Major Dynasties
Chorda Rogue Trader dynasty
!!Revise Chorda timeline. At current campaign time Aspyce Chorda is still alive.!!
The Chorda Rogue Trader Dynasty, formally known as House Bastaal-Chorda, hails from the Calixis Sector. Empowered by an ancient Warrant of Trade, the dynasty was shaped by bold exploration and ruthless politics, becoming one of the most feared and influential powers in the Koronus Expanse.
Under Hamish Chorda, the dynasty expanded into the Expanse, but it was his daughter, Aspyce Chorda, who defined its brutal legacy after a violent purge of rival claimants.
Rule of Aspyce Chorda
Aspyce Chorda rose to power through calculated elimination of rivals, including her father’s illegitimate heirs and allies. She resigned her Navy commission to consolidate her claim, then turned the dynasty toward an aggressive expansion of influence through force, Cold Trade, and exploitation.
She oversaw:
- The Campaign Against Chaos Pirates (754–761.M41)
- The Claimant War with House Winterscale over Lucin’s Breath
- The rise of Grace as a center for shadow markets and pleasure cults
- Covert dealings with xenos and unsanctioned psykers
Eventually, she vanished into the Koronus Expanse, and was declared missing sometime in late M41.
Incendia-Bastaal Chorda: Heir-Apparent
Following the disappearance of Aspyce, her designated heir—Incendia-Bastaal Chorda—rose as the dynasty’s new matriarch.
- Incendia is believed to be a genetically engineered successor, created or cultivated to carry on Aspyce’s legacy while navigating a more politically volatile Imperium.
- In the events of intrigue she represents a more pragmatic but equally cunning force within the Cold Trade and dynastic politics.
- She is rumored to have restructured the Chorda protectorate, solidifying its power base while maintaining plausible loyalty to the Imperium.
Though less openly brutal than Aspyce, Incendia’s ambition and strategic brilliance mark her as a continuation of the dynasty’s ruthless legacy.
Fleet Doctrine
Fast, raider-class vessels make up the bulk of the Chorda fleet. Though they possess at least one capital-class cruiser (Implacable Flame), they favor mobility and sudden strikes.
Key Holdings
The territorial structure of the Chorda dynasty is loosely distributed across multiple sub-sectors within the Koronus Expanse. Unlike centralized power blocs such as House Winterscale’s domain, the Chorda empire operates through fragmented but interlinked nodes of influence, many of which remain off the Imperial record.
- Grace – a colony established by Rogue Trader Aspyce Chorda. It describes Grace as a world founded out of greed and self-interest, not Imperial purpose—intended as a haven for noble exiles, criminals, and outcasts. These exiles built opulent palaces under Chorda’s direction and were supplied with food, slaves, and luxuries by her fleet—while Chorda collected no tithe or official tax, underscoring her colonial autonomy from the Imperium.
- Lucin’s Breath – Divided with Winterscale dynasty by the Nephium Compact.
- Ultima Tectum – Frontier system contested with Winterscale dynasty
- Numerous penal mines, outposts, and smuggler stations in the Expanse.
Concealed Colonies and Hidden Assets
- Several worlds colonized or subjugated by House Chorda have never been declared to the Administratum, effectively bypassing tithe obligations, Ecclesiarchal scrutiny, and Imperial oversight.
- Prison world Shayol, Heathen Stars. Resource planet for Chorda dynasty for organ transplants. Colonized by pre-Imperial humans with advanced contagion of mutation causing xenos parasite. Also sometimes destination for rich who thought they would buy a ticket to the paradise world.
- Vaults for xenos artifacts and forbidden archaeotech.
- Facilities for unsanctioned experimentation, including psychic augmentation and hybridization.
- Sources of unregistered mineral and Warp-reactive resources, fueling Cold Trade operations.
The secrecy surrounding these holdings is preserved through isolation, obfuscation, and violence, with only the most trusted agents aware of their existence.
Cold Trade Empire
Chorda’s dynasty has deep roots in the illicit xenos trade, trafficking alien relics, technology, and lifeforms. These dealings give them immense wealth and influence—and draw the gaze of the Inquisition.
Diplomatic Relations
| Faction | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| House Winterscale | Rival | History of armed conflict; divided Lucin’s Breath |
| Ecclesiarchy & Inquisition | Tense | Heretical suspicions, unsanctioned practices |
| House Krin | Indebted | Old financial dependencies, still unresolved |
| Xenos Entities | Covert | Rumored dealings with Kroot, Eldar, and more |
| Other Rogue Traders | Opportunistic | Known to backstab, trade, or destroy weaker houses |
Legacy and Future
With Incendia Chorda now at the helm, the future of House Chorda remains volatile. Whether she will reclaim her mother’s former power or fall to the enemies amassed by her lineage remains to be seen.
The Winterscale Dynasty
One of the oldest and most powerful Rogue Trader houses operating in the Koronus Expanse. The dynasty traces its Warrant of Trade to the Age of Apostasy or shortly thereafter, making it a legacy over three thousand years old by the late 41st Millennium. Winterscale’s line is steeped in the traditions of conquest, consolidation, and Imperial expansion, and unlike rivals such as House Chorda, Winterscale has always positioned itself as a loyal but ambitious extension of Imperial Ordos.
The dynasty first entered the Koronus Expanse shortly after the discovery of the Maw, and immediately began claiming territories under the banner of the Imperium.
Lord Calligos Winterscale
The ruling Rogue Trader as of the late M41 and early M42 is Calligos Winterscale, a warlord-patrician renowned for:
- Authoritarian governance and centralization of power within his claimed realm.
- A public persona of Imperial faithfulness, while operating behind the scenes with ruthless Realpolitik.
- Engaging in direct conflicts with rival dynasties such as House Chorda (notably the Claimant War over Lucin’s Breath).
Calligos views himself as a king in all but name, and his dynasty functions less like a trade empire and more like a feudal Imperium-in-miniature.
Militarized Trade Empire
Unlike many dynasties that rely on stealth or mobility, the Winterscale fleet emphasizes brute force and overwhelming firepower. The dynasty maintains:
- Capital ships, including Grand Cruisers and Battleship-tier assets.
- An armada of frigates and transports, escorting merchant convoys and military expeditions.
- A network of subordinate Rogue Traders and client nobles who fly under the Winterscale banner.
Their operations are backed by the Administratum, with some formal recognition of Winterscale’s rule over sub-sectors within the Expanse.
Planetary Holdings
The dynasty controls a swath of colonized space referred to as Winterscale’s Realm, including entire systems such as:
- Kraken’s Fall Their capital is located on the fortress-world , a bastion of both military and administrative command.
- Footfall (indirectly and covertly through proxies)
- Lucin’s Breath (divided with House Chorda)
- Skaris,
- Zayth,
- Malfi-aligned mining colonies, and others
Diplomatic Relations
| Faction | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| House Chorda | ❌ Bitter Rival | Fought over Lucin’s Breath in the Claimant War; ideological opposites |
| House Krin | 💰 Neutral-Trade | Credit-based alliance; Winterscale respects Krin’s financial network |
| Imperial Authorities | ✅ Strong | Maintains close ties to Ecclesiarchy, Navis Nobilite, and Administratum |
| Other Rogue Traders | ⚖️ Dominant | Subjugates or co-opts weaker houses into vassalage or contracts |
| Xenos and Hereteks | 🚫 Hostile | Winterscale adheres publicly to orthodox Imperial law and rejects xenos dealings |
Faith and Governance
Lord Winterscale styles himself as a High Imperial Sovereign, enforcing the Imperial Creed and establishing:
- Planetary governors loyal to his line
- Ecclesiarchal shrines and tithes to the Ministorum
- Strict controls over trade, especially in psykers, xenos-tech, and archaeotech
However, his vision of Imperial law is one of selective application—any heresy or opposition is crushed, while loyalty is rewarded with vast privilege.
Key Holdings
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kraken’s Fall | Fortress World | Seat of Winterscale’s power; fortified capital and military hub |
| Lucin’s Breath | Frontier World | Shared with House Chorda after Claimant War; a symbol of uneasy peace |
| Skaris | Mining World | Mechanicus-tied world supplying raw materials |
| Zayth | Forge-fortress World | Home to massive, mobile city-constructs; maintains tech alliance |
| Footfall | Trade Port | Influence asserted through affiliated criminal and mercantile houses |
Legacy and Future
House Winterscale remains the most stable and administratively potent Rogue Trader dynasty in the Koronus Expanse. Their influence reaches from the Maw to the Foundling Worlds, and many within the Imperium believe Winterscale’s realm to be the first step toward formal sub-sector establishment within the Expanse.
However, threats abound:
- Xenos forces encroach on the edges of their territory.
- Heretical elements and apostate factions undermine their colonies.
- Younger dynasties, fueled by the greed and ambition, challenge Winterscale’s established dominance.
Should Calligos fall without a stable heir, the realm could collapse into civil war.
Von Valancius Rogue Trader dynasty
The von Valancius Dynasty is a noble Rogue Trader house operating primarily in the Koronus Expanse and surrounding frontier sectors. Though less well-known in ancient Calixian records than houses like Winterscale, von Valancius claims a Warrant of Trade of most venerable lineage, signed in the blood of the Emperor Himself, according to house legend.
Unlike Chorda and Winterscale, whose expansion has often relied on direct conquest or Cold Trade, the von Valancius dynasty operates through a web of diplomacy, finance, and exploration, building a patchwork protectorate that balances profit and loyalty.
Theodora von Valancius
As of early M42, the dynasty is ruled by Lady Theodora von Valancius, a matriarch of immense ambition, mystery, and political cunning.
- Theodora began consolidating and expanding dynasty’s influence across several regions of the Koronus Expanse, assembling a cadre of powerful retainers and establishing stable protectorate worlds with relative internal autonomy.
Flagship and Fleet
- The dynasty operates from a unique Strelov‑class light cruiser, heavily modified and known for faster-than-average warp translation times.
- Unlike Winterscale’s massive fleet or Chorda’s raider flotillas, von Valancius maintains a balanced expeditionary armada focused on exploration, diplomacy, and defense.
- The flagship houses a comatose psyker hardwired into the warp engine, who murmurs incoherently during translation—a grim reminder of the cost of power.
Colonial Protectorate
- The von Valancius dynasty governs several key worlds in the Koronus Expanse, forming a loosely affiliated trade protectorate.
Key Holdings
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dargonus | Civilized World | Political center and heart of the von Valancius protectorate; seat of the Warrant Chamber. |
| Janus | Agri-world | Main supplier of food and crops for interstellar trade; under heavy dynastic control. |
| Kiava Gamma | Industrial World | Mechanicus-supervised forge-colony, providing essential tech goods and weaponry. |
| Vheabos VI | Penal World | Harsh mining and recruitment site; suspected of housing hidden laboratories and forbidden stockpiles. |
| Undeclared Colonies | Varies | Several unregistered systems hidden from Imperial record, shielding illegal research and rare resources. |
| Foulstone | Frontier Outpost | Remote and developing outpost world; currently being explored and tamed. |
Diplomatic Relations
| Faction | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| House Winterscale | ⚖️ Competitive | No open war, but diplomatic friction exists over trade routes and legitimacy. |
| House Chorda | 🔥 Tense | Chorda regards von Valancius as manipulators; potential hostilities over hidden colonies. |
| Ecclesiarchy & Inquisition | ✅ Cautious Respect | While maintaining official loyalty, rumors of xenos dealings and unsanctioned psyker use persist. |
| Mechanicus | 🛠️ Cooperative | Strong working relationship at Kiava Gamma; access to Forge resources. |
| Other Rogue Traders | 🧩 Varies | Von Valancius uses trade pacts, oaths, and subtle leverage to navigate political tides. |
Legacy
The von Valancius dynasty presents itself as a beacon of stability and nobility within the chaotic expanse of Imperial frontier space. Their doctrine emphasizes:
- Balance of faith and reason, using sanctioned psykers and Tarot divination under Astra Telepathica guidance.
- Internal development of protectorate worlds, avoiding the overt violence of rival dynasties.
- Political maneuvering, often making allies from former enemies.
However, the dynasty is haunted by ambiguity:
- The true origin of the new heir remains contested.
- The assassination of Theodora suggests deeper conspiracies within or beyond the dynasty.
- Increasing pressure from Winterscale, Chorda, and outside threats may fracture their hold.
Minor dynasties:
Saul Dynasty
The Saul Rogue Trader Dynasty was forged in the crucible of long-range exploration and xenos contact, tracing its Warrant of Trade to the mid-M39, during one of the Imperium’s great waves of exploratory expansion beyond the Halo Stars.
Unlike dynasties that anchor their power in conquest or dominion, the Saul line has always emphasized discovery, diplomacy, and access to the unknown. Their heraldry bears the symbol of the open chartist compass, a sign of their commitment to blazing paths where no Imperial star has yet risen.
Lord Jonquin Saul
The current scion of the dynasty, Lord Jonquin Saul, is a veteran explorer and charismatic leader whose exploits have made him a respected—and sometimes controversial—figure among Koronus Expanse Rogue Traders.
- Known for his honorable conduct, Saul is a rare example of a Rogue Trader who combines ambition with a sense of responsibility to the Imperium’s broader mission.
- He has opened over a dozen new warp routes, established trade links with minor xenos polities, and brought lost human outposts back into the Imperial fold.
- Saul is not without flaws: his caution has earned him criticism from more aggressive dynasties, and his occasional willingness to negotiate with alien intelligences treads dangerously close to Ecclesiarchal heresy.
Fleet of Exploration
- The Saul fleet is made up of well-maintained but lightly armed exploration vessels, including multiple long-range survey ships and a flagship configured for void endurance, sensor range, and rapid charting.
- His flagship, the Faithful Voyager, is a modified Orion-class star galleon, equipped with archaeotech nav-dowsing arrays and reinforced Gellar Fields.
- The fleet avoids direct combat when possible, relying on diplomatic envoys, planetary intelligence, and avoidance over force.
Charting and Knowledge Trade
- The Saul dynasty earns influence through the discovery and trade of warp routes, xenos cartography, and lost data-vaults.
- Saul often trades charts and ancient data to the Navis Nobilite, Adeptus Mechanicus, and Ministorum, increasing his dynasty’s political capital without direct military expansion.
Key Holdings
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hale’s Refuge | Outpost Station | A remote deep-space station founded by Saul, serving as a staging ground for expeditions into the Unbeholden Reaches. |
| Rath’s Haunt | Dead World | A quarantine zone and cautionary example of xenos contact gone awry—used as a teaching site by Saul’s retainers. |
| Tandros System | Recontacted System | A rediscovered human colony brought back into contact with the Imperium via Saul’s diplomacy; administered as a Saul protectorate. |
| The Faithful Voyager | Flagship | His mobile capital, lab, and command base—serving as a moving hub of diplomacy, science, and coordination. |
Diplomatic Relations
| Faction | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| House Winterscale | ⚠️ Cautious Neutrality | Winterscale sees Saul as indecisive; Saul sees Winterscale as a dangerous autocrat. |
| House Chorda | ❌ Distrust/Clash | Opposes Chorda’s heretical Cold Trade dealings and disregard for xenos boundaries. |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | ✅ Cooperative | Often trades data, xenos samples, and lost STC fragments; enjoys limited tech-priest backing. |
| Ecclesiarchy | ⚖️ Monitored | His methods are legal but controversial; sanctioned by select Missionaria factions. |
| Xenos Polities | 🤐 Limited Contact | Has engaged in non-aggression pacts with minor alien civilizations; walks a theological tightrope. |
Reputation and Doctrine
Lord Jonquin Saul represents the ideal of the “Chartist Rogue Trader”—a noble bearer of Imperial truth to the dark places of the galaxy, but also a diplomat and historian. He believes in:
- The importance of understanding the unknown, not simply conquering it.
- Minimizing unnecessary violence, especially when dealing with lost human populations.
- Treading the fine line between orthodoxy and pragmatism in pursuit of Imperium-wide benefit.
However, others see him as:
- Naïve or too cautious, unwilling to seize profit where it lies.
- Soft on xenos, though no heretical charges have stuck.
- A relic of a more idealistic era, doomed to be swept away by more brutal dynasties.
Armengarde Dynasty
The Armengarde Dynasty stands as a shining example of the diplomatic and economic power a Rogue Trader house can wield without brute conquest or heretical dealings. Founded during the reconstruction era following the Age of Apostasy, House Armengarde rose through interstellar negotiations, trade arbitration, and noble court influence rather than warfare.
They are a dynasty defined by stability, legality, and legacy, often serving as neutral brokers or envoys in disputes between lesser Rogue Traders, planetary governors, and even Adeptus institutions.
Lady Aoife Armengarde
The current ruler, Lady Aoife Armengarde, is a seasoned master of interstellar diplomacy, commercial law, and soft power.
- Her flagship, the Final Absolution, functions as both a voidship and a moving embassy, carrying with it legal experts, heralds, Missionaria dignitaries, and a small mechanized honor guard.
- Aoife is known for her icy precision, unbreakable neutrality, and an unrivaled ability to extract concessions without lifting a blade.
- In Edge of the Abyss, she is presented as a respected figure whose influence extends into nearly every sector of the Koronus Expanse—but whose restraint masks a lethal capacity for retaliatory diplomacy, economic warfare, or calculated subterfuge.
Sources of Power
1. Diplomatic Entanglements
- Aoife’s dynasty thrives on binding contracts, hereditary pacts, and mutual defense clauses.
- Through decades of negotiation, she has secured non-aggression pacts, tithed trade rights, and influence over planetary succession disputes.
- While she fields a small navy, her fleet operates under numerous protection agreements, allowing her vessels to pass unchallenged even through contested space.
2. Legalism and Ecclesiarchal Backing
- Unlike many Rogue Traders, Armengarde maintains transparent ties to the Adeptus Ministorum, the Navis Nobilite, and select Ordo Administratum factions.
- Her dynasty often resolves Warrant disputes, colonial charter violations, and disputed relic ownership cases—acting as a neutral Imperial legal arbitrator.
- This gives her enormous power in matters other dynasties would settle with weapons.
Key Holdings
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Final Absolution | Diplomatic Flagship | A heavily modified cruiser designed as a neutral courtship vessel; equipped with arbiter chambers, envoy halls, and secure vaults for sensitive negotiations. |
| Precept’s Landing | Treaty Station | A fortress-station positioned at a vital junction of warp routes; a neutral ground for resolving trade disputes, maintained jointly with the Navis Nobilite. |
| Port Annulus | Free Trade Zone | A semi-independent voidport serving as a demilitarized logistics hub; under Aoife’s soft control through mercantile charter alliances. |
| Arista’s Beacon | Shrine World | A pilgrimage world used as religious cover and meeting ground for Ecclesiarchal diplomacy, gifted to the dynasty by grateful clerics after resolving a schism. |
Diplomatic Relations
| Faction | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| House Winterscale | ⚖️ Cooperative Rivalry | Maintains cold but formal relations; occasionally mediates disputes for Winterscale vassals. |
| House Chorda | ❌ Cold Hostility | Rejects Chorda’s shadow dealings and heretical methods; politically opposes Cold Trade empires. |
| Von Valancius Dynasty | ✅ Friendly Neutrality | Shares mutual respect for internal protectorate governance and structured expansion. |
| Ecclesiarchy | ✅ Active Ally | Deep ties to Ministorum; occasionally mediates planetary faith disputes on their behalf. |
| Mechanicus | ⚖️ Cautious Respect | Works within their frameworks; avoids overt tech heresy while providing data-for-charter exchanges. |
Reputation and Doctrine
The Armengarde Dynasty’s strength lies in perception and procedure:
- They are perceived as upright Imperial citizens, protectors of law and balance, and defenders of civilized diplomacy in an age of bloodshed.
- This does not mean they are weak. On the contrary, Aoife’s dynasty has crippled rivals through sanctions, port closures, and loss of political face.
- They believe that violence is the language of the crude, and that true power lies in controlling who is allowed to strike and when.
However, they are:
- Often criticized as passive, or overly reliant on Ecclesiarchal protection.
- Sometimes suspected of being power-hungry manipulators wearing a mask of civility.
- Vulnerable to military overreach, should formal agreements collapse or be ignored by renegades.
Trask Dynasty
The Trask Dynasty is a battle-forged line of Rogue Traders known for frontier enforcement, loyalist orthodoxy, and pragmatic conquest. Founded in the mid-M40, the dynasty earned its Warrant of Trade after military service during the Margellan Rebellions, where the Trask progenitor distinguished himself with brutal efficiency and unflinching loyalty to the High Lords of Terra.
Unlike houses rooted in diplomacy or exploration, House Trask’s strength lies in military occupation, colony stabilization, and force projection—serving as the Emperor’s mailed fist in regions the Imperium barely remembers it owns.
Lord-Captain Sarvus Trask
Sarvus Trask, the current scion of the dynasty, is a formidable and direct Rogue Trader captain whose legacy is inseparable from his aggressive doctrine of discipline, duty, and dominance.
- Trask rose to prominence not through wealth or cunning, but by his unyielding discipline, his focus on military reform, and total commitment to the Imperial Creed.
- He is known for leading dozens of frontier war campaigns, stamping out xenos incursions and heretical uprisings on newly claimed worlds.
- He is revered as a living embodiment of the God-Emperor’s will among his crew—and feared as a merciless warlord among his enemies.
Sources of Power
1. Militarized Holdings and Frontier Garrisons
- Trask’s dynasty maintains several fortified colony-worlds, equipped with planetary defense grids, PDF training academies, and Mechanicus-backed supply chains.
- His ships serve as mobile warzones, often carrying full regiments of void-trained troops and orbital bombardment weaponry.
2. Religious and Inquisitorial Ties
- Trask’s loyalty to the Imperial Creed is unshakable. He works closely with the Ecclesiarchy, and has even conducted military operations on behalf of the Ordo Hereticus.
- His holdings often serve as Ecclesiastical anchor points, spreading the Emperor’s light through force when necessary.
Key Holdings
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mortis Veritas | Fortress World | A fortress-colony used as a staging point for sub-sector conquest and PDF recruitment; considered the Trask “capital.” |
| Holdfast Prime | Garrison World | A penal-colony-turned-fortress that supplies manpower and mineral tithes to the dynasty’s war engine. |
| The Steel Faith | Flagship Warcruiser | A heavily armed cruiser bearing full Ecclesiarchal sanctification, used in both diplomacy and retribution. |
| Avachris Watch | Frontier Station | A rotating orbital bastion positioned near warp-lanes prone to xenos activity; functions as both a relay and warzone command center. |
Minor Rogue Traders
Morkabe Qumais
Morkabe Qumais is no upstart pirate or renegade—he is an upstart chartered Rogue Trader, formally granted a Warrant of Trade for distinguished service in the Imperial Navy.
Veteran of multiple void campaigns and a decorated tactician during the Rheanan Crusade, Qumais earned not only glory but patronage. Upon retirement from fleet service, he received his Warrant and warp-chart beyond the Maw—into the Koronus Expanse—where he sought to build a protectorate of his own through sanctioned exploration, trade, and conquest.
Betrayal by House Chorda
Shortly after entering the Expanse, Qumais was contracted by agents of Chorda dynasty, who offered lucrative incentives for deep-warp system surveys in the Accursed Demesne region.
- What was promised as a cooperative venture quickly turned into betrayal.
- Qumais was sent through unstable warp zones to unexplored alien ruins without adequate intelligence—intentionally deployed as a disposable probe.
- When he triggered a deadly xenos defense mechanism, he suffered a crippling warp-corruption to his left hand and arm, permanently twisting it into a psychic-sensitive anomaly.
- Meanwhile, Chorda’s emissary reaped the true profit—arriving only after Qumais’ had triggered the trap and cleared the defenses.
Realizing he had been used and discarded, Qumais withdrew. But he did not forget.
Morkabe Qumais: Rogue Trader with a Mission
Now the master of the Audacia, a heavily modified raider-class voidship, has sworn to expose and destroy House Chorda, not through war, but by unraveling their empire from within.
He retains his Warrant—legally recognized, though politically isolated—and uses it to operate on the edge of law, skirting between loyalist and outlaw in pursuit of vengeance and justice.
The Ultima Tectum Operation (821.M41)
In 821.M41, Qumais launched a covert assault on a Stryxis star barge in the Ultima Tectum system at Accursed Demesne—in Chorda-controlled space.
- Using stealth, speed and teleportarium, he breached the vessel’s cargo holds and seized discriminating documents and contraband.
- The cache included proof of Chorda’s Cold Trade pacts, xenos drugs, and personal correspondences implicating several high-ranking Noble houses in Calixis Sector.
- Now, Qumais plans to weaponize this information—trading secrets, bartering leverage, and igniting Imperial investigations to collapse Chorda’s influence from within.
Relza Calzus
Listed in Epoch: Koronus as active in mid-to-late M41 within the Expanse. Known for frontier operations and clandestine border expansion—though details on holdings and motives remain elusive outside of brief references. He claims to have sighted the Rift Hydra in the void of the Rune system. Few believe his claims, and instead remark that the Beggar Captain has so never so much as ventured beyond the void around Footfall.
Tyrel “The Destroyer” Cathek
Described in Chapter Approved: The Book of the Astronomican (pg. 111) and edited and expanded for Ignis Aeternus campaign.
Umboldt Dynasty
Once a noble-blooded scion of a minor but legitimate Rogue Trader line, Wrath Umboldt was heir to a modest Warrant of Trade issued during the Nova Borax Expansion of late M40. The Umboldt Dynasty never commanded great fleets or ruled over sectors—but it held sovereignty over a handful of warp routes and mining rights near the fringes of Winterscale’s Realm.
That all ended in disaster. At some point during his career, Wrath Umboldt lost possession of his Warrant of Trade—under disputed and likely dishonorable circumstances. Some claim it was forfeited in a xenos wager, others that it was seized as collateral by a noble house, or perhaps even stolen in a mutiny.
Without the Warrant, Wrath lost not only legal authority, but also his ship, retainers, and claim to legitimacy. He did not die in battle or obscurity, but instead descended into hermitage, becoming a drifter on the void-station Footfall.
Wrath Umboldt Today
Today, Wrath Umboldt is little more than a wandering specter of a forgotten dynasty, clad in a filthy void-cloak, speaking in riddles, and surviving on the fringes of commerce. And yet, his name is not fully erased from memory.
- He is known for selling hand-drawn star charts, cryptic parchments, and location fragments for “the hoard of Horrold Three-Fingers”, a legendary pirate king he claims to have defeated in his prime.
- Whether the treasure is real or a dementia-born myth is a matter of endless tavern speculation.
- Despite his ruin, Wrath retains an uncanny navigational intuition—and some suspect he still carries a deeply encoded memory implant that holds fragments of real stellar knowledge.
Reputation and Known Assets
| Attribute | Status |
|---|---|
| Status | Legally no longer a Rogue Trader; considered a drifter and potential heretic by the Administratum. |
| Warrant of Trade | Lost or stolen; whereabouts unknown. |
| Home | Wanders Footfall—occasionally seen in the Flaw, The Soul Market, or drifting through the Fane of Shadows. |
| Known Activity | Sells “maps” to the Treasure of Horrold Three-Fingers, a supposed pirate hoard hidden beyond the Shard Halo. |
| Danger Rating | Low (officially), though several “treasure-hunters” who followed his maps have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. |
Personality and Myth
Wrath Umboldt is often:
- Muttering cryptic warnings in High Gothic and void-jargon.
- Obsessed with mapping the “veins of the void”, claiming to see warp-tides others cannot.
- Referring to himself alternately as a “lost Lord of the Halo” or “the last man who saw Horrold’s dying breath.”
Despite his madness—or perhaps because of it—he has gained a cult-like following among:
- Voidborn vagrants, who see him as a prophet.
- Pirates and fortune-seekers, who seek his maps and navigation guidance.
- Inquisitorial observers, who monitor him quietly for signs of Warp-induced corruption.
The Legend of Horrold Three-Fingers
Wrath’s claim to fame is his alleged defeat of Horrold Three-Fingers, a notorious pirate lord who once ravaged merchant convoys from the Maw to the Drusus Marches. Umboldt claims:
- He faced Horrold in single combat aboard the burning hulk Black Delight.
- He buried the pirate’s treasure in a hidden vault world known only to him.
- He now sells “one of nine” fragments of the final chart to the vault’s location.
Whether this is a long con, a delusion, or the last embers of truth in a broken mind remains to be seen.
Past Rogue Trader lines
Purity Lathimon
Purity Lathimon was a Rogue Trader who discovered the safe passage that led to the Koronus Expanse in 997.M40.
History
She succeeded where dozens of other Rogue Traders failed and perished. Purity later dubbed the passage the Maw, but in some quarters its discovery led her to become fated and cursed in equal measure. This began after her return to the Calixis Sector, when the Rogue Trader’s crew was left largely too insane or troubled in mind to travel the void again. Because of this, Purity chose to barter her knowledge to other Rogue Traders for vast wealth. They then became posed to exploit her discovery, while Purity herself is said to have disappeared within the Imperium. Some apocryphal stories say she later used her wealth to purchase her own Paradise World. Others stories claim, though, that Purity went on to meet a far darker fate…
Rogue Trader Juno Dach’man
It was the Rogue Trader Barque of Juno Dach’man, and in 999.M40 it was one of the first ships to travel through the newly discovered Koronus Passage. However it disappeared while in the Warp Route and later became more well known as being perhaps the first Ghost Ship in the Koronus Expanse‘s lore. The Sceptre’d Rose has been seen on scores of occasions in the centuries that followed, both visually and as an Auspex Phantom. It is now generally regarded in the Expanse, as an ill-omened sight at the start of a voyage, and a good omen if sighted upon returning to port.
Ignis Aeternus WH 40K campaign notes 