Bone Reapers

This article, Bone Reapers, was written by Algrim Whitefang. Please do not edit or 'acquire' this fiction without the writer's permission.

This article, Bone Reapers, is currently under active construction. The author, Algrim Whitefang, apologizes for the inconvenience.

Bone Reapers
Bone Reapers armorial with Chapter iconography.
A Bone Reapers Revenant-Brother of the 4th Harrow, unknown Battleline Squad.
Space Marine Chapter
Allegiance	Imperium of Man (Fidelitas Scindere Recurso)
Founding	25th 'Bastion' Founding
Successor of	Blood Angels (Sanguinius lineage.)
Chapter Master	Mortarch Bolerin Hallow
Homeworld	N/A; Fleet-Based
Fortress-Monastery	Ossus Damnatio (Flagship)
Allies	Blood Vultures Blood Bearers Broken Wings (Formerly)
Specialty	Shock Assault, Search & Destroy, Pursuit Operations, Ship-Borne Assaults & Boarding Actions (Space Hulk Purgation, Line-Breaker Attacks, 'Forlorn Hope' Objective Assaults), Strategic Decapitation Strikes, Planetary Interdiction Campaigns, Multi-Vector and Sub-Orbital Attack
Battle Cry	"Bones and dust!"
Colours	Black & Silver
Successor Chapter(s)	None known.

"The death march begins! Brothers of the Scourge, reapers of bone, heed the call of the Mortarch! Let the ground stain red with the blood of the fallen. The Imperator Mortifex watches over us! Leave only ashes and misery in your wake! Bones and dust!"

"Bones and dust!""

— Liege Immortis Aginor during the Second Campaign of Damnation, ca. 501.M41

The Bone Reapers are a Loyalist Successor Chapter created from an unknown genetic lineage in late M40, during the 25^th Founding, the so-called 'Bastion Founding' - one of several newly incepted Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes - created to stand fast against the myriad threats that assailed the realm of Mankind. Formerly known as the Revenant Lords, this young and bellicose Chapter was eager to prove themselves in the eyes of their elder cousin Chapters. Almost immediately, their Chapter fleet took to the stars, intent on bringing the sword of wrath and retribution to the enemies of Mankind. Striking like an inferno upon the battlefield, they did not simply castigate but instead ravaged their foes, a deadly weapon that could not be directed or controlled, only endured.

Indeed, as the centuries passed, the atrocities and callous acts committed by the Revenant Lords seemed to grow to near-epidemic proportions, as calls for the Chapter's formal reprimand were brought to the attention of the High Twelve themselves. Despite their effectiveness as a tool of retribution in the arsenal of the Imperial war machine in the castigation of recalcitrant worlds or against those Chapters that had fallen to the corruption of the Dark Gods, their savage displays of barbarity and unsubstantiated rumours of bloody rituals could no longer be ignored. The Chapter was formally censured by the High Twelve and kept under constant surveillance by members of the Inqusition's Ordo Astartes. However, due to their highly active and Crusading nature, it was difficult to track the Chapter, as they often sent several detachments across the width and breadth of the Imperium to fight a myriad of conflicts.

However, the Chapter's true nature would be brought to light in 910.M41, almost by accident, during the events of the Imperial campaign known as the Red Blade Wars upon the rebellious hive world of Gloriam Secundus, when the majority of the Revenant Lords' 1^st Company fell into an uncontrollable killing frenzy and began to attack their allies from the Murdering Sons Chapter. The resulting conflict between the two Chapters was only averted through the timely intervention of the Inquisition and a large Crusader host of the Black Templars.

Their shame revealed to all, the Revenant Lords would voluntarily undertake a five-decade-long Penitent Crusade for the role they played in the internecine conflict. It was while the Chapter was crusading near the Eastern Fringe against the vile threat of the Tyranids that they were greeted by a small envoy from the venerable Blood Angels Chapter, led by High Chaplain Astorath the Grim, who revealed the truth of the Chapter's genetic lineage. At long last, the Revenant Lords came to understand the nature of the afflictions that had plagued their Chapter for centuries - and had hitherto been unable to explain - and had worked so diligently to conceal from outsiders.

Embracing their heritage as one of the many Chapters of The Blood, the Revenant Lords renamed themselves the 'Bone Reapers', vowing to reap the bones of their enemies in honour of their gene-sire, the angelic Primarch Sanguinius. Slowly, the Chapter has begun to accept the traditions and customs of their Progenitors, though their newly formed order of Sanguinary Priests yet struggles to curb the worst excesses of the Chapter's inherited warrior culture and blood practices.

Chapter History

Inception

As the 40^th Millennium drew to a close, the Galaxy was set upon by a multitude of threats - from within, without, and beyond. During this tumultuous era, the Imperium was seemingly beset on all sides - the powers of the Archenemy had begun to wax nigh, as hundreds of worlds fell into open rebellion and Chaos Cults of every ilk revealed themselves. To make matters worse, a new alien menace in the form of the Tyranids smashed their way into the known galaxy. Meanwhile, several xenos that would have never dared defy the Imperium before now brazenly struck out against the Emperor's domain. To counter these encroaching threats, the High Lords of Terra deemed it necessary for a new Founding of Adeptus Astartes Chapters to take place.

Operating far afield of the Imperium's boundaries for extended periods of time, the newly incepted Revenant Lords operated solely from their substantial warfleet as part of a perpetual Imperial Crusade, similar to such notable Chapters as the Wardens of Orask and the savage Megalodons. Like the latter Chapter, the Revenant Lords preferred to make use of the rare operational strategy known as the 'Nomad-Predation'. Self-sufficient and self-contained, this enabled the Chapter to sustain itself without any Imperial support nearly indefinitely.

However, due to their isolationism and propensity for recruiting from the most deadly of feral worlds, the Chapter had seemingly inherited the savagery and bellicose demeanour inherent in such barbarous gene-stock. Many Imperial savants believe this was how the Chapter inherited its callous indifference when dealing with the average Imperial citizen, heedless of collateral damage or the overall welfare for those for whom they were created to protect. The continuous wars fought in the Emperor's name had bred within the Bone Reapers' hearts a cold and grim demeanour, and a casual disregard for suffering and death.

Rage and Blood

As the centuries passed, the Chapter began to be plagued by a strange affliction that saw a portion of their battle-brothers being overcome with a brooding hunger for blood and death that was as terrifying as it was effective. Once committed to battle, they would not relent, did not retreat, and could not be stopped. They fought until the enemy was utterly destroyed and paid no heed to the thought of mercy, leaving massive graveyards in their wake. The stench of death and madness was ever on them, making their presence on the eve of battle, unwelcomed by their fellow Imperial allies. The Chapter became a dangerous and highly effective weapon, however, they were unsheathed only in the direst need and then once again, hidden away, until such time that the High Lords would call upon them to enact retribution. The Revenant Lords accepted their lot with grim pride, never shirking the mantle they wore in His name and never balking from the tasks assigned to them.

The fate of the Revenant Lords stood upon a knife's edge. Though deemed a necessary, but unsightly weapon, these gore-spattered and ruthless warriors helped hold back the unending tide of xenos and Chaos marauders that threatened the stability and security of the Imperium of Man. Despite the many victories achieved by this unrelenting Chapter, ultimately, these triumphs were marred by the sight of blood-smeared Astartes stalking the field of battle, seeking out the fallen and wounded champions of the enemy amongst the corpse-choked field, in order to feast upon their flesh and blood, though few among their detractors truly understood the purpose of their grim fixation and practicality. However, with each bloody deed and merciless act committed by the Revenant Lords, the call for the Chapter's former castigation by the Senatorum Imperialis could no longer be ignored.

Blood and Death

A Revenant Lords Battle-Brother of the 4^th Company, 9^th Battleline Squad wearing relic power armour with the Chapter's original livery following their inception.

Though a potent and highly effective Chapter in the persecution of their duties, the Revenant Lords' reputation had become darkly famed for their cruel and unusual tactics, especially in the use of terror and psychological warfare. Extant reports during this era make mention of these Astartes killing and consuming enemy prisoners, displaying their ravaged corpses upon the walls of fortresses to demoralise the enemy. Unknown to the average mortal however, was the practical purpose of such horrific and bloody acts, as the ingestion of flesh helped the Astartes' omophagea implant absorb the genetic material and extract memories and experiences of their fallen enemies - a highly effective tool to secure vital intelligence.

The Revenant Lords soon began to incorporate their Chapter's secret bloody rituals into their doctrines of battle, tearing apart the enemy on the field of battle or indulging in bloody feasts to break their foes' morale and set panic in their ranks. However, the graphic display of these gore-splattered Astartes ripping the throats out of a fallen enemy or captured prisoner had a powerful psychological impact, giving rise to the many stories of flesh-eating and blood-drinking rituals utilised by the warriors of this Chapter. The Revenant Lords did little to dispel these rumours, and continued their bloody-handed practices, coming to embrace this invaluable tool of terror-inducing horror.

The Chapter well understood the role of their macabre legend in war, most often choosing to stage their assaults at dusk or dawn, and took to decorating their armour with a variety of charnel images and the bones and skulls of their defeated enemies, adding further to their macabre reputation, This last practice of decorating their battle-plate with bones of the dead gave rise to a new epithet amongst the rank and file of the Emperor's mortal armies - the 'Bone Reapers'. Despite their effectiveness against the most stalwart of enemies, alone and far from aid, the Chapter's sinister reputation they had gained hung about them like a shroud, lessening their achievements and creating much acrimony between themselves and other more 'civilised' Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. Created as they were, to fight against the most vile of monsters of the darkest reaches of the galaxy, in doing so, they risked becoming creatures far fouler than those they fought.

Darkness Revealed

It was during the closing century of the 41^st Millennium that the inherent darkness of the Revenant Lords would be brought to the light - revealed to all. Within Imperial annals, the campaign that would come to be known as the Red Blade Wars would be fought within the isolated, but vitally important industrial Ilmarinen sub-sector which contained three manufactorum worlds and several smaller industrial moons that produced much of the weapons and armoured vehicles of several Astra Militarum regiments located in multiple adjacent Imperial sectors. These industrial worlds included the vitally important capital hive world of Gloriam Secundus, a forge fane of prodigious output which had the ability to produce several examples of god-engines utilised by the Collegia Titanica. The entire sub-sector had fallen to the predations of a large force of marauding Ork invaders intent on acquiring the Imperial manufactorums for their own nefarious purposes.

The vital manufactorums of the capital world could not be allowed to remain in the hands of the vile greenskins, who would assuredly put the massive industrial complex to the creation of foul makeshift creations, such as Mega-Gargants, to be used against nearby Imperial systems. When word reached Segmentum command of the sub-sector's fall, an Astropathic call for aid was hastily dispatched. They were not long in waiting, as two Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes quickly answered the call to arms - the Revenant Lords and the Murdering Sons, another fearsome Chapter of ill-repute and darkly famed reputation. Both Chapters were of similar mien and bellicose in temperament, and rightly feared for their fanaticism in delivering the Emperor's retribution. Though both Chapters agreed to work in tandem with one another, throughout the campaign, they both vied with one another to claim the most victories. Matters would finally come to a head upon the the hive world of Gloriam Secundus.

Without preamble or coordination with their fellow Chapter, the Revenant Lords launched a planetary assault upon the greenskin forces occupying the hive capital below. As their drop pods crashed into the ground and disgorged their deadly payload, the Revenant Lords broke through the greenskin throng with contemptuous ease, relieving the beleaguered planetary defence force defenders. The Chapter continued to press its attack towards the main industrial sector as the Murdering Sons attacked the cantonments of the Orks located in the northern sector of the hive capital, their superior arms and armour allowing them to seize control and cast out the Ork warriors they came across with uncompromising brutality. However, as the Revenant Lords pressed towards the industrial district located in the center of the hive capital, they encountered an unending deluge of greenskins, whose forces were augmented by dozens of Killa Kanz and Deff Dreads, which threatened to encircle and overwhelm the enraged Astartes. Though the Revenant Lords fought doggedly, killing scores of the enemy for each battle-brother lost, the sheer numbers of the foe began to force them back. Attempting to regroup, the remaining companies formed a spearhead in an attempt to break through the Orks and reach the distant banner poles that signified the position of the greenskin horde's warlord.

As the tip of the Revenant Lords' formation threatened to reach the encampment of the Ork Warlord, the brutal greenskin commander unleashed his cabal of Weirdboyz upon the unsuspecting Astartes. Calling upon the power of the WAAAGH!, reality rippled and tore, as green lightning reaped a hideous toll of casualties amongst the Space Marines and Ork horde indiscriminately, slowing turning the tide of battle. Enraged at the Orks' duplicity, the Revenant Lords were forced to quit the field of battle or be utterly destroyed, a choice that might have doomed other more honour-bound Chapters, but not the pragmatic Revenant Lords. The Astartes turned and hacked a bloody path through the throng with toothless chainswords, broken blades, empty bolters and the cracked pieces of their own fallen comrades' battle-plate.

Two whole companies were lost in the monumental battle, but the Revenant Lords remained undaunted and undeterred from achieving their goal. Hearing word of the Revenant Lords' temporary setback, the Murdering Sons fought all the harder to reach their beleaguered ally's position. The Murdering Sons Chapter Master, Torture Lord Knull Evlon, contacted the Revenant Lords' Mortarch (Chapter Master) and laid out his plan for a spearhead assault that would see an end to the threat of the Orks, and end their rampage once and for all. He concocted a co-ordinated decapitation strike upon the Ork Warlord's position while both their forces renewed their assault upon the outskirts of the warlord's position, attacking several dozen ork positions at once, distracting the greenskin forces from the Astartes' true goal. Ever-prideful, the Revenant Lords were wont to accept any assistance from outsiders - even that, from a fellow Space Marine Chapter. To balm their wounded pride, the Torture Lord offered the Revenant Lords the esteemed honour of spearheading the assault. The Mortarch agreed, and so, the two Chapters launched their audacious plan to eradicate the greenskin menace from the face of Gloriam Secundus.

Undertaking their strategy, both Chapters launched several smaller co-ordinated assaults upon the Orks' positions throughout the hive capital, drawing away the majority of the warlord's forces to help shore up their defenses. The Revenant Lords and Murdering Sons harried and beset the enemy, who resisted with great stubbornness and ferocity, fighting to the bitter end on every outpost and imposing upon the Astartes forces a high cost for each position that fell. The Revenant Lords staged ambushes and feigned retreats, drawing the greenskins towards craters rigged with blasting charges to stymie the Orks' advance. Reaping a heavy toll against the greenskins, it was at this moment that the Terminator-armoured formations of both Chapters' elite 1^st Companies launched their decapitation strike upon the orks warlord's position. Once again, the ork warlord unleashed his Weirdboyz against the invading Astartes, with the Murdering Sons Terminators taking the brunt of the warlocks' psychic attack, but the sheer firepower they brought to bear helped overcome the mighty bolts of searing ectoplasm energy unleashed by the ork psykers in a hail of high-explosive rounds. Meanwhile, the Revenant Lords elite 1^st Company, the Necrophoroi, teleported directly in the center of the warlord's makeshift fortress, and quickly overcame the warlord's feeble defences. His Weirdboyz dead and his fortress in ruin, the Ork warlord attempted to flee as the Revenant Lords proceeded to continue slaughtering the few greenskin forces that remained.

What exactly occurred next is obscured by the fog of war, however, eyewitness accounts and several helmet-feed captures indicate that some of the Necrophoroi were afflicted by some sort of blood-madness that saw them unleash their killing rage upon their own allies. The Revenant Lords no longer fought with cool reason and righteous might, but with a berserker's madness, their minds consumed by what some Imperial scholars believe was the manifestation of the Blood Angels' genetic curse known as the Black Rage. Unstoppable, they no longer distinguished friend from foe, and all that stood in their path was obliterated. In their madness, the Revenant Lords' thirst for blood could not be slaked, and tragically, they cut down not only a good portion of the warriors of the Murdering Sons' 1^st Company, but their Chapter Master as well.

Notable Campaigns

• Second Campaign of Damnation (501.M41) - During this campaign, the renegade Sons of Damnation finally faced the Imperium's wrath for their transgressions, but this time they would not be facing heretic forces, but fellow Space Marine Chapters. The Sons of Damnation did not care for their old loyalty to the Emperor, for they were wholly corrupted and ready to kill in the name of the Dark Gods. The Inquisition ordered three Space Marine Chapters to take part in the eradication of the heretic Sons of Damnation - the Revenant Lords,Astral Claws and Void Ravens Chapters. This campaign would take place upon Lightrim, the Chapter homeworld of the Sons themselves. When the three Chapters landed on the surface, they first encountered what appeared to be Frateris Militia - masses of the Imperial Cult's most zealous faithful who often gathered to fight wars of faith against the enemies of the God-Emperor. But in reality, they were actually Chaos Cultists, wholly given over to the Ruinous Powers. There were many tainted psykers within their ranks who had been given fell power by the Sons of Damnation, making them formidable opponents and powerful with the malefic magics of the Dark Gods. The ranks of these ill-trained rabble numbered in the tens of thousands, but they proved no match for the transhuman Astartes that assaulted their ranks.
  
  In order to make their way towards the Sons' fortress-monastery, they had to fight their way through the capital city of Gloryrim. They purged the Chaos corrupted city with bolter, blade and cleansing flame of its foul denizens. This event would come to be called 'The Dark Purging'. Before the Loyalist Astartes were able to reach the fallen temples at the base of the mountain where the fortress-monastery was perched at its peak, the Sons of Damnation were able to reach it first, which would prove to be a bloody blow to all Chapters of the loyalist forces. Pre-positioned and dug in, the Sons set up deadly kill zones in anticipation of the loyalist assault. When the loyalists arrived, the Sons reaped a fearful tally, all but halting their advance. Captain Kel'Thuzad held the loyalist forces for about four hours. However, they were not able to control it for long, as the Loyalists eventually broke through the Sons' lines. Kel'thuzad was ordered to hold off the loyalist forces, to enable Chapter Master Colmev'um to reach his apotheosis as a Daemon Prince, however, Kel'thuzad had different plans, which would end the fighting quickly.
  
  Kel'thuzad took his men to the Master's Domain, were the Chapter Master was enacting a dark ritual, as the loyalists opened fire on their fortress-monastery. Kel'thuzad was done being controlled by bands of slavery - he wanted true power as well as the favor of the Dark Gods. Both Tzeentch and Slaanesh twisted the mind of Kel'thuzad to betray his master and take his role as the newly appointed Chapter Master. Kel'thuzad willingly obeyed the will of the Dark God and slew Colmev'um. He was then granted their favour and was given Colmev'um's dark powers, and quickly instilled himself as a self-serving tyrant. He gathered his remaining warriors and fled to orbit, were they would make good their escape and search the galaxy for yet more dark powers to attain for themselves.

• Blood Wars (910-911.M41) - During the campaign known as the Red Blade Wars, which occurred in 910-911.M41, the Revenant Lords fought alongside the Murdering Sons, a fearsome Chapter of some ill-repute, upon the hive world of Gloriam Secundus to cleanse it of the foul taint of greenskins. Throughout the campaign, the two Chapters vied with one another to claim the most victories. It was on the capital world of Gloriam Secundus where matters between the two Chapters would come to a head. During the Battle of Hive Ebonspire, the ferocious counter-attack was spearheaded by the Revenant Lords' 1^st Company elite, the Necrophoroi, which helped to drive off the attacking Ork forces. But it is here that the fog of war obscures the truth of the events that occurred following the final counter-attack. It is not known, with any certainty, which Chapter was responsible for starting the feud that continues to this day.
  
  Evidence compiled from pict-captures, vox traffic, witness testimony and helmet feeds taken from fallen Astartes on both sides, would paint a general picture of the dire events that surround that fateful day. Many Imperial scholars believe that some of the Bone Hunters had fallen into the throes of the Blood Angels' genetic curse known as the Black Rage, and continued their indiscriminate slaughter even after the Orks had been annihilated. The afflicted Revenant Lords tore into the Murdering Sons' ranks, unable to distinguish between friend and foe, and so, the Revenant Lords brutally butchered many of their own cousin Astartes, including the Murdering Sons' Torture Lord (Chapter Master) Zaphon Evlon. Outraged by the actions of their supposed 'allies', the enraged Murdering Sons turned their wrath upon the rest of the Revenant Lords in a hail of bolter fire. When testifying before a formal Inquisitorial tribunal, many surviving Bone Reapers maintained that it was the Murdering Sons who had instigated hostilities between the two Chapters. They had a reputation for arrogance and would often provoke their fellow Astartes for their perceived failings, which sometimes resulted in violence. Whatever the truth of the matter, what is known with any certainty, is that the resultant battle saw brother-fighting-brother, with the death of many dozens on either side.
  
  The fighting devolved into a savage war of attrition between the two Chapters, which resulted in the loss of over half their number on both sides. With the two combatant Chapters refusing calls to end their feud and aid with the pacification of Gloriam Secundus and its surrounding conquered worlds, an Ordo Astartes Inquisitor, leading three large Crusade forces from the Black Templars, were despatched to sunder the two and end the internal strife. In the decades after, both sides would claim that the other Chapter was responsible for setting in motion the terrible chain of events that led to their confrontation. This conflict is a source of pride for both Chapters, and a source of secret shame. Though both claimed victory, each Chapter feared that they had actually lost, and in truth, the battle proved bloody but inconclusive.
  
  In retribution for their disreputable actions, both Chapters were forced to undergo a fifty-year long Penitent Crusade for taking up arms against one another. This conflict has created lasting enmity between the Revenant Lords and the Murdering Sons Chapters. Both have sworn vengeance upon the other should the opportunity arise and each Chapter has banned one another from entering their respective demesnes. This terrible event came to be known forevermore as the 'Blood Wars'.

• The Sanguine Rift Campaign (013.M42) - The rupture of reality that became known as the Cicatrix Maledictum marked a moment of both horror and revelation for the Dark Vultures Chaos warband. To them, the galaxy's agony was not a tragedy - it was prophecy made manifest. Atramos Vile, the blood-maddened seer-priest of their Warp-covens, claimed to have dreamt of the Rift's coming for centuries in tides of iron and gore. In his nightmares, he saw a skein of red thread stretching across the stars, tethering the sons of Sanguinius like marionettes to their deaths. Thus began the Sanguine Rift Campaign, a coordinated five-sector assault designed to bring ruin to the heirs of the Great Angels.
  
  The campaign unfolded like a serrated blade, its edge dragging across the Narixis Veil, the Vorthax Reach, and the splintered stars of the Crimson Thule Cluster. Atramos Vile led from the front in madness and insight, divining coordinates from warp-born omens, bleeding maps onto parchment made of flayed flesh. The Dark Vultures' warbands, supported by daemonbound siege engines from the Vultros Mechania, struck with sickening precision. Worlds long held by Blood Angels successor Chapters found themselves suddenly under siege by nightmare foes who knew not only their defenses—but their gene-line weaknesses and ancestral rites.
  
  The Vermillion Fangs bore the brunt of the first blow at Drossmir Reach, a fortress-world known for its cathedral bastions and tomb-barricaded cliffs. The Dark Vultures, aided by the daemonhost Khar'zul the Dirgemaw, ruptured the local warp veil and vomited forth entities that sang dirges in reverse tongues, causing vox-casters to explode and minds to collapse. After sixteen days of blood-drenched horror, the Vermillion Fangs' fortress-monastery was breached by the warband Ash-Talons, and only seventeen survivors escaped aboard the burning Sanctifier's Grace, which would later disappear into the Maelstrom without explanation.
  
  Elsewhere, elements of the Bone Reapers Chapter launched a defiant counter-attack against the corrupted manufactoria of Gratha's Fall, only to find themselves entrenched in a twenty-eight-day meatgrinder. Waves of flesh-grafted daemon beasts birthed by the warpsmith Ekkaroz the Leash hurled themselves at the trenches, snarling and twitching, as Ash-Talon raptors strafed from the sky. Apothecaries later recorded that gene-seed implantation rates dropped drastically due to tainted air and psychic disruption, further weakening their ability to replenish their numbers. Still, the Bone Reapers reclaimed the hive at a staggering cost, their banners soaked in foul blood and carried by brothers who would never sleep again.
  
  The campaign culminated above the ruin-world of Kharask Quintus, a once-agri world split by tectonic upheaval and now consumed by Warpfire storms. There, the Blood Vultures Chapter, sworn to eternal vengeance, arrived with their battered fleet to meet their traitorous kin head-on. The Black Maw, wreathed in reality-twisting energy and crowned with shrines of desiccated relics, met them in orbit. The void war that followed was one of the most violent since the Great Rift's emergence. The venerable Strike Cruiser Blood Testament plunged into the Maw's defences, detonating a melta core deep within its hull, destroying the Maw's ventral cannon array in a brilliant explosion that could be seen from the surface.
  
  But victory eluded the loyalists. The Blood Testament and over 300 Space Marines were lost with all hands, and the Dark Vultures' warbands descended to harvest the remains. The wreckage was recovered, sanctified relics pried loose, and its hull fragments later seen fused into the Black Maw's hull, adorned with mosaics of flensed flesh and gilded bone taken from its defenders. The campaign ended not with the triumph of the Emperor's sons, but with a brutal reminder: the Dark Vultures do not fight for conquest or glory, but to annihilate bloodlines and memories, staining history itself with their corruption. The Sanguine Rift Campaign remains a shrouded, ever-festering wound along the Great Rift's edge - a place where brother fought brother, and nightmares walked in crimson light.

Chapter Homeworld

To maintain their viability as a fully-functioning Chapter, the Bone Reapers rely on a steady influx of new recruits to replace their losses, whether caused by the unpredictable dangers of warp travel or the heavy toll exacted during extended periods of warfare. As a fleet-based Chapter without a single world to call home, they have adapted by recruiting from multiple feral worlds located near the notorious Eye of Terror. These worlds are harsh, inhospitable places where only the toughest and most deadly humans can survive, making them an ideal recruitment ground for potential Astartes.

The people who inhabit these worlds are forged in the crucible of constant hardship, living in a perpetual struggle for survival. The Bone Reapers have recruited from these planets for centuries, and as a result, they have inherited many of the savage traditions and brutal cultures that dominate these deadly worlds. The recruits are hardened warriors even before undergoing the gruelling process of becoming a Space Marine, and the Chapter itself displays a savage and bellicose mien in battle. The ferocity of the Bone Reapers in war reflects the unforgiving nature of their homeworlds, where strength is the only law and weakness is met with swift death.

Fortress-Monastery

As the Bone Reapers have no true homeworld to call their own, they have adapted to a life of constant movement, ever wItalicaging war across the stars in service to the Imperium. Instead of being anchored to a single planet, the Chapter operates from their massive flagship, the ancient and formidable Ossus Damnatio, a relic battle-barge that serves as their mobile fortress-monastery. This immense and fearsome warship is not merely a vessel of war but the very heart of the Bone Reapers’ operations, functioning as both their sanctuary and their base of power.

The Ossus Damnatio is more than just a flagship; it is a symbol of the Chapter's grim and deathly nature, an imposing fortress that embodies their macabre aesthetic and relentless approach to warfare. Its vast hull is decorated with skeletal motifs, bone icons, and statues of reapers and deathly figures that loom over its decks. The battle-barge is said to have been crafted during the earliest days of the Chapter’s founding, and over the centuries it has accumulated layer upon layer of baroque adornments, trophies from long-forgotten battles, and the remains of vanquished enemies. These grim relics serve not only as symbols of the Chapter's countless victories but also as reminders of the mortality of all who oppose them.

Ossus Damnatio is a relic of the Great Crusade, a colossal warship of immense power and resilience. Its ancient plasma reactors and void shields, while maintained by the Chapter's Techmarines, are revered as much as the Chapter’s relics and artefacts, for they have enabled the Bone Reapers to wage war across the galaxy without pause. Its arsenal of weapons includes formidable lance batteries, plasma macros, and torpedo silos, capable of tearing through enemy fleets with lethal precision. Coupled with its heavy armor and void shields, the Ossus Damnatio is a near-unstoppable juggernaut in battle, capable of holding its own against entire enemy armadas.

The internal structure of the Ossus Damnatio reflects its dual purpose as both a warship and a fortress-monastery. Its massive halls are lined with ossuaries, where the bones of fallen Battle-Brothers are interred in solemn reverence. These bones are displayed with pride, enshrined within the walls of the ship’s reliquaries and crypts, serving as both a memorial to the dead and a source of spiritual power for the living. The Chapter’s Chaplains lead their brethren in rituals of death and rebirth within these sacred halls, reminding every Bone Reaper of their sacred duty and the finality of their cause.

At the heart of the Ossus Damnatio lies the Mortarch's sanctum, an inner sanctum where the Chapter Master resides and oversees the operations of the Chapter. It is said that this chamber is surrounded by the bones of former Mortarchs, their skeletal remains enshrined as eternal guardians, watching over their successors. From here, the Mortarch plans the Chapter’s campaigns, consults with the Morghast commanders, and ensures the Chapter’s continued readiness for war. The ship also houses the Reclusiam, where the Chapter’s Chaplains keep the ancient tomes and relics of their dark rites, as well as the Apothecarion, where the Chapter’s gene-seed is stored and new generations of Bone Reapers are created.

The Ossus Damnatio's role as a mobile fortress-monastery means that the Bone Reapers are never tethered to any one place. This allows them to operate with terrifying efficiency, striking without warning from the depths of space, before vanishing back into the void. This mobility gives the Chapter an edge in combat, as they can appear suddenly in distant warzones, overwhelming their enemies with rapid, brutal strikes. The ship also serves as a launching platform for their Terminator assaults, deploying the elite Necrophoroi and Mortek Guard directly into the heart of enemy forces via teleportation, where they wreak havoc on the battlefield.

Despite their nomadic existence, the Bone Reapers have established several key outposts across the galaxy, known as Bone Bastions. These fortified keeps serve as waystations where the Ossus Damnatio can resupply, repair, and recruit new aspirants for the Chapter. While these outposts provide valuable resources and strategic locations for the Chapter's ongoing campaigns, they are never truly home. For the Bone Reapers, home is the Ossus Damnatio, a grim and deathly fortress that accompanies them wherever the tides of war take them.

In many ways, the Ossus Damnatio is more than just a ship or a fortress; it is the embodiment of the Chapter's very identity. The Bone Reapers, with their obsession with death and the finality of mortal existence, view their battle-barge as a floating tomb, where they themselves are the spectral reapers, always on the march, bringing death and destruction to the enemies of the Emperor. To live and fight aboard the Ossus Damnatio is to accept the inevitability of death and to embrace it as the ultimate weapon.

Thus, the Ossus Damnatio stands as a silent, looming specter in the void, forever journeying through the stars, carrying its cadre of reapers to war after war. It is a place of grim rituals, relentless training, and constant preparation for the next campaign, the next harvest of souls. It is here that the Bone Reapers sharpen their blades, recite their oaths, and prepare to face the inevitable, not just for themselves, but for all who oppose the might of the Imperium. In the shadow of the Ossus Damnatio, death is an ever-present force, and the Bone Reapers are its willing servants.

Chapter Organisation

Pre-Revelation

In its original incarnation as the Revenant Lords, the Chapter was organised in accordance to the tenants of the Codex Astartes and intended to be deployed as a purley Codex Chapter. However, over several decades following their inception, the Chapter displayed it's characteristic individualism and willfullness, deploying their forces in accordance to their preferred tactics as a purely shock assault and close-combat force. Most often, their battle-brothers were equipped similarly as the ancient "reaver" squads of the old Legiones Astartes, close quarters optimised and wielding arms requiring limited resupply. Tactics were often developed at the company or even squad level during combat rather than being part of a larger Chapter-wide approach to strategy favoured by more Codex-oriented Chapter. This unique manner of operation, fighting at a distance from other Imperial forces and with limited oversight, served to limit the impact of the Chapter's more aberrant practices on the morale of allied units. It became a matter of tactic complicity among the various Imperial generals and commanders that fought alongside this Chapter that it was to be allowed to operate in a manner of their own choosing, rather than face their wrath.

During the first decades of their existence, the Chapter began to garner a fell reputation for savagery and carnage, favouring the destruction of heavy enemy resistance in brutal shock assaults. This highly autonomous, almost berseker force was often announced in a war zone without warning or even much by the way of reconnaissance. The Revenant Lords would hurl themselves at the enemy without heed of loss or cost. Once their rage was spent, the Chapter would then withdraw as suddenly as they had arrived. Over time the Revenant Lords developed particular expertise in search-and-destroy and pursuit operations, particularly in urban environments or in undertaking more generally punitive actions, such as the suppression of rebellions by inflicting short, brutal reprisal actions - tasks for which this Chapter seemed particularly suited. Under the command of their first Mortarch Acherus Kurzh, the Chapter became eminently suited for these type of operations, and indeed missions of which type Kurzh often requested for his Chapter.

The Chapter's company commanders during this era were little better than warlords rather than true Astartes officers, enforcing draconian discipline at the point of a blade, earning the respect of the warriors under their command with the strength of their arms, walking the battlefield as visceral forces of nature. Wherever their commanders advanced, their warriors followed without question. When holding the line, they would dig in, and when they finally would lay down their blades, only then, would they cease the killing. It was a brutally efficient stucture, one that could be impeded only by the infliction of massive casualites, for even if one commander fell, there were a dozen veterans ready to step forwards and take his place.

Post-Revelation

This all changed centuries later, during the Red Blade Wars on Gloriam Secundus which occurred during the latter centuries of the 41^st Millennium. It was here that the Chapter's true nature was revealed to all. For centuries the Revenant Lords had been secretly plagued by a strange murderous furor in which some of their warriors would fall into a state of bloodlust and barely-restrained brutality. The story was always the same - a warrior of the Revenant Lords in the throes of battle would eventually succumb to a rage that continued to build and build until all reason was lost. Once a battle-brother succumbed to this affliction, his humanity would be stripped away until only his feral core remained and all the blood-crazed Astartes wanted to do was kill and kill, satiating himself with the blood of his enemies.

Often times, these battle-brothers would be gathered in specialist assault squads and unleashed upon particularly troublesome enemy positions which proved all but impossible to break through. Utilising jump packs to get to grips with their foes, these blood-maddened Astartes were nigh unstoppable once they were fully immersed in their frenzied killing state, seemingly innured to pain and fighting on despite suffering horrendous wounds, severed limbs or even massive trauma that would ordinarily fell even an average Astartes. Those that somehow managed to survive one of these suicidal charges or a Zone Mortalis operation would be summarily executed at the end of the battle by one of the Chapter's Immortis (Chaplains). Euthanasia was cosnidered a mercy rather than letting their fallen battle-brothers succumb further into creatures consumed with rage and blood-madness.

Following the revelation of their secret shame and the knowledge imparted to them by High Executioner Astorath the Grim of the Blood Angels, the Chapter underwent a massive transformation in order to bring a sense of order to the often fractious Chapter, stamping a new structure onto it in order to contain its inherent hunger and rage. Though in essence this new order seemed to be in accordance to the Codex, the schema by which the newly reborn Chapter re-organised themselves actually varied a great deal from the standard patterns. The newly reorganised Chapter retained the basic stucture of companies (now referred by the bygone formation known as a 'Harrow') into 10 companies of approximately 100 Astartes each, although with the advent of the Indomitus Era and inclusion of newly revealed Primaris Space Marines, these companies now vary in size from 150-210 warriors. However, past this basic structure there are many discrepancies, each chosen by the Mortarch to serve a purpose in accordance to his will and plans.

This includes the use of several ranks and titles exclusively utilised by the Bones Reapers Chapters, as well as several formations and units:

Formations

• Host - Strike force comprised of 2 or more Hallows.
• Hallow - Company equivalent.
• Band - Demi-Company equivalent.
• Troupe - Squad equivalent.

Rank Structure

Officer Ranks

• Mortarch - Chapter Master equivalent.
• Morghast - Captain equivalent.
• Mortisan - Lieutenant equivalent.

Senior Specialist Ranks

• Liege Immortis - Reclusiarch, Master of the Faith equivalent.
• Liege Necrophoros - Chief Librarian equivalent.
• Hekatoi Primus - Chief Apothecary equivalent.
• Liege Mortek - Master of the Forge equivalent.

Specialist Ranks

• Immortis - Chaplain equivalent.
• Necrophoros - Librarian equivalent.
• Hekatoi - Apothecary equivalent.
• Mortek - Techmarine equivalent.

Line Ranks

• Scourge Primus - Veteran Sergeant equivalent.
• Scourge - Sergeant equivalent.
• Revenant-Brother - Battle-Brother equivalent.
• Novice
• Aspirant

Specialist Units & Formations

• Mortek Guard - The Mortek Guard are an elite cadre within the Bone Reapers Chapter, a revered formation of veteran Terminator-armoured warriors who serve as the personal Honour Guard for the Morghasts, the Captains who command each Hallow within the Chapter's organisation. These warriors are among the finest the Chapter has to offer, having earned their place within the Mortek Guard through countless campaigns of brutal warfare. Clad in the most ancient and revered patterns of Terminator Armour, their battle-plate is adorned with sacred relics and grim totems that signify their status and accomplishments. Each suit of armour is a relic in itself, crafted with care and steeped in the Chapter's long history, marking the wearer as one of the Chapter’s deadliest and most trusted warriors.
  
  The Mortek Guard are famed not only for their martial prowess but also for their cold, unflinching brutality in battle. Their combat style is deliberate and precise, every strike calculated to kill or maim with ruthless efficiency. Armed with the Chapter's most lethal weapons, including power glaives, relic blades, and thunder hammers, they are capable of inflicting devastating damage upon their foes. Whether it be in the midst of a full-scale planetary assault or a deadly boarding action aboard a traitor vessel, the Mortek Guard are unwavering, their only focus the destruction of the enemy and the protection of their commanders.
  
  The loyalty of the Mortek Guard to their Morghast commanders and the Mortarch (Chapter Master) is absolute. They are trained not only to protect their leaders but to serve as the Chapter's most trusted enforcers, ensuring that the chain of command remains intact and unchallenged. Their presence is a reminder of the absolute authority wielded by the Morghasts and the Mortarch, and it is widely suspected that they serve as more than just bodyguards. Though it is never officially acknowledged, many within the Chapter believe that the Mortek Guard act as executioners, tasked with eliminating any who threaten the Chapter's unity or challenge the Mortarch’s rule.
  
  This shadowy role is whispered about in the Chapter’s lower ranks, fueling a sense of dread among those who might consider rebellion or insubordination. The Mortek Guard are thought to be the hand of the Mortarch, his personal instruments of justice and punishment, dispatched in secret to deal with traitors, dissidents, or rivals within the Chapter's own ranks. While there is little tangible proof of this, the cold, impassive demeanor of the Mortek Guard and their reputation for unswerving loyalty suggest that they would carry out such tasks without hesitation if ordered to do so.
  
  In battle, the Mortek Guard are often deployed to the most crucial points of the conflict, where the fate of entire campaigns may rest on their shoulders. They are the vanguard of any strike, leading the charge or forming an unbreakable wall of death that grinds the enemy into dust. Despite their Terminator armour, they move with purpose and frightening speed, reacting to the commands of their Morghast with flawless precision. Their presence on the battlefield is a symbol of the Chapter's indomitable will and a testament to the unity and discipline that holds the Bone Reapers together.
  
  In addition to their role as battlefield elites and enforcers of loyalty, the Mortek Guard also serve as a political and symbolic counterweight to the many fractious elements within the Chapter. The Bone Reapers are a Chapter known for internal strife and competition among its Hallows, each vying for power, glory, and favour. The Mortek Guard, with their direct loyalty to the Morghasts and the Mortarch, act as a stabilizing force, ensuring that the Chapter's unity is maintained despite the ambitions of its individual leaders. Their very presence can quell dissent, reminding all that the Mortarch's authority is absolute, and any challenge to his rule will be met with swift and lethal consequences.
  
  In this way, the Mortek Guard represent both the strength and the deadly undercurrent of the Bone Reapers Chapter. They are warriors of unmatched skill and unwavering resolve, the executioners of the Chapter’s will, and the silent guardians of its unity. Their role is more than just that of a bodyguard—they are the sentinels of order and discipline, ensuring that the Bone Reapers remain a cohesive, unstoppable force on the battlefield and within the ranks. Those who cross the Mortarch or defy their Morghast commanders soon learn the terrible cost of disobedience, as the Mortek Guard are ever watchful, ready to deliver the final, merciless judgment.

An elite Necrophoroi Terminator that serves as the Mortarch's personal Honour Guard.

• Necrophoroi - The Necrophoroi, also known as the 'Bone Hunters', are the elite warriors of the Bone Reapers Chapter, revered for their unyielding ferocity and supernatural resilience. These fearsome Space Marines form the Mortarch's personal honour guard, embodying the terrifying visage of death itself. Their very presence on the battlefield is heralded by a cold, unnatural mist that seems to seep from the shadows, cloaking their advance and unnerving their enemies. This ethereal mist is believed to be a manifestation of their connection to death, heightening their status as spectral executioners who strike from unexpected quarters.
  
  The Necrophoroi are equipped with formidable and ancient relic Terminator Armour, a mark of their station and prowess. This armour, steeped in both history and legend, offers unmatched protection and is adorned with macabre symbols of death, including the bones and skulls of their vanquished foes. These grim trophies are more than just decoration - they serve as a dire warning to their enemies and a reminder of the grim fate that awaits those who stand against them. Each warrior's battle-plate is customized, not only with these remains but also with intricate carvings and runes that speak of their countless victories and unswerving dedication to the Mortarch and the Chapter.
  
  In battle, the Necrophoroi are the vanguard spearhead, a close-combat assault unit that few enemies can withstand. Armed with the Chapter's most lethal relic weapons, including ancient power scythes, thunder hammers, power fists and lightning claws, they carve a path through the enemy with terrifying efficiency. Their combat style is merciless - methodical and precise - slaughtering all who dare to oppose them, while simultaneously driving their enemies to despair. The Necrophoroi show no hesitation, no retreat; they are relentless, advancing through the heaviest firepower without pause, as if death itself cannot touch them.
  
  Their attacks are characterized by lightning-quick strikes from unexpected angles, often deploying via teleportation to deep strike into the heart of enemy lines. Once there, they tear apart the foe with brutal precision, sowing terror and confusion. When the Necrophoroi descend, they do so as spectres of death, slaying enemies that falter or flee, and harvesting their bones to adorn their war gear. These trophies serve not only as tokens of their victory but also as a macabre symbol of the Chapter's dominion over death itself.
  
  For the Bone Reapers, the Necrophoroi are the living embodiment of their creed - warriors who stand on the edge of life and death, bridging the gap between the mortal world and the realm of the dead. Their presence on the battlefield is a dire omen for their enemies, as they bring with them the promise of annihilation, claiming the bones of the fallen to feed their Chapter’s grim legacy.

Chapter Beliefs

The Bone Reapers have inherited the indigenous and unique cult belief system and martial philosophies from the savage death worlds from which they recruit potential future Astartes. However, the Bone Reapers' obsessive veneration and fascination with death is of a more extreme variety and has at times brought some unwelcome Inquisitorial scrutiny. The Chapter venerates the God-Emperor as the "Imperator Mortifex" - the ultimate judge of the souls of the dead - and accordingly the Astartes of this Chapter have come to see themselves as His harbingers of death. The morbid funerary rites in which the Chapter engages are led by an Immortis (Chaplain), who are recruited from amongst the priest class of their primary recruitment worlds, resulting in a truly unique belief system that is at times quite disturbing. Amongst the many rites practiced by the Bone Reapers following a battle, involves the drinking of blood and the eating of the flesh of the enemy, culminating in the taking of their bones, severing of their heads and flensing of their skulls. These grim trophies will then adorn their armour, both as a psychological weapon and as a reminder of the transient nature that all life is fleeting, and that only in death does duty end.

Chapter Gene-Seed

Like all Chapters of the Blood, the Bone Reapers have come to believe themselves pure of heart, but not of blood. They too, carry the flaws of their blood heritage on to new generations. Like all latter Founding Blood Angels Successor Chapters, the Bone Reapers are also greatly affected by the twin Flaws of the Red Thirst and Black Rage. Unlike their fellow Chapters of the Blood, however, the Bone Reapers do not honour those who have succumbed to the effects of the Black Rage, for they believe this to be a mark of shame.

Once an Immortis starts to notice the tell-tale look in a Battle-Brother's eyes that bespeaks the soon-to-arrive loss of control, he performs a benediction in the name of the Great Angel and the Emperor of Mankind, before taking away all of the Astartes wargear save for his bolter, combat knife and power armour. Like their fellow Blood Angels Successor Chapter, the Templars of Blood, the Bone Reapers do not gather these afflicted Battle-Brothers into a Death Company. Instead, they are gathered into squads called 'Perdita Damnatio ' ('Lost and the Damned') under the command of an Immortis, where no self-respecting Bone Reaper need look upon his own weakness and inevitable future fate. The names of these battle-brothers are then forever after stricken from the official Chapter rolls.

These warriors are then utilised as an extermination corps which also specialised in near-suicidal and all-but-unstoppable line breaker attacks, embracing the touch of death as one might a lost friend. Often, these afflicted warriors are utilised in 'Forlorn Hope' objective assaults and in 'Zone Mortalis' operations. Should an afflicted Battle-Brother suffering from the Flaw miraculously survive the following combat, his company's Morghast (Captain) is required by Chapter tradition to honour the Battle-Brother for his exemplary service to the "Imperator-Mortifex" before executing him outright.

Combat Doctrine

When the Bone Reapers go to war, they strike with the overwhelming force and brutality of a natural disaster. Their assaults are like a tsunami, crashing down upon their enemies with relentless fury, sweeping aside all opposition in their path. Unlike more conventional Space Marine Chapters, they do not adhere rigidly to the tactical doctrines of the Codex Astartes, preferring instead to embrace the savage, direct approach born from their feral origins. They eschew the intricate and precise manoeuvres favoured by Codex-compliant Chapters, choosing instead to stand their ground in the face of enemy assaults, using their stubborn resilience and unyielding endurance to weather the storm. Only when their foes have faltered, exhausted and broken, do the Bone Reapers launch their own counter-assaults, smashing through enemy lines with overwhelming, brutal force.

This stubbornness and resilience are the hallmarks of the Bone Reapers, and it is a trait deeply ingrained in their psyche. No matter the conditions or odds they face, they endure. This enduring spirit is what allows them to thrive in some of the most dangerous and unforgiving battlefields in the galaxy. Whether they are fighting in toxic wastelands, rad-phage-infested ruins, or in the claustrophobic confines of 'Zone Mortalis' war zones, the Bone Reapers adapt and overcome through sheer endurance. Their training and experience on the feral worlds of their recruitment have prepared them to face the harshest environments, and this makes them particularly suited to war zones that would cripple or kill lesser soldiers.

In combat, Bone Reapers are often deployed to battle in regions plagued by Chaos corruption, particularly in areas near the Eye of Terror or other war-torn sectors where the Ruinous Powers hold sway. Their stubborn resistance to mutation and their ability to withstand the madness and horrors of warp-tainted environments make them invaluable in these types of campaigns. They are also often deployed to battlefields devastated by chemical warfare, where deadly gases, radiation, and biological weapons have rendered the environment lethal to most troops. The Bone Reapers' genetic resilience and extensive training in toxic environments allow them to press forward where other forces would falter, enabling them to secure victory in even the most dangerous conditions.

This painful endurance is not just a physical trait but a mental one. The Bone Reapers are masters of psychological warfare, understanding that an enemy’s will to fight can be broken just as surely as their bodies. By standing resolute in the face of overwhelming odds and refusing to give ground, they project an aura of unshakeable power and inevitability. This approach often breaks the morale of their enemies, who find themselves demoralized by the realization that no matter how many shots they fire, no matter how much they strike, the Bone Reapers do not fall.

In battle, the Bone Reapers are known to harvest the bones and skulls of their slain enemies, adding to the grim and macabre decorations that adorn their armour and wargear. This act of taking trophies is not simply a savage ritual but a reflection of their obsession with death and the finality of mortal existence. To the Bone Reapers, war is a harvest, and they are the reapers who gather the remains of the fallen, both as a symbol of their victory and as a reminder of their inevitable fate. Their armour is adorned with these grim trophies, reinforcing their identity as the ultimate executioners of the Emperor's will.

Despite their savage and primal nature, the Bone Reapers are not mindless berserkers. They possess a cold, calculated ruthlessness that reflects their understanding of war as an art of death. Their commanders, the Morghasts, lead their forces with a strategic acumen that belies the brutal fury of their assaults. This balance between savagery and cold efficiency makes the Bone Reapers a uniquely deadly force on the battlefield, capable of both overpowering their enemies with brute force and outlasting them through sheer endurance.

In conclusion, the Bone Reapers Chapter is a formidable and brutal force, forged in the harsh crucible of feral worlds and shaped by the unforgiving realities of war near the Eye of Terror. Their recruitment from these deadly worlds has made them a Chapter defined by savagery, resilience, and endurance, able to function in the most dangerous environments and to stand resolute against any foe, no matter how overwhelming the odds. When the Bone Reapers make war, they do so with the understanding that death is inevitable, but they will ensure that it is their enemies who fall first.

Notable Members

• Mortarch Acherus Kurzh - Know as 'The First', Kurzh served as the Chapter's first Mortarch and spiritual father of the Bone Reapers Chapter.
• Mortarch Bolerin Hallow - Current Chapter Master of the Bone Reapers, he recently assumed the mantle of Mortarch following the death of Caedus Maraeu during the defence of Baal against Hive Fleet Leviathan.
• Mortarch Caedus Mareau - Predecessor of Bolerin Hallow, Caedus served as the Mortarch during the Blood Wars. He later fell while battling against the ravenous hordes of the Hive Fleet Leviathan during the defence of Baal.
• Liege Mortifex Daemandred Mortaine - First Captain and Equerry to the Mortarch.

Chapter Fleet

• Ossus Damnatio (Relic Battleship, Unknown Class) - Flagship and mobile fortress-monastery of the Bone Reapers Chapter.

Chapter Appearance

Chapter Colours

The Bone Reapers primarily wear black coloured power armour with portions of their battle-plate coloured silver, including the backpack, helmet faceplate, shoulder pauldron trim, upper portions of their arms, vambraces and gauntlets. The Chapter utilise the ancient squad specialist markings of the old IX Legion on their right armorial to indicate a battle-brother's assigned squad specialty (Close Support, Fire Support, Battleline, Veteran or Command). These markings are stenciled in white. A small roman numeral stenciled on the right armorial inset indicates squad assignment. A larger white coloured numeral, written in one of the feral languages inherited from one of the Chapter's feral recruitment worlds, is stenciled on the left poleyn (knee guard), which indicates a battle-brother's assigned company.

Heraldry of the Host

Like their progenitors and other Chapters of the Blood, the Bone Reapers have adopted a similar heraldic system, allowing them to recognise what company and squad any given Battle-Brother belongs to at a glance. The advantage of such swift recognition amid the chaos of battle are obvious. More than this, however, the Scions of Sanguinius revere their heraldry, and bear these markings as badges of pride. Unlike their progenitors however, instead of utilising helmet colour to denote rank or operational role, the Bone Reapers have opted to honour their roots to the venerable IX Legion by utilising the archaic squad specialty icons found in the ancient Principia Belicose. This was the principal tome of the Imperial military organisation, strategy and tactics used by the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade era. The Bone Reapers also do not utilise the same squad and company markings utilised by their fellow Chapters of the Blood, instead opting to utilise the feral script inherited from the warriors cultures of the death worlds they often recruit from to denote squad and company assignment.

In keeping with the tenant beliefs inherited from the warrior cultures in which they recruit potential future Astartes, the Bone Reapers have also inherited savage and barbaric beliefs and incorporated them into a unique cult belief system that is of a more extreme variety. These beliefs are reminiscent of the various "Mortuary Cults" found within some Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. The embrace the Emperor of Mankind as the "Imperator Mortifex" - the judge of the souls of the dead and keeper of martyrs. The Bone Reapers believe themselves to be divinely ordained killers - the Emperor's Angels of Death in the truest sense. Caring little for individual glory, they are instead consumed with their self-appointed task as bringers of death to those that would dare defy the will of the Imperator Mortifex or pay allegiance to false gods.

The Chapter has been observed to practice many savage and strange funerary customs, including wearing the bones of the fallen or taking the and wearing the flensed skulls of worthy foes upon their battle-plate. They Chapter is well aware of the psychological effect engendered by the wearing of such images of death, and so, in keeping with their namesake, they incorporate human bones into their wargear; skulls are laid over their faceplates, femurs are inlaid along greaves, splayed ribcages adorn plastrons (chest guards), and compacted ground bonemeal is used to trim shoulder pauldrons.

Chapter Badge

The Bones Reapers' Chapter icon is a large stylised silver skull emblazoned upon a field of black.

Chapter Relations

Allies

Name	Iconography	Notes
Blood Bearers		The Blood Bearers are an ancient and reclusive 3rd Founding Successor Chapter that also hails from lineage of the Great Angels. An extremely reclusive chapter, they are stoutly bound to their progenitors, 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. The Bone Reapers have only just recently encountered their brother Chapter during the Defence of Baal, when they fought alongside them in order to defend their Primarch's home world and planets of the surrounding system against the predations of the Great Devourer. Fighting side-by-side, the venerable Chapter were impressed by the resilience and stalwartness of their younger kin, and over time, developed a sense of camaraderie and rapport was built between the two Chapters of the Blood. The Bone Reapers have vowed to answer the call-to-arms of their elder kindred, should they need ever arise.
Broken Wings		The Broken Wings are a now-extinct Loyalist Successor Chapter of the Blood Angels whose origins possible harken back to the dark days of the Horus Heresy. An intrepid and dedicated Chapter, they zealously worshipped their gene-sire and what he stood for. However, this Chapter was forever marred by the shadow of their perceived failure to protect the Great Angel from his inevitable death at the hands of the Arch-Traitor Horus. Vowing to undertake a neverending Crusade, the Chapter took to the stars, bringing the righteous fires of their wrath down upon those that made truck with the Dark Gods. The Bone Reapers had the privilege of fighting alongside their elder kindred during the recent Defence of Baal, to protect their gene-sire's home system from the predations of Hive Fleet Kraken, and witnessed the "beautiful death" of the Broken Wings, when they willingly sacrificed themselves in glorious battle against the hordes of foul xenos. Despite their destruction, the Broken Wings made an impression upon their younger kindred, who continue to honour the fallen Chapter both in deed and word, in an attempt to live up to these exemplars of the Blood.
Blood Vultures		The Blood Vultures are a particularly savage and bellicose Successor Chapter of the Blood who possesses a similar mien as the Bone Reapers, as both Chapters come from similar warrior cultures and both practice barbaric and bloody-handed rituals. During the recent Defence of Baal, the Blood Vultures were one of several Chapters of the Blood that the Bone Reapers had the honour of fighting alongside. Being of similar natures, the two Chapters formed unbreakable bonds of brotherhood forged in the fires of battle and have vowed to come one another's aid should the need ever arise.
Sanguine Templars		The Sanguine Templars are a venerable and ancient Successor Chapter of the sacred bloodline of the angelic Primarch Sanguinius, gene-sire of the heroic Blood Angels, created during the Second Founding in 021.M31. Formerly, they made up the 7th Company of the original IX Legion. Following their reunification with their winged Primarch upon the world of Baal, he saw the darkness that hung over his sons, but despite their unsavory reputation he saw that they were warriors who held to their own codes of honor with an iron will. Warriors of unequaled zeal, these brethren came to be known as the "Sanguine Templars" due to their relentless determination and matchless skill, which became the hallmarks of this deadly company. Sharing a lineage with the original Legion and their distaste for the break up of the Legions has left Sanguine Templar very close to fellow chapters of the Blood.

Conflicting Chapters

Name	Iconography	Notes
Murdering Sons		Since the time of the lamentable event known as the Blood Wars, which occurred in the early 900's.M41, these two Chapters have had a lasting enmity that won't cease. The Bone Reapers claim that it was their erstwhile allies, the Murdering Sons, who fired the first shot and attacked them without provocation. The Murdering Sons insist that it was the Bone Reapers who attacked them first, murdering their Chapter Master in cold blood. Whatever the truth, both Chapters hate each other in extremis, and are forbidden, by order of the Inquisition, to be within the same warzone. Should they ever be in the same proximity, hostilities will most likely resume and the resulting bloodshed and collateral damage would be catastrophic.

Enemies

Name	Iconography	Notes
(To be added)

Notable Quotes

By: The Bone Reapers

"Through the tides and eddies of the æther, across the shifting realities of daemon worlds, against the uncounted legions of dread armies of the Dark Gods - we have fought. We are the nameless, faceless, sons and daughters of the Imperium. By the light and by the might of the Imperator Mortifex, the first strike belongs to us and the last strike is all our enemies will see."

— Attr. Acherus Kurze, first Mortarch of the Bone Reapers

"The Murdering Sons have no honour. They are nothing but heretics and liars! They are failures to the Imperium and failures to the Emperor."

— Bolerin Hallow, current Mortarch of the Bone Reapers, following the events of the 'Blood Wars'.

Acknowledgements

I cannot take sole credit for this article, as the Bone Reapers were originally created by Visroth over on the affiliate Warhammer 40,000 Fanon Wiki. As the originator and inspiration for this Chapter, he was kind enough to place his special trust and faith in me, by entrusting his original article to me, in perpetuity, and let me revise it as I saw fit. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you!

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