Revivicationism as described by Inquisitor Sand

VOICE [SAND]: [another pause]…Now, I want you to know that Revivicationism has been labeled as a Radical Faction within the Inquisition and we have many enemies, especially those in the Ecclesiarchy. While our beliefs and methods might not be in line with the majority of Puritan views, I do not believe that that we are extreme at all, especially when compared to Xanthism or the Horusians- who we are commonly confused with. I will admit that like in any faction within the Inquisition, there are those that take their beliefs and doctrines to the extreme and venture into areas that are best left alone. The Revivicators, like any other faction, have had such individuals that have tread to the extreme and cost us credibility and brought us under persecution.

VOICE [SAND]: Perhaps a little history lesson on Revivicationism will help you understand our purpose. Unusual for a resurrectionist cult, the Revivicators have few ties with the Ministorum. Their focus is directed towards the transition of the soul to the Warp at the point of death. In particular, they study the means by which this can be slowed, halted and, ultimately, returned. This study takes them to battlefields and plague areas, to conduct their investigations on those close to death. They are also frequenters of tombs and mausoleums and this attracts a certain amount of disrespect from members of the Ecclesiarchy, who do not approve of these intrusions. Known as ghouls or ravens for their somewhat morbid practices, the Revivificators are also known to have learned much from the capture of various Eldar over the centuries. In particular, they find the principle of the Eldar spirit stone intriguing, and have on numerous occasions attempted to replicate the practice of capturing a departing soul. So far, such attempts have proved wholly unsuccessful, for Mankind’s psychic technology is far inferior to the psychic-engineering properties of Eldar Wraithbone.

There are also those that have read Van Hinkel’s Treatise on the Soul Theft Methods of Eldar Pirates, penned by the Inquisitor Lord in the late 39th millennium. This detailed manuscript contains Van Hinkel’s report on interrogations of captured Dark Eldar, as well as collating information from many other sources previously scattered in various libraries and data files throughout the Inquisition’s fortresses and stations. The least scrupulous Revivificators have attempted to repeat the torturous practices of the Dark Eldar, usually on heretics and other criminals, though not exclusively so. Few amongst the Inquisition know of the grisly dungeons staffed by telepaths and wired with arcane machinery for the detection and extraction of psychic energy.

Ultimately, it is the goal of the Revivificators to study the Golden Throne itself and perhaps alter its working so that the Emperor’s body might be restored. To this end, it is not only the passage of the soul to the Warp that the Revivificators study, but also the processes by which a corpse may be maintained in a state ready for such a reinfusion of the soul. Access to this knowledge and technologies means that Revivificators often live far longer than even other Inquisitors, the oldest being Inquisitor Lord Verinath, who was shot and killed whilst hale and hearty at the age of seven hundred and sixty three. Unlike ancient members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, which have a few members that have surpassed the age of one-thousand, Lord Verinath had limited bionic enhancements and the extension of his age was mostly due to advances in bio-engineering.

VOICE [SAND]: The Revivicators have members from all occupations in the Imperium, but a large number of our membership are from the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Inquisition, who keep their membership secret to avoid sanction. The connections with high-level members of these organizations have made us privy to knowledge and information that most do not know and I am going to tell you one of these pieces of information- which upon learning was the reason I joined the Revivicators.

While many know that the Emperor’s body is slowly decaying away on the Golden Throne, there is another secret that none but a very few select members in the entire Imperium have knowledge of- In 999.M41 the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus responsible for the maintenance of the Golden Throne discovered failures in the device that are far beyond their ability to repair (revealed in White Dwarf July 2008). The days of the Imperium are indeed numbered and unless we can find a why to revive the Emperor or repair the Golden Throne the Imperium and the human species is headed for extinction. You now see why this information can never be brought to light as it will no doubt cause panic amongst the masses and the leadership and it is essential for man-kind’s survival that the Imperium remain at a level of functionality in order to be victorious. I personally believe in the importance of the Revivicators’ work and want to put my knowledge and skills to use toward saving the Emperor and the Imperium.