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Officio Assassinorum

From Lexicanum

Symbol of the Officio Assassinorum

The Officio Assassinorum (Office of Assassins) is the Imperial organisation responsible for the recruitment, training, and deployment of elite assassins. The Officio's head, the Grand Master of Assassins, due to the power of his organization and by tradition, is always a member of the Senate of the High Lords of Terra and, in theory at least, the agreement of the Senate is required for any assassination order. Targets are powerful and dangerous leaders, such as rebellious Imperial governors, heretic prophets, powerful demagogues, successful alien leaders, etc. The Officio consists of different types of temples; each temple is unique and specializes in its own methods of killing. The heads of individual temples are called directors and directors-secundus.

During the Age of Apostasy, the Officio itself became afflicted by the general corruption of the Imperium, and certain high ranking members of the Office had utilized the assassins for Goge Vandire's own ends. In Vandire's purges, powerful individuals and even the Officio's Grand Master became the prey of the assassins. The war within the Officio became known as the Wars of Vindication. Following the Apostasy, it was deemed wise to completely reorganize the Office, one change being that only the Senate could order an assassination. A section of the Inquisition, the Ordo Sicarius, was created to monitor and control the Officio Assassinorum from that date on.

The motto of the Officio Assassinorum is: For those that defy the Imperium, only the Emperor can judge your crimes. Only in death can you receive the Emperor's judgement.

The known temples are:

Vindicare Temple - sharpshooters, specialists in sniping and marksmanship
Callidus Temple - chameleons, specialists in infiltration and impersonation
Eversor Temple - berserkers, drug-fueled killing machines
Culexus Temple - psyker-killers, psykers are their exclusive targets
Venenum Temple - specialists in poisoning their targets
Vanus Temple - have varying psyker abilities, using psychic and physical methods of killing

The temples, with the exception of the Culexus Temple, are located on Terra itself but their specific locations are kept secret. They may covertly 'help' any Imperial army, including Space Marines, Sisters of Battle, and the Imperial Guard, but never join any squad, as they work best alone.