Blood Angels
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In the game and fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Blood Angels are one of the thousands of Chapters of Space Marines in the Imperium. They are particularly well known for their bloodthirsty nature in battle.
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History
The Blood Angels were created as one of the original twenty First Founding Legions of Space Marines, and 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 world of Baal. 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, Sangunius 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 the 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. Sanguinius was said to have had psychic powers, notably the ability to see the future.
During the Horus Heresy, the Blood Angels were one of the few Legions who stood by the Emperor during the Battle of Terra. Just prior to the Emperor's duel with the arch-traitor Horus, Sanguinius was brutally murdered in single combat with Horus. Sanguinius's violent death left a strong psychic imprint on his Legion, since they partially share his DNA. However, this was a willing sacrifice that was made in order to buy the Emperor time and to give him a weakness in Horus's armor, which was key in bringing about his defeat.
After the Heresy, as with all other loyal Legions, the Blood Angels were forced to split into many smaller Chapters. Only a few are well known, including the Angels Encarmine and the Flesh Tearers, as well as the Blood Angels themselves.
Black Rage
All of the Chapters derived from the Blood Angels still suffer from the psychic imprint left by Sanguinius's death. This can cause them to go insane prior or during a battle, and they believe that they are Sanguinius himself during the Battle of Terra. The condition is irrecoverable (except for one case, where the victim is largely able to control it), and victims are locked away on the Blood Angels homeworld until they finally die. This insanity is known as the Black Rage.
Rather than face a slow, insane death, Blood Angels will form those who have newly succumbed to the Black Rage into a special unit known as the Death Company. They wear specially painted black armor, and are often led by the few Chapter officers, notably Chaplains, who are able to communicate orders to the insane troops. They are then sent out to perform the most dangerous assaults, hoping for a quick and honorable death in combat.
Red Thirst
Like many of the special, non-Codex (that is, those who don't strictly adhere to the basic rules of the Space Marines) Chapters of Space Marines, the Blood Angels have an underlying theme for the army- they bear a striking resemblance to vampires. They generally have pale skin, and a strong urge to drink the blood of their enemies, often this manifests as another flaw known as the Red Thirst. These traits have also been passed on to their sucessor chapters, such as the Flesh Tearers, Blood Drinkers, and Angels Sanguine. The Blood Ravens may also be a sucessor chapter, due to similarities in name, colors, and Iconography, but this is doubtful, as the Blood Ravens seem not to suffer from the Black Rage.
Appearance
The Blood Angels generally paint their armor a deep blood red with black trim. Their Chapter symbol is a blood drop with a stylized wing on either side. Most of their badges, banners and other emblems also bear the blood drop motif, as well as skulls, the Imperial double headed eagle, and other related icons common among the Space Marines.
Gameplay
In the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game, the Blood Angels currently play using the standard Space Marine Codex along with a smaller addendum Codex which adds further special rules and units. They are given advantages in hand-to-hand combat, but are disadvantaged by an inability to remain stationary on 1/6th of their turns along with the prospects of individual marines falling to the Black Rage and then made part of the Death Company, weakening their original units.