Come and learn about what is known as the most secretive and deadly individuals in the whole of the Imperium. The Imperial Assassins.
When the powers to be of mighty Imperium of man want a job done on the hush hush, they reach out to some of the most deadly and skilled agents of the Imperial Assassins. Let’s find out what is known about these killers.
Via: Lexicanum
Overview
The Officio’s head is the Grand Master of Assassins and due to the power of his organization, and by tradition, he is always a member of the Senatorum Imperialis. Although the Grand Master oversees the organisation, they may only deploy assassins with the authority of the Senatorum, requiring a two-thirds majority of the High Lords to authorise the deployment of a single assassin.
The agency is almost as secretive as the Inquisition itself and it is not surprising to see that the two organizations work closely with one another. The location of the Officio’s headquarters on Terra is secret, and the Master of Assassins is never seen by the Adeptus Terra, though he is rumoured to have access to the Emperor himself. Typically, the Grand Master’s loyalty to the Emperor must be beyond doubt, as he holds power that could feasibly topple the Imperium itself.
Under Imperial and Mechanicus law, the improper activation of a member of the Officio Assassinorum is considered treason of the highest order.
Training
Assassins are recruited at a very young age, from the orphans of Imperial servants raised in the Schola Progenium, and from the populations of feral worlds. Prospective candidates are tested mercilessly even as they are shipped to Terra, pitted against hazardous environments as well as each other, with perhaps one in ten surviving the journey.
The survivors are divided among the temples and then undergo ten years of intensive training under the Lord Assassins. From then onwards they live and operate from one of the Assassin temples said to be located somewhere on Terra. They are harshly tested and trained, their senses and resolve heightened with implants. Even after the initial training, the life of an agent of the Officio remains hard and unforgiving.
Some Inquisitors are known to organize Officio Assassinorum training for Death Cultists that serve in their retinue which transforms these already highly efficient killers into much more deadly and honed executioners.
Organisation
The primary division of the Officio is into temples (also called clades), each of which is led by a small group of Masters (often termed Lord Assassins or Grand Masters) and specializes in a unique brand of murder. These Masters rarely work directly but instead being responsible for planning, organising, research and watching over the younger Assassins. The greater number of the Assassins are unranked, though some can be more experienced than others.
The temples, with the exception of the Culexus Temple, are located on Terra but their specific locations are a closely guarded secret. They may be deployed to a battlefield to covertly ‘help’ an Imperial force, including Space Marines, Sisters of Battle, and the Imperial Guard, but never join any squad, as they work best alone. The Officio as a whole is based on the Assassinorum Temple on Terra.
The temples use many exotic types of equipment, such as synskin, a substance that once sprayed onto the body, forms a black outer skin which protects the wearer from the environment and enhances strength. The Temple also maintains a secret vault of forbidden and alien weapons, giving them access to some of the most advanced technology in the Imperium.
