Silver Skulls - Chapter Beliefs: A Chapter with a well-established reputation for victory, even in the face of overwhelming odds, the Silver Skulls never deploy for battle without consulting the portents. They rely on their Prognosticators for such auguries, and consider the prophecies that they deliver as the word of the Emperor.The Silver Skulls follow the precepts of the Varsavian Orthodoxy, a variation of the standard creed of the Imperial Cult. Unusually devout for Space Marines, Silver Skulls Astartes are known to make the sign of the Aquila at the mere mention of an evil individual or before facing a deadly opponent.As the Silver Skulls are also unusually superstitious Astartes, they believe that this gesture can ward off evil. When a battle-brother prays before going into battle he will speak his own personal litany, often in the tribal dialect of his birth. Such connections to their prior lives as mortals before ascension to the ranks of the Adeptus Astartes is actively encouraged. The Silver Skulls are proud of their heritage and those who have come from the Chapter's homeworld tend to stoically hold onto the traditions and practices of their upbringing.The fortress-monastery of the Silver Skulls is located deep in the heart of Varsavia's northern mountain range. It is a harsh, inhospitable place that only the most tenacious and hardy souls brave. Most of the Chapter's young aspirants and novitiates see their first view of the fortress-monastery from the window of the transport that has carried them there. A select few have climbed their way to the top of the mountains alone. This is an impressive feat even for an Astartes, let alone the handful of mortal children who accomplish it.Before becoming a full-fledged Space Marine, a Silver Skulls neophyte is required to undergo a ceremonial ritual known as the "Fast of the Ascension" -- a trial of the spirit. What this exactly entails is unclear to outsiders. The neophyte must also undergo a final test of endurance known as the "Long Patrol." Forming part of the final stage of a recruit's initiation, the Long Patrol sees the aspirants sent out into the feral wilds of the Varsavian tundra with no more than a Combat Knife to defend themselves with. Those who survive remain with the Chapter and ascend into its ranks. Those who died during the Long Patrol are remembered with honour.Only those worthy enough to have reached the final stages of the process are permitted to walk the Long Patrol. It is considered better by far to die on the Long Patrol than to fail and become a Chapter serf, the most common fate for failed Silver Skulls aspirants.Every recruit, alongside his rigorous physical training regime and hypno-doctrination sessions, is required to divine his future path at some point with a Prognosticator. All of the Silver Skulls are required to undertake a pilgrimage prior to their final conversion and deployment into the Scout Company. The long, lonely trip to the far-flung Prognosticator Temple where the individual auguries are cast requires travelling through mountains that are rugged in the extreme.This pilgrimage traditionally occurs prior to the insertion of the Progenoid Glands. The most sacred of the Astartes gene-seed implants, to receive the Quintessence Sacred is considered the pinnacle of achievement. If successful in their pilgrimage and having received the approval of the Prognosticators, the neophytes must then pass one final thorough medicae examination by the Chapter's Apothecaries to be welcomed and initiated fully into the Chapter.Every battle-brother of the Silver Skulls who ascends into the full ranks of the Chapter is granted a personal audience in the Chief Prognosticator's presence. Each battle-brother receives a private blessing from the Chapter's greatest seer. No Silver Skull ever speaks of the deeply personal words or portents provided by the Chief Prognosticator during these private sessions in front of any other.Each battle-brother's possible future is spelled out in that meeting and it is understood that it is improper to speak of such things openly. Of course, that future is often presented as a riddle or a parable of some kind and its import is rarely immediately clear.Silver Skulls are known to use little to no ostentation, apart from the rich displays of the company trophies that are located in their company chapels. The Chapter is not aesthetically handicapped; they take great pride in their body art and their tattoo artists, the Custodes Cruor (Chapter Artisans), are highly regarded.Many of the Silver Skulls design their own tattoos and a number of them are genuinely talented artists. The ancient Varsavian tribal tradition of marking the body is considered the ultimate battle honour and every battle-brother of the Silver Skulls boasts designs that are completely unique to the individual, some choosing representations of great battles that are breathtaking in their detail.In all cases, the last part of a Silver Skull's body to receive such markings is his face. Only on ascension to the rank of captain is a Silver Skulls Astartes allowed to receive that honour.