Editing Crimson Teeth (section)

===The Bound===

<span style="font-size:140%">"'''T'''</span>he most notable of the legions atypical organisational practices is that of '''slave-taking'''. Introduced by their Primarch, [[Camaxtli]] almost immediately on his reunification with his gene-sons, the practice of taking slaves served to thoroughly force a conquered foe into submission, removing children and adults deemed 'dangerous' from forming any potential rebellions against Imperial rule. 
The slaves were given basic combat training and formed into combat units under the command of the lads who captured them. They were deemed property of the lads squad that captured them, and were branded and then extensively tattooed with company emblems in squad colours to denote their new ownership. 
They would then undergo a ritual blood-letting ceremony known as '''"the Binding"''', whereby the slaves would cut their hands on the blades of their masters weapons. Their lads master would do the same, and the slaves would mix their blood with their masters and consume it. Some units further used the mixed blood in ownership tattoos of their Bondsmen and Bondswomen, though this practice was not common.
According to Remembrancer records, the "Binding" signified a spiritual bond between the master and the slave, and was considered the most solemn and severe of bonds - to break it or refuse it is a dire offence. It is also the origin of the slave-units formal nomenclature. This bond however is not apparently for life: slaves that prove themselves to their lads masters are given their freedom with no reluctance.


The Bound were used very similarly to Imperial Army penal regiments, usually used as meat-shields or thrown into forlorn assaults. Casualties among the Bound are incredibly high, and indeed the very pace of their lads masters lives added a further strain on the slaves who had no genetic-engineering to gift them the incredible endurance with which to recover from the constant toll of warfare.
Nourishment was restricted to slaves, but extra rations were used as rewards for those who displayed traits and behaviours the legion sought.
The slaves themselves served one further purpose - that of status. 
As marines could not officially collect wealth (most live utterly austere lifestyles with no belongings), slaves became a metric that denoted standing within the legion. Both quantity and quality were prized, and those who had both commanded great respect from their brothers in the legion.
Slaves who demonstrated strength of will and character, and who crucially survived, were highly valued, most of these were promoted to an Executioner unit assigned to their masters squad.


It was rare to find a member of the Bound over the age of 40, while conversely quite common to find one under the age of 18 Standard Terran Years; in fact there had been many reports of actual '''child soldiers''' fighting among the Bound's number. This has lead to the legion being reported, but due to being officially under ''Legion'' control, the Imperium turned a blind eye to it, not officially acknowledging the practice existed.