Hands of Mars

The Excubitors did not always wore the red of Mars on their arms. This tradition came to be as a symbol of the covenant between them and the Mechanicus of Arcturia. Newly indoctrinated aspirants would serve, in addition to their scout training, a short apprenticeship under a Magos of Arcturia. After learning the most vital parts of how to keep their gear functioning and repair it, they would be granted the Hands of Mars in a solemnly ceremony.

History

This tradition began in the aftermath of the Arcturian Purge . To appease the more irritable orthodox Archmagi, who took offence on the Excubitors getting exposed to the arcane mysteries of the Cult Mechanicus, all full members of the chapter partook in the first instance of the giving of the Hands of Mars. With the sacred red of martian rust on their hands and an oath of secrecy on their lips, the Excubitors where sanctioned to use their knowledge and repair their more advanced equipment, if need be on the battlefield.
The war effort of the Excubitors however brought them ever further away from the Arcturia. To allow the young tradition to carry on, the Fabricator-Generel Numerius Wayte-Rho decreed that every sanctioned Magos attached to the Excubitor forces may supervise the necessary apprenticeship and carry out the ritual itself.

Primary Related Location

Arcturia

Related Organizations

• Excubitor Chapter
• Mechanicus of Arcturia

Related Ethnicities

• Techadepts of Arcturia