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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→Recruitment and Creation
Skitarii are often created from menials or vat-born humans. They are sometimes inducted into the legions from other sources as needed, such as from refugee populations. Each skitarius taking the [[Vows of Integration]] whilst kneeling in supplication to their new master within the Cult Mechanicus. However, those coming from alternative origins might be viewed as inferior by their cyborg peers. The majority of a legion's troops often consist of elevated-menials and vat-born individuals.{{Fn|51}} Forge World menials who suffer significant injuries are sometimes turned into skitarii, either that or a [[servitor]]. Regardless, some menials who desire greatness, but are lack the skill or opportunity to become a [[tech-adept]], instead seek out becoming horrendously injured in the hopes of becoming a warrior of the Omnissiah.{{Fn|7}} Some skitarii have their memories prior to their induction into the legions purged.{{Fn|51}}
The process Skitarii of skitarii creation, dubbed the [[Corpus-Skitarii]],{{Fn|56a}} is a closely kept secret of the Adeptus Mechanicus, but what is clear is that involves heavy cybernetic augmentation to of those with a fanatical faith in the [[Omnissiah]].{{Fn|9b}} Their masters refashion their bodies, replacing fallible ligaments and flesh with titanium servo-motors and bionic musculature.{{Fn|39}} During the process of conversion into a Skitarii most of their organs and tissue are modified or replaced entirely with circuit, bio-plastic, and metal.{{Fn|26}} With few exceptions, Skitarii have what remains of skitarii bodies are pallid bodies of , with puckered flesh and sutured cybernetics. Ceramic valves and adamantium sockets stud their hard knots of sun-starved and translucent muscle. In imitation (so some tech priests believe) of the ancient cohorts that first ground their limbs into stumps upon the dunes of Mars, the Skitariiskitarius's lower legs are replaced with prostheses of inviolate alloy. Even the brains of these warriors are grotesque hybrids of grey matter and twisting neurocircuitry.{{Fn|39}}
One who looked for consistency in Skitarii augmentations would be sorely disappointed. A soldier of the Adeptus Mechanicus may have a punch card skull slot and leather bellows for lungs, whilst at the same time housing quantum bioware in his brain. It is often said that were one of these enhanced warriors to be rendered down, traces of nearly every element known to its masters could be found somewhere in the remains. The Tech-Priests know this to be no exaggeration, for dissection is but one of the dark fates a skitarius might undergo in order to satisfy their masters' predatory curiosity.{{Fn|39}}
Some possible skitarii upgrades include steel teeth, a 5 chambered heart, gyroscopically balanced legs, and [[plasteel]] augmetic limbs. Alongside this, a skitarius will often have an emotional partition implanted to manage their emotions, blunting individuality so that they might perform more like an unquestioning machine. This implant renders the skitarius unable to feel any emotion, rendering them disassociated with from their own natural instincts, thus becoming more obedient and mechanical in their demernourdemeanor. However, an active emotional partition can be damaged due to combat injury or severe emotional overload, no longer effectively suppressing their emotions.{{Fn|51}}
Despite their many bionic upgrades, a skitarius can suffer from disassociation with their cyborg bodies. Issues such as pain from phantom limb syndrome might prompt a [[Magos Biologis]] to simply prescribe the individual to conduct the [[Daily Canticles of Defragmentation]] until symptoms cease. Other symptoms of this bodily disassociation include: momentary visual hallucinations of augmetics instead appearing as a flesh counterpart, a sense that one's body is lagging behind where their cybernetically augmented body parts actually are whilst moving, and progressively increasing phantom pains pain or other biological sensation in cybernetic limbs. Said symptoms are normally put aside cause for defragmentation.{{Fn|51}}
==Organization==
