Adeptus Administratum
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The Adeptus Administratum, also known as the Scriptists and the Enumerators[5a], is the administrative and bureaucratic division of the Adeptus Terra, consisting of untold billions of clerks, scribes and administrative staff constantly working to manage the Imperium at every level, from assembling war fleets to levying taxes. It is the largest of the departments comprising the Adeptus Terra—the mere administration of the Imperial Palace is estimated to involve over ten billion adepts.[1a]
Contents
Overview
The Administratum was created as the Imperial Administration, and was under the control of Malcador, titled the Chief of the Imperial Administration.[1a]
Billions of Administratum officials on Terra and throughout the galaxy are constantly carrying out population censuses, working out tithes, recording and archiving information, and the million other things that are necessary for the running of the Imperium. Such is its immense size and complex bureaucracy that whole Administratum departments have been lost and forgotten. So dogmatically bureaucratic, whole departments of adepts continue to diligently but purposelessly carry out the role their department was founded for, even after the department has become long obsolete. Of all the Imperium's divisions, the Administratum is regarded as the least prestigious, but its high ranking members are among the most powerful men in the Imperium. Despite its massive inefficiency, the Administratum is so integral to the running of the Imperium, that without it, the whole Imperium would grind to a halt. As a result, the Master of the Administratum is the most powerful member of the High Lords of Terra. Many Administratum positions are hereditary; parents pass on their ranks and positions to their children, who continue the work that had occupied the lives of their ancestors. Typical Administratum adepts labour within gargantuan vaults, sitting at logic-engines and can be considered learned by Imperial standards.[1a]
Like other non-combatant servants of the Adeptus Terra, the members of the Administratum wear a monastic style of dress, their habits varying in colour according to rank and area of responsibility. The basic color for the lowliest scribe is black - higher-ranking members have increasingly lighter shades of grey, and eventually pure white.[2] While the Administratum as a whole is primarily responsible for all logistical operations relating to the civil aspects of the Imperium, one of its departments, the Departmento Munitorum is responsible for the logistics of the Imperial Guard, organising military tithes, troop movements and troop deployment.[1a][1b]
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. Enormous amounts of Vellum is produced from the hides of Porcine bred on Agri-Worlds or artificially grown in bio-vats. Vellum is a prized resource in the Imperium, so much so that inter-agency wars have been fought over it and wealthy familial dynasties solely dedicated to the creation of parchment exist. Legions of Administratum scribes work tirelessly upon Vellum, consuming untold amounts of the parchment in their endless recording of data. It is said that Vellum is the 7th largest import to Terra in sheer weight due to the demands of the Imperial bureaucracy. The Administratum itself seems aware of the inefficiency of written record over more modern methods, but nonetheless does not change.[11]
Divisions of the Administratum
The Administratum is comprised of innumerable divisions and offices. Each office or department is involved in some specific aspect of administration, most of them are petty and of little interest.[1a] Known divisions are listed below:
- The Departmento Munitorum - Oversees the massive logistics and management of the Imperial Guard[7b]
- The Departmento Exacta - Oversees the collection of Imperial Tithe[20]
- The Estate Imperium - Record keeping department[7a]
- The Historical Revision Unit - Revises historical records that may be 'subversive' to Imperial rule[1a]
- The Imperial Fleet and its three components: the Imperial Navy, Merchant Fleet, and Civil Fleet.[8]
- The Departmento Colonia - Deals with issues of planetary colonisation[19]
- The Logis Strategos - Intelligence and threat-analysis agency[3]
- The Officio Assassinorum - Secretive assassination organisation[8]
- The Officio Sabatorum[21] - Sabotage and other espionage activities.
- The Officio Agricultae - Food management agency[22]
- The Officio Medicae - Medical agency[23]
- The Ordo Tempestus - Elite military force that includes Tempestus Scions and Commissars[24]
- The Officio Logisticarum - Logistical agency that oversaw the Indomitus Crusade[10]
- The Tithes Chamber Notaries, sub. Planetary Census (Abhumans) - Deals with Abhuman affairs.[8]
- The Departmento of Final Consideration - Manages the various requests for aid from other Imperial worlds[17a]
- The Departmento Processium - Processes paperwork[17a]
- The Departmento Contagio - Studies infectious disease[17c]
- The Departmento Gradio - Assigns ranking grades to letters and documents[17d]
- The Astra Cartographica - Star mapping agency[17e]
- The Questio Logisticus - Estimates the length of Warp Jumps between worlds[18]
- The Literati - Armed enforcers and security guards[17f]
- Imperial Commanders[8]
- Rogue Traders[8]
Ranks and titles of the Administratum
There are countless ranks and titles used within the Administratum; the system is also used within the Adeptus Terra as a whole.[1a] Some examples include:
- The Master of the Administratum - The titular head of the organization and one of the High Lords of Terra[1a]
- The Master Logisticar - Senior position[6]
- Adeptus (or Adept) - The title of all members of the Adeptus Terra, from the highest ranking to the most petty of functionaries[1a]
- Prefectus (or Prefect) - Officers and officials[1a]
- Masters - Departmental heads[1a]
- Ordinates - Minor administrative officials[1a]
- Curators - Maintains the ancient records of the Imperium; the rank also requires associated historical and linguistic knowledge[1b]
- Scribes - Lowly functionaries responsible for keeping records[1a]
- Ciphers - Special form of messengers; they memorize dictation with a single scan, repeating it verbatim when they reach their destination; they have no knowledge of the messages they carry[1b]
- Menials - Lowly non-specialized workers recruited from the non-adept population[1b]
- Subordinates - Hereditary slaves who serve as engineers, craftsmen, etc, as well as in unskilled occupations[1b]
Known Administratum worlds
Sources
- 1: Codex Imperialis (Background Book)
- 2: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (1987), pg. 140
- 3: Imperial Armour Volume Eight - Raid on Kastorel-Novem, pg. 7
- 4:Dark Heresy Core Rulebook
- 5
- 6: Codex: Adeptus Custodes (8th Edition), pg.12
- 7: Imperial Munitorum Manual (Background Book)
- 8: Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition Rulebook, pg. 404
- 9: Dark Heresy Rulebook
- 10: White Dwarf July 2019 - Indomitus Crusade Fleets
- 11: Vaults of Terra: The Hollow Mountain (Novel) - Chapter 6
- 12: Avenging Son (Novel) Chapter 10
- 18: Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition Rulebook pg.278
- 19: Dante (Novel), Chapter 16
- 20: Shadowsword (Novel), Chapter 1
- 21: Kill Team (Novel), pgs. 22, 38
- 22: Hereticus (Novel), Chapter 1
- 23: Codex: Eye of Terror, pg. 13
- 24: Codex: Militarum Tempestus (6th Edition) - The Ordo Tempestus
- 25: Watchers of the Throne: The Regent's Shadow (Novel), Chapter 4 - Jek
- 26: Valdor: Birth of the Imperium (Novel), Chapter 7
