Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-25869775-20151123160006/@comment-3055683-20151123224458

Let me shed some light on this topic. The canon specifically states that much of the gene-stocks of the Raven Guard were lost or irreparably damaged and as such a significant portion of the Chapter's genetic material now comes from Terra. That doesn't mean that the Raven Guard Apothecaries can't harvest the genetic material from their fallen battle-brothers. If anything, since their gene-seed is so hard to come by, the Apothecaries go above-and-beyond, doing their damndest to harvest the progenoids from their fallen battle-brothers. This is not unheard of, as there have been other Chapter's that also show genetic deficiencies and must receive the majority of their gene-seed from Terra as well. Since the gene-seed possessed be each and every battle-brother is considered a precious commodity, they would do their utmost to reclaim it from their fallen brethren, per their sacred oath as the keepers of their Chapter's heritage. Hope this clear things up!