Introduction

The Inquisitorius is the secret society of agents formed from the ranks of Brotherhood Clans that have been tasked with identifying, hunting down, and eliminating threats to the Dark Brotherhood. Inquisitors are granted access to the Dark Brotherhood’s greatest secrets and technologies to execute the Grand Master’s will against internal and external threats.

Creation of the Order

Brief History

Created to identify and counteract threats to the Brotherhood, the Inquisitiorius was formally established in 33 ABY by Grand Master Darth Pravus. Selecting only the most loyal and powerful members of the Brotherhood and its clans, the initial reasoning for its creation was to provide a secretive support network of operatives during a time when the Brotherhood's military was effectively crippled.

Members chosen by the Inquisitorius undergo a program designed to test their loyalty and abilities. Strict regimens ensure that recruits are effective, and the Voice maintains a secure intelligence network to give the Brotherhood a heads up on both known and unknown threats. Threats can then be taken out as needed by the members of the Inquisitorius

Life Inside the Inquisitorius

The early days of the Inquisitorius were defined by secrecy. The society’s work was kept from the public, and even the majority of the Brotherhood did not know of their existence. As a result, the accomplishments of its members remained unknown to the wider galaxy, their deeds rewarded not with public acclaim, but with advancement and recognition within the ranks of the Inquisitorius itself. This clandestine structure was seen as a necessary measure to ensure the safety of the organization and the Brotherhood it served.

Though all members of the Inquisitorius worked toward the Grand Master's goals, the organization was so decentralized that operatives rarely knew the true identities of their peers. It was common for two members to pass each other in the halls of the Shadow Academy, unaware they had just completed a shared mission for the Brotherhood. Information and resources were disseminated in secret, exchanged at covert drops, and in the dark corners of the underworld. Larger gatherings were a rarity, and even small meetings were seldom held.

Membership was denoted by a series of nondescript tattoos and symbols invisible to the naked eye and was used to mark rank and authority within the society. Members were trained to use even the smallest connection to the Force to activate the tattoos. Most members held positions throughout the Brotherhood, moving about their daily lives with none the wiser as to their true allegiance to the Iron Throne.

The Voice of the Brotherhood, wherever they were at any given moment, served as the closest thing the Inquisitorius had to a home base. However, publicly, the Voice would always deny any involvement with the secret society. The origins of the specialized equipment used by the Inquisitorius, or how it made its way into the hands of its members, were of no consequence. Nor was the exact process by which new members were identified and trained, or where the vast databanks of intelligence on threats and locations were stored.

With the threat of organizations such as the Collective coming into full view, Voice Marick Tyris realized that denying the existence of the Inquisitorius was no longer an effective methodology. The Brotherhood had been caught by surprise by Rath Oligard’s machinations, so the need to hide the society's existence was replaced by revealing a very real organization that would actively bite back against enemies of the Brotherhood. The Inquisitorius would identify and take down rival intelligence agencies like Capital Enterprises at their own game.

While the Voice continued to serve as the visible figurehead and leader of the Inquisitorius, there was still a need to better coordinate and utilize the Brotherhood's existing network of covert agents and their combined resources. With the help of Combat Master Atra Ventus, the duo dedicated their time to implementing stricter training routines for new initiates, enforcing data-driven decisions over opinion-based hunches, and helping create a truly secure intelligence network that would serve as the heart of this new initiative. Since that time, the Inquisitorius has been under the command of Ness'arin Ohnaka.

Structure

Voice

The Voice of the Brotherhood oversees the Brotherhood's intelligence and reconnaissance efforts in the galaxy. They manage the Inquisitorius, assigning Inquisitors and overseeing operations ensuring the Brotherhood's advantage through a network of agents for scouting, security, and threat elimination. The Voice reports only to the Grand Master.

Director

Ness'arin Ohnaka, a Weequay, earned the Voice’s trust with her organizational skills, poise under pressure, analytical mind, and keen eye for detail. As Director, she oversees all the day-to-day and mundane activities, from managing field reports and budgets to personnel and data security.

Agents (Field)

Agents in the field come in many forms, mostly comprised of Infiltrators but filled in with a wide range of disciplines and skill sets, such as cargo pilots, saboteurs, and junkers. These are members who do the dirty work of the order.

Operators (Homefront)

Equivalent in rank to Agents, Operators are selected out of the Academy on Arx as intelligence officers who showed promise in security and attention to detail. These members primarily deal in data analysis, planning, and logistics.

Operations

The Advanced Inquisitorius Network (AIN) is maintained by mundane teams of operators that have been trained to route real-time data communications securely between the field and the central headquarters nested inside the safety of the Dark Ascent on Arx.

Designed by Senechal James Lucius Entar Arconae, the core strength of the AIN is based on the advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence assistants that allow Operators to scramble and then reassemble communication waves between secure terminals. End-to-end encryption is only one layer of this process, however, as its effective range would be limited without some kind of way to distribute over the lattice of a wider network.

The Inquisitorius maintains a small fleet of IGV-55 Surveillance Vessels. Originally utilized by the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) as “Listener” ships, these unbranded vessels are equipped with heavily modified long-range signal boosters that bounce fragmented datastreams between nodes to disperse data across the AIN. Thanks to variable encryption algorithms, any single attack on a “attacker in the middle” would fail because the fragments alone contain only a fraction of the data. Behind these encryption countermeasures, the data does not live in any one database or centralized node. As a result, no information would be lost if one or even two of these surveillance vessels were to be taken out, disabled, or even captured. The relay signals would just find a new destination at one of the other vessels.

Safehouses and Supply Caches

Aside from allowing data to be dispersed discreetly, the AIN provides the coordinates and locations of various safehouses and supply caches scattered throughout the Outer Rim Territories. The degree and availability of these locations are something earned through loyalty to the Inquisitorius.

Tools of the Trade

Advanced Inquisitor Comlink
The Advanced Inquisitor Comlink is a handheld comlink accessory issued to members of the Inquisitorius. Features a 100-kilometer range, encoding, locator, and the necessary frequencies in use by the society, as well as the ability to transmit complex data in the course of official business.

Inquisitorius Sith Dagger
The Inquisitorius Sith Dagger is a short-bladed weapon with a slight curve to it that almost resembles a knife. It is constructed through ancient metallurgical and arcane means safeguarded by the Council, giving the weapon a strong connection to dark side energies.

Inquisitor Armor
Inquisitor Armor is a set of basic armor consisting of a cuirass, boots, gloves and cowl. It is designed to optimize movement and flexibility while remaining absolutely silent, though still affording a reasonable amount of protection from harm.

Chief Inquisitor Armor
Chief Inquisitor Armor is a set of advanced armor consisting of a cuirass, boots, gloves, and a cowl. It is designed to optimize movement and flexibility while remaining absolutely silent, though still affording a reasonable amount of protection from harm. It emphasizes form as well, remaining sleek and intimidating in appearance to align with the expectations of the individual.

Inquisitorius Scanner
The Inquisitorius Scanner is an accessory computer that carries out a multitude of tasks on behalf of the user to assist in their operations. This includes communications scanning, lifeform detectors, magnetic resonance and thermal scanners, as well as limited range jamming.

Inquisitorius Datapad
The Inquisitorius Datapad is a high performance small electronic device used to store and display information with an incredibly advanced level of encryption designed by the Seneschal. The device has direct access to the advanced and highly sensitive Inquisitorius network, with the ability to send and receive information with the entire network of members. Activating the device requires biometric scanning of the operator making it impossible to use unless in the hands of its living owner, quickly rendering itself useless after unauthorized access attempts.

Inquisitorius Stiletto
The Inquisitorius Stiletto is a weapon that appears to be nothing more than a typical, slender dagger. Upon thumbing a small activator stub on the hilt, however, a sharp and nearly invisible monomolecular blade springs from the tip. This makes the stiletto perfect for penetrating armor in weak points and is deadly as a stabbing weapon in its own right. The blade itself is incredibly brittle, however, and will buckle under impact against even a basic vibroblade. Perfect for a quick and quiet kill, but not as useful in a fight.

Training

In addition to specialized equipment, members of the Inquisitorius receive augmented training in their efforts to secure the Brotherhood. While much of this training is in the martial side of things, they are also taught specific skills for their work. The training in these feats of skill is only granted when a member has gained a certain amount of trust in the society.

Eagle Eye: The member has been trained to keep an eye on a target even in a crowd. The member can use their Subterfuge skill in conjunction with their Perception of the environment to follow a mark from a safe distance without being detected.

Crooked Smile: The member has received specialized training in using their Empathy as a means of lulling a target into a false sense of security that can be capitalized on at the opportune moment. The member can earn a target's trust without the need for manipulation or mind tricks, focusing solely on their ability to connect on an emotional level.

Won't Attract The Worm: The member has learned how to move silently as a shadow, even when wearing medium to heavy armor that would otherwise be a dead giveaway to any attempt at stealth. They can balance their weight in just the right manner to mask and conceal the clinking or creaking of the plate or reinforced hide.

Steel Curtain: This member has received specialized training from the Grand Master and has gained the ability to steel their mind against any attempt to pry information about the Brotherhood and its secrets. While this bonus to members' Resolve makes them better able to handle Interrogation, the training becomes more evident in its ability to indefinitely prevent the member from divulging Brotherhood secrets.

Getting Involved

Joining the Inquisitorius

Whether for ambition, power, or access to greater information and tools to carry out an agenda of peace and justice, all members of the Inquisitorius were placed into a ranking hierarchy. Through contributions to the goals of the Brotherhood or their Clans, or acts of service or skill, a member will find themselves climbing through the ranks of the society. This primarily includes participating in fiction activities such as fiction competitions or Antei Combat Center matches, as well as earning Clusters of Ice through these activities or roleplaying. Additional advancement was available for shows of skill with placements in these activities, or through service to the Brotherhood by running these competitions to provide the opportunities, judging matches in the Antei Combat Center, or holding different roles with influence on fiction.

The ranks are broken down into five different agent tiers, based on twelve different ranks within the society. As a member advances through the ranks, they will find different perks become available both fictionally and for show.

Inquisitor Ranks

Apprentice Inquisitor (Ranks I through IV)
Having only recently been identified as an agent of the Inquisitorius, these are more aspiring members than full-fledged members. They are still given access to information and resources necessary to carry out less critical assignments for training and to prove themselves for advancement.

Inquisitor (Ranks V through VIII) With enough service and shown skill and dedication, a member of the society will reach the rank of full Inquisitor. Most members of the society will have this rank. Trusted now with high-profile assignments and information, including highly important tasks.

Chief Inquisitor (Rank IX and X)
With not much left to prove, Inquisitors will find themselves at this rank, getting a first pass at missions and information before the rest of the rank and file of the society. These agents will find themselves in the audience of the Dark Council on occasion to report on their missions and get access to some of the best resources available. At this rank, there was little doubt of the member’s allegiance and loyalty to the Dark Brotherhood.

High Inquisitor (Rank XI)
With not only an unfaltering loyalty but a dedicated history of both service and high skill in the field, agents will be pulled into an inner circle of their peers known as the High Inquisitors. Often receiving objectives and orders directly from the Voice or Grand Master, these agents are entrusted with missions where failure would be costly to the Dark Brotherhood.

Grand Inquisitor (Rank XII)
This rank is reserved for the best of the Inquisitorius society. The actions and movements of those at the rank of Grand Inquisitor, and the results of the decisions made, remain so secret and classified that their impacts may never be known to any but the Voice of the Brotherhood and Grand Master. They are so trusted within the Brotherhood and by the Dark Council that they receive specialized training to ensure those secrets can be well-protected.

Image Credits

Ruka in Inquisitor Armor by Soldagarius, commissioned by Abbey Atty Attiter Ann