Vrit'enbruk Nav-Guilds

The **Vrit'enbruk Nav-Guilds**, also known as the **Void Guilds**, **Spacing Guilds**, or the **Imperialis Sanctus of Mercury** on rare occasions, are an ancient organization of Abhuman Imperial nobility predating the creation of the Stellar Imperium by several thousand standard years, and are just one political leg of the complex structures maintaining the Imperium.

It is comprised of noble families of whom are abhuman mutants called Wayfinders who have the unique psychic ability to navigate spacecraft through long distances in the chaotic transdimensional fold-space eddies of the Void.

The Great Houses of the Void Guilds are some of the wealthiest and most politically powerful collections of nobles in the Stellar Imperium.

## History

The Immaterium, *"Fold-Space,"* or simply the *"Void"* is the separate or parallel dimension of exotic paracausal energy that co-exists with the material world of normal space-time and is both its reflection and permeates it invisibly. It is a roiling, howling maelstrom of force and energy, utterly unpredictable and not subject to the rational laws and linear flow of time in the way that physical reality is.

It is an unquiet, shifting realm subject to massive shocks and vortexes that disrupt its fabric and reverberate across its fathomless deeps in the shape of Void Storms and ill-predicted tides, and amongst it all dwell strange and terrible inhabitants.

Long ago in the immemorial Golden Age of Technology, Humanity first learned of this realm of unreality and how in part to manipulate it, and found that they could project vessels through its depths and have them emerge into realspace having crossed vast distances that even at light speed would have taken generations to accomplish.

Such travel was always dangerous, and only relatively short jumps (although still many light years in span) could be attempted with any margin of safety as the tides of the Void move in complex and inconsistent patterns; starships attempting long journeys often end up wildly off-course, lost permanently within its complex weave or simply shredded to splinters.

Furthermore, such vessels may suffer bizarre shifts, aging their passengers to dust or arriving years after -- or even years before -- they had originally planned. Void Storms and other disturbances can also block navigation completely, cutting worlds and sometimes entire regions of space off for solar days, weeks or centuries. During the Age of Darkness, massive Void Storms and Rifts shook the entire Immaterium, preventing any long range interstellar navigation for over four Terran decamillennia.

For Terran centuries uncounted, Wayfarers have led Mankind between the stars. Theirs is the unique power to gaze into the Void and guide Humanity's vessels across the vastness of the galaxy. This power affords them a special place within the Stellar Imperium, and over time, it has won them great prestige, political power and wealth.

The contemporary Nav-Houses of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite have a scope of power and influence that is breathtaking to behold, reaching from the farthest world of the human-settled galaxy to the vaulted chambers of the High Lords of Terra themselves.

It is into this position of power and privilege that a Wayfarer is born, gifted with unique and strange powers by the blood of their ancestors. Although they may be one among many within their brood, a Wayfarer knows that they stand head and shoulders above the common citizens of the Emperor's domain because of their unique and priceless ability.

They also know that with training, dedication, and influence, they may rise within the ranks of their House and perhaps even take the mantle of Navitorus Primus -- lord and master of the family and all of its often extensive economic, military and political power.

The origins of the Wayfarers have long been lost to antiquity like so much of Mankind's history, forgotten and buried beneath the weight of millennia of strife and decay. They are an ancient mutated or deliberately engineered psiot strain of Mankind "designed" to facilitate Void travel.

Clannish and insular, they have lived amongst normal Humans since the middling years of the Golden Age of Technology and during the nightmarish centuries of the Age of Darkness nearly dwindled to extinction. It is not known how this unique sub-species of Humans first came into existence, though they may have been the result of long-forbidden genetic tampering with the Human genome in a long-ago age.

Some Imperial scholars suspect the hand of the Emperor (paradoxically) if not in the Wayfarers' original creation, then perhaps in their recreation and certain increase in numbers during the Age of the Imperium -- as their houses gathered to Him and pledged Him fealty after His conquest of Terra succeeding the Terran Unification Wars.

The Emperor in person granted a charter to those Wayfarer groups who swore Him fealty, granting them His legal protection in exchange for their services as steersmen for the many starships of the nascent Imperium.

Later, after the Jovian Edicts were signed between the Emperor and the Vix Mechanicum that brought the Vix-Adepts of the Machine God into the Stellar Imperium, one of its terms required the Emperor to hand over to the Jovian Guilds ten Terra houses of Wayfarers.

The Mechanicum had once possessed its own corps of thrall-born Wayfarers, but these had all been lost to the turbulence of the Age of Darkness, effectively isolating the Gas Titan from its own empire of Forge Worlds.

The Wayfarers provided by the Emperor allowed the Vix-Adepts to once more venture out into the galaxy on their own terms. This was crucial to the Mechanicum's agreement to join with the Emperor and provide the technical expertise required to bring His Great Crusade to reunify the Human galaxy to fruition.

Whatever the cause of its appearance, the "Nav-Gene," as it is now known, has endured across tens of thousands of Terran years and without it, much like the psychic gifts of the astros', the Stellar Imperium would not exist and certainly could not be maintained.

This mutation has not endured through accident, but through careful cultivation. A Wayfarer is the result of focused selective breeding and rigorous genetic screening by their House at every stage of their development.

The unique psychic powers of the Wayfarers are passed down through each generation. The Nav-Gene, which is recessive in nature, can only be preserved by selective interbreeding -- it is lost when a Wayfarer breeds with an ordinary Human who does not possess the gene.

This factor has led to the development of the closely-related Wayfarer families. Even when they attain the rank of full Wayfarer and leave the protection of their House to take up the task to which their nature calls them, their family ties remain strong and bind them tight, reminding them where their true duty lies.

Wayfarers are genetically empowered to see into the Void directly without risking instant insanity or death and hence guide a vessel as it attempts to plot a course in that otherworldly dimension. This is possible because psykers of all kinds, Wayfarers included, use the Empyrean to empower their gifts and to this role of guiding their fellows through the currents of the Void the Wayfarer is uniquely adapted.

The Nav-Gene not only allows Wayfarers to peer into the Void, but it also endows them with some innate resistance to its mind-shattering and corrupting influences.

A Human starship without a Wayfarer to guide it cannot hope to travel far without quickly being lost in the maelstrom of the Immaterium and destroyed. Even so, a Wayfarer's ability only enables them to chart relatively short to moderate length journeys through the Void with any degree of certainty, particularly where the Immaterium is in tumult, but combined with the Emperor's creation of the great beacon known as the Astronomican, the Wayfarer's range was greatly expanded and without them the Great Crusade and the expansion of the burgeoning Imperium of Man would not have been possible.

Whilst the Wayfarer serves the single purpose of guiding Human starships through the Void, and has evolved admirably for this task, they are also capable of far greater control over the strange power they wield and putting it to other uses. These strange and little understood psychic powers seem to result from a Wayfarer's unique affinity for the Void, another gift of their altered genetic makeup.

Little is known about how a Wayfarer's Void affinity works, or exactly how it is that many Wayfarers are able to not only look into the Void but also enact their will on it to some extent, making subtle changes to its currents and tides.

### The Golden Age of Technology

M33 - The Writtenbrook Void Drive Incident

### Needed Pariahs

One of the fundamental tensions that exists between the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite and the rest of the Stellar Imperium is the fact that Wayfarers are obviously mutants in an Imperial culture that does not willingly suffer the mutant to live save as a brutally oppressed underclass on most worlds. Many dark legends and fables of excess, witchery, and murderous power have grown up about them, and not all without cause.

As a result, Wayfarers are often shunned and feared, and the popular dread at meeting the gaze of their many eyed gazes means that many prefer to have dealings with them only when they absolutely must. The maintenance of the valuable, recessive Nav-Gene through selective breeding has also meant that over thousands of standard years many Wayfarer families have acquired malformations, strange afflictions, or mental abnormalities.

While some attribute these maladies to inbreeding and the close-knit relations between the Wayfarer families, it's more likely that the Nav-Gene itself causes genetic instability and mutation as a Wayfarer grows in power and age. As a Wayfarer ages and suffers from increasing exposure to the Immaterium, the likelihood of suffering from mutations also grows exponentially.

To offset the fickle nature of the Nav-Gene, many Wayfarer Houses rigorously screen the genetic material of their members and use Gene Scribes to determine the best match between young Wayfarers when marriages are arranged. In addition to the Gene Scribes, the use of divination tools like the Emperor's Tarot are employed to ensure no psychic taint threatens to destabilize the genepool.

The most ancient and traditional houses often use their considerable resources to maintain strict control of their bloodlines through carefully arranged unions, which has made them more resilient to the symptomatic genetic instability that plagues lesser houses.

Others, however, have either neglected such strict control or have tampered with the genepool of their bloodlines to produce more powerful and skilled progeny. Inevitably, this has led to considerable instability in some of the dynasties.

In some Wayfarer families, the genetic corruption of the line has become so severe that only a few members of the clan can move amongst the rest of the Imperium. The remainder remain confined to the family's great estates or in sealed tabernacles aboard ship, their deformities hidden from sight.

These differences have often led to conflict in the past, but such incidents are often brought violently to heel by the localized sects Imperium, before the wrath of the High Lords of Terra is visited upon the culprits and any above them in rank that allowed such action to come to pass.

After all, no one can afford to offend those who hold the Imperium's only key to voyaging between the stars. The Orders Quintus of the Imperial Security Systems is one of the few governmental bodies that can truly move with impunity where the Wayfarers are concerned, and its eye is ever kept on the Wayfarer clans. Yet, even the I.S.S must be circumspect and certain in this task. However, in extreme cases, the Orders Quintus have destroyed entire clans and carried their patriarchs and matriarchs off in the Black Ships for final sanction when necessary.

## Great Houses

Almost nothing is known of the earliest history of the Wayfarer houses, though some amongst the Orders Quintus suspect that the ancient stasis vaults beneath the mansions of the Wayfarer's Quarter on Terra must contain records and artifacts rivalling those of the I.S.S in age and significance.

Whatever secret histories of Mankind's darkest ages are hidden beneath those marble palaces are likely to remain obscured, for the Navitorus Primus' of the Great Houses are beholden to no other authority and even the most determined and relentless of Inquisitors would find it all but impossible to breach their closed society and force them to acknowledge any external law.

Few organisations within the Stellar Imperium hold as much power as the Great Wayfarer Houses of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite. Their position of control over nearly all Imperial shipping and interstellar commerce places them in a rare position of power, one that sits almost beyond the reach of both the Administratum and even the Inquisition itself. It is a position that the Great Houses have mercilessly exploited down through the millennia and used to gather vast wealth and influence.

The lesser Wayfarer families, on the other hand, owe fealty to the larger and more influential houses, who in turn have their own alliances. These alliances in turn form trading cartels, which compete for lucrative contracts with other such unions.

The Merchant Fleets of the Imperium must constantly deal with these powerful cartels for the services of the Wayfarers -- it is a strained relationship, but one which the Imperium constantly strives to keep the upper hand in.

Though across the long span of years this power has risen and fallen, the influence of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite has endured longer than almost all other Imperial edifices. The only aspect of the Great Houses that matches their political endurance is their constant struggle with each other.

In their internecine struggles for position and favor, the houses use all manner of means to outdo their rivals, sometimes even engaging in open warfare against one another. Only the strict control of the house Navitorus Primus' and the carefully maintained codes of behavior's and tradition of the Wayfarers keep such conflicts from spiralling out of control.

Whatever the details of their roots, the Wayfarer houses appear to have enjoyed a special status since time immemorial. They must have been an established and powerful body at the beginning of the Emperor's Great Crusade in the late 90th Millennium, which would have been impossible without their services.

### Wayfarer Lineage

In the Imperium, there are thousands of Wayfarer houses, each with a history that can be traced back hundreds if not thousands of Terran years, but still the number of Wayfarers is a literal drop in the ocean compared to the numberless masses of Humanity.

All these houses are not the same either in strength or makeup, and over the millennia many have diverged from the first great families that are said to have exhibited the Wayfarer Gene at the time of the Great Crusade.

Some have dwindled and died off over the years, some few turned outlaw, whilst many others have prospered in divergent ways of life creating branches and offshoots of the Great Houses across the Imperium.

Whilst it would be impossible to catalogue and critique each of the Wayfarer families, many can be grouped into broad categories, representing their unique strain of the Wayfarer Gene as well as their area of influence and way of life.

The four groups which are prevalent throughout the galaxy are known variously as the Magisterialis Houses, the Vagabond Houses, the Perfidious Houses, and the Shrouded Houses.

* **Magisterialis Houses** - A Magisterialis House is a Wayfarer dynasty most closely related to one of the original Wayfarer families dating back to the time of the Unification Wars. These houses are amongst the wealthiest and most traditional of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite and will possess great holdings within the Wayfarer's Quarter on Terra. Their influence reaches to the very edges of the light of the Astronomican. The Magisterialis Houses maintain traditions, customs and practices that have served them for millennia. They are masters of the traditional Wayfarer crafts and have more control over the malign mutations that afflict those with the Wayfarer Gene. To be part of a Magisterialis House is to know without question the purity of one's blood and the ancient power and nobility of one's family. Due to the long-established maintenance of their bloodlines, the Wayfarers of the Magisterialis Houses are less susceptible to the symptomatic mutations which often affect Wayfarers because of their exposure to the power of the Empyrean.
* **Vagabond Houses** - A Vagabond Wayfarer House has forsaken ties of sector and star system, relinquishing their terrestrial holding within the Wayfarer's Quarter on Terra or other Imperial worlds. Instead, over the centuries, these Wayfarer Houses have taken wholly to the stars to become wanderers and gypsies, their bloodlines preserved on vast fleets of starships constantly on the move. Due to their void-based lifestyle the members of the Vagabond Houses are perhaps the most skilled of Wayfarers in the Imperium due to their long exposure to both the void and the Immaterium and the inherent necessities of astronavigation. This gives them an understanding of space and the Void second to none, but like all of the Voidborn, these Wayfarers may have a great deal of difficulty relating to the Imperium's varied planetary cultures.
* **Shrouded Houses** - A Shrouded House has suffered great losses or shame within the more established dominions of the Stellar Imperium. They have opted to move their powerbase completely to the edge of known space, where they cling to the barest strands of their former status and power. Though they may be rich in skill, knowledge or lore, something in the past of Shrouded Houses has blighted them and reduced them to a state so far from their once exalted position that they are sometimes cruelly called "beggar houses" by other, more fortunate (and far less polite) counterparts. A Wayfarer who is a member of a Shrouded House is part of a fallen bloodline that is slowly rising again to stand defiant against those that once cast them down -- or at least, so they are told by their elders. A Shrouded House's loss in standing has often forced it to flee to the margins of the Imperium and to develop a cunning and opportunistic mindset alongside a skill that is often lacked by more comfortably indolent houses. This tends to make these Wayfarers far more resourceful than their more well-established kin, while at the same time their Void Eye often becomes more perceptive.
* **Perfidious Houses** - A Perfidious House represents a Great House that has completely forsaken the traditions and ancient practices of the Wayfarer families in their quest for power, or it may have been turned on by the rest of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite, harrowed, and driven into exile. Dabbling heavily in the alteration of the genes of their children in order to improve their lot, the tampering of Perfidious Houses often leads to the development of hideous mutations and the existence of unconscionable monsters in their lineage, which in turn leads to rejection by the Paternova and a hunt to extinction by the Inquisition. In some cases, however, a Perfidious House's actions have birthed new strains of the Wayfarer Gene and given rise to families with unique abilities and potent powers. Wayfarers that are a part of a Perfidious House have cast aside the sacred Wayfarer traditions as small-minded and restrictive and instead have embraced the glory and limitless potential of their ancestry -- or so the houses believe, to comfort themselves.

## Resources of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite

Due to their immense significance to the well-being of the Imperium, the Wayfarer houses have amassed tremendous wealth and wield substantial influence. The formal origins of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite can be traced back to ancient times, and since then, they have accumulated unimaginable riches. Every starship navigating the Void routes of the Imperium and beyond relies on at least one, and often an entire cabal, of Wayfarers to ensure safe passage through the Immaterium.

The wealth accrued by the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite from this critical task serves to expand their fortunes further. Only the most senior Patriarch or Matriarch of all the Great Houses, perhaps the Paternova, can grasp the true extent of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite's wealth and influence, which extends far beyond mere material riches.

Indeed, the Wayfarers seem to have interests in numerous organizations throughout the Imperium. Some have close ties with Imperitan Eye dynasties, the Jovian Mechanicum, and even the esteemed Legions of the Legiones Imperialis. The Wayfarer houses act as backers and investors in ambitious undertakings, particularly those associated with the most powerful of Imperitan Eye expeditions. Thus, while the Imperitan Eyes employ Wayfarers to forge new Void routes, the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite benefits doubly by improving their charts, both for their own gain and that of the Imperium.

Despite their staggering wealth, the Wayfarer houses generally do not maintain visible power structures like most other Imperial institutions. Unlike the Imperitan Eyes and Chartist Captains, they do not operate fleets of starships bearing their insignia, and unlike the great Imperial merchant combines, they do not maintain their own trading centers or industrial installations.

Instead, the Wayfarers hold partial interests in various endeavors, and sometimes the hand of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite is concealed well. While they don't typically maintain large standing armies, many Wayfarer houses employ a cadre of highly trained, well-equipped, and occasionally genetically-enhanced household troops fiercely loyal to their bloodline.

When necessary, the Wayfarer houses tap into their vast wealth to hire the best mercenary forces available. With sufficient warning of impending war, they can field composite armies rivaling an orbiting Imperial defense force in size and resources.

However, what the Wayfarer houses do maintain are the most magnificent palaces, exquisite estates, and gorgeous pleasure gardens imaginable. Most of these are located far from the eyes of the average citizen of the Imperium, but they also maintain richly appointed chancelleries in major starports and planetary capital cities.

Externally, even the most modest Vrit'enbruk Nobilite palace appears as a towering edifice adorned with marble and embellished by the most skilled sculptors of the age. Behind the walls, delicate towers reach for the sky, and glittering domes hint at the untold riches within. Unseen defenses, from automated weapons turrets to the most impenetrable Void Shielding, protect these palaces.

Inside, every visible surface is gilded with precious metal leaf or adorned with sumptuous fabrics. The domes house vast libraries of ancient texts, sumptuous ballrooms, serene pleasure gardens, and luxurious harems. Jewel-cut lumens illuminate dining halls capable of accommodating thousands of guests, while a multitude of liveried attendants stands ready nearby. Countless servants and menials cater to their masters' every whim, while the lower levels bustle with activity as skilled cuisiniers prepare feasts with delicacies imported from all over the Imperium.

Beneath the servants' levels lies a much darker domain. In armored and warded dungeons, those unfortunate offspring of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite who will never guide a starship through the roiling Sea of Souls are held. These are the genetic rejects and hideous by-products of millennia of intermarriage and genetic manipulation. They are mindless, grotesque creatures bearing little resemblance to anything born of a human womb.

Many are destroyed shortly after birth, while others are allowed to live so that the house genetors might study them, hoping to avoid such mistakes in future generations. Just as the lowest levels conceal those of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite that the Wayfarer houses wish to keep from prying eyes, there are also areas accessible only to the most highly ranked members of the house. As a Wayfarer grows older and succumbs to the curse of his bloodline and exposure to the Void, he gradually withdraws from the company of his kin and shuns contact with the outside world entirely.

Despite his aging body, his mind and ability to navigate a Voidship remain unaffected, and he continues to enjoy the luxury his status affords, albeit in his own private chambers attended by a staff of servants, guards, and chirurgeons. However, should his mind fall victim to the Wayfarers' genetic curse, his fate is to descend to the lowest dungeons of his own palace, joining the ranks of other vile monstrosities of his house.

### Navitorus Primus'

The Navitorus Primus holds a vital role as the patriarch or matriarch of a Wayfarer House, serving as the figurative and often biological father or mother of the family. Their primary responsibility is to unify the family and manage its fortunes, fostering new contracts and contacts while fiercely protecting existing ones. At the apex of all Navitorus Primus stands the Paternova, the head of all Wayfarer Houses in the Imperium.

Seated on ancient Terra within the esteemed Palace of the Wayfarers, the Paternova guides the destinies of the houses, ensuring their continued prominence within the Human-settled galaxy. While the leaders of the Great Houses are collectively referred to as Navitorus Primus, each house has the freedom to choose a distinct title for the noble individual who leads their endeavors.

Typically, the Navitorus Primus is chosen from a family's ruling branch, elected based on merit or rights of inheritance by a council of elders from the bloodline. While the Navitorus Primus holds the responsibility of governing the clan's affairs and making crucial decisions and alliances, the elders play a subtle role in guiding the bloodline and ultimately have the authority to select a new Navitorus Primus. Despite their gruesome and unsightly mutations, the ancient Wayfarers are confined to a life of luxurious isolation, but their advanced age and experience grant them significant influence during critical moments of decision for the clan.

To ensure internal stability within the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite, the Navitorus Primus' of most great houses have direct communication access to each other, both during times of peace and trade wars. This special encrypted communications chamber, known as the Navitorus Primus Cortex, allows the patriarchs and matriarchs of Wayfarer Houses to contact each other swiftly whenever the network permits in a given system or sector.

Through this network, they can negotiate, settle disputes, discuss betrothals, and collaborate to handle any issues or problems with civility and cooperation. Such communication channels serve as a crucial means of maintaining harmony and coordination among the influential Wayfarer Houses throughout the Imperium.

### Paternova

The Paternova holds the highest position of leadership and wields the most formidable psychic and political power among all the Wayfarers of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite. Residing in the Palace of the Wayfarers, which dominates the heart of the Wayfarer's Quarter on Terra, the Paternova never leaves this grand abode. The staff, soldiers, and other retainers of the palace all come from the Paternova's own house and are replaced with each new Paternova who assumes the office.

A notable figure among the Paternova's servants is the Paternoval Envoy, who often serves as one of the High Lords of Terra, representing the interests of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite on the Senatorum Imperialis. If anyone possesses knowledge of the Wayfarers' origins in the lost history of Mankind, it would be the noble who ascends to become the Paternova.

The Paternova's primary role lies in their unique ability to amplify the "Void Sense" of other Wayfarers. This amplification is a direct consequence of the extreme mutations that a Paternova undergoes during their ascent from being one of the Heirs Apparent found among the Navitorus Primus' of the most powerful Wayfarer Houses. As such, the Paternova is often described as the guiding figure, whose powers transcend the very essence of the Void.

The significance of this link becomes evident during rare interregnums that periodically occur between the reign of one Paternova and their successor. During these periods, all Wayfarers, except the Heirs Apparent, experience a significant reduction in their ability to navigate the Void. If such a state of affairs were to persist for an extended period, the Imperium would face chaos, as both commercial and military Imperial starships would be unable to traverse the Void safely and efficiently, resulting in the loss of numerous vessels to the Empyrean.

The Paternova can often live for a millennium. Upon their demise, their successor is chosen from among the waiting Heirs Apparent, who are the most potent Wayfarers of the Great Families. Following the Paternova's death, all existing Heirs Apparent undergo a dramatic physical metamorphosis. They grow larger, stronger, and their psychic mutations become even more pronounced.

The Heirs Apparent gain extraordinary abilities, such as the ability to survive underwater, in poisonous environments, and even in the hard vacuum of space. Their inherent aggression intensifies, and they engage in combat with one another. As each Heir Apparent is slain, those who survive undergo further physical changes until only one remains alive. This transformed and exceptionally powerful individual becomes the new Paternova.

Upon the installation of a new Paternova within the Palace of the Wayfarers, all other Wayfarers experience a restoration of their standard psychic abilities, though not all are restored to the same level of effectiveness. Wayfarers belonging to the same house as the Paternova witness their abilities greatly enhanced, seemingly benefiting from their blood ties, which enable the Paternova to transmit their powers more effectively to their kin.

Conversely, Wayfarers belonging to the house of the previous Paternova lose this benefit, resulting in many of them finding their powers significantly diminished. The reasons for these alterations in power levels remain a mystery to Imperial genetic science.

### Vrit'enbruk Scion

> "*A pleasure to meet you, sir. Allow me to introduce myself. I am your charioteer, your gatekeeper to the stars. These trade conferences are such a bore, don't you think? We have all week to discuss the trade routes of the Expanse. Would you care to join me in a glass of cognisec? Wonderful! A toast—to our endeavors.*"
>
>

Wayfarers are a privileged elite within the Imperium, born into politically influential clans, and their bodies undergo significant mutations. While some Wayfarer houses appoint agents to act as intermediaries between them and Imperial society, others choose cunning Wayfarers from within their ranks who can wield the house's political influence most effectively.

Despite being a part of the Imperium, each Wayfarer house enjoys considerable autonomy, and their influence and power rival the other great factions of the Regimentum Imperialis. Consequently, many houses have diplomats and representatives who interact with the broader Imperium. These individuals, known as Scions of the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite, represent the Great Houses, serving as diplomats and power brokers to protect their family's interests.

Adapting effortlessly to both the Wayfarer estates and the courts of the Imperial elite, Vrit'enbruk Scions are adept at conversation and courtly etiquette. They are often chosen based on their relatively fewer disfiguring mutations and their social skills, attracting much attention during their public appearances.

As the center of attention in any courtly setting, Scions capitalize on their instant fame to charm potential allies and ridicule known foes. Wayfarers are rarely seen in public, and even rarer is to witness one surrounded by an admiring or curious crowd. Vrit'enbruk Scions possess exceptional social finesse, captivating audiences with tales of travel beyond the Imperium's reaches or delivering clever witticisms to deflate a boorish individual's pride.

However, being a Scion entails more than dazzling conversation; they are still expected to be adept Wayfarers for ships navigating the Immaterium, serving as a vital link between their house and its allies. Acting as agents and representatives, they seek new clients for their House and ensure existing allies prioritize the house's best interests.

The imposing presence of a full-blooded Wayfarer can swiftly influence trade negotiations, and enemies of the Nobilite must tread carefully in the presence of a Scion. Armed with the political and economic power of their house, Vrit'enbruk Scions are figures to be both feared and respected.

Their extensive education and political experience make them valuable companions. In the course of their duties, many Scions become advisors to Imperitan Eyes, Imperial Navy Admirals, and other high-ranking officials who respect their expertise and lineage. Imperial nobles often seek the counsel of a Scion on matters of politics, trade, and personal affairs.

Although the rumor that a Wayfarer's third eye can glimpse the future is only partially true, many Scions act as psychic advisors, knowing the potential impact of a well-timed prophecy whispered in the right ear.

Becoming a Scion is not a choice one can make on their own. Scions must be groomed from a young age, entering courtly life before their hereditary mutations manifest. As a result, the highly public lives and exotic inhuman beauty of most Scions lead many to dismiss stories of monstrously deformed Wayfarers as mere fables propagated by houses to intimidate rivals. Despite their attempts, Wayfarers cannot escape their own bodies' betrayals, and as a consequence, most Scions have relatively short public careers.

However, the alliances formed and social connections made during this time can serve a Wayfarer throughout their extended life and can even be refined and enhanced through clever maneuvering later on. Nevertheless, some Scions become so enamored with courtly intrigue that they are unwilling to leave it behind when the time comes. Some resort to extensive reconstructive surgery and invasive bionic augmentations to maintain the almost-human features that once made them presentable and celebrated in Imperial high society.

## Traditions

Indeed, each Vrit'enbruk Nobilite House maintains its unique traditions and positions within the house's hierarchy, which are influenced by their individual histories and cultures. For instance, House Belisarius is led by a distinctive title, the "Celestarch."

A Navitorus Primus holds the vital role of either a matriarch or patriarch within a Wayfarer House. They may be either a figurative or biological parent to the other members of the family, but they always assume the legal and titular leadership of the house. The Navitorus Primus is responsible for managing the household's fortunes and ensuring unity among the members to pursue the house's political and economic objectives.

Among their duties is the task of securing trade contracts for the house while fiercely safeguarding the profitable enterprises already held by the family.

The Imperium's legal Wayfarer codes, along with the strict controls imposed by a Navitorus Primus, serve to prevent devastating economic conflicts and even outright military confrontations from erupting between the Wayfarer Houses. These measures help maintain stability and harmony among the powerful houses within the Vrit'enbruk Nobilite.

Ranked above the many Navitorus Primus' of the different houses in the hierarchy of the Wayfarers sits the powerful noble known as the Paternova, who oversees the fortunes of the Wayfarers as an Imperial elite.