Jax Tiro

Summary
Inquisitor Jax Tiro is the former apprentice of Inquisitor Hyram Locke of the Ordo Malleus, who was elevated to the rank of Inquisitor by his Master's untimely death at the hands of Halor the Warp Stalker. Although he has not been an Inquisitor for long, he has already served with distinction, lending crucial aid to the forces defending Sanctatum.

Essential Information
Home World: unknown.

Inquisitorial Ordo: Malleus.

Rank: Inquisitor.

Status: Active.

Early Life
Little is known of Jax's early life. What is known is that he was an orphan, and that through some means he was adopted by Hyram Locke, an Inquisitor Lord, as an apprentice, intended to succeed the Inquisitor one day. He served with the Inquisitor's retinue for many years as an Interrogator, learning all the myriad things he would need to know as an Inquisitor himself.

The two of them together stopped many Chaos incursions, both minor and major, and in time Tiro came to regard the older man as something of a surrogate father figure, as Locke came to regard Tiro as a surrogate son. The two, upon their vessel Locke's Key, were considered a sort of "go-to" team for any number of minor Daemonic incursion or cultist actions.

Encounter with Halor
On Sancta Sepulcrus, Locke and Tiro were seeking out the source of several outbreaks of the Zombie Plague. Unfortunately, what they discovered was the presence of the Daemon Prince Halor, who was personally sowing the seeds for a massive Chaos invasion of the Sanctatum sector.

Locke told Tiro to run when faced with the Daemon Prince, somehow sensing that the creature wanted him dead, specifically. As such, Tiro could only watch as the man he considered a surrogate father was slain before him by the foul Daemon. After this, Inquisitor Locke's Will and Testament bestowed upon Tiro the rank of full Inquisitor, with all the responsibilities therein. Reasoning that Sanctatum would be destroyed if forces were not gathered, Tiro quickly took action, ordering the Locke's Key - which he renamed Locke's Vengeance - to seek out nearby assistance.

Gathering the Armies
Over the course of several weeks, thanks largely to unusually calm warp currents which Tiro was convinced was the fault of an incoming invasion, the Locke's Vengeance was able to reach several key destinations: on Peace, Tiro recruited the Revenants Chapter (despite their prior record as having been investigated by the Inquisition) as well as the 85th Legion of Tears and - by virtue of having recruited the Revenants - the Brotherhood of Peace.

After this, he was able to make contact with nearby regiments of the Imperial Guard, specifically the 122nd Cadian, the 704th Death Korps of Krieg and the 145th Valhallan, all at that time stationed on worlds near Sanctatum. Furthermore, Tiro's astropath was able to make contact with the Forge, the Emperor's Firebrands, the Restorers and the Sanguine Paladins, further bolstering the Adeptus Astartes presence on Sanctatum and increasing their chances.

In addition, Tiro recruited Bran and Erin Jansen on the planet Jacobia and a tech Priest Sullus on Sancta Fabrica, who when added to his existing retinue made his retinue into a large, deadly squad of soldiers and warriors that would be able to aid him in the battle against Chaos.

Having gathered these forces, Tiro returned to Sanctatum to prepare for the coming conflict.

Sancta Majoria
Tiro and his retinue spent the vast majority of the War for Sanctatum on Sancta Majoria, in Sancta Majoria Magnifica, the capital Hive. There, he co-ordinated with the other Imperial commanders, working with them in an attempt to drive the enemy away. The war seemed to be stalemated, a situation Tiro had little patience for but could not help. Fortunately, the stalemate was ended by a move made by Halor.

The Daemon Prince too was impatient, and led a strike at the heart of Sancta Majoria, Magnifica itself. Tiro, realising that this was surely the moment to end the war, gathered as many Space Marines and other troops as he could, hoping to arm himself to stand against the enemy.

In the end, he, Revenants Captains Jared Severus and Antonio Janus, a mysterious Space Marine, an Emperor's Spectre and Bran, the gladiator and Renegade Space Marine he had picked up on Jacobia, faced down the Daemon Prince Halor. In that battle, Tiro, despite arming himself with Power Armour, proved less than up to the task, and was quickly batted aside. This however, was counted a blessing, as it allowed him to line up a shot from a Psycannon he had been given by the Tech Priests of Sancta Fabrica.

It was difficult to precisely line up a shot at first, for Halor was in his first, fettered form, that of a Space Marine. With three other Space Marines circling around him, and a massive battle raging all around them, Tiro found it difficult to get a clear shot. Finally, though, he managed to line up a perfect shot at Halor, who had transformed into his unbound form, a massive winged beast. Just as Halor was about to slay the Space Marines arrayed against him, Tiro shot him, mortally wounding the Daemon's form and allowing Bran and the others to banish it into the warp.

Post Sanctatum
Post Sanctatum, Tiro and his retinue took off in the newly renamed Locke's Vindication, and continue to seek out Daemonic and Chaotic influences to this day.

Personality and Skills
Jax Tiro is a keen sword fighter, an expert shot, has rudimentary knowledge of forensics, and has a keen respect for the traditions of the Adeptus Mechanicus, even if he does not entirely understand them. He is determined, and can be a little humourless in the pursuit of his duties when he feels that the situation is truly serious. He is also not above bending the rules of his office slightly, occasionally treading the waters of Radicalism (such as the recruitment of Bran). Nonetheless, he is as devoted a servant of the Emperor as one can find.

Jana Quince, Psyker.
Jana Quince is surprisingly sane for a psyker; she is stable enough to have conversations and not seem overly mad (although she is definitely eccentric, prone to strange outbursts and inappropriate, often irreverent comments). This is both blessing and curse, as she is all too aware of what she has lost in terms of normal life, and sometimes misses the simpler things that she, being a psyker, is forever denied.

Ransom Argyle, Archivist.
Argyle was born on Holy Terra, and became a scholar. He has spent most of his life studying, but always yearned to do something with his knowledge. When Hyram Locke came looking for scholarly aid, he found Argyle more than willing to accompany him on his travels - when Locke died, Argyle remained with Tiro. Argyle is eager and bookish, skittish even, but has a heart of steel beneath his lean exterior.

Erin Jansen, Arbites.
Erin Jansen is a young member of the Adeptus Arbites Tiro recruited on Jacobia during the run up to the War for Sanctatum: what she lacks in experience she makes up for in professionalism, skill and intelligence, but she is also willing to admit when she is out of her depth, such as when cultists attacked on her home world. She has proved one of Tiro's most trusted allies.

Bran, Renegade Space Marine
Bran is a Space Marine of the Excommunicated Stone Giants Chapter. Much of his Chapter rebelled against the Emperor - many were killed, many are renegades and the few loyalists were renamed and wear different heraldry. Unlike many of his brothers, who banded together, he chose to go into exile on Jacobia as a gladiator. He claims not to want to regain his honour, but joined the Inquisitor anyway to do just that. Or kill things. Hard to say.

Dar Kreegan, The Hired Gun
Hive Trash from Necromunda, Dar Kreegan was recruited as a hired gun by Inquisitor Lord Locke during a visit to the planet. He was loyal to the Inquisitor Lord for saving his life, and extended that loyalty to Tiro, though beyond the Inquisitor his loyalty is only to money and comfort.

Tech Priest Sullus
Sullus joined Tiro from Sancta Fabrica - the Inquisitor aided the Tech Priest in finding a minor STC fragment and Sullus felt compelled to stay, feeling that finding the artefact proved that the Omnissiah was with the Inquisitor. He is eccentric but loyal in the extreme.