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Blood Angels
Targetdrone.gif This article is about the Space Marine Chapter. For other uses of Blood Angels, see Blood Angels (disambiguation).
Marine Basic Data Chapter Symbol
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- Blood Angels -
Legion Number: IX[1a]
Primarch: Sanguinius[1a]
Chapter Master: Dante[1a]
Homeworld: Baal[1a]
Fortress-Monastery: Arx Angelicum[36a]
Known Descendants: Angels Encarmine[41], Angels Erythrean[58], Angels Excelsis, Angels Glorious, Angels of the Grail[106], Angels Numinous[22], Angels of Light, Angels Penitent[23], Angels Sanguine[4l], Angels Vermillion[4l], Atlantian Spears[57a], Blood Dragons[57a], Blood Drinkers[4l], Blood Legion[7], Blood Scythes[57a], Blood Swords[5][7][8][4l][Conflicting sources], Blood Wings, Brothers of Jarad, Brothers of the Red,[21] Burning Blood, Carmine Blades[25], Charnel Guard[24c], Cruor Blades[57a], Crimson Knights, Crimson Blades, Crimson Legion[22], Crimson Swords, Death Wardens[35], Disciples of Blood[27], Dragons Ardent[103], Exsanguinators[4l], Flesh Eaters[4l], Flesh Tearers[4l], Golden Sons[22], Grail Guard[64], Knights of Blood[4l], Knights of the Chalice, Knights Sanguine[4l], Lamenters[4l], Red Seraphs[34], Red Knights, Red Wings[7], The Remnants[101], Sable Brotherhood, Sable Knights[57a], Sanguine Host, Scions of Sanguinius, Sons of Sanguinius, Templars of Blood[18]
Colours: Blood Red Armour with Black Aquila[1]
. Helmet colour denotes squad type
Specialty: Assault, Deep Striking[1a]
Battle Cry: "By the Blood of Sanguinius!"[1a] or "For The Emperor and Sanguinius!" [1a]
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Miniature
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The Blood Angels, originally known as the Revenant Legion[44] were the IX Legion of the original Space Marine Legions under their Primarch Sanguinius. They are particularly well known for their bloodthirsty nature in battle. They are also one of the most long-lived Chapters, and have a refined aesthetic sense.[1a]


Homeworld

The homeworld of the Blood Angels is the planet Baal and its two moons, Baal Primus and Baal Secundus, from which the Blood Angels take their new recruits. The Blood Angels' Primarch, Sanguinius, fell upon Baal Secundus after he and his brother Primarchs were scattered across the galaxy.[4c]

In ancient days Baal and its moons had Terra-like atmospheres. Baal itself was always a world of red rust deserts, but its moons were close to paradises. As the Dark Age of Technology ended in the Age of Strife, civil war erupted between the world and its colonised moons, leading to the nuclear devastation of the planetary system. Baal Secundus has since been a nuclear-blasted desert world with deadly levels of radiation. This forced the world's human tribes to build cumbersome radiation suits in order to survive. Mutants were once rife upon the world, frequently at war with the remaining pure humans for dominance of the planet.[4c]

History

Unification-era IXth Legionary[44]

Unification Wars & Great Crusade

Formation

The Blood Angels were created from the genetic material of their Primarch, Sanguinius. As with all of the Primarchs, Sanguinius was genetically engineered to be a supreme super-soldier but was cast into the warp during his infancy along with his brothers, and found on the nuclear-blasted moon of Baal Secundus.[4c]

Originally known as the IXth Legion, the early records of the Legion show a noted absence in many of the key conquests of the Unification Wars. Instead, the Legion acted as the Emperor's inferno, ravaging and annihilating any foe they were unleashed upon. Few in number, they often served as vanguards and waging battles in small and audacious raids focusing on murderous close-combat. They were often deployed to the most dangerous warzones against the most twisted of foes, holding the line alone and out of the spotlight. This was a role fitting for them, as the early IXth Legion recruited from the lost and dispossessed of Terra. Despite often bearing the marks of mutation they were genetically sculpted into tall and fair elegant specimens. However other dark rumors followed the Legion, which soon earned the title of the "Eaters of the Dead" due to their habit of consuming enemy corpses after a battle. As the Unification Wars transitioned into the Great Crusade, the IXth Legion was deployed to hellish backwater warzones such as Neptune. On the moons of Neptune, 12,000 warriors of the IXth disappeared but nonetheless managed to endure and complete their mission. They had largely replenished their numbers taken from the barely human dregs of Neptune's tunnels. Where others may have floundered and fallen, the IXth had risen from the ashes of defeat. This process soon repeated itself again and again, with the IXth being cast into a hellish warzone only to emerge as they had before. This led to Malcador the Sigillite dubbing them the "Revenant Legion". They often found themselves in the company of those Legion's less-favored by the lords of the Imperium, such as the War Hounds and IVth.[44]

With each new bloody victory, the dire legends that surrounded the IXth grew and spread. They became spectres that haunted the wild places of the Great Crusade, the terrors loosed by the Emperor to clear his path across the stars. The IXth accepted this duty with a grim pride, never shirking in the mantle that they wore. Each campaign was undertaken with a quiet, brooding hunger for blood and death that was as terrifying as it was effective. They fought without mercy and paid no heed to anything other than the destruction of the enemy. Shunned and isolated from the wider Imperium, they began to descend into charnel cults and bloody rituals. Various Red Cults formed as the Legion was broken apart by the widening Crusade, and their brutality attracted censure at places such as Yarant. They began to only maintain line infantry and jump troops, in part due to the reluctance of the Imperium to supply them with more advanced weapons.[44]

Meanwhile on Baal, Sanguinius was affected by the warp, and when he was found by one of the few unmutated human tribes on Baal, he had a pair of angelic wings growing from his back. As he matured quickly, he was able to use his superhuman powers and abilities to unite the humans of Baal against the mutants and become their leader.[Needs Citation] When the Emperor found Baal in his search for the twenty Primarchs, Sanguinius immediately recognized him for who he was and knelt before him, pledging his service in 843.M30. In this, Sanguinius was one of the few Primarchs who did not challenge the Emperor upon their reunion. The Emperor then took Sanguinius and a number of his best warriors and placed him in command of the dark and brutal IXth Legion, which he would come to name the Blood Angels.[44]

The Coming of Sanguinius

Sanguinius spent the first 3 years after his rediscovery with the Luna Wolves, learning the ways of the Imperium from his brother Horus. He first met his then-savage Revenant Legion during the Pacification of Teghar Pentarus, but shocked all assembled by first learning the name of each and every one of his warriors. Giving a speech before his assembled sons, Sanguinius stated that he would swear an oath to his Legion instead of the vice-versa. Sanguinius stated he hoped he could live up to leading his sons, and that he would stand with them whatever may come be it glory or damnation. He declared the IXth Legion to be scattered and broken no longer, and that they alone would conduct the coming campaign without the aid of the Luna Wolves. Sanguinius' humility roused the assembled warriors, who immediately pledged themselves to their Primarch.[105a]

At Teghar Pentarus, Sanguinius gave his blood in the maelstrom of combat and came to understand the true nature of his sons after witnessing their bloodlust and hunger. Sanguinius knew that if this path would continue, one day his Legion would become monsters. Yet, he did not despair. He sought to remake the Blood Angels into a force for nobility by having each company fight alongside a Luna Wolves contingent for the next decade. Besides gaining stature in the eyes of their peers, the nobility and honor displayed by the Luna Wolves began to influence the sons of Sanguinius. Their Primarch was able to instil a sense of pride in them to replace their desire for carnage and bloodshed. At Anaxis XII, the Blood Angels, Luna Wolves, and Imperial Fists under their respective Primarch's fought against a massive Hrud migration that solidified their new status and bonds with the other top Legion's of the Great Crusade. At Kentaurus Beta, they learned from Sanguinius the art of bloodlessly pacifying a planet. Soon enough fury became tempered by wisdom, and Sanguinius succeeded in his quest to reforge the Blood Angels. They soon not only became noble warriors of their own rights, but also icons across the entire Imperium.[44]

Great Crusade-era Blood Angels Marine

During the later part of the Great Crusade, the Blood Angels became known as being excellent shock assault troops, and formed a rivalry with the similarly assault-oriented World Eaters Legion.[4a] Throughout the Great Crusade, the Blood Angels became renowned for its 'wars of ultimatum'. These campaigns of open domination against non-Compliant worlds began with Sanguinius or one of his praetors affording a world one opportunity to embrace Unification or face a 'Day of Revelation', in which they would suffer the fury of the Blood Angels unleashed. Many foes confronted by the gathered Blood Angels Legion hosts were overcome with dread and awe, and capitulated without hesitation. Those who did not would see the shining countenance of the Angel Sanguinius transformed into savage fury as blinding destruction was delivered from on high.[33]

However, despite their newfound fame and nobility, the Legion continued to battle with its own demons. The bloodlust that defined the early Legion remained, and Sanguinius desperately sought to both keep it a secret and find any solution he could to elevate it.[44]

Notable Battles during the Great Crusade

The Horus Heresy

Signus Prime

Ka'Bandha Greater Daemon of Khorne[68]

In an attempt to divide those loyalist legions he could not sway to Chaos, Horus dispatched the Blood Angels to the farthest reaches of space, where they unwittingly walked in traps of his and his masters devising. The Blood Angels mission to the Signus Cluster, near to the galactic core in the Ultima Segmentum, was one such venture, where the system of 7 planets and 15 moons had been taken over in bloody slaughter by the daemonic hordes of a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh, Kyriss the Perverse. Thinking that they were arriving to liberate humans from their xeno-overlords, Sanguinius had no reason to suspect that his best friend, the Warmaster Horus, would betray him.[14a]

When the Blood Angels fleet arrived in system, they were assaulted by Chaos energies, ravaging their Navigators and Astropaths, killing many outright, as well sending mad panic through the Legion's ship serfs and auxiliaries; who until then had never felt the effects of Chaos. Most Space Marines were immune to its effects due to their training and iron-will, leaving those few not driven mad to restrain the crazed crew members and erect psychic baffles. The daemon conqueror of Signus, Kyriss, had time however to beam an image of itself to the Legion's Primarch, challenging him to take back Slaanesh's newest conquest. At this Sanguinius gathered his senior officers and organised a counterattack against a foe they had no experience fighting, however, sure of their victory, Sanguinius declared This foul creature will know what it is to face my wrath. I shall strike him down, I shall be an Angel of Vengeance![14b]

With Signus Prime covered from pole to pole with the result of daemonic invasion, with millions lying dead in the streets or held in prison camps to await daemonic whims, with cities razed, oceans boiled away and plains burned to cinders, the Blood Angels Legion struck in a furious assault; falling from the skies to engage crazed cultists and packs of hideous daemons upon the Plains of the Damned. Sanguinius swore to personally cast Kyriss down and vanquish him, so hence made for the Cathedral of the Mark, the daemon's lair. However, outside its entrance, Sanguinius was faced with the single greatest foe who would have the greatest effect on his Legion and its descendants down the millennia; Ka'Bandha, Greater Daemon and Bloodthirster of Khorne.[14b]

Confronting the Angel, the Bloodthirster spoke, attempting to sway him to Chaos, Why do you fight us, so called Angel? You may be able to best me, but you cannot hope to defeat Chaos. My Lord Khorne is powerful beyond means you can measure. Your Emperor is weak and foolish, even now he hides from us. Is he afraid to fight? To this Sanguinius rebuked, commanding the daemon to get out of his way, to allow him to cast down his master or be destroyed, to which Ka'Bhanda scoffed that his only master is Khorne, that he does not realise the threat which the daemons and Chaos hold for humanity and that their ally Horus has led Sanguinius here, into a trap whilst moving to lay siege against Terra. Ka'Bhanda further tempts Sanguinius once more, to join the forces of Khorne and destroy Kyriss and rule the Signus Cluster.[14b]

Sanguinius and Ka'Bandha duelling in midair.

Sanguinius rejected the news that Horus was lying in bed with daemons, claiming it as lies and proclaiming that nothing could entice him to spit on his oath of loyalty to the Emperor, from which he launched himself at the daemon, whilst his finest ten companies of veterans, Dreadnoughts and Terminators charged into the horde of bloodletters, hounds and furies swarming around the Bloodthirster. Plasma fire boiled daemon blood and talons cleaved power armour and gene-enhanced bone whilst the Angel pushed against the Bloodthirster, a flurry of blows from his great sword meeting the daemons axe time and time again, yet still succeeding in driving him back. Seizing the initiative, Sanguinius stabbed Ka'Bhanda through the chest, casting a terrible wound. The daemon replied in pain and anger with a lash of his great whip which caught the Angel's legs and crushed them within its coils before being knocked to the ground be the flat of his foes axe. With the beast towering over him he taunted at it, Come at me again, daemon! Feel the lick of my sword a second time if you dare! to which Ka'Bhanda replied I let you live this time, manling. Your legs will heal but this wound will always fester. It was at this moment that the beast let loose a mighty howl and darted across the battlefield, cutting down no less that five-hundred sons of Sanguinius . The psychic backlash caused by the loss of so many of his sons cast Sanguinius into unconsciousness.[14b]

With their progenitor cast down the Blood Angels redoubled their efforts, becoming filled with a dark berserker fury which drove them to destroy the daemon horde and cleanse all of Signus Prime. Those daemons who did not fall by their blades fled back into the Immaterium along with their overlord Kyriss. As they came to victory, their rage and fury subsided, whereupon they became aware of their victory, however they had no reason to celebrate with thousands of their brothers lying amongst the daemon dead, their Primarch cast down and the dark shadow of the rage and fury they had so recently possessed looming upon their souls. When their father awoke, his legs were already healing due to his genetic abilities as a Primarch, however nothing could be done for searing anguish he felt for the loss of his sons at the hands of Ka'Bhanda. Within a few days he could manage to walk, but the agony upon his soul would not abate and with this heavy weight, he vowed that whatever the future, whatever the cost, he would rain vengeance down upon the daemon Ka'Bhanda.[14c]

It was then that the message from Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists was received, calling them back to Terra. The Blood Angels did not need to be informed of the severity of the situation facing them and thus they set about evacuating all personnel from Signus back to the fleet. stowing the corpses of the fallen to be buried later on the slopes of Mount Seraph. Sanguinius ordered that no trace of the Legion remain in the Signus system and that the few surviving inhabitants be transported to nearby systems. Lastly warning beacons were stationed at the warp-jump points to ward off the unwary from visiting any of the planets or moons. Signus was to be left lifeless and rotting.[Needs Citation] Meanwhile, the Blood Angels' homeworld of Baal endured an extended Siege by traitor forces.[65]

Imperium Secundus

After the battle in the Signus Cluster, the Blood Angels were able to link up with Ultramar and under the watchful eyes of Roboute Guilliman Sanguinius was eventually crowned Emperor of Imperium Secundus.[31]

Ultimately after a number of disasters, clashes between Guilliman, Sanguinius, and Lion El'Jonson, and a vision by Sanguinius that the Emperor was alive, Imperium Secundus was abolished. The three Primarch's led their Legions in an attempt to breach the Ruinstorm and reach Terra. Through an arduous journey, they eventually reached Davin, the nexus of the Ruinstorm, and engaged a vast Daemonic host. After the battle and the destruction of Davin, a way to Terra through the Ruinstorm was clear. However in their way stood many enemy blockades as Horus had foreseen this route. Sanguinius and the Blood Angels raced directly for Terra, as was their destiny, while Guilliman and Lion El'Jonson led the Ultramarines and Dark Angels in diversionary attacks against Horus' blockade.[39]

Battle of Terra

During the Horus Heresy, the Blood Angels were one of the few Legions who fought alongside the Emperor during the Battle of Terra. When Horus lowered the shields of his battlebarge and the Emperor teleported aboard the ship, Sanguinius was with him.[Needs Citation]

The noble Primarch became separated from the Emperor and came across Horus alone. The Warmaster tried to sway Sanguinius and turn him to Chaos, but the Angel-winged warrior refused, and attacked Horus. The Daemonically strengthened Horus slew Sanguinius, as the Primarch knew he would. He had foreseen his death, and yet still engaged the Arch-Heretic, knowing he would die. This has endowed many of the Blood Angel's beliefs with a deeply mystical streak. Sanguinius' violent death left a strong psychic imprint on his Legion, since they partially share his DNA. However, this was a willing sacrifice that was made in order to buy the Emperor time and to give Him a weakness in Horus's armour, which was key in bringing about the traitor's defeat.[Needs Citation]

Horus Heresy Aftermath

Towards the very end of the Heresy the Blood Angels began to suffer from the Black Rage to an extent unseen previously. The dying memories of their Primarch bombarded the psyche of Blood Angels, driving them into fits of violent rage. It fell to the Sanguinary Priests of the Chapter to try and control those suffering from the Black Rage. Yet in the countless generations since the Heresy, genetic deterioration in the Blood Angels gene-seed have seen an increase in this flaw.[4c]

Later, as with all other loyal Legions, the Blood Angels were forced to split into many smaller Chapters.[1]

Hive Fleet Leviathan & Dark Imperium

Towards the end of the 41st Millennium a tendril of Hive Fleet Leviathan went on a direct course for the Blood Angels homeworld, Baal. Exacerbating this already terrible threat is a massive daemon army led by the dread bloodthirster Ka'Bandha, which has already struck at Ammonai, the outermost planet of the Baal system. Facing a possible war on two fronts, Commander Dante sends out a call for all Chapters descended from the Blood Angels to send forces to aid their ancestor Legion; the Flesh Tearers are the first to do so, deploying the entire Chapter for war. Ultimately all but the Lamenters do so, even the renegade Knights of Blood.[4g] The Blood Angels attempted to slow the Tyranid advance during the Cryptus Campaign.[40c]

Following the Thirteenth Black Crusade and the resurrection of Roboute Guilliman, the Great Rift divides the Imperium in two. Baal and the bulk of the Blood Angels are left stranded in the Dark Imperium and must face the Tyranids alone.[35] In the subsequent Devastation of Baal Dante leads a desperate defense alongside several Successor Chapters but all seems lost until the arrival of Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade. Hive Fleet Leviathan is largely destroyed, ironically thanks to Daemonic hordes that formed as a result of the Great Rift.[38] In the aftermath of the battle Belisarius Cawl and the Zar-Quaesitor arrives along with thousands of new Primaris Space Marine recruits to rebuild the shattered chapter. Brother Corbulo becomes fascinated with the Primaris Marines as a potential source for a cure to the Blood Angels flaw, and follows them into battle whenever he can. Meanwhile Dante is made Regent of Imperium Nihilus by Guilliman.[40c] However it has since become apparent that Primaris Marines are still vulnerable to the Black Rage and Primaris too have since been placed into the Death Company.[49]

Baal has become a nexus within the Dark Imperium for the war effort to reclaim the region. At Baal's Skyfall Orbital Dock, Dante is gathering the Fleet Nihilus.[57b]

Other Battles

Blood Angels battle the Tyranids[69]

Timeline

Undated

A Blood Angel[69b]

Gene-seed

The sons of Sanguinius are known to have handsome and noble features, mimicking that of their Primarch.[61a] They also have retractable fangs that are dubbed the Angel's Teeth.[61b]

The Flaw

The Blood Angels and all their successors suffer from a psychological need to drink human blood. They call this "the Red Thirst". They have no real nutritional need for blood, but when they abstain from drinking it for a long time, they grow weaker and even age. Chapter Master Dante abstained from drinking blood for centuries, and he eventually developed wrinkled skin and white hair like on old man and likewise felt psychologically worn out. When Baal was attacked by Tyranids in 999.M41, Dante was too emotionally and physically exhausted to lead the defense, but then he drank the blood of one of his servants, killing the servant in the process, and he was rejuvenated both physically and mentally. On the other hand, if a Blood Angel does not resist the Red Thirst at all, he will eventually mutate into a monstrous form, with fangs instead of teeth, walking on all fours like a gorilla, and a bat-like face.[55]

The Blood Angels regularly drink bottled blood which is usually donated willingly by their serfs. They often mix this blood with wine, which they call "karash". However, blood is much more satisfying when taken directly from the body of a living person. It's even better if the victim dies in the process. The Blood Drinkers, a successor chapter of the Blood Angels, have a rite called the Rite of Holos wherein they start by drinking blood donated by their serfs but end with eating a prisoner alive. The death of that one prisoner is more satisfying than blood from a hundred serfs. The Blood Angels themselves have occasionally lost control and attacked and killed their own allies to have their blood even when they had plenty of bottled blood on hand.[Needs Citation]

All Blood Angels and their successors may one day suffer the Black Rage. When they succumb to this, typically in the heat of battle, they think they are their Primarch Sanguinius in battle with Horus. In the Black Rage, the sufferer struggles to distinguish friend from foe. He might even attack his own brothers, something with usually doesn't happen with the Red Thirst. The Black Rage is incurable, and so difficult to manage that those who succumb are relegated to either the Tower of the Lost on Baal or transferred to the Death Company. In the Death Company, they seek to find a quick honorable death on the field of battle.[Needs Citation]

The origins of the Red Thirst and Black Rage is hotly debated by the Blood Angels and their successors. Some blame the process of Insanguination, others in deep rooted Chaos corruption in Sanguinius as he was transported to Baal. The Mechanicum has observed that Blood Angels have an overactive Omophagea, and this combined with their blood rituals may have caused them to become more strongly effected by past memories than others. Others discuss the impact of Baal Secundus' strange cocktail of chemical toxins and radiation as well as past evidence of mutation among the populace.[57e]

The Blood Angels consider the Red Thirst to be shameful and keep it a secret from the rest of the Imperium, although by the end of the 41st millenium it has become an open secret, with many Imperials including Roboute Guilliman being aware of it.[54] The Black Rage is also something of an open secret, though outsiders cannot distinguish it from the Red Thirst. The Blood Angels stave off the Red Thirst and Black Rage in part by practicing fine art as a hobby, such as painting or sculpting. Somehow this has a soothing effect on the inhuman beast inside all of them. The successor chapter Angels Penitent used to do the same but gave it up, and since then they suffer the Red Thirst and Black Rage at a much increased rate.[Needs Citation]

The Red Thirst has been with the Blood Angels since before the Horus Heresy and even Sanguinius suffered from it, albeit in a mild form.[20] The Black Rage has been with the Blood Angels since the death of Sanguinius. The Primaris line of Blood Angels are more resistant to both the Red Thirst and the Black Rage, though not immune, so the Blood Angels must still have a Death Company.[49] When he created the Primaris Blood Angels, Belisarius Cawl decided that the Emperor deliberately gave the Blood Angels the Red Thirst for whatever reason, and so did not try to remove it completely.[54]

Exsanguinator

The Sanguinary Priest can use the Exsanguinator for medical treatment of wounded Space Marines. But more important the Exsanguinator is a tool for retrieving the gene-seed from the body of a fallen Marine and is vital for the survival of the Chapter. In the veins of every Sanguinary Priest flow a portion of Sanguinius's own blood. That adds to the spiritual significance of the Exsanguinator for the Blood Angels. Usually a Sanguinary Priest uses his influence to calm the Red Thirst of his battle brothers. These priests are the epitome of the noble character of Sanguinius's heirs. But there are some priests that aspire to use the gift of their Primarch.[Needs Citation]

Successors

The Blood Angels Legion is known to have sired at least five Second Founding Chapters, but as a Chapter they sired two more; many have come and gone in the millennia. Their successors, like them, are afflicted with the Black Rage and Red Thirst, and a sense of loss and grief for their fallen primarch and have visions of his death. Although some chapters suffer from it more than others, the Successors that were founded in later centuries are more harshly affected by the flaw. Some founding’s teeter on the border of full-blown insanity, causing them to be on the verge of destruction, even though the Chapter council thought the flaw was eradicated from the gene-stocks for a while. Due to this the Space Marines of the most recent foundings can lapse into psychosis with the slightest provocation. The Blood Angels and their successors share a special bond due to the death of their Primarch being a very real memory that threatens them when in great stress or danger, rather than being a myth of legend unlike other chapters, due to this bond an attack on a chapter is considered an attack on all Sons of Sanguinus.[4l][16]

The Blood Angels battle Chaos[40f]

The Blood Angels maintain close ties with their Successor Chapters, particularly after the Devastation of Baal. Great Conclaves of the Sanguinary Brotherhood are held to decide certain actions of Successor Chapters.[57a]

Culture

Sanguinius did much to establish the culture and beliefs of the Chapter. He transformed the Blood Angels from an army of killers into a Legion of noble warriors that were also well-versed in art and poetry.[44] There is a mystical streak in many of the Blood Angels and a strong belief that things can be changed for the better. This belief can be seen in everything they do: they strive for perfection be it in their works or art, martial discipline, or military doctrine. Due to their extended lifespans, Blood Angels have time to perfect their techniques in art as well as war.[1a]

Blood Angels also have a habit of sleeping whenever possible in the sarcophagi used to create them. They apparently believe that it is in this slumber that they are one step closer to Sanguinius and seek to gain insight into the psyche of their forefather.[1a]

The Blood Angels will spare no effort to attain the material needed to create the Chapter's art and have even fought wars to obtain them. This includes Bloodstone gems, from the deep caves of the Cruor Mountain on Baal and the larvae of the Spinewyrm fauna. Bloodthirsty sand clams are also needed, as the white pigment used to paint the Chapter's angel wings, can only be obtained by crushing clams' shells.[57c]

Organisation

Legion Organization

During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, the Blood Angels were a Space Marine Legion numbering roughly 120,000 warriors. Sanguinius created three Spheres to encompass his hosts, each with its own chamber that would give order and purpose to the Legion. Three hundred standard combat Companies formed the outermost sphere, known as the Malak, which followed the strict guidelines of the Principia Belicosa. The Second "middle" Sphere was composed of the officers of the Legion who served as strategic advisers to the Primarch as well as the principle planners of any Legion operation. The innermost or First Sphere were known as the Immortals. These warriors stood within the inner circle of Sanguinius as well as specialist warrior chambers. Warriors of the First Sphere were the most accomplished of the Legion and were assigned the most difficult and dangerous missions. Formations of the First Sphere Sanguinary Guard, Crimson Paladins, Burning Eyes, and Angel's Tears.[44]

Chapter Organization

Today, as adherents of the Codex Astartes, the Blood Angels divide their battle brothers among the chapter into companies. There are 10 companies in the Blood Angels and each one is led by a captain who is guarded by elite veterans known as the Honour Guard.[3] The only exceptions to the Codex structure allowed by the Blood Angels and its Successors are the Sanguinary Guard[4j] and the Death Company.[Needs Citation]

The First Company is composed of the Chapter's Space Marine Veterans, warriors with experience forged in countless battles throughout the Imperium and trained in the use of sacred suits of Terminator Armour, while the second to fifth are the Battle Companies who carry the weight of the Chapter's combat duties.[4b]

The subsequent companies are 'Companies of Reserve', composed of squads with the same designation who often act as support for the Battle Companies, as well as provide replacements for casualties by the line formations: the Sixth Company is made up of Battleline Squads, while the Seventh and Eighth Companies are a made up of Close Support Squads, and the Ninth Company has a full compliment of Fire Support Squads[40b]. Finally, the Tenth Company is composed of the Chapter's scouts, aspirants who have not yet earned their place as full-fledged Marines of the Chapter.[Needs Citation] They also have recently come to include Vanguard Space Marine troops.[40b]

The Blood Angels Chapter has two ruling bodies, the Red Council and the Council of Blood. The latter is made up of senior Chaplains and Sanguinary Priests and is responsible for spiritual and physical work to constrain the Red Thirst and the Black Rage. The Red Council meanwhile consists of the chapter's most senior officers oversees all aspects of waging war and nominates a new Chapter Master when the previous one inevitably dies. As such, the Red Council is the more senior of the two bodies.[55a]

Headquarters

The current headquarters staff following the Devastation of Baal is as follows:[40b]

Headquarters
Chapter Master Sanguinary Guard Reclusiam Logisticiam

Master of the Blood Angels

Exalted Herald of Sanguinius

ReclusiamSymbol.jpg

High Chaplain

Warden of the Gates

Armoury Sanguinary Priesthood Fleet Command Librarius
ArmourySymbol.jpg

Master of the Blade

ApothecarionSymbol.jpg

Sanguinary High Priest

Keeper of the Heavengate

LibrariusSymbol.jpg

Chief Librarian.

Companies

The current Companies and their Captains post-Devastation of Baal is as follows.[40b]

Veteran Company Battle Companies
1st Company 2nd Company 3rd Company 4th Company 5th Company

"Archangels"

BA1.jpg

Shield of Baal

"The Blooded"

BA2.jpg

Master of the Watch

"Ironhelms"

BA3.jpg

Master of Sacrifice

"Knights of Baal"

BA4.jpg

Lord Adjudicator

"Daemonbanes"

BA5.jpg

Keeper of the Arsenal

Reserve Companies Scout Company
6th Company 7th Company 8th Company 9th Company 10th Company

"Eternals"

BA6.jpg

Caller of the Fires

"Unconquerables"

BA7.jpg

Master of the Marches

"Bloodblades"

BA8.jpg

Lord of Skyfall

"Sunderers"

BA9.jpg

Master of Sieges

"Redeemers"

BA10th.jpg

Master of the Recruits

Company Disposition
Markings denoting Tactical Sergeant, Assault, Devastator, and Veteran marines[4m]
Squad markings, typically displayed on the right kneepad[3a]

Each company is divided into 10 squads. Squads are led into battle by a Sergeant or a Veteran Sergeant and consist of four to nine Battle Brothers. Each squad can be broken down into two 5 man squads called combat squads.[1]

  • Scout Squads are the newly recruited neophytes who are under the ever watchful eye of the Scout Sergeant who is one of the most experienced Space Marines in the chapter.[1]

Unlike the other chapters of the Astartes, Blood Angels squad markings are not numerals on the shoulder pads but rather symbols worn on the right knee pad of the power armour,[1]

The Death Company

A Chaplain directing his Death Company[75]

Blood Angels are unique in that deeply engrained in their gene-seed is the encoded experience of Sanguinius, and most deeply imprinted of all is the memory of his final battle with Horus. Sometimes an event or circumstance will trigger this 'race memory'. This happens only rarely, often on the eve of battle, but it is likely to be a fatal experience for the warrior whose mind is suddenly wrenched into the distant past. What has become known as the Black Rage overcomes him, the memories and consciousness of Sanguinius intrudes upon his mind, and dire events ten thousand years old flood into the present.[Needs Citation]

To others a Marine overcome with the Black Rage appears half mad with fury: he is unable to distinguish past from present and does not recognise his comrades. He may believe he is Sanguinius upon the eve of his destruction, and the bloody battles of the Horus Heresy are raging all around him. As well as the memories of the Primarch, the Marine is also imbued with a small portion of Sanguinius' unearthly power, boosting the warrior's already prodigious strength and vitality to superhuman levels.[Needs Citation]

In order to keep the Black Rage in check, on the eve of battle the Blood Angels bend their thoughts to prayer and to the sacrifice of their Primarch so many centuries ago. Chaplains move from man to man, blessing each in turn and noting those amongst the brotherhood whose eyes may appear a little glazed, or whose speech is slurred or over excited. Some, almost all, overcome this ancient intrusion into their minds. All of a warrior's training is directed at controlling it, beating it down into the depths of their being. But for some the imprint of Sanguinius is too strong, the memories too loud and demanding. As the Chaplains chant the moripatris, the mass of doom, the chosen ones fall into the arms of their priests, and are taken away. The afflicted are formed into a special unit called the Death Company.[Needs Citation]

Suffused with the dying memories of Sanguinus, the warriors of the Death Company seek only one thing: death in battle fighting against the enemies of the Emperor. The Death Company is arrayed in black armour upon which are painted red saltires, crosses of blood red which symbolise the sacrifice of Sanguinius. The company is led into battle and directed towards the foe by the Chapters Chaplains. The warriors fight with the certainty of death and are completely fearless, ignoring wounds that would fell a normal man. Should they survive the battle they will probably die of their wounds afterwards, once the frenzied slaughter is past. It is better this way, for those who do survive almost always fall victim to the Red Thirst, turning into creatures no better than wild beasts craving flesh and blood. Better by far to die cleanly and quickly in battle than to suffer such a fate.[1]

Even those in a Dreadnought cannot escape the grasp of the Black Rage when it strikes, turning the machine into a raging Death Company Dreadnought[4h]

Honour Guard

Blood Angels Honour Guard[17]

Among the Chapter, it is customary of the mighty Blood Angels leaders to be accompanied by an Honour Guard of dedicated warriors. Its members are often distinguished individuals or the most accomplished Veteran Marines of the Chapter; warriors with full access to the armoury of the Blood Angels. As a result, the Honour Guard are normally well equipped and ably transported. Sanguinary Priests and Techmarines may be found within an Honour Guard, as can Standard-Bearers. When operating as Honour Guard for a Company Commander, one member of the Guard may be nominated as Blood Champion.[3] Honour Guard wear gold helmets.[Needs Citation]

The Sanguinary Guard

Even among the vaunted Veterans of the Chapter, there are warriors that stand above their brothers in might of arms and sheer skill. These are the Sanguinary Guard, an order that traces its origins to the days of the Great Crusade, where they served as their Primarch's personal bodyguard, and even accompanied Sanguinius when he, the Emperor, and Rogal Dorn confronted Horus in the arch-traitor's battle barge. Clad in golden Artificer Armour and armed with wrist-mounted Angelus Bolters, they wade into battle wielding Glaives Encarmine, ancient power weapons of terrible power.[4j]

All Chapters descended from the Blood Angels maintain units of Sanguinary Guard as a legacy of their parent Legion, and all follow the same color scheme except for the Angels Encarmine, whose Sanguinary Guard wear alabaster-white colored armour instead.[4n]

Deathstorm Strike Force

The Blood Angels are also able to field a highly specialized force against overwhelming infantry known as a Deathstorm Strike Force and it is only deployed in the most dire of situations.[13]

Recruitment

The Blood Angels recruit their Aspirants from the chapter's home planet of Baal and its moons.[1] The contests are held every generation at Angel's Fall (the place where Sangunius was found as an infant) Aspirants (all from the pureblood tribes) must reach the Place of Challenge by journeying through a vast, hostile desert, and a series of canyons, infested with Fire Scorpions and Thirstwater. These perils claim many youths; however, enough reach the place of Challenge to hold gladiatorial contests, which rival in scale the Ultramar's. Once the fifty victors are chosen, they are taken in the Thunderhawks to the stronghold of the Blood Angels on the Baal itself. However, they haven't completed their trials yet, as they must observe a vigil for 72 hours without rest. Those that fail and fall asleep are taken away by the Blood-Servitors; no-one knows what happens to them.[1]

At the end of the vigil, the remaining aspirants are offered a chalice (rumoured to contain a small portion of Sangunius's own blood) by the Sanguinary Priests. After partaking it, they fall into a coma and are entombed by the Blood-Servitors inside the caskets of the Hall of the Sacrophagi. They remain there for a full year, in full care of the casket's life-support systems, while they are injected with blood of the Sanguinius. Many die, incapable of bearing the vast changes wrought upon them by the gene-seed; others wake up too early and grow insane from their dark and claustrophobic existence. The ones who completely adapt, however, become the newest additions to the chapter.[11]

Equipment

As travel to Mars has become quite perilous since the formation of the Great Rift, most new Blood Angels Techmarines are trained on the Forge World of Unverrdt IX.[40b]

Noted Elements of the Blood Angels

Relics and Artifacts

Main article: Blood Angels Armoury

Chapter Fleet

The Blood Angels currently maintain a fleet composed of two Battle Barges, seven Strike Cruisers, and sixteen Rapid Strike Vessels.[4c] Among its ranks are Azkaellon Class Frigates.[Needs Citation]
Blood Angels Primaris Space Marine[40d]

Known Vessels

Main article: Known Vessels of the Blood Angels

Named Aircraft

Named Vehicles

Notable Members

Main article: Known Members of the Blood Angels

Heresy Era

Post-Heresy

Unique Troops & Vehicles (Also used by Successor Chapters)

Related Videos

Alternative colour schemes

Notes

*: Space Hulk: Tactics doesn't specify when the story exactly happens, it just says "closing years of the M41". Other sources can give us more infos. Karlaen had been First Captain for two centuries in 999.M41, this means Ubaldo could have been First Captain until 799.M41. Main characters in the campaign already know Tyranids. This means the First Tyrannic War has already happened and the story is set between 742.M41 and 799.M41.

See also

Related articles

Related products

Sources

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The Space Marine Legions of the Horus Heresy
Loyalist I - Dark Angels · V - White Scars
VI- Space Wolves · VII- Imperial Fists
IX- Blood Angels · X- Iron Hands
XIII- Ultramarines · XVIII- Salamanders
XIX- Raven Guard
 Traitor III- Emperor's Children · IV- Iron Warriors
VIII- Night Lords · XII- World Eaters
XIV- Death Guard · XV- Thousand Sons
XVI- Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus · XVII- Word Bearers
XX- Alpha Legion

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