Editing Eternal Zealots (section)

=Organisation and Doctrine=

The organisation of the Legions as laid down in the Principa Belicosa remained the principal organisation basics for the Eternal Zealots throughout their History up until after the Rebellion. The loss of most of the Sacred Band in the early battles of the Crusade due to the aggressive zeal of the Legion and its habit of commanders always leading from the front meant that it became unusually common for a Commander to take commander of multiple Chapters. Upon taking command, Aubrey had the Legion's organisation modified to better his fit surgeon philosophy of combat: the aggressive and swift advance of warriors in force to decapitate the enemy and then pull apart and destroy the leaderless enemy armies swiftly and completely.

Aggressive tactics were reflected in how the Legion was organised. The Battalion became the chief building block of a tactical force, each Battalion comprising specialized companies designated as assault companies, line breaker companies, heavy support companies and so on, with the overall goal of making each battalion able to take on any foe in any condition. When a Chapter was deployed to a planet, each Battalion was assigned a specific target and all would act simultaneously to crush resistance with a single, combined and well-executed blow.

Assault companies were the most common, with every Chapter having at least one. They were the spearhead of most assaults against the enemy. Only veteran Marines were assigned to them, for the mortality rate of Marines in assault companies was inevitably high. Newly initiated Marines were most commonly deployed to the heavy support companies and as they progressed they moved closer and closer to the front lines and the brutality of close-quarters fighting.

The prevalence for close combat was shown in the tactical makeup of squads. Despoiler Squads with Bolt Pistols and Chainswords were often deployed on a one to one ratio with bolter armed squads, advancing under the cover of their ranged brothers to deliver a final and brutal killing blow. The sheer shock and bloody nature of close combat sent a clear message, especially to those foes who were adverse to hand to hand combat, that to resist meant death.

The headhunting tactics of the Legion were reflected in their use of Bikes, Jetbikes and jump-pack assault squads to slip around the enemy flanks and strike at their command centres, lines of communication and supply and especially their tactical and strategic leaders. The most skilled of these became members of the ‘Decapitators’, an elite force of Assault Marines drawn from the most hardened veterans of the Legion.

Commanders were kept in check by their Mentors, who would take the burden of frontline command upon themselves to prevent the breakdowns of command that had existed within the Legion before the coming of Aubrey. The Mentors would ensure that Captains and Praetors would not unduly risk their lives, and could better focus on directing the flow of battle.

===Specialist Troops===

'''Decapitators''' The Decapitators were a special formation of Assault Troops trained in taking out enemy leaders, diving onto them from above and cutting them and their bodyguards down before disengaging and speeding away before retribution could come. Armed with envenomed blades that would debilitate a commander if they didn't kill him outright and sirens that gave out an unearthly scream in the seconds before landing, few who ever heard that sound survived to tell the tale.

'''Eunectes Terminators''' Brutal and sinister, the Eunectes were the heavy destroyers of the Legion, taken from the most veteran Destroyer Marines who had survived the longest. Teleporting into the middle of enemy Temples, Fanes, Libraries and command centres, they would proceed to unleash a storm of fire from their deadly Chem-Flamer weapons, reducing everything to smoking ash while their heavy armour kept the flames from them. For those targets too hardened for normal fire, they also carried the lethal Phosphex for absolute destruction of the foe.

'''Aphizft Abominations''' Once the Zealots had turned to the Primordial Truth, they were instructed by the Cyfecti in how to fuse Daemons with mortals, and began to create a cadre of men who had willingly agreed to fuse themselves with one of the Daemons of the Warp. Though very few survived, those that did became deadly monsters, fast and lethal with unnatural speed and ferocity and blessed with wings of varying type so they could swoop and dive into the ranks of the enemy. Called the Aphizft, after a Snake-Demon myth of dead Lazarus, they were hidden from the Imperium until the outbreak of the Rebellion, where they were first revealed in all their dark glory so bring carnage to the Emperor's loyal warriors.

===Support Formations===

The support formations of the Eternal Zealots differed considerably from those of their fellow Legions, in large part due to the differing mindset of the Legion. Aubrey's own reluctance to rely on humans unless absolutely necessary saw the Legion have one of the smallest contingents of serfs of any Legion.


'''Mentors'''

When Aubrey took command of his Legion, one of his first acts was to create a new corps of officers that would act as his eyes and ears within the Legion. Not tied to any company or Chapter, they would be inspiring leaders and directors who would advise the commanding officers and help them to direct their men to best effect. They would also spread the Imperial Truth on those planets they conquered, showing the masses the importance of science and shirking the binds that superstition and deities cause upon society. Inside and outside of combat the Mentors were charged with the training and leading of the Legion's new recruits, showing them how the Imperial Truth should be spread to the ignorant and how to become a true Astartes in the art of war.

The Mentors were a rank apart, answering only to the Grand Mentor and beyond him to the Primarch. They would remove an officer, even a Praetor from command if they believed it necessary. They inspired their men both by their deeds, and by the knowledge that they were watching and judging their fellow Zealots. The Mentors had a grim reputation, and were both loved and feared in equal measure.

Mentors were recognizable by the black and green gilded robes they wore to signify their position. In the higher ranking Mentors, that robe was often made out of Snakeskin harvested from the many serpents of Lazarus. These robes were commonly considered to give the Mentors an almost priestly appearance, something that never ceased to amuse the supposed "Priests of the Imperial Truth."

When the word of the Gods came from the mouth of their Primarch, the Mentors were the most resistant to the touch of Chaos. Grand Mentor Zachery Irisus even tried to fight the Primarch, though Aubrey cut him down with ease. However as the Cyfecti began to display the true blessings of the Gods and summoned Daemons to speak with the Mentors, most became intoxicated at the thought of actual gods, rather than the false promises they had faced before. The "Priests of the Imperial Truth" give themselves over to the true power of the gods, their rage at the Imperium and the shattering of their long-held belief that there were no gods blinding them to the corruption that their Cyfecti allies brought with them. The newly crowned Dark Mentors became the focal points for Chaos worship and took upon themselves the duty to spread the word of Chaos, as well as to defile and besmirch any place of worship, of any deity, that would dare claim themselves above the gods of Chaos. 


'''Apothecarion'''

The Apothecarion of the Legion was given the greatest overhaul of any formation when Aubrey took command, becoming the second most powerful Apothecarion in all the Legions, only beat by that of the [[Life Bringers]]. The Gene-Seed crisis left a permanent mark on the Legion and the Apothecarion became the safeguard for the Legion. The number of Apothecaries in the Legion rose considerably, with Primus Medicae officers becoming equal with the Mentors as a powerful bloc within the Legion. Regular Squad Sergeants were given basic Medicae instruction and along with their other duties were tasked with making routine checks on their men to ensure that the Gene-Seed degradation was not returning. The Apothecarion Corps also created a mobile formation within their own ranks known as the '''Rhino Apothecarion''', which comprised a number of Rhinos converted into mobile Ambulances and Healing Stations that would provide more advanced care then the regular Apothecaries on the field. It should be noted that during the Betrayal Aubrey the Grey was saved by the intervention of a Rhino Apothecarium crew, using the mobile operating room to stabilize him after he was struck by a Lazarite poison. 


'''Armorium'''

The Legion had a relatively small number of Techmarines due to the Legion's reluctance to rely on the Lords of Mars, though thanks to the Lords of Jecreon and Massalia they did not lack for Mechanicum support to build and maintain their wargear.


'''Castra'''

Aubrey had never put his trust in Fortifications due to their lack of effectiveness in keeping raiders out during the years of war in the Lazarus system, but the new Imperial-made defences of Lazarus were entrusted to the Legion's Castra. However these new defences would not be enough to save Lazarus, and the Castra fell into disrepute afterwards and became effectively defunct.


'''Librarus'''

The Emerald Doom, having seen the power that Psykers could have on the weak-willed, were quick to adopt a Librarius for those who were Psychically talented. The Eternal Zealots maintained that Librarius, though it was a poor third to the Mentors and the Apothecarion.

==Allies and Auxilia==

Rarely among the Legions, the Eternal Zealots did not have a major human Auxilia force bonded to them. This was due to the fact that Aubrey was unwilling to put his trust in mere human Auxiliaries, who he felt could not be relied upon. Instead, that task was handed over to Lazarite Auxiliaries from his homeworld. The Lazarite Auxiliaries were fast and lethal and principally used as reconnaissance and sabotage troops, staking out enemy positions, eliminating key defensive structures and armoured support.

Aubrey did however have considerable support by non-Imperial Army formations. The Eternal Zealots were blessed with the attachment of a major Household Detachment of the [[House Accolon|The Knights of Accolon]], seconded by their King after she left the Legion following a decade of mutual service after the Legion became independent. The Detachment - comprising nine Knights led by Thegn Maleagant - would remain under Aubrey's command for nearly fifty years until the fall of Lazarus, when they were ordered back by the Emperor. They would end up facing Aubrey during the Burning Crusade, when he would bring down Maleagant in single combat and wear his Knight's faceplate on his armour as a trophy.

Aubrey could also call on the Mechanicum to support his Legion. There were plenty within the Mechanicum who wished to study Xenotech in violation of standard Mechanicum Doctrine, and Aubrey co-opted many of them and brought them into his service in return for his patronage and protection. Most notable of all Aubrey's Mechanicum allies was the Forgeworld of Jecreon, a forge that due to their proximity to several petty Xenos empires developed a liberal approach to Xenotech. This made them a strong supporter of the Eternal Zealots, producing equipment not only for the Marines, but also for the Lazarites as well. Most of the Legion was equipped and supplied from Jecreon's forces, and the Jecreon Eviscerator, used by many within the Legion. Jecreon would be purged by the Fabricator General for Tech-Heresy just after the fall of Lazarus, a disaster which deprived the Zealots of much of their supply.

Aubrey also had supply agreements with the Forgeworld of [[Massalia]], and could call on the Titans of the [[Legio Cauteris]] to act as his Sledgehammer.

==Fleet==

The Zealots were not well known for their Fleet. It was among the smaller fleets of all the Legions, with barely a hundred mainline warships to their name.