Scarlet Lions

"They are the sons of the Lion, the blooded host, the defenders of Humanity. They are strength. They are nobility. They are the Scarlet Lions, and I say to you there are no more loyal or determined servants of the Emperor alive today."
 
The Scarlet Lions are one of the 20 Ultima Founding Legions of the Imperial Marines and are the IIIrd Imperial Legion. They are well-known across the galaxy for their bloodthirsty nature in battle, and feared for the myriad of genetic curses carried within their Golden Inheritance. 
The Scarlet Lions are the noble descendants of that most puissant and Leonine of the Luminarchs -- Za'mana Mu-Damik. They are perhaps one of the most celebrated Legions in the entire Imperium, their countless heroic deeds and victories known to untold billions of the Imperator's subjects across the length and breadth of the galaxy.
The beauteous, Leonine visages of the Legion's heroes adorn Gothic facades and stained glass windows in a million holy basilicas, and their portraits gaze serenely from endlessly copied and much cherished illuminated tomes. Yet, hidden from the multitudes, the Scarlet Lions harbor a terrible curse. A beastial change.
The very inevitability of their primal curse ennobles the battle-brothers of the Scarlet Lions, driving them ever onwards to a glorious death in the name of the Emperor and their Luminarch. Where lesser men might have surrendered to the dark urgings to shed the blood of the enemies of the Emperor, the Scarlet Lions stand to remain pure and noble.
When war calls and blood is spilled, the Scarlet Lions are gripped by a fury born of the very bowels of nature. For some, the hunger is too great and they are entirely overcome by what is called the Mushadara, cursed to end their days caught between man and beast. 
Warriors of rage and wrath yet sculpted into Lords, the Scarlet Lions stand tall among their honored cousins, both literally and metaphorically. For when the Scarlet Lions appear on the battlefield, it is always with a roar, always advancing into the red fray. Yet, within their Luminarch's Dominions of the Pride Reaches, the Scarlet Lions have shown the discipline and patience necessary for administration. Each Crimson Lion marches forward into battle with the history of his service on his skin as they add tattoos to represent their growing records of service with their veterans covered from head to toe in red and black pictograms. At the head of this legion of clans is Za'mana Mu-Damik, a Luminarch of a warrior's prowess and a hidden berserker's rage. 
The beastial Sons of Za'mana Mu-Damik are known and celebrated across the Imperium, representations of the greatest heroes of the Scarlet Lions carved in marble, painted in oils, and sewn in tapestries in a million cloisters and more. Their Leonine Luminarch is an object of veneration on countless worlds, his primal visage gazing down on the faithful with a mixture of benevolence and pride. The Scarlet Lions are the inheritors of Za'mana Mu-Damik, and they bring death from above to the enemies of the Emperor.
== Origins and History ==
Fate is a cruel master, for no matter how much her prey might twist or turn, no matter what triumphs they might rise to or what trials they overcome, she will still drag them down. The Scarlet Lions struggled against the fate written into their very genes since their original ascension to Marine, defied the role the Emperor chose for them and dared to believe they could transcend the darkness that has ever stalked them.
They took the worst of Mankind and made of it something bright and true, they rose above what they had once been and stood astride the fledgling Imperium like the guardian Lions for which they were named. The tragedies that were to follow them and their legacy would shatter their resolve and leave them broken. But such is the nature of the IIIrd Legion that they would not surrender to despair nor to the darkness, but rose again and again soaring to stand ever higher than before.
What might have Za'mana Mu-Damik and his sons achieved were it not for the dark fate brought upon them by blood? What brilliant flower might have bloomed from the carnage and blood of their origins? That unknown future is yet another casualty of fates unseen talons, the Scarlet Lions left to endure the slow degeneration of their noble line with the stubborn pride that is their hallmark.
=== The Children of the Swallowing Dark ===
There are many noble legends caught in the echoes of the Terran Unification Wars, the battles where the Emperor's newborn Imperial Marine Legions swept aside all who opposed their master before them. Among these tales there are few to be found that will mention the IIIrd Legion, only grim rumors and half-heard whispers. Where the first companies of the other proto-Legions were blooded in Albia, Yndonesia and Old Franc alongside the massed ranks of the newborn Imperial Troop Regiments, the IIIrd Legion was absent, granted a role as vital as it was unsightly.
The old IIIrd Legion served the Emperor as an inferno serves a general upon the battlefield; they did not conquer but instead ravaged, growing and growing as they went, a weapon that could not be directed or controlled, only endured.
Few in number, the early Imperial Marine Legions fought as mere vanguards to larger forces, a sharp dagger alongside the blunt sledgehammer of the armies of Unification. They were the fulcrum upon which battles turned, the point of control, waging small scale battles by precision strike and audacious raids. But the IIIrd Legion was made in a different image. Even in their earliest days they were among the largest of the proto-Legions and when they made war it was like the sudden arrival of a tsunami, sweeping away the opposition in a flurry of brutal assaults.
They found themselves deployed to the most dangerous war zones of Old Terra, to those accursed regions ravaged by the rad-phages and chem strains of the Long Dark, places where only the most twisted and debased breeds of Mankind still lived. In the wastelands that existed outside of history's spotlight they held the line, alone and unnoticed while the Emperor drove home His grand conquests.
This grim fate was no accident, no arbitrary choice made by a distant general, for each of the Legions had been granted genetic tools to fit the roles for them by the Emperor, and the IIIrd Legion was no exception. Where other Legions took only the best recruits, princes and champions among the conquered techno-barbarian nations of Old Terra, and produced but few Initiates, the IIIrd Legion took in the hordes of dispossessed and broken, and made of them a Legion of Lions.
Scarred by so many long generations mired in the rad-zones and sunken fortresses of Terra's poisoned wilds, these creatures were no longer entirely human, but horribly mutated beasts that the tyrants of Old Terra had long since driven out and hunted. Yet, from such base materials emerged a breed of Legiones Marine uniformly made tall and golden, their features sculpted into stern elegance.
The unique genetic template of the IIIrd Legion's as-yet unknown sire seemed to favor the twisted and Voided, though the pain it inflicted on those inducted into the Legion was more than most any could ever hope to bear. As those weakened by years of exposure to the most horrific rad-zones and poisons rarely survived such an ordeal, the number of recruits that endured to become Marine Marines of the IIIrd Legion were few. Yet, unlike the other Legions, the IIIrd cast their net wide, and claimed entire tribes of wastelanders, prisoners of war and the long train of hopefuls that always followed in their wake seeking the miracle of transformation.
Their bloody-handed and revered Apothecaries plied their knives without rest to keep the Legion at fighting strength in even the most hellish of war zones, and though the legend of the IIIrd languished, its ranks did not. Even as their ranks swelled, the dark rumors that followed them grew as well, for the Emperor's legacy had endowed them with other, darker, gifts. These gifts were also to grant them a new epithet among the rank and file of the Emperor's mortal armies, the "Death Eaters." For in the wake of each battle, the elegant forms of the IIIrd Legion haunted the field of battle long after the fighting had ceased, seeking out the finest among the fallen and feasting upon their long dead flesh and gore.
Many of the victories fought to bring Unification to Old Terra were marred by the sight of blood-smeared Lions stalking the fallen and wounded champions of the enemy across fields boulder choked with corpses, though few among their detractors realized the purpose of this grim fixation. For this too was part of the Emperor's grand design, for through the genetic augmentations that had transformed them, the IIIrd Legion were capable of stealing their enemy's power from them, genetically absorbing their knowledge and skill and making them their own through the use of a mutation gained from their Inheritance implants. All that was required was the consumption of the foe's bodily tissues.
In the broken places where they fought, alone and far from aid, this trait brought the IIIrd Legion priceless information and made even the most raw recruits battle ready and honed. Yet the macabre reputation they had gained hung about them like a shroud, lessening their achievements. They had been created to fight monsters, and left alone and in the darkest of places, but in doing so they risked becoming creatures even more foul than those they fought.
=== The Eidolon Sons ===
The Terran Wars of Unification swept out into the Sol System like a golden void-storm, made unstoppable and wild, and so too emerged the IIIrd Legion. Despite being among the largest in number of the early Legions, its ranks bolstered by widespread recruiting during the war for Old Terra, the IIIrd found no place in the hosts arrayed to assault the Citadels of Luna, they did not aid in the Black Cleansings of Mars, they did not rally during the Birth-Marches of the Parousian and Trichotomic Legions, nor did they battle in the reclamation of the resource-rich inferior worlds of Venus and Mercury during the decades of the Sol Reclamation. Instead, under the warden like stewardship of contingents hailing from the Early Vth and VIIIth Legions the bloodied flag of the IIIrd was planted among the artificial moons of baleful Neptune, whose labyrinthine tunnels and dark halls were the lair of xenos raiders and the last genetically debased human colonists of that far-flung outpost.
There was little here to be gained but time, precious time for the Emperor to claim the Rift-Anchor World that had become Mars, the infested orbital shipyards of Saturn and the allegiance of the Tech-Empire of Jupiter, for which He needed the raiders and mutants of the outer worlds held in place. And to that end, He sent the IIIrd Legion and their Wardens forth to make bloody war and die.
Five Hundred thousand warriors of the IIIrd Legion, all veterans of the wars on Terra, disappeared on the moons of Neptune. While the Emperor and His grand armies brought Saturn and the inner worlds to heel, and as the Jovian Edicts came into play, no word of the IIIrd Legion reached the hallowed halls of Terra, either of their success or annihilation. And by the time these conquests were completed and the Emperor returned to the cold darkness of the outer system, few expected to find anything other than frozen corpses. Yet when they reached Neptune, it was to find the IIIrd alive and well - indeed, despite the loss of many of their original complement, the size of the force was almost the same, bolstered by recruits taken from among the dregs of Neptune's barely human population. Where others might have floundered and fallen, the IIIrd Legion had only grown stronger, rising from the ashes of defeat like a bloody maned phoenix.
In those bloody days, the Legion was an ever-changing beast, its ranks largely formed of line infantry equipped almost exclusively for the brutal madness of close-quarters assault. This was a role at which the IIIrd Legion excelled, always favoring a sudden and overwhelming charge to a long drawn-out battle of attrition. They well understood the role of their macabre legend in war, most often choosing to stage their attacks at dusk or dawn, and taking to decorating the storm-grey of their early Mark I and II Power Armor with a variety of charnel images and taking to the field unhelmed, that the sight of their Leonine visages streaked with enemies blood might unsettle the enemy.
Some cohorts even began to incorporate the secret bloody rituals of the Legion into their doctrines of battle, tearing apart the enemy on the field of battle or indulging in bloody feasts to break their morale and set panic in their ranks.
Again and again the IIIrd Legion would be cast into the crucible of destruction, only to emerge each time as hale as they had been before. Each time they took from the enemy what was required to fight on and grasped victory where others had seen only defeat and despair, though it left them changed. On the silent black battlefields of the Kuiper Belt and the endless wastes of Rust, the IIIrd Legion was sent to fight and survive where others could not, to fight the unseen holding actions of the Great Crusade's first faltering steps. Viceroy Izrail himself was to take note of their exploits and dub them the "Eidolon Sons," a title that many came to use for the indomitable warriors of the IIIrd Legion, as much a sign of the superstitious awe in which they were held by many as it was a commendation of their bravery.
Indeed, the Viceroy is but one of a number of senior officials within the early Imperium's Divisio Militaris who seemed ill at ease with this incarnation of the Legiones Marine, lacking as they did the prestige or open popularity of some of their brethren, such as the much vaunted XVIIth Legion or Llucerians own Ist Legion.
A dangerous and unsightly weapon, to be unsheathed only in dire need and then quickly hidden away again, the IIIrd Legion found themselves often in the company of those Legions less favored by the bright lords of the newly-forged Stellar Imperium. With the savage XIIth and oft-forgotten IXth Legion, in whom Llucerian once rediscovered had found his own hidden weapons, they found a bitter kinship, though it was rare to see these Legions gathered together.
Yet it was the work of these ingloriously practical and gore-spattered warriors that set the foundations of the Imperium in place, though there are scant songs sung in praise of the deeds the Emperor commanded them to perform in the pursuit of the golden empire which He sought to build.
=== The Immortal Third ===
Time and time again the pride of the IIIrd Legion was to fall on the field of battle, yet the records of their valor make common mention of the same handful of warriors and champions. Some Chronicae and historians have taken this to indicate a long history of redoubtable heroes, even going so far as to compile these records into a number of epic stanzas, forming the separate entries into a single legend. Yet, the true reason for the longevity of certain names within the order of battle for the IIIrd Legion is far less heroic.
Since its foundation, the IIIrd Legion had operated in the most extreme battlefield conditions and necessity had forced upon them a number of practices that might otherwise be seen as monstrous. One among these, fostered by the nature of their design and the conditions under which they fought, was the consumption of fallen captains by their followers in order to preserve their hard-won skills and experience.
As a mark of honor as well as practicality, it also became accepted that recruits took the names of those whose skills they absorbed, and lieutenants would assume the names of their captains. Such was the resemblance of each member of the IIIrd to their flawless brothers that most outsiders failed to notice this subtle brand of immortality.
The most famous example of which being the figure thought to have served as the IIIrd Legion's first and only master, other than Za'mana Mu-Damik himself. Due to his true name being lost to history he is remembered as Dagrim Adamen, this warrior is commonly held to have commanded the IIIrd from the Primaris Founding in 474.M90 to the discovery of Alleuruta in 884.M90, yet a closer examination of the records shows that name died numerous times, only to be replaced by another.
Over time and battles past count, this practice became an honored tradition of the Legion, a visceral ritual that bound the survivors together despite their often disparate origins. Yet as much as it bound those of the IIIrd Legion to each other, it forced them away from their brethren among the Imperial Army and other Legions.
In the years before Za'mana Mu-Damik's return, no few of the other Luminarchs expressed a distaste with the practices of the IIIrd Legion, though they could not dispute their success on the battlefield. Such was the legacy of mistrust and barbarism that the IIIrd carried with them, one pressed upon them by the brutal necessity of their calling.
=== The Charnel Feast ===
In the early years of the Great Crusade, as the fleets of the Emperor first pushed beyond the boundaries of what is now known as the Proxima Solar and into Wilderness Space, His armies would encounter battlefields to shake the sanity of mortal men. Of these fel and terrible places, termed zones mortalis in the formal language of the Divisio Militaris, few were more loathsome than the world known to history as Kiy-buran.
The first expeditions to Kiy-buran were to vanish without a trace, for full regiments of the Imperial Army's Veradan Regulars swallowed up and gone, and a flank of the great Crusade's galaxy-wide advance left open. In response, the Emperor unleashed His own terrors to seek out whatever beasts might lurk there.
Running ahead of the Expeditionary fleets of the Great Crusade in aid of the Veradan Regulars, three companies of the IIIrd Legion's Marine were dispatched to Kiy-buran. The world was a wasteland of irradiated sands inhabited by chattel tribes of degenerate mutants and ruled by a techno-barbarian warlord, Ek'Lobia.
These tribes were both bodies to be spent in conflict and the primary foodstuff of Kiy-buran's inhabitants; each sustained by a vicious economy of ritual acts of bloodshed and cannibalism. It was these mutants which had been encountered by the beleaguered ranks of the Imperial Army stranded on the planet. Hordes of barely human mutants armed with little more than primitive clubs and picks had decimated their ranks, the corpses of the fallen hauled back to flickering fire-pits to be cooked by night.
For three solar months, the serried trenches of the Imperial Army repelled the mindless onslaught before the storm-grey Drop Pods of the IIIrd Legion fell from the sky, wreathed in black smoke. Crashing to the ground, the Eidolon Legion broke through the mutant throng with contemptuous ease and relieved the embattled Veradan troopers. The IIIrd attacked the cantonments of local tribes, their superior arms and armor allowing them to seize control of the northern mountain ranges, casting out the indigenous mutants they came across with uncompromising brutality.
In the opening stage of the IIIrd Legion's war on Kiy-Buran, they came upon little organised resistance, freely conquering territory, and for solar months the IIIrd Legion ravaged Kiy-Buran before news reached the warlord Ek'Lobia, who swore an oath to eradicate the invaders.
Under his command was an army of mutant chattel whose numbers were beyond count and over which he held a power of such terror that they would throw themselves to their death rather than face the freakish horrors which his enslaved sorcerers might unleash. As the IIIrd Legion crossed into Ek'Lobia's territories, the resistance they met from indigenous forces increased until the IIIrd was drawn into full scale battle.
Initially, they easily quashed any bands of savages making strikes against the edges of their line, but quickly these became an unending deluge of bodies which threatened to overwhelm and encircle the remains of the three companies. The IIIrd girded themselves to repel the tide of mutants, whose hideous deformities made them capable of rending carbonite with their tortured flesh and whose numbers set the earth atremble at their approach.
Though the Legiones Marine fought doggedly, killing scores of enemy for each Battle-Brother lost, the sheer numbers of the foe began to force them back. Attempting to regroup, the three companies of the IIIrd Legion formed a spearhead in an attempt to break through the mutants and reach the distant banner poles that signified the position of the horde's brutish commander.
As the tip of the Legion formation threatened to reach the encampment of Ek'Lobia, the Long Dark horrors would be unleashed. Reality rippled and tore as the Cracked Skull's ensorcelled chattel brought forth horrors beyond description, reaping a hideous toll of casualties amongst the Marine and mutant horde indiscriminately, turning the tide of the battle.
Incapable of combating such a threat, the IIIrd Legions warriors were forced to quit the field of battle or be utterly destroyed, a choice that might have doomed other more honor-bound Legions, but not the pragmatic Eidolon Legion of old. The Legionaries turned and hacked a red path through the throng with toothless Chainswords, broken blades and the cracked pieces of their own fallen comrades' armor.
The strength of almost two companies was lost in that monumental battle, and those Legionaries who escaped were forced to question how they could survive and endure without reinforcement or resupply. The staggering degree of losses suffered created the need to reorganize Legion resources among little more than some odd 9,720 remaining Legionaries, speaking to the utilitarian and consequentialist nature of the psyche of the early IIIrd Legion. Foremost among these assets, their Apothecarion was reformed and grown into a combat-support formation; the survival of the remaining Legionaries as well as propagating their genetic inheritance considered paramount to their ability to continue to pursue conquest.
Reformed in the crucible of war, far from the path of the Great Crusade, those orphaned companies of the IIIrd Legion recommenced their campaign at a more considered pace; making squad-based shock assaults against enemy encampments before withdrawing to avoid organised reprisals. The campaign soon stagnated into a pattern of thrust and counter-thrust, a war fought on the back foot to bleed the foe whilst hugely outnumbered.
This war, which became known as the "Banquet of Kiy-Buran," continued unbroken for 12 standard years, all but forgotten by the wider Imperium. The IIIrd Legion, piece by piece, broke the tribes of the world in bloody close quarters actions, and refused to be drawn into a full-scale engagement. In the early years of this conflict, accepting the desperation of their predicament and bereft of resupply, the IIIrd Legion were forced to take practical measures to survive. Raids against local mutant tribes on the northern continent became matters of domination, not destruction.
Those creatures which could be of use were press-ganged into the service of the Legion. Testament to the hardiness of the IIIrd Legion's Inheritance-Helix, even these irradiated and hideously mutated beings were considered suitable candidates for the Legion, their children bred to be little more than meat-stock for their techno-barbarian overlords ascended into Leonine perfection by the implantation of Za'mana Mu-Damik's genetic inheritance.
Furthermore, the Legion's Apothecaries encouraged them to join their foe in cannibalism of the war-dead for sustenance, benefitting the Legion and denying the foe in equal measure. These practices allowed the IIIrd to replenish its numbers and continue without contact with the wider Imperium greatly beyond the capability of any other Legion.
Undertaking this strategy, the Legion steadily took ground from Ek'Lobia, diminishing both his armies and food supply in the process, while taking that material into themselves with which to rebuild the strength of the Legion. Perhaps the Legion went too far in the name of survival, however. A diary later recovered from the equipment of a missing officer of the Veradan Regulars refers to the IIIrd as the "Charnel Immortals," a cognomen which, when later disseminated, became popular amongst the rank and file mortal soldiery of the Great Crusade before it was quashed by the coming of Za'mana Mu-Damik.
The same diary hints at a dark end for the 46th Veradan Regulars: as they became unable to continue to prosecute the war, the diary suggests they were also rendered to feed the Legion, whether through literal consumption or to allow the charnel priests, what had become of their Apothecarion, to use their flesh as part of the process of creating new warriors.
Other recovered journals claim that the populace of Kiy-Buran came to see the Legionaries as the devils of their myths, stealing their children and feasting upon corpses in a manner more barbaric even than the ritual cannibalism of their masters. It states that the native population feared that their own magicks had unleashed the "Iim'periyuk Do'minik," speaking of it in hushed tones as the force of their own undoing.
In the twelfth Terran year after initial planetfall, the final confrontation of the campaign was all but a foregone conclusion. Ek'Lobia, suffering from years of starvation and surrounded in his fortress spaceport by a replenished force of almost 20,000 Legionaries and their own degenerate serfs, attempted once more to unleash his slave-sorcerers.
The massed, unarmored novitiates of the Legion, recruited from among the tribes of Kiy-buran, suffered the brunt of the attack, while the Legion's off-world veterans made directed strikes against the warlocks, the sheer numbers brought to bear by the IIIrd overcoming the warlord's feeble defenses.
His sorcerers dead and his fortress in ruin, Ek'Lobia attempted to flee in a primitive spacecraft, rising from the surface in a cascade of scrap and broken corpses, only to meet a squadron of Imperial cruisers bearing the heraldry of the XIXth Legion in orbit, his life ended under their guns. The Imperium had finally come to reclaim its warriors, expecting to find a world brought to Compliance and ready to accept the Emperor's law.
At the head of the fleet, Radenai Khan, but newly reunited with his own Stormwrath Scions, arrived to Kiy-Buran to instead discover a ruined world of the Imperium's making. Upon receiving the report of the IIIrd Legion he was wrathful, as he refused to accept the Compliance of Kiy-Buran as the Dream of Imperium his father had described to him.
In the Charnel Feast Radenai Khan saw monstrous misdeeds, but also the resourcefulness of desperately capable warriors. Reprimanding the surviving IIIrd Legion warriors for their questionable judgement, the Serutan Khan ordered the city of Mo'lluk razed and burned, the sins of the IIIrd Legion erased before a single Chronicae ever set foot there.
=== A Descent Into Madness ===
With each victory, the dire legends that surrounded the IIIrd Legion grew and spread. They were the spectres that haunted the wild places at the edge of the Great Crusade's advance, the terrors loosed by the Emperor to clear His path across the stars. It was a duty and title they accepted with grim pride, never shirking the mantle that they wore in His name and never baulking from the tasks assigned them.
Each campaign was undertaken with a cold fury that stood them apart from the Emperor's other attack dogs and hidden murderers, a quiet, brooding hunger for flesh and death that was as terrifying as it was effective. Once committed to battle, the IIIrd did not relent for they could not, did not retreat for they knew not, and could not be stopped for there was not an enemy worthy. They fought until the enemy was utterly destroyed and paid no heed to the thought of mercy or the need to build an empire rather than a graveyard.
Few among the mighty and renowned welcomed their presence on the eve of battle, for the stench of death and madness was ever on them. So, lacking a patron among the handful of returned Luminarchs to guide them and give purpose to their conflicts, the IIIrd Legion slipped further into isolation and infamy. It became home to a strange mixture of Imperial doctrine and scarlet ritual, its ranks and formations riddled with charnel cults and bloody prophets of war, the superstitions of a hundred worlds given power by the nature of their transformation and left to fester on the worst battlefields of the Great Crusade.
Worse, the appearance of these blood-soaked Lions, tall and striking, perhaps even more so when caked in the gore of the battlefield, often set those they brought into the Imperium to their worship, lest they anger the Red Lions that had come for them. It was a slide towards madness that would see the end of the Legion. For were it not abated, it would become a worse danger to the Imperium than the monsters it was made to hunt.
The seeds of this destruction were already sown, with many watching the Legion and its commanders, already distrustful of the Immortal Third and its blood-soaked killers. The IIIrd Legion's 12th Company was sanctioned by Mikha'el Theophylact of The Avenging Shields for its actions during the Second Siege of Yarant, where the IIIrd Legion's warriors took to killing and consuming prisoners on the walls of the fortress to demoralize the enemy, as well as to secure intelligence.
While the Imperial Army brought grievance against the Legion after reports were filed that mortally wounded soldiers of the Malagant Rifles Regiment had been slaughtered and consumed by the IIIrd Legion rather than left to the mercy of the enemy during the retreat from Shedim. Such brutal necessities seemed of little concern to the IIIrd Legion, but served only to add weight to those who claimed they should become censored, their actions erased from history.
Broken apart by the dictates of war and the needs of the Great Crusade, the IIIrd Legion became outcasts among the brotherhood of the Imperial Marine Legions. Now they fought in small isolated companies, each fostering its own distinct brand of the red cults that had spread across the Legion. They still maintained a force mostly composed of line infantry and jump troops, but less from tactical expediency and more due to the Divisio Militaris' reluctance to supply them with more potent arms and munitions.
In the face of this, the Legion turned more and more to its own macabre methods to win battles, prizing victory more highly than the respect of their peers. Bitter pride in what they saw as the jealousy of others sustained them, but also served to drag them further into disrepute.
The IIIrd Legion stood upon a knife's edge. They were still a necessary, if bloody, piece of the Emperor's plan to conquer the galaxy, yet that conquest would not last forever and eventually the IIIrd would become more of a burden in the new golden age built by the Emperor than a blessing. A reckoning approached for the IIIrd Legion. They would either be born anew, changed and not lessened as they had been before, or they would be ended and expunged from history.
It was at this crucial time that a scout flotilla of the Great Crusade was to discover an otherwise insignificant world of ruins and savannahs, a world whose moons also had their own legends of a Blood soaked Lion, a world called Alleuruta.
=== Trials of Za'mana Mu-Damik ===
After the Emperor created the Luminarchs, Unseen Powers made off with the embryonic demi-gods still in their gestation capsules and carried them through the Void. Unable to destroy the Luminarchs because of the powerful psychic and physical protections laid upon their very beings by the Emperor, the daemonic powers nonetheless did their best to alter the Emperor's work to their own dark ends. Thus it was that even the best of the Emperor's creations became corrupted at the outset.
The gestalt essence of the Luminarch came to rest upon Alleuruta Dominus, and Za'mana Mu-Damik like the rest of his brethren had been spiritually inseminated into a Mortal Mother, within the settlement now known as Lion's Rising'. The infant Luminarch was born to one of the wandering tribes of humans. Few of the young Luminarchs who were spirited away from the Emperor through the Empyrean by unknown means found themselves born in conditions that any might describe as fair, and yet even among their number Za'mana Mu-Damik was particularly ill-favored by where fortune casted him.
Though the Alleuruta System had once been a thriving hub of Mankind's ancient interstellar empire, it had since been reduced to a sea of radiation-scorched ash and dust by its people's own golly during the Long Dark. On the second moon, where the Luminarch Za'mana Mu-Damik was cast adrift, there eked out a fragile remnant of humanity, a number of feral, warlike post-apocalyptic tribes that stalked the wastelands surviving on the plunder of war and what little could be foraged from the deserts.
Za'mana Mu-Damik's earliest days were spent in the deep desert and of them little is known, for Za'mana Mu-Damik never spoke of them in later years. But it is doubtless he faced hardships that would have slain full grown men, slew the mutant creatures of the wasteland that even the desert tribes avoided and survived where the radiation unleashed by the atomic weapons used on the moon during the Long Dark would otherwise have cooked the flesh of mortals in solar minutes.
It is not known how long the Orphan Za'mana Mu-Damik sojourned alone within the wastelands of his Homeworld would last, but by the time he was discovered by one of the many tribes of Alleuruta Dominus he was a young boy, almost of age by the standards of the tribesmen. The young Za'mana Mu-Damik's life almost came to an end then and there, for great and terrible fangs and claws, like those of an Lion, emerged from his form.
Whether these features were born of Alleuruta's mutating influence upon his posthuman genome, an affect of his transport through the Void or were part of the Emperor's intentional design is a secret known only to the Master of Mankind. Many among the tribesmen who found the Luminarch wanted to kill the child as a mutant, though in all other ways he was as perfect a human child as could ever been seen.
Eventually innate compassion prevailed and the child was spared. Za'mana Mu-Damik was quick to adapt to his new life among the tribe, as were all his kind in similar circumstances, and his strength and resilience quickly earned him a place within the ranks if the tribe that had found him, known, as were all the tribes of Alleuruta, simply as "The People of the Clean Blood" or "The Pride."
The young Za'mana Mu-Damik was a prodigy -- he grew quickly and learned everything his adoptive parents could teach him. It is said that even when still a child he slew a giant titan beetle with his bare hands, and that he never once showed fear at the colossal beast's onset.
As Za'mana Mu-Damik grew so too did his Lion-like features, gaining a head of thick red hair similar to a Lions mane. He could walk without a rad-suit in the most poisonous of Alleuruta Dominus' deserts, and could shatter massive boulders with a single blow of his outstretched hand. In the use of all weapons he soon excelled his teachers.
When a wandering band of feral 'Demon Men' surprised the tribe, Za'mana Mu-Damik slew them all, although they numbered over a hundred. This was the first time the members of The Blood had ever seen him truly angry, for as he felt his comrades' lives were in danger. When the blood-rage overtook him, Za'mana Mu-Damik was indeed terrible to behold -- his mighty Luminarch powers awoke to a fullness never before seen and a nimbus of light played about his form.
He grew to manhood rapidly, troubled all the while by visions and ill portents of death and blood, and the arrival of a grim and unknown king to Alleuruta from other worlds. He fought against both the wandering bands of feral 'Demon Men', the mutated sub-human creatures that prowled the deep desert and the raiders of other tribes with the same single-minded focus that he gave to his loyalty to his new people of The Pride. Yet, unlike the other Luminarchs, there was no long war of planetary unification undertaken on Alleuruta Dominus, no glorious campaign of conquest to prove the young demi-god's worth.
The legend of the Beast Warrior had spread far across Alleuruta, stories of a Lord tall, fair and much unlike the stunted and radiation-scarred people of the moon. Ferocious in war and wise in peace, he seemed to be a vision of past glories come once again to Alleuruta, a promise for the future that had all but been forgotten among The Pride. Despite any denials on the part of the Luminarch, he became as a god to his foster people, and warriors from across the wide desert came to fight at his side. Under his guidance they rolled back the terrible tide. For a time Mankind had a respite on the moon of Alleuruta Dominus.
Within the span of a few short Alleurutite years, each an endless scorching summer, a vast host had gathered at the Great Lion's side, to learn from his words and to shelter beneath his roof, protected by his claws and fangs. He had become the master of his world not by force or conquest, but simply by the acclamation of a desperate people.
=== The Coming of the Emperor ===
Alleuruta was a world long dead, reduced to ruins and rad-blasted wastes by the long forgotten wars of Old Night. The initial Expeditionary Fleets had overlooked it as a target for the Great Crusade, as even though it sat along a major stable Void current, it possessed no real industrial value and only the most tenuous population.
Yet it was here in 098.M92 that the Emperor would rediscover one of His lost sons, the Luminarch Za'mana Mu-Damik. As with so many of the Luminarchs, Za'mana Mu-Damik had brought a bloody peace to his adopted homeworld, molding the primitive tribes he had found there in order with his own ideals. His was to be a legacy of peaceful conquest tempered with justice and knowledge, a path so very different than that taken by the IIIrd Legion that would be bequeathed to him.
Thus it was that when the Emperor came for His missing son, when starships once again returned to the radiated skies of Alleuruta, it was not to find a king of battle and war, but instead an unwilling god. Having long foreseen his father's coming and the many consequences of that meeting, Za'mana Mu-Damik came to meet the Emperor alone, without the long train of his worshippers or the warriors pledged to his service. Alone he fell to his knees before his father and asked only for the lives of his followers, fearing the wrath of a man who had sworn to topple all religions.
Seeing in the Luminarch a servant of rare talents and keen loyalty, the Emperor granted his wish. His Imperial Truth was withheld from Alleuruta and no Imperial ship would set itself down upon the moons of Alleuruta again, save at the behest of Za'mana Mu-Damik himself. The Blood would continue to live as they always had, kept in part as surety against the Great Lion's pact, and Za'mana Mu-Damik himself departed to begin his service to the Emperor.
=== A Legion Reborn ===
The newly titled Scarlet Lions did not return en masse to the world of their newly found Fathers birth -- that blistering wasteland had little to teach them that the ruins of Terra and a thousand other dead worlds had not. Instead, Za'mana Mu-Damik sought the aid of his brother, Llucerian, who had been his mentor and friend during his first years as part of the Emperor's grand army.
Dividing his Legion, its heraldry now changed both to honor the Luminarch and to match the new name they had been granted, he set each company to fight alongside one of Llucerians' own Sons of The Morning companies. At the side of these renowned warriors, the Scarlet Lions would fight for the next solar decade, seeing the fall of countless worlds and the prosecution of campaigns of every kind, from the brutal simplicity of wars of extermination to the deadly subtlety of quiet campaigns of strike and fade. In the shadow of the Sons of The Morning and the greatest of the Emperor's Luminarchs, the once-outcasts of the IIIrd Legion would gain stature in the eyes of their peers and a newfound sense of decorum.
Each of the campaigns was a new trial, a subtle test selected with keen insight by the two Luminarchs to salve the wounds inflicted by time and fate upon the Scarlet Lions. Za'mana Mu-Damik instilled in his sons a new sense of pride, not in simple carnage and the blood-soaked eternity of melee, but in a future in which they stood as exemplars of the Imperial creed, equal even to Llucerians' own warriors.
In the year-long siege of Tyr'lax XI, they grasped the value of brotherhood as they stood shoulder to shoulder with the Warhogs of Anatelikós before their reunion with their own Luminarch against a tide of Ju'rralae Warriors that seemed without end; on Cambriole and Prehalt they were taught discipline as they matched blades with inscrutable Volb'narii wiches; while on Kentaurus Beta they learnt something of mercy as Za'mana Mu-Damik led them on the bloodless pacification of the Kentauran colonies. With each battle, the Legion shook off part of the stigma of their past and took their first faltering steps along a new path.
Eager to prove worthy of the oath Za'mana Mu-Damik had made to them, the warriors of the IIIrd Legion strove to put aside the gore-soaked solitude that had once been the armor of their pride and to embrace the new virtues Za'mana Mu-Damik had shown them. Beastial Fury tempered by wisdom, bloody-hunger chained with discipline, when the IIIrd Legion finally came to a healing Alleuruta, they were no longer that rough beast which had once stalked Terra, but were now a Legion reborn in form more fitting for their Leonine sire.
There, on the sands of Alleuruta, they were met by the newly-raised and trained contingents of Marine drawn from The Blood, the native people of that rad-scoured system, whom Za'mana Mu-Damik himself had raised up and schooled in the arts of war. The two halves of the Legion were joined, warriors from both Terra and Alleuruta spread across the many companies of the Scarlet Lions that they might strengthen each other and weaken the hold of the IIIrd Legion's Terran past.
That terrible hunger remained of course, a shackled beast that lurked ever ready at the edge of madness, waiting for the chance to be set free once again, but by the faith of their Luminarch they had a firm hold of its reins. The Scarlet Lions honed their minds and wills, devoting themselves to the study of wisdom as well as war.
They became scholars as well as warriors, and under the approving gaze of their Luminarch, they put aside the barbarism they had once embraced and sought to prove themselves a force worthy of the future for which they fought. As time passed and the Scarlet Lions' past slipped from the memories of those they fought alongside, that bloody hunger became little more than a myth, a half-remembered ghost story of ancient ghoulish beasts once bound in service to the Emperor.
Those few among the Legion that succumbed once more to its hunger or to the Mushadara that followed on its heels were quietly concealed, granted the Emperor's peace or sealed away on Alleuruta. The Scarlet Lions and their Luminarch joined the Great Crusade as equals, looked down upon by none and followed the call of war to the stars.
The newly crimson-clad IIIrd Legion was both familiar and yet fundamentally changed in character. It still waged war with a fury to shake the very heavens, but now it was leashed to a deep well of discipline and keen intellect. Still they favored shock assault, a falling upon the foe suddenly and without warning, but now with a Luminarch's will at their back they made use of the fully realized panoply of Imperial technology.
Now, when the Lions came, they fell from the sky like a rain of fire, a thousand burning lights against the dawning sky, the wrath of the Emperor Himself given crimson form. Nor was this the extent of their skills, for though the sudden onslaught was their preference, they knew now full well the value of the feigned retreat, the gun line and a hundred other stratagems besides.
They were a Legion fully formed and reborn, so much more now than the simple bludgeon they had once been, and this is perhaps the truest evidence of the Emperor's plan for His Legions, that with their Luminarchs they became whole -- far more than the sum of their genetic legacy and the harsh lessons of Unification.
So it was that the Great Crusade surged ever onwards as never before. New battlefronts opened up under the Luminarchs' direction and worlds were reclaimed by the thousand. Throughout it all, the Scarlet Lions and their Luminarch, Za'mana Mu-Damik, fought at the Emperor's side, serving as honor guard to their beloved creator. Driven by their still-fiery temperament, the Scarlet Lions' fearsome reputation as shock troops came to feed a rivalry between them and the equally assault-oriented Anatelikan Warhogs Legion.
Yet, in truth, the Scarlet Lions were never as ferocious as their cousins hailing from Anatelikós, for the wise influence of Za'mana Mu-Damik tempered their feral bloodlust. Of all the Luminarchs, Za'mana Mu-Damik formed the closest bonds to Llucerian, Mikha'el, Radenai and the Warhogs of Anatelikós own Gene-sire Orestis Neritos. Though he was yet in the early days of his legend, Za'mana Mu-Damik was thought to be the noblest of the Luminarchs and was ever deep in the Emperor's counsel.
Even Llucerian, the proud Warmaster of the Great Crusade, sensed a purity of spirit in Za'mana Mu-Damik that he could never match, a oneness with their father that no other Luminarch could ever hope to approach. Whilst many of his brothers fought the Great Crusade solely out of the joy of battle, Za'mana Mu-Damik fought to secure the golden era of peace and prosperity which would surely follow. His vision was the Emperor's, a hope of Mankind united in peace and prosperity.
=== Icons of an Empire ===
At the height of the Great Crusade, a thousand times a thousand worlds were brought into the fold of the Imperium, uncounted billions of men-under-arms fought in the name of the Emperor and created legends that endured for millennia. Of those legends it is the Legiones Marine that stand tallest and shine brightest, each a burning brand of martial excellence that lit the way for the mortal armies that followed on their heels, and of those Legions there were some that captured the spirit of the Great Crusade more than others.
Za'mana Mu-Damik's Scarlet Lions found themselves among that group; the speed of their advance, the spectacle of their assaults and the awe that their appearance inspired all served to make them favored subjects of the Chronicae who followed their fleets.
They fought the noblest of campaigns, unleashed upon the foulest of those creatures that hid in the darkness of the void, and were tasked with the liberation of those held under the lash of the alien. They slew monsters and made safe the far flung worlds of humanity, and those whom they liberated saw in them truly Golden Lions come down from the very heavens to their aid.
Among their own transhuman kin they also found great acclaim, in part for the campaigns fought at their sides in past years, the skill at arms which they displayed on the field and the magnanimous nature of their warriors. Yet, much of their reputation and the good will extended to them was to come from the noble mien of the Great Lion himself, for of all the Luminarchs of the Emperor, he was of the most beloved and admired.
The sons of the Emperor had often been a fractious brotherhood, with many bearing grudges or perpetuating rivalries among their kin. Among them all, Za'mana Mu-Damik was perhaps the most admired and respected, for he held none of his brothers lesser than himself and met each with an open warmth and goodwill that calmed even the rage of his grim brother Armaros. Of them all perhaps only Llucerian, and Mikha'el were held in more respect, though the Lords of the Ist, and IInd Legions often colder demeanors and especially the more brooding aspect of Mikha'el left the two much more aloof when compared to the beastial Luminarch.
Za'mana Mu-Damik was welcome amongst the courts of worlds without count, from the exotic thrones of far colonies to even the baroque nexus chambers of the Mechanicum's distant realms even before the technoclurgies total annexation. He embodied the pride and optimism of the futures golden years, when it seemed that none could stand against the armies of the Emperor and the galaxy was laid bare for their conquest.
The Armageddon Crusade was to be the proof of that destiny, a grand campaign to shatter the greatest remaining rival of Mankind's dominance -- the Orruki empire of the Fellhanded Urllok Ogorbeater. Here, the combined might of the Imperiums Legions aided by the newly birthed Legiones Luminous would break the foe in the largest battles of the Great Crusade, winning grand victories after victory, and yet even after that accomplishment at the Triumph of Armageddon that would follow, many expected Za'mana Mu-Damik, who had not been present for the fighting, to receive the laurels of the new rank of Warmaster as the Emperor retired back to Terra.
Such was the reputation and glamour of the Great Lion and his warriors, now seen as peerless warriors and scholars both, that few doubted Za'mana Mu-Damik' worthiness to act as the Emperor's proxy, though some succumbed to petty jealousy. This was the apex of glory for the Scarlet Lions and their sire, a peak they would stand upon for only a short span and from which their fall would crack the very foundation of the Imperium.
== Legion Homeworld ==
Alleuruta, once a thriving world with a terra-like atmosphere, now bears the scars of a long-forgotten conflict fought during the millennia of the Long Dark. In ancient days that have long faded into history, Alleuruta flourished with life and vitality. However, the Dark Ages of the Long Dark cast a shadow over the planet, leading to irreversible transformations.
During this tumultuous period, whether due to the relentless onslaught of Xenos Attacks or the internal strife of Civil War, Alleuruta bore witness to the devastating flames of destruction. The world's tragic fate unfolded in obscurity, for its relative isolation shielded it from the attention of the wider universe. Swiftly and mercilessly, Alleuruta was reduced to ashes, consumed by the inferno of Rad-Fire. Countless lives perished, and the once-great cities of Alleuruta crumbled into ruins. Legends of the land speak of ancient and fearsome weapons, whose unimaginable power forever altered the face of the planet. Lush and verdant grasslands transformed into arid deserts, while the seas were vaporized by relentless waves of rad-caster saturation and precise lance strikes. Like many worlds unfortunate enough to share its destiny, Alleuruta remained an irradiated hellscape for countless millennia, its lands covered in Rad-wastes and its oceans poisoned.
However, in the millennia preceding the birth of Luminarch Za'mana, his Homeworld began to slowly heal. Gradually, the most severe irradiated areas receded, giving way to grassy plains that provided a relative semblance of safety. Less than 30% of the oceans remained as rad-poisoned waterways, bearing the scars of the planet's tumultuous past.
Throughout its history, the equator of Alleuruta has served as the primary habitation zone, while formidable atomic storms persist over the northern and southern poles. The unmutated inhabitants of Alleuruta are known collectively as the Pride, although this term encompasses various native groups. The Pride, fractured and diverse, have multiple names for themselves. These tribes lead a semi-nomadic existence, compelled by the sporadic raids of the "Fanged Djinn" clans that emerge from their mountainous enclaves during the summer and spring months, when the Rad-Storms allow their advance. These enigmatic "Djinn" would later be identified by Imperial Scholars as a splinter Clan of the Fel Orrukai, a warring Xenos race.
The survivors of Alleuruta are haunted by the horrors unleashed during the Long Dark, and their existence has regressed into a pre-feudal state. They constantly struggle for survival against a corrupted environment and harsh elements. The population teetered on the brink of extinction, until the last remnants of humanity came together, forming pockets of survival. These survivors adopted a nomadic lifestyle, traversing the land in search of scarce sources of sustenance and water. Only the strongest among them endured, finding refuge amidst the mountains and hidden valleys, eking out a meager existence amidst the remnants of their once-great civilization.
Eventually, fortune smiled upon certain groups of survivors who managed to rebuild the ruins into colossal fortress cities. Within these imposing structures, a complex feudal society emerged, governed by mighty warlords known as 'Amirs'. These warlords ruled over vast territories known as the 'Dhaali Ghar', which encompassed not only their fortified strongholds but also the surrounding lands. The Dhaali Ghar became home to formidable warrior hosts, originally sworn to defend against pirates and xenos raids, but now finding themselves increasingly engaged in conflicts with rival Dhaali Ghar. In exchange for their service in the armies and a share of the spoils of war, the Amirs bestowed upon these warriors various hereditary rights based on their feudal clans, as well as individual rewards for their valor on the battlefield. In all aspects of life, from their attire to the honors bestowed upon them, the people of Alleuruta strictly adhere to the ancient traditions, particularly the legends that revolve around the enigmatic "Annunaki Mitu," commonly known within the Stellar Imperium as the "Angels of Death."
=== Warrior-Bred ===
The warriors of Alleuruta are indeed a proud and noble people, deeply rooted in the values of courage and honor. Within their society, the path to advancement and recognition lies solely through combat and the pursuit of glory on the battlefield. It is a never-ending cycle of death and bloodshed, where individuals must continuously fight to maintain their rights within the Dhaali Ghar, ensuring their position within Alleurutan society.
But it is not only power and glory that drive the inhabitants of Alleuruta to fight. They also bear the weight of a profound reverence for the great warrior king of heaven, known in their clan lore as the 'Al-Malik' (The Deus Imperator), and his son, the 'Ar-Rahīm Shair' (Za'mana Mu-Damik). According to ancient legends, the celestial god-king would one day send his greatest son down from the sky, descending upon a column of heavenly flame, to deliver the people of Alleuruta from their enemies in a purifying baptism of blood. These legends also foretell the eventual return of the Al-Malik's armies to Alleuruta, where they will gather the worthy and embark on fresh conquests across the heavens.
From a tender age, the children of Alleuruta are instilled with the teachings and ways of war, in preparation for this glorious return. At the age of seven summers, they are placed under the guidance of the Dhaali Ghar's Janissaries, where they undergo an arduous education and training regimen mandated for all male citizens of Alleuruta. This training is gruelingly intense, with only the most esteemed clan warriors entrusted with instructing the new recruits. The curriculum encompasses battle tactics, the cultivation of loyalty ('Asabiyya'), the bonds of brotherhood ('Ikhwan'), the traditions of the Pride ('Khabar'), as well as military training, endurance, hunting, and basic survival skills. Discipline is unwavering, and the young males are encouraged to engage in combat amongst themselves, to determine the strongest among them. The Janissaries aim to produce physically and morally resilient individuals who will serve in Alleuruta's standing Planetary Militia Forces.
Each Dhaali Ghar maintains its own militia force, responsible for safeguarding its region from pirate attacks, xenos raiders, and the seasonal incursions by the Djinn. However, it is not only the sons of the clans who are conscripted into the Janissaries. Every five years, the Amirs dispatch the warriors of their Dhaali Ghar to scour the deserts and mountains in search of the 'La Magiri' - the "Unconquered" - ancient nomadic tribes that, over time, have adapted to Alleuruta's brutal environment. These tribes have honed their skills in the continuous fight for survival and have emerged as formidable warriors, utilizing their superior combat abilities and profound knowledge of the treacherous landscape to fend off adversaries possessing advanced technology and formal training. The loyalty of these warriors, once indoctrinated and trained by the Dhaali Ghar's Janissaries, is unwavering, making them highly favored by the Amirs and often enlisted as personal guards.
The feudal clansmen of Alleuruta wield an array of weapons on the battlefield, including khanjar knives and curved scimitar blades. These weapons vary in condition and function, ranging from meticulously preserved relics to blades that have been repaired countless times over the years. Many of these weapons hold great significance within familial lines, passed down from fathers to sons. According to Alleuruta tradition, once a blade is drawn, it cannot be sheathed until it has drawn blood. The warriors believe that every weapon harbors a spirit yearning for battle, and it is essential to maintain this spirit for the weapon to aid them in combat. Therefore, older and proven weapons hold immense value to these warriors, serving as both relics of the Amir's armies and personal treasures for the fighter and their clan. They go to great lengths to retrieve damaged weapons from the battlefield, seeking to preserve the spirit within. However, if a weapon is beyond repair, it is ceremonially salvaged so that the spirit may continue to live on, honoring the weapon's legacy.
In the relentless pursuit of combat prowess and adherence to their martial traditions, the warriors of Alleuruta embody the spirit of the Al-Malik and the Ar-Rahīm Shair. They fight not only for personal glory but also to honor the celestial god-king and his son, eagerly awaiting the prophesied return of their armies. With each swing of their blades, they strive to prove themselves worthy of the Al-Malik's favor and the opportunity to join his conquests across the heavens. In their unyielding devotion to the ancient ways and the pursuit of martial excellence, the warriors of Alleuruta embody a legacy that intertwines the celestial and the mortal, forging an indomitable spirit that propels them forward in the never-ending cycle of honor, bloodshed, and the pursuit of a glorious destiny.
=== The Lionhold ===
: "Ar-Rahīm Mu-Damik, the Great Lion, fought the Great Daeva for many hours, but was sorely wounded, and so Kaos prevailed that day. The soldiers fought fiercely and saved the fallen Lion from death, though many died for their efforts. Some of the soldiers ushered him away into the night so that the minions of Kaos could not slay him. For a long time they traveled, until they came to the far mountains where the Daeva would not find them. There, they built a great and secret fortress which they called Haydar Al-Qasr, the Lionhold, for it was stalwart and strong.The Ar-Rahīm Shair rested and tended his wounds, and grew stronger.Certain of his soldiers, whom he found worthy, he made of the Heartblood also, and bade them make war upon Kaos and its minions, that their evil should not taint the earth."
:: — From the apocryphal Lay of the Ar-Rahīm
The Scarlet Lions, like other Legions of the Imperial Marines, maintain a mighty fortress-monastery known as the Lionhold. This imposing bastion stands tall amidst the tallest peak of Alleuruta, Shadu Sargon (Mt. Sargon), nestled within the majestic mountain range known as the 'Asad Asnaan' (Lion's Teeth). The Lionhold is a testament to the architectural prowess of the Legion, a symbol of their strength and resilience.
As Scions of Za'Mana, the Scarlet Lions possess a unique affinity for building formidable fortifications adorned with inscriptions and scenes of grandeur. The Lionhold's design takes advantage of the natural volcanic tunnels that crisscross the mountain, each tunnel meticulously expanded to form the intricate interior of the fortress. Every passage and corridor is strategically planned to impede and confuse potential invaders, with dead ends, switchbacks, and false gateways leading to killing zones.
The fortress-monastery itself is fortified with layers of thick armor, its structure protected by potent void shields surpassing even those found on the mightiest of Imperial warships. The shields shimmer faintly as the sunlight filters through the clouds, a visible testament to the Lionhold's impregnability. Aerial approaches to the fortress are monitored by formidable Aegis Pattern lascannons, their watchful gaze ensuring the skies remain free of threats. Akin to a spear of vengeance, the Lion's Fury, a colossal macro-laser, stands poised to unleash devastation upon space-borne enemies. These ancient weapons, remnants of a distant era, draw power from geothermal reactors, a testament to the precious technologies of the past.
The Lionhold's Gate of Fangs, positioned at the rear of the main structure, serves as its sole external entrance. The fortress-monastery is designed to withstand overwhelming assaults, and the Gate of Fangs is no exception. Its colossal adamantium, granite, and Ceramic Carbonite structure bristles with twin-linked Arcus turrets, rocket launchers, and static plasma cannons. The gate stands wide enough for a hundred warriors to pass through side by side, but any attempted massed advance would be met with a devastating counterattack, as the open approaches leave the attackers vulnerable to the formidable defenses of the Lionhold.
Deep within the Lionhold lies the Sanctum of Heroes, a sacred chamber that pays homage to the fallen warriors of the Scarlet Lions. Adorned with ancient relics, intricate tapestries, and grand murals, the Sanctum serves as a place of reverence and inspiration for the Legionnaires. Here, they honor their predecessors and draw strength from their heroic deeds, forging an unbreakable bond with the past as they prepare for the battles that lie ahead.
In the heart of the Lionhold, the Scarlet Lions stand united, their fortress-monastery a testament to their unwavering dedication to the Emperor and the defense of Alleuruta. From this bastion of strength and valor, they are poised to face any enemy that threatens their sacred world, their legacy, and their eternal pursuit of glory.
== Notable Campaigns ==
== Legion Organization and Structure ==
In all of its incarnations, the IIIrd Legion defied the standard by which the Legiones Marine were measured. In its earliest days, it operated with such a simple order of battle and command structure that it could barely be called an army, consisting only of a massed number of bloody infantry companies with few specialized troops of any kind. Most often these troops were equipped as "hunter" squads, close quarters optimized and wielding arms requiring limited resupply, the perfect warriors for operations undertaken at arm's length from the main force of the Great Crusade. The aberrant quirks of the Legion, the Red Hunger that haunted its warriors, wreaked havoc on its discipline and made any attempt at large scale organization difficult.
Tactics were often developed and employed at the company or even squad level during combat rather than being part of a larger Legion-wide approach to strategy. This unique manner of operation, fighting at a distance from other units and with limited oversight by the early Imperium's Divisio Militaris, served to limit the impact of the Legion's more aberrant practices on the morale of allied units. As such there was no concerted effort to bring the Legion into compliance with others of the Imperial Host, and it was a matter of tacit complicity among the various generals and commanders that fought alongside the IIIrd Legion that it was to be allowed to operate in a manner of its own choosing.
Its first commanders were more warlords than true officers, they enforced discipline at the point of a sword, earned respect with the strength of their arms, and they walked the battlefield as visceral forces of nature. When these respected commanders advanced, the warriors of the IIIrd Legion followed. When they held the line, their followers dug in, and when they laid down their blades, those around them ceased the killing. It was a brutally efficient structure, one that could be impeded only by the infliction of massive casualties, for even if one warlord fell, there were a dozen veterans ready to step forwards and take his place.
This was all to change with the return of Za'mana Mu-Damik. The Beast Lord was to bring a sense of order to the often fractious Legion, stamping a new structure onto it in the hopes of containing its hunger. Though in essence this new order would seem to be in accord with the Principia Millitant, the schema by which the other Legions were organized, in actuality it also varied a great deal from the standard pattern. It retained the basic structure of companies, initially forming the Legion into 150 companies of approximately 10,000 warriors each, although by the last years of the Great Crusade this would have decreased to 300 companies each of 1,000 warriors as of the introduction of the Luminaires, and devastation brought by the Armageddon Wars. However, past this basic structure there were many discrepancies, each chosen by the Great Lion to serve a purpose in his plans.
These companies were grouped into "Hosts" of 20 companies each for campaigns requiring greater force of numbers than that possessed of a single company, though each Host was a temporary creature broken and made as tactical need required.
Za'mana Mu-Damik next created three "Prides" to encompass his Hosts, three chambers by which he would give order and purpose to the warriors of the Legion. Each was separate and distinct from the Companies and the strictures of the Principia Millitant, forming a distinct strata of organization that allowed the transhuman warriors of the IIIrd Legion to focus their hunger and rage towards a single end and to conquer it. Yet it was not merely a blunt tool, but an elegant and artful plan designed to promote the finer qualities of the Legion while providing an outlet for the more base. It was the Great Lion's masterwork, the fulfillment of an oath and the salvation of his children.
The third-most outer of the Spheres, the Third Sphere, would encompass the rank-and-file of the Legion, the warriors that plied blade and Rifle on the battlefield. Known within the Legion as the Mush'iik, these warriors had but one duty -- to fight at the order of their captains. They obeyed, they killed and they practiced the arts granted to them by the Luminarch, and by these simple disciplines and the endless focus of their transhuman minds they staved off the depredations of their hunger. Within this Sphere there were but few distinctions, simple titles and orders for those who excelled in specific arts of war and peace, exemplars of their tasks and Lions of small actions. These were the marksmen, poets and duelists of the Legion, its strong right hand and beating heart, and though these were but small honors, they were held dear by those who won them.
The Second Sphere, referred to as the Du'at was composed of the commanders and leaders of the Legion, the Praetors and Counsuls that stood at the side of Za'mana Mu-Damik. To them fell the duty of command, of the execution of Za'mana's wishes with alacrity and sound judgement. Unlike those who fought at their command, they bore the burden of free will, of time to think and ponder as they would while the curse stalked them. They were the planners and strategists of the crimson hosts, they directed battles and wars as lesser men directed symphonies, utilizing each instrument at their command to its utmost. As the rank and file found peace in their studies, so too did each of the mighty become a master of many disciplines, those of the pen and brush as well as those of the blade and gun.
Though they were not the single-minded fanatics of Legions such as Armaros' black talons or Mikha'el's famed tacticians, there were few who could match them in the arts of war taken as a whole.
The First Sphere, the final demarcation of Za'mana Mu-Damik's new Legion, comprised the ranks of the "Immortal Fangs." These warriors stood within the presence of the Luminarch; they did not operate within one of the One Hundreds of standard Companies but as the guards and servants of the Great Lion himself.
Each, when inducted into the ranks of the First Sphere, gave up his common name to take on another and gave up his identity to do the work of the Luminarch without guilt or regret, without the self to interfere with their duty. They were Za'mana Mu-Damik's unchained wrath, his stern resolve and his watchful eyes each given form and purpose. Upon these warriors he depended for the most dangerous of tasks, to fight upon those battlefields and to act upon those errands that would tarnish the soul and bring the hunger roaring to the fore.
By the armor of the new names and persona that the warriors of the First Sphere wore like their own, they put off the toll of their actions and emerged from their service untarnished, to take their places in the ranks once again.
=== Orders of the First Sphere ===
The First Sphere of the Scarlet Lions Legion was made up entirely of a series of separate warrior Orders, each of which operated independently of the Legion's standing standard Companies. The first and most famous of these were the Crimson Maws, the honor guard of the Luminarch himself, but there would be many others -- each assigned with a specific task and duty. Few outside of the Legion have made a complete accounting of these Orders, but listed below are the most well-known and important of the warrior Orders of the First Sphere.
* Crimson Maws - Also known as the Ur'mak, or the "Fanged Ones," for their ardor and unwavering devotion, each individual warrior of this Order bore the title of "Uru'maki," and was tasked with the ultimate safety of the Luminarch's person. On rare occasions, they were also assigned as guards for other commanders as a sign of the Great Lion's favor.
* Scarlet Guard - Also known as the Urghu'la, or the "Red Winds," for the sudden onset of their anger and the lasting fervor of their hate. The Scarlet Guard served as the guardians of the Luminarch's halls, sanctums and all other Legion facilities under the Scarlet Lions' control across the galaxy, especially at their outposts on Alleuruta, En'liil and Ka'laan. At the Luminarch's command, they also took to the field as an elite combat formation to serve as the embodiments of his determination and the shield of his will.
* The Eyeless - Also known as the Amaa'gi, and the "Blinded," these secretive warriors were the Lion's Shame, Za'mana's secret police and shadow agents. They watched their Legion for signs of treachery and madness, and acted to assuage his guilt for his Legion's behavior by removing the stain. Rarely seen on the battlefield, the Amaa'gi fought alone and with weapons considered unworthy of true warriors.
* The Lion's Shame - Often called the "Burned Blade," or "Dead Hand," for the cruel devastation they brought to the foe, each individual warrior of this Order bore the title "Nam'tarii," and served as Za'mana Mu-Damik's wrath set forth by his will to scour away those he decreed unworthy of being saved. They were the most commonly seen of the Orders of the First Sphere, serving the dark role of unconventional and special weapons warfare other Legions would refer to as Destroyers.
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=== Legion Command Hierarchy ===
The Lords of Za'mana's crimson hosts bore many similarities to the strictures of the Principia Millitant, but with a number of differences both large and small. Authority was strictly divided across the Spheres of the Legion, with each officer operating within his own place in the manner given to him by the Luminarch himself. This strict, overlapping system of authority was less flexible than some Legions, but it afforded a solid line of responsibility and control that limited the effect of the Scarlet Lions' ever-present hunger and sudden rage. To mitigate the possibility of any breakdown of authority, the Scarlet Lions maintained a large number of junior officers, lieutenants and sergeants of varying types, all quickly able to take the place of the slain in the heat of battle.
On the field of battle, the line of authority was always drawn clearly for the Scarlet Lions and followed absolutely. To disobey or question orders was a grave sin, undertaken only in the most serious of situations and warranting the harshest of punishments, even if proven correct. Their duty was only to obey, the individual warrior worried not for anything but action, putting the hunger to the back of his mind while those appointed over him worried over consequences. In the Scarlet Lions, all authority stemmed directly from Za'mana Mu-Damik and flowed down from him, first to the Lord Commanders then to his captains and beyond in an unbroken and inviolable line.
This fact kept his Legion centered and focused, each word from a sergeant in the heat of battle was the word of Za'mana himself, each nod from a captain a tilt of the Luminarch's Maned head itself. The Scarlet Lions also differed in small ways, as with many of the Legions they had their own titles and names for authority and a host of lesser divisions to suit their style. Those who held command over Hosts and had authority over lesser captains were known as "Ada'shesh" rather than the old title of "Praetor," and also held the title of "Ala'sesh" for a company. Within a company were a number of junior officers, the "Ena'sesh" who commanded the ranks of the company at war and the "Sesha'shul" who stood as its exemplars in other endeavors. Many were known by the focus of their devotion, "Ada'shesh' of Wisdom" and "Ala'sesh' of the Blade," such distinctions a mark of respect as much as a tactical designation in a Legion whose Luminarch urged his Sons to be more than simple weapons.
=== Legion Strength ===
By the early years of the Armageddon Crusade, the Scarlet Lions were among, if not themselves, the preeminent Legion of the Imperial Host, and even further bolstered by the introduction of the Luminous Marines. In the years after Za'mana Mu-Damik had taken charge of the Legion he had achieved its revitalization, a change so complete that few soon remembered the Revenant Legion of old. Once the half-forgotten rearguard of the Great Crusade, now it stood at the forefront of every advance, and those who had once scorned it now sang its praises in every court of the Emperor's far-flung domain. It was a fearsome fighting force, a breaker of empires and an ender of worlds, and unshakeable in its loyalty to the Emperor. It was the strong foundation upon which the Imperium was being built, and while it still stood, that empire would not fall.
At any time, the Legion numbered near 400,000 warriors, accounting for casualties, made up of to 150 individual companies, one of the largest Legions in operation at that time even after the Armageddon Wars when the Legions operation compacity was limited to 300 companies each of 1,000 warriors as of the introduction of the Luminaires began to rang true, with perhaps only the vast throngs of the Avenging Shields and Iron Asha'karii on record as overmatching this strength. Each of these Hosts comprised a force predisposed towards assault and orbital drop operations, with a large proportion of its infantry equipped for close-quarters combat, and its vehicles primarily rigged for high speed strikes and breakthrough operations. With few defensive assets in comparison to more rounded Legions, they were at a disadvantage if committed to a large-scale conflict without operational initiative, but with the Great Crusade at its apex, such a situation seemed at the time unthinkable.
This force was spread across the galaxy in a number of separate Hosts, each engaged in large scale operations, as well as custodial forces at each of the Legion's main bases and redoubts -- these being at the worlds of Alleuruta, En'liil and Ka'laan. Of these bases, Alleuruta was the largest, for while the second moon remained sacrosanct for the native Blood, the empty rad-scored world it circled above was transformed by the Vix of the Forge World Ankh'aa at the invitation of Za'mana himself. There, where no unmodified person could tread, the Tech-adepts built a manufacturing site the envy of many smaller Forge Worlds, supplying much of the munitions and technical needs of the IIIrd Legion. Alleuruta, as the homeworld of Za'mana, warranted a large standing guard, a duty mainly fulfilled by the Scarlet Guard, though at least one company could normally be found at refit.
En'liil also served as a manufacturing center, though of lesser size and sophistication, producing vast quantities of shells and other simple munitions to feed the hungry cannon of the Legion. It was a common stopping point for troops bound outwards for the Great Crusade's frontlines, and many units were to be found at rest there.
Ka'laan was the smallest of the Legion's permanent outposts, serving only as a source of recruits from among the world's endlessly warring mutant tribes, and warranted but a single regiment of Scarlet Guard as custodians.
The Legion's fleet assets were similarly impressive, boasting over 300 capital class warships, many of them Grand Cruisers or even Dominion Class-Battleships of various strengths. Many of these voidcraft were outfitted to serve as orbital assault craft, mounting either banks of heavy linear cannon for use as bombardment weapons, launch rails for swarms of Drop Pods and Ram-Sleds or vast hangar bays from which the large Stormbird or Thunderhawk dropships could operate.
=== Legion Command ===
* Ar-Rahīm Shair - The Luminarch Himself, head of the Du'at
* Caliph – A Lord Commander of a Scarlet Lion Chapter; one of the Du'at.
* Satrap - A Satrap is a Scarlet Lions battalion commander that is equivalent to the Codex-rank of Captain. They are granted the right to rule as the Caliph's proxy over a certain designated area of their Campany's demesne called the satrapy, similar in function and precedence to Imperial Sector Governors. Each Satrap is personally chosen for this important position by their Company's Caliph.
* Argbed – A Alleuruta term that means 'Castellan', a Scarlet Lion battalion commander that is equivalent to the Codex-rank of Captain. They are charged with the command of a fortress and are considered experts in siege warfare.
* Hyparchoi - A Alleuruta term that means 'sub-commander', they are equivalent to the Codex-rank of Lieutenant.
==== Satrap Titles ====
In addition to the command of an battalion company, it is common for Satraps to hold a variety of other formal titles and functional duties within their legions Chapter. The following is a list of the most common formal titles held by Satraps in the Sables Lions Chapter:
* Bel-Al-Hajj – Rank designation for Master of the Fleet.
* Bel-Daku – Rank designation for Lord Executioner.
* Bel-Allik – Rank designation for Master of the Marches.
* Bel-Hadad – Rank designation for Master of Relics.
* Bel-Sa Belet – Rank designation for Master of Rites.
* Bel-Amir – Rank designation for Master of Recruits.
=== Specialist Ranks ===
* Vizier – Chief Librarian of the Legion; one of the Du'at
* Jinn – Jinn is the Alleuruta term that means "those" or "things hidden from sight"; a term used by the Scarlet Lions when referring to their Legion’s Librarians. These individuals are known as jinni or djinni.
* Amr – Reclusiarch of the Legion; one of the Du'at.
* Imam – The Alleuruta term for a holy man; the Scarlet Lions’ designation for a Chaplain. The role of Imams also differs within the Scarlet Lions Legion, for their responsibilities are solely geared towards guarding against the Mushadara and psychologically ministering to those who fall both to it and the equally terrible curse of the Red Thirst. They also preserve the Legion's innermost secrets, vouchsafe its creed and monitor constantly for the onset of the Mushadara amongst their Battle-Brothers. In war, the Imams are fearsome battle-priests clad in forbidding jet-black Power Armor crowned with lions skull-helms and death masks. The traditional spiritual role played by most Marine Chaplains is instead played in the Scarlet Lions by the officers known as the Asus. The Reclusiarchs -- the highest ranking Imams -- are the keepers of the Legion's Reclusian, the Scarlet Lions' most sacred shrine. The Reclusian nestles in the heart of a great spire that stands tall over the rest of the fortress-monastery of the Lionhold and only the tower of the Asusi Pillar stands as high. No part of the fortress-monastery is as revered as the Reclusian, adorned as it is with banners and relics of ages past, its Scarlet stones steeped in history and grandeur. Here do the Imams conduct their ceremonies, the rites of Initiation, Vindication and Redemption, the Blood Pact and the Host-throng. In earlier days, the Reclusiam tower was once given over to Za'mana's quarters and the Scarlet Lions believe that their beloved Luminarch can hear any prayer given voice within.
* Ashipu – Chief Apothecary of the Legion; one of the Du'at.
* Asu – The Alleuruta term for a healer; the Scarlet Lions' designation for an Apothecary. The Scarlet Lions' Asus are the custodians of the blood of Za'mana Mu-Damik himself. They serve in the role of the Scarlet Lions' Apothecaries, as well as partially fulfilling the role of spiritual leaders within the Legion. Whilst the sermons and ceremonies of the Legion's Imams exhort their Battle-Brothers to reject the anger within, those performed by the Asus call upon the Scarlet Lions to embrace the Red Thirst and wrest it to their control; unleashing its strength to buttress theirs when the day is darkest and the battle goes ill. Even to this day, the Sanguine Tower of the Priesthood is the only part of the fortress-monastery that challenges the dark glory of the Legion's Reclusiam. These two towers -- one a shining beacon of redemption and renewal, the other sinister and sombre -- remain a physical monument to the dual nature at the heart of every Scarlet Lions' soul. As with the Apothecaries of other Legions, the foremost concern of the Asus is to conserve the Legion's Inheritance-Helix.
* Allamah – A Alleuruta honorary title carried by only the highest scholars; the Scarlet Lions' designation for a Master of the Forge.
* Muhandis – A Alleuruta term that literally means "engineer"; the Scarlet Lions' designation for a Technoclast.
* Death Amaa'gi Company Imams - A Death Company Imam is a specialist officer rank unique to the Scarlet Lions and their Successor Legions. Charged with leading a Death Company into battle, he soars into combat on crimson wings, the Death Company Imam leading his fallen brothers afflicted by the genetic Flaw known as the Mushadara. As he smashes the enemy from their feet with devastating swings of his Crozius Arcanum, the Death Company Imam booms a constant litany of hatred and vengeance, exhorting his brothers to give meaning to their sacrifice before their tragic and inevitable end. This deeply spiritual warrior acts as the light of the Lion himself, a guiding illumination that those brothers lost to the Mushadara can follow into glory and death. He is a beacon of sanity, the eye of a bloody storm, and the last sight that many of his luckless foes will set eyes upon before their savage demise.
=== Legion Ranks ===
* Raqīb – The Alleuruta term for an "overseer"; the Scarlet Lions' designation for a Sergeant rank.
* Muqaddam – The Alleuruta term for an "assistant"; the Scarlet Lions’ designation for an assistant squad leader.
* Fida'i – The title given to Neophytes, who are serving their mandatory time amongst the 10th Scout Company.
* Janissary – The title given to Aspirants, who are recruited from Alleuruta' young boys to become potential candidates for the Scarlet Lions' Legion.
=== Specialist Formations ===
=== Specialist Formations ===
The Scarlet Lions' order of battle contains several specialist formations and officer positions not present in other Imperial Marine Legions:
* Du'at – The quintumvirate of senior leaders of the Legion – the Caliph, Vizier, Ashipu, the Allamah and Amr – who are the Luminarch’s closest advisors.
* The Amuru'nagii - The most notable of the Legions deviances from the Principia Millitant is the existence of the Scarlet Lions' infamous Amuru'nagii. Not an actual part of the Scarlet Lions' standard organisation of companies, the Amuru'nagii is made up of those unfortunate Marines of the Legion who have completely succumbed to the psychosis of the Mushadara. These fanatical and unstoppable berserkers are led into battle by a Scarlet Priest or Imam, who are the only officers with even a chance of retaining some level of control over these psychotic killers. This company is known as the Amuru'nagii because its Marines are considered to be walking dead men by their brethren. The Imperial Marines of the Scarlet Lions Amuru'nagii are unstoppable, fighting on with wounds that should kill even an Imperial Marine. 
* Scarlet Maw - The other major deviance from the Codex by the Legion is the existence of the elite Scarlet Lions Honor Guard known as the Scarlet Maw, which includes the Legion's best and most Veteran Marines under the command of the Luminarch. They use modified Jump Packs and custom Omni-Directional Void Gear (OVM) to give them a taste of their Luminarch's ferocious athletic abilities in combat, so that they are transformed into true Lions of death. They are clad in ancient suits of golden Artificer Armor, wielding an ancient Power Weapon in the shape of a polearm known as a Glaive Encarmine, each one of which is a Legion relic dating back many millennia. Each member of the Scarlet Maw is easily the equal of a full squad of their brethren and the deeds of each are carefully recorded by the Asu, as they are warriors second in prowess only to the company captains and the Luminarch Himself. 
* Honor Guard - Amongst the Scarlet Lions, it is customary for the mightiest officers to be accompanied by an Honor Guard of dedicated, elite warriors. Its members are often distinguished Marine or the most accomplished Veteran Imperial Marines of the Legion. These are warriors with full access to the entire armory of the Scarlet Lions. As a result, the Honor Guard is normally well-equipped and ably transported. Asus and Technoclast Marines may be found within an Honor Guard, as can Standard Bearers. When operating as the Honor Guard for a company Commander, one member of the Honor Guard may be nominated as the Blood Champion, who serves as the Company Champion. The Marine of a given Scarlet Lions Honor Guard always wear gold-colored helmets to indicate their elite status. 
* The Deathstorm - Typically only formed by the Legion when fighting enemy formations of infantry that vastly outnumber their own, the Scarlet Lions designed these strike forces with the primary goal of combating mass infantry formations. A Deathstorm Strike Force is tasked with halting the advance of an enemy by way of using heavy automatic weapons fire which has served them well in turning back hordes of Orks, Tyranid swarms and hosts of embodied daemons. In such encounters, these irregular units of Scarlet Lions manage to hold back the large force of numbers with the sheer weight of firepower at their disposal. This fire power is usually supplied by a squadron of Alleuruta Predators that are led by a Land Raider Crusader. This makeup allows Deathstorm Strike Forces to unleash a tremendous rate of firepower that is so overwhelming that the vehicles' and Marine' gun barrels are glowing white with heat after intense muzzle flashes as withering attacks leave none unscathed. Entire squads of enemy troops are cut down by a single Assault Cannon, yet the firepower of a Deathstorm Strike Force is enough to shred entire battalions of the foe. Only the bravest of foes will seek to overwhelm such a dedicated strike force of Scarlet Lions, and even then, the enemy must be prepared to take steep losses and heavy casualties.
=== Squad Designations ===
* Haidar – A Alleuruta term that means "lion"; a term utilized by the Scarlet Lions when referring to their Sternguard Veteran Marines.
* Adad – A Alleuruta term that means "storm" or "lightning"; a term utilized by the Scarlet Lions when referring to their Close Support Marines.
* Hadad – A Alleuruta term that means "thunder"; a term utilized by the Scarlet Lions when referring to their Fire Support Marines.
* Rafiq – "Comrade(s)" the Scarlet Lions’ word for themselves – fellow battle-brothers. Also used by the Scarlet Lions when referring to their Battleline Marines. As all battle-brothers are warriors and Battleline Marines are the backbone of any Imperial Marine Legion, this term is interchangeable.
==== Squad Formations ====
* Kárdake – A Alleuruta term for a heavy infantry unit; a term utilized by the Scarlet Lions when referring to a Company.
* Sparabara – A Alleuruta term meaning "shield bearers"; a term when referring to Siege Assault Specialists.
=== Non-Marines Personnel ===
* Takabara – The human serfs who garrison Alamut when the Legion is called away to war, as well as the standing Planetary Defense Force.
=== Order of Battle ===
Like all Codex Marines-compliant Imperial Marine Legions, the Scarlet Lions are divided into ten companies of 100 Imperial Marines each when at full strength. Each company was led by an officer with the rank of Satrap who is a hero of the Scarlet Lions. Each Satrap -- in addition to his company command -- is in charge of a particular aspect of the Legion's logistics. The following represents the order of battle of the Scarlet Lions Legion as it currently stands:
=== Legion Combat Doctrine ===
In battle, the Scarlet Lions would become the incarnation of the Emperor’s wrath upon those who rejected His gift of Unity. Led by their Beastiel Za'mana Mu-Damik, their coming was seen as an apocalyptic moment of judgment delivered upon the guilty from the void, the IIIrd Legion would conquer lost worlds with their preternatural fury as well as the dread and awe they created. Entire worlds fell to their knees before the wrath and splendor of these "Golden Lions" as they would come to be known as, lest they too perish beneath the Warriors glimmering blades. 
Against those of the Alien, Witch, and Mutant who forsook the word of the Imperium, no such quarter would be given, and the wrath of the Legion was made physical manifest as a tide of unrelenting carnage that only gave way once complete extermination had been achieved.
The IIIrd Legion became renowned for the "auto-electus pugna electionis" otherwise known as “The Wars of Choice”. These campaigns of carnage against non-Compliant worlds began with Za'mana Mu-Damik or one of his Commanders affording a world one opportunity to embrace Unification or face a "Day of Revelation", in which they would suffer the fury of the Scarlet Lions fully unleashed. Many foes confronted by the gathered IIIrd Legions host of war were overcome with dread, and oft' capitulated without hesitation. Those who did not would see the shining countenance of the Regal Za'mana Mu-Damik transformed into savage fury as blinding destruction was delivered from on high.
The IIIrd Legion's tactical doctrines were heavily focused on the use of powerful shock assaults to shatter an enemy's resistance in a single, devastating blow. Because of this, Promethium and Auger weapons were strongly favored on the tactical level, both because of their effectiveness and ability to provide a fearsome display in action.
Just as the IIIrd Legion was famed for its set piece shock assault tactics, so it was also famed for its ability, when pressed, to stand against any that would overwhelm it, no matter the odds and no matter the foe, and even in its death throes, drag its enemies down with it to destruction. To even their brother Legiones Marine, such feats of resilience sometimes seemed to border on the preternatural and could be laid to no single tactical plan nor doctrine nor biological trait, but rather had their origins within their unshakable will to endure, as if somehow fueled by the rage and grief wrought in their hearts by the deaths of their battle-brothers. To the Scarlet Lions themselves, such battles became known as the Isiisha'urrum or the "Times of Sorrows", when few would stand against many and sell their lives dearly, their names and deeds to be reborn eternally in the most sacrosanct of the Legion's rites of battle and remembrance. When the bulk of the Legion was missing for many years at Signus-Prime, those few lone ships and garrisons which remained in an Imperium riven by war would find themselves time and again outnumbered by their foes. Many were their own days of sorrow, but far greater was the number of the Traitor foes who died along with them as they passed burning into the night.
== Legion Inheritance-Helix ==
The Scarlet Lions, of all the warriors of the Legiones Marine, evidenced perhaps the greatest degree of transformation of their flesh from their human origins to both the Imperial Marines of the Marine and later the Luminous that they would become. This transformation's effects were even more pronounced and more fundamental than that of the Frostwind Hounds or the Drowned Drakes, both of which featured unique stigmata of their own. The aggressive over-writing of the aspirant's gene-helix by the blood of the Luminarch was capable of transfiguring the rad-scarred and twisted inhabitants of Alleuruta to create perfected warriors, living icons of the physical ideal of the Legiones Marine, each one an echo of their Luminarch, a son of the Great Lion, Za'mana Mu-Damik in his fearsome glory. There was a price however for this power, and the process of transformation was a more arcane, elaborate and painful one than that endured by any other Legion. Even with the direct infusion of its Luminarch's own blood to stabilize the process, the rate of fatalities among aspirants was frighteningly high. There were also those who argued that the mental scars suffered by those who survived the change were just as deep, instilling a sense of cause and purpose that manifested as unflinching, unreasoning fanaticism bordering on madness, a certainty which could in mere moments turn to insane fury when that purpose was challenged.
=== Za'mana Mu-Damik's Flaw ===
"Say what you like, I will never fight alongside these madmen. The past proves nothing, except that the Scarlet Lions are cursed and but a single step from damnation."
:-Attributed to Borakhutai Shogun Luminarch of the Astral Marauders Legion
Every Imperial Marine Legion is defined by the legacy of their Luminarch. Through their Inheritance-Helix' these mighty beings would shape their sons' bodies, while through teachings and philosophy they would influence their minds. Yet none amongst the Luminarchs would have as profound an effect upon their progeny as did Za'mana Mu-Damik.
This Legion, among the most golden and blessed of all the Legions of the Legiones Marine, now shuns the company of its fellows where possible. Some Scarlet Lions, it is said, are driven by a terrible death-seeking madness called the Mushadara, brought on by visions of death and destruction. Others are afflicted by the terrible Crimson Hunger, a craving for flesh which some claim may be the first signs of corruption by Chaos. It is known that some amongst the Scarlet Lions themselves spend much time seeking a cure for these conditions, although most have resigned themselves to this slow and terrible fate.
Some savants say that it is because Za'mana Mu-Damik was more touched by the Void than the other Luminarchs during his embryonic flight through the Void after he and his superhuman brethren were stolen from the Emperor's gene-laboratory. They cite the fact of his Leonine features -- an obvious set of mutations -- to support their case.
Their argument runs that the Inheritance-Helix that was extracted from him was genetically flawed and corrupted even before the first Scarlet Lion Marines were created from it by the Emperor, and thus terrible consequences were preordained. Other savants of the Marine deny this, citing that the Emperor Himself trusted Za'mana Mu-Damik implicitly, and personally oversaw the creation of the Scarlet Lions.
Other Imperial scholars claim that the Flaw lies in the process that is used to create each new generation of Scarlet Lions Marines. They assert that it has crept in through the generations because the Scarlet Lions use the process known as Insanguination to activate the implanted Inheritance-Helix organs within their Aspirants. All Imperial Marine Legions use the Inheritance-Helix organs to unleash and control the metabolic processes that transform an ordinary mortal into a Imperial Marine.
The Inheritance-Helix is encoded with all the information needed to reshape ordinary human cell clusters into the special organs Imperial Marines possess in those instances where they are not directly implanted after being cultured in vitro. The Inheritance-Helix contains genetically-engineered viral machines which rebuild the male human body according to the biological template contained within it. However, even from the beginning of the Marine' existence, there was never a set way to activate these functions of the Inheritance-Helix.
During the First Founding of the 30th Millennium when the Imperial Marine Legions were first created, the process was still highly experimental and many different ways of controlling and managing the transformation from mortal into Marine were tried. This led to the Space Wolves using the ritual known as Blooding, the Imperial Fists using the process known as the Hand of Faith, the White Scars conducting the Rites of the Risen Moon and the Scarlet Lions using the ritual of Insanguination.
The process of Insanguination was originally triggered by injecting the Aspirants with tiny samples of their Luminarch's own blood. This practice, of corse, ended with the tragic death of Za'mana Mu-Damik at the hands of Horus during the Siege of Terra. However, some of his blood was preserved within the Scarlet Lions artefact known as the Red Grail. The still-living blood could not be kept this way for long and so it was injected into the veins of the Asus. In this way they became living hosts to the power of Za'mana Mu-Damik. To this day, the drinking of the collected blood of the assembled Asus from the relic called the Red Grail is part of the induction ritual for all Scarlet Lions Priests as well as the Legion's Aspirants.
It is from these Asus that blood is taken to trigger the transformation of Aspirants into Imperial Marines. It is possible that over the countless generations since the time of the Horus Heresy the cells within the Scarlet Lions' Inheritance-Helix have mutated, slowly at first but more quickly in recent years, and that cumulative errors in DNA replication have resulted in the Flaw. Whatever the reason for the Flaw, it is certain that its hold over the Scarlet Lions has become ever stronger, and their tendency towards self-destructive insanity greater. Unless it can be halted and reversed, the Legion and all of its successors among the Sanguinary Brotherhood are doomed to extinction.
The Flaw of the Scarlet Lions has also been attributed to a combination of the genetic defects in the Legion's Omophagea Inheritance-Helix organ implant, and the psychic disturbance created during the final seconds of Za'mana Mu-Damik' life. During the battles of the Horus Heresy on Terra and Mars, the stored Inheritance-Helix imprint of the Scarlet Lions was lost, forcing the Legion to have to extract the Inheritance-Helix needed for their reconstruction after the Heresy from the fallen body of their Luminarch himself. Every Imperial Marine created from the Inheritance-Helix drawn from Za'mana Mu-Damik after his death was doomed to fall to the Flaw, and in the 10,000-year history of the Legion and its Second Founding Successor Legions, only three Imperial Marines have managed to defeat the Mushadara once it manifested (Chief Librarian Mephiston (twice) and Brother Rafen -- both with the assistance of visions of Za'mana Mu-Damik, and the Librarian Ashok of the Lions Sanguine).
==== Mushadara ====
"Treat them with honor, my Brothers. Not because they will bring us victory this day, but because their fate will one day be ors."
:
The Scarlet Lions and their Successor Legions still suffer from the psychic imprint left by Za'mana Mu-Damik' death (or by the daemonic "wound" suffered by their Luminarch that was caused on Signus Prime). This can cause them to go insane prior to or during battle and feel the rage that Za'mana Mu-Damik himself felt against Horus and his Traitors during the Siege of Terra.
The condition is largely irrecoverable and only a few Scarlet Lions have managed to defeat the "Gene Curse." Victims are locked away in the "Tower of Amareo" (named after an ancient Legion Master of the Scarlet Lions) on the Scarlet Lions' homeworld.
This insanity is known as the Mushadara. Rather than let them face a slow, insane death, Scarlet Lions will form those who have newly succumbed to the Mushadara into a special unit known as the Death Company.
They wear specially painted black power armor, and are often led by the few Legion officers, notably Scarlet Lions Imams, who are still able to communicate orders to the insane troops and who are still obeyed by them, perhaps because Imams directly represent the authority of the Emperor.
The members of the Death Company are then sent out to perform the most dangerous assaults, hoping for a quick and honorable death in combat. The Rage seems to lend those afflicted with a measure of the Luminarch's might, granting them the strength to rend their foes limb from limb in bloody melee.
However, by some unknown means, the Flaw that produces the Mushadara also seems capable of extending the victim's lifespan, at least until he finally succumbs to the Rage.
Commander Dante is by far the oldest living Imperial Marine (not including those interred in a Dreadnought) born more than 1,000 standard years before the present time.
==== Red Thirst ====
Deep within the psyche of every Scarlet Lion is a destructive yearning, a battle fury and blood-hunger that must be held in abeyance in every waking moment. Few battle-brothers can hold this Red Thirst in check unceasingly -- it is far from unknown for Scarlet Lions to temporarily succumb to its lure at the height of battle.
The Red Thirst is the Scarlet Lions' darkest secret and greatest curse, but it is also their greatest salvation, for it brings with it a humility and understanding of their own failings which make them truly the most noble of the Imperial Marines.
The fate of those unfortunates overtaken completely by the Red Thirst is known only to the Legion itself. There are tales of a secret chamber atop the Tower of Amareo in the fortress-monastery on Alleuruta, and of howling cries that demand the blood of the living, but none are willing to say for certain what secrets lie hidden in this haunted, desolate place.
There have been incidents when the Scarlet Lions have been stationed on distant worlds where members of the local population have gone missing only to turn up later drained of blood. It is possible that this is the work of cultists seeking to discredit the Legion.
It may even be that some of the more superstitious local citizens have taken to offering up sacrifices to their god-like visitors. It may also be possible that these folk have been killed by Scarlet Lions overcome by the Red Thirst.
Those affected by the Red Thirst often have pale skin, and a potent urge to drink the blood of their enemies that can emerge at any time during combat. Many also may develop enlongated and sharpened eye-teeth.
This genetic curse has also been passed on to the Scarlet Lions Successor Legions, such as the Flesh Tearers, Blood Drinkers, and the Lions Sanguine.
One Successor Legion, the Lamenters, managed during their Founding by the Legiones Mechanicus to eliminate the Flaw from Za'mana Mu-Damik' Inheritance-Helix through the genetic tinkerings of some overzealous Tech-priests. However, throughout its history, the Lamenters Legion has been stricken by extraordinary bad luck in battle ever since, suffering an improbable series of unlikely catastrophes, and has been nearly annihilated.
The recent addition of Primaris Imperial Marines to the Legion who were derived from Za'mana Mu-Damik' Inheritance-Helix has changed this calculus somewhat. In all of the combats since their introduction to the Legion following the Devastation of Alleuruta, the Primaris Marines proved -- at first -- immune to the Mushadara, but not the Red Thirst.
However, they seemed able to channel their fury more effectively, leading to fewer unfortunate "accidents" with civilians or other Imperial forces.
== Legion Beliefs ==
Za'mana Mu-Damik was always a visionary. During his early days he desired to lead his people to a new and better life. When he joined the Great Crusade he transferred this vision to a far wider arena, but did not abandon it. He wanted a better life for all Humanity and an end to the horrors brought on by the collapse of human civilization during the Age of Darkness that was the Long Dark. The Luminarch of the Scarlet Lions did much to shape his Legion. There is a mystical streak to many of the Scarlet Lions' doctrines, and also a strong belief that the way of things can be changed for the better. After all, the process of transforming an irradiated, genetically-damaged scavenger into a tall, proud and handsome warrior is living proof of this tenet.
This belief can be seen in everything the Scarlet Lions do: they strive for perfection. Their works of art are things of beauty and symmetry. Their martial disciplines are practiced unceasingly. Their doctrines are permeated with a sense of mortality and the fallen greatness of Humanity. Perhaps the strangest of all the Legion's traits was witnessed by Inquisitor Garillion on his sojourn to their fortress-monastery on Alleuruta. The Scarlet Lions have a habit of sleeping whenever possible in the sarcophagi used to create them. They apparently believe that in this timeless slumber, they are one step closer to Za'mana Mu-Damik, and seek to gain some insight into the psyche of their forefather.
While the Scarlet Lions sleep in their sarcophagi their blood is cleansed and purified. The Legion thus hopes to slow the long process of possible genetic degeneration until a permanent solution for the Mushadara can be found.
This Legion's Marines are also rigid believers in the Stellar Imperium's established status quo, and they take a singular interest in the destruction of Renegade Imperial commanders, Apostate Cardinals, and other wayward Imperial lords, regularly sending covert squads to scour entire cities and colony worlds in order to achieve their aims. The Legion has often been held in high regard among the Council of Terra and their agents than by many of their other wartime allies, particularly amongst other Marines. Because of this, it is known to be the case that several other Imperial Marine Legions consider the Scarlet Lions somehow darkly tainted, bellicose, and wanting in brotherhood. Many of the Scarlet Lions' detractors have gone so far as to suggest that they have been corrupted by some flaw in the Legion's collective psyche or gene-seed, though none would gainsay their efficiency and brutal effectiveness in battle.
The Scarlet Lions are a Legion that is long renowned for their focus on the individual battle-prowess and martial pride of their warriors. Honor duels with traditional swords and heated iron brands are actively encouraged between the ranks by the Legion's Imams when not engaged in campaigns, both for honor and to settle grievances between battle-brothers (Rafiq), and sometimes, these duels are fought to the death, though this is a rare occurrence. This tradition is thought to originate from the warrior rituals of their homeworld, which have been deliberately preserved by the Legion over time and arbitrated by the Legion's spiritual leaders.
Nevertheless, it is clear to any who study the martial record of the Scarlet Lions that they enforce the Emperor's will with a fervor and zeal that equals or exceeds that of any other Legion. In fact, these records point to the fact that the Scarlet Lions are responsible for many of the Imperium's successful actions, and that the number of aliens and Heretics they have slain in the name of the Emperor is beyond count.
== Scarlet Lion Librarians ==
Like their fellow Imperial Legions, the Scarlet Lions also maintain a Librarium of potent psycasts who are highly talented and trained to master the power of the Void at the highest levels. Each Legion selects its Librarians in its own way, either from seed worlds, as it does with the bulk of its Initiates, or from the ranks of gifted psycasts brought to the Scholastica Psykana. Most Legions train and test chosen psycasts following the ancient ways laid out in the Codex Marine. Librarians of the Scarlet Lions are trained in this way, and, with few minor traditional variances, have been taught to live by the word of the Codex.
When not devastating the plans of enemy warlords in war zones, Librarians have a host of other, less violent, duties to attend to. In addition to testing recruits and tending to their own training, Librarians are responsible for maintaining their Legion's Librariums. Overseen by the Librarians, each is a silent and sacred place of whispered secrets and hidden truths. Filled with ancient tomes and sacred scrolls, every piece of text laid down by the Legion, or relevant to its existence, is housed within. Every fortress-monastery will have a Librarium to house the lore, battle records, and certain psychically-active artifacts like Force Weapons. Famous victories, shameful defeats and the legends of the Legion's heroes are recorded there, and the Librarians are fiercely devoted to their role as keepers of this legacy.
In addition to the main Librarium on a Legion homeworld, many Power-Class Battleships maintain smaller Librariums for use during their long campaigns. While no two Librariums are exactly the same, they are often built around a central pillar, its racks of books and scrolls spiraling out into antechambers that hold rows of written works, data-slates, chronicle-stones and mnemo-slates recording the accounts of great battles, the final words of its heroes, and the secrets of vanquished foes. The central pillar of the Librarium houses its oldest available copy of the Codex Marine, held in a stasis-plinth or protected by holo-reflection. Many lords of the Legiones Marine visit the quiet, dusty halls of the Librarium to draw their inspiration and resolve from the ancient book in times of darkness.
==== Abilities ====
Scarlet Lions Librarians have a number of unique psychic abilities only used by the psycasts of their Legion:
* Dervish Devil – The Librarian calls forth the avatar of the great desert in the form of a massive swirling pillar of sand, like a small tornado that consumes all in its path, stripping both armor and flesh from bone in a matter of seconds.
* Flying Scimitar – The Librarian conjures a mighty scimitar of psychic power, glowing with a golden glow. On a single-word of command, the scimitar flies from his hands, hurling the blazing golden scimitar towards his enemies, which skewers everything in its path.
* Embered Armament – The Librarian’s weapons become surrounded by cleansing psychic flames as he imbues it with his inner hatred for the foes of the Emperor.
* Blood Boil - With a blast of psychic power, the Librarian drives his enemy's blood into a seething frenzy, superheating the target's blood, flash-boiling it and causing it to burst from their eyes, mouth, and ears with explosive finality.
* Blood Lance - The Librarian conjures a mighty psychic lance, glistening with gore. On a single word of command, the lance flies from his hands, hurling a blazing crimson lance of psychic power that skewers everything in its path.
* Fear the Darkness - Casting a psychic shadow across the battlefield, the Librarian summons the indescribable malice of the Void, unleashing it in a mighty wave of sheer terror, assailing his foe's soul with nameless torment.
* Might of Heroes - Focusing his will, the Scarlet Lions Librarian utilizes the deadly powers of the Immaterium to flow into him, heightening his speed and strength to unimaginable levels and summoning up a deep well of rage to smite the foes of the Emperor.
* The Sanguine Sword - The Librarian's Force Weapon takes on a violent crimson hue as he infuses it with a sliver of his inner rage.
* Shackle Soul - Reaching into the soul of his foe, the Librarian binds it in powerful bands of psychic energy. This power affects a single creature chosen by the Librarian. The Scarlet Lions Librarian can prevent those affected by this power from moving, attacking from a distance or making a melee attack or using a psychic power.
* Shield of Mu-Damik - The Librarian wills a shimmering golden barrier of psychic energy into existence, preserving his companions from harm.
* Smite - Lethal bolts of ruby lightning leap from the Librarian's fingertips, tearing his enemies apart.
* Unleash Rage - Reaching into the minds of his fellows, the Librarian unleashes the savagery within the Scarlet Lions' psyche.
* Gifts of Za'mana - The Librarian sprouts a pair of blood-red wings of psychic energy from his back that can bear him aloft, allowing him to fly over the battlefield.
=== Psychic Disciplines ===
Scarlet Lions Librarians also have a number of unique psychic Disciplines only utilized by the psycasts of their Legion, including:
==== Librarius Discipline ====
The ancient lore of the Legion's Librarium is vast indeed, and hidden among its complement of ancient tomes and scrolls are the hard-won secrets of the Imperial Marine Librarians. Within a sacred few of these closely guarded texts are techniques that allow the user to enhance his own psychic might or quell that of his foes. In battle, those trained in the Librarius discipline can batter enemies with ethereal force, strengthen their own minds and bodies with the power of the Void, or sever the connection of other psycasts. The following are abilities of the Librarius Discipline:
* The Emperor's Wrath - Crackling bolts of psychic force leap from the Librarian's gauntlet, tearing through armor to annihilate the enemies of the Imperium.
* Veil of Time - The Librarian projects his will beyond the regular passage of time, taking in the strands of fate and understanding what is about to happen before returning to the present to sway the tide of battle.
* Fury of The Ancients - Calling upon the myths and legends of his Legion's battered homeworld, the Librarian sends forth a terrifying monstrosity wrought from psychic energy.
* Psychic Fortress - Drawing on boundless reserves of inner strength, the Librarian shields his mind -- and those of his brethren -- from the threat of sorcerous assault.
* Might of Heroes - The Librarian cages the immense power of the Immaterium within his physical form and becomes the Emperor's vengeance made manifest.
* Psychic Scourge - The Librarian pits his superhuman willpower against that of an enemy Sorcerer in a battle of mental fortitude, seeking to scour arcane knowledge from the foul witch's mind.
* Null Zone - The Librarian unleashes the full might of his mind to cast down his target's defense's, both technological and mystical, rendering them vulnerable to the retribution of the Legiones Marine.
== Notable Legion Members ==
== Legion Relics ==
The Scarlet Lions are among some of the finest craftsmen and artisans the Imperium has ever known. Even the most commonplace items of wargear produced by their forges are exquisite pieces, veritable works of art. They are no less lethal for this, however -- a lesson that many foes have learned to their cost.
The so-called "Alleurutan Relicae" are items of incredible rarity that have been granted to or won as trophies of war by mighty heroes of the Scarlet Lions. Some of these revered artifacts can be traced back centuries to the bloody fighting of the Terran Unification Wars, and early Great Crusade, and when not seeing use in battle, these treasured relics reside within the mighty Arx Leonineum on Alleuruta.
== Legion Fleet ==
The Scarlet Lions Legion fleet is known to have contained the following vessels:
* Alleuruta's Honor (Throne-class Battleship) - The Alleuruta's Honor serves as the IIIrd Legion's flagship during the Great Crusade and the Armageddon Wars.
* Covenant of Alleuruta (Dominion-class Battleship) - The Covenant of Alleuruta was a Battleship that served in the IIIth Legion's fleet during the Great Crusade and Armageddon Wars.
* Ignis (Dominion-class Battleship) - The Ignis was a Battleship that served in the IIIth Legion's fleet during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras.
* Bellus (Power-Class Battleship) - An ancient vessel of renown, the Bellus is best known for its decade-long mission into the heart of an Ork empire and successful retrieval of an ancient Legion artefact thought lost during the elder days of the Horus Heresy -- the legendary Spear of Telesto, a weapon of magnificent craftsmanship and power, once wielded by the Luminarch Za'mana Mu-Damik himself.
* Blade of Vengeance (Power-Class Battleship)
* Blood Crusader (Unknown Class) - The Blood Crusader was the Scarlet Lions fleet ship used by the Terminators of the 1st Company under the command of Captain Ubaldo who cleansed a Genestealer infestation from the Space Hulk Forsaken Doom that threatened the Forge World of Gorgonum.
* Bloodcaller (Power-Class Battleship)
* Celaeno (Power-Class Battleship) - The Celaeno was a Power-Class Battleship that was destroyed by the Word Bearers Traitor Legion's vessel Dirge Eterna at the Battle of Cybele.
* Victus (Power-Class Battleship) - Captain Amit's command ship of the 5th Company during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. After the Second Founding and the sundering of the Scarlet Lions Legion, the Victus was given to the newly created Flesh Tearers Legion. When they eventually settled on the world of Cretacia, they disassembled the Victus and built their Fortress-Monastery.
* Chalice (Grand Cruiser) - The Chalice was a Grand Cruiser that served in the IIIth Legion's fleet during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras.
* Blood's Son (Cruiser) - The Blood's Son was a Cruiser that served in the IIIth Legion's fleet during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras.
* Encarnadine (Cruiser) - The Encarnadine was a Cruiser that served in the IIIth Legion's fleet during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras.
* Helios (Cruiser) - The Helios was lost with all hands, under mysterious circumstances in the Signus Cluster during the Great Crusade.
* Hermia (Cruiser) - The Hermia was a stealth-capable Cruiser in service to the IIIth Legion's fleet during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras.
* Nine Crusaders (Cruiser) - The Nine Crusaders was a Cruiser that served in the IIIth Legion's fleet during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras.
* Numitor (Cruiser)
* Paleknight (Cruiser) - The Paleknight was destroyed near the planet Holst in the Signus Cluster during the Great Crusade.
* Requiem Axona (Cruiser) - The Requiem Axona was a Cruiser that served in the IIIth Legion's fleet during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras.
* Scarlet Tear (Cruiser) - The Scarlet was a Cruiser that served in the IIIth Legion's fleet during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras.
* Scarlet Liberty (Cruiser) - The Scarlet Liberty was a Cruiser that served in the IIIth Legion's fleet during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras.
* Leonine Blade (Light Cruiser)
* Crimson Exhortation (Light Cruiser) - The Crimson Exhortation is in service to Captain Castigon of the Scarlet Lions' 4th Company, also known as the Knights of Alleuruta.
* Flame of Alleuruta (Light Cruiser) - The Flame of Alleuruta is in service to Captain Sendini of the Scarlet Lions' 5th Company.
* Sanguine Claw (Light Cruiser) - The Sanguine Tear is in service to Captain Karlaen of the Scarlet Lions' 1th Company.
== Legion Appearance ==
=== Marine Facial Features ===
With each passing day upon the activation of their Inheritance-Helix, the Leonine appearance of the Scarlet Lion Marines will grow more and more pronounced, reminiscent of the mythical Luminarch. The Flaw, a peculiar trait in their Inheritance-Helix, manifested itself in subtle yet distinctive ways throughout their lives.
One of the most striking characteristics that distinguish the Scarlet Lions' was the gradual development of thick, course manes crowning their heads. These magnificent manes cascaded down their broad shoulders, resembling the untamed glory of a lion's mane. Additionally, the Marines exhibited enlarged canines, reminiscent of a predator's fangs. These formidable teeth, sharpened and enhanced by their transhuman metabolisms, served as potent weapons in combat. Their razor-sharp edges and imposing size instilled fear in the hearts of their enemies, while also acting as a symbol of their primal prowess.
The origins of these phenotypical changes could be traced back to the intricate interaction between Za'mana Mu-Damik's unique genetic makeup and the transhuman metabolisms of the Scarlet Lions' Marine. As descendants of the Lion King himself, the Marine bore the genetic legacy of their revered leader, which intertwined with their own enhanced DNA. Over time, the manifestation of these features became more pronounced, a testament to the enduring bond between the Lion King and his loyal warriors. The Scarlet Lions' bear their distinctive appearances with pride, symbols of their allegiance to the sacred lineage they hailed from.
=== Legion Colors ===
The Scarlet Lions primarily wear power armor colored in blood-red metallic crimson. The power pack, helmet, shoulder guard trim, gauntlets and sabaton are black in color. Company is designated by a golden color Alleuruta cuneiform writing upon the forehead of the helmet. The black cultured squad specialty symbol (Battleline, Close Support, Fire Support, Veteran or Command) is indicated by the standard Codex Marine-approved iconography on the right shoulder guard. A white cultured Gothic numeral is stenciled on the Centre of the squad specialty icon, which designates squad number.
=== Heraldry of the Host ===
The Scarlet Lions adhere to a strict heraldic system, allowing them to recognize what company and squad any given Battle-Brother belongs to at a glance.
The advantages of such swift recognition amid the madness of battle are obvious. More than this, however, the Sons of Za'mana revere their heraldry, and bear these markings as badges of pride.
Instead of using the standard Codex-compliant symbols to show a unit's squad specialty or helmet color to denote rank, the Scarlet Lions' helms indicate their operational role.
* Battleline: Red
* Close Support: Yellow
* Fire Support: Blue
* Veteran Marine/Command: Gold
Scarlet Lions Librarians have blue armor with the left shoulder plate painted red. The Legion badge is located on the right knee plate, black with a red background.
Only in special cases does the Legion badge not appear on the left shoulder plate.
The following is a list of how each company represents itself:
* 1st Company (Veteran): A white skull over red background on the right shoulder plate. On Terminator (Tactical Dreadnought) Armor, the left shoulder plate shows the 1st Company's specific heraldry, the right shoulder guard displays the Legion badge in black (yellow for Sergeants).
* 2nd Company (Battle): A single yellow blood drop.
* 3rd Company (Battle): A single white blood drop.
* 4th Company (Battle): A single green blood drop.
* 5th Company (Battle): A single black blood drop.
* 6th Company (Reserve Tactical): Twin yellow blood drops, side by side.
* 7th Company (Reserve Tactical): Twin white blood drops, side by side.
* 8th Company (Reserve Assault): Twin green blood drops, side by side.
* 9th Company (Reserve Devastator): Twin black blood drops, side by side.
* 10th Company (Scout Marines): The Scarlet Lions' Scout Company wears a black skull on the right shoulder plate, and the Legion badge on the left.
The Legion Master (who is called the "Lord Commander" by the Scarlet Lions) has a personal bodyguard that wears gold armor with black trim, painting the right shoulder plate red.
The Legion badge is displayed on the left shoulder plate, a white skull displayed on the right.
Unlike other Legions of the Legiones Marine, the Scarlet Lions' squad markings comprise a single symbol worn on the right knee guard.
Following Roboute Guilliman's recent revisions to the Codex Marine and the reorganisation of the Reserve Companies in the Era Indomitus, ten additional squad numbers and icons have been introduced to the Legion, which now allows more than 100 Battle-Brothers in a company in certain circumstances.
* 1st Squad: A white skull on a black background
* 2nd Squad: A white skull on a blue background
* 3rd Squad: A red blood drop on a yellow background
* 4th Squad: A red blood drop on a black background
* 5th Squad: A white X on a black background
* 6th Squad: A white X on a blue background
* 7th Squad: A yellow lightning bolt on a black background
* 8th Squad: A black lightning bolt on a yellow background
* 9th Squad: A yellow Leonine wing on a black background
* 10th Squad: A black Leonine wing on a yellow background
* 11th Squad: A yellow skull on a black background.
* 12th Squad: A black skull on a yellow background.
* 13th Squad: A white blood drop on a black background.
* 14th Squad: A white blood drop on a blue background.
* 15th Squad: A red saltire ("X") on a black background.
* 16th Squad: A red saltire ("X") on a yellow background.
* 17th Squad: A white lightning bolt on a blue background.
* 18th Squad: A white lightning bolt on a black background.
* 19th Squad: A red Leonine wing on a black background.
* 20th Squad: A white Leonine wing on a blue background.
The Sergeants of Scarlet Lion squads have black pauldrons displaying the Scarlet Lions emblem with a red trim, rather than the blood-red and black coloration of their squadmates. Veteran Sergeant's shoulder guards have claws placed on the Leonine Visage.
Senior Scarlet Lions command personnel, including Lieutenants and Captains, bear more ornate versions of their company markings.
==== Arcus Weapons ====
In comparison to the rest of their wargear, a Scarlet Lion's Arc-Rifle will normally boast a matt black casing. This somber coloration does not diminish the Weapon's paramountcy as the Scarlet Lions' chosen weapon of death. These weapons are crafted by the finest Scarlet Lion artisans. As such, many feature finely tooled inlays, gold chasing, or inset precious stones.
==== Honor Scrolls ====
The scrolls affixed to the armor of many Scarlet Lions record their noblest deeds. This is not vainglory. Should the wearer fall to the Mushadara, such scrolls serve as a memorial, a record of the warrior that has been lost.
==== Armor Decoration ====
The Scarlet Lions take great pride in the artistry of their wargear. Some battle-brothers craft new adornments and decorations onto their own armor. Others inherit suits already heavy with blood drops and claw indentations, golden claws and other emblems. Either way, these florishes embody the nobility to which all Scarlet Lions aspire.
=== Legion Badge ===
The Scarlet Lions Legion badge is known in High Gothic as the alatus cadere, or "Primal Visage", the Legions Leonine emblem wrapped in ruby vitae.
When portrayed on armor, this design is often stylized and painted to the battle-brothers desired choice, but often portrayed as completely black on the left shoulder guard.
Sergeants of the Legion have both shoulder guards painted black, with a yellow Legion badge placed on them instead, to distinguish their rank.
== Legion Glossary ==
* Al-Malik – A Alleuruta term that literally means 'the King'; this word is commonly used when referring to the Emperor of Mankind. This word is often used in the Alleuruta phrase "Insha'Al-Malik" or "Insha'Malik," which means, "Emperor willing" or "if the Emperor wills."
* Amir al-umara – The Alleuruta term for "Amir of Amirs" or "Commander of Commanders," a term utilized by the people of Alleuruta when referring to the Caliph of the Scarlet Lions.
* Annunaki Mitu – The Alleuruta term for "Angels of Death," used when referring to the Scarlet Lion Marines.
* Asabiyya – The Scarlet Lions' tradition of loyalty to the Legion and to other battle-brothers.
* Baal – A Alleuruta word, meaning "Lord," which is applied informally by the Scarlet Lions when referring to a Legion officer of senior rank. (i.e. Baal-Belteshazzar instead of Castellan Belteshazzar)
* Daeva – A Alleuruta term for "wrong gods" or "false gods" or "gods that are (to be) rejected"; a term used by the Scarlet Lions when referring to Daemons of Chaos.
* Emir – A Alleuruta term when referring to an Imperial aristocrat or noble of high office.
* En'esh Ur – The First City, capital city of Alleuruta.
* Haydar al-qasr – Haydar al-qasr literally translates as "Lionhold," the name of the fortress-monastery of the Scarlet Lions’ Legion, built into their planet's highest peak. Also, a metaphor for the Scarlet Lions’ as a whole, especially the Legion’s spirit and ideals.
* Heartblood – The collected blood of fallen Scarlet Lions, kept at Alamut and used in the Legion’s most holy ceremonies.
* Ikhwan – The Alleuruta tradition of brotherhood.
* Jihad – A term applied to any holy war. The Scarlet Lions use the word to describe their legendary task of destroying all the enemies of Mankind.
* Kadd – The Alleuruta tradition of vengeance.
* Kafir – Literally "infidels"; the Scarlet Lions apply this term to heretics and renegades.
* Khabar – Literally "tradition": the Scarlet Lions belief system and code of honour.
* Kufr – A term for heresy, unbelief, and ingratitude. The Scarlet Lions use the word to refer to the principles of aliens, Chaos Cults or the Traitor Legions.
* Mumin – The Alleuruta tradition of faith.
* Munafiqun – Literally "hypocrites"; the Scarlet Lions nickname for the Inquisition.
* Muruwa – The Scarlet Lions code of honour.
* Mushir – The Alleuruta word meaning "counsellor" or "advisor,” commonly used by the Scarlet Lions when referring to the elder Serfs of the Legion, who are held in high regard for their wisdom and experience.
* Scribe – A contemptuous term applied by the Legion’s warriors to a non-warrior.
* Silsila – The elder battle-brothers and other respected individuals of the Legion, who act as the senior leadership of the Scarlet Lions.
* Tajdid – Literally "revival"; the research program dedicated to freeing the Scarlet Lions from the Curse.
* Taqiyya – The Scarlet Lions' art of disguise and concealment (especially Scout Marines); also, the Legion tradition of secrecy.
* Umma – The Alleuruta tradition of community.
* Zindīq – A Alleuruta term applied to those who are considered to hold views or follow practices that are contrary to the Imperial Cult; a term the Scarlet Lions apply to heretics and renegades.
== Notable Quotes ==
=== By the Legion ===
"We are fury, we are hope. Inspiration and downfall, savageness and control. We are of a dual nature just as the beast that marks or heraldry. The brave and wild lion, and inspired and fierce Flame brought into one form twisted to perfection. We are the Scarlet Lions and we are the unifiers of mankind."
"One day my Sons, we may rest or blades on a field of crimson and know that it is or final act of bloodshed to unify or kin. One day we shall know true peace and all the bliss that comes from it. Until that day we must continue the fight. We must fight as we always have, for that dream where war is a long forgotten dream and unity is all that has ever been known. A day when we may settle and forget atrocities of the past for the beauty of days to come. That is or dream, and that is what we must fight for." Za'mana Mu-Damik
=== About the Legion ===
Category:Imperium
Category:Imperial Legions