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Blood Ravens

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The Blood Ravens are a Chapter of Space Marines that prizes information greatly, but ironically know little of their earliest centuries of service. This Chapter is also known for having an unusually high number of powerful Librarians.

Blood Ravens
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Blood Ravens.jpg x160px
Founding Chapter: Unknown
Founding: Unknown
Chapter Master: Kyras8
Homeworld: several Battle Barges and Strike Cruisers
Fortress-Monastery: Omnis Arcanum
Colours: Dark red, black trim, parchment white
Specialty: Librarians
Strength: ~1000 Marines
Battle Cry Knowledge is power, guard it well. For The Great Father And The Emperor.1

Background

A Blood Raven from Dawn of War II

Homeworld

The Blood Ravens are a fleet-based chapter and have no official homeworld, living on board of several Battle Barges and Strike Cruisers instead. Their Fortress Monastery is the Battle Barge Omnis Arcanum. Also, many of the chapters' Marines were born on the planet Cyrene but it was destroyed by an exterminatus order issued by Captain Gabriel Angelos.

Recruits are drawn from planets ranging from the most primal feral world to sprawling, violence-plagued hive worlds - the only common factor of the specific worlds they recruit from being their heavy incidence of psyker mutations.

In the Dawn of War: Soulstorm campaign line, if played as the Space Marines (Blood Ravens) and win, the epilogue notes that they were given their own fortress-monastery on Kaurava II in the Lands of Solitude, renamed Borealum in honour of Brother-Captain Indrick Boreale, the force commander who led the five Blood Raven companies to victory.2 However, in Dawn of War 2, it's mentioned that the Blood Ravens lost the campaign in the Kaurava System.

Beliefs

The Blood Ravens' ignorance of their own origins has led the Chapter to value information and knowledge greatly. They are known to seek out sites of lost artefacts and ancient significance to deny them to the enemy. The Blood Ravens rely heavily on their Librarians to keep the secret archives in order and compile new records, but just as important as their custodial tasks is their duty to seek out new information to bolster the archives and guide the Chapter in its quest for knowledge. Librarians are highly regarded within the chapter, there are even 2 whole tactical squad made up of librarians.

Geneseed

The Blood Raven geneseed seems to be stable, though the high proportion of psykers in the Blood Ravens ranks has resulted in more regular testing of the purity of their geneseed tithe. Thus far, there has been little evidence of mutation. There is, however, a slight mutation in the Catalepsean Node, which grants Blood Ravens perfect recall, but renders them unable to experience R.E.M. Sleep.

Founding

The Blood Ravens do not know of their founding because all records were lost early on in their history they call their unknown founder the 'Unknown Primarch'.

Organisation

The Blood Ravens follow the standard organization laid down in the Codex Astartes. Due to the higher proportion of Librarians within the Blood Ravens, it is not unknown for Librarians to lead companies into battle.

The higher echelons of command within the Blood Ravens reflect the high proportion of psykers within the Chapter and many of the Secret Masters of the Chapter are themselves psykers. These warriors obsessively study the ways of the enemy to better fight them.

Second Company

The Second Company, along with small elements from the other companies, engaged the Necrons army in a legendary battle beneath the Thur'Abis Plateau on Kronus. They emerged victorious after Captain Davian Thule successfully planted a bomb deep within the Necron catacombs, which detonated and collapsed the caverns on top of the still waking Necrons. In reference to this great victory, the Second Company later added the Necron skull to their heraldry and adopted the motto "Victory Over Death." 3 (confirmed in Dawn of War 2)

The Fated

The Blood Ravens 5th company is known as the 'Fated', and though the reasons for this are obscure, it may go back to an incident recorded in the annals of the Chapter's Librarium, but never spoken of openly. In M38 the entire 5th company was recorded as having been lost in the Warp, but the truth of the matter may be by far darker. It is whispered that one of the company Librarians was seduced by the lure of the ruinous powers, and turned his fellow brethren to Chaos. This notion is by and large dismissed by the Chapter today, but for unknown reasons the current members of the Blood Ravens 5th Company wear badges of redemption, penitence and shame upon their armor suits.[1] During the Aurelian Crusade Gabriel Angelos remarked the fact the 5th company is only allowed a single librarian at any time. This is strange since the chapter incorporates so many psykers including two battle squads of the first company being made completely of librarians.[5]

Ordo Psykana

The Ordo Psykana is body with in the Blood Ravens that is made up entirely of librarians most of which were recruited from the Scholastia Psykana. The order maintains the beacons that are in the Sanctorium Aracanum which were set up by the great father Azariah Vidya.

Notable Blood Ravens

File:BRIA.jpg
Blood Ravens from Index Astartes

Other Known Blood Ravens

  • Gronink - A Dreadnought was entombed in holy armour after being mortaly wounded fighting orks4
  • Callum - A Dreadnought who once waded into the shallows near the town of Storm Reach to crush an Ork submarine with his powerfists4
  • Isaak Jordanos - Techmarine Once visited Fenris and crafted the power axe 'Fang of Fenris' in honor of the mighty fortress monestery there.4
  • Narine - Scout Entire squad died fighting orks on promotion to tactical marine took a vow of silence and opted to remain a scout sergeant.4
  • Idris - Artificer.4
  • Jacob - A battle brother who wielded the two handed force hammer 'Doom of Traitors' against Alpha Legion Chaos Space Marines4
  • Karolus - A young Sergeant who served in the Kronus campaign, armed with a power fist, the field generator of which failed. Received a battlefield commendation for fighting on. The power fist was later repaired, the blood of every Xeno race from that campaign being preserved forever beneath the field.4
  • Matiel - 3rd Company Sergeant. Named his chainsword after the planet Tartarus where he served and died fighting Orks.
  • Nicholas - Was a talented sniper as an Initiate, would whisper a sermon before each shot from his rifle and was favoured by Chaplains of the chapter4
  • Trythios - The first of the chapter to serve in the Deathwatch. Carried a plasma pistols named 'Hate of Xenos', which would later be passed to all Blood Ravens serving in that elite force4
  • Ulanthus - 9th Company Sergeant, fought on Valhalla against the Ork horde of Warboss Icekrakka - ending the conflict by driving his chainsword 'Valhalla's Teeth' through his skull4
  • Ulysus - 2nd Company Sergeant. Served in the Kronus campaign, striking down a Necron Pariah with his chainsword4
  • Damon - 4th Company Sergeant who whields the plasma gun 'purifier of tombs' 4
  • Sunnis - Libraian4

Notable Battles

  • Tartarus Campaign (Dawn of War)
  • Assault on Lorn V (Dawn of War: Winter Assault)
  • Kronus Campaign (Dawn of War: Dark Crusade)
  • Kaurava Campaign (Dawn of War: Soulstorm)
  • The Aurelian Crusade (Dawn of War II)
  • The Second Aurelian Crusade (Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising)

Vessels of the Blood Raven fleet

References and sources

  • 1Dawn of War: Winter Assault
  • 2Dawn of War: Soulstorm
  • 3Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
  • 4Dawn of War II
  • 5Blood Ravens Index Astartes entry - GW website
  • 6Roberson, Chris (2009). Dawn of War II. Black Library. ISBN-13 978-1844166862.
  • 7Roberson, Chris (2009). Dawn of War II. Black Library. ISBN-13 978-1844166862. dramatis personae pages 404-406
  • 8Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising 1
  • (August 2004) "Index Astartes – Blood Ravens". White Dwarf: North American Edition (295). ISSN 0265-8712.
  • (November 2004) "Index Astartes – Blood Ravens". White Dwarf: Australian Edition (299). ISSN 0265-8712.
  • "Index Astartes – Blood Ravens". White Dwarf: UK Edition (305). ISSN 0265-8712.
  • Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War computer game and associated materials.
  • Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade computer game and associated materials.
  • Goto, Cassern (2004). Dawn of War. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-152-8.
  • Goto, Cassern (2005). Dawn of War: Ascension. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-285-0.
  • Goto, Cassern (2006). Dawn of War: Tempest. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-399-7.
  • Roberson, Chris (2008). Dawn of War II. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-686-4

See also