Imperial Fiends

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The **Imperial Fiends** are a loyalist Chapter descended from the noble lineage of the angelic Primarch Sanguinius and the Blood Angels. Created during the 22nd Founding, they are both estranged and despised by their progenitors, forced to make their own way in an uncaring galaxy, contemptuous of the thoughts of their peers.

Friendly and approachable, kind and charitable, their acts of compassion and kindness are famed throughout the Imperium. More than once the Fiends have descended upon the massacre of Imperial civilians from on high, like the angels they resemble. They work closely with the population in the aftermath, seeking to guide, protect and counsel. Paragons of virtue, defenders of mankind and heroes untold, they are the very pinnacle of the Emperor's ambitions and dreams for his enhanced Astartes.

Proud and aloof, they will brook no orders willingly, seeing themselves as far above the command of mortals as a human is above a farm animal. They obey no master, and serve none. They appear on battles across the breadth of their sector according to their own whims and fancies, but always seeming to be aiming to shield as many innocent lives from harm as they can.

However, behind this facade of purity and righteousness lies a dark secret. Despite their reputation as a Chapter that epitomises the best traits of their genetic forebears, in reality, the Imperial Fiends harbour the worst excesses due to the inherent "Twin Flaws" of their bloodline. Within the souls of each of these Astartes lies a true creature of rage and blood-soaked madness, which can only be kept in check through ritual sacrifice and the mass consumption of blood. This 'salvation' has caused their own progenitors to turn their back on the darkly-tained Chapter, whom look upon their distant kin with abject disgust. Should this secret become known to the wider Imperium it would threaten the very existence of this self-righteous Chapter and would more than likely see them excommunicated.

## Chapter History

The Imperial Fiends were created in the 22nd Founding, a Chapter of no import within the greater skein of Imperial politics. The Blood Angel's requests confirm Successor Chapters had long been met with reluctant acceptance, and the Imperial Fiends were no different. Originally born as the Angels of Sorrow, the Astartes worked long and hard to overcome the demise of their father, fighting the curses he had left in his wake.

Yet the sacrifice of Sanguinius began to lose its meaning. His tale of heroic sacrifice, intended to inspire even the mightiest of Chapter Masters, was slowly diminished by the bitterness and disdain in the Astartes' souls.

Compared with such greatness, the Chapter is merely a shadow of his passing, a faint flicker of his majesty. Long they struggled with the realisation of their worthlessness in comparison. Gifted beyond the realms of the mortal frame, and cursed in equal measure, they were expendable, weapons to be used and discarded as so many Chapters before them.

It was with honeyed words and bright ideals that they fought the sense of futility and the rising cases of the Black Rage. Chaplains speaking of their higher purpose, Squad Sergeants appealing to their troops of their superiority over the average Astartes and the heavy drawing on the imagery of the Angel bringing justice from the skies.

With so many inner daemons plaguing their every footstep, and so many chances to slip into damnation, it was with noble pride and great grandeur, that they began to liken their actions to those of their Father. For only the greatest could hope to eclipse his legacy.

In the rise of their pride, and their battle with the whispers that they were nothing a wave of change affected the Legion. Slowly at first , but growing more noticeable. They became more independent, and withdrawn. Insular and brooding, they spurned the requests and demands of the mortal machine, for no Angel is beholden to mortals. Striking suddenly, unveiling their hidden ferocity and barely keeping it in check, the Angels of Sorrow targeted those areas oft overlooked by the Administratum. They rescued those too weak to defend themselves against the darkness.

With each success, and careful consideration of the locals and assistance in their rebuilding, their fame and superiority grew. These were more than mere cogs for the Imperial war machine, these were the Sons of Sanguinius, bringing their father's gifts to bear on their foes.

Yet as the grateful populations began to spread word of the Chapter, likening his actions to those of Sanguinius, increasing the number of ministrations, prayers and statues to their Father's glory, it did little but enrage their heros. For all their gifts and glory, for all their skill, they would never escape the shadow of their Father. All they work, all their efforts, just to garner their father more accolades.

### Discommendation

With their established reputation, it is no difficult task for the Imperial Fiends to find volunteers for the recruitment process, nor for their Chapter serfs, many of which are recruited from planets they have rescued from the clutches of an enemy force. In spite of this, their recruitment seems to be slower than otherwise expected, and the number of serfs within the Legion remains low, a fact the Chapter has never made any full explanation of. Indeed, no explanation could ever be given. After all, how could they tell the truth to Imperial Authorities. Behind each angelic face, otherworldly smile and heavenly grace, lay the hungry eyes of a monster. Long had the Chapter continued their service to Sanguinius, fighting their nature as he had decreed.

The cynical nature of their home planet, was ultimately part of their undoing. The most astute among them realised the veneration of their Primarch, was very much akin to their once religious fervour. A religious fervour that had of course been brutally put down many millennia ago. The reverberations of such an event echoed down to this day. Freed from the constraints of their restrictive religion, the once mighty Empires and glorious centres of majesty and knowledge had been torn down, replaced with barbaric savagery. After all, if there was no God to judge them, why should they pay so much attention to the morality of their actions. Rather, they should seize what they want, and live in the moment.

Such an attitude, unacceptable for the Imperium at large, bred feral warriors perfect for recruitment into the Astartes. Over time, this influx had profound consequences. Their cynical nature, coupled with the Black Rage, slowly diminished their love for their father, as certainly as the embers of a dying fire. In its place, grew bitter resentment, self loathing and hatred. Their very little self control, combined with their desire to stave off the Black Rage, was soon to create a Daemon, of unfathomable beauty and horror.

Their reputation, so carefully built over so many years, served only one end. Mortals flocked to their halls, volunteered to serve the Chapter in a multitude of ways, the Angels of Salvation, the Emperor's Fiends, descending upon their foe with a savagery unmatched. Indeed they would serve, in gruesome blood rituals, week long feasts of cannibalism and murder, to sustain their Lord's tentative hold on their sanity, for as long as could be managed.

And so the tragedy unfolded, the Scions of Sanguinius turned their back on all their Father stood for, using the gifts of his gene-seed, their pride and guile, to mislead the desperate, and lead them to their final damnation. Their heroes would be their killers, for each Angel was a Devil in Disguise.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

### Primarch's Curse: (Sanguinius)

They suffer from the twin curses of their Founding Fathers, though the number of instances of the Black Rage are significantly lower.

## Gallery

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 White Scars Successors
 Space Wolves Successors
 Imperial Fists Successors
 Blood Angels Successors
 Iron Hands Successors
 Ultramarines Successors
 Salamanders Successors
 Raven Guard Successors
 Unknown Lineage

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