Book of Nightshade

History
The Book of Nightshade is the revered and sacred tome originally authored by the Chapter's first Chapter Master - Council Master Haydrian Lorc. Originally, it was written as a chronicle of the earliest days of the Night Ravens' existence, and speaks of the various trials and tribulations it first encountered following their inception. Over time, subsequent Council Masters have added to this tome, adding their own personal experiences and battlefield wisdom which created a sturdy but adaptable strategic framework that speaks of the fundamental strengths and abilities of the Night Ravens themselves. Down the millennia of their existence this tome has come to define the Night Ravens themselves, as the Chapter's character changed profoundly with the onset of their genetic deficiencies which has continue to plague them. This tome eventually became a compilation of personal notes on various tactics and doctrine used by the Chapter as well as a high-degree of blood-bought battle wisdom down the ages. Some alternations to the Book of Nightshade have been superficial, such as the use of shadowmark - the gestural command sign language used by the Night Ravens to communicate on the battlefield - to various changes in close-quarter tactics, martial traditions and warranted additions to Chapter iconography and even language. Some changes would prove dramatic, with an entire paradigm of culture, tradition and even ideology overwriting what had come before. The outward sign of these changes in the Chapter began to show a development of distinct character in the Night Ravens, far removed from the original patterns of the Codex Astartes that the Chapter had adhered to at the outset of their inception, much of which had become largely abandoned or become so modified and diluted as to be in some cases unrecognisable from their original iteration. This tome also contains the litanies and most sacred rites and core beliefs of the Chapter which are held sacred by all Astartes of the Night Ravens, which go out of their way to follow the wisdom of the Book of Nightshade. This tome is primarily utilised by the Chapter as a supplement to the Codex Astartes.