Other savants of the Astartes deny this, citing that the Emperor Himself trusted Sanguinius implicitly, and personally oversaw the creation of the Blood Angels. Rafen's second mission was to punish Fabius Bile with death for his transgressions against the Chapter. The momentary delay proved crucial, for it was all that stood between First Captain Karlaen's forces and sudden damnation. The aberrant quirks of the Legion, the Red Thirst that haunted its warriors, wreaked havoc on its discipline and made any attempt at large scale organisation difficult. In the broken places where they fought, alone and far from aid, this trait brought the IXth Legion priceless information and made even the most raw recruits battle ready. Of them all perhaps only Horus was held in more respect, though the Lord of Cthonia's colder demeanour and more brooding aspect left him more aloof than the winged Primarch. The spirits of such warriors are invariably so indomitable and mighty that not even the Watch Commander would gainsay their wishes, and the wounded hero is interred within a Dreadnought so that he may continue to stand his Vigil until it is over and his remains may be returned to his home Chapter. When they held the line, their followers dug in, and when they laid down their blades, those around them ceased the killing. However, the Thunderhawk that bore Sergeant Koris, Rafen's brother Arkio and the other successful Aspirants for recruitment by the Chapter was caught in a massive storm during its ascent, and crashed near Rafen's position. It should be noted that unlike most other Codex Chapters, the Blood Angels' Sanguinary Priesthood, Apothecaries and Reclusiam are also part of the Chapter Command, rather than subordinate organisations as would normally be the case. Only by the combined efforts of Librarian Asmasael and his psychically-attuned brothers was the Banshee Stone's hideous lament silenced. The helots who made up the warships' crews had cloistered themselves in terror, with some having been slain by the affected battle-brothers. The warriors of the IXth Legion came to admire the courage of the foe, and took great pride in the victories won against them. They employ an entirely new pattern of vehicle of mysterious origins: the Stormraven gunship. Yet, the winged Primarch did not despair. The secret that the Black Legion sought, and that the Adeptus Mechanicus were racing against them to seize, lay deep beneath the surface of Amethal. Preceded by a brief, but highly accurate bombardment that cracked the surface and shattered the guns of the Anahkroran defenders, a path was opened for the Drop Pods and assault craft that followed on its heels. The Carmine Blades had at last an answer for the strange symptoms that they had worked so hard to conceal from those around them -- they now had a name for the Red Thirst and Black Rage that they had hitherto been unable to explain. In doing so, he thrust the Blood Angels into the brutal forefront of the fighting. Curze went on to explain that there was a monster in his head that he could not stop. Overseen by the Librarians, each is a silent and sacred place of whispered secrets and hidden truths. Such squads will often become the 11th Squad and upwards of that company for the duration of the strike force's action. The Blood Angels Death Company varies significantly from their brethren's colour scheme; their armour is repainted black, with red crosses, symbolizing the sacrifice of Sanguinius. The enemy they fought was so heavily cybernetically augmented as to be barely recognisable as human, and were dubbed the "Iron Bulls" by the Imperium's troops for the sensory horns grafted to their skulls, though among their own people they were called the Kusarikku. Their works of art are things of beauty and symmetry. Rafen also proved instrumental in defending against the assault on the Blood Angels' fortress-monastery on Baal by Fabius Bile, the Chaos Space Marine Apothecary who was a renegade even from his own Emperor's Children Traitor Legion in his obsessive quest to genetically engineer the perfect warrior. Sanguinius explained his actions to his bewildered brother. This splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Leviathan was headed straight for the Blood Angels' homeworld of Baal, and its advance had to be stopped. As Sanguinius possessed the psychic ability of foresight, it seems almost certain that he knew he was going to his death. The opening stroke of the Horus Heresy brought the Blood Angels to their knees, and the tragedies that were to follow would shatter their resolve and leave them broken. The same diary hints at a dark end for the 46th Veradan Regulars: as they became unable to continue to prosecute the war, the diary suggests they were also rendered to feed the Legion, whether through literal consumption or to allow the charnel priests, what had become of their Apothecarion, to use their flesh as part of the process of creating new warriors. Through the Codex Astartes -- that great treatise on the restructuring and ordering of the Space Marines -- Guilliman's legacy would reshape the Blood Angels Legion into the Chapters that defend the Imperium to this day. Where the first companies of the other proto-Legions were blooded in Albia, Yndonesia and Franc alongside the massed ranks of the Thunder Warriors, the IXth Legion was absent, granted a role as vital as it was unsightly. This would not be another Pandorax, however. That unknown future is yet another casualty of Horus' civil war, the Blood Angels left to endure the slow degeneration of their noble line with the stubborn pride that is their hallmark. Whether they are delivered into battle by Thunderhawk or Stormraven gunship, or in the troop bay of an armoured transport such as a Rhino, Razorback or Land Raider, the Blood Angels are all but peerless in their mastery of close assault. There are many tales told of this final battle and, though the exact facts are long lost, one detail holds through all the recitations through all the millennia since. In fact, it is believed that like the Grey Knights, the Deathwatch in the Jericho Reach has had access to the Stormraven Gunship for quite some time, for its compact size, weapons configuration, and agility make it an ideal insertion and fire support vehicle for the small, self-contained Kill-teams of the Deathwatch. The malefic sorcery struck at the Chapter's genetic curse -- it unleashed the Black Rage. Cousin became exile. Where Horus had sought to use a hammer blow, Guilliman used a duellist's blade. Enraged, the Lion sought to kill Curze, but was halted by the words of Sanguinius and Guilliman snatched El'Jonson's Lion Sword and broke the blade across his armoured thigh. Those few among the Legion that succumbed once more to its thirst or to the black fury that followed on its heels were quietly concealed, granted the Emperor's peace or sealed away on Baal. Throughout the Great Crusade, the IXth Legion became renowned for its "wars of ultimatum". Nor was this danger restricted to Hub Beta-Secundus. In evil cunning, Horus offered Sanguinius a position of power if he would renounce his loyalty to the Emperor, and Sanguinius refused. One among these, fostered by the nature of their design and the conditions under which they fought, was the consumption of fallen captains by their followers in order to preserve their hard-won skills and experience. It is said that Horus hated and feared Sanguinius more than any of his brothers and wove many strategies to ensnare or slay him, though all failed. They are well-known across the galaxy for their bloodthirsty nature in battle, and feared for the curse of flawed gene-seed they carry. Learning at an exponential rate, Hive Fleet Leviathan could not be thwarted by the same strategy twice. In the early years of this conflict, accepting the desperation of their predicament and bereft of resupply, the IXth Legion were forced to take practical measures to survive. They have centuries in which to master the disciplines to which they turn their minds, and this accounts for the fact that Blood Angels' armour and banners are among the most ornate ever produced by the Adeptus Astartes. The past proves nothing, except that the Blood Angels are cursed and but a single step from damnation.Yuron, Captain, Patriarchs of Ulixis Chapter. Uninhibited by any civilian presence, Sanguinius ordered an immediate assault, eager to deny the enemy time to regroup and recover its momentum, committing the 19th, 67th, 171st and 94th Companies to the attack. The 1st Company is composed of the Chapter's Space Marine Veterans, warriors with experience forged in countless battles throughout the Imperium and trained in the use of the sacred and extremely rare suits of Terminator Armour, while the 2nd to 5th Companies are the Battle Companies who carry the weight of the Chapter's combat duties. Not one to await attack, he also sent forth scores of preemptive strike forces to delay, mislead, and whittle down the living armada. The Angel and Greater Daemon fought in the air over the Imperial Palace, but Sanguinius, weary and taken by surprise, was cast down. Take A Sneak Peak At The Movies Coming Out This Week (8/12) New Movie Releases This Weekend: February 12th – February 14th; How Hollywood celebs are celebrating Lunar New Year Horus and Sanguinius had fought many campaigns by each other's side. The force's leader was Veteran Sergeant Tobius, who in addressing the Crusade's high command told how his squads had stood with their brother Chapters at the Battle of Macragge. They are no less lethal for this, however -- a lesson that many foes have learned to their cost. Whilst other Chapters like the Ultramarines act as the guardians of particular star systems or sectors of the Imperium, the Blood Angels see the entirety of the Imperium of Man as their responsibility to protect. Anahktor is a star system no longer listed on any Imperial map. Stripped of honour and tithe, of history and deed, we were all of us undone. Thus ended the fighting in Anahktor, a bloody tribute to the terrible rage that still festered at the heart of the IXth Legion even after its unification with its Primarch. This was the first time the members of The Blood had ever seen him truly angry, for he felt his comrades' lives were in danger. Though the enemy had thrown everything at them, from brass-sinewed Daemon Engines to disgusting Warpcraft, still Daenor's warriors had prevailed. WORDS.TXT - Free ebook download as Text File (.txt), PDF File (.pdf) or read book online for free. The Librarian's mind is a terrible weapon in itself, able to unleash fearsome blasts of raw Warp energy, seething arcs of etheric power and waves of dread that blast the enemy's morale to ashes. Taking his leave, the Lion and the Dark Angels withdrew from Macragge only hours later. Their sorrow concealed by the ornate masks of their Order, and bound by the oaths they had sworn, the Erelim and their brothers swept across the planet like a crimson tide. Indeed, the Carmine Blades are a Chapter who passed, perhaps accidentally, as descendants of the Ultramarines Legion for a considerable time, until a chance meeting with Astorath the Grim in the late 41st Millennium revealed the truth behind their origins. These companies were grouped into "Hosts" for campaigns requiring greater force of numbers than that possessed of a single company, though each Host was a temporary creature broken and made as tactical need required. Others, including the "Lord of Skyfall" and the "Shield of Baal," have sprung from the Blood Angels' unique nature. The Imperium had finally come to reclaim its warriors, expecting to find a world brought to Compliance and ready to accept the Emperor's law. This is referred to as the Red Thirst, and it is something that every Blood Angel experiences. The 6th and 7th Companies are composed entirely of Tactical Marines, while the 8th Company is a made up of Assault Marines, and the 9th Company has a full complement of Devastator Marines. The IXth Legion, piece by piece, broke the tribes of the world in bloody close quarters actions, and refused to be drawn into a full-scale engagement. Others, however, are barely recognisable. Unlike those who fought at their command, they bore the burden of free will, of time to think and ponder as they would while the curse stalked them. Thus began a time of rebuilding for the Sons of Sanguinius, who separated to establish themselves as autonomous organisations. In the thousands of Terran years that have followed, there have been several subsequent foundings of Space Marine Chapters, and through these the number of Chapters raised from the genestock of the Blood Angels has also risen. Known as the "Banshee Stone," it was a device the size of a world, forged by godlike beings before Terra had even spawned its first single-celled organisms. Latest breaking news, including politics, crime and celebrity. The Blood Angels are amongst the longest-living of the Adeptus Astartes, with some of the Chapter's Space Marines having served the Emperor of Mankind for over a thousand standard years. As set down in the revised Codex Astartes, the Blood Angels are organised into three main types of squad: Battleline, Close Support and Fire Support, each trained, armed and equipped to excel at a different battlefield role. It was the strong foundation upon which the Imperium was being built, and while it still stood, that empire would not fall. The Blood Angels have a habit of sleeping whenever possible in the sarcophagi used to create them. One such case was when the newly-appointed Lord Commander Kalael succumbed to the Black Rage in the 35th Millennium and his brothers from the Angels Sanguine and Angels Vermillion jointly took up the mantle of seniority for a time, overseeing the reaction of the Sons of Sanguinius to WAAAGH! Yet the expert leadership of Astorath and Chaplain Daenor restored some order to the afflicted brothers' ranks. Immediately after the death, Rafen was forced into a strange arena where he raced against mutants and captured Space Marines of other Chapters, lest he be killed.