Amalathian

"Who are you to second-guess the will of the Emperor? His plans are for him and him alone to know. It is enough for us to know that his grand designs for the galaxy unfold as he has foreseen, and the colossal arrogance displayed by those who claim to act in his name is both dangerous and tantamount to heresy."

- Inquisitor Barzano

The Amalathians believe that the Emperor’s will is unfolding constantly across the Imperium and that He has a plan known only to Him. A strict Puritan faction, they believe in maintaining the laws and governance of the Imperium above all considerations, convinced that in keeping the status quo they are in fact fulfilling the Emperor’s great vision for His domain. They are also counted among the oldest of the factions, their tenets first being laid down millennia ago on the sacred slopes of Mount Amalath -- from which they take their name. The Amalathians enjoy close ties with many Imperial organisations, providing assistance, overt and otherwise, in order to maintain their control. Thus they ensure a balance within the power of the Adeptus and in the operational fabric of the Imperium.

Throughout the Imperium, the Amalathians seek to calm volatile situations and prevent rapid change, should change even be necessary at all. They claim events are unfolding as the Emperor has foreseen and to force change in his name is a supreme arrogance. Who can truly claim to know the will of the Emperor? It is their sacred duty to protect the Imperium from those who seek to plunge it into anarchy, and to allow the Emperor’s sacred plan to unfold at its ordained time. To achieve their goals, the Amalathians must often work closely with agents from other organisations, and its members often have good relations with bodies such as the Adeptus Arbites, Orders Famulous, and the Space Marines.

Many vocal proponents of change within the Imperium accuse the Amalathians of burying their heads in the sand, trusting events to unfold as fate dictates rather than taking a proactive stance in the defence of the Imperium. However, the Amalathians know that the Emperor is infallible and to second guess his divine plan for Humanity is to know the will of a god. And what mortal would dare claim such knowledge? Amalathians are men and women who pride themselves on being level-headed, and they often gather cadres of likeminded companions. They value the learned wisdom of the Sage as much as the tactical advice of a veteran of the Imperial Guard, and listen to each before deciding upon a course of action.

History
For those who noted their coming, the first days of the 41st Millennium were days of optimism and promise, a time of great spiritual and physical rebuilding. It was decreed that there would be a conclave held at Mount Amalath on the world of Gathalamor, where military, religious, and political dignitaries would gather to once again swear their oaths of loyalty to the Emperor. It is said that eight hundred Chapter Masters of the Adeptus Astartes journeyed from the far corners of the galaxy to join in this renewal of faith. After swearing his oath of loyalty, Lord Solar Macharius took it upon himself to launch the Macharian Crusade in the Emperor’s name, leading his forces into the galactic west and beginning the campaign that saw over a thousand worlds claimed for the Master of Mankind.

Within the ranks of the Inquisition there was a growing feeling that events were once again proceeding to the Emperor’s plans, and that the pervading sense of doom that had spread through the Imperium during the Plague of Unbelief and the Reign of Blood was finally over. Many Inquisitors were swayed by the numerous impassioned speakers on Gathalamor, and vowed that none should threaten the strength which the Imperium was slowly regaining. This body of Inquisitors became known as Amalathians and decreed that they would forever strive to maintain order and destroy and those who would seek to destabilise the Imperium. Less concerned with the traditional heresies of witchcraft and mutation, except where they were being manipulated by their enemies, the Puritan Amalathians sought to keep infighting and politicking within Imperial organisations to a minimum, holding to the Inquisition’s original mantra of strength through unity.

The Amalathian Doctrine
The Amalathian viewpoint is one of the widest held and best accepted of the diverse dogmas and ideologies to be found present within the Holy Ordos of the Inquisition, and its adherents found across all the differing Ordos. The fundamental position of the Amalathian doctrine is that the Imperium as it stands is valid, divinely ordained, and worth fighting for. Amalathian Inquisitors therefore strive to maintain the current balance of power and the structure of the Imperium’s military, church, and state. Change other than the slow glacial pace of history is for them an anathema and revolution an unthinkable blasphemy against the divine order. This doctrine leads Amalathian Inquisitors in scouring out and destroying any individual or agency that might destabilise or damage the greater Imperium both from without and within its domain. As a result, Amalathian Inquisitors often rank the crimes of bodily and spiritual corruption, witchery, and personal heresy as being of a lower priority for their attentions than wider threats against the status quo or ones that endanger or corrupt the standing institutions of the Imperium either on a local or interstellar level.

One marked characteristic of those that follow the Amalathian doctrine is their tendency to operate ‘within the system’ and display a tolerant conservatism to the rights and domains of the Imperium’s various arms of governance and authority (where they have not become corrupt or overstepped their bounds). This approach commonly sees them working successfully in close co-operation with the Adeptus Arbites, the Ministorum, and local authorities such as the Imperial Governors and planetary law enforcement. They also maintain good relations with notoriously independent powers such as the Cult Mechanicus and the Navis Nobilite.

Compared to all the ideologies prevalent within the Inquisition, Amalathism has remained one of the most stable, and perhaps the one closest to the founding conception of the Inquisition; the Imperium should find strength through unity, and unity through strength. Although over the years there have been self-professed Amalathians who have strayed far from the path into radicalism of their own accord, or have in the judgement of their peers ‘gone too far,’ they have been few true splinter doctrines from the Amalathian root. Radicals tend to react against this conservative and puritan creed rather than adopt it. As such, the development of Librcaranism amounts to a disturbing and unexpected development in the eyes of many. Most Amalathians would prefer to see this cancer cut from the body of the Inquisition.

Amalathian Domains
All of the major worlds within the Calixis Sector lie beneath the influence of the Amalathians. From the hives of Scintilla to the mines of Sepheris Secundus and beyond, their watchful eyes monitor the actions of the Emperor’s countless organisations. Only as the light of the Emperor become faint and the grasp of the Imperium weakens does their power fade. Towards the rim, among the Halo Stars, and deep within the empty reaches of the sector, there is little evidence of the Amalathians and their work. After all, it is the Imperium and its workings that are their chief concern -- “better to have power over the people than the stars,” as some would say.

Amalathian Operations
Amalathians have a direct hand in the daily operation of several of the Calixis Sector’s key Imperial organisations. Certainly, many of the most powerful military leaders have their operations in part directed by the faction. Whether they know it or not, both the Imperial Navy and the Imperial Guard have (numerous times) been redirected to further the ends of the Amalathians. Such shifts in manpower and vessels are sometimes so subtle as to have gone unnoticed, and certainly being told what to do is pretty much the norm for those within the military.

Within the Adeptus Arbites, however, members of the faction take a far more direct and visible hand. Acting as advisors, they work to ensure the Emperor’s laws are being enforced and guide the Imperium’s lawmen towards areas most in need of their firm hand. This work is very important to the Amalathians, as many of the faction’s Inquisitors have an almost pathological belief in the rule of law. This conviction could be attributed to the fact that many of them believe that Imperial law is synonymous with the word of the Emperor Himself.

Amalathian Inquisitors
Thor-Malken is an old and grizzled Amalathian with an unhealthy obsession with the law and its enforcement. Once a High Marshal, he traded his Arbites’ badge for a rosette. However, he still sees himself as a lawman --only now he has the power to truly pass judgement as he sees fit. Thor-Malken is also well known within the Conclave for his unflinching adherence to doctrine and protocol, once executing his own cadre of acolytes for following an illegal order and officially reprimanding himself for issuing it. He has a distaste for interrogation, which he views as wasteful and time consuming. He prefers to make snap judgements about people and then treat them accordingly. Unsurprisingly, many other Inquisitors find his company uncomfortable, and those that have had to work with him seldom do so again.

Worlds apart from Thor-Malken is Lady Purusha. While still a devoted and loyal member of the faction, she works to maintain the stability of the Imperium through the use of subtle influence, pulling strings covertly in order to enact her will. Still young enough to feel a connection to the mass of humanity she is sworn to protect, she often poses as a skilful and intelligent adept or advisor. She prefers to work her way into the courts of planetary governors and the noble elite or act as an adjutant to military commanders. Once Purusha is well ensconced in such a place, she then works to set up a firm network of informers and confidants, ensuring that when she moves on she leaves a legacy of control in her wake. Over time, she hopes to create a web of suggestion and influence that she can use like the reins on a beast of burden to move government policy where she pleases.

Notable Amalathians

 * Fyodor Karamazov - Karamazov has travelled across the Imperium atop his Throne of Judgement, a walking mechanical cathedral containing servitors to record sessions as well as carry out the invariable sentence of guilt upon all he judges. While others might act in secret, he instead often leads entire armies to descend upon worlds he finds wavering from the grand destiny the Emperor set forth. For this Inquisitor, there is no defence or mercy in his court; even the innocent are guilty of wasting his valuable time and are set aflame with the many witches and traitors he always discovers.
 * Globus Vaarak - Severely wounded as an Interrogator while boarding a pirate ship, Vaarak’s body is broken, scarred and bloated. Both his legs were amputated and he moves by means of a robust mechanical vehicle with mechanical legs and an inbuilt life-support system. His face is horribly burned and pockmarked, with tubes running from his nostrils and mouth to help him breathe. One arm was also lost and has been replaced with an obvious bionic limb. Vaarak’s clothing is a ribbed black bodyglove that barely holds in his enormous girth and which incorporates cooling and regulating devices to keep him alive. Vaarak is an Amalathian who believes that the Imperium, as grim a place as it is, must survive in its current state if the human race is to continue existing. He therefore seeks out sedition and rebellion in the Calixis Sector, trying to maintain the careful balance of its power groups. Given that he cannot operate in the guise of a normal citizen or adept, Vaarak must conduct most investigations through his acolytes, of whom he has several teams. His methods are subtle and moderate compared to some of the cabal’s other Inquisitors, for he would prefer that the Inquisition’s hand was not obvious, and encourages his acolytes to avoid open conflict and violence as much as possible. Vaarak has a bleak and self-deprecating sense of humour and is an excellent judge of character. Many of the conclave’s next generation of Inquisitors will come from among Vaarak’s Interrogators if he remains in favour.
 * Glavius Wroth - Glavius Wroth is a staunch Amalathian, an outspoken champion of order and unity in the face of the manifold threats that the Imperium faces. Unaligned to a specific Ordo, Wroth is a powerful and experienced operator within the Ordos Calixis, well-connected to the pillars of Imperial order across the sector. However, he has arguably as many enemies as he has allies within the Holy Ordos and must maintain a careful balance in order to survive -- chiefly through knowing far too many secrets to easily move against. Wroth is a tough and robust figure with a subtle mind and a blunt tongue. His bearing and manner give the impression of a no-nonsense Arbites Investigator, and this bluff exterior conceals much of his true depth and intellect. Little is known of Wroth’s distant past or apprenticeship within the Inquisition, a state that he undoubtedly deliberately maintains, but his present reputation rests in no small part on the excoriation and execution for heresy of his fellow Inquisitor Eustis Ionfell and his network.