Crimson Bulwark

Chapter Name
Warcry:	We are His Shield! / The Bulwark Shall Not Fall!
Founding:	Unsure, pre-10th Founding
Founding Chapter:	Unconfirmed, suspected Imperial Fists
Chapter Master:	Molruibh 'The Flagellant' Callum
Homeworld:	Shield of Absolution
Fortress-Monastery:	Absolution's Reflection
Colors:	Red and Bone-White
Specialty:	Large Apothecarium, Anti-Plague
Strength:	1000 Marines, ~90,000 Chapter Serfs
Chapter Creed:	We are His Fortresses, His Redoubts, His Bulwark

Overview

The Crimson Bulwark, formerly known as the Crimson Hammer, are a loyalist Chapter found in Subsector Makerus of Sector Eternum. Over millenia of conflict against the Rotbelchers and other servants of the plague God, they have become skilled at countering both invasions originating from the Bubonic Rift and the plagues Nurgle's followers so often bring.

History

According to chapter records, almost all history prior to M35 was lost when the fortress Hammer of the Emperor (now known as the Shield of Absolution) was severely damaged and infested with data and memetic viruses by an attack from the plague god's forces. Outsiders who lost their own records over time note several inconsistencies in this incident, but none they would bring up to the Bulwark. Some of the few fragments that survive record that the chapter was originally founded to observe and protect against the warp touched area of space that would become nascent Bubonic rift, which explains their fierce defense of the Eternum sector.

The chapter home world is the fortress monastery Shield of Absolution, with all recruiting worlds in subsector Makerus. The chapter used to boast several recruiting worlds, but after several vicious campaigns lead by the death guard, only a handful remain. Originally known as the Crimson Hammer, the Chapter renamed themselves after the Battle of Absolution during the First Poxwar.

Due to losses incurred, the Bulwark changed to emphasize heavy ranged firepower supported by tactical squads, with melee used as a scapel instead of a sledgehammer and a high importance placed on sturdy armor leading to further veneration of their armor and craftsmen. Each battle brother is expected to help maintain their armor, and each forge litanies and benedictions detailing the clan's and armour's service on the inside. This, combined with the artistry behind each piece of armor, has a side effect of warding the armor against certain types of attacks (which only add to the armor's list of deeds). Each marine takes pride in their armor, and a poorly maintained or crafted armor can result in the responsible marine being stripped of holy armor for disrespecting the legacy of the craft. The increase in seriously injured marines during the First Poxwar caused an increase in Dreadnoughts and more apothecaries than normal for a traditional chapter.

Recruitment

Chosen from the best offspring of the victorious warring villages in the Crimson Bulwark's domain, or from a fiefdom's populace if an individual catches the attention of their Lord Ex Crusades, recruits are closely screened to ensure they are free from taint, psych-indoctrination, and possess a stubborn temperament with healthy hatred of anything, even flora, that dare to challenge mankind's dominance. Potential recruits first face the trial of craft where they must forge a longsword and simple shotgun with any materials they wish, those that cannot form even the most basic of swords or shotguns are disqualified. Those who succeed then face a trial of the predator, where they alone must best one of the multitude of xenos monsters alone. Only the most ferocious and clever can defeat these xenos monsters alone, armed with nothing beyond the longsword and shotgun they produced. If they succeed, they are grouped with several other initiates and dropped off at the Redoubt of Reflection, a fortification that is consistently assaulted by xenos monsters, both the dumb and strong and the clever and many.

The fortress is cleared prior to drop-off, and the aspirants have their choice of serf weaponry including lasguns, stubbers, frag missile launchers and more, flak armor or no armor, and one week of rations. They are told to hold the Redoubt for one week against the tide of filth before they will be relieved, and those that survive will begin the process of becoming a fully fledged Battle Brother. To better recreate the Bulwark's position and history, the aspirants are actually expected to hold the fortress for two weeks with no signal that help is coming. The aspirants must go without food and limited water for another week, all the while being whittled down by the xenos with no hope of rescue. Those that try to escape the fortress will be shortly eaten by the monsters, while the few that hold onto the fortress, even if pushed to the last strong room, have proven they have the stubborn resolve to join the Bulwark.

The last test is the test of character. The survivors are grouped into pairs of two, separated from each other, then told that to, in a break of tradition due to too many recent aspirants, earn their place in the chapter, they must fight to the death, with only the winner becoming a brother. Those who follow the instruction and make to attack their fellow initiate, who they spent two weeks fighting an unending horde of enemies, are executed. Only those who are of such a morality to refuse to attack their fellows, or try to dissuade the other and only prepare to fight defensively are allowed to proceed. Rarely, only one initiate survives the trial of the Redoubt. These inmates, Lone Survivors, are believed to be marked for greatness to succeed where all others failed, though their last test is unique. As there are no battle peers to test their morality against, the overseer of the trials, again telling the aspiring warrior that in a break from tradition they'll face a unique test owing to unique circumstances, instead they're offered a Xenos device and told to peer into it to gain immense insight. This is a test designed to trick those that aren't utterly convinced of Man's superiority, as the only correct answer is for them to refuse or destroy the vessel in question.

The Crimson Grief

The Crimson Grief is an affliction of unknown origin that began to impact the Chapter during the First Poxwar. Not every Battle Brother will suffer it, but many will. The grief's cause is not well understood, but all who suffer it share the same symptoms. Sufferers are generally lucid but occasionally suffer bouts of confusion, believing they're in the First Poxwar regardless of whether they served in it or not. They will attempt to reinforce squadrons that no longer exist, move to intercept a force that disappeared long ago, or more dangerously believe they're surrounded by hostile Rotbelchers and lash out with lethal results. During these bouts, they cannot be reasoned with and will only reply to commanders who died long ago, while taking up arms with any flame based weaponry nearby and firing excessively to purge any perceived (real or not) taint. Chaplains are some of the few marines who can get the afflicted to occasionally follow orders. For the lucid, they are filled with a mixture of sorrow and rage, to the point that they will discard any ranged weaponry save close range weapons like flamers, melta, or pistols to close to melee and tear apart the enemy, purposefully seeking a brutal death to atone for their perceived failure.

Though some never come out of the Crimson Grief, most eventually break out of it after a period of service as an assault marine after a long campaign, ready to return in service of the chapter. Few receive a vision of absolution, earmarking them for ascension to the Chapter's Chaplains. None can say what the vision holds, but all chaplains share the same vision. Chaplains will not discuss the vision outside of their own, and only they know what it contains and what it means. As the Chaplains closely monitor those who suffer from the Grief, they are first to know of vision sufferers.

For those marines who never break out of the Grief, their chapter will oft find them gone one morning, leading a suicidal lone charge against an overwhelming enemy, or more rarely, off to report to long passed commanders on a dead world where the elements, raiders, and leftover chaos forces will wear them down until they're eventually killed or throw themselves into a self made pyre, dying a lonely death on a forgotten world for a forgotten battle.

The Marked

Marines who lose their clan or fiefdom lose a piece of themselves, and as penance burn one of their limbs off.  As part of this penance, the marine receives an augmentation that,  whenever the brother is not in battle or training or chaplain services, randomly and occasionally simulates the pain of burning a limb. The Marked will generally form up into squads geared towards close combat with an emphasis on flame based weaponry, with both knee plates painted black instead of only the right called 'The Ashen Stigmata' to represent them kneeling in the ashes of their fiefdom. They will generally maintain their company rank but will never advance unless, however incredibly rare, they regain their honor and avenge their village. The only way for them to regain their honor and status is to both eliminate those directly responsible for the destruction of their home, and perform an unbelievably heroic feat against an enemy (for example, Marked Brother Anthron Buchler single handedly brought down a Rotbelcher helbrute in close combat after the monster and his retinue had killed his whole squad, killing both the commander (interned in the brute) responsible for his village's destruction and performing a feat few could match. As a result, he was allowed to remove the Ashen Stigmata and purifier pattern augmentic and return to a status of honor among the Bulwark, becoming a bearer of sorrow of his lost fiefdom and regaining the respect of his brothers. A brother who regains his honor is eligible, although exceedingly rare, to be awarded stewardship of either a dreadnought's (at the interred brothers discretion) or deceased brother's (at the chapter master's discretion) fiefdom and merge clans. Awarding the wrong fiefdom or clan to a redeemed battle brother is a serious moral offense to the chapter, and thus the chapter master closely consults with his captains and chaplains before considering any reward of stewardship.