The Imperial Economy and the Guilds

The ancient economic baseline of the ‘price of food’ has no place in the Imperium - the average citizen has their food, clothing, healthcare and housing provided for them.

The main manufacturing arm of the Imperium is the Adeptus Mechanicus who do not sell the products of their labour, but rather receive payment in raw materials, rediscovered technologies and religious dominion over technology. Most worlds that produce for the Imperium have a limited material output towards which all labour on that planet is expected to contribute to, a fixed amount of which is provided to the Imperium as a ‘tithe’ in exchange for vital materials, resources and welfare that world cannot otherwise produce for itself.

On paper the Imperium is a post-scarcity networked meta economy comprised of trillions of mono-economies. In reality, as the distance between worlds increases and the further you get away from the Imperium these networks break down further and further as transport of these goods gets less and less reliable. The average sub-light transport can take upwards of ten years Imperial standard to reach the nearest planet let-alone another inhabited system, and warp-travel while faster is notoriously unreliable with ships subjected to temporal distortions or appearing massively off-course when they emerge from it.

In the Prosperitas Sector the promise of a post-scarcity economy is nearly meaningless, and into the void of the Imperial economy step in the Guilds and Chartist Houses to provide where the Imperium cannot.

Tithes

The Imperium extracts value from every planet it has conquered or colonised by subjecting them to a form of resource tax known as a tithe. Every planet brought into compliance and settled is done so because it has some degree of value to it. For most worlds this may be its ability to produce food or natural resources of some kind. But more unusual reasoning has been used for settlement, on some planets the tithe is nothing more than the population itself, the Imperium's obsession with driving humanity to its best while keeping it 'pure' means that it settles many so-called "Death Worlds" in the hope that the population settled there (often convicts or retired Imperial Guard) will produce a hardy stock of humans to supply its forces.

Tithe collection is archaic, the Imperium calculates the required output of a Sector based on the value of the planets within it and their output to ensure it can extract the highest sustainable tithe from it without crippling it. Within a Sector, Sector and Subsector Governments do the same to ensure provision of resources to the worlds under their jurisdiction, and levy that atop of the amounts calculated by Terra. Unfortunately the poor flow of data and information within any given sector due to the unreliability of relying on Astropathic comms means that tithe-amounts can often far outstrip the capacity of a world to meet while fulfilling its own needs, and indeed the resources brought to exchange for the tithe can be insufficient for the population or based on outdated requisition requests made years prior.

In theory the heavily armed and escorted Tithe-vessel Captains can show discretion regarding this. However the institutional pressure to deliver results and the extensive paperwork required to do so mean many worlds fall foul of the bureaucracy of the Administratum in this regard.

Thronegelt

An Imperial Preacher or Official will tell you they are not motivated by currency, and neither are the Imperium’s subjects – no the official line is that the Imperial society is structured around ensuring the survival and primacy of humanity through implementing the edicts of the Senatorum Imperialis as the acting voices of the God-Emperor, and a healthy faith in the Throne.

However, realities are far from the ideals espoused by the Imperium’s Administrators, there are trillions of worlds beneath the Imperial heel, and many of these subject-states have not progressed to a post-capital society. To promote a degree of ‘fair’ trade between worlds out on its fringes, the Imperium implemented a galaxy-wide standard currency; called Thronegelt, more commonly referred to as Thrones.

Thronegelt is a relativistic currency, its value on any given world is a complex formula extracted from an abstracted unit of value from the various planets of a given sector of the galaxy. Data, raw materials, human potential – a thousand factors are combined into the creation of a single Throne’s value.

On most world’s most of the populace are not paid for their labour instead receiving a localised credit system that can be spent on necessities, for anything more ‘luxury’ they must barter. Thrones are primarily used in the higher tiers of a Planets society and have little meaning to the smallfolk, so it is hard to give them abstract value like more ancient currencies based on what it would cost to feed a family for a year, for example.

Because of the unreliability of the exchange rate of Thrones on any given world, most interstellar traders prefer to invest their wealth in assets such as universally valuable raw materials and goods which they can liquidate at any given time by selling to the planet or station they are at anchor with either through direct barter or payment in Thrones relative to local values which they will then spend on luxuries and services or invest back into assets to exchange at their next destination.

The Inquisition and Resources

For most Inquisition agents working directly for an Inquisitor there is never a real need to worry about throngelt or resources, these are supplied as and when the mission requires it, Inquisitors rarely buy the loyalty of their closest agents with Thrones, for such loyalties are fleeting and temporary. Few servants of the Inquisition are paid, but they rarely want for anything, top of the line equipment, ships, crews and such things are very much available by request and the Inquisition are good at ensuring their agents receive what they need. Thrones are, to any Inquisitorial agent, simply a mission asset – supplied when the need arises for them to have exchangeable currency to complete their designated tasks.

This does not mean however, that Agents have unlimited access to an Inquisitors Resources, high-technologies, void craft and other things are as hard to come by for Inquisitors as they are for any other concerned citizen. Inquisitors rarely possess void-craft of any significant tonnage, the costs of operating one independently usually mean that they rely on diverting Imperial Navy and Civilian vessels to provide them with void-transport. The average agent can expect to only possess the resources their Inquisitor deems necessary, few to none will possess their own void-craft, the cost of crewing even the smallest warship is an immense burden without sufficient support, this is why small shuttles, gun-cutters and warp-cutters are favoured – no Inquisitorial agent is going to own a battleship and an armoury of exotic weapons. Most are lucky to have a reliable primary weapon and a suit of armour at all, though elite Agents might have a more complete personal armoury.

Should an Agent need resources they would always have to request them from their Inquisitor by direct petition, acquiring items is not a trivial process and Inquisitors are always willing to cut off an Agent as punishment for not respecting the gifts given to them.

The same cannot be said for those agents operating on the outer edges of an Inquisitors trust, they might receive pay or a stipend but Inquisitorial cells operating in the BLACK are largely left to themselves to source their own resources from various covert sources in order to remain a deniable asset to the Inquisition after an initial untraceable ‘startup’ fee is provided by the Inquisitor establishing the cell.

The Guilds and the Chartist Houses in the Prosperitas Sector

The Prosperitas Sector has not got a stable economy, it has too few worlds producing necessary outputs to have redundant sources of supplies and materials when one of those worlds falls under attack, rebels or simply fails to meet tithe quotas then the ripples are felt across the Sector. For this reason, the Prosperitas Sector relies more heavily on non-state entities to control and distribute vital resources and manufacturing over the traditional bodies found close to the heart of the Imperium. The Forgeworlds of Naximus Prime, Castellum and Ferraeus are forced to compete for access to the resources to fuel their forges (which in turns drives their links to the sectors Explorator fleets that seek out resources as much as they seek out lost knowledge).

Powerful Guilds exist on most planets and on the interstellar level to the vast dynastic corpro-nobility of the Chartist Houses. Old terminology like ‘Companies’ and ‘Corporations’ have been lost to years of obscuration of the values provided by these powerful economic entities behind a veneer of Noble status and a belief of a ‘heredity right’ to manage certain monopolies.

A Guild is a vast usually planet-wide organisation, but sometimes having regional ‘branches’ that operate separately to the overall guild entity. They dominate a specialised role in planetary society, be that controlling a vital resource, or providing a service or a source of skilled labour. These monopiles are usually governed by one or more minor noble families, controlling vast ‘chapters’ of lesser members of the Guild. Internal Guild politics are complex, and they look on any individual operating outside of their control as a threat, usually dealing with them in a terminal fashion or using archaic laws to punish them for not taking Guild Membership. To this reason where a Guild controls skilled labour it will often restrict a planets education system to ensure only the offspring of those tied to the Guild can be educated in the skills it provides, creating heredity structures even amongst the lowborn members of a society.

This drive to an insular nature creates strange communal societies dedicated towards the Guilds needs and specialisms. Guilders are easy to spot, often donning increasingly ridiculous ceremonial costume or complex guild-tattoos representing their Guild’s speciality. Guilds can be odd places of innovation and are heavily monitored by the Imperium and the Adeptus Mechanicus for where they deviate from norms too far in their pursuit of profit.

While every Guild is unique, there are plenty of types of Guilds that can be found across multiple worlds, some of the common examples of which are found beneath, these are umbrella categories of guilds and some planets have even more subdivision depending on how complex their economies are.;

Air Guilds are notorious on planets like Korimesta, Letifer Secundus and Mawson’s Wake, on planets where the atmosphere is toxic and unbreathable clean fresh air is a commodity to be sold. Sure the Air Guilds will keep the air recyclers in the hive running, but they will pump out stagnant air that stinks of chemical filtration. On these worlds, if you want good, clean, fresh air, then you buy or barter for it from an Air Guild.

Alchemistry Guilds are numerous and cover several specialised alchemical processes from Prometheum Refinement to Medical distribution or even harvesting toxins from a planetary environment these guilds operate under licence of the Imperium or a Chartist House to transform raw materials into refined chemical products.

Banking Guilds can be found on almost every planet in the Prosperitas Sector, with the value of Thrones fluctuating between worlds these Guilds mainly deal in investment banking and other forms of tangible wealth on a planet managing the investments of their clients to secure their financial stability against the stormy weather of Administratum financial corrections.

Bounty Hunter’s Guilds are often small offices operating in a single region of a world, often part of larger conglomerations (see beneath). They are a much-loathed necessity in the eyes of the Arbites in frontier sectors like Prosperitas, where local law-enforcement and Arbites presences are thin. The Guilds work closely with Arbites over-precincts to collate wanted lists of fugitives from justice, these ‘Marks’ are then contracted to largely-independent Arbites-sanctioned Bounty Hunters passing through the Guild’s controlled territory to collect for a reward. You can find out more about these guilds in the Prosperitas Sector here.

Chirugeon’s Guilds are looked upon with some suspicion, the Imperium promises state healthcare to all citizens and many would see it as disloyal to utilise any other form of healthcare. Yet there are those that can afford personalised healthcare and Guild-run hospitals with many state-Chirugeons using their off-shifts to work at them for additional financial benefits.

Commerce Guilds while Banking Guilds handle investment, Commerce Guilds handle trade, many act more as independent advisors of Planetary Governors, but there are plenty of places in the Sector where vast marketplaces control the value of imported luxury goods from void-traders, it is the Commerce Guilds that any seneschal of a noble or trader will get more than used to dealing with and fighting their unfair practices.

Construction Guilds are powerful entities, dominance over civic building projects on most worlds means they have incredible power when they act to withdraw their services. They often are backed by significant security forces as colony construction and hive maintenance are both fraught with dangers, which only adds to their power when they threaten to down tools in disputes.

Corpse Guilds are an essential part of life in the Prosperitas Sector, more so as the Imperial Cult has grown fragmented. They tend to the disposal of bodies, as well as funeral arrangements, a necessity for combating disease on densely populated worlds. These sinister Guilds are also tied to the production of Corpse Starch, furthering belief that it also includes human biomatter alongside that of other deceased biomatter.

Free Companies sometimes called Freelancer Guilds or Mercenary Guilds serve as surplus to the needs of the Imperial Military, usually comprised of mustered-out Imperial Guard who couldn’t divorce themselves from war Free Companies serve on the fringes of Imperial Space hired by Planetary Governors to supplement and train local PDFs where their world’s security is ill-provided for by the Imperium. Often trader vessels, and other Guilds hire them as security, trusting paid militia to protect their assets better than the Military of the Imperial State.

Joy Guilds cover a broad number of skilled disciplines focused towards providing citizens entertainment to otherwise distract them from the mandated routine of their daily lives. While the Officio Publica Notitia of the Adeptus Administratum takes primary responsibility for Imperial propaganda and controls most broadcast ‘infotainment’ the Joy Guilds step in to provide ‘live’ entertainment, be that bloodsports, circuses, theatre, opera, drinkhouses or any number of other distractions. The versatility of the performances of any one guild varies as to the clientele they attract, but they are overseen by the Officio Censorum and various public morality committees.

Mining Guilds often appear on worlds where mining is the sole focus of the industry, normally forming around hereditary Forepersons of a mining sector, creating clan-like structures that negotiate on behalf of their mine for access to resources from whatever powers control their world in exchange for the raw output of the mine. Mining Guilds can be very powerful, and many Governors of mining worlds are hostile to them, as they can be a stubborn clannish lot.

Power Guilds dominate the lifeblood of the worlds they hold sway on, while on many worlds Genetorum facilities are the domain of the Adeptus Mechanicus, there are plenty of planets and minor stations in the Prosperitan Fringe where bands of Lay-Mechanicus schooled in the arts of maintenance of power lines and conduits as well as genetorum facilities themselves have banded together into potent Power Guilds that have a monopoly over power generation and dictate who receives it.

Scriptorae Guilds fit into a strange category, the written word is the dominion of the Imperium, books are not published independently of the Officio Publica Notitia or the Ecclesiarchy unless they are to be hidden away. But there is a place in the Imperium to produce signs, or the licenced reprinting of approved works (usually pamphlets) translated to local dialects of low gothic, and it is here that the Scriptorae Guilds thrive.

Transportation Guilds are common, even in densely-packed Hive Cities someone has to maintain the ancient decaying transit shafts and tubes – someone keeps the land crawlers and trains running on time, and that is the Transportation guilds, these are usually planet-bound entities at most extending their range to their home world and any orbital bodies. Ownership of warp-capable vessels is the providence of powerful Imperial bodies, not Guilds. They are by their nature quite cosmopolitan, their members relying on easily-recognisable badges and uniforms to identify themselves – such a life is fraught with dangers, pirates, bandits and other ne’er-do-wells threaten couriers, and most are hardened to the Sector’s dangers.

Vellum Guilds fulfil a unique urge of the Imperium. Despite holding sway over untold trillions and managing a galactic bureaucracy, the Administratum's primary method of record keeping and distribution of information is Vellum. Parchment not only appeals to the dogmatic values and traditionalism of the Administratum, but is also considered a far more secure and cheaper a method of data collection than electronic counterparts such as Data-Slates or Cogitators while being far more durable than standard paper. Such a prized resource is Vellum that wealthy Guild dynasties solely dedicated to the creation of parchment exist. Under the watchful eyes of the Guilds, distressingly augmented porcine creatures who live their entire lives being battery farmed to be as large and covered as skin as possible are slaughtered and skinned to feed the Administratum's needs. Though it can be artificially grown, many scribes prefer organically grown flesh, as it has unique inperfections they feel make it more 'authentic'. It is a lucrative enterprise for the Guilds it is said that Vellum is the 7th largest import to Terra in sheer weight due to the demands of the Imperial bureaucracy.

Waste Guilds are essential for the running of any major population centre. Without the maintenance of sewage works and the collection of waste and rubbish at the speed at which it accumulates in high-population areas like Hive Cities, people would be drowning in a tide of filth and garbage. In the Prosperitas Sector all the Waste Guilds are bound by oath to House Ruttyer.

Water Guilds are as hated on arid worlds as Air Guilds are on polluted ones, though Water Guilds can exist on most worlds where control of fresh water supplies or water purification stations is important. Like Air Guilds the Water Guilds are bound by Imperial duty to provide clean water to the masses, but it is often of poor taste and quality, fresh water is a rare and precious thing and the Water Guilds build their wealth on supplying it to be drunk, to be bathed in, or even partnering with Joy Guilds to run bathouses. It is said that Water Guilds find deep pleasure in punishing those who steal from them by dehydrating the offender and recycling their body-water.