Let's go with question by question.
Their armour being that sandy-dusty colour, combined with them based on the spotted Hyena, sort of makes me imagine that you could pherhaps take a page out of oldhammer, and go wild with some patterns, spots specifically, would certainly make it harder for an enemy to target them (throws off the eye), with the particular placements and patters of the spots themselves, pherhaps being used to either mark personal feats, or even rank.
Could even go pherhaps with scout having more spots, such that they might be able to camouflage better.
After giving it more thought, I've decided to go a bit more boring route - this Chapter is without a clear Primarch to relate their aesthetic-vibe to and is semi Codex compliant. So I want them to look somewhat orderly (as if they are Ultramarines and Imperial Fists), but also have a visible theme and aesthetic (as if they are White Scars or Space Wolves).
I am unable do draw, I hope descriptions will do.
Therefore they use some crafted imagery in their armour and bones\bone decorations, but their service marks will be somewhat clear and comprehensible.
Dark checkers on their leg armour (starting from cuisses and down to greaves) shall signify one isolated successful deployment this particular brother lived through. During long wars a particularly lucky and cunning Void Hyena will accumulate several of these marks. These mark will give a clear indication of brother's experience and long service. When there is no more space on leg armour, the checkers will be drawn on arm armour instead (rerebraces and vambraces). This will make enough of a visual parallel
As Void Hyenas care little about personal valor, they do not receive any campaign markings.
Scouts - and 10th company as a whole - use darker brown armour and undersuits, devoid of any markings. This makes for a clear parallel with cubs of the Terran spotted hyena.
On the matter of Hyenas, they've got em both as their emblem and in their name, question i have, do they even know how a Hyena would look like, and if so, how did they come about that knowledge (seems they already had that name when they got assigned to Rapture, though does the planet itself house, say some manner of creature that is similar to a Hyena [think Krieg horse, or fenrisian wolf, even if both are not at all genetically alike to the animal they are based on])
Even though there are reports of predators inhabiting the vast caverns and canyons chapter candidates get sent to survive in the trials, the descriptions do not match the Terran animal.
Battle brothers can either correlate that a snarling visage of an animal on their pauldron is a hyena, but largely they simply correlate the word with themselves without having an actual living creature to properly relate it to. They are the hyenas. The subsector populace also refers to them as such, on par with "the angels", "His angels" - "the hyenas are coming to repel the xenos".
Say, if unity is their greatest strength, do standard bearers hold a particular significance, also imagining that rallying howls and the like might be common (think a wolf pack howling,
Chapter's Ancient are an important factor for unit's morale. Although it is a honourable duty, they do find themselves yearning for taking part in the fight unencumbered in their first years after being appointed to this position.
Rallying howls and commands are employed throughout the chain of command.
Which, am currently reminded of Hyenas cackling, would pherhaps be kind of scary if that would happens during the dark, with them hunting their prey,
Hm, if they relay on trickery, then there might work some general spookines [am currently wondering if they might not got some NL in em], take advantage of their surroundings and set up ambushes in specific locations, ), which might also then serve to demoralise their enemies (pipebags, and wardrums over a field) break their morale, and prevent a fight and thus the loss of lives, which, that howling of theirs, you did mention some about that, ('come here and check it out', 'sound off'), but have they say, got a simple version of a battle cant?
Animal's cackling are attributed to the nervousness, agitation and anticipation. Some Void Hyenas in particular tend to laugh during the fight - see Yurrn Dustback. This trait could be a hint to them possibly having ties to the White Scars.
Void Hyenas adapt according to the situation and the means they have at the time. They tend to avoid the situations where every single one of the unit could be killed off - that would mean the loss of the gene-seed (crucial for a chapter deep in the Imperium Nihilus) and the bodies (unforgivable due to their main ritual).
Therefore they will employ underhanded and tricky tactics other chapters would deem not worthy of a warrior. Expect traps, ambushes, evasion and such. They are not above using mortals (they tend to reserve what's left of their humanity for Rapturians) to achieve their means - although not to the extremes of Marines Malevolent, since their objective is to hold the subsector and you cannot exactly hold a planet if you lose all the mortals on it.
Ordinary battle brothers rarely rely on psychological warfare - although some can cause it just by being themselves - see Khaz Bloodgrin. Chapter librarians do employ some mind influence of this sort along with their magic if they know their target to be susceptible to it.
They usually use their battle cries for morale.
After forty standard minutes, "Morlros" closed in on the cruiser. Ten standard minutes later, the Space Marines had successfully entered the hangar. Not a soul was in sight. Something unusual had happened, and the Void Hyenas were about to find out. The three Space Marines moved as quietly as they could. They had no internal map of this cruiser, but it was unlikely to be much different from the standard for this class. To reach the bridge, they had to ascend several levels, past the enginearium compartment and the adjacent main plasma drive. Then came the mid-decks, the command and control consoles. Khaz readied his Umbra, his brothers following like shadows. "A chain unbreakable."
"A chain unbreakable." Khur and Vaen responded to his whisper.
And when Khur opened his eyes again, an angry, roaring crowd was rushing toward him, shouting wildly.
"Lieutenant, what are the orders?" Vaen's calm voice sounded from somewhere to the left. Khaz snorted in frustration; his escape routes were cut off by the streams of mortals advancing on both sides. "Let's fight." The squad advanced in formation, and Khaz roared, supported by his brothers. "Rapture unconquered!"
About that rite of consumption, for one, do presume that they'd generally prefer to get around to doing that whilst the corpse is still fresh, which, say they are currently partaking in a combat engagement, and can't get the body back any time soon, would they rather leave the body there, such that everyone can get a piece, or chomp down when they got a spare minute?
Usually the rite takes place after the armed conflict as the bodies must be gathered, the geneseed collected and the armour removed. But as seen with Khur, many alterations of the rite - whether desirable or not - can take place if the situation is dire.
Do presume that the Hyenas wouldn't have much use for dreadnoughts then, which, do they got some department or another that sends those to critically injured to battle, to die as say bait? (am immediately reminded of how one of the big appeals of Christianity was that even if you didn't die in battle, that you would still end up in a nice afterlife [other place then valhalla, non-warrior deaths would end up in Hel]),
The situation you describe entails the loss of the body - which is unacceptable.
There's not a lot of dreadnoughts in this chapter, but only because few have suffered too much damage to be inferred in one. These are the warriors, who ate enough of their kind and have immense knowledge. They mostly spend their time in sleep, until called upon. Their psyche somehow tends to be less deteriorated compared to a dreadnought of another chapter - Void Hyenas explain it with the notion that such sleeping brother is never alone, spending his time in a dream full of cherished memories of old.
For that matter, how does the chapter deal with, say, neophytes whom die during the ascension process, or even scouts whom perish during training, would those still be regarded as a glorious death?
These are briefly mourned and consumed by their fellow neophytes and scouts. One who is undergoing a painful transformation into an astartes is considered a brother and thus worthy of the rite. This also serves further to test neophytes if they are willing to partake in it.
Uh, currently thinking about the logistics of the actual act of consumption, if the bones are given special care not to be damaged, would those be generally removed beforehand, or does everyone just need to be very careful not to accidentally scrape those with their teeth during the consumption of the body (teeth and nails, i would presume count towards the bones, carapace too? It's the fused ripeplate,
Which, say, for that matter how *do* those participating get at the organs themselves if they don't care to damage the bones, brain especially [ok, I'm currently having a gander at pictures of skeletons, and from the look of things, either you'd need to get at the brain via the ear channel, or alternatively remove the spine and gain access to the brain that way.
Scoop it out isn't an option, so probably they'd need to cut the brain into sections, which,
Hm, brain is made up of a lot of water, wonder if you could pherhaps squeeze it a mite and then get it through the spine opening that way])
Apothecaries help dissect the body, acting as the butchers, but any Hyena has a general knowledge how to separate the flesh and parts. Teeth marks on bones are not exactly frowned upon - if anything, these signify the affection squad mates feel for the deceased. Nails might get accidentally eaten, but the bones are carefully collected. The black carapace and ports are treated in the same matter as the bones, frequently used as a talisman too.
Bones can be altered and their integrity changed - sergeant skulls frequently get remade into helmets - see Khur and Yurrn, the former wears the latter's skull. Therefore it is acceptable to saw through the bones in an efficient matter in order to get to the brain\chest cavity.
Say, do those whom partake in the consumption given guidance by the chaplains (does the chapter stick to the codex in that they too only have a single chaplain per company?,
For that matter, how codex compliant are they anyway
Chaplains do have a duty to guide their brothers through the rite and it's complications. In that they function pretty much exactly as a chaplain is supposed to.
Vois Hyenas comply to the Codex partially, therefore yes, one chaplain per company. However chaplains and librarians alike share the chapter colours with slight alterations - chaplains wear black robes over their armour and librarians wear dark-blue robes\tabards.
first time an individual partakes off in the rite must be overwhelming (wonder if there've been cases that even just partaking in part of the flesh has proven too much for smb, either in that they did get overwhelmed or lost themselves in the memories they received
[hm, does each astartes get, say, part of the memories, or more like a diluted version of the greater whole])
When partaking in a rite, each astartes gets only a part of the body and it contains some parts of the memory. Brothers of the fallen get to play a little gacha game where someone pulls a memory of the last stand, a glorious kill, a funny incident from the earlier times. No one knows what one might get.
However, some body parts hold certain qualities. If you wish for deceased's strength - you eat his arm and etc. Heart contains the indomitable spirit, eyes contain the marksmanship, you get the idea.
Usually it is considered very unwise to eat the brother all by yourself - the deceased had many others who admired him and depriving them of the chance to carry on his legacy is unforgivable.
Khur ate his sergeant whole and to this day suffers from being unable to see where Yurrn ends and he, Khur, begins. He was sent away from the chapter and his former squad resents him for stealing Yurrn from them. Prior to that he was kept in chaplain's care, praying and flaying himself in futile attempts to remind himself who he is. To this day he is but a ruin of his former self mixed with Yurrn being semi-present in his mind at times.
Khur's hearts soared as he danced amid the carnage, unconcerned that the boundaries between reality and illusion had blurred. He no longer wielded twin blades; instead, he maimed and killed side by side with his brother. Together, they cut a swath through the unholy hordes, their movements preternaturally synchronized, swift and flawless, like two mirror images. In this perfect harmony, Khur found solace and peace. Doubts, fears, grief—all paled in comparison to the pure, unadulterated joy of fighting alongside Yurrn once again.
A stray shot struck Khur's breastplate, not penetrating it but bringing him back to reality. For a split second, his mind clouded as he tried to reconcile the euphoria of his long-awaited reunion with his Space Marine training. But then Yurrn's presence surged forward, bringing Khur back to the present. With a furious snarl, Khur rushed back into the crowd, his blades wishing they were lost in the frenzied dance of life and death.
"Khur! Fall back, hold the line! Khur!"
But Khur didn't hear the lieutenant; he tore and lashed out, because he couldn't and wouldn't yield to Yurrn. They will lay waste all the heretics they see; together. Khaz and Vaen had no choice but to follow the maddened sergeant.
Actually, say, what *does* smb whom has at least a couple times partaken off in the rite, look like to the perception of a librarian (does their soul got traceamounts of another's?)
Chapter librarians see the souls of their brothers, but they perceive them slightly differently, imaging a soul as something solid. The faint memories one gets from several rites are akin to an inclusion inside of a gemstone - a speck, a shard of different color, as solid as the soul around it, forever entombed within. Sometimes they see the cracks and are concerned. Sometimes these cracks are filled with inclusion of another colour. The rite has many outcomes, as does grief.
Also, whilst i do presume that everyone in the chapter would likely been involved in the rite at some point, are there any whom have not yet, or alternatively, are those treated with some difference compared to those that have (that sure is smth you can only understand if you've done it yourself.
There are two types of those, who didn't partake in the rite yet. First are just inexperienced brothers who will get their chance soon enough - they are treated pretty much amicably, as for many the rite rarely changes a soul in a completely different way.
However there a those, who refuse to partake. The reinforcements from the Unnumbered sons, given to the chapter by Guilliman. These brothers frown upon the rite and decide it to be an unproductive use of omophagy. Some of them let go of this belief later. Some don't - such as Vaen. He repeatedly refused the rite and had to be cast out by the chapter, as his presence stirred the divide greatly. His fellow brothers in exile - Khur and Khaz, do not particularly agree with him.
Vaen's analytical mind weighed moral revulsion against tactical necessity. With a heavy sigh, he removed his helmet, maglocking it to his hip guard, and accepted Khur's dubious gift.
"…I can't say I like this, brother."
"The flesh of our brothers was not to your liking. So enjoy this slurry and be of use for once."
Vaen flinched at Khur's harsh words, a shadow of resentment flickering across his face before it gave way to grim determination. He knew his battle-brother didn't hate him, but was simply expressing the disappointment his remaining brothers back on Rapture felt at Vaen's refusal to participate in the Consumption rites. Nevertheless, those words felt like a knife thrust.
Hm, one of your lad ate hit friend, and now feels like him sometimes, does the average astartes got like a paler version of that, say, they begin to display certain mannerisms and preferences [personality bleed over, imagine that'd be rather bitter sweet ])
This depends on an individual. Sometimes they do end up with deceased's quirk! The bigger the portion - the greater the influence and the body is mostly shared among 10 to 15 astartes or more.
Khur, however, is at the point where his own personality is semi-overwritten with Yurrn's, so he is a very bad example of this.
On those armour decorations, would those of a recently died brother end up say, recylelt in a sense (do individuals whom were close to em, get their pick first of a dead brothers bones, that of his skeleton in any case.) The armour certainly would find a new wearer (or do the Hyenas got that much of a surplus of armour that they can afford to make a new suit for each recently promoted battle brother?)
The chapter is always in need of resources. There's why brothers are keen on recovering the fallen - they cannot afford to lose the gene-seed, the memory, the armour.
The armour gets repurposed, the sanctity of the bones overrules the sanctity of the armour. But sometimes, if that reclaimed armour's machine spirit starts to act up - it is advisable to placate it with deceased's bone attached to it.
