The Magi Vigiles[]
While it is unheard of for members of the Machine Cult to join the Inquisition, the Adeptus Mechanicus do have their own free-roaming agents to investigate heresy and corruption within their own ranks.
The Magi Vigiles, commonly known as Investigators or Inquestors, were originally appointed by the Fabricator-General of Mars to ensure that the Quest for Knowledge stayed on track and did not fall into heresy by touching on proscribed subjects such as AI, or the use of forbidden Xenos or Chaos-tainted technology.
Over the centuries they have also expanded their role to also include the suppression of heretical sects within the Mechanicus, such as ones that believe knowledge should be shared amongst all of mankind, or those who have taken to worshipping foul xenos or chaotic deities in place of the glorious Omnissiah. Thus their brief now covers areas that fall more directly into the jurisdiction of the Inquisition, and in these cases they will attempt to stamp out the heretics as soon as possible rather than risk outsiders becoming involved. Although the Investigators do not have the limitless power and authority enjoyed by agents of the Inquisition, they can still call on the vast resources of the Adeptus Mechanicus to back them up.
In theory the Investigators are still appointed by, and answer only to, the Fabricator-General of Mars. However in practice, due to the vast size of the Imperium the Investigators maintain a self-governing cell on each major Forgeworld Each cell holds the responsibility for appointing new Investigators in the Fabricator-General's name.
Non-active agents in the cell spend their time trawling through the vast amounts of data that pass through the Altar of Knowledge each day looking for fragments of information that might indicate the presence of forbidden research or heretical sects, and communicating their findings between cells. Nominally the Investigators are a sub-set of the Explorators, however they tend to see themselves as being separate and there have been cases recorded where they have come into direct conflict with Explorators whose finds were deemed to fall outside the sphere of acceptable study and hence needed to be suppressed before the Explorator team could return home.
Each Investigator is issued with a Signum Vigiles. These devices contain powerful cryptographic protocols enabling the Investigators to, given enough time, over-ride the access codes on almost any technology built on a Forgeworld. These devices are the symbol of the Investigators technological superiority and hence moral authority. To prevent these devices from falling into the wrong hands they contain complex security mechanisms and interface with implants built deep into the agent's cerebral cortex, meaning they can only be used by the Investigator to whom they were issued.
Prominent Members[]
- Magos Croll Steiner
Magi Vigiles in the Game[]
A member of the Magi Vigiles uses the profile given for a Tech-Priest or Magos in the Inquisitor rulebook. They are usually recruited from among the high-ranking and most respected eschelons of the Cult Mechanicus so are likely to be heavily bionic. Like inquisitors, they vary wildly in the types of equipment they carry but all members of the Magi Vigiles carry a Signum Vigiles; the rules for which are given below.
Signum Vigiles - the symbol of the Magi Vigiles. These devices vary in their form, but all give the bearer immense control over any AdMech technology. The bearer gains a cumulative 10% chance of interacting with any Forgeworld manufactured item for every action he spends using the Signum Vigiles. Once the test is passed the bearer usually gains full control over the item. With more complex items of technology the GM may decide that he only gains partial control, or that further tests are required.