Deathwatch - Deathwatch Recruitment: The ancient oaths that the Adeptus Astartes have undertaken to the Inquisition guarantees that their warriors will be seconded to the Deathwatch. This tenure provides valuable warriors to serve in kill-teams throughout the galaxy. But the reasons why individual Chapters will send certain Space Marines to serve the Deathwatch can vary.When the call to send battle-brothers to the Deathwatch comes, most Chapters select their finest warriors to represent them. The ancient oaths sworn to support the Inquisition and the Deathwatch are taken seriously and any success that a Space Marine displays while serving the Long Watch will be reflected back on their Chapter.These revered champions of the Chapter seek out glory and honour by exemplary service on all missions they participate in. These Astartes are very eager to be part of the Deathwatch and serve the Emperor in this manner.Should a battle-brother consistently excel in the slaughter of the alien, he will invariably come to the notice of the officers of his Chapter. Most commonly it is the captain of his company that vouches for his expertise as an alien hunter, his Apothecary that attests to his impeccable physical ability, and his Chaplain that weighs his strength of character and the sanctity of his soul.If all three officers are in agreement, the Chapter Master is consulted, and with his approval the potential recruit's fate is set. Though it may be years until he is called upon to join the Long Vigil, he will become one of the most specialised of all the Imperium's defenders, every waking hour given over to a single overarching goal -- the eradication of the xenos foe.Most of the Chapters in the Imperium will despatch a battle-brother chosen to join the Deathwatch after a ceremony to mark his departure. The Ultramarines gather as much of the relevant company's strength as possible, saluting their departing comrade as he boards the black-hulled Thunderhawk that will take him to his new life.The Dark Angels Chapter sends him on his way under an oath of secrecy, reminding him that he must never speak of hidden truths. Regardless of Chapter, the occasion is a solemn one. All know in their hearts they will likely never see their brother again -- he will join the front line in the war against the alien as a martyr to the cause. In recognition of his likely fate, the Initiate's armour is painted jet black.Once a Space Marine has completed his Deathwatch training, any former rank he may have held is put aside, and he is assigned to a squad known as a kill-team. Each of these groups is a band of disparate battle-brothers taken from as many as ten different Chapters, all of whom have their own cultures, specialities and insights into the arts of war. This can lead to friction and rivalry as personalities clash and spark against one another, but the members of the team share the same core ideals, and have sworn the same vows -- to defend Mankind no matter the cost.Upon arrival at the watch fortress that will become his new home, the Deathwatch recruit will begin a punishing regime of physical and mental conditioning that takes him to the peak of efficacy. He may have faced dozens, even hundreds of alien species in his former life, but thousands more haunt the dark reaches of the galaxy. Through a gruelling course of hypno-indoctrination, the recruit's subconscious mind is filled with every detail the Deathwatch has gleaned about the nature of its xenos nemeses.It is unusual, though not unheard of, for some battle-brothers to come to regard the Deathwatch as their true home. Though they continue honouring their original Chapter and its traditions during their Vigil, they become ever more bound to those of the Deathwatch.Those that do find a permanent home on a Watch Station inevitably struggle against a gnawing sense of abandonment and guilt, existing fully in neither Chapter and only able to draw spiritual sustenance from the companionship of their fellow kill-team members.For some Chapters, tenure in the Deathwatch can be a time for an Astartes to atone for some transgression committed against the Chapter or its ways. The type of infraction varies from Chapter to Chapter. For those who are strict adherents to the Codex Astartes, simple deviation from the tenets in the sacred text are enough to have a battle-brother fall under the unforgiving eye of his superiors. Amongst other Chapters, the infraction is usually much more severe to warrant any sort of sanction.A Space Marine who has been deemed lacking by his superiors has a shadow cast upon him that he must exorcise. Any question of a battle-brother's ability to carry out his duty brings undo scrutiny upon him and those he serves with. These doubts will linger and fester until he is able to redeem himself in the eyes of the Chapter. This redemption can take the form of Imperial Crusades, quests, and other heroic endeavours. This can also take the form of an extended secondment to the Deathwatch.If a battle-brother has been sent to the Deathwatch as a means of atonement, then that is usually kept quiet from all but the Chapter's leadership and the Space Marine in question. Since serving in the Deathwatch is fraught with peril, this is seen as a perfect way to atone in service to the Emperor. The Space Marine will keep his past transgressions closely guarded from his new squad-mates in a kill-team; if they were aware of these factors then they would surely look at him with suspicion.