Lunch Time Ponderings - How do the Traitor Legions recruit?

[Mr Mystery]

Afternoon all.

So I've scoffed my luncheon (dried Apricots, if anyone is interested), and whilst chewing away, I found myself pondering the above question. Which will also be below. Ready?

Just how do the Chaos Legions keep their numbers up?

To the best of my knowledge, this isn't covered in any real depth in the background - but as ever, I can't make a claim I've read everything there is to read on the subject.

The Imperial way is well known. Apothecaries collect the Geneseed from fallen Astartes, and it is eventually implanted in aspirants recruited in age old traditions of their chapter (too many to go into here, as the focus is on Chaos). We also know there are repositories of Geneseed here and there, so it's not necessarily a case 'one out, one in' - nor does it seem there is a particular rush to implant harvested Geneseed (time limits seem more based upon need than speed).

But Chaos.

Chaos Chaos Chaos. They have no in-game Apothecary equivalents anymore, not unless you're playing Heresy games. Fabius Bile seems like a good option for getting the necessary done, until you realise Fabius Bile probably isn't the right answer to anything, on account of he's a bit of a loony.

I've read mention of aspirants being recruited from Cultists - those already sworn to the Gods, who would likely give not only their eye teeth for such an opportunity, but those of their family, their mates family, and indeed whoevers eye teeth you wanted in exchange to take place.

But....but where does the Geneseed come from? I'd imagine keeping it safe from degradation, an issue the Imperium faces already, is made somewhat trickier by mutations and the general malign influence of Chaos upon those who harbour the progenoid glands in their bodies.

One story which helps deal with this quandary is (the frankly superb) Storm of Iron. I'll avoid spoiler, and just say the events deal with one way Chaos Space Marines might lay their hands on Geneseed.

But what of those more recent renegades? We know they tend to form warbands of their own - but are they ever inducted into Legions other than the Black Legion, who seemingly take pretty much anyone willing to take the black.

Any thoughts on this one? Anything I should be reading to shine more light on this not-very-well-covered subject?

[phoenix01]

Spoiler alert:
Well, the Chaos Legions have no problem stealing geneseed and gathering recruits through raids and other less savory methods. In the Legacy of Caliban series, the Fallen stole Dark Angels geneseed and convinced people that they were prophets of a greater religion than that of the Emperor: the young ones were to be made into Astartes, if their plan had not been upset by the Dark Angels. Furthermore, the Iron Warriors in The Ultramarines book Dead Sky Black Sun had acquired geneseed and were attempting to grow clones. Fabius Bile also dabbled with cloning when they stole Horus's body and he's done all kinds of genesplicing recently using Sanguinius's geneseed (Blood Angels Black Tide).

[Tyrendian]

besides what phoenix said, there's also the not insignificant factor of new Astartes or even whole chapters falling to Chaos - just think of the whole Badab War mess... While that might not work for every Traitor Legion in the stricter sense (Black Legion probably being an exception since I believe they're a wild mix of warbands already), the larger Chaos Marine definition benefits from that kind of growth immensely.

[Andrew Thomas]

Not to mention that most of the Traitor Legions and Renegades maintain recruitment worlds on the fringes of the Imperium or on Daemon Worlds within the Eye or Maelstrom, respectively (as shown in Flesh and Iron and Blood Gorgons). As for geneseed, some Chapters/Legions kept their Apothecaria intact when they fell, lapses in procedure and whims of the Octed notwithstanding, while others, namely the Death Guard, rely solely on either the graces of their patron, or, in the case of the likes of the Red Corsairs or the Alpha Legion, are forced to desecrate and steal what they need (also remember that Omegon is the only being active in the 41st millennium that has more or less uncorrupted knowledge of how Him on Terra made the Space Marines originally, as shown in Deliverance Lost).

[Cactus]

The Alpha Legion connection has always been interesting to me. I suspect that they were, in fact, the first Legion produced and were the test subjects in making marines. IIRC, one of the books talked about how the AL doesn't recruit like the other chapters.

[Majorapat]

Also, don't forget that the traitor legions escaped into the warp with legion levels of Chaos Marines, rather than chapter levels.

Add on top of that, that time in the Warp works much different to time outside of it. People can be lost in it for centuries, coming out at any point in history. Who's to say that a single Marine hasn't saw conflict back and forth through time for millennia.

[Charon]

Stealing geneseed and implanting it in new recruits (Nightlord Omnibus)
Absorbing entire rogue chapters (Alpha Legion background)
Absorbing Traitor Marines into your own legion (Nightlord Omnibus)
Cloning (Fabius Bile, Dead Sky Black Sun)

The main reason for confusion here is, that Chaos/Rogue Space Marines in novels are completely different from Chaos Space Marines as an army on the tabletop.
That starts with Apothecaries (Night lord Omnibus), goes on with Drop Pods and Wargear and ends with zealots.

[Thornblood]

Yeah- spoilers!!! it's been mentioned already but Graham McNeil covers the Iron warriors on medrengrads recruitment methods in the iron warriors omnibus which crosses over with the uktramarines series. McNeil also provides us with cloning, firstly from uriel ventris, and then I'm the heresy series fabulous bile makes a mixed clone- part imperial fist, part the Dan of apothecary and lodge leader 'honourable souka' which gets abbreviated to hon'sou for the clones name. Plus all the turncoat renegades living on medregrad, led by Shaan, or Vaanes, the ravenguard traitor.

Dosnt 'Blood Gorgons' cover that they recruit from several feral worlds?

Thousand sons don't recruit. The suggestion is that all the cult legions don't recruit, but that's not really established officially and they are the ones most likely to recruit- death guard, emperors children Definayely have the facilities to do so. World eaters... Maybe not so much.

[Charon]

Thousand sons don't recruit.

They do not have to, the Rubricae are pretty much immortal. As for the sorcerers they do take students. (Ahriman)

[Mr Mystery]

And that's why I find the Thousand Sons both the most interesting, and dullest of the Legions.