"Ours is not an easy task. We gather those most important relics, those symbols of the culture of Mankind. We dare the darkness and travel across the stars clinging to rumour and legend as our guide."
- —Marcius Dans, Agent of Reliquary 26
Agents of Reliquary 26 sometimes accompany Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus as Acolytes to help them acquire or manage powerful Warp-based or other tchnologically-advanced artefacts and relics.
An Agent of Reliquary 26 is a highly-skilled Acolyte of the Ordo Malleus of the Inquisition in the Calixis Sector. They are tasked with recovering ancient relics and aretefacts for Reliquary 26 of the Grand Reliquarium, a vast storehouse of ancient technological and Warp-based relics and artefacts maintained by the Calixian Conclave of the Inquisition deep beneath its headquarters in the sector at the Tricorn Palace on Scintilla. Reliquary 26 is maintained by the division of the Grand Reliquarium known as the Scholariate at Arms.
Role[]
Entombed more than twenty-two hundred feet beneath the majestic Tricorn Palace, headquarters of the Inquisition in the Calixis Sector located on the Hive World of Scintilla, is the Grand Reliquarium, a series of vaults that are home to many artefacts and powerful relics of the sector. In these hallowed halls rest hundreds of items of power, from crafted trinkets of the Dark Age of Technology to the blessed weapons of venerable martyrs or even saints. Each of these countless vaults are heavily guarded, monitored, and tended to by the Custodiatrix, a small organisation of curator-assassins, each charged with the safety of the artefacts and assigned to oversee one of the vaults.
Reliquary 26 contains the relics of the division of the Grand Reliquarium known as the Scholariate at Arms. In addition to housing artefacts, Reliquary 26 also employs a great number of agents, men and women who scour the Calixian worlds in search of more items of renown to add to the vaunted collection. Whether through negotiations with powerful nobles or more violent means, the goal of these agents is a simple one: ensure the safety and survival of the greatest relics of Mankind's past.
To do so, they must first identify such items of power, decide whether or not the current ownership is valid, and reclaim the item in question, by force if necessary. Often, Agents of Reliquary 26 act alone or in pairs, though it is not uncommon for an entire cadre of mercenaries to be hired if an acquisition proves particularly difficult.
It is rumoured that the Scholariate at Arms once hired an entire house of assassins to reclaim a shoulder piece from the blessed armour of Saint Drusus, though such rumours have no solid evidence behind them. As one might expect, Agents of Reliquary 26 are very well outfitted. Although they are relatively unknown as an organisation, members often find themselves at odds with Calixian nobles, who value their possessions and do not wish to part with them simply because the Inquisition asks.
As a result, many agents have at least one or two enemies in the upper echelons of Imperial society. Though the agency occasionally attempts to reimburse the owners of the relics they acquire, often they have to pry relics from the lifeless fingers of some greedy soul.
Reliquary 26 works quite closely with the larger Ordo Malleus as well. Often, Inquisitors find themselves with items of interest left over from an investigation. In exchange for the safe return of any relics or artefacts found by an Inquisitor in the course of their duties, Reliquary 26 will sometimes loan out an item of great power. Inquisitors will often make use of an Agent of Reliquary 26 as a member of their Acolyte cells, trusting in their skills at handling and wielding ancient artefacts and relics.
An experienced Agent of Reliquary 26 is an indispensible resource to a cell of Acolytes. When dealing with nobility, or in areas where ancient (or even xenos) technology may be encountered, an Inquisitor may requisition an Agent of Reliquary 26. More rarely, an Inquisitor may have one of their trusted Acolytes trained by the Custodiatrix to serve them outside the vaults.
Sources[]
- Dark Heresy: Daemon Hunter (RPG), pg. 46