So, this might be a weird question, and, like so many, it might depend upon a particular dynasty, but "typically" how long can you be MIA before someone is likely to report you missing, or try to declare you dead? This is the same Imperium that can lose whole worlds, name several different worlds the same thing (I almost hope that some other "Cadia" got nuked; I'm actually rather sad/grumpy about that, favorite regiment, and all, but later), and forget several wars it is actively engaged in, or lose a whole division in the Warp, and 200 years later, declare them all traitors/deserters. It also depends on somewhat dodgy astrotelepathic communication, which can be spotty, disrupted, possibly even sabotaged. i know that a ship SHOULD need to pull into port,every so often, to stock up on supplies/crew refills, and this should ding in the dynasty's coffers, but what if you go missing for a while? How long should too long be, before your family starts trying to declare you dead, and pass your Warrant on to the next bearer?

At some point, in a story, I'm thinking of jumping eight, or so, years, and with some of the "HOLY CRAP!" events, already, it would seem weird, if not nice, to have eight straight years of "nothing much happened". Could get frozen competition, or lost in the warp, and come out eight years later; some ships come out a century late, or a decade before they left, so it doesn't seem hard.

As a last bit, as I am AFB, do either of the books, core, or Navis Primer, take into account maybe coming out way late, or actually before you left, or is that more fluff, and we know it happens, but the system would rather not mess with it, as it isn't common, by any stretch?

Think about how long normal imperial society takes to figure out a law case.

Decades, maybe centuries. Generations at the least.

Apply that to people with ease of access to Rejuvenat and you extend it a long time.

However Rogue Trader dynasties are nasty little things. Look into Legacy? I think if you want to see what a RT dynasty will do to keep a warrant to a certain person.

So it depends honestly. Did they like you? Is it more useful to them to not report it? Would they want to declare you dead as fast as possible? Is the Ordo Famulous going to break the dynasty apart to find an heir apparent or your seed/egg?

These are important factors to consider. Even then there's literal mountains of litigation and negotiation to go through for such things. Maybe some Inquisitorial involvement as well.

Ordo Famulous? Is that a thing? I'm familiar with the Adepta Sororitas's Orders Famulous (the Order of the Key and the Order of the Gate, both out of the Convent Sanctorum, for example)

The Orders Famulous are a non-militant Order, and their job is to act as advisers to nobility; they keep track of bloodlines and the genetic stability and purity of hereditary rulers. They also act as the first line of defense against mutation and degenerative inbreeding, and have the authority to purge tainted bloodlines-that gives them narrow but substantial authority to act in a manner similar to Inquisitors when it relates to their field. The only prominent example I can think of is during the Enforcer Trilogy, where an Arbites investigation into a corrupt Noble line results in a raid: the Enforcers move in to find the estate in the process of being purged by the Ordo Famulous and several of their deep cover operatives.

1 hour ago, Servant of Dante said:

Ordo Famulous? Is that a thing? I'm familiar with the Adepta Sororitas's Orders Famulous (the Order of the Key and the Order of the Gate, both out of the Convent Sanctorum, for example)

That's what I meant yeah. Inquisition on the brain since I'm reading through DH1's core rulebook.

28 minutes ago, ViperMagnum357 said:

The Orders Famulous are a non-militant Order, and their job is to act as advisers to nobility; they keep track of bloodlines and the genetic stability and purity of hereditary rulers. They also act as the first line of defense against mutation and degenerative inbreeding, and have the authority to purge tainted bloodlines-that gives them narrow but substantial authority to act in a manner similar to Inquisitors when it relates to their field. The only prominent example I can think of is during the Enforcer Trilogy, where an Arbites investigation into a corrupt Noble line results in a raid: the Enforcers move in to find the estate in the process of being purged by the Ordo Famulous and several of their deep cover operatives.

To be clear, yes I already knew what the Orders Famulous do. And it is not a singular organization. GW has named 4 Orders Famulous: the Order of the Key and the Order of the Gate which are based at the Convent Sanctorum (on Ophelia VII) and the Order of the Holy Seal and the Order of the Sacred coin based at the Convent Prioris (on Holy Terra). "Orders Famulous" is simply a category of the non-militant Orders, not an organization in and of itself (though a member of one of the Orders Famulous is referred to as a Sister Famulous)

For Rogue Traders this is likely one of the reasons that the Imperium insists on regular presentation and inspection of the Warrants of Trade. Without it they might completely revoke our charter and take all of your power, meaning you need to be on hand to present and explain yourself.

On the other hand, players of Rogue Trader might remember one Rogue Trader Haarlock who went missing and the campaign opens with essentially selling off his family's estate. He disappeared in 703.M41, and the sale doesn't occur until roughly 816.M41, so it can clearly take some time.

2 hours ago, Erathia said:

For Rogue Traders this is likely one of the reasons that the Imperium insists on regular presentation and inspection of the Warrants of Trade. Without it they might completely revoke our charter and take all of your power, meaning you need to be on hand to present and explain yourself.

On the other hand, players of Rogue Trader might remember one Rogue Trader Haarlock who went missing and the campaign opens with essentially selling off his family's estate. He disappeared in 703.M41, and the sale doesn't occur until roughly 816.M41, so it can clearly take some time.

This sort of seems weird, to me. On some pages, at least to me, a Rogue Trader is on similar standing to an Inquisitor; their remit given to them, or their ancestors, by the Emperor, Himself, or, more likely, the Lords of Terra, and that would seem to put them out of the reach of most adepta, the same as an Inquisitor (only other Inquisitors can censure one of their own). I can see the Imperium wanting to keep some tabs on this flying resource sink, but they sort of made a deal, and the RT is expected to stay out there for much of their time. Maybe it's that, these days, "lesser people" (read: NOT the LoT) can give out warrants, too, and these weaker pieces of paper might offer less protection, but with the size, and disconnectiveness of the Imperium, it would seem most people who might have ANY authority over a full Rogue Trader are a segmentum, and a half, away, and only the slightest bit in the know of what that individual is even up to. This could just be me, though. Maybe another good reason for the Rogue Trader to occasionally return to civilization, and go to the big sector-capitol parties; something to do, while the ship gets restocked, AND it gives the Imps a chance to catch up on what their Rogue Trader has been doing, out there, in the endless night.

On ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 6:14 PM, venkelos said:

So, this might be a weird question, and, like so many, it might depend upon a particular dynasty, but "typically" how long can you be MIA before someone is likely to report you missing, or try to declare you dead? This is the same Imperium that can lose whole worlds, name several different worlds the same thing (I almost hope that some other "Cadia" got nuked; I'm actually rather sad/grumpy about that, favorite regiment, and all, but later), and forget several wars it is actively engaged in, or lose a whole division in the Warp, and 200 years later, declare them all traitors/deserters. It also depends on somewhat dodgy astrotelepathic communication, which can be spotty, disrupted, possibly even sabotaged. i know that a ship SHOULD need to pull into port,every so often, to stock up on supplies/crew refills, and this should ding in the dynasty's coffers, but what if you go missing for a while? How long should too long be, before your family starts trying to declare you dead, and pass your Warrant on to the next bearer?

At some point, in a story, I'm thinking of jumping eight, or so, years, and with some of the "HOLY CRAP!" events, already, it would seem weird, if not nice, to have eight straight years of "nothing much happened". Could get frozen competition, or lost in the warp, and come out eight years later; some ships come out a century late, or a decade before they left, so it doesn't seem hard.

As a last bit, as I am AFB, do either of the books, core, or Navis Primer, take into account maybe coming out way late, or actually before you left, or is that more fluff, and we know it happens, but the system would rather not mess with it, as it isn't common, by any stretch?

It does. Off the top of my head times range from two days before you left (if you are going to the next system over) to four years (if you are making an uninterrupted trip across the galaxy). This is time passing in real space, the time that the crew experienced has almost no relation to the numbers given here.