Necromunda (Planet) - The Palatine: The governor and ruler of all Necromunda is the Imperial Commander, Lord Gerontius Helmawr, the leader of the ruling Imperial House Helmawr.House Helmawr, the so-called "Imperial House," is based in the primary hive city on the world, known as the Palatine, but more often referred to as Hive Primus.Gerontius Helmawr's ancestors are known to have reigned for the past seven thousand Terran years at least, records of government before that time having long since disappeared.Even the archives of the Adeptus Administratum, the bureaucracy of the Imperium, are remarkably silent on the history of Necromunda during the early days of the Age of the Imperium.Lord Helmawr occupies the very top of the Necromundan feudal hierarchy. The society he rules over is divided into many factions which continually compete and co-operate with each other, giving rise to endless changes in the feudal hierarchy.Lord Helmawr is completely unconcerned with the activities of lesser powerbrokers. He deals directly with the most powerful factions.If a major player in the power game proves weak or treacherous it is a simple matter for Helmawr to withdraw his support. The very rumour that he might be about to do this is often enough to encourage a feudal inferior's enemies to turn against and destroy them.The Adeptus Terra leaves Lord Helmawr to govern his domain as he pleases, as it leaves all Imperial Commanders free to administrate their worlds. The Imperial Commander forms a link in the feudal chain which extends throughout the galaxy to the heart of the Adeptus Terra. So long as Helmawr fulfills his feudal obligations to the Imperium his position remains secure.Helmawr's main obligation to the Imperium is to provide a tithe which takes the form of a percentage of all the goods Necromunda produces. As the entire production capacity of the world is given over to providing manufactured goods for the Imperium the tithe is taken as a straight discount on the revenue earned.So long as Necromunda continues to meet these responsibilities, and so long as its production capacity is sufficiently high, the Imperium remains quite satisfied. Of course, should the Necromundan economy begin to show signs of flagging then Lord Helmawr's position would be very different indeed.Hive Worlds like Necromunda provide the Imperium with another useful resource -- namely its people. Necromunda produces generations of tough youths with a strong sense of self-reliance. They are highly valued as recruits for the Astra Militarum and even for some of the Space Marine Chapters. Providing recruits in vast numbers is another of Lord Helmawr's feudal obligations.Recruitment brings officials from the Imperium to Necromunda to inspect and in some cases conduct recruiting drives amongst the fighting gangs. Helmawr himself is obliged to provide troops from his personal guard, usually a whole regiment at a time.Because the planet supplies so many troops for the Astra Militarum the name of Necromunda is known throughout the galaxy, even by peoples who know nothing about the planet itself.Over the centuries Necromundan Guard regiments have fought with distinction in the Astra Militarum and have earned a fearsome reputation on many battlefronts.Another important obligation is that Lord Helmawr successfully controls the number of dangerous mutants. These psykers, or "witches," are a mutation which is becoming increasingly common on all worlds in the Imperium.On most worlds they can be dealt with fairly easily, but on a Hive World like Necromunda with its vast population the matter is much more difficult.Psykers are very dangerous indeed -- probably more so than even they realise. Although some are able to control their powers and use them for the benefit of society, the majority are unable to control their powers properly with disastrous results.Some become host to daemonic powers from the Immaterium, while others attract psychically sensitive aliens or psychic diseases which can then leap into the minds of ordinary people.If psykers were to go unchecked throughout the Imperium, Human society would soon collapse. Indeed, this is one of the reasons why the Emperor clings so tenaciously to life, as only He understands the dangers of possession and psychic destruction.