Dark Vultures

The Dark Vultures, or ' Tenebris Vulturis ', are a formidable Chaos Warband of ill-repute. They were once Astartes of the Blood Vultures - a brutal and unforgiving Chapter created during the mysterious 13th Founding (the so-called 'Dark Founding') - from the lineage of the angelic Primarch Sanguinius. Relentless and savage, the Blood Vultures have garnered a reputation as a merciless and savage Chapter. But a hidden flaw in their gene-seed nearly saw the Blood Vultures undone, as they were prone to being easily corrupted by the insidious powers of Chaos.

During the height of festivities on their Chapter homeworld of Regark when they were celebrating the Chapter's Founding during their first millennial celebration, the seeds of Chaos had been unknowingly sown within the ranks of the Blood Vultures. Led by the Blood Commander (Captain) of the 3rd Company, the celebration quickly turned into a slaughter, as brother turned upon brother. Though half their number were killed, the remainder Traitor Astartes fled their former brethren's wrath, and made good their escape, fleeing into the Warp for parts unknown.

Since that bygone era, over the last four millennia this vicious and brutal Chaos Warband has struck out from their dark home world and launched numerous bloody attacks against neighbouring Imperial star systems. They especially take pleasure in raiding the worlds of Akeldama System, the demesne of their erstwhile brethren, the Blood Vultures.

Warband History
Once, these Astartes were fiercely loyal to the Imperium, but eventually they turned from the light of the Emperor and renounced their oaths to everything that they had once sworn to uphold. These Traitor Astartes were once a part of the ferocious Blood Vultures - an Adeptus Astartes Chapter of ill-repute - that has long bore a brutal reputation as being both bellicose and savage. It is believed by many Imperial savants and tech-lords of the Magos Bioligis, that the Blood Vultures were created during the mysterious 13th Founding, known in official records as the 'Dark Founding'. But records of this particularly ignominious Founding are fractured and unreliable at best.

Though unconfirmed, it is highly probable that the Blood Vultures were indeed one of the lost Chapters created during the 13th Founding. Along with the only two other known officially confirmed Chapters created during this time - the Exorcists and Death Spectres - the Blood Vultures also exhibited signs that their gene-seed had undergone extensive modifications. Like their Progenitors, the Blood Angels, the Blood Vultures also suffered the twin-curses of Sanguinius, known as the Black Rage and the Red Thirst, but suffer these ill-effects with far less frequency than their genetic forebears. The reasons for this are not quite clear. However, the most troubling aspect of their gene-seed is that it showed a susceptibility amongst some of the Chapter's battle-brothers to be seduced by the insidious influence of Chaos. The appearance of this flaw began to manifest itself only a few decades after their creation. Individual battle-brothers, or even whole squads were sometimes infected by this corrupting malady. Those who suffered from this infliction were either imprisoned deep within the bowels of their fortress-monastery on Regark, or sometimes had to be mercilessly put down. This troubling trait would not be revealed to outsiders for nearly the first one thousand years of their existence.

Ruination Heresy
The Blood Vultures' secret shame nearly saw the destruction of the Chapter after only a millennium of existence during the early decades of the 37th Millennium. The Chapter had worked extremely diligently to conceal this flaw from prying eyes for fear of Inquisitorial sanction. Unfortunately, things would come to a climax during the height of the Blood Vultures' centennial celebration on their Chapter homeworld of Regark. During the height of the festivities a whole company of the Chapter, secretly corrupted by Chaos, publicly renounced their oaths of fealty to the Emperor of Mankind, and proceeded to attack their former brethren during the celebratory processional within Regark's capital city. They slaughtered innocent civilians, visiting Imperial dignitaries and military commanders as well as their former battle-brothers.

Led by the former Blood Commander (Captain) of the Chapter's 3rd Company, known as Teigon 'the Marauder', a brutal and vicious Astartes, the corrupted brethren wreaked as much havoc and bloodshed as they could before their loyalist brethren were finally able to counter-attack and drive their corrupted brethren away from the civilian population. In the ensuing internecine conflict, half of the planet's capital city was utterly destroyed during the fierce conflagration. Though the Blood Vultures managed to kill half of their corrupted brethren, Teigon and his remaining followers managed to effect their escape by utilising teleport homing devices to teleport aboard one of the Chapter's strike cruisers in orbit. Before they fled the wrath of their erstwhile brethren, the traitorous Astartes performed one last act of spite, and launched a devastating orbital bombardment, destroying the Planetary Governor's palace, and causing the deaths of thousands of innocents. They then made their way towards the nearest Mandeville point and fled into the Warp. Since that time, the Blood Vultures have sworn a blood-oath to see their corrupted brethren utterly destroyed, a debt which has yet to be paid.

By the Dark Vultures
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About the Dark Vultures
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