The Inquisitorial Rosette of the Imperial Inquisition.
The Casophilians, named after the spiritual experience of the Imperial Saint Casophili, are a Radical sub-faction of the Thorian sect of the Inquisition who dedicate their studies to the process by which the Human soul transitions from realspace to the Warp after death. The Casophilians know that Daemonic entities can pass through the barriers between the Warp and the mortal universe. This makes them profound experts in the arts of Daemonology with a special regard for ritual summoning rather than incidental or malicious possession.
The Casophilians hope to find the means to bring back a deceased man or woman's soul to realspace. If these actions are successful, then it would be the first step in bringing the soul of the Emperor back into realspace in a suitable mortal form.
History[]
The teachings of the missionary Saint Casophili involved the spread of the word of the Imperial Creed to the worlds in the southern regions of the Segmentum Pacificus. On the Feral World of Alena III, the mission encountered minions of the Chaos Gods at the heard of several of the feral tribal societies of that world. Using what few resources were available, Saint Casophili did what he could in order to counter the threat posed by the endemic Chaos corruption and laid down the groundwork for a full Ecclesiarchy task force which was to continue his work.
However, as his forces moved from one settlement to another where they preached the word of the God-Emperor, their foes began to take notice. The council of Chaos priests who truly ruled the world could no longer bear a further threat to their power which they used to rule the world and thus moved against Saint Casophili by capturing and torturing him in order for him to recant his errant beliefs.
According to the Chronicles of Casophili, it is said that his arduous ordeal at the hands of the twisted priests led to his death by the wounds he had sustained. Whilst it is recorded that he had died at the hands of his tormentors, a miracle happened five solar days later when the missionary's body was to be burnt on a sacrificial pyre to the Dark Gods. As the flames took hold on his body, Saint Casophili seemingly roused himself and jumped from the fires. Confronting his tormentors, he gathered a crowd and the story of the saint's resurrection spread quickly whereupon he led the people of Alena III against their dark priesthood.
This occurrence would normally have attracted the attention of resurrectionist Inquisitors but this faction only dedicates themselves to one aspect of Saint Casophili's tale. According to Casophili's written works in later days, during the five solar days he was between death and resurrection, he claimed that he was a bodiless spirit that was adrift in a sea of sound and colour. He also claimed that he heard a myriad of voices whispering whilst others bellowed in the rainbow sea of souls that swirled around him. Furthermore, he spoke of a great light that suffused everything which he believed was the Emperor. The fact that the saint's soul returned to his body is not a concern for this Inquisitorial faction, as all Thorians believe that psychic energy can pass from an individual to the Warp and back again. However, it is the fact that Casophili's writings claim that there exists a place where the soul resides within the Immaterium and does not come to harm which dominates the viewpoints of the Casophilians.
The Casophilians know that Daemonic entities can pass through the barriers between the Warp and the mortal dimension under the right conditions. They thus dedicate their studies to the transition of a Human soul from this plane of existence to the next. This makes them profound experts in the arts of Daemonology with a special regard for ritual summoning rather than incidental or malicious possession of a Daemonhost. These actions aim to find the means and knowledge to bring back a deceased man or woman's soul to the mortal plane. If these actions are successful, than it would be the first step in bringing back the soul of the Emperor into a suitable mortal form.
Further aspects that differentiate the Casophilians from other Thorian beliefs is the fact that they openly embrace new ideas on their theories and thus work closely with Inquisitors of other factions which prevents them from adopting a general, isolated view of their studies' importance. This allows them to learn much from their interactions with other branches of the Inquisition and allows them to gain greatly from their experiences. Amongst the different philosophies that dominate the Inquisition, the Casophilians are often known to work in conjunction with members of the Anomolian Beholders as both fields of study work on the soul; one of the living and the other of the dead.