Adeptus Arbites

The Adeptus Arbites is the adepta of the Adeptus Terra that serves as the galactic police force of the Imperium of Man, responsible for enforcing Imperial Law (the Lex Imperialis) on all Imperial-controlled worlds. The Adeptus Arbites have been granted the right by the High Lords of Terra to serve as judge, jury and executioner for any Imperial citizen they discover having broken Imperial law. Unfortunately for many Imperial citizens, the concept of due process is not one that generally applies in the Imperium.
However, in those cases where Imperial law is unclear or the law breaker has committed a truly heinous deed or is of unusually high-ranking stature, the offended will be taken back to an Arbites Precinct House for judgement by an Arbites Judge, the sentence to be carried out immediately. Imperial justice is swift and sure, but not always just.
Only through a constant watch and the execution of often brutal laws can the Imperium survive, and it is the Adeptus Arbites who carry out this function. While the armies of the Astra Militarum struggle to hold back the aggression of alien empires and protect the worlds of Mankind from without, the Adeptus Arbites roots out rebels, recidivists, and threats to the stability of the Imperium from within.
The men and women of the Arbites operate as they see fit, using their greater training and weaponry to tackle foes that might be beyond the scope of local Enforcers, or in many cases to deal with a planetary government which has itself become corrupted. Remorseless and single-minded, Arbitrators do not forgive or forget any crime against Imperial law, and pursue their quarry relentlessly until the Emperor's justice has been served.
The laws of the Imperium of Man are a complex web of tradition, obligation, and local custom. Thus, they can vary from world to world or sector to sector, with each planetary governor, local prefect, or headman pronouncing their own laws. Arbitrators care little for such trivialities, and enforce the serious crimes against the Imperium while leaving such petty matters to local officials.
Murder or theft, for example, are considered inconsequential unless they affect the interests of the wider Imperium directly, are perpetrated against Imperial officials, or somehow fundamentally threaten a world's security or safety.
Arbitrators have little pity or compassion for the transgressions of Imperial citizens. Years of dealing with the scum of the galaxy has made many of them cynical and bitter. Others have become religious zealots, seeing the God-Emperor's divine hand in the letter of the law and only death is deserved for those who would break it.
A few might maintain idealistic notions for bringing order and justice to the Imperium, but the realities of endless, sometimes horrific crimes constantly erode such notions. The arrival of an Arbitrator patrol is seldom welcome, given the brutal way in which they operate during their investigations, arrests, and executions, even though it might mean an end to vicious criminal enterprises or corrupt Imperial or planetary officials.
Arbitrators must deal with ineffectual or corrupt local and planetary government agencies. These are often an Arbitrator's greatest foes as they must clean up a local situation, taking over the Enforcers of a hive city, orbital station, or even entire planet to purge it of crime and corruption in a series of bloody and unforgiving sweeps.
On Imperial worlds the Adeptus Arbites are the last, most absolute law, answering only to their commanders and the Judges of star systems and entire sectors, and not to local authorities. It is a thankless task, for the anonymous, helmeted Arbitrator usually only receives fear and hatred as reward for their actions.
The members of the Adeptus Arbites are the final bulwark against heretical uprisings and other major threats. Their precinct-fortress is often the last bastion of Imperial rule during revolutions or invasions, holding out to the very end whilst alerting outside Imperial agencies and adepta of the dire situation.
Each Arbitrator knows that should they fall, so follows the planet. To merely survive in such a hostile environment, Arbitrators must show no hesitation, regret, or compassion for those they protect, and they must consider every citizen guilty until they are proven innocent.
The Adeptus Arbites face a monumental task to enforce the law across countless Imperial worlds. Those that take the oaths, don the Carapace Armour, and take Shock Maul in hand are often obsessive and pitiless individuals, who see the law as an extension of the Emperor's will upon His subjects, and its enforcement their sacred duty.
Whether they are skilled in combat or possessed of a keen mind, an Arbitrator knows they face an implacable and remorseless foe, one which they must counter with all the talents at their command.
To be part of this adepta is to be apart from one's surroundings, for after training in the Schola Progenium, Arbitrators are never assigned to the world of their birth. They are beyond local authorities, serving none but higher Imperial law.
Once a man or woman puts on the distinctive dark armour of an Arbitrator they stop being merely Human, and are now a representative of the greater Imperium upon a world, there to ensure planetary compliance with Imperial law.
Arbitrators are always active with investigations and enforcement, for crime never sleeps. The surrounding populace overwhelmingly outnumbers them, so it is essential to detect and crush crime before it grows too strong.
On many worlds, Arbitrators bring massive firepower to bear at the slightest hint of resistance, often reacting to crimes before they occur, and preemptively arresting citizens who are "at risk" of becoming criminals.
Skilled Arbitrators are masters of urban conflict and crowd control, with a natural understanding of Imperial societies and the nature of places such as the packed hab-blocks of an overpopulated Hive World or the savage villages of a Feral World, each requiring their own special tactics to police.
Arbitrators often tap local vox-networks, develop networks of spies and informants, and even infiltrate any suspect organisations to snare the lawless in surgical strikes where their superior weaponry and training can prevail over larger forces.
Such investigations require long solar hours of dedicated detective work, patience, and cunning to root out violations of Imperial law against the myriad other offences against lesser authorities.
Arbitrators' lives are often at risk, and not just from their criminal quarry. During the course of an investigation all manner of things might come to light, including the secrets of powerful individuals. In these cases an Arbitrator can face more danger from supposedly loyal allies than the scum they are pursuing.

"We determine the guilty. We decide the punishment." — Lex Imperialis

Starting skills:
Awareness, Common Lore (Adeptus Arbites, Underworld), Inquiry or Interrogation, Intimidate, Scrutiny
Starting Talents:
Weapon Training (Shock or Solid Projectile)
Starting Equipment:
Shotgun or shock maul, Enforcer light carapace armor or carapace chest plate, 3 doses of stimm, manacles, 12 lho sticks
Background Bonus:
The Face of the Law: An Arbitrator can intimidation and Interrogation test, and can substitute his Willpower bonus for his degrees of success on these tests.
Background Aptitude:
Offence or Defense