"Ah, he loaded fifty tons of Neusalis wheat, you say? Very interesting. That is curious -- for it is rumoured the Neusalis trade route is interdicted by Ork Freebooters, and yet they say Lord Captain Halak is an honest man, don't they...?"
- —Silas Quinyt, Factotum for the Armsmaiden
A Rogue Trader's seneschal is always ready to do whatever it takes to keep his house in the green.
A seneschal, sometimes called a factotum, is an official of a Rogue Trader dynasty who manages all the various logistics required to keep the house functioning and profitable -- as well as matters of a darker but equally vital nature.
Abelard Werserian is the seneschal of the Rogue Trader House von Valancius of the Koronus Expanse.
Master of ceremonies, master of coin and commerce, master of logistics, master of emissaries, master of whispers and spies: the seneschal is the quietly spoken of individual in every Rogue Trader house who is looked upon with trepidation by those who fear they have earned their suspicion.
The mechanisms of trade and house political and economic affairs do not run themselves, and it is the seneschal whose hands are upon the gears -- ever adjusting, ever careful, and ever vigilant.
Sometimes, in certain Rogue Trader dynasties, the position of seneschal is split into two roles: one official of the house serves as seneschal, essentially the Rogue Trader's regent, and the other serves as the factotum, handling the more detail-oriented demands of commerce, trade, diplomacy and negotiations. This arrangement can often be found in particularly powerful dynasties or those with extensive planetary holdings, where the responsibilities of the position are too great or too varied in scope for a single official to be skilled at all of them.
Role[]
High Factotum Janris Danrok is the man who handles all the intricate demands of commerce, diplomacy, negotiations and trade for the Rogue Trader von Valancius dynasty of the Koronus Expanse.
Very few Rogue Traders are as competent as their seneschal when it comes to the minutia of trade, industry and commerce, for most are too concerned with the overall fate of their endeavours. Most leave the details of such matters to their seneschal's control, trusting that as their arch-militant is ever watchful in battle, so the seneschal is attentive to every risk implicit in the equally hazardous conflict of trade.
The best seneschal knows every detail of trade that transpires within their area of responsibility, often better than the scribes and factors employed to process the astronomical sums involved in the running of a Rogue Trader house, and those that do not, rarely survive long in the post. Most exude a palpable aura of menacing competency, such that few underlings would dare cross them, and those they deal with -- be they harbour master or planetary tyrant -- show them due respect. Their most valuable gift, however, is the unerring ability to gauge the subtlest degree of risk in any proposed mercantile venture, which they can then take steps to nullify appropriately.
Many seneschals maintain a tightly-controlled network of contacts and spies where possible, so that within solar hours of arriving in a familiar port they have full knowledge of local trading conditions and can advise their Rogue Trader accordingly. Every detail that might affect business is of interest to a seneschal, from the amount of dowry offered in a noble marriage to the going rate for a kilo of narco-blitz or to the rumoured deaths and wars far removed from their current sphere.
Furthermore, most seneschals favour a "hands on" approach to their work, never fully trusting knowledge they cannot confirm themselves. As a result, many are masters of disguise and duplicity, able to blend into the background in almost any situation. Donning the guise of the "grey man," the seneschal lurks in the periphery as the great and the good conduct their affairs, observing all that transpires whilst remaining unnoticed. With a cold-blooded sureness, they seek to discern the truth behind rousing speeches and courteous manners, and lies cloaked in both piety and vice. Sage counsellor, profit-monger, and spy, the seneschal is all these things and more.
Notable Senescals[]
- Seneschal Abelard Werserian - Werserian is a former officer of the Navis Imperialis who has served as seneschal of the House von Valancius Rogue Trader dynasty in the Koronus Expanse for solar decades under the leadership of Theodora von Valancius. When Theodora was recently assassinated during a Warp incursion on her flagship, Werserian had to transfer his solar decades of loyalty and experience to the house's new Rogue Trader, a distantly related individual who had met Theodora only a scant few solar hours before her death.
- High Factotum Janris Danrok - Danrok is the high factotum of the von Valancius Rogue Trader dynasty of the Koronus Expanse and a native of the Civilised World of Dargonus that serves as the capital world of the von Valancius Protectorate in the region. High Factotum Danrok is a master of the mechanisms of interstellar trade: negotiations, compacts, endless records, bribes, threats, and the filling and emptying of a starship's great-holds. He's also responsible for maintaining the crew of the dynasty's flagship at strength and obtaining all needed supplies for the voidship.
Sources[]
- Rogue Trader: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 64-67
- Owlcat Games website - Abelard Werserian: A Man of His Duty
- Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (PC Game)