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| - Amongst the Adeptus Astartes, the Chapter icon is a sacred symbol of all that their Chapter stands for, a mark of all the proud history that can be traced back to the Chapter's very Founding. To wear the Chapter icon is a subject of intense pride for a Space Marine, and to deface or obscure it is treated as a heinous crime. It is said by some that Traitors prove themselves to the Ruinous Powers by spurning their Chapter icon and the Imperial Aquila as evidence of their willingness to turn their back on their Primarch and the Emperor of Mankind. However, amongst the ranks of the Deathwatch there are anonymous warriors who bear no Chapter mark, their right pauldron showing only featureless black. By ancient tradition, a Space Marine with his heraldry obscured may present himself before a Wat
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| abstract
| - Amongst the Adeptus Astartes, the Chapter icon is a sacred symbol of all that their Chapter stands for, a mark of all the proud history that can be traced back to the Chapter's very Founding. To wear the Chapter icon is a subject of intense pride for a Space Marine, and to deface or obscure it is treated as a heinous crime. It is said by some that Traitors prove themselves to the Ruinous Powers by spurning their Chapter icon and the Imperial Aquila as evidence of their willingness to turn their back on their Primarch and the Emperor of Mankind. However, amongst the ranks of the Deathwatch there are anonymous warriors who bear no Chapter mark, their right pauldron showing only featureless black. By ancient tradition, a Space Marine with his heraldry obscured may present himself before a Watch Commander and petition for admittance to the Deathwatch. He may not be questioned or pressed to divulge anything about his origins, all such information having been ritually obliterated by the removal of his Chapter's mark. Should he be accepted, only the silvered skull of the Deathwatch will mark out the allegiance of these so-called "Black Shields", who shun the company of other Space Marines until the time of battle is upon them. Such warriors are unique to the Deathwatch and even there, they are regarded as figures of ill omen. The Black Shield is a Space Marine without a Chapter, an individual who has severed himself from the very things that defined him as a Battle-Brother of the Adeptus Astartes. Though fully within his rights to refuse admittance, a Watch Commander will seldom refuse. The Deathwatch is an alliance of Chapters open to all Chapters, and for those of no Chapter it offers a path to atonement for any willing to undertake it. A lifetime spent guarding the outer reaches of the galaxy against the alien threat will perhaps earn a Black Shield the right to be interred in the tombs of the fallen in a great Watch Fortress one day. In this way, in death at least, the Black Shield can reforge the bonds of brotherhood he once chose to sever. Black Shields are a rarity, for a Watch Commander will seldom see more than a handful in his lifetime. No two share the same motivation for taking up the Black Shield, and speculation as to their motives follows them wherever they go. But one thing remains universal amongst all Black Shields; their overriding need and zealous determination to exorcise the demons of their past through faithful and vigilant service to the Deathwatch. A Black Shield is known to maintain a gruelling penitent’s regime of prayer and self-castigation between training exercises to harden himself for the battles ahead. In battle they fight without consideration for their wounds or the perils of the battlefield to achieve the Kill-team’s goals. Always knowing their own worth in the great struggle against the enemies of Mankind, no Space Marine fights recklessly. That cannot be said for a Black Shield, for he will think nothing of placing himself as bait in a trap or drawing enemy fire. These fatalistic individuals do not seek personal glory through their actions and will do nothing to imperil those around them, but they will always stand ready to give their life if such circumstances arise. In the Black Shield's mind he is dead already, and his life only has value in how it may best serve the Deathwatch. A Black Shield accepts the most dreadful privation and hardship as his lot. He will unquestioningly accept missions felt too low and inglorious for other Space Marines to perform. Whether at the forefront of a Kill-team purging a nest of enemies or cloistered for a long and lonely vigil in a Watch Station, a Black Shield offers no complaint. They become pure instruments of the Deathwatch with no thought to their own future. On rare occasions, thanks to their unwavering dedication, Black Shields rise through the ranks of the Deathwatch. In the past, Black Shields have become Deathwatch Chaplains, Watch Captains and, in the case of a bare few, even Watch Commanders.
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