Inquisition

"Today we go to spread the word of Myrmidia to the heretic. Those who repent will be offered absolution. Those who turn a deaf ear to our holy cause will be sent into the afterlife, their souls unsaved. Either way, never falter in our cause, and never doubt that we do the will of Myrmidia. You have the complete backing of the Church in this holy mission, and those who fall will have the assurance that our god will be with us in the afterlife."

—Brother Frederico^[1a]

Icon of Myrmidia, goddess of war and strategy

The Inquisition is an offshoot of the Estalian Cult of Myrmidia which seeks to root out any Chaos corruption that may exist in that southern land of the Old World. While Estalia is farther from the threat of Chaos incursions than other realms of the Old World, mutations are not unknown and Chaos Cults can sometimes spring up here as well. There is currently a powerful movement among members of the clergy of Myrmidia, Estalia's patron god, to root out such threats, which has led to the formation of the Inquisition.^[1a]

Estalians are famous for their dedication to their gods, and the Inquisition is a result of this piety. Whereas in other lands the first seeds of Chaos might go unnoticed or ignored, in Estalia the people have very little acceptance of such things. Pockets of Chaos Cultists are ruthlessly rooted out and destroyed. Any hint of heresy is investigated and purged by the priests of the Inquisition, who wield tremendous political power in the various kingdoms of Estalia.^[1a]

Even among hardened Estalian mercenaries, religion is not taken lightly, and most warbands include a priest of the Inquisition to protect their souls as they venture into the Chaos-infested lands of the Old World. The Church of Myrmidia views mercenary warbands as an opportunity to spread the faith far and wide and welcomes the chance to send their officers travelling to new lands and root out whatever evil influence of Chaos they find there.^[1a]

History

"For Myrimidia! For Estalia!"

—Don Guillermo Cardonzo, Inquisitor of Myrmidia^[1a]

The Cult of Myrmidia has been fairly efficient in containing the spread of Chaos in the Estalian kingdoms so they started venturing into the wider Old World to spread their creed. The Inquisition had gained much popularity in Estalia during the years following the fall of Mordheim in 1999 IC.^[1a]

With so much uncertainty and fear in the Old World, the salvation offered by the church was very comforting to the common people. The ruthlessness of their methods was seldom questioned as it was accepted that extreme measures were necessary in these desperate times. Chaos-worshippers and heretics were abundant throughout the Old World, and it was the church's job to weed out these diseased individuals and protect the souls of the innocent.^[1a]

Notable Members

• Diarno - Diarno was an inquisitor killed by the Bright Wizard Sienna Fuegonasus.^[2a]

• Don Guillermo Cardonzo - Guillermo Cardonzo is an Inquisitor of Myrmidia. He was married to the beautiful Esperanza.^[1a]

• Brother Frederico - Frederico was a priest of Myrmidia. He wore red robes and stood with his back absolutely straight and was often seen to be scowling but never smiling.^[1a]

• Salazar - Salazar is an inquisitor who has discovered a heretical cult devoted to Khorne spreading Human sacrifices in the around Bilbali.^[3a]

Miniatures

The Inquisition has no official models so this warband's creator Marco de Havener used Pirazzo's Lost Legion miniatures to represent the bulk of the models.^[1a]

Pirazzo's Lost Legion model used as an Inquisitor of Myrmidia.^[1a]

Trivia

The Inquisition is inspired by the real-world institution with the very same name. The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Roman Catholic Church that were most active from the High Middle Ages into the Early Modern period and whose aim was to combat the growth of heresy. The Inquisition conducted trials of suspected heretics, but all executions were always carried out by the secular authorities of the realms where the Inquisition operated, as the Catholic Church was forbidden to shed blood.

The phrase "Nobody Expected the Estalian Inquisition" is a direct homage to a British sketch comedy TV series called Monty Python's Flying Circus, specifically series 2 episode 2 (first broadcast 22 September 1970), that satirises the Spanish Inquisition. The sketches are notable for the catchphrase, "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!", which has been frequently quoted and eventually decades later became a well-known Internet meme.

Sources

• 1: Town Cryer 9
  • 1a: pp. 6-9
• 2: Warhammer: Vermintide II (Videogame)
  • 2a: Franz Lohner's Chronicle - Reflections (Archived)
• 3: Man O' War: Corsair (PC Game)
  • 3a: "Nobody Expected the Estalian Inquisition" (Quest)