El Bueno...

• Renegados Pieles Rata (Ratskins)

Los Pieles Rata son habitualmente un pueblo tímido y pacifico, que normalmente evita a los ruidosos y estridentes habitantes del Submundo y a sus poblaciones. Los Pieles Rata no necesitan comerciar con los habitantes del Submundo, y por tanto viven en pequeñas comunidades alejadas de los habitantes de La Colmena y sus armas. Si los habitantes de La Colmena empiezan a colonizar zonas próximas a las poblaciones de Pieles Rata, estos recogen sus posesiones y desaparecen silenciosamente, adentrándose aun mas en el desierto. Los Pieles Rata consideran que los habitantes de la colmena son extraños e incomprensibles, por lo que prefieren no relacionarse con ellos.

Desgraciadamente, el comportamiento pacifico de los Pieles Rata les hace vulnerables a la expoliación por parte de bandas o comerciantes poco escrupulosos. Cualquier grupo de Forajidos puede entrar a sangre y fuego en un campamento Piel Rata y destruirlo totalmente, dejando a unos pocos supervivientes que juraran venganza contra todos los habitantes de La Colmena. Estos enfurecidos Piel Rata abandonan a su pueblo y se convierten en Renegados, cazando y matando a habitantes de La Colmena a la primera oportunidad, para intentar liberar el Submundo de los intrusos.

Otros Pieles Rata entran en las poblaciones de los habitantes de la Colmena por curiosidad, o para buscar trabajo como tramperos y guias, corrompiendose por el contacto con la sociedad de la Colmena. Los propios Pieles Ratas marginan a estos individuos, a los que denominan Intocables. Los Intocables gastan todo su dinero bebiendo y jugando, hasta que finalmente deben enfrentarse a los Vigilantes y son expulsados de la población. Estos Pieles Ratas contaminados por el contacto con la "civilización" no pueden regresar a sus hogares, por lo que vagan sin rumbo hasta que se unen a una banda de Renegados y vuelven a vivir entre los suyos.

• Enforcers

In the Underhive of Necromunda there is one force whose word is law. They are the Necromunda Enforcers, and it is their unenviable task to impose the rule of Lord Helmawr on the citizens and outlaws that inhabit the lower reaches of Hive Primus. The Enforcers are hated and feared by the bulk of inhabitants of the Underhive: they are hated for being implacable and authoritarian imposers of Lord Helmawr’s often unfair legislation, and feared for the ruthless efficiency with which they impose the laws of the Underhive.

Necromunda Enforcers are modelled closely on the Adeptus Arbites. The Judges and Arbitrators of this huge organisation serve primarily to remind Imperial servants of their duties and loyalties, and to enforce the Imperial Decrees passed by the High Lords of Terra. The Imperium is incredibly vast, unimaginably so. It stretches to the edges of the known galaxy, its worlds thinly spread across the stars. On many of these planets, the Emperor and the Imperium he represents are but dimly remembered myths. All too often an Imperial Commander can forget the power he serves, either through incompetence or malice. This is why the Adeptus Arbites was formed. If a Governor ever considers skipping his tithes for a year, or perhaps ignoring the request for troops from an embattled neighbour, one glance towards the armoured Courthouse of the Arbites should be enough to make him reconsider. 

The bulk of the Adeptus is made up of the Arbitrators. They are well armed and armoured, as they are often the first line of defence on a traitorous world, operating in the depths of hive cities, the shanties of mining worlds and other savage environs. If planetary control is ever lost, the Arbitrators and Judges of the Arbites are empowered to take over and rule the world in the Emperor’s name until a suitable Imperial Commander can be found. Where civil unrest and crime threaten the stability of a world or the power of its ruler, the Arbitrators may be released to restore law and order.

However, while the Adeptus Arbites are responsible for ensuring that Imperial Decrees are obeyed across the galaxy, the role of everyday control and policing usually falls to local security forces, working under the orders of the Imperial Commander and his staff. Such is the case on Necromunda, where policing is carried out by Necromunda Enforcers. 

Every hive on Necromunda is divided into Precincts, each with its own fortified courthouse and a substantial number of Enforcers. In addition there are thousands of small Precinct Houses scattered through the hive, each of which is manned by a ten-man Enforcer Precinct squad.  Necromunda is a vital planet to the Imperium, but population pressures mean that it is in constant danger of devolving into anarchy and civil war. The Enforcers maintain a constant vigilance from their Courthouses and Precinct Houses, constantly on the watch for signs of disloyalty, subversion, or criminality. They are grim and uncompromising reminders of Lord Helmawr’s authority. They cannot be bought off, threatened, corrupted or negotiated with. Indeed, the Enforcers in Hive Primus are recruited into their ranks from other hives on Necromunda, thus ensuring that they do not have any loyalties to local citizens. They do not communicate with the citizenry unless absolutely necessary and only leave their Precinct Courts on official business.

Individual Enforcers, particularly grizzled veterans which have been hardened by years of dispensing justice, act as law enforcers within some settlements in the Underhive. These are tough, no nonsense characters who command the local Watchmen and direct freelance bounty hunters in the constant battle against outlaws and Outlanders. They also monitor local loyalties and the activities of the Merchant Guild to ensure that the Imperial codes of law are maintained even on the frontiers of anarchy.

Other than individual Enforcers, the most commonly encountered Enforcer tactical units are the Enforcer Patrol squads. Patrol squads are the standard law enforcement teams on Necromunda, that can be seen patrolling hive levels around Imperial establishments and important areas of the Underhive. They are also called in to quell serious disturbances, such as mob riots, or to suppress unruly gangs and poorly equipped Deviant Scum. 

The equipment worn by Necromunda Enforcers is based upon imitations of the equipment used by the Arbites, and is very similar in appearance. They generally wear carapace breastplates, with padded flak armour or additional vambraces and plating. This can be highly ornate on ranking officers, often gilded and inscribed with oaths of justice and Imperial commands. 

The combat shotgun used by the Enforcers is as much a badge of office as a weapon, and the homing Executioner ammunition they sometimes use is feared throughout the Underhive. Although most Enforcers won’t hesitate to kill, they often carry weapons to subdue foes wanted for interrogation or trial, of which the power maul is most common. They also make used of Cyber-mastiffs for hunting down their prey and to catch fugitives who attempt to escape.