Hello Ladies and Gentlmen,

I have a quick question and hopefully you guys can answer it or give me ideas for composing and End of Watch/Vigil Ceremony. This is playing a key part in my current campaign as the Kill-Team will be going on a brief retirement before being brought back. This will allow our group to focus on our second squad for a time. If you guys could help me that would be awsome. Thanks

Hello Ladies and Gentlmen,

I have a quick question and hopefully you guys can answer it or give me ideas for composing and End of Watch/Vigil Ceremony. This is playing a key part in my current campaign as the Kill-Team will be going on a brief retirement before being brought back. This will allow our group to focus on our second squad for a time. If you guys could help me that would be awsome. Thanks

As I'm sure you already know, no marine ever really retires from service to the Emperor of course, most are requisitioned/assigned from their original chapters until their service is done. The only way a marine leaves the Emperors service is in death (not counting those scum who turn traitor). Once complete they either return to where they came from or some become Black Shields of the Deathwatch, relinquishing their service to their origins and vowing to serve indefinitely to the watch. Why people would varies, some do it if there is no chapter to go back to and others do it if their home is beyond saving.

Any that return to their chapter are generally sworn to secrecy about what they have done. Many tasks that the Deathwatch are required to perform may be somewhat of a morally dubious nature and therefore they are required to keep this a secret as some could involve the execution of Imperial officers, facing untold horrors etc. To that end, given the secretive nature of their assignments and operation, one would imagine that the end of watch ceremony would be a somewhat muted affair. Perhaps a small intimate setting where the departing marines are met by the watch commander or their superior officer to remind them of their requirement to keep the mission under secrecy for the remainder of their days even to their own chapter. They may be quietly recognised for their work or granted a small battle honour depending on what the nature of their assignments were and then quietly sent to recover their equipment for the possibly long journey back home.

Thank you Calgor for your quick response. I was thinking something along this line, I just did not know of and could not find an example of and End of Vigil Ceremony like the Oath of Vigil Ceremony that I found here on the forums.

A few quick ideas: The Marines are often allowed to keep the silver pauldron to mark their service (ADB's One Hate is one such example just off the top of my head), or bring some specialised ammo home. Handing these over is probably highly ritualised. Some also undergo a partial mind-scrubbing to ensure future secrecy, although this probably isn't applicable in your case. A ceremony would also include a ritual relieving from the Battle-Brother's DW vows in general and the Apocryphon Oath in particular (something like "the Oath is considered and proclaimed discharged").

Edit:

Steal boldly from pop culture or religion.

There's of course, a classic one in LotR: "I hold your oath fulfilled. Go." (The "Be at peace" part should probably be left off )

You can also paraphrase parts of the Hippocratic Oath: "You rendered your oath fulfilled. You will be held in good repute [in the halls of the Deathwatch/among all servants of the Emperor/among all your Battle-Brothers] for time eternal."

If I can find some majestic-sounding Catholic stuff too, I'll put it here as well.

It will probably be very difficult to find how the actual ceremony will go seeing that, like previously stated most do not make it back. Since it is only a brief retirement you could have the kill team leave together maybe to a secure trading station where they will be picked up by details of their own chapter. This would make it easier to bring them back faster, all you would have to do is right up a short mission when they come out of retirement stating that they were attacked or maybe stumbled upon an enemy while traveling to said station. This would cause them to have to return to the watch fortress and report the findings where they would be activated once again. I think this would be easier because once they go back to there respective chapters it would take longer to contact them and bring them all back together.

Here is what I am thinking so far.

Watch Commander Mordigael: "The Oath Bound of Squad Invictus, step forward and be recognized"

Player Characters: State their names and chapter one at a time

Watch Commander Mordigael: "You have been recognized. You have each served your Oath to the Deathwatch admirably and upheld the honor of the Deathwatch, the Adeptus Astartes, and your Chapters. It is with great honor that I proclaim your Oath. . . Fulfilled! In honor of your service, you will each be allowed to wear the silver pauldron of the Deathwatch from heance forth until your duty to The Emperor has ended. Harl Greyweaver, step forward and present your Gift"

At this point Harl Greyweaver steps forward accompanied by a servitor bearing a plan wooden box. As the box is opened a Guardian Bolt Pistol for each of the Kill-Team members, each ornatly hand crafted and inscribed with the names of the recipient. Silently Greyweaver presents each member of the Kill-Team with their pistol and steps back into the assembled Astartes.

Watch Commander Mordigael: "I must remind each of you that you are hence forth and forever sworn to silence about the missions and actions that you have undertaken while serving with the Deathwatch. The things that you have seen while in service to the Deathwatch are never to be spoken of again outside of this organization. Take your training forward to your respective chapters and pass it on to the next generation of potential Deathwatch recruits. It is now time for you to afirm your vow of silence."

Also of note each of the PC's have elements of their chapter active within the Jericho Reach which they will be rejoining. The conclusion to my campaign arc is going to be epic and envolve some trying times for the characters testing their sanity and loyalty. After this point another one of the group will pick up GMing for this squad.

Player Characters: Each in turn afirm their vow of silence.

Watch Commander Mordigael: "Will those Astartes that are replacing the members of Squad Invictus step forward and be recognized"

Narrative Time, a new batch of marines step forward and take the Apocryphon Oath while the Player Characters look on. At the end it is the Squad Leader who steps forward and passes the squads heraldry onto the new Squad Invictus. After a breif history on the Squad and its former occupants and deeds, the ceremony concludes and the Player Characters are given one hour to make final preperations for departure.

That is a rough idea of what I am going with. What do you guys think?

Sounds great

I like it, with the exception of the part about "potential recruits" - that sounds a tad bit too opportunistic. I'd make that about the Chapter or Emperor or somesuch. Otherwise, great!

For a little Forshadowing, as the kt ia readying to board their vessel home, inquisitor Ramaeus steps out of a shadow, nods resepctfully then, with her ever presemt smile growing just a twitch wider says 'Be seeing you.'

I swear there was a space wolf story were they show an end of vigil ceremony...can not remember which one thou.

one idea might also be to have them ritually repaint their armor...

We might have to come up with an end of watch ceremony for the game and even this forum now.