TEXT: A Compendium of 
  AsCension seCrets
  
  Heed The Higher Call
  2
  FANTASY
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  CREDITS
  Credits
  Lead Developer
  Ross Watson
  Written by
  Andy Hoare 
  Additional Writing by
  Mack Martin
  Editing
  Leigh Anne Gross
  Dark Heresy Designed by
  Owen Barnes, Kate Flack, and Mike Mason
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  Kevin Childress, Mack Martin, and Mark Raynor
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  Henning Ludvigsen
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  John Blanche, Matt Bradbury, Simon Eckert, Theo 
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  Heed The Higher Call 
  3
  Introduction
  “I’ve seen uncounted visions that would make you babble. The trick is 
  showing you something that makes you babble the information I find 
  most useful.”
  –Interrogator Klasser
  Y
  ou hold in your hands a companion to Ascension, a 
  DArk Heresy supplement. Ascension allows you to 
  take your characters into the highest halls of power 
  and influence. This companion is designed to give players 
  and gamemasters more perspective on characters and new 
  options for character creation.
  An account of the ascension of Inquisitor Starkh gives 
  players and gamemasters a sample Ascension character. This 
  provides a reference for the stories that can be told through 
  Throne Agents as they begin their new journeys into the grim 
  darkness of the 41st millennium.
  When preparing characters for an Ascension campaign a 
  player must give thought to the background, skills, talents and 
  history for a person who has become a Throne Agent. The 
  Ascension book presents two character creation options. This 
  companion gives a third that is designed for faster character 
  generation, allowing players to jump into a game quickly.
  Lastly this companion presents a discussion on the process 
  of mind cleansing. Presented in THe inquisiTor’s HAnDbook, 
  mind cleansing is a powerful player and GM tool for telling 
  deep stories that unfold over time. This section presents 
  additional information on how the mind cleansed are viewed 
  by the Inquisition.
  
  Heed The Higher Call
  4
  The Ascension and Descent of Inquisitor Starkh
  Being a truthful account of his ascension to the Holy Ordos of the Emperor’s Inquisition, set down for 
  posterity by his own hand on this day, 334837.M41, by Inquisitor Joshua Starkh.
  This account I commit to the archives that such things as I have seen may be recalled long after I have departed 
  this plane. Emperor knows, that shall be soon. 
  I was born amongst the funereal grandeur of Granithor. My sire, as I recall, was a Master Mourner serving 
  the crumbling Saint Astilenius Shrine District. Perhaps it was from him that came about the maudlin demeanour 
  so many others have commented upon; perhaps it was growing up with none but the silent grave statues as companions. 
  Of my youth I recall very little, for subsequent psy-conditioning and rejuvenat applications have blasted my mind as much 
  as the horrors I have witnessed in the course of my duties. No doubt I would have followed my father’s vocation in 
  time, becoming an Apprentice Mourner, were it not for the sudden and dramatic arrival of Inquisitor Marr.
  Marr was in his prime back then, yet he had already begun his obsession with Haarlock’s legacy. It was 
  an early investigation into that dread matter that brought Silas Marr to Granithor, in search of grave-census 
  records linked to that ancient line. He found his records, and lot more besides. The attendants of Granithor’s 
  Inner Shrine, that place where the great and the good are interred for all time, had become involved in some form 
  of organised grave-robbing, and it transpired that rival noble lines across the sector had been paying for attendants to 
  desecrate the graves of their rivals. Such a petty matter would not normally have come to attention of one of Marr’s 
  station, but their activities had threatened his own mission, and so the attendants were brought to justice. It was 
  during that mission that I came into Marr’s service, for he required one with knowledge of the Shrine Districts. 
  I provided that knowledge, and evidently proved sufficiently useful to the Inquisitor that I was retained on his staff 
  after the grave-robbers were dealt with.
  There followed several years of junior service to Marr’s network, during which very little appeared to happen, from 
  my lowly perspective at least. Had I expected to be granted some privileged rank or role I was soon disabused of 
  such a foolish notion, and I did not see Marr again for the best part of a decade. Instead, I made myself useful 
  to his various Acolyte cells, very occasionally being allowed to accompany them on one of their more tedious expeditions. 
  All the while, I was being issued seemingly mundane administrative tasks to perform, often involving the transcribing of 
  various genealogical records relating to the most august noble lines in the sector.
  Eventually however, I was permitted to accompany Marr’s Acolytes on more, shall I say, 
  stimulating, missions. I took my first life on Siren’s Den, where we exposed the smuggling of 
  damned Simulacra to serve as the playthings of the idle wretches that congregate on that world. 
  
   
   
   
   
  Heed The Higher Call 
  5
  I still recall that event with eidetic clarity. The Marquis Sa’lahnk, his bodyguard fled, ranting and 
  raving that I had no right to judge him and no authority to bring him to justice. I replied that I served 
  Inquisitor Silas Marr, and put a mass reactive round through the foppish idiot’s mouth. The subsequent 
  detonation was quite dramatic, and quite fatal to the young Marquis.
  Subsequent to the successful purge of the Simulacra-addicts of Siren’s Den, I was raised to the 
  status of Acolyte. I served in one of the finest cadres I have ever had the honour of meeting. I 
  witnessed the now legendary assassin Juki Vazk in her prime, long before her unfortunate association with 
  the Cult of the Second Dawn. I served alongside Arbitrator Kolock, seeing first hand the lengths he 
  went to, to dispense the Emperor’s Justice. Once, I served along side Primaci Lostok, he whose name 
  must not be uttered within the walls of the Tricorn Palace. I saw him in action, and I name him now, 
  whatever the censure may be.
  In time, I rose in status. Following the death of Agent Omega on Fenksworld, I was named 
  Acolyte Prime, and, for the first time since Granithor, communicated with Inquisitor Marr. I say 
  communicated, for there would be no face-to-face meeting for another three years. Instead, my instructions 
  would arrive by way of a wide range of mediums. At times, a silent messenger, sleek and stealthy, would 
  come in the night, and whisper Marr’s instructions into my ear whilst holding a knife to my throat. She 
  always left the scent of Islumbine behind her, though it never betrayed her approach. Other times, missives 
  would by delivered by astropathic conduit, bearing the highest of ciphers, which only I could unlock. Once, I 
  was called to descend into the rank bowels of Hive Anterior on Canopus, there to receive my orders from 
  the toothless mouth of an ancient rat-herder. 
  It was at the Third Convocation of Elros that I once more laid eyes upon Silas Marr. In 
  the intervening years, he had changed significantly. His eyes had taken on a certain haunted light, his 
  frame had become stooped. His raiment, though not as scrofulous as that he has born in latter years, was 
  certainly not that he had affected when first I had met him. 
  
  Heed The Higher Call
  6
  beginnings of what would one day become my 
  own network of associates and contacts. Each 
  time I was called, I was to witness my master 
  more haggard than the last. He would disappear 
  for long periods, during which, I have since 
  learned, he was pursuing the legacy of Erasmus 
  Haarlock. I am given to believe that on 
  more than one occasion he travelled far beyond 
  the borders of Calixis. Once, I am sure, 
  he traversed the Maw and penetrated the 
  Koronus Expanse. Another time, I suspect he 
  voyaged trailward, perhaps as far as Segmentum 
  Solar, though to what end I have no way of 
  knowing. 
  Over the next three years, I became involved 
  in many missions, all at the behest of my master. 
  In most cases, I served as Acolyte Prime, 
  leading a cell of hand-picked Acolytes on a wide 
  variety of assignments. Together, we faced such 
  enemies as the Arch-Anarch of Sorrow, the 
  Father of the Void and the Apostates of 
  Snowden’s World. We uncovered the Tripartite 
  Conspiracy, in which I defeated in personal he 
  outwardly appeared. Regardless, I digress. The 
  Third Convocation of Elros had been called 
  by Marr, with support from a goodly number of 
  his peers, to confront the rise in cult activity 
  within the Hazaroth Sub-Sector. Across the 
  entire sub, entire populations were voicing such 
  blasphemies as had not been heard in a generation. 
  Those who attended the conclave knew that 
  something had to be done. I witnessed my master 
  clash with Inquisitor Xerbe, perhaps marking the 
  beginning combat Construct Epsilon-12, though 
  I bear the wounds of that confrontation to this 
  day. It was our cell that revealed the treachery 
  of Karkon Lang, the erstwhile Acolyte of 
  Inquisitor Xerbe himself, and in so doing earned 
  his ire, which I suffer to this day. Whilst engaged 
  on a mission against the renegade 9th Calistra 
  Rifles, I led the storming of the Ebon Palace, 
  incinerating the traitor Colonel Sen with a blast 
  from the inferno pistol gifted to me by the hand of 
  my master. 
  Soon after this event I was called to attend 
  another conclave, this time on the world of 
  Orendel’s Tomb. I was to speak for my master, 
  who was otherwise engaged upon a mission in the 
  Malfian Sub-Sector. Marr had given me a 
  loose leash, but had warned me that although the 
  conclave had been called to share intelligence on a 
  number of xenos incursions coreward of Kao-li, 
  it would be used by those attending as a precursor 
  to the denunciation of a number of Inquisitors 
  of the ordo Xenos. It must be understood that, 
  To this day, I know not whether Silas Marr presented himself thus as some grand illusion, or whether 
  he truly was as stricken of mind, body and soul as Marr’s bitterness towards the Calixian Conclave and 
  his refusal to adhere to its aims. The conclave lasted many days and nights, during which I served Marr 
  in the capacity of aide, most of the time simply listening, watching, and reporting back to him the deeds of 
  the other Inquisitors. Eventually, an agreement was reached and the conclave convened—a combined operation 
  would be put into action and a hundred cults across half a dozen worlds crushed in a single night.
  The operation came to be known as the Redemption of Hazeroth, and it saw the combined forces of 
  two-dozen Inquisitors put ten thousand heretics to the torch. I lead my cell against a cult known as the 
  Witch-Brothers of Night, which had arisen on the 
  Feral World of Valos Krin, and we sent untold 
  numbers of warp-mumbling heretics to meet their fate 
  that night. Marr had arranged for an Assault 
  company from the 129th Guytoga Hussars to 
  accompany us. That was my first battlefield mission, 
  leading two hundred highly professional Imperial 
  Guard troopers over the feral worlders’ crude 
  barricades. It might be said that I developed a taste 
  for such heroics, and I would lead over a hundred 
  such assaults over the next decades.
  Needless to say, the Redemption of Hazeroth 
  was judged a success. But there was strife to 
  follow, for the conclave reconvened, to be split apart 
  in factional infighting. It appeared that a number 
  of Inquisitors present were investigating the matter 
  of the Hereticus Tenabrae, and had reached the 
  conclusion that the rise in cult activity over an entire 
  Sub-Sector could only be a harbinger of far worse 
  things to come. In crushing the cults, this small group 
  announced, we had potentially missed an opportunity 
  to witness an appearance of the so-called Tyrant Star. My master dismissed such claims; I believe even 
  back then he lent little credence to the Tyrant Star representing anything more than an, admittedly unusual, 
  natural phenomenon. For all that I am willing to commit to record, I dare not write more on this 
  subject, for the things I have since seen have convinced me of Marr’s error. I suspect he too now knows 
  he was wrong. 
  With the Redemption behind me, I was entrusted with even more important, and vital missions. These 
  were often given to me in person, and I became a frequent visitor to Marr’s quarters at the Halls of the 
  Chancellery Court on Solomon. I even took up residence on Solomon myself, establishing the at this stage 
  in my career, I had little insight into the philosophical leanings of my master—in fact, it was not even apparent 
  to which of the Ordos he owed allegiance, let alone whether he harboured any particular factional leanings. 
  
   
   
   
   
  Heed The Higher Call 
  7
  would instructions as to Orne’s base of operations, 
  and then ended. Why had I been seconded to 
  the service of another Inquisitor? Had I 
  displeased my master? I had no way of knowing 
  what plots and conspiracies might be in place, and 
  what part I would play within them. In truth, 
  as far as I have come since that time, I still 
  perceive but a fraction of the forces at work with 
  this damned sector.
  At length, I became part of Orne’s cadre, 
  an elite band of highly skilled Acolytes, several of 
  whom have since ascended to the rosette. Many 
  were gifted of the psyker’s arts, and sanctioned 
  in their use. I do not share this trait, but was 
  extensively schooled in techniques that would keep 
  my thoughts locked deep within, and tested all the 
  while by those of colleagues skilled in telepathy. 
  Orne maintained a large staff of Sages, each 
  skilled in the arcane processes of data-mining and 
  meta-cognition. A great deal of my training was 
  to be supervised by these learned individuals, and 
  many of the successes I have met with have been 
  thanks to the skills learned in their company. Of 
  course, I had no idea at that point why Orne 
  surrounded himself with such men and women, but 
  would certainly find out in years to come. 
  Having attained certain skills through the 
  teachings of the psykers and Sages, I was 
  allowed to accompany Master Orne on a number 
  of missions. I soon learned that my new master 
  was not one to divulge information lightly, even to 
  his own pupil. I determined to keep my eyes open, 
  and my mouth shut, an approach of which Master 
  Orne appeared to approve. The first few missions 
  were information gathering exercises, and saw us 
  travelling extensively throughout the sector. Those 
  missions took us to many and varied locations, 
  some opposed by the enemies of Mankind, others 
  seemingly unobstructed, although even then, the hand 
  of unseen enemies was often perceived at work. 
  We held counsel with the dark fraters of Cloister, 
  Master Orne gaining rare access to their 
  extensive library. We penetrated the shifting sands 
  of Klybo, excavating a thousand tons of bedrock 
  in return for a single, long-lost data crystal. We 
  visited Zillman’s Domain a year before it was 
  blighted by the Tyrant Star, spending several 
  months investigating seemingly trivial events. I 
  know now they were anything but.
  I became aware that Master Orne appeared 
  to distance himself from the factional discourse 
  that informs so much of the Inquisition’s methods, 
  and that he gave no indication as to which of the 
  Ordos he might serve. I tried once to engage him 
  on the matter, but received only a sharp rebuke for 
  my efforts. 
  I served as Master Orne’s Interrogator 
  for the best part of a decade. The majority of 
  our missions were not overtly militant in nature, 
  but the aforementioned activity of some hidden foe 
  or rival became increasingly obvious. Despite the 
  efforts of our unseen foe, we experienced many 
  successes. Many of our missions appeared to 
  be in pursuance of Orne’s personal agenda, yet 
  plenty were of a nature many would consider the 
  conventional business of the Inquisition. Through 
  this decade of service, I noticed a dramatic 
  physical decline in my master. Orne had appeared 
  ancient when I had first met him, yet still 
  possessed of a vigour that comes from the zeal of 
  duty burning within. I do not know whether that 
  internal flame spluttered or some malaise afflicted 
  him, or perhaps he had simply held back the march 
  of years for too long and could hold them back no 
  longer. As Master Orne’s condition deteriorated, 
  I was entrusted with more and more serious 
  Such is to be expected, even the case of a even senior Acolyte, and in later years I see the wisdom 
  of withholding such details from my own underlings. The conclave was convened, a dozen Inquisitors and 
  scores of their agents attending. It transpired that my master was entirely correct, and the gathering soon 
  degenerated into a shouting match between three Ordo Xenos Inquisitors apparently of the Recongregator 
  tendency, one whom I had encountered during the Redemption of Hazeroth, and a number of Ordo 
  Hereticus Inquisitors of the Amalathian faction. What started as a heated debate soon escalated into 
  outrage and recrimination, until it appeared that the conclave stood upon the brink of anarchy. What happened 
  next would prove a pivotal moment in my career. The chair of the conclave, Inquisitors Lady Cassilda 
  Cognos, called for the battling Inquisitors to step down, and for witnesses to be called. To my great 
  surprise, I was called to speak. 
  I was asked to recount the actions of the Inquisitor I had encountered at Hazeroth, a former 
  Acolyte of Inquisitor Lord Xerbe called Lydon Tan. I knew that should I utter a word of a lie, 
  a dozen psy-spies in the chamber would cry out and denounce me as false. I recounted the events of 
  the Redemption, omitting nothing. All the while, the gathered worthies hung on my every word, until I 
  described the subsequent discussion of the Tyrant Star. I described how various elements had stated the 
  uprisings in the Hazeroth Sub-Sector might be related to the Hereticus Tenabrae, naming, when 
  prompted, those who had taken such a stand. One such name was of course Inquisitor Tan. 
  At this, the Recongregators rose, drawing their weapons, bellowing that they were being made scapegoats 
  in a sector-wide heresy. The Amalathians rose too, drawing their own weapons, stating that the other 
  group were meddling in matters they should leave well alone. I stood in the centre of the chamber, utterly 
  ignorant of the matters they were speaking of. 
  And then, both sides opened fire. I dove for cover as bolt and plasma erupted all around. I found myself 
  at the base of Lord Xerbe’s throne, and looked up, imploring him to end this debacle. Even as gun 
  fire sparked around him, he looked down at me, his expression unreadable behind his mask, and shook his 
  head. I would later come to understand Xerbe’s approach to factional conflict within the Ordos Calixis, 
  but at that time such a neutral stand seemed utterly inappropriate, and a cursed him for a fool. I have no 
  doubt that my worlds on that day were etched into Xerbe’s metaphorical record of grudges, and they have 
  certainly come back to haunt me many times over the years.
  Needless to say, the conclave ended. Three Inquisitors, including Lydon Tan were slain, along with a 
  score of Acolytes and guards. It was my introduction to the strife that divides our order, and far from the 
  last time I would encounter the ire of my peers.
  I
  nterrogator
  Not long after the death of Lydon Tan, I received, under seal of my master, a curt, hand-
  written missive. I was, with immediate effect, granted the rank of Interrogator. I was to train to 
  serve the Inquisition, perhaps one day to bear the rosette itself. Shaken by the huge honour I had been 
  afforded, I read on. 
  
  Heed The Higher Call
  8
  with blasphemous energies. Even one such as I, 
  not gifted of psychic talent, could perceive that the 
  Stranger stood at the dead centre of a vortex of 
  unprecedented power. I turned as my colleagues 
  stepped out onto the platform beside me—those who 
  were psykers dropped to their knees clutching their 
  heads in agony, blood seeping from every orifice. 
  I turned back towards the stranger, and as he 
  bellowed sorcerous words in an unintelligible tongue, 
  the arcane storm suddenly ceased. Time stood still. 
  The Stranger and myself stood in the very eye 
  of the storm, facing one another.
  He spoke first. “It can be stopped.” He 
  gestured with a flick of his head to the frozen sky 
  above.
  “It will be stopped,” I said. I drew my bolt 
  pistol, and blew his head off.
  With that, the spell was broken. Time resumed. 
  The winds burst into motion once more, and 
  within an hour the storm had abated and the light 
  returned. The lamentations ceased, and the people 
  shook off their woes as if awakening from some 
  terrible nightmare. 
  Whatever had been about to occur in the skies 
  above Barsapine had been averted. I know not 
  with any certainty whether it was the Strangers 
  spell, or my killing of him, that had averted the 
  event. Furthermore, it remains a mystery as to 
  what may have been about to occur, but certainly, 
  many would say that the Tyrant Star had been 
  upon the verge of manifesting. Such a possibility 
  still causes me to awaken at night, screaming, 
  despite the many terrors I have witnessed in my 
  lifetime.
  T
  he Tricorn Palace
  Soon after, in the midst of an execution 
  mission on Hesiod’s Wake, I received a high-
  level summons. I was to make for Scintilla with 
  all haste. I was to attend a hearing at the 
  Tricorn Palace.
  The voyage from Hesiod’s Wake to Scintilla 
  was riven with warp storms, a dire portent, 
  I could not help but fear, of things to come. I 
  had no inkling why I had been summoned to 
  the Tricorn Palace, and to be honest, part of 
  me expected never to leave that dark bastion. 
  Had enemies of my master conspired against 
  me? Or had my master determined to renounce 
  me? Had I been found guilty of some crime in 
  absentia, and summoned to face my executioners? 
  I dreaded the answer, yet longed for that 
  seemingly endless voyage to end, so that I might 
  learn my fate.
  Arriving at Scintilla following the roughest 
  of warp voyages I had ever experienced, the 
  merchant freighter on which I had taken passage 
  docked at one of the void yards in orbit above 
  Hive Tarsus. I made immediate arrangements 
  for passage to Hive Sibellus, requisitioning a 
  birth on a shuttle without delay. Ten hours later, 
  I was standing before the dark majesty of the 
  Tricorn Palace for the first time in my career.
  What can I say of the Tricorn? I recall 
  standing upon the landing apron, the shuttle 
  departing behind me with undue haste, straining my 
  neck to take in a sight few outside of our order 
  would openly witness. From the midst of the 
  baroque splendour of the hive rose the three, “By 
  of Man. Let no heretic, alien or fiend avoid 
  your scrutiny, let none stay your hand in the 
  prosecution of your duty. Arise.”
  I raised my head, and saw before me my 
  Inquisitorial Rosette. I feared my legs would 
  uch to my bewilderment, I was to be taught the Interrogator’s arts not under the tutelage of 
  Inquisitor Marr, but under another—Inquisitor Katuwe Orne. The letter ended with brief tasks. He 
  would accompany his cadre as far as he could, but would often be forced to remain detached from potential 
  danger, sometimes remaining in a transport while we, his trusted cadre faced his enemies on his behalf. 
  The greatest of those enemies transpired not to be a heretic, an alien or a fiend of the abyss. It turned 
  out to be a fellow Inquisitor. Who this individual was, none amongst the Ordos Calixis have ever, to my 
  knowledge, determined; yet he bore the rosette and was undoubtedly of our calling. We were engaged upon a 
  mission on cursed Sleef, when the Stranger appeared, stepping out from the shifting, noxious gases venting 
  from the ground. His voice dripping scorn, the Stranger simply bid us depart, or, he threatened, he would 
  call down the wrath of the universe itself upon us. Upon hearing the words of the Stranger, Master Orne 
  exploded with rage, ordering us to slay him without delay. At that, the stranger disappeared once more into the 
  mists and was gone. Despite extensive searches, we could not locate him, nor any means by which he might 
  have travelled to Sleef.
  Following this incident, Master Orne withdrew from active involvement in our field missions, and I 
  was given extensive licence to persue our duties. Throughout the missions I was to lead, the hand of our 
  mysterious foe became increasingly evident, ever-greater obstructions being laid in our path. Master Orne 
  concentrated his efforts upon prognostication and data analysis, drawing upon his considerable recourses to predict 
  the motives and deeds of the Stranger. Orne dispatched us on countless missions in an effort to entrap our 
  foe, but it seemed the mysterious individual was always one step ahead of us. Despite this, we appeared to be 
  getting closer, several times coming within arms reach of entrapping our elusive enemy.
  The end of that affair came when we were dispatched with all haste to the Hive world of Barsapine. 
  I later discovered that Master Orne had made certain contacts within the group I would later know 
  as the Tyrantine Cabal, and had come into information of a nigh-apocalyptic nature. We travelled to our 
  destination by the fastest means possible, and arrived there to find the entire world seemingly engulfed in 
  anarchy. Doom-Sayers paraded the streets in great processions, and the masses wailed and screamed in 
  bitter lamentation. We sought immediate explanation, but none was forthcoming. It appeared that no individual 
  could say exactly what moved them to such depths of despair, and the preachers of doom were consistent in 
  their ravings only in stating that the ‘end was near’. Discerning certain similarities to the portents my 
  master had sought out Zillman’s Domain, my heart was filled with dread. I set about recording every detail 
  of the travails afflicting the populace, using all of the skills Master Orne’s sages had bestowed upon me. It 
  was whilst conducting a meta-probe of Baraspine’s archival systems that I caught a brief sight on a spy-lens 
  of our enemy. The Stranger was there too, a fact that could scarcely have been a coincidence. The Stranger 
  had been picked up standing atop the highest peak of the hive’s tallest spire, and it was evident that he was 
  engaged in some form of vile sorcery.
  I made all haste for the spire, the skies darkening all the while. At last, I stepped forth on a wind-
  blasted platform at the very summit of the spire, to behold the Stranger, standing at the platform’s very edge, 
  wreathed in a corona of utter blackness. 
  
   
   
   
   
  Heed The Higher Call 
  9
  His arms were raised to the darkening skies, the air charged with blasphemous energies. Even one such 
  as I, not gifted of psychic talent, could perceive that the Stranger stood at the dead centre of a vortex of 
  unprecedented power. I turned as my colleagues stepped out onto the platform beside me—those who were psykers 
  dropped to their knees clutching their heads in agony, blood seeping from every orifice. I turned back towards 
  the stranger, and as he bellowed sorcerous words in an unintelligible tongue, the arcane storm suddenly ceased. 
  Time stood still. The Stranger and myself stood in the very eye of the storm, facing one another.
  He spoke first. “It can be stopped.” He gestured with a flick of his head to the frozen sky above.
  “It will be stopped,” I said. I drew my bolt pistol, and blew his head off.
  With that, the spell was broken. Time resumed. The winds burst into motion once more, and within an hour 
  the storm had abated and the light returned. The lamentations ceased, and the people shook off their woes as if 
  awakening from some terrible nightmare. 
  Whatever had been about to occur in the skies above Barsapine had been averted. I know not with any 
  certainty whether it was the Strangers spell, or my killing of him, that had averted the event. Furthermore, 
  it remains a mystery as to what may have been about to occur, but certainly, many would say that the Tyrant 
  Star had been upon the verge of manifesting. Such a possibility still causes me to awaken at night, screaming, 
  despite the many terrors I have witnessed in my lifetime.
  T
  he Tricorn Palace
  Soon after, in the midst of an execution mission on Hesiod’s Wake, I received a high-level 
  summons. I was to make for Scintilla with all haste. I was to attend a hearing at the Tricorn Palace.
  The voyage from Hesiod’s Wake to Scintilla was riven with warp storms, a dire portent, I could not 
  help but fear, of things to come. I had no inkling why I had been summoned to the Tricorn Palace, and to 
  be honest, part of me expected never to leave that dark bastion. Had enemies of my master conspired against 
  me? Or had my master determined to renounce me? Had I been found guilty of some crime in absentia, and 
  summoned to face my executioners? I dreaded the answer, yet longed for that seemingly endless voyage to end, 
  so that I might learn my fate.
  Arriving at Scintilla following the roughest of warp voyages I had ever experienced, the merchant freighter 
  on which I had taken passage docked at one of the void yards in orbit above Hive Tarsus. I made 
  immediate arrangements for passage to Hive Sibellus, requisitioning a birth on a shuttle without delay. Ten 
  hours later, I was standing before the dark majesty of the Tricorn Palace for the first time in my career.
  What can I say of the Tricorn? I recall standing upon the landing apron, the shuttle departing behind me 
  with undue haste, straining my neck to take in a sight few outside of our order would openly witness. From 
  the midst of the baroque splendour of the hive rose the three, slab-sided towers of the palace. They reared high 
  above the surrounding hive sprawl, their architecture and manufacture entirely at odds with the buildings all about. 
  The three towers rose so high as to pierce the clouds, and I was struck by the impression that surely nothing 
  could transpire for leagues all around without being noted by one of the multitude of spy-lenses and surveil-augurs 
  that sprouted from blisters upon their sides. I noted too the many bridges connecting the three towers, and the 
  clustered pylons at the peak of each, and knew that I must enter.
  
  Heed The Higher Call
  10
  fail me, but I staggered to my feet and composed 
  myself. Marr placed the rosette upon my chest, 
  before announcing to the gallery, “It is done.” 
  And with that austere ceremony, was I 
  ascended. I have been present at a dozen more 
  such occasions and have never seen the deed done 
  in exactly the same manner 
  twice. Some Inquisitors 
  revel in much pomp 
  and ceremony, 
  while others conduct 
  themselves with 
  great humility. I 
  have noted also that 
  the Ordo to 
  which one is 
  assigned is 
  determined in many different ways, 
  although in each case the concordance of a number 
  of Inquisitors of that Ordo is sought. I am told 
  that such things are done differently across the 
  Imperium. 
  Little did I know that the world I 
  had known as first an Acolyte, and then an 
  Interrogator, was but the tip of an iceberg of 
  duplicity, conspiracy and damnation.
  I
  nquisitor
  In the years since my ascension, I have 
  seen things that would shatter the sanity of lesser 
  men. I have seen Inquisitors of honour conduct 
  themselves as despots, and seen into the souls of 
  fiends. I have learned many truths, each revealing 
  the former to be a lie. I have gathered something 
  of the nature of this region of space, and why it 
  is that the place attracts our orders as suicidal 
  moths to a spluttering flame. 
  The Calixis Sector, I now know, is a 
  cauldron, seething with conspiracy. It imprints its 
  darkness into the very soul of Mankind. This 
  place is cursed beyond all redemption, of that I am 
  now sure. That is why the sector hosts so many 
  of our orders, for I have since come to realise 
  that some entire sectors in our great Imperium 
  are entirely bereft of Inquisitorial scrutiny, while 
  others, such as this, are inundated. Every world 
  in this sector is damned. Each year more terrible 
  acts are done in the name of those powers that 
  must not be named. Xenos-worshipping cults 
  abound, the objects of their venerations feeding 
  upon the very souls of their flocks. The fiends 
  of the abyss gather beyond, a mere thought away, 
  drawn by the ever increasing numbers of psykers 
  optionAl 
  Pre-generated 
  Packages
  Pre-Generated 
  As I approached the nearest of the towers, I began to discern the material from which the palace is constructed. 
  What from a distance appeared as stone revealed itself to be ancient and pitted ceramite, corroded, but evidently not 
  weakened, by centuries of exposure to the toxic atmosphere of Scintilla. As I approached still further, I could see 
  that the base of the tower that I was making for was indented in many places. Each indenture was an armoured 
  entry portal, capped with a weapons port, and attended by a grotesque servitor.
  Approaching the nearest portal, I identified myself to the servitor, which was little more than a head and torso 
  mounted upon a cantilevered armature. Upon this rusted contraption, the servitor lowered itself until its head was level 
  with mine, and only an arm’s length away. Its lens-eyes whirred and blinked for what seemed an inordinate time, 
  before its grill-mouth emitted a piercing stream of atonal machine nonsense. With a sudden 
  motion accompanied by the metallic screech of its armature, the servitor retracted into 
  an alcove, and was gone. I turned towards the portal, in time to witness the 
  armoured door rising, revealing stygian darkness beyond.
  Throughout my career up to that point, I had entered some dark places indeed, 
  many of which I had little expectation of returning from. I admit, traversing 
  that portal was the worst. Crossing the threshold, the armoured door lowered 
  behind me, the sound as ominous as the descent of the headsman’s axe. After 
  a moment, my eyes adjusted to the gloom, which I saw was scattered with 
  thousands upon thousands of tiny pinpricks of light. The heavy scent of 
  tallow informed me that each light was a candle, guttering in the 
  dark. 
  Girding myself to plunge onwards into the darkness, I 
  was shocked as a patch of shadow before me resolved itself into 
  slab-a human form. A black-robed gatekeeper, his wizened 
  hand grasping his rod of office approached, his shuffling 
  gate suggesting he rarely moved from his station. 
  In a voice as dry as the grave, the gatekeeper 
  bid me follow. He didn’t even ask my business.
  I followed the gatekeeper through long, dark galleries and 
  hallways, the walls encrusted with the grime of centuries and 
  hung with tattered and crumbling purity seals. The shadowed 
  vaults high above were the roost of cyber-cherubs apparently 
  turned feral, squabbling with one another over objects I could not discern. 
  Servo-skulls accompanied us, increasing numbers flocking behind, so that by the time we reached our destination a 
  veritable horde of them clustered in my wake. Still, I had yet to encounter another being aside from the silent and 
  shuffling gatekeeper. 
  At length, I found myself before an impossibly tall door made of wrought iron and adorned with spidery script. The 
  gatekeeper turned and bowed to me, before shuffling off into the darkness, retracing the steps we had taken from the 
  entry portal. With an ominous grinding of dormant gears, the brass doors swung slowly open, and I was confronted 
  with a sight I shall take to my grave.
  
   
   
   
   
  Heed The Higher Call 
  11
  scension
  Passing through the doors, I found myself standing in the centre of a vast, multi-tiered chamber, row 
  upon row of seated figures looking down upon me from galleries high above. Before me, at the centre of the lowest 
  tier, was an ornate, but unoccupied throne, which I was later to learn belonged to Lord Inquisitor Caidin himself, 
  though he rarely seats himself upon it. Standing before the throne, appearing even more wizened and stooped than I 
  had ever seen him, Inquisitor Silas Marr.
  Despite the dreadful, awe-inspiring scale of my surroundings, I could look only to Marr. He approached, 
  limping visibly and supporting himself with a gilded stick. Halting before me, he uttered a single word, “kneel.” I 
  did so.
  Marr’s next words echoed throughout the galleries of the chamber, and etched themselves into my mind for all time. 
  “Joshua Starkh., you have served me well this last decade. I name thee… Inquisitor.”
  Needless to say, I was stunned, shaken to my core. I had of course hoped one day to attain such a rank, but 
  knew that many who trod the path of Interrogator never reached such a destination. Inquisitor Marr continued. 
  my hand, and by the concordance of my peers, I judge you worthy of our orders. You shall enter into the ranks of 
  the Ordo Hereticus, and bring the light of the Emperor’s Judgement to the soul generation.
  As if such things were not sufficient to condemn us all to an eternity of damnation, I have come to know 
  something of the nature of the Ordos Calixis. My erstwhile master, Silas Marr is now a cripple and a recluse, 
  holding court from his manse on Solomon. Despite his distance from the activities of the Ordos, much of what I 
  have learned can be traced back to him. He appears to know so much of all that transpires in this sector, and 
  beyond, yet what is truly known of him? I suspect that many of my peers harbour an abiding fear of Silas Marr, 
  and I believe this to stem from the fact that he knows so much about their most secret of activities. I would go so 
  far as to suggest that some have countenanced murdering him, though given his powers, I cannot believe any have come 
  close to success.
  No discussion of Silas Marr could fail but to proceed to Lord Inquisitor Caidin, for the two appear subtly 
  aligned, though not in any tangible, solid sense. Some years after my ascension, I met this most elusive of individuals 
  for the first and only time in my career. He wore a mask, and I believe his voice was in some manner altered, 
  so I have no indication as to his actual identity. He wished to interrogate me following my pursuit of the so-
  called Three Daughters, the Daemonhosts created by the radical De Falk during the crisis at Hive 
  Atropos on Solomon. I had come so close to confronting them, only to be thwarted at the last by the actions of 
  those whose interests must surely have been aligned with the Xanthites. Despite his elusiveness, Caidin continues 
  to rule the Ordos Calixis with an iron hand, and it is evident that none would dare dispute his right to do so. 
  He communicates with us rarely, and inevitably by sealed order. I have only once seen him upon his throne in the 
  Tricorn Palace, and so wreathed in anonymity is he that he could be moving amongst us even now, and none would 
  know of it.
  As grave as so many of the concerns of my peers undoubtedly are, it is Komus, the Tyrant Star, that consumes 
  so many of their number. Most consumed of all was the late Lady Cassilda Cognos. Truly, she was amongst the 
  greatest and most dedicated servants the Inquisition has ever produced, and her devotion to her duty was so great 
  that her deeds must surely transcend her passing.
  
  Heed The Higher Call
  12
  With the death of Inquisito
  occasions, I have been drawn into the circle of Inquisitors that constitutes the Tyrantine Cabal, though I often 
  found my investigations hampered by his refusal to denounce those whose actions threaten to destabilise all of our 
  efforts. I have no doubt that his even-handedness is an effort to facilitate unity against that which threatens to 
  devour the entire sector, yet I find it divisive in itself. I sometimes fear Xerbe is not master of his own fate, 
  that he is in fact in the thrall of some other. Perhaps that is why my enemies are so many.
  Almost as condemned in my eyes are the On the subject of enemies, I must name those I faced for so many 
  years. Many times in my career have I crossed paths with those of my peers of a Radical philosophy. The 
  first, and possibly most terrible incident was the investigation surrounding the Mara Landing Massacre—I count 
  Inquisitor Amaros and the Istvaanians as perhaps the most dangerous of heretics ever to have blighted the sector. 
  Libricars, those who presume to denounce their peers as impure and weak. I have seen good men and women 
  brought low by the self-serving arrogance of those who follow the Libricarian creed, and I hate them utterly for 
  such deeds. Three of their number I have personally cast down: one by counter-denunciation, one by the sword, and 
  one by the pyre. 
  The Xanthites too have I crossed paths with on many occasions. That an Inquisitor should look into that 
  which is anathema to Mankind’s salvation is tolorated by many as an acceptable price, but to court damnation so 
  openly appears to me hubris of the very worst kind. I count myself no ranting Puritan, but neither can I accept 
  the type of practice that leads to the creation of such abominations as the Three Daughters. I would see the 
  Xanthites burn, every last one of them, and I am under no illusion that they have a different opinion of me.
  Almost as bad in my eyes are the Recongregators, though I admit to a small degree of sympathy for the core of 
  their philosophy. They hold that the Imperium is so corrupt, so riddled with damnation and sin that only wholesale 
  regeneration can set it once more upon the path of righteousness. That much I can subscribe to. Where I differ 
  from the Recongregators is in their belief that before any regeneration can come about, the whole crumbling edifice 
  must first be torn down. They actively seek to do so, and that, in my eyes, puts them beyond the light of the 
  Emperor. 
  Of the Ocularians I will not speak, although the more lucid of readers see that I have done so already. Nor do 
  I commit to record that which I learned of the elusive Ordo Chronos, though it should appear obvious that the two 
  are linked in some manner. Furthermore, I shall abstain from discussion of the vile Oblationists, for even to name 
  them is, in my eyes, to accept they have a place in the Emperor’s domains. They do not.
  Ultimately, I have come to know the truth of things, as far as one man can. Through constant struggle and 
  strife I have touched the divine, though in return, my soul has been seared and wounded by that which it so 
  deeply craves. It seems an inevitability that in our service we pay the ultimate price, for that which we do in the 
  name of Humanity ultimately condemns us all in the name of Mankind. Yet, we of the Holy Ordos of the 
  Emperor’s Inquisition are a breed apart. We know what it is that must be done, and we do it, even at the cost 
  of our own souls. 
  And for me, that price must soon be paid, for my accusers approach even now. I hear the rattle of keys and the 
  jangle of chains. The key turns in the lock, and the door is opened. I go now to confront my destiny. I know 
  that all I have done has been in the service of the God-Emperor of Mankind. None, not even those who come 
  for me, can take that away from me. born to each.
  This feels oddly familiar doesn’t it old friend? 
  
   
   
   
   
  Heed The Higher Call 
  13
  Characters
  “Those who believe they have done all the Emperor asks deserve not 
  rest but the pyre. The Emperor tasks us unto death and even that 
  moment shall be in his service.”
  –Crusader Rawae
  A
  cension contains two approaches for creating 
  characters. A third option (after the top-down and 
  bottom-up approaches from page 24 of Ascension) 
  for creating new Ascension characters is to simply select 
  one of the following pre-generated packages. Each of these 
  packages represents one route from amongst many to reach 
  the beginning of Rank 9. Each pre-generated package has 
  completed all the steps necessary to gain an Ascended Career, 
  but these packages have not yet selected a Transition Package 
  (and applied the attendant bonuses), nor spent their bonus 500 
  xp (see page 24 of Ascension). These quick-start packages 
  are ideal for a player who simply wants to begin playing an 
  Ascended Career as soon as possible and provides one way to 
  speed up the process of character creation. Naturally, a player 
  who selects this option for his character may, at his discretion, 
  add additional layers to his character that are not included in 
  these packages, such as a Divination (see page 34 in the DArk 
  Heresy Rulebook) or additional background packages from 
  other books in the DArk Heresy line.
  Players can, of course, go back to their previous career 
  and buy additional advances (though not with the bonus 500 
  xp, which must be spent on Ascended advances). They may 
  also purchase additional characteristic advances. If they do 
  so, they obviously must take the characteristic advances they 
  received from their packages into account when determining 
  the next level they can purchase. A character who gained +10 
  BS due to a package would have to purchase the “Trained” BS 
  advance, not the “Simple” level, for example. 
  Note: All pre-generated characters come with 
  Speak Language (Low Gothic) and Literacy as 
  trained Skills. The characteristic Advances 
  have been purchased in blocks of +5 (to a 
  maximum of +20), meaning that these pre-
  generated packages have not yet purchased 
  any Heroic or Master Advances. All of 
  the pre-generated characters have gained 
  extra Wounds from Sound Constitution 
  Advances—this is indicated by a 
  +(number of Sound Constitution 
  Advances taken) Wounds in the 
  Characteristics line. Unless otherwise 
  noted, all the starting gear is of 
  common craftsmanship.
  Crusader
  Former Career: Cleric
  Characteristics: +20 WS, +20 Strength, +20 Toughness, 
  +10 Agility, +5 Perception, +20 Willpower, +8 Wounds
  Starting Gear: Best-craftsmanship power sword, crusader 
  suppression shield, best-craftsmanship carapace armour, 
  Badge of Office, micro-bead
  Starting Skills: Awareness (Per) +20, Charm (Fel), Command 
  (Fel), Common Lore (Ecclesiarchy, Imperial Creed, Imperium, 
  War) (Int) +10, Dodge (Ag) +10, Drive (Ground Vehicles, 
  Hover) (Ag) +10, Inquiry (Fel), Intimidate (S) +20, Scholastic 
  Lore (Imperial Creed) (Int) +10, Scrutiny (Per) +10, Secret 
  Tongue (Acolyte), Speak Language (High Gothic) (Int) 
  Starting Talents: Ambidextrous, Armour of Contempt, 
  Blademaster, Combat Master, Counter-attack, Crippling 
  Strike, Crushing Blow, Die Hard, Fearless, Hatred (any one), 
  Insanely Faithful, Jaded, Lightning Attack, Meditation, Melee 
  Weapon Training (All), Mental Fortress, Resistance (Psychic 
  Powers), Strong Minded, Swift Attack, True Grit, Two-
  weapon Wielder (Melee), Wall of Steel
  death Cult assassin
  Former Career: Assassin
  Characteristics: +20 WS, +10 Strength, +10 Toughness, 
  +20 Agility, +20 Perception, +10 Willpower +7 Wounds
  Starting Gear: Two best-Craftsmanship power swords, best-
  Craftsmanship synskin or common-Craftsmanship hardened 
  bodyglove, injector with three doses of Slaught, Badge of 
  Office, micro-bead
  Starting Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +20, Awareness (Per) +20, 
  Chem-use (Int) +20, Climb (St) +20, Common Lore (Imperial 
  Creed, Imperium, Underworld) (Int) +10, Concealment (Ag) 
  +20, Contortionist (Ag) +20, Deceive (Fel), Disguise (Fel), 
  Dodge (Ag) +20, Drive (Ground Vehicles, Hover) (Ag), 
  Forbidden Lore (Cults) +10, Intimidate (S) +20, Scrutiny 
  (Per) +10, Search (Per) +10, Secret Tongue (Acolyte), 
  Security (Ag) +10, Shadowing (Ag) +20, Silent 
  Move (Ag) +20, Slight of Hand (Ag), Swim (Ag), 
  Tracking (Int)
  Starting Talents: Ambidextrous, Assassin 
  Strike, Berserk Charge, Blademaster, 
  Catfall, Crippling Strike, Dark Soul, 
  Deflect Shot, Disarm, Dual Strike, Fearless, 
  Furious Assault, Hard Target, Heightened 
  Senses, Jaded, Leap Up, Light Sleeper, 
  Lightning Attack, Lightning Reflexes, 
  Melee 
  Weapon 
  Training (Chain, 
  Power, Primitive, Shock), Precise 
  Blow, Quick Draw, Rapid Reaction, 
  Sprint, Step Aside, Sure Strike, Swift 
  Attack, Thrown Weapon Training 
  (Primitive), Two-weapon Wielder 
  (melee), Unremarkable
  
  Heed The Higher Call
  14
  desperado
  Former Career: Scum
  Characteristics: +20 BS, +10 WS, +20 Toughness, +15 
  Agility, +15 Intelligence, +10 Perception, +20 Fellowship, 
  +5 Wounds
  Starting Gear: Two common-craftsmanship bolt pistols 
  or two best-craftsmanship laspistols with overcharge packs 
  (or stub automatics with man-stopper ammunition). Best-
  craftsmanship flak armour, multikey, Badge of Office, 
  micro-bead
  Starting Skills: Acrobatics (Ag), Awareness (Per) +20, Barter 
  (Fel) +20, Blather (Fel) +10, Carouse (T) +10, Charm (Fel) 
  +20, Chem-use (Int) +10, Climb (St) +10, Command (Fel), 
  Common Lore (Adeptus Arbites, Imperium, Underworld) (Int) 
  +10, Concealment (Ag) +10, Deceive (Fel) +20, Disguise 
  (Fel) +20, Dodge (Ag) +20, Drive (Ground Vehicles, Hover) 
  (Ag) +20, Evaluate (Int) +20, Forbidden Lore (Cults, 
  Heretics, Mutants) +10, Gamble (Int) +20, Inquiry (Fel) +20, 
  Intimidate (S), Pilot (All) +20, Scrutiny (Per) +20, Search (Per) 
  +10, Secret Tongue (Acolyte), Security (Ag) +10, Shadowing 
  (Ag) +10, Silent Move (Ag) +10, Slight of Hand (Ag) +20, 
  Survival (Int) +10, Swim (Ag), Tech Use (Int), Tracking (Int)
  Starting Talents: Ambidextrous, Basic Weapon Training 
  (Any three), Crack Shot, Deadeye Shot, Die Hard, Double 
  Team, Dual Shot, Gunslinger, Hardy, Heightened Senses 
  (any one), Hip Shooting, Independent Targeting, Jaded, 
  Light Sleeper, Marksman, Melee Weapon Training (Chain, 
  Power, Primitive, Shock), Mighty Shot, Nerves of Steel, 
  Pistol Training (Bolt, Las, Melta, Plasma, SP), Quick Draw, 
  Rapid Reload, Step Aside, True Grit, Two Weapon Wielder 
  (Ballistic), Unremarkable
  hierophant
  Former Career: Cleric
  Characteristics: +20 WS, +10 BS, +10 Strength, +20 
  Toughness, +20 Willpower, +20 Fellowship, +6 Wounds
  Starting Gear: Best-Craftsmanship chainsword, flamer or 
  hand flamer, carapace armour or Rosarius, Badge of Office, 
  micro-bead
  Starting Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Barter (Fel), Blather 
  (Fel) +10, Carouse (T) +10, Charm (Fel) +20, Command 
  (Fel) +10, Common Lore (Ecclesiarchy, Imperial Creed, 
  Imperium) (Int) +10, Deceive (Fel) +10, Dodge (Ag) +10, 
  Drive (Ground Vehicles) (Ag), Forbidden Lore (Cults, Heresy), 
  Inquiry (Fel) +10, Intimidate (S) +10, Medicae (Int) +20, 
  Scholastic Lore (Imperial Creed, Philosophy) (Int) +10, 
  Scrutiny (Per) +10, Speak Language (Int) (High Gothic)
  Starting Talents: Air of Authority, Armour of Contempt, 
  Basic Weapon Training (Flame plus any three), Battle Rage, 
  Berserk Charge, Blademaster, Cleanse and Purify, Crippling 
  Strike, Crushing Blow, Fearless, Flagellant, Frenzy, Furious 
  Assault, Hatred (select any three), Heavy Weapon Training 
  (Flame), Insanely Faithful, Into the Jaws of Hell, Iron 
  Discipline, Jaded, Lightning Attack, Litany of Hate, Master 
  Chirurgeon, Master Orator, Melee Weapon Training (Chain, 
  Primitive, Power, Shock), Pistol Training (Flame plus any 
  one), Swift Attack, True Grit, Unshakeable Faith
  
   
   
   
   
  Heed The Higher Call 
  15
  inquisitor
  Former Career: Arbitrator
  Characteristics: +10 WS, +10 BS, +10 Strength, +10 
  Toughness, +10 Agility, +20 Intelligence, +15 Perception, 
  +20 Willpower, +10 Fellowship, +6 Wounds
  Starting Gear: Best-Craftsmanship autopistol or common-
  Craftsmanship bolt pistol, power sword or chainsword, 
  Inquisitional rosette, one digital weapon of choice, 
  micro-bead.
  Starting Skills: Awareness (Per) +20, Charm (Fel) +10, 
  Ciphers (Secret Society, Underworld) (Int) +10, Command 
  (Fel) +20, Common Lore (Adeptus Arbites, Administratum, 
  Imperium, Tech, Underworld) (Int) +10, Concealment (Ag), 
  Deceive (Fel) +10, Dodge (Ag) +10, Drive (Ground Vehicles, 
  Hover) (Ag) +10, Evaluate (Int), Forbidden Lore (Cults, 
  Inquisition, Ordos) (Int) +10, Inquiry (Fel) +20, Interrogation 
  (WP) +10, Intimidate (Fel) +20, Logic (Int), Pilot (Flyers) 
  (Ag), Scholastic Lore (Judgement, Tactica Imperialis), Scrutiny 
  (Per) +20, Search (Per), Secret Tongue (Acolyte), Shadowing 
  (Ag), Silent Move (Ag), Speak Language (High Gothic), 
  Tracking (Int) +10
  Starting Talents: Air of Authority, Ambidextrous, 
  Armour of Contempt, Arms Master, Basic Weapon Training 
  (Any two), Blademaster, Concealed Cavity, Crack Shot, 
  Crippling Strike, Decadence, Die Hard, Disturbing Voice, 
  Fearless, Foresight, Hardy, Insanely Faithful, Into the Jaws of 
  Hell, Iron Discipline, Iron Jaw, Light Sleeper, Melee Weapon 
  Training (Chain, Primitive, Power, Shock), Mental Fortress, 
  Orthoproxy, Pistol Training (Any two), Quick Draw, Rapid 
  Reaction, Resistance (Psychic Powers), Strong Minded, Swift 
  Attack, Takedown, Total Recall, Two-weapon Wielder (Melee 
  and Ballistic), Wall of Steel
  interrogator
  Former Career: Guardsman
  Characteristics: +10 WS, +10 BS, +20 Toughness, +10 
  Agility, +20 Intelligence, +10 Perception, +20 Willpower, 
  +10 Fellowship, +6 Wounds
  Starting Gear: One basic weapon of choice (may not have 
  an Availability of greater than Rare), one melee weapon of 
  choice (may not have an Availability of greater than Rare), 
  and best-Craftsmanship flak armour, Badge of Office, 
  micro-bead
  Starting Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Blather (Fel) +10, 
  Carouse (T) +10, Charm (Fel) +10, Ciphers (War Cant, 
  Secret Society, Underworld) (Int) +10, Climb (St), Command 
  (Fel), Common Lore (Imperial Guard, Imperium, War) (Int) 
  +10, Concealment (Ag) +10, Deceive (Fel), Demolition 
  (Int) +10, Dodge (Ag) +20, Drive (Ground Vehicles, Hover, 
  Walker) (Ag) +10, Inquiry (Fel) +10, Interrogation (WP) 
  +20, Intimidate (S) +20, Pilot (Flyers) +10, Scrutiny (Per) 
  +20, Search (Per) +10, Secret Tongue (Acolyte), Silent Move 
  (Ag) +10, Speak Language (High Gothic) (Int), Survival (Int) 
  +10, Swim (Ag), Tech Use (Int), Tracking (Int)
  Starting Talents: Armour of Contempt, Basic Weapon 
  Training (Bolt, Flame, Las, Melta, Plasma, SP), Crushing Blow, 
  Decadence, Die Hard, Double Team, Exotic Weapon Training 
  (Any two), Foresight, Insanely Faithful, Melee Weapon 
  Training (Chain, Primitive, Power, Shock), Marksman, Mighty 
  Shot, Nerves of Steel, Paranoia, Pistol Training (Any two), 
  Resistance (Psychic Powers), Strong Minded, Swift Attack, 
  Total Recall, Two-weapon Wielder (Melee and Ballistic), 
  Unshakeable Faith
  Judge
  Former Career: Arbitrator
  Characteristics: +10 WS, +20 BS, +10 Strength, +20 
  Toughness, +5 Agility, +15 Perception, +10 Willpower, 
  +20 Fellowship, +8 Wounds
  Starting Gear: Best-Craftsmanship combat shotgun with 
  Executioner rounds, common-Craftsmanship bolt pistol, 
  Common-Craftsmanship Arbites carapace armour, power 
  maul, Badge of Office, Arbites Badge
  Starting Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Charm (Fel) +20, 
  Ciphers (Underworld) (Int) +20, Command (Fel) +20, 
  Common Lore (Adeptus Arbites, Imperium, Underworld) (Int) 
  +20, Deceive (Fel) +10, Dodge (Ag) +10, Drive (Ground 
  Vehicles, Hover) (Ag) +20, Evaluate (Int), Forbidden Lore 
  (Cults, Mutants) (Int) +10, Inquiry (Fel) +20, Interrogation 
  (WP) +20, Intimidate (Fel) +20, Scholastic Lore (Judgement, 
  Tactica Imperialis) +20, Scrutiny (Per) +20, Search (Per) 
  +20, Shadowing (Ag) +20, Speak Language (High Gothic), 
  Tech Use (Int), Tracking (Int) +10
  Starting Talents: Air of Authority, Armour of Contempt, 
  Basic Weapon Training (Any four), Crack Shot, Crushing 
  Blow, Deadeye Shot, Die Hard, Disarm, Furious Assault, 
  Hardy, Hip Shooting, Insanely Faithful, Into the Jaws of 
  Hell, Iron Discipline, Iron Jaw, Jaded, Master Orator, Melee 
  Weapon Training (Chain, Primitive, Power, Shock), Mighty 
  Shot, Nerves of Steel, Pistol Training (Any four), Quick 
  Draw, Rapid Reload, Swift Attack, Takedown, True Grit, 
  Unshakeable Faith
  
  Heed The Higher Call
  16
  Magos
  Former Career: Tech-Priest
  Characteristics: +10 WS, +10 BS, +10 Strength, +20 
  Toughness, +20 Intelligence, +10 Wounds
  Starting Gear: Best-Craftsmanship carapace armour or 
  common-Craftsmanship power armour, power axe or power 
  maul, best-craftsmanship hellgun or common-Craftsmanship 
  bolter with red-dot laser sight, two best-Craftsmanship bionic 
  implants or cybernetic limbs of choice, Badge of Office, 
  Auspex, Combi-tool, Vox-caster
  Starting Skills: Awareness (Per), Chem-use (Int) +10, 
  Ciphers (War Cant) (Int) +10, Common Lore (Machine Cult, 
  Imperium, Tech) (Int) +20, Demolition (Int) +10, Dodge 
  (Ag), Drive (All) (Ag) +20, Evaluate (Int) +20, Forbidden 
  Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus, Archeotech) +10, Intimidate (S) 
  +10, Logic (Int) +20, Medicae (Int) +10, Pilot (All) (Ag) 
  +10, Search (Per), Security (Ag)
  Starting 
  Talents: 
  Autosanguine, 
  Basic 
  Weapon 
  Training (All), Binary Chatter, Bulging Biceps, Crushing 
  Blow, Disturbing Voice, Electrical Succour, Electro Graft 
  Use, Energy Catch, Feedback Screech, Ferric Lure, Ferric 
  Summons, Gun Blessing, Hardy, Heavy Weapon Training 
  (Any two), Iron Jaw, Jaded, Luminen Blast, Luminen Charge, 
  Luminen Shock, Maglev Grace, Maglev Transcendence, 
  Master Chirurgeon, Mechadendrite Use (Ballistic, Medicae, 
  Optical, Utility), Melee Weapon Training (Chain, Primitive, 
  Power, Shock), Pistol Training (Any three), Prosanguine, Rite 
  of Awe, Rite of Fear, Swift Attack, Technical Knock, True Grit,  
  Unshakeable Faith
  priMaris psyker
  Former Career: Imperial Psyker
  Characteristics: +10 WS, +10 BS, +10 Strength, +10 
  Toughness, +10 Agility, +20 Willpower, +5 Wounds
  Starting Gear: Common-craftsmanship force weapon or 
  best-Craftsmanship power weapon, common-Craftsmanship 
  bolt pistol or hellpistol, best-Craftsmanship flak armour, psy-
  focus, Badge of Office, micro-bead.
  Starting Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Chem-use (Int) +10, 
  Ciphers (Any one) (Int) +10, Common Lore (Imperial Guard, 
  Imperium) (Int) +20, Deceive (Fel), Dodge (Ag) +10, Evaluate 
  (Int) +10, Forbidden Lore (Psykers, the Warp) +10, Inquiry 
  (Fel), Invocation (WP) +20, Medicae (Int) +10, Navigation 
  (Surface) (Int), Psyniscience (Per) +20, Scholastic Lore 
  (Chymistry, Occult) +20, Scrutiny (Per) +10, Search (Per)
  Starting Talents: Blademaster, Corpus Conversion, 
  Dark Soul, Discipline Focus (Any one), Disturbing Voice, 
  Favoured by the Warp, Insanely Faithful, Jaded, Light Sleeper, 
  Meditation, Melee Weapon Training (Chain, Primitive, Power, 
  Shock), Mental Fortress, Minor Psychic Power (Any twelve), 
  Paranoia, Power Well, Psy Rating 5, Pistol Training (Any 
  four), Psychic Power (Any six), Resistance (Psychic Powers), 
  Strong Minded, Swift Attack
  sage
  Former Career: Adept
  Characteristics: +10 BS, +15 Toughness, +10 Agility, +20 
  Intelligence, +20 Perception, +20 Willpower, +5 Wounds
  Starting 
  Gear: 
  Best-Craftsmanship 
  hellpistol, 
  best-
  Craftsmanship flak armour, one best-Craftsmanship cybernetic 
  implant of choice, auto-quill, Badge of Office, data-slate, 
  micro-bead
  Starting Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Barter (Fel) +10, 
  Blather (Fel) +20, Chem-use (Int), Ciphers (All) (Int) +20, 
  Common Lore (All) (Int) +20, Deceive (Fel), Dodge (Ag) 
  +10, Drive (Ground Vehicles, Hover) (Fel) +10, Evaluate 
  (Int) +10, Forbidden Lore (Any four) +10, Inquiry (Fel) +10, 
  Logic (Int) +20, Medicae (Int) +10, Navigation (Surface) 
  (Int), Scholastic Lore (Any five) +20, Speak Language  
  (High Gothic)
  Starting Talents: Concealed Cavity, Dark Soul, Decadence, 
  Exotic Weapon Training (any one), Foresight, Hard Target, 
  Jaded, Light Sleeper, Master Chirurgeon, Meditation, Melee 
  Weapon Training (Chain, Primitive, Power, Shock), Mental 
  Fortress, Mimic, Orthoproxy, Paranoia, Pistol Training (Bolt, 
  Las, Melta, Plasma, SP), Resistance (Psychic Powers), Strong 
  Minded, Swift Attack, Total Recall 
  knoWledGe Is poWer
  The Magos Ascended Career may use his Intelligence 
  instead of his Fellowship to qualify for the prerequisites 
  of all Peer and Good Reputation Talents.
  
   
   
   
   
  Heed The Higher Call 
  17
  storM trooper
  Former Career: Guardsman
  Characteristics: +10 WS, +20 BS, +20 Strength, +20 
  Toughness, +10 Agility, +5 Perception, +10 Willpower, 
  +10 Wounds
  Starting Gear: Good-craftsmanship Storm Trooper carapace 
  armour, good-craftsmanship hellgun, good-craftsmanship 
  hellpistol, three frag grenades, 3 krak grenades, Badge 
  of Office, The Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer  
  (Calixis Edition)
  Starting Skills: Awareness (Per) +20, Carouse (T) +20, 
  Chem-use (Int), Climb (S) +10, Command (Fel) +20, 
  Common Lore (Imperial Guard, Imperial Navy, Imperium, 
  War) +20, Concealment (Ag), Demolition (Int) +20, 
  Demolition (Int) +20, Dodge (Ag) +20, Drive (All), Gamble 
  (Int), Interrogation (WP), Intimidate (S) +20, Medicae (Int) 
  +10, Pilot (Flyers) +10, Search (Per) +20, Security (Ag), 
  Survival (Int) +20, Swim (S) +10, Tech-use (Int), Tracking 
  (Int) +20
  Starting Talents: Arms Master, Basic Weapon Training 
  (Bolt, Las, Melta, Plasma, SP), Bulging Biceps, Crack Shot, 
  Die Hard, Double Team, Hip Shooting, Iron Discipline, Jaded, 
  Light Sleeper, Lightning Reflexes, Marksman, Melee Weapon 
  Training (Chain, Primitive, Power, Shock), Precise Blow, 
  Pistol Training (Bolt, Las, Melta, Plasma, SP), Quick Draw, 
  Rapid Reaction, Resistance (Psychic Powers), Sharpshooter, 
  Sprint, Step Aside, Strong Minded, Sure Strike, Swift Attack, 
  True Grit, Unshakeable Faith
  VindiCare assassin
  Former Career: Assassin
  Characteristics: +10 WS, +20 BS, +15 Strength, +15 
  Toughness, +20 Agility, +20 Perception, +20 Willpower, 
  +7 Wounds
  Starting Gear: Stealth suit, spy mask, Exitus Rifle, Exitus 
  Pistol, one Exitus hellfire, shield-breaker, and turbo-penetrator 
  round
  Starting Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +10, Awareness (Per) 
  +20, Climb (St) +20, Common Lore (Imperial Creed, 
  Imperium, Underworld, War) (Int) +10, Concealment (Ag) 
  +20, Deceive (Fel), Disguise (Fel) +20, Dodge (Ag) +20, 
  Drive (Ground Vehicles, Hover) (Ag), Forbidden Lore (Cults, 
  Heretics, Mutants) +10, Intimidate (S) +20, Scrutiny (Per) 
  +20, Search (Per) +20, Secret Tongue (Acolyte), Security 
  (Ag) +10, Shadowing (Ag) +20, Silent Move (Ag) +20, 
  Swim (Ag), Tracking (Int) +20
  Starting Talents: Ambidextrous, Armour of Contempt, 
  Basic Weapon Training (Bolt, Las, Melta, Plasma, SP), Catfall, 
  Crack Shot, Die Hard, Fearless, Hard Target, Heightened 
  Senses (Sight, Smell, Sound, Touch), Hip Shooting, Leap Up, 
  Light Sleeper, Lightning Reflexes, Marksman, Melee Weapon 
  Training (Chain, Primitive, Power, Shock), Mental Fortress, 
  Precise Blow, Pistol Training (Bolt, Las, Melta, Plasma, SP), 
  Quick Draw, Rapid Reaction, Resistance (Psychic Powers), 
  Sharpshooter, Sprint, Step Aside, Strong Minded, Sure 
  Strike, Swift Attack, Thrown Weapon Training (Primitive),  
  Total Recall
  sIlent death
  The Vindicare Assassin Ascended Career gains the Exotic Weapon Training Talent (Exitus pistol and Exitus rifle) for 
  free at Rank 9.
  
  Heed The Higher Call
  18
  Mind Cleansing
  “I often praise the Emperor’s mercy that I have been freed from my 
  own memories. Despite my transgressions I have been given a chance 
  to serve. I am free of my own guilt but I strive to remember the shame 
  I should feel.”
  –Acolyte Heronius Dyle
  I
  ndividual Inquisitors have different opinions on the process 
  of mind cleansing; often, this involves complex psycho-
  viral, mimetic, and telepathic alteration to selectively edit 
  a subject’s memories and thought patterns. Whilst mind 
  cleansing can be a useful tool, it is a process that requires 
  a not-insignificant investment of time and resources. Many 
  Inquisitors have no trouble using every tool at their disposal, 
  but others are more select about the application of their 
  influence, particularly when it comes to adjusting the minds 
  of loyal servants or retainers.
  The benefits of mind cleansing are quite evident; those 
  who have witnessed secrets too terrible for sanity to bear can 
  be rehabilitated, whilst others who have learned that which 
  is forbidden or better left forgotten may be reclaimed from 
  what would otherwise be an automatic death sentence for 
  knowing too much.
  In addition, the mind-cleansed individual often retains his 
  skills (often rare or specialised talents that are in such demand 
  that the individual warrants mind-scrubbing rather than 
  death!). In some cases, mind cleansing is a form of reward to a 
  loyal retainer, eliminating harrowing experiences and curing 
  chronic nightmares of the dark things that Inquisitors and 
  their allies must confront as a matter of course.
  More often, mind cleansing is used as a safeguard or a 
  punishment for those the Inquisitor finds weak-willed, 
  untrustworthy, or worse. In such cases, these individuals are 
  often executed once their effectiveness comes to an end.
  However, mind cleansing also presents a number of 
  drawbacks, not the least among them that the process makes 
  it difficult for a loyal and able servant to learn from his own 
  mistakes or those of his predecessors. The process can render 
  an Acolyte unable to draw important correlations between 
  past events, and there are some Inquisitors who refuse to 
  subject their agents to mind-cleansing, preferring a cadre than 
  can think on their feet.
  In the Calixian Conclave, the process of mind cleansing is 
  used with some regularity by many Inquisitors. These Calixian 
  Inquisitors tend to follow a vaguely defined methodology for 
  mind-scrubbing that generally falls into one of three seperate 
  categories:
  Forbidden lore
  In the course of serving the Inquisition, an acolyte often 
  encounters many terrible facts, not the least of which is the 
  certain knowledge that the Imperium is under constant threat 
  from heresy, aliens, and daemonic influence. From the Ruinous 
  Powers who lurk within the warp to the numberless hordes 
  of alien fleets on the fringes of the galaxy, there are some 
  things man was simply not meant to understand. Whilst an 
  Inquisitor may trust a chosen few with such knowledge, for 
  many others, it ranges from distraction (at best) to outright 
  panic on a planetary or system-wide scale. High rank, wealth, 
  and authority is little protection from the sanity-twisting 
  horrors the Inquisition keeps at bay, and even such heroes 
  as Imperial Guard Generals and, in rare cases, Space Marines 
  must have their memories expunged to remain a trustworthy 
  servant of the Emperor. 
  dark seCrets
  There are some mysteries that the Inquisition considers too 
  dangerous to be known, some revelations too destructive to 
  witness. Nevertheless, from time to time, agents of the Holy 
  Ordos stumble onto the solution to one of these enigmas—
  and thus, they must be silenced, their memories stolen and 
  locked away. The Inquisition knows well the maxim that 
  “knowledge is power,” and they consider certain knowledge 
  so powerful it requires—nay, demands—to be kept hidden. 
  baneFul inFluenCe
  Faith is the greatest strength of those who serve the Inquisition, 
  but sometimes even faith is not enough. Possession, xenos 
  pheromones, and the mind-warping powers of a rogue 
  psyker are merely a few of the pitfalls that an Acolyte of 
  the Inquisition may encounter during his service. When an 
  Inquisitor’s servant falters, mind cleansing is often as much a 
  blessing as a curse, for it can sometimes remove or mitigate 
  the corrupting influence wielded by the Emperor’s foes.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dark Heresy [multi]/Supplements/Dark Heresy Supplement - Ascension - Heed the Higher Call.pdf