Marines Maxima

[Spiritfish]

Ohey, I are new, and I have been piecing a Marine Chapter together for the last three months.

 

Colourscheme: http://www.deviantart.com/view/34805498/

 

Thunderhawk (also for display of full Chapter badge): http://www.deviantart.com/view/35475527/

 

Original Sketch, back when the Scheme was half silver and half orange: http://www.deviantart.com/view/34514831/

 

And Background and Info:

 

The Marines Maxima Space Marine Chapter.

Origins:

 

Many Space Marine Chapters, or even most indeed, have been founded to fulfil a single purpose within the realm they are spawned into. The greatest example are probably the Chapters of the Astartes Praeses, whose sole purpose it is to contain every outbreak of the archenemy from the eye of terror into the space of our beloved Imperium. Others are not bound in this way, but make their way trough the Imperium in pursuit of our foes, like the devout Black Templars. Over Time, hundreds of Space Marine chapters have been founded to carve their names and victories into the annals of Imperial History.

But in some cases, mystery engulfs the reasons why a chapter was created, and it often becomes hard to tell legend from truth for an outsider.

 

The Marines Maxima are one of these Chapters, but trough thorough research I have been able to unearth small parts of the true history behind this mysterious and glorious Chapter of the Astartes.

I have to note that, although I can roughly sketch out the Marines Maximas background, a lot is still shrouded in darkness. During the eight founding, a total of three Chapters are failed to be listed in detail in the librarium majoris on Mars, and I have every reason to believe that one of these are indeed the Marines Maxima.

 

Today, the Chapter is strictly organized by a scheme that seems to be derived and tightly executed from and around the word and law of the Codex Astartes. However, certain discrepancies make me believe that they are no Ultramarines successors. The makeup of their Force seems to be designed for maximum speed and energy, traits most distinctively noted from the likes of the White Scars or Raven Guard. The Apothecary of the Marines Maxima have, understandably, refused to offer me a sample of their geneseed to study on, and I therefore cannot give clear evidence of the Chapters genetic origins.

What also remains a mystery is the reason for the presence of the Marines Maxima in their Homesystem, Carthago Paradise, which is located on the eastward side of the Galactic core, where there are no notable objectives to protect. I have found information that Carthago may not even be the original Homeworld of the Chapter, or at least not the intended Homeworld.

Unfortunaly, the Chapters Librarians also refused to let me look into their own records, so that the exact circumstances of the Chapters founding and the origin of its geneseed and resources still remain unknown.

 

Homeworld

Carthago Paradise does not bear this name for no reason. The Planet is roughly the size of Terra, and it's climate and environment are providing a very hospitable and prosperous land. Rolling green hills lie in wide valleys rimmed by tall mountains. Forests, thousands of years old cover a great deal of the land, as well as many lakes and rivers fed by the melting season at the start of every year. Carthago's main Continents are split into valleys of all sizes by the great Mountain ranges, and each Mountain range is often at the same time the border of one of Carthago's many Kingdoms. Politically, Carthago is a feudal world in its middle ages.

The greater part of the population is illiterate and highly religious, while being ruled by knightly or monastery orders who answer to a King or a Grand Ecclasiarch, who in turn are duty bound to pay honours to the Space Marines, who are the ultimate rulers of the Planet and its protectors. Because of the fairly low tech-level and the great shrines located in the system and on Carthago Prime itself, it is rated as a Shrine World.

 

The Carthago Paradise system itself is compromised of nine Planets, of which only two are inhabited. Carthago Prime is the bigger of the two worlds and is further away from the sun. Carthago Atlas is smaller, and much closer to the systems Star, Sol Carthago. It is rated as a penal world, and posesses great resources of minerals. It also posessed a rich flora and fauna, long ago, but it died of unknown reasons and now the rotting plants under its surface are rapid-processed in great promethium generariums and refineries before being transported upon bulk-tankers to the Forgeworlds of Ryza and Gryphonne. In Orbit of Carthago Atlas also lies the Marines Maxima's Space Dock.

 

The Chapter Monastery, the Citadel of Ice, is located on the Magnetic north pole of Carthago Prime, a towering behemoth of plastocrete and adamantine plating. The Pole itself is ringed by the St. Carthago massif, the greatest Mountain range of the world, which parts the realm of the Marines Maxima from that of the normal people. In the tongue of Carthago's People there is a saying that names the lands beyond the mountains as "The place where Gods dwell". At the feet of the Mountains are ten Monastery fortresses, each protecting one of the gateways passing trough the Mountains. Once a year, a great Pilgrimage happens to the capital cities of the northern Hemisphere, where law decrees that every tenth family has to give their firstborn son so he makes his way to one of these Monasteries, where he will be tested upon his strength and fitness to enter the realm of the Gods, where he eventually will become a Space Marine.

The Space Marines themselves rarely go beyond their icy fortress keep, and only the Chaplains travel across the lands, dark figures who fill the hearts of the common people with terror and awe. The duty of these travelling chaplains is to ensure the purity of the populace, and they have been known to destroy whole villages upon a sign of heresy or corruption. Fairytales are told to little children about them, and in them they are Demons who ascend from Hell, and only prayer and purity from sin can protect from the black giants. They say that they can look into a mans heart, and that if they find it impure, they will rip it out and feast upon it before the eyes of their victim, keeping it alive until its heart is fully consumed.

Combat Doctrine

 

On the field of Battle, the Marines Maxima modus operandi differs little from that of any other Space Marines. They are hard hitting shock troops, who prefer a quick and violent fight over a drawn out campaign. The greatest difference they display from most Chapters is that they are not afraid to withdraw from combat if an Enemy seems to be unflinching or simply too stupid to give in. Should such a case occur, they will do a tactical retreat to their Ship, re-organize at speed and then perform planetfall again in a different place. An Enemy who just thought he had beaten off the Emperors Astartes and he could take rest and reorganize would suddenly find himself fighting the same enemy again in a different place and under an attack of the same unrelenting force as before.

A withdrawal is always seen as putting a certain amount of shame onto the force perfoming this feat, and the Marines will be inclined on not letting this dishonour settle on them in the second assault. Commanders will only employ this tactic if they can see no other way, but over the centuries this has become a trademark move of the Marines Maxima, and with hard training, they have managed to cut the time from withdrawing and redeploying to just thirty minutes. Some reports of Marines Maxima's battles indicate that the first thing to touch ground is a drop pod containing a bell, which will ring a certain amount of times before the first drop pod touches ground. In no case where this Bell could not be recovered, the Marines didn’t performed a retreat as mentioned above, and they also never lost a fight that was staged around one of these objects, which seem to be of great importance to the Space Marines.

 

Needless to say, they have to heavily rely on their Thunderhawks. Other observers of this Space Marine chapter said they had only seen similar skill of Piloting in the Ravenwing Thunderhawks of the Dark Angels chapter. I myself have to say that I have not known any other Chapter that possesses such great Pilots. The Hawks are, as well as their base Strike Cruiser, attached to the Company they are serving instead of the Chapters fleet, which provides the Battle Companies which much greater flexibility. The only Ships that are officially part of the fleet are the three Battlebarges and all Escort Vessels.

 

In defense, the Marines Maxima have proven to be as immovable as a rock in the sea, but their explosive tendency to go into attack also gave them a reputation of being unreliable, especially with leaders of the Imperial guard. Often they try to drive a regular guard formation into moving with the same flexibility and energy they do, while not taking into account how much different those men are from themselves. In general, the Chapter pursues the motto "what sits is dead", always trying to be on the move, moving more than a liquid than a solid body, fluently attacking and countering their enemy. Because of this, the Marines Maxima greatly rely on armoured transports, Razorbacks and Rhinos, and even a handful of Land Raiders which have been accumulated in thousands of years of painstaking negotiations with the Adeptus Mechanicus. The only Land Raider Crusader, “Magna Bellum”, has been a gift of the Blood Angels chapter, and still bears the original markings of Sanguinius Sons along with the Badge and Colours of the Marines Maxima.

Organisation

 

The Organisation of the Marines Maxima, generally, is formed according to the Codex Astartes, however in detail, there are many differences. For one, the Chapter possesses an extra Battle Company and an Extra Scout company, of which only the additional Scouts are actually present. The extra Battle Company is St. Carthagos personal Company which he led out in his pursuit for the Primarchs on which he went missing a hundred years after the founding of his Chapter. The additional scout company is permanently on Combat duty. I believe that this Company was founded due to superstition related to the legendary "bells of redemption", of which I have not found out until today what they exactly are and what they represent. Vague information gathered from local tales and stories say that there are ten of them, which amounts to the number of Companies in a Space Marine chapter. It is also said that these Bells will be rung by the Angels of Death on the Day the Emperor returns and the Galaxy is engulfed in the divine purgatory.

 

This additional Scout Company constantly receives new recruits from the regular Scout Company unless the latter gets deployed together with one of the Battle Companies. A Scout under all circumstances has to serve a certain amount of time away from the Chapters keep before being allowed back into the Chapter to receive his power armour.

 

Another interesting difference in the Marines maxima is the organisation of their Fleet. Instead of attaching a Strike Cruiser from the fleet to a Battle Company so it is needed, every Company possesses its own Ship which gets attached to the Fleet if necessary. In the same way, the Strike Cruisers Thunderhawks and its crews are part of the respective Company. This leaves the distribution of the Ship and its Power at the whims of the Company Captain and not the Master of the Fleet, who has to do with the Battle Barges and most of the time with the Escorts. This system is the "perfection" of Space Marine fleet organisation: Because the ground forces themselves command the ships, they are immediately bound to get into Combat, thus avoiding what Space Marine ships are not primarily built for anyway: Space Combat.

At the same time, if Space Combat incurs, they are also bound to get to grips with the Enemy quickly, thus turning the fleet into a ramming, hard hitting boarding force. Some Imperial Navy have called the actions performed by Marines Maxima vessels as "Borderline suicidal".

Beliefs

 

While most Space Marines venerate the Emperor not as a God, but as a man, the Marines Maxima believe that they are descended from a god, and that the Primarchs are demi-gods who answered an all powerful father. In this belief, they are very sensitive about to insults thrown towards them or the Emperor, and where a joke ends and an insult begins is in the eye of the beholder. The most famous man to be killed by the Marines Maxima for using the Emperor as part of a Joke was the Lord Governor of Bastionne IV, who was gutted and hung from the highest tower of his Palace.

 

Because they believe they are descendants of a God, the Marines Maxima understand that they are immortal trough their geneseed as it ultimately originates from the Emperor. To transfer the soul of a fallen, Young Aspirants, upon receiving their Power Armour, participate in a ritual feast, where they have to eat heart, brain and lungs of the Marine they received their geneseed and armour from. Marines who receive a freshly created geneseed or of whose predecessor was simply not enough left to eat are called Ascendi, and they mark their armour with purity seals dipped in their own blood and fixed onto their armour plate with bright blue wax.

 

In the eyes of the Marines Maxima, Mankind is utterly corrupted and debased trough its physical and mental weakness: As the Emperor is a god, no Human could ever reach his level of purity. At the same time, because he is a God, he is flawless. By carrying the geneseed of one of his children, the Marines Maxima also believe that they are above all Men and demand to be treated as such. This has led to conflict with many other Organisations of the Imperium, most famously the Adeptus Administratum upheaval on the Marines refusal to allow Imperial Guard to be raised in the vicinity of their keep. Today, the only major other Military organisation present on Carthago is the Imperial Navy Academy of Gunnery, who trains many of the Gun crews of the Segmentum Solar sector fleets.

 

Concerning Chaos, the Marines Maxima initially found themselves invulnerable to it, being as pure as they were. However, the great falling astray told them that they were not, and they have developed a great hatred against the Arch Enemy for its unhonourable and deceiving ways, and for the weakness they carry with them as they ascend from mortal men to Space Marines.

For them, there is no glory in Chaos, and the philosophy the Chaplains teach to the Marines is called “The concept of the great lie”. The more convincing a daemon sounds, the greater is its lie. The Chaplains also ensure the mental health and purity of their Chapter increative and to an outsider, harsh ways. A Marine, who for example even mentions the name of the great enemy while being in the vicinity, or even worse, facing a depiction of the Aquila or even the Emperor himself, will receive a severe punishment. They will be stripped of all clothes, bound in iron shackles and chained against one of the rocks of the great mors epitaph, a grand plateau facing the mountains of the west. There they have to read the Lectio Devinatio as many times as the chaplain decreed before being allowed back into the Citadel.

Other Punishment includes white hot iron nails driven into the cheekbones or trough the palms of their hands, or lashes with a whip glinting with razor sharp blades.

 

There can no Marine be found that does not bear at least one or two scars from punishments like these, displaying how vigorously the Chaplains enforce their sacred task.

The great Falling Astray

 

Propably the darkest part in the Marines long and glorious History, this Chapter of Carthagos History is today not even taught in its Scholams anymore. A famous Military leader of ancient Terra said that “History is a Tale written by the powerful.”

And indeed, the government, under pressure by the Marines, suppressed all remembrance of this darkest of times.

Because of this, it has been difficult for me to piece it back together again, but I can now say that I have a reliable base of information, which allows me to outline the story of the great Falling Astray roughly.

 

After St. Carthago had left the Planet, it was as if a door was opened, and darkness flooded in. Within two hundred years, crime rose from uncommon to widely being commonplace, and religious deviants spread new beliefs in the Imperial Cult. The Marines, preparing for War at that time, where the great age of Apostasy was beginning, were greatly oblivious to that. Underground, religious cells started to practice doubtable rituals, and in all their unconsciously unified effort, they freed an entity of unbelievable power.

At first, people started to complain about their rulers, the knights and churchmen who employed them in their fields and farms. They wanted better pay, better accommodation, things that hadn’t been problems before suddenly were. “The Awakened”, as they called themselves, soon started to raise arms against their lords, and slowly but surely, Carthago slipped into a state of civil War. When an Army of angry peasants tried to run down the Escold Gateway Monastery, the Marines finally payed attention to what was going on. At first, they tried to negotiate, but vile creatures whispered deceit and madness into the ears of the people, and the Marines, soon fed up with being insulted by farmers and peasants, massacred them on the spot.

 

Infuriated, the Marines gathered in force and marched out into the Land to suppress the rebellion they now had at hand. The leaders of the mob themselves spoke hatred into the hearts of their followers, and filled with boiling anger vast armies marched to meet the Marines, while in the equatorial heartlands, much darker things were to happen.

The Armies the rebels dispatched were nothing but brakeblocks, obstacles for the Marines which should prevent them from interrupting the greater Ritual that was going on. At this time, Lord Vandire raged on Terra, and the whole Imperium was in upheaval. The Army of one thousand clashed with the Armies of millions, and up to then, the Marines had thought of their fellow men as being strong enough to resist the call of chaos, as they were thaught the same litanies as the Marines in their churches, by priests indoctrinated by the Chaplains.

But as swarming armies of enraged cultists and soon, mutants lashed out at them, they realized that nobody was beyond chaos. Praying for forgiveness, Chapter Master Anthriel ordered his Marines to destroy each and everyone of their people. The fleet rained doom and destruction from the heavens, and Mountains were incinerated and seas were burnt in the storm of fire that followed.

 

Chaos had taken deep root in the heartlands, and as Marines advanced against ever more twisted and unreal foes, first real losses started to mount. Demons were swarming dead woods, and as they closed on the bloodtowers, the former capital cities of the heartland countries, even the very earth started to fight them. As it began to rain blood and the heavens were alight with fiery lightning, everything seemed to be lost. After having crushed each and every bloodtower, they now stood in front of the fortress of skulls, where the daemon resided. Half of the Chapter was fell on the fortress walls, and holy space marine blood soaked the soil. The full Librarium of the Chapter, Magister Roald, nine librarians and eight epistolarians, escorted by the first Company, managed to finally breach through into the fortress. Nobody knows what happened to them in there, but after two days and nights of fighting, the clouds split, and the fortress and bloodtowers crumbled to dust. After another day, survivors of the first company stumbled from the ruins, but none were able to talk of what they had seen. Roald and his Librarium were lost in full, as well as fifty-five veteran marines and along with them twenty pieces of Terminator Armour.

 

Today, in the place the fortress of skulls was, there is a forest. In the woods, carved into the ruined stone, are the statues of Magister Roald and his men, still guarding the Evil they entombed within the Fortress.

Since the great Falling Astray, many terrible mysteries have happened on Carthago, and it is said that horrible things lurk in the woods after dark. People do not travel anymore, and most have not gone more than a hundred paces beyond the boundaries of their village in their entire lives. This has led to all of Carthago’s wealth being lost, as People keep to themselves. The only time they come together is when the Priests ready the great shrine Wagons and gather their flock for the pilgrimage to the great Cathedrals in the Capitals, from where all firstborn youths have to travel to one of the ten gateway Monasteries, where they will, if they survive the long and dangerous journey, eventually become Space Marines.

 

 

(So far, so good. I might be delving into matters of the background of first Chapter Master St. Benjamin Carthago, the Bells and some other details later, but at the moment I feel that this is too long anyway. But, booyah... commants? :) )

[Severus6]

First of all, welcome to the board. I have read through this once and before I comment I will read through this again tomorrow. So far I like what I have read and the artwork is very good. Your color scheme looks complicated but if you have the time and you are able to get that across the board it will look extremely good.

 

Severus6

[Big Woop]

These guys are obviously fanatics (though eating brains... :D )

One thing confuses me somewhat, first it says their homeworld is kind of like a paradise(aestethically at least), was this before or after the fight against chaos described later in the text?

The detailed color scheme comliments the detailed background very well.

 

It would be interesting to read more, there's a lot of info on their traditions, doctrines etc but it would be easier to place that into context if one knew more of their history.

Anyway, good work. I look forward to seeing more.

[Severus6]

I like it and have only really three suggestions:

 

1. I dont think you need the ritual feast; drinking of the blood maybe but everything after that I think is unnecessary. Granted that is only my opinion and the reason for it is that it gives your Chapter a bit of a gruesome "flavor" (no pun intended) that does not transfer over to the other parts of your background. The drinking of blood on the other hand is fairly common and a accepted practice and doesnt sideline everything else about your Chapter.

 

2. As your boys view the Emp as a god, the Primarchs as demi-gods, and they themselves as quasi-immortal I might tie your Chapter closer to the Eclisiarchy. I think it would be a natural step and would additionally lend credance to the fact that one of your worlds is a shrine world.

 

3. I might try to get more bang for your buck with the pilgramage to the fortresses by saying it is not mandatory but considered an honor by all those who would attempt or try. I would even make it so that families could accompany their aspiring children up to a certain point. After that its all on them.

 

Overall I like it though, it has a dark yet robust feel to it. Psuedo-Carpathian,...transylvanian without the vampires. I look forward to seeing more.

 

Severus6

[utilityzero]

hey, just a suggestion for an additional plot hook, maybe the ecclisiarchy of their homeworld has shifted its teachings over time to be more in line with those of your chapter, so they actually teach their flock that the space marines of your chapter are semi-divine and almost a medium between the emperor and normal men and women. the downside being that this would attract serious inquisitorial attention, but even the inquisition has to be careful when confronting the ecclisiarchy on matters of faith.

[Severus6]

Thats a good call, I like that a lot. The only thing that I would change to it would be that the Marines themselves do not overtly push this as an agenda nor ascribe themselves as peers to a Primarch let alone the Emperor. It is merely a facet of his (his being the Emp) will,...they are blessed before all others. I agree with u.zero, it has happened over time and possibly the Inquisition has already checked on the "belief" and found nothing wrong. Just a thought, hope it helps.

 

Severus6

[Spiritfish]

Okay, it

[Severus6]

I like this a lot better as it adds the qualities of ritual with barbaric blood oath. Specifically I like the idea that the entire Chapter participates simulataneously as opposed to single Chapters though I could see where this may become necessary due to an extended campaign. Much better this time around.

 

Severus6

[Spiritfish]

Okay, now then: Some info on Markings and Special honours given out to Marines, and stuff.

 

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/36354936/

 

Here, we have a Tactical Marine of a random Company. The Company colour is usually displayed on the right knee. Marines with older types of Power Armour or customised variants that posess no kneepads often include the company colour on the squad badge on the right shoulder.

On the knee, exclusively, is the squad marking, sometimes this includes the squad number if it is not included in the squad badge as shown by this Marine.

 

On the left knee, a Marine usually carries the Crusade or Campaign marking, which designates the Army he is attached to for better recognition and communication in the field.

 

Purity Seals are common with the Marines Maxima, and as it is shown here, they also do not shy away from covering their Chapter badge with them. Marines who are member of the Black Knights also tend to cover the whole badge.

This is because the Badge displays the skull of their chapter master Carthago, and his replacement in Office, Master Bernadotte, declared that it was harmful for the purity of the Marines Armour and indeed the whole Chapter if the enemy wouldpoison the badge with their glares.

Marines who do display the Badge fully are asked for to perform double the rites of cleansing on their armour after combat.

 

On the right arm, we see that the Marine Carries a small hourglass on a chain with himself. This object is called Tempus Apocalyptica, and I have found that the Order of the Final Day of the Adetus Sororitas displays a similar Hourglass in their Badge. I have not found a clear connection between both the Space Marines and the Sisters, but what I know about the Tempus is that it contains the ashes of a fallen brother. On the final day of the time of man, the ash will run backwards in the Hourglass, and call the Marines for the final battle at the gates of the emperors heaven.

This superstitous end of times belief seems to be misplaced with a Chapter of the Astartes, who are our only hope against a Galaxy that has turned against us. Some bodies of the Ordo Hereticus have noted this, and I hear that enquiries are being made as we speak.

 

The neck of the Marines is decorated with a metal plaqe that is displaying three skulls. This badge of honour comes in brass, silver and gold and is awarded for kills done in hand to hand combat. Brass stands for 30, silver for 100 and gold for 500 enemies slain in close combat.

Marines ascending to Veteran Status, or higher ranks in the Apothecarion, Librarium or Reclusium who do not posess a golden plaqe are rare.

Currently, there is no Captain who entered his rank with less than silver.

 

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/36354798/

 

Also, the Marines Maxima normally do not wear an Aquila on their chest. It is a great honour, though, to be awarded with one.

Marines who are bound to receive their Eagle in short time receive a heavy necklace made of adamantium, which is displaying the Chapter badge, as this Devastator Seargant sports.

He also wears personal heraldry, squad motto and squad number on his kneepad.

 

http://www.deviantart.com/view/36354719/ (danger, big file)

 

The Marines Maxima Apothecary are a special breed of their kind. Common belief lies in spirits, both good and evil, ethereal pawns of the gods, on Carthago Paradise. Not only the people, but also the Marines believe in this. Each Marine has a spirit with him, a spirit of war, a spirit of faith, or in case of the Apothecary, a spirit of healing.

But weapons give their bearer a spirit of war, and the destructiveness unleashed in war cancels all good spirits of healing out. Because of this, Apothecary carve a dedication to the emperor and a prayer into their Weapons, called the "Patron Mortis".

This binds the spirit of war to the weapon, and hinders it from interfering with the spirit of healing. The Aura, so the Marines believe, still emitted by the gun can still spoil an attempt at rescuing the life of a wounded brother when put into plain sight of him. That is why you will never see an Apothecary approach a casualty with a gun in his hand.

 

All three Marines displayed here, have one purity seal in common, though: The Lightning of Mitanmar.

 

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/36354991/

 

The Mitanmar purity seal is a sacred relic, as only one stencil exists. A Marine who is faced with going on to a particularily dangerous campaign or mission can choose to receive a special blessing, afterwards of which he receives the stencil and two parchements of pergament, on which he has two write the prayer of Mitanmar, before applying the lightning seal to his Armour.

 

The Marines believe that the Spirit of Mitanmar will then guide them, and correspond with the Emperor himself about the worthyness of the Marine as a Warrior. If he proves himself worthy, he will receive special protection, so is the belief, and no bullets and swords can harm him. But Marines who prove themselves to be unworthy, will surely die, and put dishonour on their armour and their chapter badge.

Every Marine who dies while wearing a fresh Lightning of Mitanmar will not be brought back to the Chapter Fortress for burial, and his geneseed and his armour will go trough a thourough cleansing process. All his memory will be wiped from the cogitators of the Chapter Fortress, and his name will be entered into the book of the dishonoured dead.

 

Every one hundred years, a gold coin is put onto the scales in the Chapter Masters personal chapel for each name in the book of the dishonoured dead. Another gold coin is placed opposite for every Victory won by the Marines. Should the dishonour outweigh the honour, the Bull Maxima demands something so horrible, that even those who know its words speak not of it.

 

Okay... again, lots of boring text. x.x I should learn to write stuff in a more interesting way. But, how does it look so far? o.O

[Severus6]

In an obscure, perverse way I like it but on the other hand it almost feels that you are setting your boys up for failure, ie; nothing that they ever do will be good enough. Maybe you could explain it another way: those who carry the seal have made a sacred vow to accomplish a certain task. This task has been recognized and aknowledged by the Chapters chain of command. Instead of being judged for failure, maybe the marine is given some sort of recompense for his attempt,...a "purgatory" type of scenario. His battle brothers either attempt to complete his mission or dedicate other missions in his name. I can see whole squads wearing the seal not only for themselves but for fallen brothers. In this way they are linking themselves to the fallen and guarenteeing that they themselves will not be seperated from the Emp after death as other of their comrades will take up their cause and guarentee their passage and right to stand by the Emp for eternity. Just a thought, hope it helps.

 

Severus6

[Spiritfish]

Ty, Severus...

 

kay, I

[iron father]

I have nothing really useful to lend at this time other than I love this. Although I agree with Sev, I think this is an otherwise outstanding DIY. I especially like all the detail put into the rituals and battle honors of the chapter - a little disappointed, maybe, since they're similar to where I was going with my own project, but I must applaud you, since you've pulled them off spectacularly!

[Spiritfish]

Awwr.. sorry to hear that similarities have popped up. D: Maybe that changes in time, because I