Gideon Ravenor

Gideon Ravenor is a fictional character who appears in novels set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The character was created by Dan Abnett.

Ravenor was a member of the Imperial Inquisition and part of the Ordo Xenos, tasked with keeping humanity safe from unwanted alien influences. Ravenor's body was woefully crippled, whilst he was still an Interrogator, during the atrocity of the Holy Novena on Thracian Primaris. He suffered 100% burns to his body among other injuries and the only way that medicaes could insert life-support equipment was to slice a hole in Ravenor's flesh where his mouth should have been. Ravenor now exists within the cocoon of a force chair where his already powerful psychic abilities (which became stronger to compensate for his crippled body), further boosted by built-in psi-amplifiers, allow him to function as a full Inquisitor, providing him with the ability to mind-speak to his agents as well as temporarily take control of their bodies, usually at the cost of rather painful and dizzying after-effects. In "Ravenor", we learn that his Psychic capacity is between high-level delta and low-level gamma, this makes him one of the most potent psykers in the service of the Imperium. However, this is contradicted in "Ravenor Rogue" when Orfeo Culzean describes Ravenor as an "Alpha plus psyker". This may be a typing mistake or Orfeo exaggerating Ravenor's abilities. Although in Ravenor it is mentioned that Ravenors force chair amplifies his already formidable powers. He also is able to read most people's minds as well as defeat all but the strongest psykers in single combat. He was an apprentice of the infamous Gregor Eisenhorn, who sponsored his promotion in 346.M41

Ravenor has a dedicated coterie of associates who assist him in fulfilling his role as an Inquisitor of the Imperium of Man:

• Interrogator Carl Thonius - Ravenor's pupil and protégé. While he is trained in the use of weapons and can hold his own in close combat, most of the time he chooses not to be involved in the more violent part of Ravenor's business. Thonius is possessed by the daemon Slyte, and is destroyed as Slyte took physical form in Ravenor Rogue.
• Harlon Nayl - An ex-bounty hunter formerly under employment of Inquisitor Eisenhorn. Carries a vast array of weapons. Nayl leads most operations and seems to be one of the most senior team members.
• Kara Swole - A former dancer-acrobat, trained in the use of deadly weapons. Regularly described as a voluptuous beauty. Formerly under employment of Inquisitor Eisenhorn.
• Patience Kys - A telekinetic psyker with a shady past. Patience Kys is not her real name and she seems to hide some secret about her past.
• Zeph Mathuin - Silent ex-bounty hunter. Ill tempered and heavily armed. Because of an apparent natural affinity he was Ravenor's favourite vessel for waring. Mathuin favoured a multi-barrel rotator cannon. He was killed by a daemon during the events of Ravenor Returned.
• Wystan Frauka - An 'Untouchable', a man with the latent ability to block out psychic activity. Big, chain-smoking and disliked by pretty much everyone (in part because of his psychic blankness. It was mentioned in Xenos that the field untouchables project also creates a sense of fear, revulsion and dread in others.). An interesting difference to the Eisenhorn novels is Frauka's so-called inhibitor, a device allowing him to shut down his natural anti-psi field. He is often found passing the time by reading pornographic data-slates or staring at the female members of the team.
• Zael - A boy, about 14 years old, addicted to flects when he first appears. In the wake of Ravenor's investigation to uncover the source of the flects, Zael gets taken along for being able to "hear" the telepathic communication between Ravenor and Nayl. He is a psychic "mirror," with no real psychic capabilities of his own. He is able to use the psychic powers of others in his vicinity but not for an extended period of time. He also shares Frauka's attraction to pornography as demonstrated in Ravenor Rogue.
• Cynia Preest - Captain of the Hinterlight, a rogue trade ship regularly employed by Ravenor. The Hinterlight is equipped with a custom-built stealth device made partly with alien technology, partly powered by Ravenor's own considerable psychic powers.
• Sholto Unwerth - Captain of the Arethusa, a rogue trade ship that Ravenor employs after leaving the Hinterlight. In Ravenor Rogue, Sholto describes himself using the word 'Squat', leading to the conclusion that Sholto is related to the old Warhammer 40,000 race, the Squats.

Besides these, like all Inquisitors, Ravenor has other allies that help him in times of need, some of whom also appeared in other works of Dan Abnett (such as short stories). The (in)famous Inquisitor Eisenhorn also made an (arguably) final appearance in the connecting story of Ravenor and Ravenor Returned. Ravenor also allied with a group of Eldar for some time, a highly unorthodox occurrence among the Ordo Xenos, if not outright heresy. According to the end of the last Eisenhorn series book Ravenor contiunes his work even after the events in the Ravenor series. But no further details have been mentioned thus far.

References

• Abnett, Dan (2002). Hereticus. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84154-236-9.
• Abnett, Dan (2001). Malleus. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84154-204-0.
• Abnett, Dan (2005). Ravenor. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-073-4.
• Abnett, Dan (2005). Ravenor Returned. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-184-6.
• Abnett, Dan (2007). Ravenor Rogue. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-460-8.