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The Carmine Shrikes are an ancient Space Marine Chapter created during an Unknown Founding and from uncertain lineage. This Chapter claims to owe their allegiance and loyalty to the Emperor of Mankind. They make their homeworld upon the strange feudal world of Bryth, which is a planet of frozen tundras. The Carmine Shrikes are a Chapter steeped in superstition and ritual, who listen closely to their Gladewalkers and their Fire Keepers, and reverently record most of their own histories. This said, they are no slouches in war, and the Carmine Shrikes are primarily a close-quarters chapter, as eager for a fight as they are to laugh, eat, drink, and be merry when occasions call for it.

The Chapter is old, its origins dating back to the fires of the Horus Heresy - and it is from these old fires that they draw their memory and strength, to take vengeance upon those who murdered the dream of unity. Though their cause is just, their methods and origins put them close to being considered renegades - thus it is that the Imperium at large refer to these unwanted sons (derogatorily or otherwise) as ' The Emperor's Bastards '.

Chapter History
For over nine thousand years, did the Carmine Shrikes fight in service to the Imperium of Man - Nine thousand years since its founding, with courage and wrath in their hearts, even though there are many within the Imperium who would see them humbled or worse, cast out for their wayward ways, and their wayword world that they call home.

Their true origins prior to their founding are shrouded in mystery, where only myth and legends do describe what became of their founders’ names. The Predecessors of the Carmine Shrikes, Astartes of such grandeur their lives have all but been lost to time, were well spoken of having fought vigilantly against the traitorous Warmaster Horus’ legions with fierce tenacity. However, they operated on their own, without banner or border by the loyal Legions of the Imperium. Throughout this Heresy they would fight until they could fight no more, becoming lost on a distant planet of alien beauty and feral danger that awaited them.

None know exactly what became of these vigilantes after they were lost to space and time, but when their names did resurface, it was not as they once were; rather, their successors—those who had forged the core foundation to raise a new Space Marine Chapter from, had welcomed the Imperium’s returning eyes with open arms. It was this Chapter who would band together as one, despite divisions and grudges borne before that time in the infamous Brythright Wars, to combat the forces of Chaos and those diabolical xenos who wished ruin upon their new homeworld and its people.

The vigilantes of old had been lost for nearly a millennia since their disappearance into the wilderness of space, but now here were their descendants and sons, ready and willing to usher forth the vengeance of the Emperor upon his foes. They were officiated by the Imperium into being a new Chapter, one whose founding and origins were lost upon man but their deeds far from it. They would be based from the very planet they had come to be stranded on for so long. They would take the name of a powerful airborne predator on their world—from then on being known as the Carmine Shrikes, their homeworld dubbed Bryth.

The Tralgar Engagement (Unknown Date.M35)
It is on the eve of the Great Culling of the heretical Moirae Insurgency amongst the Adeptus Mechanicus, and those loyal to its creed. A fleet belonging to one of the nearby Forge Worlds was amassing, with the intent on invading Bryth so that they may plunder its secrets.

The Carmine Shrikes during that point in time had made its neutrality in the Terra Interregnum clear, but when this fleet muster and its intentions was discovered, the Chapter quickly mobilised its fleet to counter it. Command of the engagement was given to then Chapter Admiral Ronald Caedes, Lord Captain of the 1st Company during that time period.

The smaller chapter fleet engaged the larger Moirae-aligned Mechanicum Fleet at the world of Tralgar. As the Mechanicum brought their broadsides to bear upon the astartes, Ronald ordered the chapter fleet to form two spearhead formations and plunged them into the flanks of the enemy, targeting vital flagships and destroying them.

The fleet engagement was won in a matter of days, with the Moirae rebels scattering to the astral winds - but at a cost to the chapter, for Ronald Caedes fought and died valiantly in a boarding action, slaying the admiral of the enemy fleet.

The Scáthach Crusade (Unknown Date.M37)
At the zenith of the 37th Millennium, a storm known as the Tempest of Damnation had been raging for almost the entirety of M37. It encompassed the length and breadth of a neighbouring subsector, most of their Astronomican-blind worlds overrun by Chaos and many of the remainder near the eye of the storm having been turned into Daemon Worlds.

Thus was a grand crusade launched into the Tempest after the Emperor’s Tarot predicted good fortunes, led by a warrior-priestess by the name of Saint Scáthach - amongst the hundreds of Astra Militarum Regiments and an Imperial Knight House assigned to the Crusade were the entirety of the Carmine Shrikes' 9th Company (the ' Badb Catha ', or ' War Crows ' ). The Crusade was waged for nigh on half a century, before Saint Scáthach ritually sacrificed herself to the Immortal God-Emperor at the very heart of the Tempest and collapsed the anomaly in upon itself.

The Ecclesiarchy and the 9th Company view each other in an exceptionally warm light even to this day, and the Crusade - coupled with the Chapter's earlier support for Sebastian Thor in M36 - convinced many sceptics in the Imperium that even if the Carmine Shrikes could not be considered entirely free from suspicion, they could at least be relied upon to fight for the Emperor.

Chapter Homeworld
The Homeworld of the Carmine Shrikes is the remote world of Bryth, a world that bathes in the light of two suns. It is a cold tundra world of forests and mountains - fertile with greenery adapted to the conditions in which this world orbits, with clean air and soft mists that hide its more elusive, otherworldly creatures and extraordinary predators.

Bryth is a unique Feudal Tundra World situated in the farthest reaches of Segmentum Ultima. It’s history is vast, though Imperial cartographers had thought it no more than a distant Xenos homeworld until the early M32 millennium, when it was rediscovered by probing Explorator vessels as bearing host to a Space Marine Chapter: the Carmine Shrikes. When they discovered this, the planet was aptly reclassified and reincorporated into the larger Imperium of Man. Unfortunately, Bryth’s placement lay within 24 AU of the later-formed Storm of the Emperor’s Wrath—a raging warp storm that poses an unyielding threat to the Chapter that resides so close to it. Fortunately, Bryth is safe from the ritual menace that lurks within such a formidable celestial phenomenon for the time being, allowing the Carmine Shrikes Chapter to prosper in relative peace.

Bryth’s earliest recorded history begins with its life as an Aeldari Exodite World. The wildlife of Bryth was viciously hostile to those unfamiliar with how to tame it, and even while it was a known, prospective world for Imperial colonization during the Great Crusade, the Imperium had deliberately chosen not to expend resources engaging the Aeldari due to the Horus Heresy unfolding. As such, Bryth faded into obscurity from Imperial eyes, and it would not be until a millennium later when they would hear from it again; this time, Imperial explorators being met by Space Marines of the Carmine Shrikes Chapter.

With the Exodites that formerly inhabited Bryth summarily purged or driven into near-extinction by the Shrikes, human settlement had taken its place. The Shrikes’ predecessors had delivered a host of Serfs that propagated the surface of Bryth rapidly, developing feudal communities to call Bryth home. After the discovery of the Chapter, foreign settlement was drawn to Bryth; be it from refugees of dying worlds or deliberately brought by the Shrikes. Bryth is one of two habitable planets in its star system, colorful in its diversity of both natural and imported inhabitants. The many human kingdoms on Bryth strive to co-exist alongside the inhospitable fauna and flora that the Exodites were cultivating before their arrival; some argue Bryth should be categorised as a Death World, however its success in sustaining mankind’s realms begs to differ for other scholars.

To this day Bryth has not once endured a successful, nor even attempted invasion by the organized enemies of the Imperium; however there have been instances of incursions on the planet’s surface from within. Tendrils of Chaos from the warp storm they reside by have made themselves known in Bryth’s past, from Cults to Daemonic exclaves forced into reality by the machinations of the Warp. Ever still, the Carmine Shrikes stand vigilant on their dangerous homeworld, awaiting the day the Emperor’s Storm may just finally break all hell loose upon Bryth, as prophesied by their Glade-walkers ages past...

Physical Characteristics
Bryth’s surface is best characterized by a semi-continental pangaea landmass that represents the bulk of civilization on Bryth. Several breakaway islands do exist in its vast, unilateral ocean, though only one of which is prominent enough to host a proper clandom. This pangaea, bearing the titular name of “Greater Bryth”, is where the majority of Bryth’s inhabitants do reside—including representing its Planetary Capital, the Fortress-Monastery of Partholón.

The geography of Bryth is a myriad of frigid cool and temperate zones encompassing alien ecosystems both foreign and endemic to Bryth. Its poles are ice shelves, massive amalgamations of frozen water that occasionally cause drifting pack ice to break off and fill into its massive ocean; this defines where the ocean turns coolest from therein melting ice, for the rest is considerably warmer due to equatorial geothermal exposure. The southern ice shelf connects to the southernmost part of the Brythian supercontinent, leading into the planet's warmer, temperate regions.

Lands on Bryth working closer towards the equator from here display characteristics of fertile soil and hospitable temperatures to sustain fruitful human life; because Bryth’s surface is so cool compared to Terra, it runs the very line of being a habitable planet at all. Fortunately, an equatorial crevice running alongside the Brythian supercontinent allows for a sustainable amount of geothermal heat to provide various variable climates along its west coast. Its polar coastlines and eastern coast however are prone to more extreme climates.

Uniquely, Bryth is one of few planets to demonstrate unending weather phenomena; to its south pole, there exists a phenomenon known to natives as the “Everwinter,” an ongoing blizzard that formed in M31 and has not disappeared from Bryth since. The eternal winter storm has significantly cooled the southern pole enough to freeze entire portions of the continent, a disaster that its native Astartes have been using to their advantage to found remote fortresses from the eyes of the human realms, so as to ever keep watch on this supernatural phenomenon and to guard against it...

The Ten Great Realms
All these land masses on Bryth’s surface are divided into ten realms - ten great clandoms, each one guarded and administered by one of the ten Clan-Companies. Within these kingdoms are numerous more nations, tribes and smaller clans who come and go as history marched forward. Some ruling dynasties being as ancient as the Chapter itself, others who came about more recently. Such is their number that only the Badb Catha themselves have anything close to an accurate count and recording on them all.

Compared to many Astartes recruiting worlds, the native population of Bryth is reasonably advanced technologically - many of its societies dotted across the landmasses of Bryth are feudal in terms of technology, though there are also more tribal societies and nations as well that dot across the supercontinent.

This is deliberate in design by the Astartes overlord-guardians of Bryth, for while strength and the ability to survive is good, having a population that can more easily adapt to life and circumstances off-world is also a boon, allowing for ease of transition for potential Astartes recruits - though traditionally the technology levels of the populace is always kept to such levels and the more dangerous predators of Bryth are kept from extinction - so as to continue to challenge the human populace and to ensure that there will always be strong potential recruits for the Clan-Companies.

Dùthaich nan Faileas is the northernmost Clandom upon Bryth’s supercontinent - hearth and responsibility of Clan Badb Catha, the superstitious War Crows have established their castle-monastery Dún Scáith (trans. “Fortress in the Shade”) upon a rocky crag overlooking one of the inland seas, effectively making this their region’s capitol. The Kingdom itself is a land covered in Pine forests, and while the land itself is also bestowed with highlands and wild moors, the name of the Kingdom itself has stuck throughout the millennia due to its double-meaning, for the “Country of Shadows” not only does it have a great great forest across its lands, but its people are also considered to be isolated and insular.

One of the two Clandoms neighbouring the so-called “Country of Shadows” would be the modest realm of Cymru, the region watched over by Clan Gwaed Gocha. The elite Blood Dragons rule the Kingdom from their region’s ancient castle-monastery of Carmolon. One notable geographical feature would be found right on the border between Cymru and Dùthaich nan Faileas - The Muirburn, a permanently scorched land from the ancient time of the Brythright wars, when the Dragons and the Crows once tore into each other to a standstill. This geographical feature now marks the solemn, silent border between the now allied kingdoms, with no one but the mendicant badb calling it home.

The other Clandom that calls itself neighbour to Dùthaich nan Faileas is the Realm of Avalon - shrouded in mists and forests, this realm itself has a notable in-land sea containing a sizeable island known only as the isle of Avolon, upon which the great World-Tree of Bryth resides, the very same tree which the realm’s guardians, the strange and secretive Clan Nathraca Crann protect with zeal and fervour. The Tree Snakes themselves watch over the land and island itself from the Chapter’s Fortress-Monastery of Partholon, which is called home to all of the Chapter, including its Tree Snake custodians.

Below Avolon and Cymru at the world’s equator is is the fertile breadbasket kingdom of Talamhméith (trans. “Fertile Land”), over which Clan Scáth Fiagaí keep watch and protect. The Shadowhunters themselves guard the fertile farmlands of the region from their Castle-Monastery of Dún Bigil (“Fort Vigil”), from where they also gather and send food supplies across the planet itself.

Across the eastern coasts of Talamheith, would lay the huge island-continent of Tír na gCrann, home to the warriors of Clan Na Torc Cré-Umbha, who watch over the island from their stronghold of Droichead Nua (trans. “New Bridge”). The Bronze Torcs themselves watch over the inhabitants of the island itself, which is covered in forests surrounding a mountain range in which the stronghold itself resides.

South of the Clandom of Talamheith is the Clandom of Brosaria. Brosaria is known to be diverse both in culture as well as in geography, with mountains, rivers and lakes to be found across it. The Stormydd Hydodda Clan protect and watch over this region from their Castle-Monastery of Gwyliocaer (“Watch-Hold”), the Iron Alks themselves choosing to only interfere in mortal affairs when the entire realm is threatened by the most dire of events.

To the west of Brosaria, would be the cold realm of Raonbentan, watched over by the Arann Madra (The “Iron Hounds”) from their watch-fortress of Coinnigh Arann (AKA “The Iron Hold”). Raonbentan itself is a region known for its frigid environment and its great mountain range bordering the sea. Its people are considered the most technologically sophisticated amongst the realms, but that does not make them any less superstitious or hardy.

South of Brosaria would be the realm of Machair, a land of tundra plains as far as the eye can see. Its people are amongst the most rural of the realms of Bryth, but fierce and strong, with a penchant for nomadic lifestyles, mounted warfare and ritualised raiding. Clan Gala Pegacorii does not maintain a single Watch-Fortress within this realm unlike the other clans, but instead watches over its people from afar, intervening and intermingling with its human inhabitants only as they see fit.

West of Machair and south of Raonbentan would be the realm of Fiodha, under the guardianship of Clan Boghaichean Sinnoach (“The Fox Bows”), who watch over the realm from the Watch-Fortress of the same name. The land itself is frigid with many forests, a perfect environment for the training and testing of new recruits for the wider Chapter.

South of Machair and Fiodha would be the southernmost realm of Bryth, known as Raointean, The realm of snow and blizzards. The Claisen Sneada clan watches over this realm and guards against the supernatural phenomenon to the south known as the Everwinter from their watch-fortress of Daingneach. Raointean is considered to hold the harshest environments of all the realms, but its human inhabitants persevere regardless and tend to make excellent recruits into the wider chapter.

Bryth is home to a number of creatures unique to it, from the regal Alks to the Dire Shrike - a monstrous bird with the unusual but brutal characteristic of impaling its prey upon jagged rocks and spiked objects, from whom the Chapter has taken its name.

A number of other dangerous creatures that roam the realms include the giant, crude but dangerous metal-devouring Ogrindr, the “Galloping Hounds”, and the ambling Ursiform, besides a number of other wild creatures, some whom scholars claim to resemble creatures of ancient Terra (those rumours are heavily disputed and often dismissed with scorn).

The realms also host to a number of other creatures that are considered myth - and although they are never confirmed by the Carmine Shrikes themselves, rumours of such creatures roaming the rural countryside and wilds still persist amongst the human populace to this very day...

Chapter Organisation
The Carmine Shrikes Chapter utilizes an organizational doctrine that is not only notably different from a Codex-compliant Chapter, but also eerily echoes that of the old Space Marine Legions, something which alarms a few Inquisitors out there who are keeping a suspicious eye on the Carmine Shrikes.

Instead of 10 Companies with 100 marines each - with each company assigned certain roles - the Chapter is divided into 10 Clan-Companies with anything between 50 Astartes up to 120 Marines of 12 Squads each. The maximum is strictly observed by all the companies as well as Chapter Command, and whenever there is a member overflow ,lots are drawn and made to make bonds of kinship with an understrength clan company. Scout Marines are considered not part of this maximum, but no more than 30 at a time can be typically found in each company.

The Companies function like Codex-compliant Battle Companies, containing mixed troops as well as various equipment that they have access to, including Scouts and Veteran marines. They are each lead by a Lord-Captain, and they would each normally have one to three Lieutenants who help the Battle-Captain with his duties both on and off the battlefield. Each company often works as an independent force, only coming together with others if the need arises.

The Carmine Shrikes also maintain squads of marines known collectively and most commonly as the Penitence Company, though they go by various other names as well - some more derogative than others. These are Astartes recruits or members of the Chapter who have committed heinous crimes that are deemed worthy of redemption in righteous battle, and are thus given the chance to fight to the death against the enemies of the Imperium. These penitent Astartes have their standard issue power armour replaced with more damaged suits - or failing that, they are given carapace armour akin to the battle-plate worn by Scout Marines - and they are invariably given a combat knife, a regular sword or spear of some sort and a bolt pistol with two clips, or a shield before being sent into combat.

Those penitent brothers who survive at least a few battles and have been seen to conduct themselves honourably are then welcomed back as fully-fledged Battle Brothers, their armour and wargear returned to them, and bonds of brotherhood renewed. Otherwise, they remain in the Penitence Company until the day they die in battle.

Their numbers usually fluctuate from Clan company to clan company depending on various levels of offence, though normally numbering no more than 40 at a time across the entire chapter, except for exceedingly rare occasions - and the distribution of their numbers is usually overseen by both the Druids and the Chaplains of the chapter, at the approval of the Lord-Captains.

Vehicles
NOTE; Should there be no numbers next to the name, assume that it is a commonly used vehicle.

Transports

 * Drop Pods
 * Rhinos
 * Razorbacks
 * Termites
 * 3 Damocles Command Rhinos
 * 7 Rhino Primaris

Dreadnought Patterns/Variants

 * Castraferrum Pattern Dreadnought
 * Hellfire Dreadnought
 * Ironclad Dreadnought
 * Siege Dreadnought
 * Venerable Dreadnought
 * 3 Contemptor Dreadnoughts

Light Vehicles

 * Astartes Attack Bikes
 * Astartes Bikes
 * Scout Bikes
 * Land Speeders
 * Land Speeder Storms
 * Land Speeder Tempests
 * Land Speeder Typhoons
 * Land Speeder Tornados

Tanks

 * 2 Land Raiders
 * 1 Land Raider Redeemer
 * 1 Land Raider Crusader - Due to the love/hate rivalry with the Black Templars, this one was the only one made for the Chapter’s service.
 * 1 Land Raider Terminus Ultra - Only one due to certain difficulties maintaining it, but is kept for its very useful tank-hunting role.
 * 1 Land Raider Excelsior
 * Predators
 * Stalkers
 * Hunters
 * Vindicators
 * Whirlwinds
 * Whirlwind Hyperios
 * 3 Vindicator Laser-Destroyers
 * 1 Sicaran Battle-Tank

Aircraft

 * Caestus Assault Ram
 * 1 Fire Raptor Gunship - Leftover from the Horus Heresy
 * Stormraven Gunship
 * Stormhawk Interceptor
 * Stormtalon Gunship
 * Thunderhawk Gunship
 * Space Marine Landing Craft

Support Elements

 * Hyperios Missile Launcher
 * Thunderfire Cannon
 * Tarantula Sentry-Gun
 * 20 Rapier Armoured Carriers - Leftovers from the Horus Heresy, though their numbers are supplemented from a nearby Forge World

Equipment
NOTE; Should there be no numbers next to the name, assume that it is a commonly used Equipment. Limited numbers means that the particular piece of Equipment is not something that the average marine would have, with Extremely limited making it something only a number of Veterans would have in their possession.

General Wargear

 * Auspex
 * Bionics
 * Cameleoline Tarpaulin
 * Grav-Amp
 * Grav-Flares
 * Jump Pack
 * Luminator Signal-Flare Capsules
 * Omniscope
 * Photon Beam Searchlight
 * Signum
 * Stalker Flares

Beacons and Homers

 * Jamming Beacon
 * Locator Beacon
 * Teleport Homer

Shields, Power Armour and Variants

 * Power Armour MK 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 suits
 * 46 Power Armour MK 2 suits - Limited numbers, typically assigned to honoured veterans.
 * 32 Power Armour MK 8 suits - Limited numbers, typically assigned to honoured veterans.
 * Artificer Armour - extremely limited numbers, assigned mainly to Officers.
 * Boarding Shield
 * Carapace Armour
 * Centurion Armour
 * Combat Shield - limited numbers
 * Storm Shield - Limited numbers, typically assigned to honoured Veterans
 * 35 Indomitus Pattern Terminator Armour - Limited numbers
 * 15 Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour - Limited numbers
 * 10 Tartaros Pattern Terminator Armour - Extremely limited numbers

Specialised Equipment

 * Carnifex - Apothecary Tool
 * Familiar - Librarian Equipment
 * Narthecium - Apothecary Tool
 * Psychic Hood - Librarian Equipment
 * Rosarius - Chaplain Equipment
 * Reductor - Apothecary Tool
 * Servo-Arm - Techmarine Equipment
 * Servo-Harness - Higher ranking Techmarine Equipment
 * Mechadendrites - Techmarine Equipment
 * Purity Seals

Weapons
NOTE; Should there be no numbers next to the name, assume that it is a commonly used Weapon. Limited numbers means that the particular weapon is not something that the average marine would have, with Extremely limited making it something only a number of Veterans would have in their possession.

Close Combat Weapons (Standard)

 * Combat Knife
 * Shortsword
 * Chainsword
 * Eviscerator
 * Short Axe
 * Chainaxe - Limited numbers

Close Combat Weapons (Specialists)

 * Crozius Arcanum- Chaplain Weapon
 * Force Weapon - Librarian Weapon
 * Relic Blade - Extremely limited numbers, normally assigned to Officers and few other Veterans. Can take the form of either Broadswords or Two-handed Axes.

Close Combat Weapons (Veterans)

 * Chainfist - Limited numbers
 * Power Axe
 * Power Fist - Limited numbers
 * Power Maul
 * Power Sword
 * Power Spear
 * Thunder Hammer - Limited numbers

Dreadnought/Centurion Close Combat Weapons

 * Ironclad Chainfist
 * Seismic Hammer
 * Close Quarters Combat Arm with Storm Bolter attachment
 * Close Quarters Combat Arm with Flamer attachment

Ranged Weapons (Standard)

 * Godwyn, MK4, Phobos, Ultima, Umbra and Ultra pattern Boltguns
 * Godwyn, Phobos, Ultima, Umbra and Ultra pattern Bolt Pistols
 * Ignis Pattern Hand-Flamer
 * Astartes Assault Shotgun

Ranged Weapons (Specialists)

 * Astartes Sniper Rifle
 * Combi-Flamer
 * Combi-Plasma
 * Combi-Melta
 * Combi-Grav
 * Flamer
 * Plasma Gun
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Meltagun
 * Inferno Pistol
 * Grav-Gun - Limited numbers
 * Grav-Pistol - limited numbers
 * Storm Bolter

Ranged Weapons (Heavy)

 * Heavy Bolter
 * Cyclone Missile Launcher
 * Missile Launcher
 * Heavy Flamer
 * Lascannon
 * Multi-Melta
 * Plasma Cannon

Ranged Weapons (Dreadnought)

 * Assault Cannon
 * Twin-Linked Autocannon
 * Hurricane Bolter
 * Missile Launcher
 * Twin-Linked Lascannon
 * Multi-Melta

Explosives

 * Cluster Mines
 * Frag Grenades
 * Krak Grenades
 * Remote Detonation Pack
 * Melta Bombs - Limited numbers

Chapter Culture
The Culture of the Carmine Shrikes mimics that of the fierce tribesmen and people of their adopted home world - superstitious yet lax, unafraid of fights and joyous both in battle and in feasts. That said, while much of the Chapter’s recruits come from Bryth - they also recruit from other nearby worlds, and on occasion pick up promising youths from abroad during their campaigns.

This means that while the Chapter’s culture is predominantly similar to that of the tribesmen on Bryth, marines from other worlds don’t necessarily have to follow certain cultural formalities of the Chapter, but such marines are in the minority and can be looked down upon for not observing ritualistic rites from some of the more stricter, superstitious members or clan-companies of the chapter.

Chapter Beliefs
The Chapter only follows the Codex Astartes in the most loosest of terms, and views more strictly Codex-complaint Chapters as unimaginative. Predictably, they do not get along with most Codex-oriented Chapters.

The chapter's traditions are steeped in no small amount of superstition due to the tribal influence of their homeworld - they are individualistic, and place stock by individual heroism and initiative just as much as unity, teamwork and organisation.

While the Chapter is steeped in superstitious ritual and belief, they don't view the Emperor as a god - rather, they view him as the greatest of all men who had ever lived, or will ever live. That said, they tend to observe personal prayers among themselves.

The Chapter's Librarians are called Druids - Marines who have developed psychic powers. They tend to scry the Chapter's future, so that they might deliver death to their foes - or avoid it. They also act as lore keepers for the Chapter, guarding many written works and maintaining a library within their Fortress-Monastery. In a Chaplain's absence, they can also observe and perform rituals that are inherent to the Chapter.

The Chaplains of the Chapter work similar as any other Chaplains from other chapters - they observe the Chapter cult, and ensure that their loyalty to the Emperor remains true. They are learned in the varied rituals and ways of the Clan Companies, who maintained various degrees of individual sub-cultures in the chapter.

That said, they can at times be at odds with the Druids due to overlapping duties - some Chaplains tend to written words, keeping track of the history in the absence of the Druids and even guard said written works in the Reliquaries and the Library, while there are some Druids who would at times step in to help observe ritual rites within the Chapter. It is very rare for the two organizations to come to blows thankfully, and more often than not, they maintain distance between each other.

Every 200 years, the Chapter comes together - as many of them as possible - to attend to The Great Feast, celebrating their Founding over 10 millennia ago. Drinks and food are had, and it is during these times that the Clan Companies observe blade tournaments and mock melees - to settle perceived grievances and ensure that honour is satisfied and that all their blades are sharpened. The Great Feast is not only a time for rivalries to be scored and settled, but also for the Chapter to come together and renew their bonds of brotherhood, and the tales of the dead told and written down, with funeral rites observed before inevitably they set out for fresh campaigns.

It is also during the Great Feast that individuals within the Chapter can choose to renew bonds with their Clan-Company, or to otherwise move on and renew said bonds with those they feel closer kinship to. While an uncommon occurrence, it is usually done with a certain amount of respect, though there are times when the Clan Companies have come to blows over such matters of individuals swapping companies due to intense rivalries.

Chapter Gene-Seed
The gene-seed of the Carmine Shrikes is extraordinarily diluted and leaves no clear trace as to who could be the Chapters Gene-Father. While the gene-seed is stable over all it does leave a significant chance for mutation that, unlike other Chapters, does not seem to hold a unique pattern. Where you might find a Chapter like the Black Dragons, who almost all have bony protrusions and protuberances, or the Salamanders who all have coal black coloured skin, you may find within the Carmine Shrikes with mutations with little to no relation to one another.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
The Carmine Shrikes Combat Doctrine favours two strategies in particular - aggressive guerrilla warfare and combined arms assault.

They make a swift, coordinated attack on the enemy using any means at their disposal at the time, typically improvising and adapting along the way as the situation changes. Whether by dumb, sheer luck, cunning or by great will, The Carmine Shrikes do their best to overcome their foes and secure victory, sometimes at great cost.

The Carmine Shrikes have developed a bias for close combat over the millennia, with many of their warriors carrying a spare short sword at the very least when they go to fight, if not spears and axes.

Allies
Feel free to add your own
 * Blood Angels: Close Allies.
 * Raven Guard: Friendly
 * Salamanders: Friendly
 * Silver Skulls: Friendly
 * Astra Militarum: Friendly

Notable Rivals

 * Black Templars: Rivals of the strongest degree - the Black Templars and the Carmine Shrikes have almost come to blows before, but they usually settle matters of honour and blood by honour duels.
 * Flesh Tearers: Untrustworthy Berserkers.
 * Iron Hands: The Flesh is strong.
 * Space Wolves: Cultural differences, honour duels also tend to be frequent with them.
 * Ultramarines: Haughty Brothers.
 * Ordo Astartes: Overbearing Overseers.

Enemies
Feel free to add your own
 * Heretic Astartes: Priority Target