+ inload: Heroditians Command +

+ inload: Heroditians command +

+ Sergeant Symander +

+ Not all sergeants are grizzled Veterans. At the formation of the 190th, Lycios Symander was drawn up from the ranks, having shown leadership skills and capabilities above those of his classmates. He was placed in command of the newly-formed second squad of the line, dubbed the Heroditians in honour of a minor Senate member on Macragge. +

+ As a newly-invested commander of a new squad, Symander's armour remains relatively unembellished. However, he does bear a standard crested helm along with a decorated belt buckle –white on gold to symbolise Macragge – and, more notably, artificer-enhanced greaves. Their origin is uncertain, though the handiwork bears several hallmarks of Arius, a Techmarine attached to the 15th. Older Chapters sometimes acted as 'sponsors' for newly-formed Chapters, supplying a core veteran cadre to inspire the new troops, along with equipment, material and honours aimed at driving the new Chapter forward successfully. +

+ Armed as standard for a Sergeant, Symander has a Tigrus-patten bolt pistol and Marta Nova-pattern chainsword. +



+ Symander's equipment is – as could be expected – perfectly laid out according to the Marian Reforms; a series of directives sent down from Marius Gage to aid combat effectiveness amongst the Legion. While not compulsory, the Reforms were the distillation of the Great Crusade's lessons, and Chapters that adopted them often saw a spike in effectiveness. +






+ Brother Domnon +
+ The Marian Reforms, instituted towards the ends of the Great Crusade, saw a great deal of simplification and – within pragmatically broad parameters – adoption of a uniform approach. These reforms would later be refined and codified in the famed Codex Astartes, forming the skeleton of Imperial Space Marines' infantry deployment into the 41st Millennium. +



+ An important part of the background behind the Reforms was the developments made during the Great Crusade. Where the early Legions had relied upon dedicated comms-officers and signalmen, increased manufacturing power and refinement now allowed each suit of power armour produced to be fitted (retro-fitted in the case of Crusade Armour, but standard thereon) with comm-beads in both the helmet and throat of the armour, allowing inter- and intrasquad communication. +



+ However, the adoption of these early STC patterns was not universal, nor was it practical for far-flung or underequipped front line forces to replace these vital pieces of equipment. They were thus regarded as optional, and dedicated squad vox-men – called 'bucinators' by the XIII Legion after the hand-set's resemblance to an animal horn – were deployed within each squad of the line. +



+ Fitted with a bulky auxiliary backpack that could broadcast on multiple holobands or via a number of auxiliary methods (often dependent on the type of atmosphere the Ultramarines were fighting in), vox-men like Brother Domnon were expected to maintain communication while fighting every bit as hard as their comrades. +



+ The bucinators of the Ultramarines were often drawn by lots from within the squad – but some officers preferred to take a more direct approach and issue the task as either an honour, or even as a punishment! +