the path" to becoming an inquisitor advance to the rank of Interrogator.  Senior members of the Inquisition - Inquisitor Lords and Conclaves of senior Inquisitors and Inquisitor Lords - can promote interrogators to full Inquisitor status following an Inquisitor's recommendation. But the Inquisition is generally quite independent so individual Inquisitors have a lot of authority as to who they recruit as acolytes, how the manage their acolytes, and who, if anyone, they train to one day assume Inquisitorial duties themselves.

 

So one Inquisitor could periodically examine the most promising graduates of the Schola Progenia for potential acolytes, another might simply draft especially competent individuals he encounters, and a third might have a huge staff of hundreds with dedicated recruiters and a strict training program.

[Lord_Caerolion]

Basically, it's down to the fact that on paper, the Inquisition has limitless power. In practice, they have as much power as others deign to recognise. An Inquisitor is made when their mentor Inquisitor deems them so, and declares them ready. In practice, yes, this means an Inquisitor could technically go to a Hive World, open a planet-wide broadcast, and say "congratulations, by the power invested in me by the Immortal God-Emperor of Mankind, you are all now Inquisitors! Go forth and purge!" In practice, any Inquisitor that does so would be countermanded by other Inquisitors, declared Excommunicate Traitoris, and their command essentially overturned.

 

As such, most new Inquisitors tend to go through extensive training under their mentor, most likely with oversight from other Inquisitors. As Kinstryfe mentioned, this means that most Inquisitors tend to have at least a few others that back their judgement. The Inquisition is basically just a massive networking exercise, depending on who knows or supports who, who has disagreements, etc. Even the Inquisitor Lords mentioned by Melete aren't really formal things, they're just Inquisitors that are relatively widely accepted as respectable and worth listening to, so get the (largely meaningless) title of Inquisitor Lord, although any other Inquisitor is within his rights to discount their words entirely.

 

Back to the question though, some Inquisitors take their recruits from the Schola Progenium, others have their own training academies, others might "deputise" other officials as part of their investigation (see Eisenhorn and his Arbites pal) and keep them around. It really depends on the individual. After all, they're Inquisitors. Who's going to tell them no? ...well, other than other Inquisitors, of course.

[Interrogator-Chaplain Ezra]

In theory, anyone can qualify. It very much depends on the Inquisitor doing the training, and the Inquisitors who confirm their charges as full Inquisitors. It gets mentioned here and there in the Eisenhorn books.

 

So, in theory, old Esme who runs the corner shop can become an Inquisitor. So can the young homeless dude sleeping under the benches in the park. More than likely, any Inquisitor in search of a trainee is going to look at members of their staff and retinue, from veterans to sanctioned psykers to assassins to former circus gymnasts to former LEOs.

[Lay]

"The Inquisitor is hardy and wise, having survived long enough to begin training likely prospects to follow in his footsteps. Typically having been active in the field for over a century, an Inquisitor only accepts trainee Inquisitors once he is certain he has mastered the skills of his calling. His charges hang on his every word, hoping that some day they will attain the status of their mentor. All aspiring Inquisitors must start at the lowly rank of Explicator, where they learn how to extract information using physical pain and the tools of the torturer – after all, they are not known as the Inquisition for nothing. Those few who survive to make the rank of Interrogator are both capable and strong, for only the most skilful survive the duty of accompanying their mentor on the field of battle."

 

- Codex: Witch Hunters (3E), pg. 6

[TURBULENCE]

Thank you everyone, this has all been great info, now I know that when I write up everyone's history I won't be doing terrible things to the fluff