Silver Skulls - Prognosticatum: The Silver Skulls are known to acquit themselves with honour on the field of battle -- brutal and effective, they are perfect examples of the Emperor's maxim that "they shall know no fear." Yet for all the positive information that has been gathered on the Silver Skulls, one thing continues to cause concern amongst certain Imperial organisations, such as the Inquisition.Perhaps in part because of their tribal nature, the Silver Skulls hold fast to potentially deviant superstition. Their Librarium is not arranged according to the Codex Astartes. Instead, they utilise a body known as the Prognosticatum. This body is comprised of the Chapter's elite Librarian-Chaplains known as Prognosticators and the handful of standard Chaplains who serve the Chapter.These are the Chapter's champions; its greatest heroes. None dispute the fact that the Prognosticatum is the true ruling power within the Silver Skulls. Inspirational and powerful, this elite unit is formed of psychic battle-brothers whose prowess on the frontlines is second to none.Frequently, these Astartes are psykers whose gifts lie in a different direction from the esoteric divination and precognitive abilities that are so crucial to the functioning of the Chapter and lean towards the more destructive, though this fact is not widely known among the Silver Skulls. Some Prognosticators possess psychic abilities that are not always potent enough to provide a clear picture of the future for the Chapter, but this fact is also never advertised outside of the Prognosticatum, as the Chapter's morale is intimately bound up with its faith in its Prognosticators' precognitive pronouncements.A Prognosticator's role, when he is assigned to a company, is not only to advise the company's captain, but also to provide spiritual guidance to its battle-brothers in accordance with his position as a Chaplain-Librarian. Not all companies within the Silver Skulls have their own Prognosticator; they are a rare breed. Chaplains within the Chapter are no less valuable or less-respected, but it is undeniable that the Prognosticators and the rest of the Prognosticatum steer the Chapter's course.The most important decisions required by the Chapter were ultimately left to the Prognosticatum and its governing council which is overseen by the Chapter Master's equerry and chief adviser, Vashiro (another affected title), the Chapter's Chief Prognosticator. No decision that directly affects the entire Chapter is ever settled without the Prognosticatum first casting the auguries.Within the Silver Skulls Chapter, those who represented the council of the Prognosticatum are revered second only to Lord Commander Argentius himself. The Silver Skulls are a deeply superstitious Chapter and never deploy for battle without first waiting for the Prognosticators to consult the auguries.The entire Silver Skulls Chapter has been known to refuse to take the field of battle when a Prognosticator has said that the omens were poor. Moreover, and more worryingly (to organisations such as the Ecclesiarchy and the Inquisition), there is evidence that they claim these visions are delivered to them by the voice of the most glorious God-Emperor of Mankind.Within the Chapter's Librarium lies a large number of tomes collectively known as the Orthodoxy. These are the books of the Prognosticator's creed, a compilation of volumes of the collected wisdom and prophecies of each individual Prognosticator down through the millennia. Through the Orthodoxy, the Prognosticators gain access to that knowledge.They capture their dreams and visions and contained them for eternity within the pages of a book. In this way, the Orthodoxy ensured the knowledge and foresight of the ages is passed down to all the Silver Skulls. The Orthodoxy contains many predictions that may not come to fruition for many Terran centuries, if ever. Within the pages of each tome are many recollections and unexplained dreams. Those that have not yet come to pass are considered by the Prognosticatum and judged for their veracity as true prophecy. Those judged unworthy are struck from the pages of the sacred tomes.