| abstract
| - The slow, often painstaking process of examination can take years of effort to determine the fate of a single artefact -- certain results can be the subject of great argument between individual Forge Masters. Over the millennia several pieces of “rediscovered” human technology derived from the study of xenotech have been incorporated into Deathwatch wargear and even into the munitions of the Imperium as a whole. However, some Forge Masters always remain sceptical and will only grudgingly accept any form of xenotech into their Armouries. More Radical Forge Masters are prepared to exploit new ideas without waiting for the results of a full investigation, incorporating xenotech into their own creations with little concern for the fears of others. Each Watch Fortress incorporates extensive manufactoria for the production of weapons and armour. Within sweltering, flame-lit halls a lone Forge Master controls potentially hundreds of mono-task Servitors and artisan savants as they hammer relentlessly, shaping new weapons of war. Monstrous crucibles of molten metal swing silently overhead, ready to tip their glowing contents into moulds and formers. Sparks fly from electro-welders and grindstones as the work continues without cease. Not all Forge Masters are bound to a single Watch Fortress, and some travel endlessly between Watch Fortresses and Deathwatch space stations dispensing their knowledge, learning what they can from their fellows and assisting Kill-teams in the field. Whether in a Watch Fortress or out on a mission, the Forge Master's position is one of the gravest responsibility. Kill-teams rely extensively on the quality of the Forge Master's work in environments where a single dud bolt round or faulty Vox transceiver can bring disaster. The maintenance and supplication of Machine Spirits is a matter of the greatest import and the Forge Master maintains records of every piece of equipment under his charge, including the Techmarines assigned to maintain it and a history of past rituals undertaken to keep it functional. The Tech-priests of Mars are masters of the secret and lost technical lore of the Imperium, harbouring a knowledge of machines and Machine Spirits long lost to the bulk of humanity. When a Techmarine is trained on Mars he gains some of this knowledge so that he might better serve his Chapter, though even such training is only the tip of the iceberg and the very beginning of technological understanding. A Forge Master has taken the next step and through long years of working with ancient weapons and armour has developed a knack and empathy with machines that allows him to use them in unexpected and interesting ways, coaxing abilities from archaic technology and stubborn Machine Spirits. By far the greatest joy of a Forge Master is in the crafting of magnificent armour and weapons for the Deathwatch. While Servitors can wield hammers and stoke furnaces, and Techmarines can attend to the maintenance of guns and starships, it takes the touch of a true master of the Machine Cult to build something new. The Chainswords made by a Forge Master will cleave through the toughest alien flesh and the unquenchable fires of their Plasma Weapons burn forever hot and true. The most famous Forge Masters are often sought out by the greatest heroes of the Deathwatch, who desire a weapon worthy to carve a legend.
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)