Custodes and their authority?

[Valkyrion]

I saw a youtube short of some Custodes telling some White Templars to leave a planet and nuke the site from orbit. Ultimately the White Templars agreed, but it raised a few questions about what authority Custodes have over space marines, and whether or not that authority also extends to the Inquisition chapters, or chapters that have their Primarch.

Also, if Custodes authority was challenged, would they resort to violence to resolve it and if so where would that leave the chapter with regards to being considered traitors?

 

Anything I can read that covers any such events?

 

Cheers!

[Karhedron]

Technically Space Marine Chapters are independent and answerable only to the Highlords. They accept petitions for aid from various arms of the Imperium as decided by their Chapter Master and Captains. Custodians certainly consider themselves superior to Marines but don't have any formal authority over them and don't "outrank" them. In the example above, If the White Templars had refused, there is not much the Custodians could have done short of attacking them.

 

By and large, different arms of the Imperium don't have authority over each other and chains of command rarely overlap. This was done by design after the Horus Heresy to prevent any one individual wielding enough power to threaten the whole Imperium. There are a few exceptions such Guilliman who has authority over all arms of the Imperium in his role as Regent. Inquisitors have authority to investigate and requisition anyone (in theory) and they are kept in balance by the suspicious natures of their fellow Inquisitors. An Inquisitor who starts amassing a private army large enough to conquer worlds would quickly draw the attention of other Inquisitors.

[Lathe Biosas]

This isn't correct:

38 minutes ago, Karhedron said:

Technically Space Marine Chapters are independent and answerable only to the Highlords. They accept petitions for aid from various arms of the Imperium as decided by their Chapter Master and Captains. Custodians certainly consider themselves superior to Marines but don't have any formal authority over them and don't "outrank" them. In the example above, If the White Templars had refused, there is not much the Custodians could have done short of attacking them.

 

By and large, different arms of the Imperium don't have authority over each other and chains of command rarely overlap. This was done by design after the Horus Heresy to prevent any one individual wielding enough power to threaten the whole Imperium. There are a few exceptions such Guilliman who has authority over all arms of the Imperium in his role as Regent. Inquisitors have authority to investigate and requisition anyone (in theory) and they are kept in balance by the suspicious natures of their fellow Inquisitors. An Inquisitor who starts amassing a private army large enough to conquer worlds would quickly draw the attention of other Inquisitors.

 

The Magisterium Lex Ultima: This legal decree legally dictates that Custodians speak directly with the voice of the Emperor. Because of this, no one... not the High Lords of Terra, the Inquisition, or Space Marine Primarchs can legally judge or overrule a Custodes, and attempting to gainsay them is legally treated as gainsaying the Emperor Himself.

 

This allows the Custodians to command anyone in the Imperium (when the Emperor is absent).

[Valkyrion]

Two conflicting answers in two posts - love it. 

 

So, @Lathe Biosas, would attacking custodes (or, being attacked by custodes and then defending oneself) be considered treason?

[Lathe Biosas]

26 minutes ago, Valkyrion said:

Two conflicting answers in two posts - love it. 

 

So, @Lathe Biosas, would attacking custodes (or, being attacked by custodes and then defending oneself) be considered treason?

 

Yes. You are not just a traitor to the Imperium, but you are attacking the personage of the Emperor.