[[Image:RavenGuardReiver.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Raven Guard [[Reiver]]{{Fn|34a}}]]Owing to the instability of the Raven Guard gene-seed and the experiments of Corax, much of the chapterChapter's genetic stock has been irreparably damaged. Now, much of their genetic material comes from supplies held on [[Terra]]. This means the cycle of recruitment for the Raven Guard is much slower than other Chapters chapters and fewer Raven Guard candidates for the Chapter prove able to survive their training and genetic modification. This means the chapter Chapter is constantly short-handed.{{Fn|2}}

The Raven Guard's chapter planet homeworld [[Deliverance]] is said to lack the population resources available on other chapterchapters's homeworlds. By the time of the Horus Heresy only a few thousand marines in the Raven Guard's number were recruited from Deliverance, the rest made up of the original [[Terra]]n forces inducted before the [[Great Crusade]].{{Fn|1}}

Today, [[Aspirant]]s are considered to be given a high honour of receiving the rare and unstable Gene-seed of the Chapter. They are thus subjected to harsh training in the force-domes of [[Deliverance]] and [[Kiavahr]]. They face lethal conditions with little food, water, or sleep, and are required to evade or kill monsters and [[Mutant]]s and must learn patience, stealth, and the art of the hunt in order to survive. In the Trial of the Watcher, an Aspirant is required to navigate the ganglands of Kiavahr and undertake missions with only the most minimal of visual clues to guide them to their objective.{{Fn|43a}}

In the Trial of Justice, they are tested to see if they can uphold to the ideals of Corax. In this challenge, Aspirants are strapped to a chair in near total darkness and has have their mind examined by Chapter [[Librarian]]s as they are given questions by [[Chaplain]]s on questions relating to loyalty, courage, freedom, and justice. They are often given hypothetical scenarios and complex moral dilemmas and forced to give solutions. There are no true right or wrong answers to these questions, though due to the presence of Librarians an Aspirant can not cannot lie and give responses he knows will please his overseers. A mere attempt at dishonesty sees one killed on the spot or made into a [[Servitor]].{{Fn|43a}}

The Trial of the Wraith is a more physical challenge and forces Aspirants to be dropped alone into the Ologothien Wastes on Kiavahr. They must then traverse 199 miles of lethal territory in three days without sustenance and to be not spotted evade detection by a native predatorpredators. Thus aspirants are forced to utilize utilise their stealth training to the utmost extreme.{{Fn|43a}}

Those that complete their trials can expect long service in the [[10th Company (Raven Guard)|10th Company]] as [[Scout]]s, of which the Raven Guard maintains a higher amount of number compared to other Chapterschapters. Upon proving themselves after years of service in the 10th Company, a full Battle-Brother can take on a new name, often that of a past Chapter champion or a Kiavahran word for a beast, weapons, weapon or folk hero.{{Fn|43a}}

*While stated in the background that all ''Raven Guard'' have black hair, there is at least one instance where [[Games Workshop]] showed a miniature [http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1860548_Raven_guard_AssaultMarines.jpg with a different hair colour] (accessed 2011/09/08){{CME}}. If this is a mistake or deliberate is unknown.