Sects of Adeptus Mechanicus

Acuitor – These Mech-Assassins are trained in the arts of stealth and their initiates often infiltrate locations in plain sight. Acuitors decant the stored data-tracks, containing the knowledge of their founder, into their own minds and follow their patron’s directive by tirelessly hunting down any obstacles in the path of the Adeptus Mechanicus. These Mech-Assassins have become consummate infiltrators that are able to pass as normal Tech-Priests when they are dealing with commoners. The ancient data-tracks of Samadhi aids an Acuitor in overcoming problems when dealing with other Tech-Priests, as these assassins can lace portions of the Secret Archive of Samadhi into their binaric cant that allows them to subtly scramble the judgments of a listener.
Acquisitor– Members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, who salvage and remove Xenos artifacts and items for later study. They have their brains augmented with Electrografts, which give Acquisitors a complete memory of many of the technological items the Adeptus Mechanicus have studied. The newly found knowledge allows them to rapidly evaluate Xenos items and reject those objects which are of little worth to the Mechanicus. This is often under the guns of enemies and Acquisitors can be found on many battlefields as a result. They soon develop combat skills to match their intellectual abilities, otherwise the Acquisitors’ lives are somewhat short.
Adeptus Biologicus – The Adeptus Biologicus is a branch of the Adeptus Mechanicus. This division of the Priesthood of Mars is responsible for the creation of the viral weaponry such as Agent Magenta, used upon those who have incurred the great displeasure of the Imperium.
Adnector Concillium – Known also as Unifiers, was a caste of Mechanicum Tech-Priest created by the Emperor during the Great Crusade. Their sole purpose was to aid the Emperor in His completion of the Webway Project, and the Unifiers created all-new tunnels and avenues within the Webway.
Aimatophiloi – A esoteric sect of the Adeptus Mechanicus who venerate a trinity of divine principles: Blood, Magnetism, and Iron. To them, these represent the sacred aspects of the Omnissiah, the Motive Force, and the Machine God respectively. They believe that blood symbolizes the flesh and mortality, magnetism the invisible will that binds all mechanism, and iron the eternal form of machine perfection—the trinity of the Machine-God flowing through the cosmos. The sect safeguards the Ferric Mysteries, forbidden knowledge concerning magnetic field manipulation, ferromantic rites, and the secrets of Magdendrite—a lost techno-conjuration implant said to channel the will of the Machine God through might of polarity
Apexists – Presently most dominant philosophy amongst the genetors of forge worlds are the Apexists, who believe that adversity breeds strength in the organic, and that the perfect organism is the one that has overcome every rival and every challenge. The philosophy itself is an adaptation of the writings of an ancient pre-Imperial scholar named Charles Darwin.
The Basilikon Astra – The division of the Machine God’s servants tasked with the construction, use and operation of voidcraft and interstellar vessels. This order’s divisions by their nature control the outer reaches of a Forge World’s star system and so stand apart from the planetary synods, but are still tied to them by dependence and ancient tradition.
Bringers of Blessed Ruin – The Ordo Reductor are known for being preeminent siege specialists, destroyers and world breakers, having access to many archeotech devices and forbidden technology. Their given title, whose prefix was unusual for the servants of the Mechanicum, was invoked first by the great treaty between the Lords of Mars and the Emperor of Mankind, although their true and forgotten origins delve back into the dust and blood of the Age of Strife on the red world of their birth. By this order, a sub-clause of the very compact by which the alliance between the Mechanicum and Terra was sealed, was the Ordo Reductor created for the express purpose of sundering and destroying those who could stand against the Great Crusade.
Brotherhood of the All Seeing Eye – The Brotherhood of the All Seeing Eye was an order of Archivists within the Adeptus Mechanicus who resided on Mars. During the Martian Civil War between the loyalist Mechanicum forces and the Dark Mechanicum, the Brotherhood bore witness to the destruction of countless pieces of information at the hands of the forces loyal to Horus Lupercal.
Collegiate Extremis – The Collegiate Extremis is a powerful Adeptus Mechanicus organization, that ensures Forge Worlds obey the laws of the Lore Mechanicus.In function, they are similar to the Adeptus Arbites, who enforce the Lex Imperialis. However their duties cross over more into the realm of the Mechaniucs’ day-to-day, than the Arbites are in the Imperium’s. This leads the Collegiate to be more likely involved in criminal investigations, that the Arbites would consider to be beneath their notice. The Collegiate’s higher ranks are concerned with great crimes against the Lore, while the lower ranked Procurators are assigned to a single world. This also includes Imperial worlds, which only contain Mechanicus enclaves. In such instances, these Procurators could also serve as liaisons between the Mechanicus’ Astynomia Enforcers and non-Mechanicus organizations. The Collegiate Extremis’ duties can lead to conflict with the Astynomia, though, and there are long-standing suspicions between the two organizations. However, the Collegiate does recruit members of the Astynomia, who have excelled within its ranks.
Companions of Vogel – Preaching a creed of forced genetic and biological augmentation in order to strengthen Humanity for the troubles ahead.
Corpuscarii – The Corpuscarii are truly blessed, for the Motive Force literally runs in their veins. In battle, the Corpuscarii advance, chanting litanies to build up the charges within their bodies. Incoming fire sparks off their voltagheist fields, sending chain reactions of arcing charges crackling outwards. At close range, the blazing fanatics can summon lightning at will, stretching out their electrostatic gauntlets to send jagged bolts of the Machine God’s wrath into the foe. Those struck by these sacred energies are granted the ecstasy of full-body electrocution. For a brief second before death, the unbelievers see the light, their paroxysms shaking them apart as their bodies burn from the inside out. Such is the generosity of the Corpuscarii, for their duty is to illuminate the galaxy, and to bring the light to non-believers.
Crucible Resolviate – These members of the Machine Cult devote their time to the study and research of Xenos machine spirits despite the fact that the Universal Laws condemn alien mechanisms as perversions. However, the eternal Quest for Knowledge leads to a more pragmatic approach and a drive to recover alien technology so that it may be used to forge new weapons against the enemies of Mankind. This simple fact makes it difficult to ignore the opportunities afforded to the Imperium when such technology is discovered. These Magi often acquire such captured alien devices from the actions of the Ordo Xenos as well as a number of other more discrete channels. Following the retrieval of any artefact, the Magi of the Crucible Resolviate begin the laborious task of removing the corruption from the spirit brought before them. Afterwards, they begin to probe for knowledge stored inside its form and bring it into compliance with the Universal Laws. This procedure has yielded a number of past results, such as the EMP grenade and mask screen, both of which have been declared “Technosanctus Vertifidae” by the Crucible Resolviate.
Cult of Blessed Perfection – The working doctrine is that the Omnissiah’s Will can only be seen in the works of his chosen ones. To that end, the Tech-Priests slavishly devote themselves to purifying and consecrating every step of the manufacturing process. From adding sacred oil into vats of liquefying metal to the recitations of each of the Universal Laws in-between each strike of the pneumatic hammers, the devotion to their faith is heard and seen in every stage of development. It has been this way for millenia, and though the end results are almost flawless devices, the quantities they produce are minuscule. The Fabricator-generals have tried for many times to convince the Logi and Artisans of Blessed Perfection to balance out the desire for quality with the need for quantity, and has always failed because they agree on one simple belief: a decrease in quality is considered failure in the eyes of the Omnissiah. This has driven the Blessed Perfection priesthood to scrutinize every single detail to degrees most other forges would not even fathom. Materials are routinely cast away as being impure should any substance not part of the consecrated pattern accidentally find its way into them. Stories of immense cauldrons of molten metal being poured directly into crust-drains due to a thread from a Tech-Priest’s robe falling into them, or sacred unguents deemed unfit for use because they were stored on the incorrect shelf, have been told for ages.
Cult of Micro-Omnissiah – This sub-cult of Techpriests are very much like the rest of their brethren in that they are secretive though enough discussions were made with one of their Magi to glean the nature of the group. The Cult of the Micro-Omnisiah believes that an aspect of the Machine God’s spirit resides in every machine. As such, the smaller the machine, the closer one gets to the final resting place of the Omnissiah and thus the more perfect the machine is. With this in mind, the Techpriests of this Cult work in micro-forges where they create the finest and smallest machines in the entire Imperium of Man. Their crowning achievement, however, is the creation of nanogenic machines that are invisible to the naked eye, using specialised Nano-Genus Mechadendrites.
Cult of the Dragon -The Cult of the Dragon was a sect within the Adeptus Mechanicus and resided on their homeworld of Mars in the Noctis Labyrinthus. Its members were an obscure group, with little known of them by most outsiders. Their ancestors consisted of techpriests that sought to settle within the region of their home and were those members who decided to remain. They were thought to be madmen that remained in the dark region of Mars where few treaded.
Cult Sollex -This sect sought great wisdom and knowledge from the spectrum of light. Their specialization in that field meant that they are able to produce remarkable holographic images and advanced weaponry. The aims of the Cult of Sollex are both esoteric and hidden from the rest of the Cult Mechanicus. Members of this sect are seen as fanatical even by their comrades’ standards and are seen as being almost inhuman in their actions. Their devotion to the dogma of the Cult Mechanicus means that they are unforgiving of those who blaspheme against the Machine God. These talents for warfare, experience against aliens, and with different types of arms means that they are an attractive recruit for an Inquisitorial retinue.
Cybernetica Datasmith – They are a type of specialist Tech-Priest that work within the Legio Cybernetica. Since the Horus Heresy, they directly operate Imperial Robots on the battlefield. They constantly reprogram and direct their robotic warriors to ensure they perform as required during battle.
Dataproctor – They are a highly secretive sect within the Adeptus Mechanicus, known for their unique talents and abilities that revolve around manipulation and control of digital information. They possess specialized knowledge and techniques that enable them to move covertly within the vast networks of data without leaving behind any discernible digital traces.
Disciples of Thule – Teach that greatest service to the Machine God is establishment of a new forge world.
Divine Astrometricum – It is an organisation of Tech-Priests that operates in the Calixis Sector. The Tech-Priests devote their time to the cataloging of stars, nebulae and other distant events in the void. They are the makers of the Almanac Astrae Divinitus, which is used by Rogue Traders and those that accompany them in explorations of deep space.
Divisio Linguistica – A branch of the Adeptus Mechanicus dealing with Xenos languages and translations. Its members are known to serve in Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes.
Fulgurites – To the Fulgurite, to waste energy is almost as vile an act as to allow the unbeliever to use it to his own ends. Rather than slaying their foes from afar or committing what they see as blasphemy by using powered weapons, these priests stride bare-chested into battle, smiting their foes in person with long-hafted Electroleech Staves. These contain conductor rods that draw the energy from those they strike and store it in powerful capacitor cells. They can rob the Motive Force from an enemy war machine, leaving it cold and dead. More unsettling still, they can suck the bioelectricity from living creatures, drawing it out in one great draught and harnessing it within their core capacitors so that same energy can later power the holy instead of the Heretic. Those so struck will collapse to the ground, their corpses left cold and motionless as stone, while the Fulgurite strides onwards, further invigorated by their holy work, deadly stave crackling with reclaimed power.
Imperio Cognisticians – To them, it is not so much in the action of searching, but in the more mundane tasks of everyday data-inputting, repairing, Enginseering, and a million other tasks that the Quest for Knowledge ever comes closer to its conclusion. To these members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, sometimes referred to as the Imperio-Cognisticians, the Imperium is nothing but a giant super-computer, ever processing more data in its task that will ultimately lead it to deliver all knowledge. This is most often referred to as the Divine Processing Routine.
Khamrians – Since that time, and owing to a decree by the Emperor himself, it has been forbidden to dabble in the creation or maintenance of machines that can think fully for themselves. During the late 34th millennium, however, a recently ordained and brilliant Magos by the name of Degio Khamrios was to covertly circulate research he had carried out on the subject of A.I. His words carried with them such conviction that a small body of like-minded Tech Priests were to join with him, dabbling in the forbidden sciences.
Magos Nucleic – Among the rarest of the Magii of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Magii Nucleic is a cult specialized in all things nuclear, from handling ancient reactor cores to extracting the transuranic elements that form the core of so many Taghmata weapons systems. Little-known even to the rest of the Mechanicus, they tend to operate in lonely postings with little oversight so long as their projects do not result in catastrophe, their interest in semi-obsolete technologies an eccentricity at best and borderline techheresy at worst. Their bodies insulated and sealed against hellish levels of radiation, they lack the spidery grace or gothic bulk of other Techpriests, preferring instead forms that emphasize simplicity, high function in extreme environments and layer upon layer upon layer of lead. Many of the greatest Imperial hives or ancient voidships have a few Magii Nucleic operating at their hearts, who seldom take on new disciples to teach their bizarre and esoteric ways. To acquire the services, or to become a Magos Nucleic, is to immerse one’s self in an exotic and semi-forgotten form of Imperial technology, which is no less dangerous for its air of mystery.
Missionarius Mechanicus -The Sects are unusual Adeptus Mechanicus organizations, that convert Imperial citizens into the worship of the Omnissiah and lead them into joining the Mechanicus. They believe that the worship of the Omnissiah must be increased and that by doing so, the awareness of the Great Work will spread. This Great Work entails that the only route for Mankind to reach salvation, is by improving the mind and body through the acquisition of knowledge the Omnissiah provides. Members of the Missionarius truly believe it is their duty to help their fellow Humans avoid damnation and they work to bring non-believers into the glorious light of technology. However as the Adeptus Mechanicus is self-contained, it does not believe in the Sect Missionarius’ work of bringing outsiders into the Omnissiah’s fold. As a result of this, the Missionarius’ converts tend not to be welcomed or embraced by most members of the Mechanicus.
Omnissiads – There is a movement within the Mechanicus not unlike that of the Inquisitorial Thorians. Theirs is a philosophy considered highly dangerous by their brethren, a philosophy in which the summoning of either the Omnissiah (the Mechanicus’ term for the Emperor), or the Machine God himself into a pre-built, or extensively modified, Avatar, is greatly desired so that he might lead the Tech Priests on to the end of their Quest for Knowledge.
Organicists – A faction of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Organicists are a group of Tech-priests who esteemed biological enhancement as being equal in value with the cybernetic, a somewhat radical if not heretical position from most Tech-adepts’ point of view.
Prefecture Magisterium – Doctrinal covenant of the Machine Cult charged with preserving dogma and the persecution of techno-heresy. Magisterium Cohorts and hunter-killer claves are maintained on all Forge Worlds under the authority of the Archmagos Intendant.
Primus Humanum – This philosophy espouses the divine purity of the Human form as a vessel for knowledge, viewing the Emperor’s form as that of the ideal sentient being in the universe.
Promethium Guild, also known as Mercator Pyros – A part of Necromunda’s Merchants Guild and is responsible for overseeing the distribution of Promethium and all burnable fuels and liquids within the planet’s Hives.
In some hives, the agents of the Promethium Guild are almost a religious order, who carry a flame they worship as an aspect of the Emperor. This eternal flame is always kept alight, sometimes by the same family for generations, and is carried with the Guild agents on their nomadic journeys. When such a flame is brought by the Promethium Guild into an underhive settlement, it is a great occasion for the inhabitants, as it is a great honour to light their furnaces or engines with the perpetual fire.
The Promethium Guild is also known to have a major rivalry with the Electro Guild, to determine what main resource is used to power the Hives – a struggle the Promethium Guild won long ago in Hive Primus.
The Promethium Guilders worship the God-Emperor in his aspect as the Eternal Flame, and no aspirant to the guild’s upper echelons can be seen as less than fully devoted.
Scions of Iron Sphere – Devoted adepts who look upon the Omnissiah as the pinnacle of human evolution and development, and see all flesh as not only a weakness in the face of time and adversity, but as a prop that keeps Mankind from achieving his full potential.

Sects announced heretical by Mars

Dark Mechanicum – During the Horus Heresy, a faction of Tech-Priests broke away from the Mechanicum, allying with Warmaster Horus and the Chaos Gods. Post-Heresy, they retreated to the Eye of Terror, continuing their pursuit of forbidden technologies and Warp-based innovations.
Brotherhood of Singularitarianism – A sect that once existed within the Adeptus Mechanicus during ancient times. This body believed that Mankind would eventually stumble upon a technological singularity resulting in the creation of a greater-than-human intelligence. Its most famous member was Primus Pico della Moravec who fled to Mars, where elements of his ideology regarding the use of the warp and pact with different entities were incorporated into what became the Dark Mechanicum.
Logicians – This faction rejects the constraints of Imperial institutions, including the Ecclesiarchy, advocating for the advancement of mankind through technological progress. They aim to restore the Dark Age of Technology’s prowess, often employing radical methods and innovations deemed heretical by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Empyric Engineers – Operating within the Calixis Sector, these Hereteks employ Warp-based technologies, constructing vast machines to manipulate the Immaterium. Their experiments involve drawing forth the essence of the Warp and imprisoning it within null-field containments for study.
Xenarites – A radical faction within the Adeptus Mechanicus, Xenarites focus on studying and utilizing alien technology. They believe that understanding and integrating xenos tech can lead to humanity’s advancement, a viewpoint considered heretical by orthodox Mechanicus doctrine.
Apostles of the Blind King – In 550.M37, during the Occlusiad War, this Heretek cult viewed the existence of weak, organic humanity as an affront to the Machine God. They uncovered artefacts from the Dark Age of Technology, enabling them to create supernovae from living suns, showcasing their radical approach to technological advancement.
Negavolt Cultists – These Hereteks engage in daemonic invocations and rituals, merging Warp energies with technological constructs. Their practices involve using forbidden technologies to harness and manipulate the powers of the Warp, leading to their classification as techno-heretics.
Lubricae Cult -Was a heretical faction within the Adeptus Mechanicus, active in the late 41st Millennium. Formed in 886.M41, this group consisted of twelve Tech-Priests who deviated from orthodox Mechanicus teachings by venerating lubricants, believing these substances were essential to the smooth operation of the universe’s machinery. The Lubricae Cult held that lubricants played a pivotal role in maintaining technological functions, attributing a sacred significance to these substances. Their rituals included anointing themselves with a mixture of war-virgins’ blood and boiling grease, symbolizing their devotion to the materials they believed kept the cosmos running seamlessly.
Moirae Schismatics – The Moirae Tech-creed was based on the prophetic wave of calculations of a triad of tech-mystics enshrined within the rebellious Forge World of Moirae. The creed maintained that the beacon of the Astronomican contained hidden messages within its micro-fluctuations, and that these messages were from the Omnissiah and prophetic in nature. The Moirae Tech-priests compiled these apocalyptic messages in their archives, copies of which quickly spread through many of the Cult Mechanicus’ sub-sects. These radical teachings included references to the future overthrow of Mars and the fusion of the Adeptus Mechanicus and Ecclesiarchy.
Malagrysian Heresy – High Fabricator Castellar attempted to use the Forge Guard to force compliance upon the errant Arch-Magos. Warned of the imminent attack, Malygris fled the Lathe System with a fully provisioned Explorator fleet containing vast amounts of research, ancient weapons, and blasphemous examples of his own tech-craft. A surprising number of Tech-Adepts rose up in support of Malygris, swayed by his charismatic data-cants and heretical approach to advancing technology. As a result, many of the ongoing works of the Calixian Mechanicus became abandoned, threatening a full dogmatic schism within the Lathe Worlds and the far-flung holdings of the Omnissiah’s Cult. The taint brought through Malygris’ actions kindled a distrust of the more militant groups of the Calixian Mechanicus that exists to this day. Many fear that the tech-heresies of Umbra Malygris most likely live on, hidden in secret laboratories and locked away in dark stasis chambers throughout the Malfian sub-sector.
Alternarchs – Heretical sect of electro-priests worshipping Alternating Current, a forbidden aspect of the Motive Force. Actively hunted by Corpuscarii electro-priests.

Sects announced heretical by Mars

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