Progenoid Glands - Loyalist Chapters: Chapter NameParent ChapterKnown MutationsSummaryBlood AngelsN/AN/AThe Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters are a dying breed, for they suffer from a dreadful genetic Flaw. Some Blood Angels, it is said, are driven by a terrible deathseeking madness called the Black Rage, brought on by visions of the death of their Primarch. Others are afflicted by the Red Thirst, a craving for blood which some claim may be the first signs of corruption by Chaos.Blood DrinkersBlood AngelsN/AThe Blood Drinkers' gene-seed, drawn from Sanguinius just like that of the Blood Angels, has further mutated, leading to a worsening of the Red Thirst Flaw in which the Blood Drinkers suffer an overriding thirst to ingest the blood of their enemies in order to stop the cravings. Unlike the Blood Angels and their other Successor Chapters, these cravings afflict the entire Chapter and not just those who fall to the Red Thirst. This has led to the development of Chapter-wide blood drinking rituals which both provided the Chapter with its name and keeps the blood-lust in check.Blood RavensUnknownThe Blood Ravens can no longer experience true REM (rapid-eye movement) sleep and so they cannot dream, and after they are implanted with their gene-seed organs, they possess perfect recall of every event for the rest of their lives.Even though the Adeptus Mechanicus has tested the Blood Ravens' gene-seed for mutation or Chaos contamination at a substantially more frequent interval than that normally required, their gene-seed has consistently shown a high level of stability and purity. At the same time, it is unusual that it shows no consistent traits that could be used to link it to the genetic lineage of any of the Primarchs. Thus far, there has been little evidence of mutation, and nothing that points to their gene-seed as the source of the Blood Ravens' disproportionate number of psykers or the unusual potency of the psychic powers they exhibit.ExcoriatorsImperial FistsThis Chapter has lost the use of two of the special organs produced by the basic Astartes genetic template: the Betcher's Gland, which allows a Space Marine to produce poisonous/acidic spittle, and the Sus-an Membrane, which allows an Astartes to enter a state of suspended animation.The Excoriators believe themselves to be pure of heart but not of blood. As former members of the Imperial Fists Legion and now as a Chapter of their own, they are not alone in their experience of genetic deficiency. Like some of the First Founding Chapters and some of their Successors, the Excoriators also carry the flaws of their blood heritage. The Excoriators are afflicted by a genetic curse known as Dorn's Darkness. When Dorn's Darkness takes one of their number it might appear to the untrained eye as merely a wretched palsy: a slackness of the jaw, a tremor of the limb, a blankness of the eye. But those who survive it report the experience as a living nightmare, a sleeping wakefulness in which they relive the bottomless woe of Dorn’s most trying time—the grievous loss of the Emperor during the Battle of Terra. Like other Successor Chapters of the Imperial Fists, the Excoriators have a morbid fascination with pain and ritual scarring. They too, possess their own unique Chapter traditions. Most notable of these are the "Rites of Castigation" and "Donning Dorn’s Mantle," the latter of which involves ritual mortification of the flesh, particularly about the neck and shoulders.Imperial FistsN/AThis Chapter has lost the use of two of the special organs produced by the basic Astartes genetic template: the Betcher's Gland, which allows a Space Marine to produce poisonous/acidic spittle, and the Sus-an Membrane, which allows an Astartes to enter a state of suspended animation.The Imperial Fists' gene-seed is very stable and has never exhibited signs of mutation. Another peculiar and unexplained quirk of the Chapter is the Imperial Fists' pathological need to scrimshaw the bones of their dead when off-duty. The only worrying trait that has attracted scrutiny is the Imperial Fists' over-zealous self-castigation. They often make use of a device called the "Pain Glove," which encases the whole body and stimulates its pain neurons. The Imperial Fists constantly feel the need to punish themselves for the smallest inadequacy, failure or infraction.Raven GuardN/AThe Mucranoid and Betcher's Gland are no longer functional. Raven Guard Astartes often develop extremely pale skin and their hair turns black, regardless of their original complexion or colouration.The acceleration of the gene-seed implantation and replication process instigated in the Raven Guard Legion in the wake of the Istvaan V Drop Site Massacre had implications for the Raven Guard Chapter's genetic inheritance with which they would grapple for millennia. The Chapter has rarely been able to field the full ten companies mandated by the Codex Astartes, and particularly gruelling campaigns have resulted in the Chapter operating at perilously under-strength levels for extended periods or being forced to withdraw for decades at a stretch to rebuild. Without recourse to these ancient archives of genetic material tithed in ages past, the Chapter's Initiates would be without several elements of their genetic inheritance. As it is, replication of existing gene-stock takes far longer amongst the Raven Guard than it does in other Chapters, forcing ever more reliance on the gene-tithe stocks of the Adeptus Mechanicus, a reliance that few Space Marine Chapters would be comfortable with given the differences in outlook between the two Adepta.SalamandersN/AWhile it can be said that the Salamanders' gene-seed may not be mutated or deficient, their physical appearance is striking, most likely brought about by a combination of the phentotypic effects created by a biochemical interplay of their gene-seed, the erratic gravitational and radioactive forces on Nocturne, and the unique genetics of the human population that has evolved to survive them. These factors have contributed to the peculiar reaction of the Astartes' Melanochrome gene-seed organ within the Space Marines native to the fiery world, resulting in an individual Battle-Brother's skin becoming obsidian-black and their eyes blazing with a burning red glow.As far as can be ascertained by the Magi Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Salamander's gene-seed appears to be both stable and as yet uncorrupted. An unusual trait of the Salamanders is that their Battle-Brothers tend to be slower in reflex reaction than other Chapters, though the origin of this factor is debated and has not been attributed to any factors present in the gene-seed.Space WolvesN/AThe Space Wolves' gene-seed is as unique as it is deadly. The Canis Helix grants a Space Wolves Astartes animalistic abilities such as an enhanced sense of smell as well as enlarged canine teeth and extreme hirsuteness. As Space Wolves Astartes grow older and more experienced in battle, the Canis Helix causes additional physical alterations: their hair turns grey, their fangs grow even longer into veritable tusks, their skin becomes even more leathery, and, in some rare cases, their eyes turn yellow.Aspirants who are likely to fall prey to the Wulfen mutation inherent within the gene-seed of Leman Russ do not do so after immediately imbibing the Canis Helix mixture, but usually over the weeks and months of training that follow afterwards. One of the most important aspects of their trial of initiation is that the Aspirant show himself able to keep this bestial side under control, even while making his way through the Fenrisian wilderness in harsh conditions. Those that fail to do so will transform into Wulfen, transforming into savage, malformed lupine mutants, and remain forever in the wild.