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Because of the warps abilities to 'warp' (do ya ge' it?) time many heresy veterans such as Abaddon, Kharn, Ahriman, etc. Have lived over 10,000. But is it just a few champions who haved lived this long? How many of the original traitors are still alive?

And if the answer is almost nil: then how do the traitor legions replenish their stock? There haven't been THAT many renegade chapters since the heresy.. have there?

Chaos Marines recruit from within the Eye (etc.), according to the 2nd edition Codex: Chaos (pg.19):

'Within the Eye the Traitor Legions fight constant wars amongst themselves for gene-seed, slaves, resources, or martial honour. New Chaos Space Marines are recruited from the most dangerous heretics that are drawn into the Eye by the lure of Chaos, or else selected from the masses of slave-warriors who fight eternal battles for the amusement of the Dark Gods. The implantation of recruits is a brutal affair, quite unlike the carefully measured program of development used by Imperial Space Marines. Whether the candidate lives or dies is left to the will of the Chaos Gods. Initiation rites are similarly debased and savage, ensuring that only the toughest initiates ever survive.'

One of the things which makes Fabius Bile so important is that he's cracked (sort of) the science behind astartes gene-seed; he can produce new gene-seed stocks for the traitor legions to recruit with (there are plenty of human-ish populated worlds within the eye).

Equally, there have been occasions where imperial gene-seed vaults have been plundered for stock - Hydra Cordatus (in Storm Of Iron) being the most famous.

 mrhappyface wrote:
Because of the warps abilities to 'warp' (do ya ge' it?) time many heresy veterans such as Abaddon, Kharn, Ahriman, etc. Have lived over 10,000. But is it just a few champions who haved lived this long? How many of the original traitors are still alive?

And if the answer is almost nil: then how do the traitor legions replenish their stock? There haven't been THAT many renegade chapters since the heresy.. have there?

A ton of chapters have turned traitor.

Chaos has also found ways of creating SM like warriors by infusing all sorts of nastiness into them. Remember that a huge branch of the admech are devoted to bioenhancements. Also remember that half the admech turned to become the Dark Mechanicus. They all fled to into the eye and spend their time figuring out how to make new super warriors and possess folks with Daemons.

There was a short story with some quadruped Iron Warrior dreadnought who was surprised and disgusted with the other warband leaders when he realised they hadn't fought during the Heresy.

At this point, probably not that many, but it would vary from warband to warband.

 ChazSexington wrote:
There was a short story with some quadruped Iron Warrior dreadnought who was surprised and disgusted with the other warband leaders when he realised they hadn't fought during the Heresy.

At this point, probably not that many, but it would vary from warband to warband.

I remember that one, not only did they not fight in the Heresy, but they didn't really care about the long war. it was sort of a great "times are a changing" story. the bitter member of the old guard realzing he's on his way out

I was going to mention that. It's called The Masters, Bidding and is in the Treacheries of the Space Marines.

Eventually, there will be very few of the Heresy era marines left. Only those under the dominion and whims of the Chaos Gods, but even then they might grow tired of their toys.

156 Black Crusades later and Abaddon has his arms removed in a sick Tzeentchian joke as the other 3 look on and lol

Any Marines left ftom the herssey may be rare, but there seriously dangerous.

Kahn. and the First captains etc, even minus gods power boost there pretty dangerous.

there rare, but youd not want to come across one.

The characters of the Night Lords trilogy are all veterans of the Heresy. But for they only have lived 300 years since the final battle of Terra.

I think that it depend of the warbans and the original Legio, I see some Legios more open to recruit new members than the others.

I think that both, the Night Lords and the Thousand Sons, are not in process of recuitment. The Thousand Sons can´t do it and the Night Lords don´t want to do it.

I think that most of the Night Lords don´t fight for the Long War, they only fight for instinct, vindication and murder.

Actually, most CSM are veterans of the long war.

This is according to IA13. I can drag up the page numbers later when I get home to my books, if you wish.