True Heresies, Blasphemies and Techno-heresies

[Polaria 15]

The following material was originally compiled for a handout to my Acolyte group. It is intended to be a guide for my Acolytes on identifying and interpreting heretical beliefs and thus is represents the worldview of only one Inquisitor... Needless to say he is quite puritan in his beliefs. Anyway, I decided to put this here so if any of you find it usefull you may copy it or parts of it for your own use. Enjoy.

True Heresies, Blasphemies and Techno-heresies

 

True Heresies, Blasphemies and Techno-heresies are those heretical beliefs which are not founded upon the whisperings of the Ruinous Powers or the deviant ploys of xenos. Instead these heretical beliefs are born from the inherent failings of simple men, struggling to understand the chaotic universe. The road to truth is beset on all sides by doubts and temptations and many seekers have strayed from the true path into the dark valley of heresy.

Liberationist Heresy

One of the most common heresies found throughout the Imperium is the misfounded belief that men should be left to govern themselves without the gentle guidance of Emperor and Imperial Administratum. This heresy is often quoted by many different types of rebels, anarchists and miscontents who seek nothing but temporal power and fame at the cost of millions of souls. While certain degree of independece of organizations and planetary governements is indeed necessary and good for the Imperium and mankind a total freedom from Imperial control would surely lead to a state of total anarchy and collapse of all that protects the mens souls against blasphemous evils of the Warp and the Ruinous Powers.

Heresy of Imperium Secularis

Heresy of Imperium Secularis is a belief that the Imperial Cult and the teachings of Ecclesiarchy are actually enslaving mankind and the total ”liberation of though” of mankind can only be achieved by the destruction of the Imperial Cult. Needless to say that as the whole Imperium is built upon the Faith which protects and sustains our souls this heresy is extremely dangerous and shouls not be tolerated in any form. Heretics of Imperium Secularis are surprisingly often found amongst the Administratum and many of them consort with other cults and powers which seek the downfall of Imperium.

Heresy of Progressionism

Progressionist heresy is based on the belief that the technology used by the Imperium is imperfect and flawed and needs to be somehow improved by personal design. These heretics feel that their own logic and intelligence is not only capable of improving the technolgies currently used but that it is within their rights to actually question the very basics of Imperial dogma and systems. In its more harmless form these heresy is dabling with improving existing devices and technologies. However, the most dangerous Progressionist heretics are developing whole new designs and technologies and in their misplaced hubris actually claim that their own inventions are superior to tried and true Imperial technologies.

Sophian Heresy

Soophian heretics believe that all information, no matter how dangerous or blasphemous, should be free to all men. Many of them have embarked on this out of genuine belief that they are helping mankind by distributing forbidden lore to warn and educate the masses. However, in order to do so they often fall into the trap of yearning to learn more and more of this forbidden lore themselves which in turn leads to many of them being irreversibly corrupted by knowledge of daemonic or xeno origins. The most extreme of these heretics have lost all sense precaution and distribute forbidden texts to anyone capable of reading them with no heed of the horrifying consequencies.

Heresy of Personae Dei

This is a wide cathegory of different heresies which all have the same source: A single person claiming to be either a God or a sole representative of God. It is fully known that Emperor never named a sole representative for his will and the Imperium itself is built upon the principle of power divided. Thus any person claiming to be the true, sole representative of Emperors truth is, in fact, a heretic in the eyes of the Emperor and must be put down. This, however, is not the extend of the heresy of personae dei. As absurd as it may be, there are persons who, out of their own misguided need for aggrandizement or out of pure hubris, claim to be gods upon the earth. This belief has been the downfall of many seemingly loyal members of the Imperial Administratum and constant vigil must be maintained to detect and destroy these ”man-cults” before they can devour whole planets and send them into the hand of the Ruinous Powers.

Heresy of Savior Emperor

This heresy dates back to the days of Apostacy and Goge Vandire. The heretics of Savior Emperor believe in Emperors divinity and state that, as representatives of the God Emperor and his will, the priesthood should not be responsible of not only the welfare of souls of the Imperial citizens but indeed the governance of the whole Imperium itself. Indeed the followers of this heresy demand that the Administratum and the Imperial Army should be subjected to the priesthoods power and control. In addition to preaching what would effectively be a breach of Degree Passive and a wholesale religious rebellion against the High Lords of Terra, these heretics also passionately hate the Ecclesiarchy, branding them as traitors to the true faith.

Heresy of False Emperor

Heresy of the False Emperor comes in many guises but what is common to them all is that the Emperor sitting on the Golden Throne of Terra is not the true Emperor. The specific theories these heretics preach range from Emperor being dead to more wild theories that the Person on the Throne is someone else altogether. As a proof of their beliefs these heretics usually state that the current state of the Imperium is alone all the proof that Emperors grand plan has been corrupted by traitorous forces residing among the highest ranks of Administratum. It has been noted that many heretics of the False Emperor maintain contacts with followers of the Ruinous Powers.

Heresy of Emperor Revenant

The heresy of Emperor Revenant is based on the belief that Emperor is not only dead but has, at some point, being resurrected by either himself or someone else. The heresy of Emperor Revenant is dangerous because on the outside they serve the Imperium with loyalty and in good faith. What makes them dangerous and heretic is the belief that due to the resurrection of Emperor mankind has been offered the keys to immortality and resurrection of dead is sacred act in itself. In believing this they usually tread down a dark path committing themselves into tekheresies and diabolic necromancy in order to recreate the miracle of Emperors resurrection.

Heresy of Ascension of Mankind

Heretics of Ascension of Mankind believe that not only is mankind imperfect in physical form and mind, but mankind is actually in process of developing into something else. Many of these heretics believe that mankind is evolving into psychic species and the witches or psykers represent a higher form of humanity. The most dangerous of these heretics might even believe that mutations are improvement to the imperfect human form and thus actually desirable. Needless to say that these heretics are dangerously wrong in their beliefs and are often found seeking the company of dangerous witches, mutants and other aberrants.

Gholam Blasphemy

Gholams are artificial living servitor-like beings made out of once-living flesh. The main difference between a servitor and a Gholam is also the reason why Gholam are considered blasphemous abominations in the Imperial creed. Servitors are persons who have, willingly or not, sacrificed their bodies fully into Emperors will and have been fitted with behaviorial modifications and cybernetics they need to dedicate themselves fully into their new tasks. Gholam, however, have never been human to start with. These monstrous constructions are fully articifial beings made of dead human flesh and synthetic flesh-equivalents. Unlike servitors who have submitted to modifications out of free will, Gholam had never had personalities or free will to start with. Their existence is alone mockery of all mankind. In addition to Gholam the forbidden, blasphemous forms of fleshworks include ”homonculi”, which are Gholam-like artificial lifeforms of alchemical nature, ”Chimerics”, beings that combine the DNA of several species, and ”slaver parasites”, artificial organic grafts that subvert the will and bodily functions of those unfortunates they are inflicted upon.

Transgenic Blasphemy

This field of research embodies the techno-heresy of combining xenos gene-matter or surgigal grafts with human organic matter. It is an utterly forbidden practice, considered both a pollution of the divine pattern by Adeptus Mechanicus and outright blasphemy by the Imperial Cult.

Proteus Protocol Blasphemy

Proteus Protocol is ancient heretical tehcnology of transferring not only the enigmatic knowledge and memory of an organic brain, but also the personality and will, granting in effect a complete mental and spiritual immortality in artificial physical form. The abominations thus created are no longer human but soulless beings of alien desires and hungers which can never be satiated.

Techno-heresy of Silica Animus

Silica Animus techno-heretics use forbidden technologies to create artificial intelligencies or mechanical simulations of human mind. These creations are not only twisted mockeries of human souls, treacherous, insane and abominations in the eyes of Omnissiah. Ancient texts dated back to the Dark Age of technology tell of Silica Animus and their legions of Iron Men as one of the culprits that started the terrible wars which lead to end of age of technology and to the fall of mankind.

Techno-heresy of Malifica

Although the technologies created to manipulate the energies of warp and psychic force are indeed vitally important to the existence of Imperium all technology dealing with warp is dangerous and should be used only under the strict guidance of the Enginseers of Adeptus Mechanicus. Outside the accepted uses and practices of this technology lie terrible devices and desires of melding daemonic spirits with machinery and channeling the raw power of the empyrean. Needless to say that even contemplating such hideous acts is forbidden by the Adeptus Mechanicum and is considered in the Imperial Cult as equal to making dark pacts with Ruinous Powers.

 

 

[Gregorius21778 249]

A nice and useful summary.

Thanks for putting it up, Polaria

[w176 1]

Awesome. I need to use this.

[jross2000xxx 0]

Wow that is awesome. *bookmark*

[ZillaPrime 3]

Quite a handy summary.  I am considering printing off copies of your summary to distribute to my players.

[Sister Cat 0]

*snikt*

............

Thanks, Polaria.  Informative and useful, as always. 

[Cifer 211]

 Note, though, that there are completely legitimate servitors derived from mindless vat-grown clones. The heresy inherent in a Gholam stems from either the transgenic modifications or the fact they're not created by the proper (AM) personnel using the proper (AM) rites.

[w176 1]

 

I turned it in to a 4 foot long scroll on thick, bone white copying paper to unroll and trow on my players next week when the acolytes become acolytes and is told that they been working for the inquisition.

Sort of.

“I'm here to tell you that you are going to be a cell, and that your been working for the Inquisition. Erm. I couldn't find any welcoming folder so here. *Flips out scroll and hands over* ...I think you are allowed to know this. Anyway, closest thing welcoming folder,. You got two minutes to freak out and get yourself together. Then we heading to a the tryout who will be prime with ma boss. 120 secs, clock is ticking. Feel free to start screaming at me, laughing or whatever. 110. ”

[Polaria 15]

Cifer said:

 

 Note, though, that there are completely legitimate servitors derived from mindless vat-grown clones. The heresy inherent in a Gholam stems from either the transgenic modifications or the fact they're not created by the proper (AM) personnel using the proper (AM) rites.

 

 

When writing the techno-heresies I admit I did not do much original thinking but instead copied stuff pretty much straight from Disciples of Dark Gods. Basing this on one sentence: "Bio-forms fashioned from harvested human organs, alchemical serums and vat-grown tissue in the shape of a living thing with no natural origin."

I did want to provide the Acolytes with clearer guideline that "its legal if its made with proper rites" so I went "its legal if the donor was (at least in theory) voluntary". You could say that clones grown from voluntary donors are legal... or just put it amongst the few thing where the writer of this document went a bit more puritan than average.