Blood Angels/Characters

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Characters belonging to the Blood Angels, both on the Tabletop and in the novel series.

Blood Angels

Sanguinius

One of twenty Primarchs created by the Emperor of Mankind, Sanguinius and his brothers were scattered to the stars by the Chaos Gods. Landing on Baal Secundus, Sanguinius' time in the Warp caused a mutation; angelic wings appearing on his back. Found by 'the People of the Pure Blood', a tribe that had experienced some limited mutation from the nuclear wars, Sanguinius went on to unite Baal and its moons. When the Emperor found Sanguinius, he immediately bowed before his father, who gave him command of the IX Legion of the Adeptus Astartes, renamed the Blood Angels.

During the Great Crusade, the Blood Angels mirrored much of Sanguinius's nature, including his gentle spirit and appreciation of beauty. At the same time, the Blood Angels also became the Imperium's best shock troops, mirroring Sanguinius's own desire to come to grips with his foes in close quarters combat. Sanguinius became close friends with Horus, but that friendship was shattered when Horus fell to Chaos and the Horus Heresy began. At the climax of the heresy - the Siege of Terra - Sanguinius participated in the defense of the Imperial Palace, and joined the Emperor and Rogal Dorn in their journey to the Vengeful Spirit, but became separated during teleportation. Finding Horus first, Sanguinius battled his brother and former friend, but having fought for several days before, was not at full strength and only managed to cause a chink in Horus' armor. Legend has it, this was perhaps the only thing that afterwards enabled the Emperor to defeat Horus. Sanguinius was subsequently killed by his brother, and the psychic shock of this manifests itself in the rest of the Blood Angels as 'The Flaw' from that day on.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Commander Dante

"For eleven hundred years, I have fought and I have seen the darkness in our galaxy. I have seen the vileness of the alien and the heresy of the mutant. I have witnessed the sin of possession. I have seen all the evil that the galaxy harbours, and I have slain all whose presence defiles the Emperor. I have seen what you will see. I have fought what you must fight, and I have slain what you must slay... so fear not and be proud, for we are the sons of Sanguinius, the protectors of Mankind. Aye, we are indeed the Angels of Death."

Commander Dante is the Lord of the Host and Bringer of Sanguinius' Light. A golden angel descending from the skies, bringing hope to the loyal citizens of the Imperium. Alive for more than one thousand years, Dante possess the experience of war unlike any other Space Marine.

Such is his experience that he was the overall commander of the Second Battle for Armageddon forces, given full command by Marneus Calgar and Tu'Shan.

He is well known for his perfect mastery of flight, being able to fall from the skies with incomparable precision.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Ancestral Weapon: His Axe of Mortalis.
  • Badass: Let's see...
  • Big Good: During the Second War for Armageddon. Unofficially for his and all other Blood Angel descendant chapters.
  • Bishonen: He is a Blood Angel. The older an Astartes becomes the more he resembles his primarch. Dante's pretty darn old. Also: [1] [dead link]
  • Commanding Coolness: That's Lord Commander Dante.
  • Death From Above: He is so skilled with this that he never misses.
    • In a special Apocalypse Formation, not only does his formation never miss, but it can charge in the turn they deep strike.
  • Death Glare: He wears the Death Mask of Sanguinius. Just by being present, it curses an opponent. When assaulted by him, your close combat skill can drop to 1.
  • Determinator: He believes that he has lived far longer than he should. The only reason he keeps fighting is his faith in the Emperor, and his unwavering belief that one day, he will be the golden warrior of a prophecy that will stand between the Emperor and the darkness.
  • Elite Army: Heads the Sanguinary Guard, the Chapter's elite troops and successor to Sanguinius' bodyguard.
  • The Faceless: He is one of the few Space Marines commanders always depicted wearing his helm or the deathmask that comes with his office.
  • Fragile Speedster: Not exactly, he's still a Space Marine, but he can be insta-killed by any weapon with high enough strength. However, he is really fast - both in movement and close combat.
  • Genius Bruiser: Tactical genius, thousand plus years of experience, and also a hard hitter.
  • Good Is Not Nice
  • Hand Cannon: His can destroy Land Raiders.
  • Incorruptible Pure Pureness
  • It's Raining Men: Master of it.
  • Lightning Bruiser: He's a Space Marine. Though more Lightning than Bruiser.
  • Mask of Power: His curses an enemy. Also, it makes the enemy weaker in close combat.
  • Miles to Go Before I Sleep: Older than most Astartes by many centuries, there is a part of him that longs for rest. But prophecies from the age of Sanguinius foretell a time when the Emperor will be in grave peril and depend on a golden warrior to defend him. Dante believes there is at least a chance this refers to him, so he will not let himself die until this has come to pass.
  • The Musketeer: Power Axe and Infernus Pistol
  • Officer and a Gentleman: Thousand of years of war experience with his Blood Angel refinement make him this.
  • Powered Armour: Golden Artificer's Armour.
  • Really 700 Years Old: The oldest non-Dreadnought Space Marine in the Imperium. He's been Chapter Master for 1,100 years, and that's not accounting for the few hundred years it would take for him to rise far enough in the ranks to be suitable for the position.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure
  • Tranquil Fury
  • White-Haired Pretty Boy: In some depictions.
  • Who Wants to Live Forever?: Has shades of this.

Mephiston

Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels and Dante's right hand man. Born Calistarius, he participated in the Second War for Armageddon. During the Battle of Hades Hive, he fell to the Black Rage and was inducted into the Death Company. At the final assault on the Ecclesorium building, he was buried under rubble for seven days and seven nights, his mind teetering on the edge of madness and his body on the verge of death. Through sheer will alone, Calistarius cast out the Black Rage and burst from his tomb as Mephiston, Lord of Death. After tearing through several bands of Orks and punching straight through the biggest one there, Mephiston made the long walk back to Imperial lines. Eventually ascending to the rank of Chief Librarian, Mephiston has served as the lieutenant and friend of Dante for years.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Badass
  • Death Glare: It's an actual tabletop rule.
  • Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Once throttled the life out of a daemon with his bare hands!
  • Glass Cannon: YMMV: Subverted, he is extremely tough (toughness 6 to be specific) and one of the most powerful characters on the tabletop, but he lacks any sort of invulnerable save unlike most other Blood Angels HQ.
  • Heroic Willpower: One of only two Blood Angels to come back completely from the Black Rage.
  • I Call It Vera: Vitalis.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Thanks to his "Wings of Sanguinius" psychic power, he can fly, and is also one of the hardest hitting characters in the entire game.
  • Magic Knight
  • There Is No Kill Like Overkill: His "Sword of Sanguinius" Psychic power can double his strength to the maximum stat, and, because he can use his force weapon in the same turn, he can have strength 10 instant-death attacks.
  • Number Two: To Dante.
  • One-Man Army: On the Tabletop people will throw whole squads at him and he still takes them.
  • Psychic Powers: The most powerful psyker among the Blood Angels, and a contender for the most powerful among the Space Marines.

Corbulo

Leader of the Sanguinary Priests (the Blood Angels Apothocaries), Corbulo's duty is to guard the Red Grail, a cup used to carry the blood Sanguinius lost in the battle with Horus.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Badass Preacher
  • Chainsaw Good: Carries Heaven's Teeth, a irreplaceable Chainsword from the Great Crusade.
  • Combat Medic: He is the high priest of the Blood Angels; not only he is skilled in combat, but he's on a continuous search for the cure of the Flaw.
  • Feel No Pain: Every Sanguinary Priest grants this to every battle brother that is close to him.
    • Even more, such is his skill and power, that when making a Feel No Pain save, he will only fail one time out of six.
  • Generation Xerox: Noted as bearing a great resemblance to Sanguinius.
  • MacGuffin Guardian: His task to protect the Red Grail.

Astorath the Grim

"Treat them with honour, my Brothers. Not because they will bring us victory this day, but because their fate will one day be ours."

Astorath the Grim is the Blood Angels' High Chaplain, and also the Redeemer of the Lost.

Being the Redeemer of the Lost, Astorath possess a unique job: to grant mercy to every Death Company Battle Brother that didn't fall in battle, in the form of a clean death. It was long ago decided this duty would be one best suited for a single brother, and thus far a single brother has been all that was needed. However, as he is the only one responsible for the culling of these lost men, he must travel far and wide amongst each Blood Angel successor fortress, and find those who are soon to fall.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Erasmus Tycho

Captain of the Third Company following the Second War for Armageddon, where he assumed command after his captain was killed fighting the Orks. He was scared during the battle and bore a hatred of the Orks ever since. After Armaggedon, he oversaw the destruction of Orilan, and was saved by Ramius Stele from a daemon of Chaos. Which is what Malfallax may have wanted Tycho to believe. During the Third War for Armageddon, Tycho succumbed to the Black Rage and inducted to the Death Company, where he was killed fighting Orks.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Lemartes, Guardian of the Lost

Chaplain Lemartes is the warden of the Death Company and never have they been such a potent force as under his guidance. Though Lemartes himself is afflicted by the accursed Black Rage, his formidable willpower has allowed him to remain in control of his actions, leaving him free to lead the Death Company in glorious charges that eclipse all the deeds of legend.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Rafen

The protagonist of the Blood Angels series, Rafen was born to Akam of the Broken Mesa clan of Baal Secundus, and the elder brother of Arkio. During the initiate rights, he failed a test by Brother-Sergeant Koris, while his brother Arkio passed, and went into the deserts to redeem himself. During the self-imposed quest, the Thunderhawk carrying Koris and the initiates crashed in the desert, and he saved the lives of the others. Koris deemed him worthy of being a Blood Angel, and since another initiate had died, he was allowed to travel to Baal and join the Blood Angels. He eventually served in Koris's squad in the Sixth Company while Arkio went on the Bellus Expedition.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • The Atoner: For allowing Fabius Bile to abscond with a vial of Sangiunius's blood.
  • Big Brother Instinct: He promised his father to protect his brother.
  • BFS: Uses a power sword in Red Fury and Black Tide. Probably the one he used against Arkio.
  • Cain and Abel: Uniquely, he's the Cain, but he's upholding God's will. Sort of.
  • Go Mad from the Revelation: Absolutely loses it when he learns that Fabius Bile is planning to make a clone of the Emperor. Any Space Marine would feel the same way.
  • The Hero
  • Only Sane Man: Genuinely feels like this during Deus Encarmine and Deus Sangiunius.
  • Sergeant Rock: During Red Fury and Black Tide.

Arkio

Brother of Rafen and son of Akam of the Broken Mesa Clan. His mother died giving birth to him, so his father charged Rafen with his wellbeing. Passing the Blood Angels initiate tests, he joined the Bellus Expedition under Captain Simeon and Inquisitor Lord Ramius Stele to locate the long lost Spear of Telesto, a weapon used by Sanguinius during the Great Crusade. After using the Spear in battle, he begins to mutate into a physical reincarnation of Sanguinius, and the other Blood Angels feel that he is Sanguinius reborn. Which is exactly what Stele wants to lead the Blood Angels to Chaos.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Sachiel

Born into what could be considered aristocracy among the tribes of Baal Secundus, Sachiel considered his passing of the Blood Angels initiate tests to be a matter of course. Joining the Sanguinary Priests, he became an Apothecary and joined the Bellus Expedition. By the time the Bellus returned to known space, Sachiel had become a High Priest and the ranking Chaplain of the Expedition, as his predecessor had died. As people begin to believe that Arkio is the reincarnation of Sanguinius, Sachiel became one of his trusted advisers. Just as Stele had intended.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Koris

A veteran sergeant of the Sixth company, Koris recruited and a number of initiates, including Rafen, Arkio, and Sachiel. When belief begins to spread that Arkio is the reincarnation of Sanguinius, Koris maintains a healthy skepticism.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Turcio

A battle-brother of the Fifth Company, part of Koris's squad along with Rafen.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Corvus

A battle-brother who joined the Bellus Expedition.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Imperium of Man

Inquisitor Lord Ramius Stele

Raimus Stele is an Inquisitor in the Ordo Hereticus, tasked with seeking out heretics against the Imperial Church. After glancing at some forbidden material, he began studying the Warp in the hopes learning more. However, his attempt to cast a spell of binding on Orilan released the daemon Malfallax, causing mutations that forced the Adeptus Terra to declare an Exterminatus on the planet. Escaping with his bodyguard and former lover Marian, Stele managed to brook safe passage onto Captain Tycho's ship, where he finally pledged himself to Malfallax, killed Marian to avoid being exposed, and was credited with saving Tycho from Malfallax. Earning the gratitude of the Blood Angels, he was given a blood debt and later placed in charge of an expedition to find the Spear of Telesto. Now he plans to use Arkio as a false messiah to turn the Blood Angels to the Chaos Gods.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Chaos

Malfallax

A greater daemon of Tzeentch, Malfallax spent years trying to turn Inquisitor Ramius Stele to Chaos, until he finally succeeded on Orilan. Over the next few decades, Stele and Malfallax concocted a plan with Warmaster Garand of the Thousand Sons to turn the Blood Angels to Chaos Undivided using Arkio as a false messiah.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Garand

A Warmaster of the Word Bearers, Garand is a powerful Chaos Space Marine. He conspires with Malfallax and Stele to turn the Blood Angels to Chaos Undivided.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Iskavan

Dark Apostle of the ninth host of the Word Bearers, Iskavan the Hated lead the ninth host on Cybele against the Blood Angels of the Sixth Company. After being forced to retreat, Iskavaan headed to Shenlong, where he planned to battle the Blood Angels and regain his honor. In truth, he was to be sacrificed by Garand as part of the plan for turning the Blood Angels, because of the ninth host's failings.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Fabius Bile

Once the Chief Apothecary of the Emperor's Children, Fabius Bile fell to Chaos along with the rest of his Legion during the Horus Heresy. Cast out for not worshiping Slaanesh, Bile sold his services to the rest of the Chaos Space Marines by becoming the "Primogenitor", making clone stock for the Traitor Legions recruits. Impersonating a dead biologist, Bile managed to abscond with a vial of the blood of Sanguinius, which he intends to trace back to its source--making a clone of the Emperor of Mankind.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
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