"It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries The Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the Master of Mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die.
Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defense forces, the ever vigilant Inquisition and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants - and worse.
To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. Yet you are not just any individual—you are an Explorer on a Rogue Trader ship with authority and freedom far beyond the comprehension of the masses. Empowered by an ancient warrant of trade and a warp-capable ship, you will venture into the uncharted voids, discovering new worlds, lost civilizations, and bizarre alien technology. Fortune and glory are within reach. Rogue Traders stand on the threshold of unlimited opportunity and innumerable dangers..."
A Rogue Trader is a combination of freelance explorer, conquistador and merchant. They are Imperial servants given a ship, a crew, a contingent of troops and carte blanche to roam the worlds beyond Imperial control.
Many times Rogue Traders find isolated planets with a Human population which will be incorporated into the Imperium. Other times they find empty or alien-dominated planets ripe for colonization. Rogue Traders are flamboyant individuals; many are highly pious while others are no more than legitimized pirates, desperados plundering whatever world they came upon.
The most valuable possession of a Rogue Trader family is its Charters, or Warrants of Trade; an ancient legal document which describes the accepted limits of its operations. It should be noted that although Rogue Traders are shipmasters who travel the vastness of space, their authority to do so comes not from a Merchant Charter, but rather a letter of appointment that elevates them to the authority equalling Space Marine Chapter Masters, Inquisitors andPlanetary GovernorsThese charters are hereditary thus creating a Rogue Trader dynasty. Certain powerful lords of the Adeptus Terra offer charters of trade as a bribe to their rivals. In exchange the rival simply walks away into a life of adventure and, hopefully, great wealth. Some Rogue Trader families have powerful allies inside the Adeptus Terra. Some of the more ancient ones are dated from the very beginnings of the Imperium, and some were even signed by the Emperor himself. Others were signed by Primarchs or other leaders of the Great Crusade. These charters are very valuable and give its owner great leeway. They are tailor-made and unique. They cannot be re-appealed as according to Imperial law and Imperial religious dogma no one is empowered to overrule these persons.
Having said that, one can assume that a renegade Rogue Trader guilty of heresy or treason will be severely prosecuted by the Inquisition. It is very likely that he is considered to have forsaken the Emperor's trust upon his family and that his punishment will be much more severe.
Letters of Marque are similar documents issued more recently. The Letters of Marque are rather restricted in some aspects and controlled more effectively by Imperial authorities. The more recent ones are not hereditary at all, forcing the hopeful heir to return and re-apply for a new charter.
Some Rogue Traders are relatively poor, possessing a single ancient and dilapidated ship. Others are incredibly wealthy and powerful and have whole fleets and entire private armies at their disposal. Certain favored individuals may even call upon detachments of Space Marines having entered pacts with individual Chapters. Some Rogue Traders operate as mercenaries, renting the service of their ship(s).
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