"We are at war with forces too terrible to comprehend. We cannot afford mercy for any of its victims too weak to take the correct course. Mercy destroys us; it weakens us and saps our resolve. Put aside all such thoughts. They are not worthy of Inquisitors in the service of our Emperor. Praise His name for in our resolve we only reflect His purpose of will."
–The Verses of Inquisitor Octus Enoch
One of the greatest threats facing the Holy Inquisition within the Calixis Sector is that of recidivism. There are cults devoted to the Dark Gods hidden within all levels of society and it is the Inquisition's job to root them out. Each Chaos cult plans its own way to escape detection until it can grow to the point of dominating society. Mere survival is particularly important on Imperial worlds, where Chaos worship is the greatest of heresies and Inquisitors are always vigilant for any taint of Chaos. Extremist political organizations make especially good fronts for cults, since they naturally attract power-hungry and mentally unbalanced individuals, who are often well-suited to becoming cult members. A very successful cult can even gain enough power to become the governing body of its home planet without having to resort to rebellion. Thus, many Calixis Adeptus Arbites precincts keep dedicated squads of Cult-Hunters on hand. The Arbites' Judges prefer to take care of cult problems quickly and quietly as the knowledge of a cult’s ongoing survival within their sphere of influence could lead to further civil unrest, or draw the attention of heavy-handed Inquisitors.
Often, cults lair in unsavory parts of cities where no Arbitrator would dare go without formidable backup. As they do not want to call attention to this problem, a “troubleshooter” is occasionally brought in from the local criminal element to assist the Adeptus Arbites by infiltrating the cult. Usually this service comes at the price of a pardon for the troubleshooter's lesser crimes, but some rare street scum are willing to help with an investigation purely out of devotion to the God-Emperor.
One notable success took place on Malfi when the Adeptus Arbites conscripted several small Hive gangs to infiltrate a suspected blood cult. Judge Chal York coerced a troubled Kestrali noble dynasty to enter into the slave trade, selling his Cult-Stalkers into the pit fights. York was assassinated shortly afterwards. The nobles of the Kestrali dynasty, unable to prove their innocence in the sanctioned operation, were put to death in the wake of the Judge's death. The Cult-Stalkers were forgotten to the Adeptus Arbites.
Nearly a decade later, Inquisitor Medina uncovered the blood cult in her investigations. The ex-gang's numbers had dwindled to only a handful, but they were now the elite guard and some of the cults most trusted members. Never failing in their duties or faith, these former criminals had proven that they were loyal to the God-Emperor above all else. They presented their years of meticulously gathered information to the Inquisitor, and on her authority executed over a thousand citizens in one bloody night, and presented themselves for execution. Their sacrifice ended a daemonic incursion before it even began.
Alternate Career Rank
Cult-Stalkers need to have a keen eye for detail and strong, inquisitive minds. Those that come from the Scum career are more often than not con-men who use their silver tongues to gain access to a cult and infiltrate its ranks. They pass any information they gain on to their Arbites contacts, who can then swiftly and mercilessly destroy the cult.
Required Career: Arbitrator or Scum
Alternate Rank: Rank 1 or higher
Income: The character's Income becomes Outcast, but uses Table 2-3: Cult-Stalker Income rather than the Scum Income Table presented in the DARK HERESY Rulebook.