Editing Navigator (section)

==Bloodlines & Houses==
Despite the running joke ''(and reality)'' that all Navigators are fantastically interbred, they are not a completely homogeneous group. The distinction between bloodlines is a very important factor in determining their abilities, specialties, and how they actually navigate the warp itself.

Some families exhibit higher rates of mutation, some lower. Some families are invariably mad, while some exhibit unusual warp related powers beyond the others, some can only navigate the warp after performing bizarre rituals that might involve human sacrifice or imbibing noxious compounds. The sheer diversity between Navigator bloodlines and houses is immense, with new strains branching off from time to time to form new families.

Despite defying neat categorisation, there are roughly groups of Navigator Houses.
*'''Magisterial Houses:''' Those who might be considered "purest" in that they have either selectively cultivated or reduced rates of mutation. They might be able to draw their lineage back to the original Navigator families from before the Imperium and are most likely to have holdings on [[Terra]] and hold the respect and awe of other noble houses.
*'''Nomadic Houses:''' Families who have taken to space borne life like travelling gypsies. They are easily the most proficient of Navigators, but may equally be considered the most bizarre and unrelatable to those accustomed to sedentary life on a planet.
*'''Shrouded Houses:''' Also known as ''Beggar Houses'', who for some reason or another have fallen on hard times though it might only take a change in fortunes for a house to change its status back to eminence. They might still have limited holdings, but cannot count on the wealth of support that being a Navigator normally offers so they tend to have some of the most "people skills" and almost universally have an enhanced warp sight born out of self reliance that allows them to sense warp disturbances.
*'''Renegade Houses:''' Those houses that have been officially cut off from the Navis Nobilite for some reason or another. Technically that does not make them renegades or traitors to the Imperium (though all traitor houses are Renegade Houses by default), but it does make them easier prey for various entities with a grudge against the Navigators. It also means that they are most likely to exhibit mutation due either due to self tampering or by being disconnected from official breeding programs. As with Shrouded Houses, it is possible for a Renegade House to be brought back into the fold due to careful politics, following the certain prohibitions or performing the correct penances.

Being exposed to the malign influence of the warp as part of their day job, coupled with the fact that they mutate at the drop of the hat; the [[Inquisition]] ''(about the only people who can really touch them)'' keeps a close eye on the Navigator Families and has destroyed more than a few who became corrupted. The Navigators try to resolve such problems internally, knowing how overboard the Inquisition likes to go. Wars between Navigator Houses are not uncommon, but are frequently done on the down low. Many of them become more formalised "bloodless" trade wars (people still die but no one important), although this can backfire massively if the House has close ties with powerful friends. House Belisarius, for example, is almost immune to trade wars because no one likes the idea of a squad of Space Wolves being given permission to fuck shit up.

The fact that Navigators are mutants leads to the final house type, the '''Traitor House'''. So far as Navigators are concerned, treason has nothing to do with betraying the Emperor or the Imperium; treason means betraying the Navigator race. It is mutually agreed-upon that Navigator houses can disrupt each others affairs, destroy assets, kill or kidnap house members ([[Mongols|it's not unusual for navigators to have a hostage parent]]; y'know, whatever it takes to avoid inbreeding), and still be in good standing with the overall community. But tell ONE Inquisitor the truth about navigators, and every navigator will want you and your entire bloodline dead. It is drilled into navigators from birth that their status in the Imperium is precarious and depends entirely on ignorance; the Imperium CANNOT know what they are, and virtually any sacrifice to ensure that ignorance is not only acceptable, but imperative. Traitor houses generally do not live very long, because the Navigators will use every resource at their disposal to ensure their destruction.

===The Paternova & Heirs Apparent===
[[File:The fine points of Navigator Paternova succession.jpg|300px|right]]
As mentioned earlier, head honcho of the Navis Nobilite is the '''Paternova'''. Not only are they probably the most grotesquely mutated example of their kind ''(pictures of the Paternova have never been released)'' they are able to exert some kind of influence over the ''entire subspecies'' of Navigator, and are therefore the reason that bloodlines and lineage are so important to the Navis Nobilite.

When the Paternova kicks the bucket (every thousand years or so, give or take a bit) every Navigator in existence will feel the effect, and create a period of anarchy where their powers function inconsistently. Each House will have someone called an '''Heir Apparent''' within their ranks, usually the oldest or most powerful of their number, but not always and they can come from any tier in their society. These Heirs Apparent are affected differently and instead of facing a reduction in powers will start to hulk out, becoming larger and stronger with their natural powers becoming more pronounced.

The Heirs are instinctively drawn into combat with one another to fight in GLORIOUS MACHO COMBAT, only gaining more and more powers and adaptations with each fallen contender until the inevitable Highlander moment when there is only one remaining to claim the prize. In this case the "prize" is the immediate restoration of all Navigator powers everywhere and the enhancement of the abilities of the family that they belong to; most likely bringing with them a considerable increase in prestige and reputation until their own Paternova croaks it.

Because of his importance, the Paternova is said to be the guiding father ''(or mother)'' whose powers transcends the Warp itself. Whether or not this is true, the sheer influence that the Paternova holds over the entire species of Navigators regardless of their position in the galaxy potentially either makes them one of the most significant psychic individuals short of the Emperor himself, or it could be a natural reaction for all Navigators towards having a stable hierarchy, the phenomenon is not well known and has hardly been explored in the fluff. Such is the importance placed on the Heirs Apparent that they treat each other as bitter rivals, and constantly plot to eliminate each other even when the Paternova still lives and breathes, something that perpetuates the ongoing rivalry between the houses. All so that they can increase their chances of claiming the top job if the Paternova drops dead during their lifetimes.

===Navis Scions===
At one end of the scale you have the heavily mutated Heirs and Paternova that are seldom ever seen by the public at large, but on the other you have the '''Navis Scions''' who represent the exact opposite. The Scions are the youngest and least mutated of the households, whose purpose is to present the public face and represent the family in their dealings with Imperial clients.

While most Navigators are sequestered aboard ships or kept within the family estates, the Navis Scions are often the only Navigators a person with little void experience will ever encounter, therefore Scions are never appointed frivolously. They are chosen from youth or even during the later stages of pregnancy to ensure that the scions do not bear any hint of deformity... or that any apparent mutation might be a calculated benefit, like appearing unnaturally beautiful or elegant. This gives rise to the illusion that Navigators ''aren't'' actually mutated freak shows, and serves to get their non-Navigator counterparts to drop their guards and keep some of the heat off when the rumours start flying.

Scions are carefully groomed in the arts of conversation and protocol and do well in a variety of roles; often finding themselves in influential advisory positions to Admirals, Rogue Traders or even just members of the Imperial Nobility. As mentioned previously, Navigators aren't "true" psykers and don't learn any of the psychic disciplines, though that does not stop some enterprising Scions from touting their skills as "psychic advisors" knowing that most uneducated folks can't tell the difference.

Eventually though, as the Navigator ages, their mutations are likely to accumulate to a point that they can no longer fulfil their position. Some Scions extend their tenures by resorting to reconstructive surgeries or cybernetic augmentation so that their deformities are removed or compensated for. Unfortunately unstable genetics catches up to most Scions eventually, where they are quietly shuffled into other duties. Hopefully by that point they will have accumulated enough wealth and prestige so that they can either retire comfortably, or lean on the connections and influence that they have gained to give themselves more advantages in the future.