Knowing Avernus (The Bush, The Wilds, and The Dark): You spent some time recently learning about the different terms that are used to describe the different areas of Avernus by its people.
The first term is The Bush, which is sued to describe those regions of Avernus that while outside of the cities still receive regular human presence. These regions are considered to be the safest outside regions on Avernus, and usually have regular PDF and Helltrooper patrols. There are quite a few professions that involve regular trips to the bush, and Bushmen, those who often venture into this region are respected by Avernites for their bravery and survival skills.
The second term is The Wilds, which is used to refer to those areas that lie within explored regions but rarely if ever have human visitors, either due to their danger or simply locations. Far fewer Avernites enter The Wilds regular then The Bush and those that do are considered either near-suicidal or incredibly brave. They mostly consist of surveyors, who attempt to create more detailed maps of Avernus and locate unknown resources, and hunters, who often go after game that is rarely found in The Bush.
The final term is The Dark, a blanket term that is used for both unexplored regions and those regions that are considered to be to dangerous to venture into such as the seas and the Caverns. Few people venture into The Dark and even fewer come back but those who do are considered to be the Avernites Avernites, incredibly skilled, courageous and near-insane. The main people who enter The Wilds are the Explorer's who venture into the unexplored regions in an attempt to map it and discover new flora and fauna, the Cavers, who venture into the Caverns in search of the massive rewards that can be found deep within and the Sailors, who travel the seas of Avernus, often searching for exotic fish to sell to gourmet diners and the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Knowing Avernus (The Guilds):
The Guilds is a term used for those organisations devoted to preparing and organising those who venture out into the Wilds and the Dark, and acting as a meeting place for one of the more cliquish groups of Avernites. The majority of these guilds were set up by the Wildmen themselves to better share skills and knowledge and are run by either respected members of tier particular community or by those who have retired, either because of injuries or because they just can't take it anymore. There are a large range of guilds, each for a particular type of wildmen or region however there is a single guild that is considered to be The Guild. This is the Guild of Explorers, the first of the Guilds of Avernus being founded shortly after landing by the survivors of the initial survey teams sent to Avernus. The Explorer's Guild is responsible for exploring almost as much of Avernus as the planetary government and has thousands of members, making it one of the larger guilds. Due to its and connections the Explorer's Guild acts as the centre for the guilds, organising meetings between guilds and overseeing the sharing of information.
Knowing Avernus (Avernite Governmental Organisation):
The governmental organisation of Avernus is interesting, with multiple organisations working beside each other on several different levels. The highest layer of government on Avernus is the Planetary Government, where you and your advisers oversee the planet as a whole and its place within the galaxy. Below that are Regional Governments, where the Ministers chair a group consisting of Administratum Prefects, PDF Marshals, Arbitrators and other major figures as they manage the economy and overall defence of their region. Then there are the city and hive councils, where Lord Mayors work with Administatum Adepts, PDF Major-Generals/Lieutenant-Generals and similar to manage the great mass of people and machinery that an Avernite city consists of. This is probably the most important level in keeping Avernus functional, and the one level that may be able to keep going if all other layers of government fell. Then there are the district councils, the lowest formal level of government and the level that most Avernites interact with consisting of Aldermen, PDF Brigadiers and other worthies. It is the district council who enforce the lesser laws of Avernus, ensure compliance to the countless Administratum regulations and the general maintenance of the cities. While there are no official levels of government below the district councils there are many informal block and street councils, which help organise the people of Avernus and often act as a contact point between the citizens and the district governments.
There are five major organisations which permeate all levels of Avernus, from your personal council to the poorest of neighbourhoods. Given that this is Avernus the most visible of these organisations is the military, from the Marshals of Avernus and the planet razing armies to the sergeants who ensure that the militia is properly trained.
The military is the keystone of Avernite life, and over half of the population will enlist for a decade long stint. As such it is highly respected by all, and military officers are much respected figures. Next is the Administratum, the massive bureaucracy that keeps Avernus functional. Since the founding of Avernus you have ensured that the Administartum of Avernus is not the bloated labyrinthine organisation of so many Imperial worlds, and is instead a lean, highly motivated organisation dedicated to making the planet run as smoothly and unobtrusively as possible. The reputation of the Administratum on Avernus is interesting, with it falling into the background and being taken for granted by the majority of citizens.
The third major organisation is the security forces, who enforce the laws and protect Avernus from hidden foes. Where the other great organisations are monolithic forces with strict hierarchies the security forces of Avernus include over a dozen separate organisations, each with their own duties, many of which are to watch over each other. This has led to a purposefully confusing mess, with no layperson and few officers knowing the true extent of the security forces of Avernus or who actually runs it. Despite, or perhaps because of this the security forces have an incredible reputation, with it being rumoured that there is no way to keep a secret from them. Interestingly enough there is a constant effort in the lower levels of most security forces to attempt to determine exactly who the leader of Avernus' Security forces is, with it being rumoured that promotion is certain for anyone who figures it out, knowing Jane as you do the rumour is in no way baseless and may have been started by her.
Then there is the Church, the guardians of the New Imperial Truth and the spiritual guides of Avernus. The people of Avernus are devote followers of the Emperor and priests are highly respected by all. While this makes the local priest a trusted adviser at all levels of society it also means that there are always many eyes on the priest, and if he ever falters all will no, and none will trust him again. More then anywhere else in the Imperial Trust the Church of Avernus in shaped by Saint Lin in his image, with priests expected to be wise councillors rather then fiery orators.
Finally there is the Mechanicus, the Tech-priests who use and maintain the advanced technology that fills the cities of Avernus. Thanks to the combination of the very high level of education on Avernus, it large Mechanicus population and the integrative policies of Fabricator-General Scott and Britton before her the Mechanicus is far more an understood part of life on Avernus rather then outsiders, leading to both less dislike and less awe being felt towards the Mechanicus.
Knowing Avernus (Avernite Economy)
The economy of Avernus is rather unusual by the standards of the Imperial Trust, being a mix of the command economy that worlds such as Niflheim use and the more common capitalistic economy. This is caused by the fact that the government of Avernus builds and owns the majority of all factories, hospitals, educational institutes and several other sectors of the economy. However a large proportion of said industries is leased out to companies for periods of up to fifty years at a time, as long as certain requirements are met. For example the factories of Avernus are usually leased out with the requirement that the government be provided with a certain amount of manufactured goods at a set price, usually around 25% of its expected productivity and be kept in top condition.
Knowing Avernus (Scars)
You have continued with her efforts to get a better understanding of the Avernite culture, much of which you miss due to generally interacting with Avernus' moves and shakers who are usually at least a hundred years old. In particular you focused on the general view of scars within the population.
Given the danger of life on Avernus and its medical technology almost everyone gains scars over the years, and can have them removed if they want. Given this it is not surprising that 'How to deal with scars' has entered into the mainstream culture. To begin with scars are split into several distinct categories based on both the type of the scar and how it was gained. Each type is either kept untouched, reduced by left visible or removed based on what categories they fall under.
The first category are those scars that are large enough or inconveniently positioned enough that they have a noticeable effect on your ability to defend yourself. These scars are always either reduced or removed, and keeping them is viewed as an arrogant and stupid boast of capability. This overrides all other categories.
Next are 'Teaching Scars', scars gained in experiences that taught you a valuable lesson. Generally these scars are kept intact where possible, so that the lesson they taught is never forgotten.
Then there are 'Heart Scars', scars gained in an act that has great significance to their bearer, such as shielding a loved one. Again these scars are kept intact as a remembrance of how they were gained.
The fourth type of scars are 'Story Scars', scars gained in an experience that makes a good story. They are usually reduced in size but kept, so that people can ask about them and so you can show them while telling the connected story.
Then there are 'Scars of Shame', scars gained in an experience that you are ashamed of that did not teach you anything you did not already know. Sometimes this is a result of doing something stupid, and sometimes it is a result of scars gained in failure. These scars are generally removed, so that they do not act as a constant remainder of how they were gained.
Finally there are 'Meaningless Scars', scars that have no particular importance to you, did not teach you anything, are not connected to an interesting story or moment of shame. They are generally removed in order to avoid the awkward moment where someone asks for the story about a scar and you do not remember how you gained it.
Knowing Avernus (Military Service)
You spent some time getting to know exactly how the people of Avernus view military service, which to a large extent the entire culture is built around. To begin with you have found that there are four main types of people that end up enlisting in your military.
The first type are known as the casuals, or short termers, who are people who due to either a feeling of duty, lack of funds for their preferred career or some other form of pressure enlist for between ten and twenty years before moving on to another career. Casuals make up the majority of the PDF but pretty much never make it into the Helltroopers or to a rank higher then Corporal due to their comparative lack of experience. Despite their somewhat derogatory nickname these soldiers are not looked down on, which given that the majority of the population has been a casual at some point of their lives and the danger level of serving even in the PDFon Avernus is unsurprising.
Next are the lifers, people who plan to spend the vast majority of their life in the service, and end up retiring straight out of the military. These veterans make up the majority of your NCO's and officers, with over eighty percent of the Helltroopers falling into this category. Lifers are highly respected on Avernus and those that end up retiring often end up as major figures in the community.
Then there are the ambitious, those people who believe that they can gain power and fame in the military and have the skills to back them up. Many officers and unit champions fall into this category, and they are respected for their talents and achievements but are often slightly distrusted by those that they fight beside.
The final group is the strangest, and is the vacationers, people from some of the most dangerous professions that join the military for the, comparative, safety and reliability that it provides. Sometimes this is a result of burnouts who can't bear to go back out into the Dark, and sometimes it is people seeking to relax for a while before going on another expedition. No matter their motivations these people are often some of the most deadly soldiers in the Helguard, and are both respected by for their talents and viewed as slightly crazy for finding the Helguard of all places to be relaxing and safe. You suppose that compared to the caverns or going exploring it is.
Knowing Avernus (Avernite Familial Structure)
While the initial colonists of Avernus had the traditional view of families in the Imperium centuries on Avernus, with all its dangers and horrors have changed this. The first major adaption that has been made is polygamous marriages becoming common, with marriage groups of three to five being more common as the classic couple. This both increases the number of parents on hand to provide the constant monitoring that children need on Avernus and decreases the chance that all of a child's parents will be slain, or that a single parent will be left to look after children. Second the combination of pressures from governmental pressure to keep the birthrate high, a very good system for orphans to be raised and adopted and the requirements for raising children on Avernus has greatly reduced the social stigmata for putting your child up for adoption, particularly for single parents. Finally a whole new categories of family has been recognised for blood-kin and oath-kin. Blood-kin are those who have worked, and fought beside you so much that they become members of your extended family, and are generally considered to be around as closely related as cousins. Almost all Avernites have a network of Blood-kin, especially those who live in high danger professions. Many of the longer standing members of the Governor's Own would be considered to be your blood-kin, as would many of the senior members of government. Oath-kin are those who have stood beside you so much they are quite simply members of your immediate family, and are legally recognised as such. An Oath brother or sister is considered to be just as closely related as a spouse while an Oath-child has just as many rights to inherit as a born or adopted child. Jane would be considered to be your Oath-Sister while Xavier is your Oath-Son.
Knowing Avernus (Psykers)
The topic of Psykers is an interesting one for Avernites, with rogue Psykers being counted as one of the greatest dangers of Avernus and killing tens of millions at a time with depressing regularity, while some of Avernus' greatest heroes are Sanctioned Psykers. This by itself is not that unusual, but how close to heart the topic is is. Most Avernites know someone who has lost someone in a rogue psyker attack and a rising proportion of Avernites count Sanctioned Psykers as either family or friends, or at least know someone who does. While combined with the sheer number of types of pychic wildlife on Avernus, with powers ranging from the banal to the terrifying, Avernites have far more exposure to Psykers then any other group you know of, barring perhaps the followers of Chaos. This has led to psychic powers being considered just another weapon by many Avernites, and the mass devastation caused by rogue Psykers being compared to reactor meltdowns and other technological disasters.
