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Hi,

Can a space marines progenoid glands be removed (once matured) while he is still alive without ill effects or are they vital to his well being?

I need to know for some fluff i am writing for my renegade space marine chapter.

Thanks in advance,


GMort.

i think they can be removed, but they take ages to mature, a chapter is unable to continue unless they remove the progenoid glands and it would be counterproductive to have to have the marines die to continue the chapter

Thats what i thought, but i couldn't find any examples in the Fluff/White Dwarves/Books etc. where they specifically say that it can be done.

The glands are always removed after the marine in question dies in all the examples i could find.


GMort.

I believe that fluff is rather vague when it comes to the whole zygote/ geneseed issue.

According to some sources ( i dont have any handy sorry, but i believe im recalling this correctly), you harvest a new geneseed out of each existing one. this makes no sense though, because just one marine lost forever will result in one less.

so there must be some way to generate more than one geneseed from another. otherwise, there wouldnt be enough to go around in the first place.

interesting topic though, i belive a marine needs his geneseed to operate at full ability.

I remember some fluff saying that during the training of the marines there is one geneseed inserted. This geneseed helps stimulate the growth of another geneseed in the marine and towards the end of training they remove the extra one. The geneseed remaining will only be removed if the marine is dead or dying because (being the linchpin of the whole process of becoming a marine) it will kill the marine if it is removed.

I either read this in the Ragnar series or in a piece of WD that came out in the mid 90's. I don't remember which, I'll have to do some digging when I have the chance.

The description of the glands states (very approximately) that they absorb genetic information from the other implants.
This information/genetic material/whatever is then used to grow the new set of organs for a new marine.

So surely once the absorbtion process is complete the organ could be removed with no ill effects.


GMort.

The progenoid gland forms in the neck if i remember correctly and is removed once matured or removed by an apothecary with an extractor if the marine dies in battle

If anyone could tell me a specific book or article that tells me what Ianman just said that would be a great help, its just that i would like to know one way or the other before i write my background.


GMort.

Progenoid glands: one in the lower lip, one superficially in the chest cavity. These glands continually gather genetic material from the marines' organs. These glands however, can get "full", amd thus they are removed, and new empty ones are implanted.

Also, how else can a chapter survive if it has to send some of its geneseed to the inquisition for checking of genetic purity every so often? Think about it.