Editing Lions Rampant (section)

=Culture of the IXth=

==The Primarch's Influence==

==Core Worlds==

==Recruitment==
In the early days of the crusade, the Highland Raiders were drawn from the conquered warriors of northern Albyon and stretches of Franc. The men chosen to become astartes were selected on account of their hardiness and indomitable spirit. As part of the recruitment rites, applicants were subjected to numerous tests of will and fortitude by their people. These culminated in a sojourn across the wintry wastes of the Albyon highlands to the transports responsible for claiming the tithe of men. Only those who could brave the bitter cold and savage fauna to reach their new masters would become the Emperor's warriors.

The newly augmented marines then faced the crucible of war with only a basic indoctrination period. Training and discipline were instilled rapidly over a scant handful of years before feeding the men into the furnace of battle. This made for a high rate of attrition to the Raider's forces, but also forged a core body of seasoned warriors from those who endured, and reinforced the culture of unbreakable will and grim resolve.

With the coming of Cromwald, this practice changed dramatically. During the restructuring of the legion he shifted recruitment from the wastes of Terra to the now flourishing world of Sommesgard, and instated new methods of drawing troops from their human stock. At first, a decree was issued that his marines would be recruited from the children the planetary defense corps officer ranks. This led to an influx of young men of pedigree, all of whom had been indoctrinated from early childhood to a military mindset. This worked for a time, but the needs of the crusade would mandate before the decade was out that a broader base of manpower was needed. To that end, an edict was passed that all young men of viable age born to the military arm of the Lions' homeworld would be registered for conscription. Academies were raised to train the youth of the world to meet the needs of the legion; they offered education in tactics, sciences, humanities and the arts. These schools became some of the most prestigious institutions across the face of the Sommesgard, and acceptance into one was a high honor. With such a reputation as these universities garnered many became exclusive due to high cost of entry and tuition, which ensured few without wealth and influence could join the illustrious roll as students. These children were groomed to one day become leaders among Lions, serving to guide their brothers drawn from lesser classes by means of draft lotteries and mass conscription.

On the day of conscription, every prospective recruit faces his first taste of life among the Emperor's vanguard. The young men are grouped together and subjected to a week of constant trial, pitting them against their peers. Each group must complete several objectives, scattered across a broad stretch of land cultivated to be difficult to navigate, all while knowing that those who fail lose their chance to become space marines. Dubbed the Crucible, it weeds out those who lack the spirit to become more than men, and is judged by a panel of captains in command of the recruiting companies. They choose candidates to fill out fresh platoons to replace those already graduated to one of the crusading fleets using not the success of the mission as their measure, but of the performance of the men as they face a task meant to be nearly impossible. Those who falter, despair or break in the face of insurmountable odds are seldom given a chance to be any more than a legion serf or servitor. Meanwhile, those who exhibit fortitude of will, cunning, and an indomitable spirit are taken to the vast training grounds surrounding the legion fortress to begin their implantation and training.

==The Great Divisions==

==Gods Among Men: Notable Figures==
* Basil Heart, Field Marshal and commander of the 3rd division
Heart stood apart from his peers of Terran stock as being singularly aggressive and proud, with a far less stoic demeanor. A champion tactician, Basil swiftly earned the watchful eye of his superiors for inspired battlefield command first on the tactical level, then after a time on the strategic level as well. His sharp mind and pioneering grasp of armored warfare saw him elevated to the rank of equerry to Geoffrey Calsth of the Sacred Band, whose command over much of the legion's armored might made him a kindred spirit and mentor to the young Raider. Calsth, dubbed the Lionheart, was a fearless tanker and lord of war; he took young Basil Heart and molded him into an equally fearsome master of arms. Long after the coming of the primarch and the restructuring of the legion into the five divisions, it was widely known that on Calsth's passing the 3rd would fall to his protege.
With the fall of the legion Basil would become one of Cromwald's most capable champions. His was the first division to wholly embrace the lust for high speed warfare that formed from the primarch's sickness, and blended it with the love for the thunder of heavy tracked vehicles. His pride in such things became his downfall, as he took great pains to ensure that his Lionhearts were the greatest unit in the legion, and the most loyal to their primarch. When Cromwald bid him step into the darkness he leaped headlong into damnation to stand by his lord's side.