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The Sanguine Templars are a venerable and ancient Successors Chapter of the sacred bloodline of the angelic Primarch Sanguinius, gene-sire of the the heroic Blood Angels, created during the Third Founding in 001.M32.

The Great Crusade and Horus Heresy
The origins of the venerable Sanguine Templars Chapter harkens back to the dark days following the disaster of the Horus Heresy. As with many Third Founding Chapters, the Sanguine Templars' history is legendary in scope, reaching all the way back to the days of the Horus Heresy itself. Originally, they were the 7th Company, "Sanguine Templars" of the IX Legion. The veterans of the first generation of Sanguine Templars served under Captain Fericious throughout the Great Crusade. Under the guidance of their gene-sire, the Company brought the will of the Emperor to the furthest reaches of the Galaxy, cutting low any who dared to defy it. However, the memory of what they were before the arrival of the Great Angel was a lasting shame. While most of their newly re-forged Legion moved on, the Legionaries of the 7th couldn’t shake the guilt of what they had let themselves become as the Revenants. To this end, the Company became rather obsessed with cleansing themselves of the old Legion's sins, taking every moment they weren't on the battlefield or training, to meditate on their misdeeds. To study in-depth the teachings of Sanguinius and to harness their bloodlust into a weapon. To be the noble angels their father desired.

Despite the guilt that weighed upon them, they still performed their duties with all the vigour and fury expected of a Blood Angel, from the Burning of Anahktor to the Purge of Murder. Beneath the guidance of Great Angel, they grew from the gore-covered butchers of the old Revenant Legion to the noble warrior-scholars that were now vaunted throughout the Imperium.

They had little time to revel in their advancement, as the entirety of the Imperium was torn asunder by treachery of the worst kind. Wrought by Sanguinius' most beloved brother - Horus Lupercal - and the ones the Blood Angels considered to be near brothers. It was they, the Sons of Horus, who sent the Blood Angels to Signus, inflicting a wound that would follow the Legion for eternity. For the first time the Blood Angels came face-to-face with the full might of Chaos, fighting through a system that had been consumed completely by it. For years they fought, scouring the daemons at a great price to themselves.

However, it was at the Battle of Terra where the Legion's fate was sealed. Standing alongside the Imperial Fists and White Scars, the Blood Angels fought with their signature ferocity, fueled further by the grief and pain inflicted upon them by the Arch-Traitor Horus. At the Eternity Gate, they stood fast as they wrought a bloody vengeance, making the Traitors pay for every inch they took, in blood. Yet it was only through the sacrifice of their Primarch that the battle was won, and the Arch-Traitor slain. The death of the Great Angel was so traumatizing that it scarred the Blood Angels' very gene-seed.

The Great Scouring
The Legion took time to nurse its wounds, both physical and psychological, allowing their kin to carry out the Great Scouring. In 017.M31, hosts of the Emperor swept outwards from Terra in vengeful pursuit of the Warmaster's broken hordes, the first loyal fleets reaching the various regions of the galaxy, where various sectors had long been strongholds sworn to the cause of the Arch-Traitor Horus. One such Imperial Retribution Fleet was comprised entirely of the sons of Baal and other Loyalist enclaves, spearheaded by the 7th Company. These outriders of what later chronicles would come to call the Scouring, were eager to inflict on the fleeing Traitor Legions the same humiliation they had suffered themselves in the early years of the Horus Heresy.

These vengeful Sons of Sanguinius traveled to the furthest reaches of the western part of the known galaxy towards the great tear in reality, the massive warp rift known as the Eye of Terror. The Blood Angels armada bore a fully panoply of those weapons once forbidden from use - rad-phages and virus weaponry of terrible potency - as well as several regiments of veteran Imperialis Auxilia, Mechanicum Skitarii and numerous battalions of vengeful Blood Angels Legiones Astartes warriors, all honed by the fires of heresy and war to the pinnacle of human still-at-arms. The Traitors had no hope of clemency from their vengeful former brethren, in the wake of the Siege of Terra, to blunt their determination. Though the Traitor forces and their traitorous Auxilia Imperialis, Questoris Traitoris and Dark Mechanicum allies fought with all the vicious spite and skill that was to be expected, each individual force fought and died alone and unsupported, little more than irritations to the gathered might of the Loyalist armada.

The days following the Horus Heresy were to be some of the darkest seen since the Emperor had risen to power on Terra during the Unification Wars at the end of the Age of Strife. The military forces of the Imperium were reorganised and redeployed and gradually the remaining followers of Chaos were forced to flee into the galactic west, to the massive Warp rift of the Eye of Terror. Eventually the Imperium succeeded in stabilising itself, but not without heavy losses of men and materiel. Despite this success, it wouldn't be long however, until the IX Legion would have another wound inflicted upon it by none other than Roboute Guilliman himself, who dissolved the Legiones Astartes in accordance to the dictates of his recently accepted Codex Astartes, which reorganised both the Imperial hierarchy and its military forces.

With the adoption of this sacred tome by the remaining Loyalist Primarchs and in accordance to the decrees of the Codex, the Space Marine Legions would be no more. Instead they were broken down into several separate existing formations, known as Chapters. The original Legions became known as the First Founding Chapters, keeping their original heraldry, livery and long, glorious roll of battle honour. The Primogenitor Chapters, or Second Founding Chapters, became cousins to their original kin. Stripped of honour and tithe, of history and deed, they were all undone. Weakened as they were, the IX Legion had no choice but to accept this decree.

With the death of Captain Fericious during the Siege of Terra against the Emperor's Children, the Chapter Master of the Sanguine Templars would be Knight Commander Tathamet. Unlike most in his Legion, aside from Nassir Amit, Tathamet was a vocal adversary to Guilliman's edict. While he was powerless to stop the dissolution of the IX Legion, he refused to bow any further to the whims of the butcher, largely ignoring the Codex Astartes and its teachings. This hostile attitude towards the Ultramarines would eventually fade, there would always be bad blood between the Chapters. As a new millennium dawned, the High Lords of Terra decreed the need for a new Founding of Space Marine Chapters. It was during this time, that the Sanguine Templars came into being.

Chapter Organisation
The Horus Heresy had left the Imperium a shattered shell of its former self. In the wake of the disastrous galaxy-wide conflict, it was decided that the no one individual would ever command the power of a Space Marine Legion ever again. Therefore, it was deemed necessary to restructure both the Imperial military machine as well as the flailing Imperial bureaucracy. This task fell to the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman, both a master tactician and a superlative organiser and master logistician. After much debate, it was decided that the Imperium would adopt Guilliman's Codex Astartes - his magnum opus and guide on both strategy and organisation - which resulted in the sundering of the Legiones Astartes into separate Chapters, which formed the basis of the Second Founding Space Marine Chapters of the burgeoning Adeptus Astartes.

Besides the adoption of the Codex, the newly raised High Lords of Terra required a Chapter to meet the arch-foes of the Imperium in combat - the vast armies of the False Gods of Chaos. The Sanguine Templars were one such Chapter, chosen for their stalwart and dedicated service during both the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, as well as their zealous persecution of the Traitor Legions during the subsequent Great Scouring. Unlike their genetic forebears, the newly formed Chapter opted to take a more proactive approach, by seeking out and bringing the light of the Emperor to the darkest corners of the galaxy by launching a perpetual Crusade. Since their inception, the Sanguine Templars have continued to hold to their Oath of Moment, and continue to harry the heretic, apostate and xenos in their places of power.

Though many consider the Sanguine Templars a Crusading Chapter, this belief stems from the fact that the Chapter readily answers the call-to-arms of those in need of their assistance to fight the Forces of Chaos, or to take part in a campaign to bring their unfettered wrath down upon the followers of the Dark Gods and the daemonic Never-born alike, wherever they might reveal themselves. In actuality, they are an imperialistic Chapter that believes in Mankind's manifest destiny to rule over the known galaxy. This drive to conquer, does not stem for their yearning to own territory, but from the belief that the more regions of the galaxy that they conquer and control, the more they can protect. In a sense, they are keeping with the original tenets of the Emperor's Great Crusade - to reunite the galaxy into one unified whole, ruled by the Master of Mankind. The Chapter firmly believes that their Founding came from the need for guardians of the purity of Humanity. Part of their pathological hatred for Chaos stems from the taint it lays over man's body and mind and the inherent corruption that led to the bloody conflict of the Heresy.

The Sanguine Templars have heard the words and read the book of Guilliman, but it is he, the resurrected Avenging Son, who they believe has not truly seen. They believe that when he penned his treatise, it was his lack of faith in the purity of the remaining loyalist Space Marine Legion that resulted in their sundering into separate Chapters and upset their pure Chapter brothers. The Templars have seen the vastness of the Archenemy's forces and its insidious influence upon Mankind, and they know that no number is too great to face the daemons of the warp. Therefore, the Sanguine Templars follow their own unique Chapter organisation, keeping higher numbers within each company, and have two additional reserve companies that help bolster their deployed battle companies where needed.

Sanguinary Priests are often assigned with companies to ensure the purity of blood. Any brother who is even suspected of not having pure blood and shows any signs of corruption, gets marked to see the Watchers on The Cleansing Spear, the Chapter's flagship.

Officer Ranks

 * Grand Master - Chapter Master


 * Knight Commanders - Captains

Specialist Ranks

 * Watchers - Apothecaries within the Cleansing Chamber.


 * Viceroys - Chaplains who are amongst the line brothers.


 * Architects - Tech Marines for it is they who communicate with the machine spirits.

Line Ranks

 * Brother-Sergeant -


 * Battle-Brother -


 * Scout Brother -


 * Aspirant -

Specialist Formations

 * Paladins of the Inferno - Champions of the Chapter are consolidated within a specialized squad of the 1st company all of whom specialize in the killing of daemons with holy melee weapons. Their name comes from the fact that they have faced the fires of hell over countless battles and emerged untainted. Their armor is pure gold and blessed by the Viceroys of the Chapter. It is said that to some daemons, their armor is almost unbearable to lays eyes on. This is why it is common practice for this company to spear head attacks on daemonic armies.


 * Black Knights - The 1st Terminator Squad of the 1st Company, who are also the Grand Master’s personal honour guard.


 * The Burdened - A veteran who is charged with the duty of executing any traitor, xeno, or mutant who still draws breath after the battle is over. This is due to the burden that is taken on by fighting the Red Thirst when executing those who have already lost or surrendered.


 * Inferno Squads - Specialized squads, within every company, that deals with daemons and heretics. They use melta weapons and flame based weapons to purge the arch-enemies of mankind. They are often used behind the Burdened to help destroy the bodies with fire after the battle is over.

Chapter Beliefs
The word brother is the only word that comes close to the description of the bond between squad members within the chapter. Within this chapter this is no such thing as -just another scout- or -just another line brother-. All full members of the chapter are treated as equals and as such all words spoke are taken into consideration when planning or seeking council. Another typical and somewhat unnoticed part of their culture is the symbol of the Aquila in greeting, respect, or any other reason felt needed by the brother to make the sign.

Tattoos are also a large part of the Sanguine Templars’ culture. These tattoos are not meant for mere style, no they have far more important meanings to the brothers of the Chapter. Tattoos are a symbol of respect between squad brothers, fallen heroes, or anyone of vast importance to the brother. So important are those they tattoo on themselves, is that often they will mix the blood of the brother in which they tattoo with the ink.

Fasting is another large part of the culture within the Chapter. Too much food or sleep can make the body too relaxed or accustomed, so the chapter regularly endures vast amounts of fasting to train the body to become less dependent on both food and sleep. This has also been made note of as to the reason why they, as a whole, are very adept at surviving in the harshest environments known to mankind.

The Sanguine Templars take great pride in the fact that they are directly founded from the Blood Angels themselves during the 3rd Founding. Theirs is a storied legacy that stretches back many millennia, with tales of their ferocity and heroism reaching across the Imperium. This noble legacy is tainted however, as is the case with every descendant of the Great Angel. Their twin flaws weigh heavily upon them. Yet even as madness and rage consumes them from within, they endure, for nothing shall stop them from seeing the great vision of their Father fulfilled. To this end they have committed themselves to countless Crusades, pushing even their larger than standard Chapter to its limits.

Despite carrying many of the traditions of their parent Legion, the Sanguine Templars have diverged from them in many ways, some more concerning than others. Be it their outright rejection of the Codex Astartes, or the fact that they have carved out their own small kingdom within the Imperium, it is clear the Templars walk their own path.

Still, this doesn’t mean they have any lost love between themselves and their fellow Sons of Sanguinius. Far from it, the Sanguine Templars hold an unswerving bond of brotherhood to their parent Chapter, along with their many fellow successor Chapters. This has been recently demonstrated during the recent Devastation of Baal, where nearly the entirety of the Chapter was gathered to defend their ancestral home and die among their kin.

The recent induction of the Primaris has been a great strain on the already overextended Chapter, seeing them as outsiders. An insult forced upon them by The Butcher.

More than anything else, the Sanguine Templars are dedicated to virtue of Purity in all aspects. Purity of Spirit, of Mind, of Body. To this end they are dedicated to the eradication of the Traitor Legions, and their Crusade shall not end until every Traitors geneseed is crushed into dust. After-all, it was the taint of Chaos that has seen the Imperium fall so low, and only through strident purity that it can be restored. Any maybe, just maybe, they can find salvation as well.

Rituals
Fratres per Dolorem (Brothers Through Pain) - Newly formed scout squads are taken before the Master of Recruits in nothing but pure white undergarments. A veteran called the Forgotten, who has a metal tipped whip, then begins to whip the scouts all over their bodies as the Master of Recruits tells the story of Signus Prime and the Battle of Terra. Through the shedding of blood, the scarring of flesh, and the sharing of history the scouts bond is now shown as a gift that many lives were sacrificed to achieve.

Fratres per Sanguinem (Brothers Through Blood) - At a very early age scouts are shown that a bond through blood is stronger and deeper than any. As such, a bond cannot truly be formed without knowing a brother fully. Through drinking each other’s blood regularly, scouts share memories, thoughts, and burdens. Each time a new member joins any squad blood is draw and drank. This ritual continues throughout the marine’s lifetime.

Purificationis Sanguinis (Purification of the Blood): When a brother has fallen prey to the gene flaws know as the Red Thirst or the Black Rage the Sanguine Templars do not believe it is merely do to the gene, but also due to a lack of purity. Instead of being sent to an honored Death Company or locked away, the Chapter takes them to a place on their Flagship, a Battle Barge known as the Cleansing Spear, called the Cleansing Chamber. Within this chamber those who have fallen prey to their gene flaws are chained to tables where they are then cut in several places, allowing all the blood within their body to pour out. The body, overtime, replaces the lost blood and Apothecaries known as the Watchers await their recovery. If the brother does not recover, he is drained again and again until cured. If the brother dies during the process, he was seen a weak and lacking the purity needed to overcome the test. The failure rate is near total for those that fall to the Black Rage. Falling to the Black Rage is a death sentence, while Red Thirst one must become pure again and when they fall to the lack of control with the Red Thirst again the process is repeated.

Apparatus Spiritus Pastum (Feeding of the Machine Spirits): The Tech Marines or Architects, speak and connect to spirits of the machines in the same way brothers of the Chapter do, forming a type of bond. Through allowing the spirits to taste the Architect’s blood, the machine spirits gain trust and knowledge of who it is who takes care of them. Architects also have been known to does this ritual when a Chapter member receives a new weapon. Through this ritual, the Architect allows the machine spirit to taste of its new user’s blood thereby creating a bond that is stronger and deeper than most. This is why it is also common to hear even normal weapons with names.

Combat Doctrine
While most Chapters fight a variety of xenos, traitors, and daemons alike, the Sanguine Templars specialize in hunting Daemons and Traitors specifically (Though they are not scared to spill xenos blood, should the need arise). The Sanguine Templars are known as being merciless when facing the Arch enemies of man. They tend to fire-bomb the enemy armies with Thunderhawks or artillery, engulfing the battlefield in flames (which reflects their pure hatred of the enemy and thirst for vengeance), before moving upon the enemy. As they have a special hatred for the Arch enemies of man, Sanguine Templars (like their gene brothers) often quickly engage in close quarters assault. When battles are won, they send out the Burden to kill everything that still draws breath. As taint leaves a lasting mark on all it touches, which they learned by Sanguinius’ teachings on Signus Prime, they rarely leave a planet ungoverned once the battle is won. They do not kill the planet’s inhabitants unless they have been lost. Instead the mercy, grace, and nobility of their Primarch Sanguinius is shown, as after they have all been screened by Sanguinary Priest and Viceroys, the inhabitants are returned to their homeworld (which joins the domain of the Chapter), thusly being saved from damnation.

Chapter Gene-Seed
The Sanguine Templars, of all the warriors of the Legiones Astartes, evidenced perhaps the greatest degree of transformation of their flesh from their human origins to the Space Marines they would become. This transformation's effects were even more pronounced and more fundamental than that of the Space Wolves or the Salamanders, both of which featured unique stigmata of their own. The aggressive over-writing of the aspirant's gene-helix by the blood of the Primarch was capable of transfiguring the rad-scarred and twisted inhabitants of Baal to create "perfected" warriors, living icons of the physical ideal of the Legiones Astartes, each one an echo of their Primarch, called "the Angel", Sanguinius in his fearsome glory. There was a price however for this power, and the process of transformation was a more arcane, elaborate and painful one than that endured by any other Legion. Even with the direct infusion of its Primarch's own blood to stabilize the process, the rate of fatalities among aspirants was frighteningly high. There were also those who argued that the mental scars suffered by those who survived the change were just as deep, instilling a sense of cause and purpose that manifested as unflinching, unreasoning fanaticism bordering on madness, a certainty which could in mere moments turn to insane fury when that purpose was challenged.

Primarch's Curse: Twin-Curses
The Sanguine Templars carry with them the twin genetic curses of Sanguinius. Known as The Flaw, these genetic curses known separately as the Red Thirst and the Black Rage. The Flaw of the Blood Angels has also been attributed to a combination of the genetic defects in the Legion's Omophagea gene-seed organ implant, and the psychic disturbance created during the final seconds of Sanguinius' life. During the battles of the Horus Heresy on Terra and Mars, the stored gene-seed imprint of the Blood Angels was lost, forcing the Legion to have to extract the gene-seed needed for their reconstruction after the Heresy from the fallen body of their Primarch himself. Every Space Marine created from the gene-seed drawn from Sanguinius after his death was doomed to fall to the Flaw.

The Red Thirst
Deep within the psyche of every Sanguine Templar is a destructive yearning, a battle fury and blood-hunger that must be held in abeyance in every waking moment. Few Battle-Brothers can hold this Red Thirst in check unceasingly -- it is far from unknown for Sanguine Templars to temporarily succumb to its lure at the height of battle. The Red Thirst is the Sanguine Templars' darkest secret and greatest curse, but it is also their greatest salvation, for it brings with it a humility and understanding of their own failings which make them truly the most noble of the Space Marines.The Purificationis Sanguinis is performed on any so far gone to have succumb to the Red Thirst and are bled until they are pure once more.

The Black Rage
The Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters still suffer from the psychic imprint left by Sanguinius' death (or by the daemonic "wound" caused on Signus Prime). This can cause them to go insane prior to or during battle and feel the rage that Sanguinius himself felt during the Battle of Terra. Until the brother who has shamefully fallen prey to this impurity can be brought back to Battle BargeThe Cleansing Spear, they are formed into Death Squads that fight on the battlefield until they are bled dry or the enemy is vanquish. Afterwards they are locked up until the Purificationis Sanguinis can be performed, which is usually a death sentence.

Notable Members

 * Grand Master Tathamet - also known as the Crimson Knight, was the Captain of the 7th company when the Blood Angels were still a Legion. His history begins as most on the planet Baal, though much of his records seemed to have been ‘misplaced’. During the Siege of Terra, Tathamet was part of the defense of the Palace entrance. It is said that when he was finally found a mountain of traitor and daemon corpses laid at his feet while he stood covered in blood, but who knows how much of that can be true as they are merely rumors. His personality is always calm and collected which is why he is always sought out for council in times of need. The trouble usually being finding him, as he is not known as the most sociable of all the Chapter when it comes to dealing with other Chapters. His war gear consists of a pure Crimson Artifice Mark IV armor set. In his right hand he carries what has come to be known as the Sword of Baal, which is a power sword with many carvings that depict stories of Baal. In his left hand is a larger than normal relic Storm Shield known as Final Stand which was given to him by the Adeptus Custodes for reasons that have not been recorded.


 * Brother Sergeant Savarel - The First veteran sergeant of the Sanguine Templar. Down his right arm is a coiling sleeve of fellow Blood Angels, most of them now Sanguine Templars, from his brothers in initiation up till now whom served with him and called him Sergeant. A muddy red skull is stamped proudly on his forehead, sharing the same position as the Iron Skull on his helmet. The muscular back of this space marine has become a canvas for names of significance including those Dark Angels that helped train his squad when they were but scouts along with those Salamanders whom they stood alongside on Terra. Finally his left arm bears an inked on chain link running from shoulder to wrist, meant to be a collection of honor marks. A single 'badge' depicting a golden wall aflame represents the Siege, attached to the chains by a hook of simple design it stands as the lone achievement thus far.


 * Brother Haimon - Several Tattoos on his arms and back. These all have meaning. On his back in scroll work are a list of names the living all clear but the dead are crossed off. These are his brothers and Cousins that he fought closely with. Also major events are imaged up his arms. Techmarine and brother of the Sanguine Templar, served in the 7th company of the Blood Angels Legion.


 * Brother Zuriel - Sanguinary Priest from the 7th Blood Angels Legion. In the center of his chest and prominently featured were the names of his beloved blood brothers, connected by streaming drop of blood tattooed through the center of them. On his heart is a bloody Angel, representing the death of his beloved father, which will always weigh heavily on his heart. On his right hand was the name of Tobias, and the left Isiah, two who were instrumental in his early years as a scout, and turned his hands into true instruments of war. His right name also bore the names of a few Dark Angels who were befriended. On his top back were the names of many Salamanders who he bled beside on Sacred Terra. He also had two new, distinctive tattoos on the front of both his shoulders. One was a blasted, hell like battlefield, with angels trampling across demonic figures. The other depicted a group of angels standing in breached golden wall. Signifying the battles of Signus and Terra, two engagements that would forever define Zuriel and his Legion. Finally there was a blood red skull tattooed beneath his throat, in honor of his leader and brothers.

Chapter Fleet

 * The Cleansing Spear - Battle Barge


 * Crimson Shield - Battle Barge

Chapter Relics

 * Final Stand - Larger than normal relic Storm Shield, was given to Grand Master Tathamet by the Adeptus Custodes for reasons that have not been recorded.


 * Sword of Baal - A power sword with many carvings that depict stories of Baal.

Allies

 * Dark Angels: The Sons of El’Jonson have some close ties within the Chapter. It is largely unknown just how close the two Chapters are simply because of how secretive both Chapters are. Many have speculated that the two help each other in the hunts of their enemies, but how much of this is actually true is vastly unknown. What is known is that the Sanguine Templars often call on Dark Angel’s Interrogator Chaplains for help with the tougher traitors that need breaking. Another rumor that has been spread is that the Sanguine Templars help to find relics for the Dark Angels, but what they would get in return is unknown as well. The Sanguine Templars have also been noted as sending companies to aid the Salamanders whenever needed.


 * Salamanders: Word spread throughout the Sons of Vulcan of what a group of scouts had done to help save Sergeant Tur'tes Shen and the honored ancient Ulciscor. The Salamanders are not a group to let such great deeds go unaddressed and as such have a very close bond to the Sanguine Templars. It is very common for the Salamanders to make armor that could be considered great works of art for the Sanguine Templars. In return, any and all relics that are of the Salamanders chapter are returned with the upmost haste. The Sanguine Templars have also been noted as sending companies to aid the Salamanders whenever needed.

Enemies

 * Emperor’s Children: The Emperor’s Children have a special place in hell in the minds of the Sanguine Templars. They experiment on humans and space marines a like with foul rituals and horrific procedures. They taint everything they come into contact with, to include the very ground upon which they walk. For this reason, the Sanguine Templars have a special joy when executing the sons of Fulgrim, and often request from everyone they come into contact with, any information on the vial III Legion activity in the region of space they are in.


 * World Eaters: The reason for the pure hatred between the World Eaters and the Sanguine Templars is far more simple, in that being a descendant of the Blood Angels, they more inherited this rivalry. That is not to say that the hatred is not placed well though.

Acknowledgements
Thanks to Matt for DMing and setting up this Chapter. Thanks for those that participated in the campaign creation of the chapter like Keidivh, etc.

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