Crimson Bulwark: Difference between revisions

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The Bulwark favors ranged combat, with the bulk of marines armed with heavy firepower and high temperature weaponry. Melee specialists are either veterans who wear heavy armor or penitent assault squads. Penitent assault squads are composed of the marines who feel significant guilt, grief, or rage at the chapter's losses during the first pox war, and aim to earn absolution through visceral melee combat, commonly using flames to purge the enemy and purify themselves.

=== Chapter Serfs and Men at Arms ===

Due to the feudal relationship the Bulwark has with its recruiting worlds, the Bulwark has a plethora of manpower available for auxiliary tasks and deployments. Proper chapter serfs serve the marines directly and command the Men at Arms, whereas all others comprise the Men at Arms. Men at Arms are used where the strength of the chapter would be wasted, and patrol and garrison the recruiting worlds and fortifications the Bulwark build. Serfs are comprised of those who passed the aspirant trials, but failed to become a space marine for whatever reason while Men at Arms are recruited from those who do not meet the stringent requirements to become a marine but have proven their mettle against the monsters of their homeworld. Both are treated well by the chapter, like valued knights of their fiefdom, so long as they do not question their lord's will. Men at arms will rarely see their marine masters, at most catching a glimpse, whereas serfs interact on a constant basis with them.

=== Primaris ===

The Bulwark is predominantly firstborn, and views the Primaris marines as little more than a blasphemous madman's pet project. Vehemently opposed to the Primaris project the Bulwark initially refused to accept any, the Custodes' threat of violence only further incensing the chapter against the Primaris and causing the chapter to seriously consider refusing the ultimatum and staying true to the Emperor's original vision. Chapter Master Karneus, after deep consultation with his captains and chaplains, acquiesced to the demand to avoid shedding more Imperial blood with the threat of the Great Rift ever present. Their legendary stubborn nature demanded they return the insult in kind, and while they officially followed the stipulations set forth, any Primaris forced upon the chapter are segregated in their own berths, their own armories, and their own sections of the ship and fortresses. Any tactical briefings are delivered by a chapter serf delegated by the mission lead to add insult to injury, and the 'true' marines (with ever increasing spite) make a note to treat the chapter serfs as closer to equals than primaris. Very few Primaris marines are recruited, generally only enough to fill the quota and never choice recruits from the chapter homeworld, nor can Primaris ever be ''Lord Ex Crusadas''. Additionally, Primaris marines tend to be sent on far more dangerous missions and are far more disposable to chapter command. It remains to be seen if this will change, but given the chapter's extreme stubbornness it seems unlikely. As of late more Primaris are joining the Crusading Company in an effort to earn their place, and while far from accepted they are at least starting to be included in briefings of the Crusading Company.

=== Clans ===

The pseudo feudal society the Bulwark recruits from is organized into separate but similar warrior clans. These clans share a common surname (eg, MacEanain) with their direct family name as their middle name. Clans are generally related to some degree, and derive from the families of colonists originally sent to the world. Millenia of fighting the horrors of the world and each other has forced the clan-members to rely on each other's battle prowess and loyalty, which carries over to the chapter. A tradition the Bulwark have inherited from their mortal upbringing, a clan earns honorifics based off the accomplishments they have earned, with some more distinguished clans having thousands of titles only fully spoken in the most formal of situations. Outside of these situations, the clan has up to three honorifics it chooses to use, for example, clan Callum uses Clan Callum the Knights of the Bulwark (the honor of a clanmember serving as chapter master), slayers of Morrer (a particularly nasty beast), the holy (having a large number of Imperial churches). The marine will keep his clan name but the honorifics are not transferred, instead honorifics are earned in service. For example, The Flagellant was awarded for the chapter master taking an oath to physically punish himself for every failure, where the Baleful was a negative title awarded for failing critically in leading the chapter (an action which irrevocably shamed his clan, leading to their extinction through banishment).

A marine is known only by their first name until they have earned an accolade in battle, at which point they earn the right to bear their clan name and inscribe it on their armor. Each armor, once inscribed, is kept within that clan as much as possible, earning more inscriptions with every successful clan brother, a fact the machine spirit responds to. While rare, armor may change clans if there are no eligible brothers from that clan or chance of future brothers (ie, if the clan went extinct). The exception is terminator armor, which more often changes clans and bears many clan inscriptions (carried out by the brother, the chief Epistolary, the master of the forge, and the chapter master) in a delicate process to coax the machine spirit to the new user. Repurposed armor goes through a similar process, with the exception that the former clan has a reason for the change inscribed under its deeds (ex, Clan Ioolach, Awarded the Emperor's Light in defense of their clan against the most evil traitors of the plague god). While multiple clan members may be brothers simultaneously, each impacts the honor of their clan equally regardless of rank. As such, clan nepotism is never a concern as a brother promoted to a role they are not capable of will have a severe risk of disparaging the clan. That coupled with the overarching clan that is the Bulwark removes any risk of mixed interest.

== Recruitment ==

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 The Bulwark favors ranged combat, with the bulk of marines armed with heavy firepower and high temperature weaponry. Melee specialists are either veterans who wear heavy armor or penitent assault squads. Penitent assault squads are composed of the marines who feel significant guilt, grief, or rage at the chapter's losses during the first pox war, and aim to earn absolution through visceral melee combat, commonly using flames to purge the enemy and purify themselves.
+=== Chapter Serfs and Men at Arms ===
+Due to the feudal relationship the Bulwark has with its recruiting worlds, the Bulwark has a plethora of manpower available for auxiliary tasks and deployments. Proper chapter serfs serve the marines directly and command the Men at Arms, whereas all others comprise the Men at Arms. Men at Arms are used where the strength of the chapter would be wasted, and patrol and garrison the recruiting worlds and fortifications the Bulwark build. Serfs are comprised of those who passed the aspirant trials, but failed to become a space marine for whatever reason while Men at Arms are recruited from those who do not meet the stringent requirements to become a marine  but have proven their mettle against the monsters of their homeworld. Both are treated well by the chapter, like valued knights of their fiefdom, so long as they do not question their lord's will. Men at arms will rarely see their marine masters, at most catching a glimpse, whereas serfs interact on a constant basis with them.
+=== Primaris ===
+The Bulwark is predominantly firstborn, and views the Primaris marines as little more than a blasphemous madman's pet project. Vehemently opposed to the Primaris project the Bulwark initially refused to accept any, the Custodes' threat of violence only further incensing the chapter against the Primaris and causing the chapter to seriously consider refusing the ultimatum and staying true to the Emperor's original vision. Chapter Master Karneus, after deep consultation with his captains and chaplains, acquiesced to the demand to avoid shedding more Imperial blood with the threat of the Great Rift ever present. Their legendary stubborn nature demanded they return the insult in kind, and while they officially followed the stipulations set forth, any Primaris forced upon the chapter are segregated in their own berths, their own armories, and their own sections of the ship and fortresses. Any tactical briefings are delivered by a chapter serf delegated by the mission lead to add insult to injury, and the 'true' marines (with ever increasing spite) make a note to treat the chapter serfs as closer to equals than primaris. Very few Primaris marines are recruited, generally only enough to fill the quota and never choice recruits from the chapter homeworld, nor can Primaris ever be ''Lord Ex Crusadas''. Additionally, Primaris marines tend to be sent on far more dangerous missions and are far more disposable to chapter command. It remains to be seen if this will change, but given the chapter's extreme stubbornness it seems unlikely. As of late more Primaris are joining the Crusading Company in an effort to earn their place, and while far from accepted they are at least starting to be included in briefings of the Crusading Company.
+=== Clans ===
+The pseudo feudal society the Bulwark recruits from is organized into separate but similar warrior clans. These clans share a common surname (eg, MacEanain) with their direct family name as their middle name. Clans are generally related to some degree, and derive from the families of colonists originally sent to the world. Millenia of fighting the horrors of the world and each other has forced the clan-members to rely on each other's battle prowess and loyalty, which carries over to the chapter. A tradition the Bulwark have inherited from their mortal upbringing, a clan earns honorifics based off the accomplishments they have earned, with some more distinguished clans having thousands of titles only fully spoken in the most formal of situations. Outside of these situations, the clan has up to three honorifics it chooses to use, for example, clan Callum uses Clan Callum the Knights of the Bulwark (the honor of a clanmember serving as chapter master), slayers of Morrer (a particularly nasty beast), the holy (having a large number of Imperial churches). The marine will keep his clan name but the honorifics are not transferred, instead honorifics are earned in service. For example, The Flagellant was awarded for the chapter master taking an oath to physically punish himself for every failure, where the Baleful was a negative title awarded for failing critically in leading the chapter (an action which irrevocably shamed his clan, leading to their extinction through banishment).
+A marine is known only by their first name until they have earned an accolade in battle, at which point they earn the right to bear their clan name and inscribe it on their armor. Each armor, once inscribed, is kept within that clan as much as possible, earning more inscriptions with every successful clan brother, a fact the machine spirit responds to. While rare, armor may change clans if there are no eligible brothers from that clan or chance of future brothers (ie, if the clan went extinct). The exception is terminator armor, which more often changes clans and bears many clan inscriptions (carried out by the brother, the chief Epistolary, the master of the forge, and the chapter master) in a delicate process to coax the machine spirit to the new user. Repurposed armor goes through a similar process, with the exception that the former clan has a reason for the change inscribed under its deeds (ex, Clan Ioolach, Awarded the Emperor's Light in defense of their clan against the most evil traitors of the plague god). While multiple clan members may be brothers simultaneously, each impacts the honor of their clan equally regardless of rank. As such, clan nepotism is never a concern as a brother promoted to a role they are not capable of will have a severe risk of disparaging the clan. That coupled with the overarching clan that is the Bulwark removes any risk of mixed interest.
 == Recruitment ==