Blood Bearers

"We shall strike them first! We shall strike them hard! We shall show no mercy to the herotic, apostate, or the alien! This day shall be their last!"

- Lord Commander Azrael Stone

The Blood Bearers are a loyalist Space Marine Successor Chapter of the bloodline of Sanguinius, created during the dawning of the 32nd Millennium during the 3rd Founding. An extremely reclusive chapter, the Blood Bearers are stoutly bound to the Blood Angels, united by the blood of their Primarch Sanguinius that flows through their veins and ancient traditions that outsiders find difficult to understand. Their loyalty to the memory of their Primarch transcends all other duties and concerns. Being born from the Blood Angels' gene-seed, the Blood Bearers also carry the Flaw inherent in their gene-stock. The Blood Bearers do not deny their blood-lust, and in turn have learned to embrace it, making it a central part of their rituals. The Chapter thereby seems to have achieved an unparalleled level of restraint over their Flaw.

Chapter History
The Blood Bears were created in 021.M31 as a 3rd Founding Successor Chapter of the bloodline of Sanguinius. This Founding occurred in the wake of the Great Scouring, the seven-year long campaign of reciprocity against the Traitor Legions following the conclusion of the galaxy-wide conflict known as the Horus Heresy. Since their inception, the Blood Bearers have remained stoutly bound to the Chapters of the Blood. As proud Scions of Sanguinius they are united by the blood of their Primarch that flows through their veins and the ancient traditions that outsiders find difficult to understand. Their loyalty to the memory of their Primarch transcends all other duties and concerns. Being born from the bloodline of Sanguinius' gene-seed, the Blood Bearers too, carries the Flaw inherent in their gene-stock. The Blood Bearers does not deny their blood-lust, and in turn have learned to embrace it, making it a central part of their rituals. The Chapter thereby seems to have achieved an unparalleled level of restraint over the Red Thirst and the Black Rage.

The Blood Bearers are a ferocious and uncompromising Chapter, caring little for frivolities such as politics or bureaucracy, being only concerned with meeting whatever foe threatens the domains of the God-Emperor and striking them down without mercy before continuing on to the next battle. The Blood Bearers believed even a moment's respite from battle or from the preparation for battle to be unacceptable.

Shadow of Hope
Coping with the curse of their Primarch, the Blood Bearers are not so consumed by its madness as other Scions of Sanguinius are. For unknown reasons, the Blood Bearers have displayed some control over the Black Rage giving the Chapter hope and that of their Progenitor of their continued existence.

Chapter Homeworld
Scattered records of the Blood Bearers imply that the Chapter has no set home world, instead functioning as a fleet-based Chapter. The Blood Bearers follow a much rarer operational strategy for its warfleet known as the 'Nomad-Predation' pattern. This allows the Blood Bearers to be an entirely sovereign force that can sustain itself with any support whatsoever. As a Nomad-Predation fleet, the Blood Bearers voyage indefinitely, tarrying only to identify and engage the foes of man. After engaging and destroying potential threats, the fleet acquires resources from their vanquished foes.

Chapter Recruitment
Given the Blood Bearers preferential mode of operation is to cull potential initiates from the young of the survivors of their assaults where practical. That is of course if those survivors are human and free of corruption influence of the Warp. The young males are then forced to fight to the death to prove their worth. Those initiates who survive are then subjected to intensive hypno-conditioning and other harsh procedures designed to strip away any past loyalty, and replacing it with the will and attitudes of the Blood Bearers.

Notable Campaigns

 * The Assault of Trekerth (Unknown Date.M32) - A Imperial castigation campaign conducted by both the Blood Bearers Space Marine Chapter and an unnamed Loyalist Imperial Knight House against a Chaos-corrupted, traitor Imperial Knight House on the world of Trekerth.


 * Nuprono Crusade (Unknown Date.M32) - The Nuprono Crusade was a joint-Imperial compliance Crusade carried out by three Scions of Sanguinius Chapters, which consisted of the Blood Bearers, Golden Seraphs and a detachment from the Charnel Brethren Chapter to conquer the long-lost, isolate Rusliv IV System.


 * The Xionllon III Space Drop (642.M32) - The Battle for Xionllon III was an Imperial castigation campaign conducted against a coven of the treacherous Iron Warriors Chaos Warband known as the Merciless, led by the infamous Chaos Warsmith Torian "The Iron Butcher" upon the orbital hives of Xionllon III.
 * Aliris Blood Crusade (031.M33) - When a massive Blood Crusade, comprised of an exceptionally large and brutal warhost of several World Eaters Warbands and Blood Cultist followers, invades the Hadronian Wall sub-sector of the Aliris Sector, located adjacent to the Cadian Sector, the entire Blood Bearers takes up arms against these renegade forces. They are a part of a joint-Imperial Crusade comprised of several bellicose Scions of Sanguinius Chapters, including: the Blood Bearers, Children of Seth, Crimson Sentinels, Golden Seraphs and Sanguine Berzerkers. Those worlds that had fallen beneath the bloody shadow of the Blood God's followers were reserved the greatest measure of the Chapters of The Blood, who granted them no quarter and no mercy. The full role taken by this independent Astartes battlegroup is impossible to collate, nevertheless, the fragmented accounts of the various battles that took place in the Hadronian Wall sub-sector are extant in the scattered records of the era. Some list no more than a Chapter's name and where they were sighted during this conflict, while other records offer a glimpse into the many savage wars fought between both sides, as several independent Imperial strike forces often fought the savage Khorne-worshipping warbands to near-mutual annihilation. Though this sub-sector was eventually cleared of the foul presence of Chaos, the destruction wrought by those dedicated to the Blood God's service and the Scions of Sanguinius, affected the infrastructure of several of these worlds, some of which are still struggling to rebuild to this day.


 * The Osnaruta Xenocide (272.M33) - A xenocidal castigation campaign carried out against the Aeldari group known as the Ynnari, upon the Imperial world of Osnaruta. The whole of the Blood Bearers and the Imperial Navy of Battlefleet Bakka pursued the two craftworlds of Aeldari who had ravaged the planet of Osnaruta. Incensed by the total devastation of the planet by the Aeldari, with new vigor the Imperials would make the Aeldari pay dearly. Focusing their fleets to consecrate on one of the craftworlds in a two-prong attack, the Aeldari lose one of their ancient vessels to the Imperials.


 * The Purging of Kuyturn (712.M33) - An Imperial castigation campaign carried out against a large invasion force of Orks that were sieging the formerly isolated world of Kuyturn. Intervening in the fighting between the two opposing forces, the Blood Bearers began attacking the Orks in earnest, striking at the Greenskins and turning the tide of the battle to ultimately annihilate all traces of the Orks upon Kuyturn.


 * The Slaughter of Kreptis (398.M34) - A Campaign launched by the Servants of the Truth Chaos Warband against the Imperial world of Kreptis V. Answering the calls to arms, the Blood Bearers chapter as a whole employ upon Kreptis V to halt the Chaotic onslaught. Overwhelming chaos forces and chapter losses lead the Blood Bearers to declare Exterminatus due to the chaos plagues and madness taking over most of the imperial citizens of the planet.


 * Admonishment of Ulara Prime (528.M35) - An Imperial castigation campaign conducted upon the Imperial world of Ulara Prime, to put down a Chaos cultist uprising led by the heretic Chaos cultist leader, Zhozrak The Bloodcrest. In the end, the Blood Bearers proved victorious and burned the heretic leader as justified retribution for his crimes against the Imperium.


 * Dark Rain (874.M35) - A series of conflicts that occurred when a massive Drukhari raiding party attacked the homeworld of Tethannis. Though a small Blood Bearers strike company managed to successfully defend the citizens of this feudal world and drive away the Drukhari corsairs, regretfully their company commander was killed during the ensuing conflict.


 * Ashen Scouring (472-678.M36) - A xenocidal campaign that lasted for over two centuries that was fought between military forces of the Imperium of Man and the Hel-kar-daxes xenos. The Imperial's primary counter-attack was spearheaded by the Blood Bearers Space Marine Chapter.


 * Retribution of Terminus (138.M37) - An Imperial castigation campaign carried out by the Blood Bearers Space Marine Chapter. The Chapter dispatched a single company of Astartes to the prison world of Terminus, which had erupted in planet-wide insurrection. The source of the uprising was a hidden Chaos Cult, which had remained hidden in the subterranean depths of the prison planet. After an extensive campaign, the insidious Chaos Cultists were rooted out and destroyed and the planet was brought back under Imperial control.


 * Torment of Micceron (Unknown.M38) - An Imperial purgation campaign of vengeance conducted by the ruthless and unforgiving Blood Bearers Space Marine Chapter upon the shrine world of Micceron against the vile Slaanesh Chaos Warband, Angels of Sin.


 * Harmonia Exoneration (618.M39) - A castigation campaign carried out by the Blood Bearers Space Marine Chapter against an unnamed World Eaters Traitor Legion upon the Imperial world of Harmonia.


 * The Reaping of the Emperor’s Wrath (538-545.M39) - The Blood Bearers join the massive Imperial crusade to liberate the areas around the Calyx Expanse. Helping to sweep through the system to help reclaim over forty worlds for the Imperium. The Blood Bearers rotate out of the Crusade's service after seven years.


 * The Testament of Absolution (889.M39) - An investigation by the Blood Bearers of a Space Hulk designated The Testament of Absolution newly materialised out of the Warp discovers strong elements of the Renegades known as Shackles of Khorne to be aboard. The ensuing fight is won when Blood Bearers' Assault Squads, advancing behind a trio of Dreadnoughts, get close enough to set Cyclonic Charges in the Hulk's engine rooms.


 * War of Metal (386-390.M40) - The Hive Worlds of the Angion Cluster fall into sedition against the Imperium, following the charismatic leadership of a figure calling himself the "Blazingforge", debasing themselves into the worship of the Ruinous Powers. Heavily militarised, the Renegades quickly sponsor and arm rebel groups on nearby worlds and when counter-attacked, reveal the hand of dark forces from the Eye of Terror in their ranks. The so-called “War of Metal” that followed was comparably brief but bloody, involving forces drawn from across the sector, and the involvement of the Blood Bearers and the Titans of Legio Venator, it rendered the once thriving worlds of Angion blasted, rubble strewn rocks. Classified as War Worlds and the haunt of murderous scav-mutants, Renegades and Chaos Warbands ever since, the Khaba System is still a shunned forbidden zone to this day.


 * 12th Black Crusade (The Gothic War) (144-160.M41) - A vast military campaign launched by the Warmaster of Chaos Undivided Abaddon the Despoiler and his Black Legion against the Imperium of Man. This Black Crusade is fought for control of the Gothic Sector in the Segmentum Obscurus. Across the entire Gothic Sector the Chaotic and Imperial fleets clashed. For five standard years the battles continued, with the death toll on both sides rising into the millions. In the region of the Gothic Sector that the Blood Bearers entire fleet are in, they are able to protect and hold out against the initial impetus of the Chaotic attacks. The massive assault by the Forces of Chaos that ravages the Gothic Sector in total for almost 21 Terran years before finally being driven back by Imperial reinforcements that arrived to aid the Imperial Navy's beleaguered sectorial Battlefleet Gothic. Reinforcements were prevented from arriving for years by the onslaught of potent Warp Storms that had been produced by the will of the Dark Gods to isolate the Gothic Sector and assist Abaddon's foul plans.


 * Cleansing of the Dark Destiny (494.M41) - A Space Hulk code-named Dark Destiny drops out of the Warp, dangerously close to the Golden Seraphs' homeworld of Esau. Strike Forces of the Golden Seraphs and the fleet of the Blood Bearers moves to intercept the massive Hulk, deploying squads of their 1st Company Terminators via Boarding Torpedoes. A vicious battle erupts throughout the kilometres of tangled corridors, chambers and ducts as the Seraphs and Bearers battle furiously against the Hulk's Genestealer infestation. A force of 160 1st Company Terminators eradicated a force of more than 100,000 Genestealers, cleansing the Dark Destiny, its secrets plundered in the Imperium's name.


 * Assault on Carinus (802.M41) - Captain Jorus of the 3th Company leads the Blood Bearers strike force Bloodclaw against rebels who have risen up against the Imperium on the world of Carinus. Using their Land Raiders, the Blood Bearers' armoured column smashed through the walls of the rebels' fortress and trapped the rebels behind their own defences. The rebels are then wiped out by an air strike of gunships.


 * War of Ventos Prime (879.M41) - Lord Commander Azrael despatches the Blood Bearers' 2rd and 3rd Companies to quell a rebellion against the Emperor's authority on the Hive World of Ventos Prime. Determining the rebel defences at the bases of the world's hive cities to be too potent for his Space Marines to launch a frontal assault, the Force Commander for the operation ordered a series of low-orbit insertions onto the cities' upper spires using Jump Packs. Once trapped behind their own defences, the rebels were easily crushed by the Blood Bearers' savage assault.


 * The Carinus Campaigns (892.M41) - Three companies of Blood Bearers are sent to the world of Carinus to stop the raids of the deceitful Eldar. The Blood Bearers initially earned a string of victories against the forces of the elusive xenos, but the Eldar managed to carry out an ambush that killed almost 120 Battle-Brothers, transforming an easy victory into a catastrophe for the Chapter. Fortunately, at the darkest moment, when it seemed that every Blood Bearer might receive the Emperor's peace, the Sanguinor appears, striking down the alien Avatar of Khaine and forcing the remaining Eldar to flee for their lives.


 * Might of Armour (904.M41) - Several armoured regiments of Astra Militarum fall to the temptations of Chaos during the Vixia campaign. Turning on their allies, the renegade tankers seized the world's capital city in the name of the Ruinous Powers, before beginning extermination sweeps across Vixia's plains. Retribution is swift, however, as a spearhead of Blood Bearers tanks was loosed upon the traitors. The Blood Bearers consistently outmanoeuvred the heavier traitor armour within their Predators and Razorbacks. Caught between the wrathful tank brigades of the Blood Bearers, the last traitors fought frantically, but their position was hopeless. Despite significant casualties, the Blood Bearers crush the foe beneath the grinding treads of their battle tanks.


 * Sand and Blood (Unknown.M41) - Rebellion and heresy claims the searing Death World of Brolla, and the Blood Bearers respond in force. Vicious gunfights rage through the subterranean habs and manufactoria. Meanwhile, the Blood Bearers' armour meets the Traitor tanks upon Brolla's rad-blasted deserts, capitalising on their speed and the terrain to cut their lumbering enemies to pieces in a series of blistering battles.


 * Price of Victory (975.M41) - The 4th Company of the Blood Bearers into battle against the Drukhari on Lunoria. Amidst the ruins of the planet's agriplexes, the Blood Bearers witness the horrors inflicted by the cruel xenos upon the world's populace. So repugnant is the butchery that the Blood Bearers lose their grip upon their inner fury. The red whirlwind of destruction they visit upon the Drukhari leaves no foe standing, yet still the Blood Bearers face shameful censure in the battle's wake, for a victory won in the grip of the Flaw is no victory at all.


 * Scions of Sanguinius Conclave (999.M41) - - The Baal System is reinforced like never before. Answering Commander Dante's call, the Blood Bearers are but one of many Blood Angels Successor Chapters. The Blood Bearers lends its full strength of its whole fleet to help defend Baal. The Blood Bearers and the rest of the Successor Chapters unanimously agreed to hand over to the Blood Angels some of their own Neophytes to help their ancestral Chapter rebuild its strength in the wake of the Chaos assault -- and in preparation for the oncoming assault by the Tyranids and the Forces of Chaos on Baal itself.


 * The Devastation of Baal (ca. 999.M41) - Unwilling to cede void supremacy to the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan without a fight, Commander Dante orders his naval vessels to strike at the enemy and slow their advance. Across a hundred fronts, the red-armoured voidcraft of the Blood Bearers and many other successors along with their progenitors strike at the fleshy Tyranid Hive Ships. Dozens of Tyranid bio-ships are butchered, hundreds of thousands of warrior organisms slain before they ever see the irradiated sands of Baal. Still the Blood Angels and their successors are driven back, every victory carrying its own butcher's bill in flaming hulks and dead Battle-Brothers. Soon enough the void war becomes unsustainable as more and more Tyranids flow from the darkness in squamous waves. On Baal, Baal Prime and Baal Secundus, aircraft-sized Mycetic Spores darken the skies in their millions. The Shadow in the Warp settles like a shroud, choking off any further hope of reinforcement. The Sons of Sanguinius stand alone. Five Chapter Masters fell in that bitter fighting, three in the Battle at the Dome of Angels alone. The Tyranids began the process of absorbing all biomass from Baal and its moons, absorbing even the radiation-poisoned deserts of Baal Secundus. With their defences in ruin and Baal's moons stripped and broken, the remaining Space Marines retreated back to the rubble of the Blood Angels' sprawling fortress-monastery. There, they prepared for a last stand as the next wave swept downwards. Doom, it seemed, had at last come to the Sons of Sanguinius. It was then that the Great Rift cracked open the galaxy in the wake of the fall of Cadia to the 13th Black Crusade, and the withered Baal System was blasted by the aetheric storms. Although no further attack waves came from the Leviathan Hive Fleet, not a single Imperial defender remained alive upon the last moon, Baal Prime.Looking skywards, the Tyranids on the surface of Baal sought contact with their Hive Fleet, but it was gone, replaced by a newly arrived Imperial fleet. Like an angel of vengeance came Roboute Guilliman and his Indomitus Crusade. After many more battles, Baal was finally cleared of the xenos threat.

Chapter Organisation
The Blood Bearers Chapter is divided into Companies of varying sizes and specialisation, each led by an officer with the rank of Captain. Due their propensity for engaging in neverending conflict, the Blood Bearers have often been forced to merge remnants of their depleted forces into viable battle groups. When a Company sustains too many losses, negating their ability to operate alone, they will often merge with another full-strength Company. New Companies are also regularly created by combining a body of newly inducted Scout Marines with a handful of veterans from other Companies, who then take up the designation of one of the Dominions Companies. Regardless of size, a Company is divided in squads of various specialties - Tactical, Destroyer, Assault, and Veteran. In the larger Companies, there is an informal hierarchy to allow the Captain to focus on the overall tactical picture. Squad leaders who have displayed a talent for leadership might then be granted the title of Centurion, and act as their Captain's second-in-command. These Centurions are earmarked for possible senior command in the future, and are often considered Captains-in-training.

Command Ranks

 * Lord Commander - Chapter Master equivalent.
 * Primus Consul - First Captain and Equerry to the Lord Commander.
 * Consul - Captain equivalent.
 * Praetor - A bygone rank utilised by the IX Legion of old, this rank is equivalent to a standard Lieutenant.
 * Centurion - A Centurion is a rank held by a senior Astartes that serves as a middle-tier battle line officer, as well as taking on more specialised functions which help give its unusual operational depth and strategic flexibility. Centurions are earmarked for possible senior command in the future, and are often considered Captains-in-training.

Specialist Ranks
The Blood Bearers' order of battle contains several specialist formations and officer positions not present in other Space Marine Legions:
 * Death Company Chaplains - A Death Company Chaplain is a specialist officer rank unique to the Blood Bearers. Charged with leading a Death Company into battle, he soars into combat on crimson wings, the Death Company Chaplain leading his fallen brothers afflicted by the genetic Flaw known as the Black Rage. The Death Company Chaplain booms a constant litany of hatred and vengeance, exhorting his brothers to give meaning to their sacrifice before their tragic and inevitable end. This deeply spiritual warrior acts as the light of the Angel himself, a guiding illumination that those brothers lost to the Black Rage can follow into glory and death. He is a beacon of sanity, the eye of a bloody storm, and the last sight that many of his luckless foes will set eyes upon before their savage demise.
 * Exsanguinator Priests - The Blood Bearers' Exsanguinator Priests are the custodians of the blood of Sanguinius himself. They serve in the role of the Chapter's Apothecaries, as well as partially fulfilling the role of spiritual leaders within the Chapter who lead their fellow battle-brothers in their rituals and blood rites. Whilst the sermons and ceremonies of the Chapter's Chaplains exhort their battle-brothers to reject the anger within, those performed by the Exsanguinator Priests call upon the Blood Bearers to embrace the Red Thirst and wrest it to their control; unleashing its strength to buttress theirs when the day is darkest and the battle goes ill. As with the Apothecaries of other Chapters, the foremost concern of the Exsanguinator Priests is to conserve the Chapter's gene-seed.
 * Chaplains - The role of Chaplains also differs within the Blood Angels Chapter, for their responsibilities are solely geared towards guarding against the Black Rage and psychologically ministering to those who fall both to it and the equally terrible curse of the Red Thirst. The traditional spiritual role played by most Astartes Chaplains is instead played in the Blood Bearers by the officers known as the Exsanguinator Priests.

Specialty Formations

 * Sanguinary Guard - A major deviance from other Chapters by the Angels is the existence of the elite Honour Guard known as the Sanguinary Guard, which includes 30 of the Chapter's best and most Veteran Astartes. They use modified Jump Packs with mechanical wings to give them a taste of their Primarch's ability for flight, so that they are transformed into true angels of death. They are clad in ancient suits of golden Artificer Armour, wielding an ancient Power Weapon in the shape of a polearm known as a Glaive Encarmine, each one of which is a Chapter relic dating back many millennia. Each member of the Sanguinary Guard is easily the equal of a full squad of their brethren and the deeds of each are carefully recorded by the Chapter's Librarians, as they are warriors second in prowess only to the company captains and their Legion Master.

Gene-Seed
"The blood of Sanguinius runs in our veins and ours is the honour of the Angels."

- Brother Captain Catelios of the Blood Bearers

The gene-seed of the Blood Bearers bears all the hallmarks of the Successor Chapters of the Blood Angels. But despite their state, they are worthy inheritors of the Red Angel, and are an honour to the pride and glory of their ancestors. The Blood Bearers share many traits with their Progenitor, including the tragic flaw, known as the Red Thirst that afflicts the line of Sanguinius. This curse manifests in the form of a fiery, zealous temperament that drives the Chapter to ever-greater heights of valour. It has been said of these Scions of Sanguinius have many battle honours they have earned over the millennia, but it is also true that these have come at a terrible price.

Where other Chapters might retire after a hard fought campaign to rebuild and reconstitute their numbers, the Blood Bearers plunge headlong into the next battle. Rarely is any time given over to recuperation, meaning that the Chapter is seldom operating at anything like full strength. It has been surmised that the Blood Bearers fight in this manner as a means of staving off the worst effects of the Flaw, but some well-placed observers have posited an alternative possibility. Perhaps, they whisper, the Blood Bearers fight the way they do to purge their ranks of those in the grip of the Red Thirst.

The Blood Bearers, like their antecedents the Blood Angels, adhere as closely to the praxis of their Progenitor as the Flaw allows – they discern the Blood Angel’s trammels as a form of discipline that can be used to restrain the Red Thirst. For the most part the Blood Bearers mimic their Progenitor in most regards. No one knows exactly how the Blood Bearers has managed to keep the Flaw at bay or their low numbers when it comes to their Death Company. Those who think well of the Chapter, a number which includes the Blood Angels, believe that it is because of their devotion to the Emperor and Sanguinius as well as a display of iron will that is remarkable.

Combat Doctrine
Operating almost exclusively as a rapid-strike force, the Blood Bearers prefer to approach their targets with extreme speed. The Blood Bearers favor the use of shock tactics, close-quarter combat and above all, the brutal application of focused and overwhelming force to obliterate their enemies.

The Blood Bearers eschew the use of defensive warfare or long-range firefights as indecisive and unfitting.. Despite these personal misgivings, the Bearers will not hesitate to utilise a sustained orbital bombardment in order to soften up a particularly stubborn or entrenched enemy. This is followed up by a large-scale drop pod assault, augmented by a large element of close air support. This allows the Chapter's assault elements to press their attack to the hilt. Once fully committed, they attack the enemy's vitals, endeavouring to cause as much death and destruction as quickly as possible. Relishing close-quarters fighting, the Blood Bearers either attack with point-blank weapons fire or in melee combat.

Chapter Beliefs
"Ahh, to walk upon the bloodstained ground. My Brothers, remember what I have taught you. None can match our combined might. We fight as one! These curs were given a choice and they have responded with treachery against the Imperium. These mere attacks are as weak as their faith! Answer them, shot for shot and to the last - kill them all!"

- Centurion Gideon Raf

The Blood Bearers look upon the Codex Astartes as the foundation for their way of life, but to follow its teachings literally without consideration for what they have learned and what they observe around them is not in their view wisdom, but blind orthodoxy. To believe in rigid dogma is a weakness of the mind and it is this very weakness that has caused so much stagnation within the wider Imperium. The Blood Bearers feel that to be bound by words set down an age ago is to risk failure to adapt to changing circumstances that could prove fatal to the Chapter. Their primary adaptations from its doctrines are all intended to grant the Chapter additional flexibility in keeping with their duties as constant Crusaders.

Despite their fierce independence and bellicose nature, the Blood Bearers still venerate their gene-father as other Scions of Sanguinius Chapters do, for the Blood Bearers' oaths of allegiance are sworn to him and to the Master of Mankind.

Deathwatch Service
The Blood Bearers have a long history of service with the Deathwatch. When serving as Deathwatch Battle-Brothers, Blood Bearers hold themselves and all around them to high standards of conduct and skill. The Sons of Sanguinius are experts in the use of masterpiece weapons and the launching of army-shattering assaults. Their Vanguard Veterans are an inspiring sight in the ranks of the Deathwatch.

When Blood Bearers have been selected as a Kill-team leader or ascended to the rank of Watch Captain or Commander, they can be hard task masters, yet completely competent in everything that they do. Behind the mask, the exemplar of perfection is wracked by effects of the Flaw of the Chapter. None save his fellow Sons of Sanguinius will ever know of these afflictions, and even amongst themselves, such Battle-Brothers rarely acknowledge it openly, preferring instead to suffer in dignity, until their Apocryphon Oath is discharged and they can return to their Chapter.

Notable Blood Bearers

 * Lord Commander Azrael Stone - Azrael Stone is the twenty-second Chapter Master to bear the burden of being the Lord Commander of the Blood Bearers. Azrael is a living example for his brethren to aspire to, as he bears the noblest traits of their gene-sire, the angelic Sanguinius, as well as his ferocious and fiery rage in battle. Considered a figure of awe and reverence, Azrael, like many of his afflicted brethren, struggles to contain the Black Rage within, that has fallen like a shadow upon the soul of his Chapter. In battle, he is like the Red Angel himself - a nimbus of light plays about his head as he lets the blood-rage overtake him. Once his ire is up, he proceeds to rend his foes in a hail of blood, leaving torn limbs and ravaged bodies in his wake. But as soon as his enemies have fallen, once again, he'll clamp down his iron will and shackle the fiery rage within, pulling himself back from the brink of the abyss.
 * Aeron Mortanus, High Chaplain of the Death Company - Bearing a terrible responsibility, as it falls to him to watch over all 110 remaining Space Marines of the Blood Bearers Chapter for the onset of the Black Rage. This is a position he has occupied for nearly 350 years and it is whispered by many that the strain of watching so many of his friends and comrades descend into the Rage, becoming raving lunatics hungry only for blood, has started to take its toll on his sanity. At this time, he has the final word as to who must be inducted into the Death Company and which of those Marines must be permanently incarcerated on the Red Shroud, when they fall so far into madness that even he cannot control them. When not in combat, Aeron spends most of his time on board the Red Shroud, watching over his charges, ostensibly to find a path that will allow them to rejoin the Chapter. However his constant secrecy has a great many of the Blood Bearers questioning his motives.
 * Centurion Gideon Raf - Raf is a Centurion of the Blood Bearers 9th Company. Known as a taciturn and cool-headed veteran, Raf obeys his orders without question. A trusted veteran, Gideon is often consulted by his commander, Captain Raldoron Ven. On occasion he has taken temporary command of the 9th Company in Captain Vens' absence.

Chapter Fleet
The Blood Bearers exist as a fleet-based Chapter designed to operate solely as a warfleet on a perpetual Crusade. However, the Blood Bearers do not follow the standard Crusade pattern of operation when it comes to a Fleet based Chapter. The Chapter functions exclusively on a much rarer operational strategy for its warfleet known as the 'Nomad-Predation' pattern.This pattern utilised by the Blood Bears has matured over the millennia when operating beyond the Imperium's boundaries for prolonged ages of time. The Nomad-Predation pattern has allowed the Blood Bearers to be an entirely sovereign force that could sustain itself without any support whatsoever.The Scions of Sanguinius are ever vigilant, and are always ready for battle which is why they have chosen to remain a highly mobile, fleet-based Chapter.

The Blood Bearers fleet of the is known to contain the following starships:


 * Crimson Death (Gloriana Class Battleship) - The Crimson Death is a recently forged vessel based upon the ancient Great Crusade-era capital ship design, one of many such classes of warship, recently commissioned for construction by the newly returned Primarch Roboute Guilliman to take part of the Indomitus Crusade. This massive class of Imperial battleship was one of the most formidable class of vessel ever constructed, often utilised by a Primarch as their personal flagship. This role was due to these warships' incredible array of firepower, which allowed them to single-handedly batter entire fleets or recalcitrant planets into submission. The Gloriana-class Battleship had been out of commission since the days following the destructive conflict of the Horus Heresy, one of a number of vessels deemed too powerful to be left in the hands of any single commander after the betrayals committed during the Age of Darkness. But the fall of Cadia and the formation of the Great Rift, never has there been such a need for such a mighty vessel, to take the fight to the myriad of foes that assail the Imperium of Man from all corners of the galaxy. Gifted to the Blood Bearers by the Lord Commander of the Imperium, the Chapter graciously accepted this profound gift. This mighty vessel now serves as the flagship of the Blood Bearers mighty Chapter fleet and serves essentially as the Chapter's mobile Fortress-Monastery.


 * Red Shroud (Relic Battleship - Unknown Class) - The Red Shroud was a Relic Battleship that pre-dated the founding of the Imperium -- a veteran of centuries of nightmarish war amid the dark stars and aged in scars and honours.


 * Spear of Retribution (Battle Barge) - The Spear of Retribution is a vessel known to be present in the Blood Bearers Chapter fleet.


 * Swift Vengeance (Strike Cruisder) - Strike Cruiser assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.


 * Radiant Dawn (Strike Cruiser) - Strike Cruiser assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.


 * Fortitude (Strike Cruiser) - Strike Cruiser assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.


 * Terrible Angel (Strike Cruiser) - Strike Cruiser assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.


 * Halberd of Vengeance (Strike Cruiser) - Strike Cruiser that carried Task Force Onslaught to the Vernalis System. The Halberd earned much renown for its participation in the Gothic War.


 * Berus (Frigate) - Frigate assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.


 * Dauntless One (Frigate) - Frigate assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.


 * Inferno (Destroyer) - Destroyer assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.


 * Unbowed (Destroyer) - Destroyer assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.


 * Oath of Blood (Destroyer) - Destroyer assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.


 * Angel's Talon (Troopship) - Troopship assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.


 * Archangel's Edge (Troopship) - Troopship assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Fleet.

Chapter Colours
The Blood Bearers paint their Power Armour black, with a white Chapter badge and squad markings.The shoulders of the Power Armour are painted a dark red and the trim is gold in color. The Imperial Aquila on the chest plate is usually gold, white or black.

Heraldry of the Host
The heraldic system the Blood Bearers adhere to allows them to recognise at a glance what company and squad any given battle-brother belongs to. This swift recognition in the amidst of battle are obvious. The Blood Bearers revere their heraldry, and bear their markings as badges of pride.

Helmet Designations
Instead of using the standard Codex-compliant symbols to show a unit's role or helm colour to denote rank, the Blood Bearers' helms reflect the squad type to which they belong:
 * Assault Marine: Bone - Battle-Brother assigned to an Assault Squad
 * Tactical Marine: Black - Battle-Brother of the standard Battle Companies
 * Devastator Marine: Dark Red - Battle-Brother assigned to a Heavy Support Squad
 * Veteran Marine: Gold - 1st Company Veteran Battle-Brothers

Unlike other Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, the Blood Bearers wear the same squad markings of their Progenitors, which comprise a single symbol worn on the right knee plate of their Power Armour:


 * 1st Squad: A white skull on a black background
 * 2nd Squad: A white skull on a gold background
 * 3rd Squad: A black blood drop on a gold background
 * 4th Squad: A gold blood drop on a black background
 * 5th Squad: A gold X on a black background
 * 6th Squad: A black X on a gold background
 * 7th Squad: A gold lightning bolt on a black background
 * 8th Squad: A black lightning bolt on a gold background
 * 9th Squad: A gold angelic wing on a black background
 * 10th Squad: A black angelic wing on a gold background

Chapter Relations
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Blood Scorpions
The Blood Scorpions are a 6th Founding Successor Chapter descended from the Blood Angels. In temperament, this grim and ruthless Space Marine Chapter is very similar to their elder cousins, the Blood Bearers.

Blood Vultures
Although the Blood Vultures are unconfirmed Scions of Sanguinius, this 13th Founding Chapter has crossed paths and collaborated with the Blood Bearers on many occasions. In general, the Blood Vultures distrust most outsiders, but the Bearers have proven to be as bellicose and savage in the destruction of the enemies of Mankind, as they are. Down the millennia, a strong bond of kinship has formed between these two resolute Chapters. They have ended the lives of many heretics, apostates and xenos that have made the unfortunate mistake of crossing their paths.

Crimson Raptors
Although an aloof Chapter and one that prefers to lead a solitary existence, the Crimson Raptors have, on rare occasions, crossed paths and collaborated with the Blood Bearers. On multiple occasions, these two Chapters have shared common cause, having fought alongside one another down the millennia, decimating their foes in a hail of bolter and blade and ensuring their foes die in agony and fear.

Flesh Tearers
The Blood Bearers and the ruthless Flesh Tearers share a similar fearsome mien and bitter anima. Hailing from the same proud lineage of the Blood Angels, these two bloody-handed Chapters forged strong bonds of brotherhood during the Tosovic Pacification in the 37thMillennium. A war of such brutality that nothing now grows upon the wind-whipped plains of that planet. Since that time, though these two Chapters have not fought alongside one another for several millennia, they both swore binding blood-oaths, that should one Chapter ever call upon the other for aid, that they would do so - a debt repaid by both sides only on a handful of occasions.

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Orks
The Blood Bearers have a pathological hatred for Orks. Reviling all greenskins with a passion, they see them as nothing more than mindless brutes that care about nothing but war and spreading chaos. To the Blood Bearers, the Orks are a blight that must be exterminated by any means necessary.

Tyranids
They Blood Bearers are also known to passionately hate Tryanids, due to the events that occurred during The Darkest Hour when Hive Fleet Leviathan is determined to be on a direct course for Baal. To make matters worse, the dread Bloodthirster Ka'Bandha, the Bane of Sanguinius, returns from the Warp leading an army of daemons. Faced with a possible war of extermination for the Chapter on two fronts.

The Blood Angels, Blood Bearers, and many other Scions of Sanguinius make a valiant last stand upon Baal Prime itself. With a seemingly unending tide at their disposal, the Hive Fleet launches nineteen waves of attacking xenos, each one larger than the last.

The tide is turned when massive warp storms, the like which have not been seen since the Age of Stife, cut off the galactic north from Terra. The Hive Fleet have mysteriously disappeared, and in its place, a new fleet arrives in the form of the Indomitus Crusade. Led by the resurrected Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman, the Avenging Son launches a brutal counter-strike which sees the Tyranids vanquished and the Scions of Sanguinius saved. A great rebuilding of both world and decimated Chapters quickly takes place, as the Primarch bestows upon the Scions of Sanguinius with hundreds of newly created Primaris Space Marines to help these Chapters offset their recently sustained catastrophic losses.

Since that time, the Blood Bearers want nothing more than to avenge themselves against the Tyranids for the lives of their fallen battle-brothers.

Forces of Chaos
The Blood Bearers bear utter contempt for all traitors of man that has endured for millennia. This hatred stems from the Great Betrayal that occurred ten millennia earlier, when the Arch-Betrayer slew the Red Angel aboard his flagship, during the final apocalyptic battle during the Siege of Terra. Since their inception, the Chapter endlessly journeys through the void of space, dispensing the Emperor's fearsome justice to all who would stand against His rule. For the Blood Bearers, their quest is neverending, as their blood calls out for vengeance against those who would dare turn away from the light of the benevolent Emperor of Mankind. Thus, they have continued their purge across the known galaxy of any and all traitors.

Notable Quotes
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By the Blood Bearers
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About the Blood Bearers
"Such a noble bearing, brother, but you have no need to keep your savagery a secret from us, we know it well. Come, let us share a drink, it will whet our appetites for the sparring cages."

- Chapter Master Eulitus Ephrain of the Wings of Salvaxes "Draughts of blood to soothe the beast, crimson meals of charnel feast, noble sons in blood-stained gold, little known is the bargain sold."

- Unknown Mortarchs Serpentia Marine