Adeptus Mechanicus

Written by Mechanicus

The priests of the machine are a secretive, reclusive sect that has a grand Quest for
Knowledge, where their aim is to know the mind of the Machine God, the sum of all knowledge,
by finding all information in the galaxy. The Standard Template Construct (STC) database is
an important step on that road to total knowledge, and some believe it contains all human
knowledge (which is probably false).

They have sixteen Universal Lores that form the core of their belief, but not all tech-priests are
orthodox:

The Mysteries.
01. Life is directed motion.
02. The spirit is the spark of life.
03. Sentience is the ability to learn the value of knowledge.
04. Intellect is the understanding of knowledge.
05. Sentience is the basest form of Intellect.
06. Understanding is the True Path to Comprehension.
07. Comprehension is the key to all things.
08. The Omnissiah knows all, comprehends all.

The warnings:
09. The alien mechanism is a perversion of the true path.
10. The soul is the conscience of sentience.
11. A soul can be bestowed only by the Omnissiah.
12. The Soulless sentience is the enemy of all.
13. The knowledge of the ancients stands beyond question.
14. The machine spirit guards the knowledge of the ancients.
15. Flesh is fallible, but ritual honours the machine spirit.
16. To break with ritual is to break with faith.

The Ninth lore is the subject of controversy - whether xenos technology counts as technology
to be researched (or used). Their machine spirits are corrupted, enslaved, by the xenos, and
are presumably deemed beyond saving.

Now, originally, the Omnissiah was the earthly counterpart to the Machine God (their
messiah), but in time that distinction has faded (much like the Jesus/God divide has faded,
since many Christians view them as one and the same). The Omnissiah was once believed to
reside below the sands of Mars, but most tech-priests acknowledge the Emperor as the

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Omnissiah.

Tech-priests can, like all humans, vary in their orthodoxy and beliefs. The very orthodox don't
touch anything non-STC with a barge pole. They often undergo the unction of pure thought,
and have the creative side of their brain lobotomised, becoming almost robot-like. Likewise,
the moderate tech-priest may dabble with studying xenos tech, but doesn't dare use it, and
radicals might use xenos tech wholesale. Likewise the study of the warp.

This is a bit stereotypical, admittedly. You get orthodox tech-priests who are still very
emotional, and radicals with the unction of pure thought and are very dogmatic in their beliefs.

Tech-priests don't go around revealing their knowledge to anyone. What a group of

tech-priests discovers is for their ears and those of their superiors only (and sometimes not
their superiors or even each other, if they're particularly secretive). But the bulk of them work in
teams and acknowledge the advantage of knowledge dissemination amongst their peers, whilst
keeping the competitive edge over their rival teams.

The Inquisition and the High Lords are the only organisations with any power of the Adeptus
Mechanicus, and even then, it's entirely based on the Mechanicus' willingness to submit. The
Inquisition can claim power over the entire Imperium; but the Mechanicus can respond that the
Treaty of Mars (and later Ceres) establishes the Mechanicum of Mars (and the successor state,
the Adeptus Mechanicus) as an ally of the Imperium rather than part of it; sovereign on its
territories and only nominally part of the Adeptus Terra. There is a certain pack mentality
visible in some novels when confronted with an Inquisitor - groups of tech-priests on home turf
are more likely to be able to flout the Inquisition's decrees, and vice versa. So lone tech-priests
attached to other Imperial organisations are far more malleable.

A high ranking tech-priest is also more likely to be able to contradict the Inquisition; the
higher-ranked you are, the more contacts you have, the more favours you can call in, the more
orders you can give; all of which could make the Inquisitor's life absolute hell. Of course, the
Inquisition can do the same to the Mechanicus, but that's the beauty of it all. Of course, if a
tech-priest and an Inquisitor (or Inquisitorial acolyte) are friends, then they may well decide to
join forces.

Forgeworlds are generally rivals, competing for Mars' attention and permission to reproduce
designs from her database, so tech-priests might be suspicious of tech-priests from other
forgeworlds.

Tech-priests do believe that knowledge is holy. The more knowledge you have, the holier you
are. Machines, as pure expressions of knowledge, are also holy, and the more complex the
machine, the holier it is. As a side note, the older you are in the Cult, the more knowledge you
have, and the more likely you are to be clinically insane. Moving onto the machine spirit.

Machine spirits are a core part of the Mechanicus belief system. The machine spirit probably
exists in 40k. There's no evidence that they don't, and some circumstantial evidence that they
do. However, they are probably not exactly how the Mechanicus view them. Machine spirits

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are essentially seen as representations of a machine's holiness. A machine with a free

machine spirit supposedly cannot be made to do something unholy unless coerced or
enslaved.

Now, I have my own view on machine spirits which isn't canon, so I'll quote it here to keep it
clearly off the canon stuff:

Everything has a warp presence - we know that from the old background. A human's warp
presence seems to be a soul, which is imprinted by the human's emotions and thoughts, which
are then transmitted into the warp. We also know that warp creatures can impose themselves
(or be imposed) onto another body with a warp presence, such as daemons onto their hosts,
and can be bound to keep them under control and unbound to not be.

In my opinion, the Mechanicus' rites and rituals during construction (knowingly or

unknowingly) temporarily bind an animalistic consciousness onto that warp presence. Back in
Codex Titanicus (Epic 1st edition), I remember the rite of Prima Incubatoria, and the sacrifice
of a fierce and bellicose grox, presumably done at a Titan's 'birth'. So, now, say you have
bound this animal's warp presence (imprinted with the animal's instincts and thoughts) on the
machine. Constant rites and rituals would keep it under control with temporary binding, much
like how certain holy materials can keep daemons at bay without actually binding them. That
is, until the the holy materials are used up (holy ink flakes off, incense is burnt up, etc.

That is, under control enough - you don't want it too subdued. You want it to fight against
daemonic intrusions without being instructed, but you want it to follow your orders.

Larger machines (titans, ships, perhaps some tanks) are likely imprinted with a human
personality as well - base animal instincts with a 'thinking' interface. This humanistic
consciousness is generally in control of the animalistic one until the binding wears off, and the
raw strength of the animalistic one can conquer the humanistic one.

Looking at Titans, the MIU transmits the thoughts of the princeps into the machine where the
machine spirit gradually is imprinted with the personality of the princeps, giving the machine
spirit a simulated ability to think and act beyond the animal instincts already imprinted. In
ships, it would probably only be done once, since Captains don't generally have MIU's. In Soul
Drinker, a tech-marine interfaces with a machine spirit which hadn't been administered to in
thousands of years and was fighting a daemon, much like in a possessed creature, where the
soul fights back. It could respond to the tech-marine rather than just fighting anything that
came near it because there were people there who had been repairing and seeing to the
machine spirit.

Since the AdMech aren't allowed AI, this makes a substitute that does much of the same and
is difficult to possess effectively without active action by rogue tech-priests.

That leads rather effectively onto abominable intelligence; that is, a thinking machine without
restrictions. The Adeptus Mechanicus has 'robots', the Legio Cybernetica, which are little more

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than computer programs on wheels.

Higher ranking tech-priests do understand what they are doing. That much is pretty much
essential to what they do. The lower ones just follow the rites, and accept that 'the machine
spirit did it'. Later on they would find out exactly how it works.

The Cult Mechanicus itself is a pseudo-monastic order. It is a mix of pseudo-mediaeval theme

(bionics as mortification of the flesh) and a pseudo-Buddhist theme of losing oneself into the
greater pool of knowledge.

Now, the organisation of the Adeptus Mechanicus is a bit odd. Its exact divisions are
unknown. We can guess from the suffices of magi what some are, and we can extrapolate from
the collegiates that we know what the rest might be. From the names and circumstances, we
can also determine what the divisio specialises in. A tech-priest can specialise in a divisio, and
on more specific subjects within that (but more on that later on).

So, without further ado:

Collegiate X
-Divisio Y
--Organisation Z, presumably or definitively under Y's control

Collegia Titanica: Military matters

-Divisio Mandati (Command and strategy)
--Auxilia Myrmidon
--Executive Titan Orders
--Missionary Titan Orders
-Divisio Militaris (Military logistics)
--Skitarii Legions
--Military Titan Orders
--Ordo Reductor
--Legio Cybernetica
-Divisio Telepathica (Psychic weaponry)
--Telepath Titan Orders
-Divisio Investigatus (Advanced military construction and design)
--Research Titan Orders
--Centurio Ordinatus

Collegiate Extremis: Internal security matters

-?

Collegiate Explorator: Exploratory matters

-Divisio Errant (Scouting)

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-Divisio Archaeologis/Archeos (Archaeology)

Collegiate ?: Municipal matters

-Divisio Prefectus (Administration)
-Divisio Pecuniae (Arithmetic and business/production logistics)
-Divisio Lexmechanicus (Applied mathematics)
-Divisio Logis (Mathematical analysis)
-Divisio Fabricator (Master crafting construction)
-Divisio Artisan (Generic construction)

Collegiate ?: Scientific matters

-Divisio Biologis (Biology)
-Divisio Genetor (Genetics)
-Divisio Xenobiologis (Alien biology)
-Divisio Physic (Physics)
-Divisio Astrologicus (Astrophysics and astrology)
-Divisio Astrographicus (Warp sciences)
-Divisio Psykana (Psychic sciences)
-Divisio Orbologis (Earth sciences)
-Divisio Alchemys (Chemistry)
-Divisio Metallurgicus (Metallurgy)
-Divisio Technicus/Technis/Technologis (Technology)
-Divisio Xenologis (Alien technology)
-Divisio Psychologis (Psychology and sociology)
-Divisio Dialecta (Linguistics)
-Divisio Digitalis (Computer sciences)
-Divisio Cybernetica (Bionics)

A few words about some of the groups and organisations within this, though everywhere I say
something like "possibly" or "seems to be" is speculation:

Skitarii Legions
Menials with military potential are drafted into the Skitarii Legions, starting off as a skitarius
hypaspist (line soldier), but can become a skitarius ballisterai (artillerist), a skitarius sagitarii
(heavy weapons trooper), a skitarius cataphract (vehicle pilot), or a skitarius kataphractoi
(tracked warrior). Some skitarii become praetorian skitarii, the elite of the skitarii. They are
commanded by a corporal, this probably being the maximum rank a non-ordinated skitarius
can reach.

The officer class appear to be selected from the ranks of the secutors of the Auxilia Myrmidon
of the Divisio Mandati, from tribune upwards, and officers from the Auxilia command both the
skitarii and the auxilia troops.

Skitarii can be attached to specific magi or archmagi as well as assigned to Forgeworld

defence, Titan support, Explorator support, provost duty or occasionally to offensive
capabilities.

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Auxilia Myrmidon
The Auxilia Myrmidon is seemingly a sub-organisation of the Skitarii Legions, composed of
elite storm troops, known commonly as siege engineers. A secutor is the first rank in the Auxilia
Myrmidon presumably as the standard troop, and is also the first Adepts Minoris rank in the
Divisio Mandati. Then you have what could be vehicle drivers, the myrmidons, who also serve
in the Ordo Reductor. A platoon leader of secutors or myrmidons is known as a centurius.

A tribune (commonly known as a lieutenant) commands a century; a magnus (also known as

a captain, and perhaps an adept majoris) commands a company, with a colonel-priest (perhaps
a mandati-major?) having control of a battalion and a magos commander (magos mandati,
commonly known as militant?) in charge of the entire Legion.

Ordo Reductor
The Ordo Reductor is the domain of siege weapons and vehicles. This order is staffed
primarily by myrmidons of the Auxilia Myrmidon.

The Titan Orders

Anyone with the strong will to control a titan can be taken into the Collegia Titanica as a crew
member of a Titan, and serve as either a moderatus or princeps cadet. For eight years, they do
an observational study. Once approved, they become either a moderatus or princeps -
moderati monitor weapons systems and other such duties, whilst the princeps controls the titan
itself. A princeps senioris a high ranking princeps in the legion, but the highest ranking princeps
in the legion is the princeps maximus. The praetorian princeps - not to be confused with
praetorian skitarii or the Guard regiments of Praetoria - is possibly the princeps of the Grand
Master.

Centurio Ordinatus
The Centurio Ordinatus is the organisation that develops the massive ordinati, both majoris
and minoris, for the use of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Its ranks appear to be similar to those of
the titan orders – princeps and moderati are used, perhaps with the same suffices.

The Lord of the Centurio Ordinatus may be a title given to an archmagos veneratus
investigatus, perhaps on Mars.

Legio Cybernetica
The Legio Cybernetica is mainly staffed by ‘technicians’, who are presumably members of the
Divisio Technologis, and their skills are highly valued.

Collegiate Extremis
The Collegiate Extremis is the judicial branch of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It is similar to the
Adeptus Arbites in function –traitors to the Omnissiah are prosecuted and their crimes
analysed. At its head is the Lords Dragon, an ancient cabal orchestrating the collegiate,
perhaps of archmagi veneratus of whatever divisiones are in the collegiate. The main leaders
of the Collegiate Extremis would, in theory, be on Mars, and each Forgeworld would have a
Lord Dragon of its own to command the local members of the collegiate, but this is based on

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circumstantial evidence.

The collegiates will is enforced on Forgeworlds by attached skitarii provosts, as they are
known.

Knight Houses
The knight houses are an auxiliary of knight titans for the Mechanicus to draw upon when
needed. As part of the Adeptus Mechanicus (but not the Cult Mechanicus), the leader of a
household is typically a ‘baron’, though specific titles vary immensely. There are a number of
households within a single knight house.

Frater Astrotechnicus
The techmarines of the Adeptus Astartes, or frater astrotechnicus as their traditional name
goes, are priests of Mars and are given ranks exist outside of the standard structure of the
Mechanicus. They would begin as an apprentum, trained on Mars and sent back to their
Chapter to complete his training. They then become a full fledged techmarine, who may one
day become a techmarine suprema, presumably in charge of several techmarines. A Chapter’s
Master of the Forge is the highest ranking techmarine in the Chapter, and is held in high
regard.

Divisio units
Some divisiones organise their members into teams for organisation purposes, such as
enginseer teams for the Divisio Technologis and Ordnance Teams for the Divisio Prefectus.
The Collegiate Extremis has at least one type of unit of members dedicated to hunting heresy:
the diagnostic coven, which has the authority to shut down hive cities on Forgeworlds.

Finally (yes, finally) I have an approximated rank network for the tech-priests of the
Mechanicus. It should be noted that to be in the Cult Mechanicus, you need to be ordinated,
but you can be part of the Adeptus Mechanicus without being part of the Cult. All the ranks are
canon, but their placing is at my discretion:

As far as I can tell, there are five classes in the Adeptus Mechanicus: The Adepts Inferior, the
Novitiates, the Adepts Minoris, the Adepts Majoris, and the Adepts Superior.

First in the Adepts Inferior, you have the lay-brothers, those whose only connection to the cult
is a brief tutelage in a temple of the machine-god. These use the skills that they learn in their
everyday jobs.

Then there are the menials, those who do routine work on the Forgeworlds that isn’t delegated
to the servitors.

Those who have technical potential can become a tech-priest, and these tech-acolytes are
presumably trained in Seminaries and selected out of the Menial and Lay-brother population.
These, like all Mechanicus personnel below the rank of fabricator-general and archmagos
ultima, are on a constant rota of work (In the Mechanicus), study (In a Seminary), or
dissemination (Working amongst the Imperial Institutions). They begin to learn of the Sixteen

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Universal Lores, and begin to learn of the Mysteries of Technology.

The next rank up from tech-acolyte is technographer; these learn the mysteries of the Hex
Signs and treating Machine Spirits. They become proficient in a particular divisio that reflects
their abilities best, and are apprenticed to that divisio. They will learn the ways of that divisio.
When working or disseminated, they will chiefly be serving as either more advanced
technicians, for when their simple rites and preparations fail, and servicing and using more
complicated technology.

The highest ranking novitiate in the institution is known as the chief initiate.

Each divisio has different Adepts Minoris ranks, and each of these is an expert in a particular
subset of the skills in the divisio, such as munitions (in Artisan), generation, augury, cryostasis
(in Technicus), etc. A few and their ranks in order of seniority, lowest to highest:

- Divisio Logis [Analysing data and predicting trends, discrete mathematics]: logistician
- Divisio Lexmechanicus [Recording data and statistics, applied mathematics]: calculus logi
(lexmechanic), arch-calculus logi
- Divisio Digitalis [Digital encoding and logic engines, computer sciences]: cogitator
- Divisio Investigatus [Constructing and designing advanced military systems]:
fabricator-architect
- Divisio Technicus [Advanced general repairs and tech-exorcisms]: mech-wright, luminen,
enginseer, high enginseer, pater machinae)
- Divisio Prefectus [Administration]: tech-administrator
- Divisio Mandati [Military command]: secutor, myrmidon, centurius, tribune
- Divisio Fabricator [Construction]: construction adept, fabricator-master
- Divisio Astrologicus [Astrophysics and astrology]: observator
- Divisio Archaeologis/Archeos [Archaeology]: excavator
- Divisio Xenologis [Alien Technology or Aliens in general. NB, not accepted on all Forge
Worlds]: acquisitor, praefect acquisitor
- Divisio Pecuniae [Business/production logistics and arithmetic]: numerist
- Unknown Divisiones [In no particular order]: transmechanic, tech-abbot, runic priest,
machina-mentor, emissary

The first of the Adepts Majoris is simply an adaptation of the divisio name, IE, genetors of
Divisio Genetor, orbologists of Divisio Orbologis, biologes of Divisio Biologis (though
technomancer is also used on some Forgeworlds), astrologici of Divisio Astrologicus, etc. One
thing to note: Unless otherwise stated (Logis, Biologis) any divisio ending is "is"
adds a "t" on the end to make this rank. These are the first of the Ruling Members
of the Cult Mechanicus, or Adepts Majoris. The ruling members are entitled to do research, but
still undergo the rota of work, study and dissemination. There are exceptions to the standard
rule, such as techno-archeologist of Divisio Archaeologis, magnus of Divisio Mandati, and on
some Forgeworlds, mech-deacon is used instead of prefectus of Divisio Prefectus. These all

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have the suffix: primaris, primus, secundus, tertius.

Above this is the "chief [divisio adaptation, as seen above]. So chief artisan, chief
orbologist, etc. These are in charge of all of the Adepts Minoris of their divisio in the
ship/institution. Some notable exceptions: genetor-council, chief engineer

The next member is the [divisio name]-major (Roughly equivalent to a bachelors degree,
presumably). NB, presumably, a tech-priest can change the divisio in which s/he serves within
the departmento (Departmento Manufacturum is responsible for manufacturing, and includes
all divisiones that are involved in construction, design, metallurgy, etc. Departmentorium
Biologis is responsible for biology, and any involved in biology are in this departmento). There
are naming exceptions, notably the cyber-seers of Divisio Astrographicus and the
omniprophets of the Divisio Errant. Presumably these have the suffix: primaris, primus,
secundus, tertius.

Above this is the most well known rank of the Cult Mechanicus: The magos [divisio].
Occasionally known as technomagos, or even magister, these can control multiple laboratories.
These have offices on the Forgeworld or research station where they are located. The title
"magos" may be an abbreviation for "magister of science". This is
probably equivalent to a masters degree. These have the suffix of either: primus, secundus,
tertius. Primaris equivalent is known as high magos.

A title given to the most senior magos on the ship/institution is known as the "chief
magos &qu
ot;.

Then you have the aspiring archmagos, who dedicates their time to becoming an archmagos.

An archmagos controls a sector on a Forgeworld. Each archmagos may found or take charge
a Seminary that can train new members of the Cult Mechanicus. This is most likely to be
equivalent to a doctorate equivalent. In the archmagos' work, s/he is in charge of an aspect of a
Forgeworld's running, such as managing work rotas for the entire Forgeworld, etc.

Above them is the archmagos veneratus, which may be the highest ranking member of the
divisio on the Forgeworld. They still have the control of an aspect of the Forgeworld's runnning.

The first rank of the Adepts Superior, which do not have a divisio attached to it is archmagos
ultima , and
it is the second in command of the Forgeworld, controlling the archmagi and is effectively chief
in command of the Armed forces of the Forgeworld. The most powerful archmagos ultima is
the archmagos ultima of Mars, and is often regarded as the Archmagos Ultima.

A fabricator-general is in charge of a Forgeworld, and the fabricator-general is subordinate

only to the Fabricator General of Mars, who rules and directs the entire Adeptus Mechanicus.

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Like the archmagos ultima of Mars, the fabricator-general of Mars is often referred to as the
Fabricator-General.

So there you go. An introductory guide into the Cult Mechanicus and the Adeptus Mechanicus.

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