[Extract] An Agri-world community serves as a neat microcosm of the Imperium pre- and post-Rift
I thought I'd share this description of Ancra, a region on the Agri-world of Ostia in the Gilead System (which has ended up in Imperium Nihilus), as it nicely showcases how many of the broader conditions and dynamics we are told characterise the Imperium play out in practice, on a local level - while it also provides interesting details about the impact of the Great Rift:
Honest Toil
Ancra is a small farming zone in a valley of the Kharnuk Mountains. The highly fertile lands of the valley are accessible only via a narrow track or by airdrop, meaning the fruitful fields must be worked by hand as opposed to the colossal servo-tractors used elsewhere on the mega-acreages of Ostia. Despite this, the land has been farmed efficiently since its colonisation, it’s simple labourers pushed to the limit by their Administratum masters.
As the working day stretched beyond 12 hours, Ancra was held up as an exemplar of how Humanity could profit from sheer determination, and the Sortium demanded ever greater tithes from the small area as disaster inevitably loomed.
Undying Shame
The Imperium stands strong on a mountain of crushed rebellions, bringing its military might to bear on any foolish insurrection to ensure that Humanity is not destroyed by the needs of the selfish few. The repeated uprisings in Ancra were barely a footnote in Imperial history as thousands of disobedient labourers were cowed by the might of the Gilead Gravediggers, but even centuries later, their crimes have not been forgotten. The Administratum grew concerned with the loss of productivity, and resolved to use a less militant approach to ‘encourage’ the workforce of Ancra.
Faith Heals All Wounds
Though part of the civilised Imperium, the citizens of Ancra had little need of education, and were somewhat backwards by the standards of the people of the Gilead System. This made them the perfect target for the Ecclesiarchy of Enoch, who shaped their primitive beliefs of the Emperor in the guise of the ‘Dawn Lord’ into something far more palatable to the wider Imperium. Under the instruction of the Administratum, the priests of the Ministorum riled the zealous faith of the populace into reverence of the very act of farming itself, seeing it as ritualistic worship of the Emperor and repentance for the blasphemous rebellion of their ancestors. The Administratum soon found themselves in control of a fanatical labour force prepared to work themselves to the death in His name, and tithes increased once more — though many Adepts the potential problems that could arise from this shift in power to the Ecclesiarchy.
The Great Rift
The emergence of the Cicatrix Maledictum is a curse to all Human life in the Gilead System, though not always through the immediate danger of daemonic incursion. Cut off from the wider Imperium, the system’s planets have no means of trading for foodstuffs, and so almost all sustenance is farmed and produced on Ostia. Ever aware of the minutiae of production numbers, the Administratum immediately raised the tithes on Ostia to ensure the lone Agri World could meet the hunger of the entire system. The faithful labourers gladly accepted this challenge, but the ensuing three years have proved that it may be beyond the abilities of the Human form. Ancra’s citizens have died in droves in their earnest attempts to martyr themselves through agriculture, and as the Administratum saw productivity dip, they searched for a solution to their problems.
Automated Assistance
Even the augmented forms of the Adeptus Mechanicus need sustenance, and after hearing of potential issues with harvests on Ostia, the Machine Cults of Avachrus engaged their cogitators and calculated a way to benefit. The Administratum gladly accepted the aid of their farming Servitors, even allowing them to convert the simple farmers into far more efficient lobotomised labourers, allowing the Adeptus Mechanicus to contest the power of the Ecclesiarchy on Ostia for the first time. But the earnest faith of the populace ensures that superstition runs rampant — the workforce fears and distrusts the tech-ghouls of the Mechanicus and lifeless, vacant stares of their Servitors, leading to immense tension in Ancra.
Wrath & Glory: Litanies of the Lost, pp. 6-7
The Gilead Gravediggers are an Imperial Guard regiment.
So, in this extract we see:
The existence of a fanatical version of the Imperial Faith, though one which takes a very specific, local form.
How that religion is used to indoctrinate and exploit the populace - and was intentionally cultivated and shaped after the Guard repeatedly put down rebellions, as workers rose up against brutal working conditions.
That past "crimes" of a whole society are not forgiven by those who run the Imperium, even centuries later.
The callous nature of the Administratum, and the demands placed on the masses, to toil away to meet the tithe... but that the tithe may then just be raised once it is realized more can be squeezed out.
That different Imperial institutions work together, but that these are uneasy alliances, and they are ultimately working to promote their own interests and aims. We see this clearly here with the tensions between the Administratum, the Ecclesiarchy, and the Ad Mech. There is some great development of this theme later in the mission details.
The strain the emergence of the Great Rift has placed on many worlds and systems... not least because the Administratum has raised the tithe to completely unsustainable levels on many worlds to try and compensate for the breakdown in logistical supply chains.
How the callousness of the Administratum and the Ad Mech can lead to creative solutions to such problems... such as by introducing the use of servitors, and even turning some of the locals into servitors!
The way in which the Rift and it's aftermath has only deepened the tensions between the labour force, the Administratum, the Ecclesiarchy, and the Ad Mech.
That even within an Agriworld, there can be different local conditions and cultures.
This is just fantastic worldbuilding in my opinion, which nails the nature of the Imperium in interesting and very appropriate ways.
I know the older FFG RPGs get a lot of love and reverence - and for good reason, as they are amazing. But some of the offerings from the newer RPGs are top class as well, and well worth checking out!
If anyone is interested, I might post some interesting details from the rest of the mission outline about Ancra.