The Blood Angels were the IX Legion of the original Space Marine Legions under their Primarch Sanguinius. They are also one of the most long-lived Chapters.
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The Blood Angels were the IX Legion of the original Space Marine Legions under their Primarch Sanguinius. They are particularly well known for their bloodthirsty nature in battle. They are also one of the most long-lived Chapters, and have a refined aesthetic sense. The Homeworld of the Blood Angels is the planet Baal and its two moons are, Baal Primus and Baal Secundus – from which the Blood Angels take their new recruits. The Blood Angels’ Primarch Sanguinius fell upon Baal Secundus after he and his brother Primarchs were scattered across the galaxy. In ancient days Baal and its moons had Terra-like atmospheres. Baal itself was always a world of red rust deserts, but its moons were close to paradises. As the Dark Age of Technology ended in the Age of Strife, civil war erupted between the world and its colonized moons, leading to the nuclear devastation of the planets. Baal Secundus has since been a nuclear-blasted desert world with deadly levels of radiation. This forced the world’s human tribes to build cumbersome radiation suits in order to survive. Mutants were once rife upon the world, frequently at war with the remaining pure humans for dominance of the planet.
The Blood Angels were created from the genetic material of their Primarch Sanguinius. As with all of the Primarchs, Sanguinius was genetically engineered to be a supreme super-soldier but was cast into the warp during his infancy along with his brothers, and found on the nuclear-blasted moon of Baal Secundus. Sanguinius was affected by the warp, and when he was found by one of the few unmutated human tribes on Baal, he had a pair of angelic wings growing from his back. As he matured quickly, he was able to use his superhuman powers and abilities to unite the humans of Baal against the mutants and become their leader. When the Emperor found Baal in his search for the twenty Primarchs, Sanguinius immediately recognized him for who he was and bent down on his knee, pledging his service. In this, Sanguinius was one of the few Primarchs who did not challenge the Emperor upon their reunion. The Emperor then took Sanguinius and a number of his best warriors and placed him in command of the Blood Angels Space Marine Legion.
During the Great Crusade, the Blood Angels became known as being excellent shock assault troops, and formed a rivalry with the similarly assault-oriented World Eaters Legion. Throughout the Great Crusade, the Blood Angels became renowned for its ‘wars of ultimatum’. These campaigns of open domination against non-Compliant worlds began with Sanguinius or one of his praetors affording a world one opportunity to embrace Unification or face a ‘Day of Revelation’, in which they would suffer the fury of the Blood Angels unleashed. Many foes confronted by the gathered Blood Angels Legion hosts were overcome with dread and awe, and capitulated without hesitation. Those who did not would see the shining countenance of the Angel Sanguinius transformed into savage fury as blinding destruction was delivered from on high.
The Blood Angels recruit their Aspirants from the chapter’s home planet of Baal and its moons. The contests are held every generation at Angel’s Fall (the place where Sangunius was found as an infant) Aspirants (all from the pureblood tribes) must reach the Place of Challenge by journeying through a vast, hostile desert, and a series of canyons, infested with Fire Scorpions and Thirstwater. These perils claim many youths; however, enough reach the place of Challenge to hold gladiatorial contests, which rival in scale the Ultramar’s. Once the fifty victors are chosen, they are taken in the Thunderhawks to the stronghold of the Blood Angels on the Baal itself. However, they haven’t completed their trials yet, as they must observe a vigil for 72 hours without rest. Those that fail and fall asleep are taken away by the Blood-Servitors; no-one knows what happens to them. At the end of the vigil, the remaining aspirants are offered a chalice (rumored to contain a small portion of Sangunius’s own blood) by the Sanguinary Priests. After partaking it, they fall into a coma and are entombed by the Blood-Servitors inside the caskets of the Hall of the Sacrophagi. They remain there for a full year, in full care of the casket’s life-support systems, while they are injected with blood of the Sanguinius. Many die, incapable of bearing the vast changes wrought upon them by the gene-seed; others wake up too early and grow insane from their dark and claustrophobic existence. The ones who completely adapt, however, become the newest additions to the chapter.
