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Index Astartes: Crimson Guard Crimson Guard Chapter heraldry 21st Founding; Primary mission: safeguard of the [name] Gap, a mineral-rich area in Segmentum Tempestus of critical importance to the nearby Forge Worlds of Alar-Median and Tolkhan; Curse of mortality: their life spans are far shorter than those of other Astartes who are functionally immortal. [name], planet closest to the system sun; Arid world, main resource is minerals; In proximity to a Warp anomaly that traps Warp-travelling craft and catapults them out of the Immaterium and into the system's sun though sometimes these ship crash into the planet's surface instead when the planet passes in front of the [Warp anomaly name], creating massive duststorms and tectonic instability which can last for months if not years; As a direct consequence of this, fortress-monastery is an orbiting space station. Unknown gene-seed experimentation has lead the Chapter's members to lose the "Astartes immortality" trait; The rate of aging varies and does not seem to follow any given pattern, members of the Chapter used to survive longer but as the end of the 41st millennium approaches any Crimson Guard rarely survives for longer then two centuries unless they are kept in stasis; As a direct result of this gene-seed/organ degeneration, the Chapter has a much higher recruitment rate; Chapter Apothecarion primary mission is to attempt to find a cure, with the help of the Adeptus Biologis and a cabal of Inquisitors. Due to their shortened life spans, the Crimson Guard tend to maximise their efforts as much as possible, to make their short existences worthwhile for both the Chapter and the wider Imperium; “The flame that burns half as long burns twice as bright”; Far more aggressive in their tactics, have less issues with sacrificing themselves because even if they survive they won't last long afterwards (relatively speaking); Have experimented with cocktails of combat drugs to increase combat efficiency but these have occasionally led to some Astartes spiralling out of control and wreaking havoc among allies or civilians. Higher recruitment rate and two extra Scout Companies to keep the other fighting and reserve formations as closet to optimal operational levels as possible; Otherwise, follow standard Codex-approved Comany organisation; Veterans in the Chapter are younger and less experienced than those of other Chapters; A formation known as the "Old Guard" (name subject to change but works well with Chapter name) is given a variety of non- or limited combat duties and is made up of those Astartes who are no longer battle-worthy. While some members are optimistic about the Apothecaries finding a cure, many view the whole Chapter as ultimately doomed to die off and replaced by a "healthy" Chapter (some even believe that the Adeptus Biologis and Inquisitorial agents working with the Apothecarion are trying to accelerate the Chapter's demise and resent their presence and meddling); Due to the increasingly short lives of the Chapter's members, a great majority have taken it upon themselves to record their own history and thoughts so as to not be forgotten once they die, these personal histories are often in the form of pieces of parchment attached with wax to their armour; A portion of the Old Guard has been tasked with recording the Chapter's deeds (known as "Remembrancers"?) and to safeguard the texts, relics, and Dreadnoughts that are stored in stasis within the Chapter's Memoriam. "Burn fast, burn bright!" "Slay fast, burn bright!" "Slay before you die!" Old first post content below: Hidden Content I'll get back to my Vigilants of Estare soon enough but in the meantime I've been painting and ended up with a member of the Crimson Guard. I really like the colour scheme and the fact there is no official fluff about them except for name and colours is great! Now, my ideas so far are: - 21st Founding Chapter. - heightened aggression (not sure if gene-seed manipulation, Astartes organ manipulation, implants, combat drugs, or a mix n' match of a few of those) but also drastically reduce life span (i.e. the members of this Chapter aren't functionally immortal any more and their bodies/minds will deteriorate after x decades/centuries). In essence, they burn briefly but fiercely. - if the aggression is linked to their gene-seed, it was decided long ago, after a number of incidents, that specialists (Chaplains, Librarians, Apothecaries, Techmarines) would receive different gene-seed to avoid any side effects. Aggressive combat troops and officers is generally good, aggressive support staff isn't so good. - constantly under watch by the Adpetus Biologis and a cabal of Inquisitors. - increased number of Chaplains to keep troops in check/dispatch crazies if need be. I'll be developing more fluff in my WIP thread but this will be very much on a individual/squad level so I figured that getting some feedback from you fine folks on the general Chapter fluff was a good idea. All feedback and suggestions appreciated!