Seraphic Inquisition
| The Seraphic Inquisition | |
|---|---|
| Type | Covert intelligence and enforcement organisation |
| Parent body | The Luminous Conclave |
| Reports to | Sir Althorn Lightbearer |
| Headquarters | Sanctum of Purity, Lighthaven (classified lower levels) |
| Structure | Compartmentalised cells |
| Status | Officially does not exist |
The Seraphic Inquisition is the hidden sixth pillar of the Luminous Conclave — an intelligence and enforcement organisation that operates entirely outside the institution's publicly acknowledged structure. It does not officially exist. Its name does not appear in Conclave doctrine. Most of the Conclave's membership, including the majority of its leadership below the Council of Light, has no knowledge that it is real.
In practice, the Inquisition is the Conclave's eyes in places its other pillars cannot reach — investigating threats to the faith that cannot be addressed through conventional means, tracking eldritch activity, neutralising dangers before they become public crises, and gathering intelligence that the Council of Light needs but cannot be seen to seek. It is, in the Conclave's own internal framing, a necessary instrument for protecting an institution that cannot afford to be seen to need protecting.
Structure
The Inquisition is organised into small, compartmentalised cells — independent operational units that do not know of one another's existence unless specifically cleared to do so. This compartmentalisation protects the institution from catastrophic exposure: a compromised cell cannot reveal what it does not know.
All cells report to a single handler: Sir Althorn Lightbearer, who serves as the Inquisition's operational head and sole point of contact between the cells and the Council of Light. Each cell's only line of authority runs through Althorn.
Inquisitors who are members of the Conclave maintain cover identities within one of the Five Pillars, presenting a plausible official reason for their presence, their movements, and their access. Their true role is hidden behind these assignments at all times.
The Lumina Cell
The Lumina Cell is the active cell to which the party belongs. It operates out of Lighthaven and reports directly to Sir Althorn Lightbearer.
Current active members and their cover identities within the Five Pillars:
| Character | Cover Pillar | Cover Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Aldric Shadowpaw | Radiant Chancellery | Clerk Superior |
| Nivael Thessalune | Scholarium of Radiant Truth | Seeker |
| Carver | Covenant of Mercy | Tender |
| Rost Zhae'Khaezryn | Luminous Guard | Sentinel-at-Arms |
The Lux Veritatis Cell
The Lux Veritatis was a previous Inquisition cell, also based in Lighthaven and reporting to Sir Althorn Lightbearer. It was destroyed in an incident at Rivergleam Beacon. Carver was the sole known survivor and was subsequently reassigned to the Lumina Cell. The cell's common room in the Sanctum of Purity was sealed following the incident and remained so until the Lumina Cell entered it during one of their early operations. The fate of the Lux Veritatis' other members remains unknown.
Relationship with the Auragon Corps
Certain Auragons stationed at or rotating through the Sanctum of Purity are conditioned with standing directives that acknowledge the Inquisition's existence and recognise authorised Inquisitors by face, voice, and sigil. These Auragons permit passage, hold doors, and treat Inquisitors as authorised officers within the Sanctum's boundaries — but this awareness is strictly location-locked. An Auragon reassigned away from the Sanctum has these directives scrubbed during redeployment conditioning and will arrive at its new posting with no knowledge that the Inquisition exists.
Headquarters
The Inquisition's operational headquarters occupies the classified lower levels of the Sanctum of Purity in Lighthaven, beneath the Conclave's military and governmental complex. Access requires Inquisition clearance.