Red Scorpions - Chapter Organisation: The Red Scorpions are considered a Codex-compliant Chapter in almost every detail, conforming very closely in structure and doctrine to the tenets of the Codex Astartes. However, it has been noted that the Chapter's commanders and Chaplains have their own particular interpretations and emphasis on the text.The internal structures of the Chapter are highly authoritarian -- discipline and order within the ranks being absolute. Those of superior rank are expected to be obeyed without question by the battle-brothers beneath them in any circumstance on or off the battlefield.The Chapter's captains are known by the honourary title of "commander" whilst the Chapter Master is known by the title of "lord high commander." The lord high commander's second-in-command is always the Master of the Apothecarion as a matter of Chapter tradition. As an adjunct to the highly-honoured place genetic purity holds within the Red Scorpions' Chapter cult, they maintain considerably more Apothecaries than most Space Marine Chapters.These Apothecaries' sacred task is to exercise total vigilance over the Chapter's brethren for genetic or biochemical corruption. Apothecaries are often attached to Battleline Squads and commonly deployed to the front line in combat in order to grant them every chance to harvest their fallen battle-brother's gene-seed.The Chapter is also noted for the purity of its gene-seed tithes to the Adeptus Mechanicus, which are heavily tied to its fanatical belief in purity -- in body, deed and thought.The Red Scorpions are characterised by their extreme Puritan traditionalism, unyielding devotion to the Codex Astartes, and their hatred of Abhumans and other mutants and anything deviating from the pure Human physical form. They have a fanatical belief in their own purity and this has led to the Chapter's isolationism.They do not venerate any primarch above any other, preferring only to worship the Emperor. As a Chapter, they are extremely xenophobic; they will not serve alongside Abhumans, and due to the Astra Militarum's willingness to allow Abhumans in their ranks, they view the Imperial Guard as an inferior and untrustworthy military force.Although the Chapter relies heavily on the Codex Astartes for its tactical deployments and strategy, it has shown an ability to innovate unexpectedly when needed in the past (as proved by the Angstrom Incident during the Badab War).The Red Scorpions are known to have a profound dislike of covert operations in favour of meeting and defeating an enemy in open battle. They consider the use of camouflage and infiltration as fundamentally dishonourable, and shun them unless strictly needed. As a result, much of the Chapter's Scout-equipped neophytes of the 10th Company are deployed to the main battle lines rather than on reconnaissance duties, and are often used to secure fire bases in dense terrain or act as an auxiliary or reserve force to respond to the changing tide of battle.In spite of their continued role as a crusading Chapter, the Red Scorpions have suffered relatively few losses to their Armoury. They remain surprisingly well-equipped with Land Raiders, Dreadnoughts, artefacts and an assortment of other vehicles. The one item that is in relatively short supply is Terminator Armour, the consequence of sustained losses over the last few standard centuries. In fact, this precious commodity is in such short supply that not even half of the Veteran 1st Company may be equipped with such sacred relics. What steps the Chapter is taking to rectify this situation remains unknown. Because of this shortage, it is relatively common for the Chapter's Veterans to serve as sergeants amongst the squads of the other companies.The Chapter's Armoury is known to operate an extensive range of armoured vehicles and Dreadnoughts in a wide variety of patterns, and have an enviable resource of Drop Pods and Land Raiders in particular. The Chapter Forge is also known for its ability to maintain and manufacture in limited quantities a variety of patterns of Space Marine power armour. The Red Scorpions most commonly employ the renowned relic Mark IV Maximus Power Armour amongst the Chapter's Veterans as a mark of rank and honour.Quality of arms is also highly valued by the Chapter. Often a weapon of extraordinary quality, usually a power sword, axe or fist, is granted as an award to its Veterans rather than a mere honourific or decoration to mark their deeds. This fills both a practical as well as a symbolic purpose by further arming the Chapter's best with effective tools of war and creating a visible sign denoting a warrior's own might and honour before his peers.This association of weapons of extraordinary quality and military rank within the Chapter reaches its apotheosis in the shape of a number of ancient and potent relic blades, known collectively as the "Tears of the Scorpion," which are carried by the Chapter's commanders. Each weapon possesses its own revered story and legend.