Editing Administratum (section)

==Hierarchy==
The labyrinthine structure of the Administratum does have its own hierarchy, although it is as convoluted as anything when it comes to matters of authority: individuals can have multiple ranks denoting their position and status within the Administratum:

*'''Adept''' ''(or Adeptus):'' the title given to every person under the employment of the Emperor, denoting the fact they work for the {{W40kKeyword|IMPERIUM}}. Can range from the guy who polishes the shoes of Plantery Governor Count Fatfuck of planet Nowhere to the guy who cleans the toilets in the Imperial Palace, all the way up to Planetary Governors and certain Space Marine Chapter Masters. It is important to distinguish between "servants" of the Emperor and mere "subjects" of the Emperor as there are number of legal rights and benefits associated with the title so it does not get issued to just anyone unless they actually work for the [[Adeptus Terra]] in some capacity, and people can get fucking territorial about it! Beyond the forms of address, just because you are an "Adept" does not automatically put you higher on the ladder than the next guy, as there are a multitude of other posts and positions within the Administratum, each allowing for their own avenues of advancement:
**'''Menial:''' essentially the lowest of the low. These people are the unskilled workers hired in by the Administratum to do the lifting and carrying jobs. They are permitted to use the title of Adept but it does not pass beyond them.
**'''Subordinate:''' A member of the Administratum who holds a valuable skilled position such as craftsman or engineer. Their positions and titles are often hereditary, making them slaves of the Imperium who will pass on their jobs and titles to their offspring when they die. Graduates from the [[Schola Progenium]] who get jobs in the Administratum typically enter into specialist positions owing to their detailed education and Imperial conditioning, making them ideal candidates for higher ranking roles.
***'''Scribes:''' are potentially what people think of most when anyone mentions the Administratum. They are generally drawn from the hereditary slave caste and are low level functionaries and clerks.
***'''Chirurgeons:''' trained specialists of the Officio Medicae, presumably ''aren't'' hereditary positions owing to the sheer amount of anatomical information required to take on a qualified position, though the [[Dark Heresy]] RPG has them graduating from Scribes, so make of that what you will.
***'''Curators:''' People tasked with maintaining the written records of the Imperium, even when those records are written in languages that are no longer spoken anywhere. This position is also hereditary because Curator families teach these languages to their offspring, thereby protecting their positions ''(and titles)'' jealously rather than translating those records into languages understood by the Imperium at large.
***'''Ciphers:''' a unique sub-caste of the hereditary slave group. The Ciphers teach their children methods of self-hypnosis that allows them to memorise long reems of information even when they do not understand what it is they are memorising. They can later divulge this information on command making them trusted messengers within the offices of the Imperium.
**'''Ordinates:''' Mid level functionaries and minor officials. If a Subordinate is lucky they might get promoted to Ordinate, bringing their family an increase in living conditions.
*'''Prefect''' ''(or Prefectus):'' Officers and officials of the Administratum and comes with a variety of sub-grades and forms of address.
**Arguably this includes Commissars since they are literally ''officers'' of the Administratum from the <u>Officio Prefectus</u>, meaning they outrank most Adepts, but as with any Prefect the issue becomes moot where those Adepts hold other ranks, so good luck getting an ''Adeptus'' Chapter Master to care about your authority.
*'''Master''': These people are the heads of the various offices of the Administratum, below the Master of the Administratum himself. Notably the '''Chancellor of the Estates Imperium''' is ranked "Master", hence lower in the pecking order to the Master of the Administratum, even when he is a High Lord of Terra and "technically" his equal.
*'''[[High Lords of Terra|Master of the Administratum]]''': The single person at the top of the pyramid, and [[Age of Apostasy|"arguably"]] one of the most powerful people in the entire Imperium. The current incumbent is Violeta Roskavler of [[Inwit]], who previously served as Master of the Munitorum.


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