vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Rogue Traders - Trooping the Colours: A common condition under which a Warrant of Trade is granted is that a particular world be "visited" by the Rogue Trader and their fleet. The world may have been isolated for some time, or, for whatever reason, simply not visited by any authority of the Imperium in a generation or more.Perhaps the tithes have been short or slow to be rendered, and the Imperium's bureaucracy has finally decided to investigate matters. If such a world is distant and other, more pressing concerns have diverted attention, then it may not be practical to task an Administratum mission or Imperial Navy squadron to press home the matter. Instead, a newly appointed Rogue Trader might very well be required to make a brief layover at the troublesome world.In all likelihood, contact with the planet in question will have been sporadic or non-existent, or concerning and fragmentary communications might be all that have been logged. The Rogue Trader will be tasked with undertaking the equivalent of a state visit, complete with all the regal pomp and circumstance of a visiting Imperial noble.Dress uniforms and badges of office will be flaunted, retinues and honour guards deployed, bands assembled, and flags waved. This is all for show, of course, and is intended to remind the world's leadership in a very real fashion that the Imperium still exists, and has not forgotten about them or the tithes they owe. The Rogue Trader will be expected to attend state banquets and high-level talks, acting in essence as a diplomat, even an ambassador of the Imperium. The Imperial Commander of most backwater planets will be sufficiently cowed by such a display, particularly with a small fleet of warships in geo-synchronous orbit over their seat of power.The Rogue Trader will be wined and dined and treated as royalty, and given every assurance that any shortfall in the tithe is clearly a minor inconvenience and entirely innocent, and asked to convey the planetary governor's personal assurances to the Administratum that all will be made right as soon as possible.Some Imperial planetary governors do not welcome the Rogue Trader's visit however, either showing overt resistance or displaying obvious reluctance to comply with Imperial mandates. In such cases, the Rogue Trader is required to launch a punitive strike to "encourage" the recalcitrant world's cooperation with the servants of the Emperor.
Rogue Traders - Punitive Strike: In cases where a flag-waving mission has proved unsuccessful, or a world has already openly rejected the rule of the Imperium, the Rogue Trader will have no option but to use force. Few newly-appointed Rogue Traders want to squander their resources on the first bush war they encounter, so a hard-hitting show of force is often used to demonstrate the futility of further resistance.A Lance strike from orbit often proves the Rogue Trader means business, particularly if aimed at key infrastructure targets, thus weakening the Imperial planetary governor's ability to rule their planet. Alternatively, a strike against a location particularly valued by the Imperial Commander might change their stance: the destruction of a luxurious winter palace or rural hunting lodge, for example.In the unlikely event that this initial show of force does not prove sufficient, then a more protracted campaign may be required. No Rogue Trader wishes to become embroiled in such a war, but sometimes it simply cannot be avoided.If the Rogue Trader's remit extends to actually dethroning the planetary governor in question, then many will proceed to such a course as soon as possible. This usually ends the matter in short order, a more compliant replacement being selected according to whatever political system put them in power in the first place.
Rogue Traders - Settlement: Settlement of new worlds in the name of the God-Emperor of Mankind may be a condition placed on a Warrant of Trade. The Explorator fleets of the Adeptus Mechanicus are ever investigating the wonders of the galaxy, relentlessly recording and cataloguing celestial phenomena and stellar bodies.A report of a habitable world will be dispatched to the Administratum, along with whatever data can be gathered on it by preliminary investigation by an Explorator team. If the world proves of no great interest to the Tech-priests, perhaps because it harbours no resources or life forms of immediate use to them, then its details will be transmitted and filed away for future generations to follow up as they will.The Imperium's bureaucracy being as it is, the report may progress through the data-mills of the Administratum for many standard years, even centuries, before finally crossing the desk of a clerk tasked with dispatching settlement missions to such worlds to claim them in the name of Mankind.In the span of time between an exploration being logged and a settlement mission being dispatched, any number of fates might have befallen the planet. The ebb and flow of galactic war might have reduced its surface to radioactive dust, or aliens might have claimed it for their own ends. It is not unknown for a Rogue Trader to arrive in orbit over such a world only to find it utterly uninhabitable, or in fact incorrectly categorised in the first place.They will then have a colony ship and some thousands of settlers to dispose of, and it is not uncommon for a particularly callous individual to insist the colonists carry out their mission regardless, landing the prefabricated colony units wherever they can, or else. Very few colonies established under such circumstances last more than a standard year, while a very small minority may somehow survive against all the odds, alone in the darkness out beyond the fringes of Imperial rule.
Rogue Traders - Reclamation: Every standard year, unrecorded numbers of the Imperium's worlds fall to rebellion, alien invasion, or natural disaster. A common condition of the granting of a Warrant of Trade is that such worlds be brought back into the fold by the application of overt military power. Such missions are never what could be described as diplomatic, unless a transmission demanding immediate surrender can be counted as an ambassadorial communiqué.Intelligence on such lost worlds might be incomplete or compromised, based on accounts long out of date or deliberately covered up. The Rogue Trader will be operating on the level of a lord militant leading an Imperial Crusade, and for such missions additional military forces might be seconded to their command.In some cases, the Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes might accompany the fleet, usually for a short time only, but occasionally for extended periods. Though they may well act as a figurehead, the Rogue Trader will not be in direct command of such units, and an administrative body will be formed, often titled a "crusader council."Strategy and political issues will be debated until the best use of the fleet's assets is agreed upon, calling on all the diplomatic skills of the Rogue Trader. Each of the seats on such a council is occupied by an individual of considerable power, and no Imperial Navy admiral, Astra Militarum general, or Space Marine Chapter Master would agree to a course of action that squandered their own resources.The degree of the Rogue Trader's involvement over the course of such a crusade will depend very much on their own background. An individual of a militant disposition may closely oversee the deployment of the fleet's military forces, while a particularly belligerent one may actually take a hand in the fighting personally.Those of a more bureaucratic nature are more likely to delegate such matters to their military advisors. There are those Rogue Traders for whom the entire crusade will represent a massive inconvenience, and these will deal with the situation in their own unique manner, seeking to extricate themselves and their ships from the mission of the crusade so that they can continue on their way for their own ends.
Rogue Traders - Exploration: Exploration is the essential mission of all Rogue Traders, yet occasionally they will be tasked with exploring a particular region of the galaxy at the behest of the Imperium's authorities. There are a lot of reasons such a situation might come about, and many Rogue Traders will be particularly resentful, as it may be specified that they themselves will not receive the exploitation rights they normally enjoy over the regions they explore.This onerous duty might be the result of the Imperium being in possession of fragmentary knowledge of an unexplored region, which, although incomplete, suggests the presence of some natural resource or otherwise desirable asset that might be of strategic value to an entire segmentum.A long-lost archival record might suggest that a region is populated by isolated Human worlds or a space-faring alien culture. Perhaps something far more sinister lurks in the black spaces on the map -- alien Tomb Worlds pre-dating the evolution of Humanity, esoteric stellar phenomena that challenge the understanding of the most learned of Tech-priests, or planet-sized super-weapons placed as silent sentinels by long-extinct civilisations.All of these things might trigger a Rogue Trader mission to investigate matters, often accompanied by senior members of the Adeptus Mechanicus or members of the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition.
Rogue Traders - Compliance With the Terms of the Warrant of Trade: It may seem at first glance that some newly appointed Rogue Traders might be tempted to simply sail away into the great unknown without undertaking any of their obligations to the Imperium. Indeed, many are so tempted, and some do try to escape. These individuals soon find out that the Imperium is not so foolish as to allow the Rogue Trader to get away without first putting in place at least one contingency plan.The most common method of ensuring a Rogue Trader complies with the conditions of their Warrant of Trade is to ensure there are very powerful representatives of the Imperium on hand to remind them of their obligations.This might be an Administratum prefect, but it might also be an agent of a more obscure division, perhaps even of the Inquisition. On occasion, the Rogue Trader might find their flotilla accompanied by one or more Space Marine vessels, and sometimes these will be serving as much as a reminder of the conditions of their Warrant as to enforce the power of the Imperium on its enemies.Sometimes the Rogue Trader's compliance might be guaranteed by more subtle means, such as the promise of further powers or the granting of additional assets at various stages in a voyage. If a Rogue Trader has to make a number of diversions and fulfil a number of tasks before even reaching the fringes of the Emperor's demesne, then they may be reliant on the Imperium to replenish their forces before they leave Imperial space.There might also be more insidious contingencies put in place. Members of a ship's crew could be agents of the Imperium, and it is not unknown for actual Assassins to be emplaced aboard a Rogue Trader's flagship as insurance against non-compliance or betrayal.
Rogue Traders - Lineage: There are two broad classifications of Rogue Trader: those personally granted the Warrant of Trade, and those who have inherited it from a forebear. The granting of a Warrant of Trade has the potential to establish a hugely powerful Imperial noble line, which, if successful, can grow over the generations to become equal to the most ancient of Navigator and merchant houses.Many of the scions of these houses will hold the title Rogue Trader and wield the authority of the Warrant, yet in the main these powers reside predominantly with the line's titular head. Such individuals must bear the weight of tradition and expectation, and are in the main every bit as driven and able as the ancestor first granted the Warrant. On their shoulders rests the duty of maintaining the Warrant and their family line's continued existence, driving them to continue the mission of the Rogue Trader, exploring the benighted regions beyond the fringes and returning with unimagined riches and glory.Some Rogue Trader houses become split with internal strife, the various scions competing with one another for power and the favour of the line's head. In houses where the head exercises complete control, the various members with a chance of inheriting leadership might squabble and manoeuvre against one another, some even resorting to intimidation or assassination to ensure it is they, and not an older sibling, who inherits the Warrant at the dynastic head's passing.Though some Rogue Trader houses may become riven with internecine civil war, most will invariably maintain an outward appearance of respectable propriety -- lest their competitors sense weakness and move against them.It takes a powerful head of house indeed to maintain order amongst competing offspring while also furthering the interests of their house and containing any collateral damage. Even in the face of outright rebellion against the Imperium, many heads of Rogue Trader houses will support their offspring.
Rogue Traders - Scions of the Rogue Trader Houses: So that the sons and daughters of the oldest of Rogue Trader dynasties do not fall victim to a life of idle luxury and thus weaken the bloodline, many such scions are ordered by their sires to "do their time," undertaking a career in one of the Imperium's great institutions until such time as they are judged worthy of returning, or duty calls them back.Many serve in the Navis Imperialis, a career that affords them many of the skills they will one day need to command a Rogue Trader fleet. Others spend time on the General Staff of the Astra Militarum, or in other divisions such as the Administratum.Such individuals are often reviled by their peers within the Imperial hierarchy, who view them merely as treading water until their privileged birthright recalls them, but many do indeed learn vital skills that will one day serve them -- and their house -- well.
Rogue Traders - Revocation and Forfeiture of a Warrant of Trade: Some Rogue Traders become so powerful that their interests come into conflict with those of the Imperium. Considering the enormous freedom granted by the Warrant of Trade, it takes a great deal for a Rogue Trader's actions to be considered beyond the legal scope of their powers. The Imperial authorities often overlook even the most questionable actions of many Rogue Traders, even if word does get back to Terra, so long as the Imperium's best interests are served.Yet there are circumstances that have in the past led to the revocation of the Warrant of Trade and the forfeiture of the great powers associated with it. Revocation means the effective death of a Rogue Trader line, its powers and privileges lost for all time. Some houses have continued in a much diminished state, slowly rebuilding what fortunes they have clung to.
Rogue Traders - Empire-building: Throughout the ages, some notable Rogue Trader houses have amassed such powers that they have become small stellar empires, controlling entire regions beyond the fringes of the Imperium. This in itself is not contrary to the terms of the granting of the Warrant of Trade, so long as fealty is paid in the form of due tithes to the Imperium.Such is Human nature, however, that hubris and greed has got the better of some, and they have determined to take total power of the realms they have conquered.Although it may be some time before reports of the actions of such individuals reach Terra, and more time yet before they are acted upon, such Traitors will invariably suffer the wrath of the Imperium, with an Imperial Crusade fleet, sometimes even one led by a newly-appointed Rogue Trader, being dispatched to crush them.
Rogue Traders - Acting Against the Imperium: Being free to deal with alien cultures, many Rogue Traders deal or ally themselves with xenos in the course of their missions. It is not unknown for some individuals to become embroiled in local wars, and on occasions these have been against the Imperium.Perhaps the Rogue Trader was acting to protect their own trade interests, moving against a competitor with lethal force. If the interests are aliens, and the competitors Human, then the Rogue Trader may well find themselves on the wrong side in a war that soon escalates far and above a trade dispute.Furthermore, many Rogue Traders actually enjoy the vicious cut-and-thrust of competitive trade, immersing themselves in the politics of interstellar commerce. While most are highly accomplished at such games, even a Rogue Trader can become mired in a bad deal or find themselves double-bluffed and outmanoeuvred by a competitor. Before they know it, the Rogue Trader is forced to act against the interests of the Imperium -- and finds themself the target of the Emperor's retribution.
Rogue Traders - Consorting with the Xenos Terribilus: Although the Imperial proscriptions that bar most Human contact with aliens do not apply to Rogue Traders, there are those xenos pronounced so dangerous, vile, or otherwise undesirable that not even a Rogue Trader is permitted contact with them.Entire star systems are declared Perdita, their outer limits marked by sentinel-buoys that transmit vox warnings to vessels to turn back, on the authority of the Segmentum High Command or even the Inquisition.Few know what horrors lurk on the worlds beyond the sentinels or what detestable alien life forms call them home. Many a Rogue Trader has allowed their curiosity to get the better of them, and those few that have survived contact with the proscribed xenos have later faced the wrath of the Inquisition and forfeiture of their Warrant of Trade.
Rogue Traders - Overstepping the Bounds: It is worth remembering that a Rogue Trader flotilla is a sizable Imperial military force in its own right, certainly carrying sufficient firepower to raze to ashes many of the Imperium's worlds. While a single vessel making a return to the Imperium will rarely cause concern, an entire fleet often will.Combine this with the fact that many of the Imperium's institutions have good reason to be distrustful of Rogue Traders, and a potential flashpoint emerges. To the Imperial Navy, a large, armed fleet appearing at the borders of a sector without warning will be sufficient to scramble a large force to ascertain its intentions and ensure it does not initiate hostile actions.The annals of the Imperium contain many unfortunate incidents in which a Rogue Trader fleet, returning victorious from a solar-decades-long expedition, has returned unheralded to the Imperium only to become embroiled with an Imperial Navy battlegroup.Such incidents might be cause to forfeit the Warrant of Trade, if the Rogue Trader is still alive at the end of the conflict.
Rogue Traders - Rewards: The rewards a Rogue Trader's Warrant of Trade can bring are exceptional, and often quite beyond those attainable by any other legitimate means within Imperial space. The greatest reward is fortune, obtained by trade or conquest. Often the two are one and the same.Quite aside from the financial gain, many Rogue Traders seek the fame and glory success can bring. Few individuals in the 41st Millennium can ever hope that their name will be spoken of beyond the limits of their birth world or the span of their own lifetime.For many, the most valuable reward is the opportunity to establish a lineage, with themselves as the primogenitors, of an Imperial noble house that will endure throughout the ages.
Rogue Traders - Rogue Trader Archetypes: Whatever the background of any given Rogue Trader, he or she will be possessed of a quite exceptional drive to succeed and to prosper. These men and women stand above the teeming masses of the Imperium, the sheer force of their personality propelling them to achieve great things in service to the Emperor and themselves.Often these personality tropes are intrinsically linked to the Rogue Trader's background, but not always. Sometimes a Rogue Trader will transcend their roots, defying their background and only displaying their true nature once out amongst the unexplored regions of space.
Rogue Traders - Scoundrel - The "Rogue" Trader: Many Rogue Traders are scoundrels of the worst order, despite all the trappings of power they display. Such individuals carry themselves with swaggering self-assurance, and through long practice are able to bluff their way into the courts of kings and the bedchambers of princesses with equal panache.The scoundrel looks to turn every possible situation to their own personal advantage, and will often take risks others would find reckless, gambling with their own life and those of all their servants. Violence is rarely the first option for such Rogue Traders, and they often maintain a mask of self-effacing amiability. Beneath this façade lurks a keen mind and a skilled warrior able to take on most enemies and win.Some Rogue Traders of this personality type combine bravado with daring, often leading expeditions to newly discovered worlds in person. Leading a small retinue of trusted associates, such Rogue Traders get themselves into all manner of entanglements, but always seem to escape relatively unharmed, invariably carrying some priceless artefact that will seal their fortune. Others turn their vessels into privateers, enjoying a career as a buccaneer preying on the shipping of alien empires -- and Human rivals.
Rogue Traders - Merchant Prince: Merchant Prince Rogue Traders are entirely consumed by the quest for riches, gained not by the crude application of threats or violence, but the shrewdly negotiated contract. The Merchant Prince seeks to establish the most lucrative of trading contracts, ensuring that the other party benefits from the deal, but not nearly so much as they do. Merchant Prince Rogue Traders will go to great lengths to avoid military action, believing it a waste of resources.Yet they have no qualms about employing the trappings of military power as an aid to diplomatic or commercial negotiations when necessary. Furthermore, no Rogue Trader would be so foolish as to neglect the defence of their assets, and the Merchant Prince understands the value of their resources better than most. They will as such take great steps to protect their investments against competitors and pirates and maintain the very best personal guards.The merchant Rogue Trader seeks to establish vast networks of profit, negotiating exclusive trading rights throughout the regions they explore. This has on occasion landed such individuals in conflict with the Imperium's authorities, as the Rogue Trader trades with aliens they should destroy, or allows long-lost Human civilisations to remain lost to all bar them so that they have exclusive access to the archeotech that is so valued by the Adeptus Mechanicus and coveted by the idle rich of the Imperium's noble houses.
Rogue Traders - Explorer: There are plenty of Rogue Traders for whom the greatest drive is the simple joy of pushing back the boundaries of the Imperium, filling in the blank spaces on the galaxy's maps. These men and women are ceaselessly inquisitive and often highly intelligent, a combination of traits not generally encouraged in the Imperium's servants. Yet such a combination often proves ideal in a Rogue Trader and those few who attain such rank often prove highly successful recipients of the Warrant of Trade.To the explorer, the most hostile of environments is a challenge to be faced head-on, and the most fearsome of slavering alien beasts is a fascinating opportunity for study and interaction (or sometimes autopsy). The explorer is ever keen to don an envirosuit and plunge headlong into the most dangerous or bizarre of alien landscapes. Despite the risks they take, often without even realising the danger, many of these explorers appear to be watched over by the Emperor Himself. They somehow survive encounters in nightmare-infested Death World jungles or haunted alien Tomb Worlds when others would have fled screaming.Rogue Traders of this type often delegate the less stimulating aspects of their rank and its duties to their underlings or associates. The Master at Arms of such a Rogue Trader may find themselves exasperated as they time and again finds themselves rescuing the Rogue Trader from danger, while the ship's factotum will have to carry the burden of maintaining the Rogue Trader's fortune.The explorer is often far more concerned with following some obscure archival reference to a lost world of alien wonders than they are with the responsibilities that come with being the head of a largely mercantile Rogue Trader house.
Rogue Traders - Missionary: The missionary Rogue Trader believes in the literal truth of the Imperial Creed when it states that Humankind is the rightful, sole inheritor of the galaxy and that all other intelligent species are merely squatters on worlds that belong to the Imperium as a result of this divinely-inspired manifest destiny. They seek out lost Human colonies to bring to them the word of the Imperial Truth, and they go to great lengths to convert, often forcibly, those they see as benighted by ignorance of the God-Emperor.Rogue Traders of this ilk are often granted the Warrant of Trade to conquer regions of space that have resisted the attentions of the Missionarius Galaxia -- the arm of the Adeptus Ministorum tasked with the propagation of the Imperial Creed. Yet they are more than ranting demagogues, and what sets them above the itinerant preachers of the Missionarius is a drive to profit as well as to preach.They see the establishment of profitable commerce with re-contacted Human societies as part of the great scheme put in motion when the Emperor first went out into the stars 10,000 standard years ago during the Great Crusade and found Human societies lost for millennia from a prior age of exploration and settlement. It is their mission to bring such people back into the fold, and the establishment of the Imperial Creed among them is the first, essential step in that process.The missionary Rogue Trader suffers the xenos poorly, seeing little or no value in establishing profitable trading relationships with alien worlds. More likely, they will seek to suppress such cultures and limit their influence, ensuring their alien creeds do not spread to taint the hearts of Humanity. Such Rogue Traders are often accompanied on their voyages by an army of Ecclesiarchy representatives, who they will make every effort to establish on any lost Human-settled worlds they discover.
Rogue Traders - Diplomat: The diplomat Rogue Trader seeks to spread the influence of the Imperium wherever they may, expanding its power to encompass the entirety of navigable space. This type of Rogue Trader is a pragmatist, knowing that some alien species must be tolerated, even supported, while others must be crushed. The tools of their trade are words as well as weapons, and they are adept at negotiating with even the most belligerent societies, whether Human or alien, that they might encounter amongst the stars.Such Rogue Traders often find themselves in conflict with other Imperial interests, particularly those who condemn xenos as worthy only of annihilation. Yet they believe that it is they and they alone who sees the wider truth, knowing that Humanity is assailed by countless foes and that some alliances must be made if the Imperium is to prevail in an ultimately hostile universe.It is the diplomat who is able to gain the confidence of the inscrutable Craftworld Aeldari, earning such trust as to be allowed to set foot on their craftworlds. It is they who may turn the path of an alien invasion, negotiating a truce that allows both parties to extricate themselves from a war neither would ultimately stand to gain from.Despite their skill with words, the diplomat has an innate understanding of when they will serve no purpose and when weapons must be used instead. They have the instinctive ability to size up their foes, often upon first contact, gauging the true intention behind their words and actions. When necessary, they will open fire first and open negotiations later -- and that is, ultimately, the secret to their success.
Rogue Traders - Psychopath: Some individuals are little more than madmen, creatures of instinct and slaves to their own desires. Some would claim that any individual who has attained such high rank as to be awarded the Warrant of Trade must harbour within themselves something of this trait. Regardless of their background or personality type, any Rogue Trader could be called upon to order the extermination of an entire species or the destruction of an entire world. All such individuals, it is sometimes said, must be psychopathic to a greater or lesser degree, regardless of the façade behind which such a trait is hidden.Some Rogue Traders surrender themselves entirely to their inner darkness, dispensing their own personal brand of Imperial justice and retribution as they penetrate the outer darkness. They deal with those they come into contact with according to their own shattered moral compass.They are as likely to take personal control over a rediscovered Human society as they are to devastate it from orbit, and are often capricious and unpredictable, with a habit of dismissing subordinates for the slightest of misdeeds, whether real or imagined. Many such underlings are invited to make their own way back to Imperial territory, the lucky ones in a lifeboat, the unlucky ones on foot via an airlock.Many of these wild and murderous individuals are highly idiosyncratic in their methods and the style in which they interpret and enact their mission amongst the stars. They might style themselves after figures of legend, some even comparing themselves to the Emperor's primarchs and seeking to emulate the deeds of the Great Crusade in which the Imperium was forged 10,000 standard years ago.Some give themselves and their vessels ridiculously grand titles, such as Grand Conqueror, Emperor's Light or Scourge of Xenos. With wanton enthusiasm, they wage war on any and all they consider to be an enemy of the Imperium.Some spend a lifetime out beyond the fringes, laying waste to Emperor-knows how many worlds, while others return periodically to the Imperium, announcing their deeds and expecting all manner of grand receptions and official ceremonies. Many take on one foe too many, and simply disappear from the annals of the Imperium's history.
Rogue Traders - Trader Militant: The Warrant of Trade is a potent document, not only allowing Rogue Traders to trade beyond the bounds of the Imperium and operate beyond Imperial oversight, but also make war in the Emperor's name. While many Rogue Traders make use of a minor war or conflict at some point in their careers, some favour war over all other endeavours. These bloodthirsty Rogue Traders are commonly known by the general populace of the Imperium as "Traders Militant," and their Warrant is often referred to by their fellows as a "Warlord Warrant."These Traders Militant behave in a similar fashion as a senior Imperial military commander. Their Warrant sanctions them to conscript and equip great numbers of troops, to maintain these troops under arms in addition to their private house troops, to contract with mercenary corps, and even enlist the aid of Astra Militarum, Navis Imperialis or Adeptus Astartes units, and the average Trader Militant makes good use of these capabilities.A true Trader Militant is a rare breed, however. Though their Warrants may technically allow them the right to requisition troops, the reality is many Imperial governors and senior members of the Imperial adepta have the political and military power to resist these requests.Therefore, Traders Militant tend to be either Rogue Traders who already possess great wealth and political power of their own, or proven and reliable former servants of the Imperium such as high-ranking Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy officers granted a Warrant of Trade as a reward for their deeds.
Rogue Traders - Rogue Trader Dynasties: A Rogue Trader and their team are more than merely a ship's captain and their crew; they are a grand legacy, which often stretches back hundreds or even thousands of standard years. The first Rogue Trader Militants in the days of the Great Crusade were given mandates to ply the stars and expand the control and reach of the Emperor, and in exchange, they could harvest the wealth such freedom would bring.Today's Rogue Traders are the descendants of these first Rogue Traders Militant and the many that have come after. All of those that serve in the Rogue Trader's crew, not just the Rogue Trader, will be part of this dynasty. This legacy is important for crewmembers to remember, as they need to know that they are more than ordinary Imperial citizens -- they are rare individuals, chosen for greatness, who possess power to shape the very destiny of the Imperium itself. It is also a source of great pride for those members of a Rogue Trader's crew to know that they are a cut above the average citizen, gifted with special rights and blessed with a favoured role in the Emperor's grand designs.Part of this status that all the crew members share also means that to a degree they are all equally important. Though ultimately the Rogue Trader controls the ship and the main decisions that affect the entirety of the ship and its course into the void, it is their crew that are equally essential in playing a role in the destiny of the Rogue Trader's dynasty.
Rogue Traders - Child of Dynasty: Within the Imperium there are those who sit at the pinnacle of power -- the nobility and the ruling elite. As the Imperium is structured as a feudal society, it stands to reason that within it exist many types of noble houses, including planetary rulers, military lords, and the Rogue Traders.Over time, once the Warrant of Trade has been granted, a Rogue Trader may find that their personal empire is growing. The dynasty now has fleets of starships, planetary fiefdoms, and thousands of house soldiers to call upon. As time goes on and the house continues to grow, it develops into a Rogue Trader dynasty -- able to command scores of voidcraft and countless troops. This legacy spans the Imperium and beyond.To ensure that this legacy continues, the lords and ladies of the dynasty designate an heir-apparent in whatever fashion is deemed appropriate by their customs. These sons and daughters may find themselves struggling for the favour of their dynastic leaders in an effort to be worthy of succession. Oftentimes in Imperial noble families, the second, third, and even fourth child finds themselves with little option but to go out and make a name for themselves, or simply languish in obscurity, hoping that circumstances arise to change their fate.However, this is not the case in Rogue Trader families, where all are expected to work and prove themselves. It is oftentimes that these noble scions end up plotting and scheming for ways to manoeuvre into a position where the family leader has little choice but to name them heir.
Rogue Traders - Life as a Child of Dynasty: The children of the Rogue Trader houses are instructed in all manner of subjects mundane and esoteric. They are assigned the best tutors and mentors the house can afford, and by the time the child enters adolescence, they are capable enough to be sent out into the wider galaxy (typically with bodyguard entourage in tow). They have been afforded every advantage, as the future of their house rests upon their shoulders.Not every Rogue Trader dynasty heir-apparent turns out to be the best choice for the family, however. Some are lazy, shiftless souls who do nothing more than squander the family fortunes and pass their days in decadence and perversion. In such cases, the leaders of these dynasties often select more than one heir to the house's throne; it is a gamble they make to ensure that at least one of them survives to continue the dynasty.Rogue Trader heirs are often assigned one of the family's voidships under the command of one of their most capable captains or a family scion that has more days behind them than ahead. The scion of the house is then given a stipend and sent to learn about the unforgiving galaxy. If along the way they make gains for the house, so much the better. Some return upon their majority to assume the title they have been ordained for; others are never seen or heard from again.Oftentimes, a rival family member covets the throne of the house at the expense of all else. These miserable sods plot and scheme the downfall of their siblings and relatives. They may arrange an accident to befall other heirs so that they alone remain to assume the house's leadership. Thus, many heirs (especially from the larger dynasties) are taught to be wary and look out for such plots.Many surround themselves with capable allies and protectors, but in the end survival often comes down to their own wits and instincts. Many learn not only the intricacies of political longevity, but martial arts and other forms of combat as well. This is by far the best means to ensure they live long enough to return home and assume the privileges and rank that they have been groomed all their lives for.
Rogue Traders - Waging War: The ability to successfully wage war is crucial to the survival of a Rogue Trader as surely as are their skills in business, diplomacy, and voidfaring. It is the strong arm and the implicit threat of violence that lend weight to an individual's words in the Imperium. Indeed, in a place as lawless and God-Emperor-forsaken as the Koronus Expanse, a Rogue Trader's martial prowess is often the only measure by which others judge them.Knowing this, a wise Rogue Trader studies war with the same fervour as they study markets and currencies. They know the value of war to the nearest throne, understanding that the true cost of war is reflected in more than banking ledgers and casualty lists. A Rogue Trader must be able to weigh every factor in war, from costs and benefits to the social and political ramifications. This is what sets a Rogue Trader apart from a common Chartist Captain or business concern. They have the ability to raise an army and a fleet of voidships to carry it, and the legal, moral, and ethical backing of the Adeptus Administratum that allows them to use them as they see fit. This makes them unique among their noble peers.Unique and dangerous, for the rights and responsibilities granted in a Warrant of Trade, especially those pertaining to waging war in the name of the God-Emperor, can be so easily, and so tragically, misused. Warfare is an intricate dance full of ever-shifting alliances and uncertain futures, and is not to be entered into lightly. When committed, a Rogue Trader must pursue it with all of the strength, courage, and violence that they can muster. Only then will they see the fruits of their violent labours.Taking part in a war, whether as a belligerent or simply an interested party, is expensive, risky, deadly, and has brought ruin to more Rogue Trader houses than can be counted. Why, then, do so many pursue it? The answers to these questions are as varied, and as telling, as the men and women who give them. There is no constant, no prescribed list of conditions that can decide when waging a war is prudent or not.One thing is for certain, though. While the benefits of waging war can be truly staggering, and may make a Rogue Trader a king, the cost of failure is always death (whether true death or the myriad of little deaths like humiliation, loss of power, loss of wealth, or even enslavement). These are all important issues to keep in mind when approaching war, though they are by no means the only ones, and it is a fool who disregards their importance.
Rogue Traders - Mustering Troops: Almost anything can be bought for the right amount of thrones, including everything a military-minded entrepreneur needs to wage war. When a Rogue Trader goes about the business of raising troops for war they have three options: raise the troops and form units themselves, hire established mercenary groups, or officially acquire forces of the Imperium's military through the exercise of their Warrant of Trade. Each has costs and benefits which must be carefully weighed before a Rogue Trader can gather troops to their flag.Forming units from the ground up gives a Rogue Trader complete control over the composition of their forces, but is costly and time consuming. The Rogue Trader must enlist or draft the troops, then procure their weapons, armour, vehicles, equipment, food, uniforms, and shelter. This process can take solar months or even standard years, and thus is usually undertaken only by the extremely wealthy. Hiring mercenaries is simpler, especially in the Koronus Expanse where plenty of individual warriors or mercenary bands can be bought. Money spent on mercenaries is money spent on a known quantity. Mercenary companies get work by reputation and word of mouth, so a prospective employer typically knows what they are getting for their thrones. Unfortunately, reliable mercenaries are seldom cheap.Finally, some Rogue Trader Warrants allow the bearer to requisition units of the Astra Militarum. Though this may seem appealing, such concepts often work better in theory than in practice. Units are often unavailable for one reason or another, and a local planetary governor may find it convenient to ignore a Rogue Trader's request rather than give up well-trained and well-equipped soldiers. As Imperial governors are as politically powerful as many Rogue Traders, this obstacle can prove insurmountable, no matter what their Warrant says.The battle-brothers of the Adeptus Astartes are arguably the finest warriors in the galaxy. While ancient treaties compel them to aid the various other organisations of the Imperium like the Adeptus Mechanicus or the Inquisition in times of need, few such agreements exist between the Adeptus Astartes and Rogue Traders in such far-flung regions of the galaxy as the Koronus Expanse. That being said, it is not unheard of for Space Marine Chapters to assist Rogue Traders in times of war, especially when the need is great or their goals are aligned.
Rogue Traders - Outfitting Forces: Once the units are assembled, the second step of going to war involves equipping them. While hired mercenaries and Astra Militarum units blessedly come with their own weapons, vehicles, wargear and other materiel, when a Rogue Trader raises a unit from scratch they will find themselves acting as both warlord and supply officer. Troops need a dizzying array of supplies to operate effectively. Along with weapons, vehicles and armour, units also need food, medicae supplies, tools, field equipment, uniforms, and all manner of accoutrement to keep them in top shape. This represents a massive outlay of thrones, typically more than was spent to hire the troops. Rogue Traders outfitting troops have two options available to them to keep costs down: purchasing in bulk or lowering quality.A soldier is only as effective as the equipment they are issued. While some military scholars will argue otherwise, claiming that superior training can overcome inferior equipment, it does not matter how good an infantryman's training has been if their lasgun will not shoot and their armour is in tatters. Unfortunately, sacrifices often need to be made when outfitting large units, and soldiers usually have to make do with what they have been given.
Rogue Traders - Transporting and Deploying Forces: Once a force has been mustered and equipped, all that is left is to move it where it is needed and deploy it to the battlefield. This will involve specially configured voidships to transport all the troops and materiel, escorts to protect them, and shuttles, landing craft or Drop Pods to ferry everything from orbit to a planetary surface. Once on the surface, units are assumed to have with them the appropriate vehicles, such as tanks, fighter craft, or riding beasts, as fits their unit as these were acquired during the outfitting stage.If the Rogue Trader's troops do not have the necessary voidships and aircraft on hand, or cannot acquire them easily from their dynasty, they will need to contract for their force's passage. A Rogue Trader's best choice would be an ally or colleague Rogue Trader or Chartist Captain who specialises in hauling troops. Their ships will already be configured as troop carriers, they are trustworthy, and can typically be had for the price of some favours.Failing that, a Rogue Trader's next best bet is a private military company specialising in what is known in the mercenary business as "voidlift work," the profession of transporting troops and materiel from war zone to war zone. It is important to note that the Imperial Navy may or may not be willing to aid in void transport. This usually depends on a Rogue Trader's Warrant of Trade and relations with the Navy -- as an admiral is more likely to aid a respected Rogue Trader than one who is practically a pirate. However, Rogue Traders are noble peers of the Imperium, and their ability to requisition aid includes the Imperial Navy. However, the Navy is unlikely to transport non-Imperial or xenos forces no matter how well-respected a Rogue Trader may be.
Rogue Traders - Footfallen: The term "Footfallen" refers to those Humans who hail from the settlements of the Koronus Expanse -- especially places like Footfall. The people who live on these worlds and settlements truck with all manner of blasphemers, from Renegade psykers and xenos, to Heretics and Chaos Cultists. A Footfallen lives in a den of iniquity, and has learned to be cunning, and devious, organising deals and a web of contacts across the Expanse.In the Koronus Expanse, the few waystations and habitations established by Humans have become hubs for exploration. They also serve as critical connections that link the scattered Human settlements and enterprises in the greater Koronus Expanse beyond. There are many such outposts, but the most famous is the void station of Footfall, which has in turn given those who live in such places their name: the Footfallen.The Footfallen are often referred to as "the true children of the Expanse." These men and women, descended from the settlers and Rogue Trader vassals who came to this region long ago, have spent the majority of their lives interacting with all manner of denizens within the Koronus Expanse. Whatever their birthplace, they all tend to have similar outlooks and mannerisms, and are used to dealing with all manner of individuals: religious fanatics, cultists, recidivists, spies, assassins, narco-tribesmen, nomads, fugitives from Imperial justice, merchants, xenos, renegade psykers, Rogue Traders and their crew, and even worshipers of the Ruinous Powers. These worlds are giant melting pots of cultures and beliefs, and only through them can one get useful information on the Koronus Expanse.Recently, there is something else that sets the Footfallen apart, even from other denizens of the Koronus Expanse who have grown up in the same circumstances. Over the last few solar decades, a disturbing trend has emerged amongst some of those born in the Expanse. A number of them have been known to exhibit a strange "sixth-sense" which, while not a true psychic ability, quite possibly stems from the Warp.
Rok - Rok: A Rok is the most feared form of Ork spacecraft. A Rok was once an asteroid that has been hollowed out by Ork Mekboyz and then outfitted with Ork-made gunz, plasma engines, targeting systems and whatever other large, powerful weapons the Orks can get their green hands on. Roks possess no Warp-Drives and so are incapable of Warp travel, instead drifting from star system to star system as the solar winds dictate.In void combat, Roks are among the slowest vessels of any known starfaring species, and are very difficult for Ork crews to control. However, their hardened (and downright baffling) construction has made it often impossible for enemy ship crews to target specific subsystems to disable, so Roks will keep fighting at maximum efficiency right up to the point they explode or disintegrate into a cloud of rubble.It is common for Ork WAAAGH!s that are large enough to possess Roks to use these massive spacecraft as one-way reentry vehicles, positioning them to slam down onto the surface of a world the Orks intended to invade.While this means the Rok cannot be reused to get back into space, it does cause a horrific amount of damage to whatever world the Orks invade, greatly pleasing the Greenskins and weakening the defences of the planet's military forces.