Impalers

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## Impalers

Impalers armorial with Chapter iconography.

An Impalers Vyreling (Battle-Brother) of the 4th Coterie (Company), 4th Brood (Tactical Squad - Battleline).

## Space Marine Chapter

### **Allegiance**

Imperium of Man
(*Fedelitas Sine Recursu*)

### **Founding**

Unknown
(Believed to be 21st 'Cursed' Founding)

### **Allies**

- Sons Sanguine
- Brotherhood of the Midnight Sun
- Lycanthropes

### **Specialty**

Shock Assault, Close-Quarters Actions (Line-Breaker Attacks, 'Forlorn Hope' Objective Assaults), Punitive Actions, Decimation, Enforced Pacification, Terror Assaults, Psychological Warfare

### **Battle cry**

"*Vitae Voro!*"
(Translated from High Gothic, "Devour their blood!")
Alternatively, "*Sanguis in Vitae, Iustitia in Mort!*" (Translated from High Gothic, "Blood is Life, Justice in Death!")

### Successor Chapter(s)

N/A

"*In my duties I travel the galaxy, aiding those of the Blood. Every Chapter I visit I have taken the measure of; the Flesh Tearers are the Great Angel's fury, the Stormborn his pride...you are the despair that threatened to take him, to make him something dark when the Arch-Traitor betrayed the Imperium, you Impalers...you are that darkness Strahd, and I will have no part in it.*"
— Astorath the Grim, High Executioner & Redeemer of the Lost of the Blood Angels, in a conversation with Grand Voivode Strahd Tempes.
The **Impalers** is a notorious Successor Chapter created from the lineage of the proud and noble Blood Angels during an Unknown Founding. However, extant records indicate, based on eye-witness accounts and circumstantial evidence, that this Chapter was perhaps one of the many ill-fated Chapters created during the lamentable 21st Founding, the so-called 'Cursed' Founding.

A Chapter wearing a similar deep red and black livery, known as the Scarlet Scions, first appeared in official Imperial records sometime in M36, following the tragic events of the Reign of Blood. At first, this unknown Chapter appeared to help bring stability to a galaxy rife with civil discord. However, within only a matter of decades, it was apparent that there were some unexpected genetic idiosyncrasies passed on from their genetic forbears to this newest generation of Scions of Sanguinius - an unnatural craving for blood and an insatiable drive to enact retribution against those that dared turn from the light of the Emperor - often in ways both horrifying and extremely more barbaric, as time went on.

The preferred method of punishment utilised by these unforgiving Astartes against those that transgressed against the rightful rule of the Emperor was impalement, thus earning this bellicose and savage Chapter the appropriate moniker they would forever after be known and judged by - '*Impalers*'.

Like some of their fellow Chapters of the Blood, the Impalers prefer to shield their faces from those they fight alongside. This may be due to their Astartes being heavily afflicted by what the Chapter terms as the '*Blood Thirst*'. The resulting brutality often enacted during one of their campaigns has led to their being investigated on a number of occasions on charges of heresy and corruption by the Inquisition, but they have been cleared of suspicion, for the time being.

## Chapter History

"*He told how murderers walk the earth
Beneath the curse of Cain,
With crimson clouds before their eyes
And flames about their brains:
For blood has left upon their souls
Its everlasting stain.*"
— Attributed to the ancient Terran dramaturge, Thomas Hood, ca. M2
The Impalers are one of several Chapters that were created from the genetic lineage of the great angelic Primarch Sanguinius. However, like many Chapters created during the latter millennia, they too, are greatly afflicted by the genetic twin-curses of their gene-sire's bloodline. Though official Imperial records do not indicate the exact date on which they were created, extant records point to the timing in which a mysterious Chapter, known as the Scarlet Scions, appeared sometime following the lamentable events of the Reign of Blood sometime in M36. More than likely, they were a part of the ill-fated 21st Founding, which took place sometime in M35 or late M36. The focus of this particular Founding by the Adeptus Mechanicus was to attempt to perfect and remove existing identified deficiencies in the various gene-seed of several well-known genetic lines. Though initially deemed successful, soon many of these Chapters were plagued by spontaneous random mutations or devolved into something no longer human or sane. Fortunately, the Scarlet Scions were spared such a horrific fate. Initially, the newly created Chapter only suffered minor cosmetic and physical changes such as pale skin, loss of hair, and pointed teeth.

The Scarlet Scions quickly earned a laudable record of success through their zealous persecution of the Forces of Chaos - a well-deserved reputation that has not waned over the course of their history. Utilised as a shock assault force, on every occasion the Scarlet Scions were unleashed against a recalcitrant world or xenos threat, they performed their duties with almost gleeful savagery, tearing apart whatever enemy it was given to fight without mercy or falter, regardless of its own losses and heedless of the risk. Over time, the Chapter was increasingly deemed by the High Lords of Terra as being more suitable for use against targets where annihilation was the goal rather than liberation, a task to which they seemed eminently suited.

Despite their early record of impressive tallies of victory and the initial success of their newly created gene-seed, after several decades, it became readily apparent that the Chapter's gene-seed had also inherited the lamentable twin-genetic curses that afflicted those Chapters that hailed from the line of the Great Angels, despite the best attempts of the Magos Biologis genetors to remove them. The Scarlet Scions began to display troubling tendencies for extreme demonstrations of cruelty and savagery on an unparalleled level, often with complete disregard for innocent human life and collateral damage. On several occasions, their allies were greeted by the sickening sights of dismemberment, crucifixions and even impaling, the latter torture becoming the calling card of this unforgiving Chapter, as well giving them their new moniker - the 'Impalers'. Such barbaric displays of butchery and savagery have done little to enhance their standing. The Impalers' bellicose and ruthless demeanour has earned them an unsavoury reputation amongst the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, and Imperial commanders and planetary governors are wont to embrace the aid of these bloodthirsty and savage Astartes, except in only the direst of circumstances.

During this era, the Impalers constantly crusaded across the width and breadth of the galaxy, destroying any and all heretics, mutants, or xenos that dared to cross their path. Whispers of their brutality circulated amongst the nobles of the Terran court, going so far as to reach the ears of the High Twelve themselves. However, the degree of success achieved by the Impalers in achieving their objective and bringing swift retribution against rebellious worlds bringing them back into the Imperial fold was nearly unparalleled. During this tumultuous era, as the Imperium recovered from the treachery of the mad High Lord Goge Vandire, results were valued far more than the means by which this blood-handed Chapter conducted their campaigns. The Chapter seemed to be given carte blanche to enact their bloody-handed form of retribution, as they saw fit. As such, there were no investigations into the savage rumours that accompanied the Impalers' implacable advance across the stars.

Over time, the Impalers continued to earn a dreadful reputation for savagery. Despite their laudable and impressive tally of victories, many of their erstwhile allies have begun to question this Chapter's conduct in their prosecution. Though none would gainsay the Impalers' effectiveness in battle, there are many who have fought alongside the Impalers who found the Astartes of this Chapter to often be unpredictable, intemperate and dangerous to anything that stands in their path - combatant, civilian, or otherwise. Rumours have even begun to circulate that the Impalers have, at times, put to the sword human regiments of the Astra Militarum or local Planetary Defence Forces they see as failing them in battle. Due to the inherent distrust and aura of malice surrounding this Chapter, the Impalers often keep a guarded distance from other Adeptus Astartes Chapters. Only time will tell whether their genetic deficiencies or growing psychosis will be their undoing.

## Notable Campaigns

### Serkis Compliance (692.M38)

The Ivaldi System was settled by humanity in the distant past and had remained isolated for millennia. Though bringing a new civilisation (who referred to themselves as the Serkis) into Imperial Compliance would bring the Imperium great renown, this formidable civilisation refused to bend the knee to the light of the Imperial Truth and instead were prepared to fight to maintain their independence. The Imperium wanted Serkis's wealth and resources to harness for their own needs. So the securing of Serkis fell to the Brazen Lions, supported by select elements of the Astra Militarum and the forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Despite meticulous planning, the campaign did not begin well as substantial losses were inflicted upon the Imperial forces. The Brazen Lions recognized the dire circumstances of their situation and issued a request to Terra for reinforcements. Soon, Imperial reinforcements arrived in-system to augment the beleaguered Imperial forces. These forces included several additional Space Marines Chapters, such as the Impalers, Blades of Dorn, Ice Dragons, and Silverbacks Chapters. Despite his misgivings, the Brazen Lions Chapter Master grudgingly accepted these Chapters' assistance and immediately drew up plans for prosecuting the second offensive against the Serkis. Utilising the strength of their new reinforcements, the coalition of Angels of Death launched a successful second offensive against the Serkis that would soon see an Imperial victory.

### Excoriation of Visegrad (996.M41)

When Planetary Governor Orsika of the imperial world of Visegrad declared their independence from the rule of the God-Emperor and subsequent secession from the Imperium of Man, the High Lords of Terra were forced to act. Visegrad was one of the most important industrial worlds within the Solva System which provided war material for several Astra Militarum regiments in the various local sub-sectors. A loss of such a vitally important world as Visegrad would harm the deployability and overall readiness of these regiments. If this outrage was allowed to stand, it might encourage a system-wide insurrection which would result in the loss of untold billions of Imperial lives, not to mention to complete collapse of the entire system if an Imperial Crusade was launched to re-take these recalcitrant worlds. This didn't even account for the potential loss of valuable resources and infrastructure. Already, nearly a half-dozen planets had agreed to join Orsika's secessionist cause, recognising her as the true ruler of the entire Solva System, and pledging their undying loyalty to her. They were willing to shed the blood of any who would dare trespass within their domain.

Within the span of only weeks, a large Chapter fleet of dark red coloured vessels entered the outer reaches of the Solva System. Quickly they were identified by secessionist forces as a Chapter fleet of unknown provenance. However, their identities were soon revealed by the dire symbol identified by the secessionist outrider forces; that of a bound skeleton impaled upon a large black spike. This was the iconography of the infamous and merciless Chapter known as the Impalers. Gathering in orbit above the capital world of Visegrad, the Impalers made short work of the planet's outlying defence satellites and orbital docks that ringed the hive world. Following the destruction of these skeleton forces, the deadly fleet sat silently above, hovering inexorably over the rebellious world - the promise of death hanging like a shadow over the doomed populace of Visgrad like a guillotine blade about to fall upon the neck of a hapless victim. Mysteriously the Astartes fleet did not issue demands, warnings, or threats. They merely sat - eerily silent - for months on end.

As the Space Marine Chapter sat in patient judgment above the planet, the Planetary Governor's fear and paranoia grew the longer she waited for the executioner's axe to fall. She did not sit idle, as she desperately had the capital city cordoned off and hastily built defences put into place. Osika scrambled about in terror, hoping to satisfactorily fortify her world against the Emperor's Angels of Death. In this regard, she failed miserably, as was made all too clear when the skies of Visegrad were filled with Impalers' crimson-coloured drop pods and gunships. Like some dark monster, the Impalers fell upon the world like a thunderbolt, launching a rapid planetary strike upon the world's capital city - the seat of the Planetary Governor's power. When the Impalers drop pods touched down, the Lemures - the berserk Astartes of the Chapter's Death Company lost to the Black Rage - spearheaded the assault upon the doomed Planetary Defence Forces. Like a tidal wave of black ceramite and ragged chainblades, the wall of battle-crazed Astartes made short work of the pitiful mortal foces arrayed against them. However, they were briefly stunted by a small force of Bane Wolf variant Hellhound tanks armed with deadly Chem Cannon in lieu of their usual Inferno Cannon.

Replacing its usual promethium with bulky canisters of toxic gas, the incredibly corrosive fumes chewed through the Lemures' ceramite in microseconds, reducing their front ranks in a hail of virulent chemicals inimical to organic matter. Even the insane fury of the Black Rage was not proof against the horrific effects of those foul, venom-spewing tanks. Despite this temporary setback, the Impalers responded in kind, unleashing a pinpoint teleportation assault by the Chapter's elite assault specialists. Three whole Adrasteia Assault Squads made short work of the Bane Wolves, prizing open the iron-skin of the armoured vehicles and slaughtering the terrified mortal crews within, butchering them with their telltale gladius-like, forearm-mounted blades, and wrist-mounted, compact-bolters. Once this obstacle was overcome, the Planetary Governor could no longer muster anything within her planet's armouries to make the pitched battle even close to even with the overwhelming forces of the blood-maddened Impalers.

All the Chapter's forces converged upon the Planetary Governor's palace, grinding their way through Visegrad's hive capital. It wasn't a battle, it was a massacre. The Grand Voidvode, Strahd Tempes, and his elite Honour Guard of the Hellsong spearheaded the Impalers' assault. When the Chapter finally arrived in the shadow of the towering palace of the Planetary Governor, the Lord of the Impalers casually observed the palace defences, as a withering firestorm of las and autocannon fire rained down upon the Impalers' position. With a silent signal, the Hellstorm ignited their winged jump packs as one, launching themselves towards their assigned objectives. Within a short span, they broke through the secessionist force's main line, allowing the rest of the Chapter to pour through a breach in the palace walls and into the palatial estates of the Planetary Governor.

Those unfortunate enough to stand between the elemental force of the Astartes and their incandescent rage were slaughtered like chaffe before a harvester's scythe. The secessionist forces throw down their weapons, screaming and begging for mercy, but there was none to give. Their cries for pity were ignored as the Impalers contemptuously slaughtered the treacherous curs where they stood. The Grand Voivode led his entourage within, slaughtering anything that crossed his path. Finally, the Impalers reached their destination - the palace throne room. Covered in blood and gore, the Lord of the Impalers and his silver-clad Honour Guard made their way towards the cowering Planetary Governor, whose corpulent form sat upon a high-backed, golden command throne. Trying to stall for time, the impertinent Planetary Governor had the audacity to demand the surrender of the Impalers. Initially caught off guard by the mortal ruler's incredulous demands, the Grand Voivode strode towards the pathetic mortal that had forsaken her sacred oaths of fealty to the God-Emperor.

However, Orsika played one final hand and called for her hulking bodyguard to step forth from the shadows behind her throne. A massive abhuman Ogryn, armed with crude, blade-like approximations of hands in place of its natural limbs, strode forth towards the Chapter Master of the Impalers. Wide-eyed and twitching with a notable palsy, it was apparent that the massive abhuman was pumped full of combat-stims, its body jolting back and forth in violent spasms in anticipation of the fight to come. One of the Hellsong's Virtues strode forth to meet the creature in a one-on-one duel. The consummate warrior made short work of the disgusting homunculus, ramming its massive Eviscerator blade through the Ogryn's thick skull. Falling like a mighty timber to the throne room's marble floor, the colour drained from the face of the doomed Planetary Governor. Her feigned arrogance vanished like smoke in the wind, as she sat wide-eyed and trembling with fear. The Grand Voivode then ordered the Hellsong to kill everyone within the throne room. Before they could even comprehend what was happening, the silver-clad warriors fell upon the gawking nobles with their massive Eviscerator chainblades like a storm, turning the throne room into a charnel house of blood-spattered ravaged meat and decapitated body parts.

After the slaughter ceased, the Lord of the Impalers walked up the steps to the dais of Orsika's throne and stood over her like a predatory beast savouring the meal to come. Taunting the disgraced Planetary Governor one final time, the Grand Voivode plunged his artificer-wrought arm-mounted gladius into the treasonous governor's stomach, draining her entirely of blood, before contemptuously throwing her corpse across the throne room. Once the traitor had been executed, the Impalers performed one final, bloody-handed act of savagery. The remaining populace of the hive capital was rounded up by the Impalers and subsequently impaled upon large black metal stakes; men, women and children - none were spared. Tens of thousands of civilians underwent this cruel and barbaric torture, their still writhing bodies left to hang upon the raised stakes embedded in the ground, taking several days to die. The entire execution of the planet's capital city was broadcasted throughout the system. A virtual "forest" of over 250,000 impaled and decaying corpses were left to rot within the hive city. This grim tableau of impaled corpses was left as a dire warning for the other secessionist worlds - *this too shall be your fate*. Within a matter of days, the rest of the secessionist worlds unanimously surrendered without any further bloodshed and willingly subjected themselves to the mercy of the God-Emperor.

## Chapter Homeworld

### Nosgoth

"*There is a reason why all things are as they are.*"
— Common Nosgothian saying.

Nosgoth is the grim and forlorn world of the Impalers Chapter. Located in the north-western reaches of the Segmentum Obscurus, bordering the mysterious Halo Stars, this isolated and lonely planet is located far away from most nearby Imperial sectors. The main continent lay in the northern hemisphere and is extremely mountainous and inhospitable. Massive silent pine forests climb the steep mountainsides as far as the eye can see, between the dark crags and rocky outcroppings of the foreboding peaks. Some of the deep valleys are never even touched by sunlight due to the dense canopy of the dark green forests and the cloying dense fog that forms around the mountains due to the planet's pervasive weather patterns. These are not deserted places, however, for once the sun sets, large bats (the apex predators of Nosgoth) fill the air with high-pitched screeches as they hunt lesser prey that stalks the forest floor. During the short and gloomy daytime hours, wandering tribes of feral humans make their living beneath the pine branches; hunting, foraging, and warring with one another.

These native Nosgothians worship a heinous deity they refer to as Kzernobog, '*He Whom Devours the Souls of Men*'. According to local legends, this god of death gained his powers from swallowing the souls of humans. Believing that the human body was the vessel in which the soul resides, the Nosgothian people mimicked their god through ritual sacrifice and endocannibalistic rites, by eating the flesh of their loved ones. This is an expression of veneration of the dead, or the pursuit of consuming some esoteric aspect of the person, like the deceased's wisdom and knowledge. In this way, their deceased kin would live on forever.

Following a battle, the Nosgothians would also practice cannibalism - consuming the flesh of their fallen enemies. They believe that this gruesome practice would transfer the strengths and secret thoughts of the victims to the victors, in accordance with Nosgothian traditions. When the Impalers first came to Nosgoth and discovered the local populace, they quickly realised that Kzernobog or the '*Great Soul-Eater*', was in fact, none other than the Emperor of Mankind Himself, although worshipped in a much-debased form. It was a simple matter for the Chapter's Wardens (Chaplains) to easily convert the Nosgothians to the worship of the God-Emperor. Moreover, many of the rituals and beliefs of the Nosgothians corresponded very well with the Sanguinary Rites of the Impalers, and the natives, therefore, adapted quickly to the harsh rule of their new masters.

#### The Culling

Following the Impalers' settlement upon Nosgoth, the Chapter knew that their blood dependency was still a reality. If not given fresh blood, these Astartes would eventually fall into a deep catatonic state and wither away until they finally died as shrivelled husks or they would succumb to the curse of the Black Rage. Despite the best efforts of their Magos Biologis creators, they were unsuccessful in staving off the dark legacy of the Impalers' Progenitors. After several decades, it had become readily apparent that the Impalers were also afflicted by the 'Twin-Curses' that plagued all Scions of Sanguinius. At first, the Chapter's Apotekars (Apothecaries) found a temporary solution to help stave off the inherent 'Blood Thirst' that afflicted their every waking moment, by growing blood artificially through the use of specially devised blood-servitors. Unfortunately, this was only a stop-gap measure, as the amounts of blood they produced were insufficient for the needs of the Chapter. Also, these living devices still required fresh blood to fuel the process, something the Chapter was entirely lacking.

After the discovery and reclamation of Nosgoth, the Impalers had finally found the means to sustain themselves indefinitely. As soon as the Impalers controlled the Nosgothian populace, they designed a system of tithes that would ensure fresh supplies of both Neophytes and, more importantly, a source of precious vitae. From that moment on, the Nosgothians have lived in a nightmare come true. The people of Nosgoth understood all too well the reasons behind the dark actions of their new overlords. On their world, the eating of flesh and blood on such a dynamic scale meant having immense ritual power, and since these blood-clad Angels of Death were actual emissaries of the 'Great Soul-Eater', the natives did not oppose the tyranny of the Impalers to any real extent.

The Impalers and the Nosgothians live in a strange and brutal symbiosis; the Astartes control their lives but still protect them from any outside harm, for the Nosgothians are the human livestock of the Impalers and their Chapter's future. With this constant supply of warm blood and potential Neophytes, the Impalers have evolved into a strong Chapter and a force to be reckoned with.

## Chapter Organisation

Like their Progenitors, the Impalers are relatively *Codex*-compliant, organising themselves in accordance to the dictates of the *Codex Astartes* as much as their genetic flaw allows. However, the Impalers prefer to utilise unique terms and ranks that reflect the culture of their homeworld of Nosgoth rather than the standard terminology found within the *Codex*. The Chapter possesses the standard 10 Coteries (Companies), with each being led by a '*Hospodar*' (Captain) who is protected by elite Strygos Veteran Squads who serve as his Honour Guard. The only exceptions to the standard *Codex* structure allowed by the Impalers are the Hellsong (Sanguinary Guard) and the '*Lemures*' (Death Company). A Coteries possesses 100 Astartes organised into 10 Broods (Squads) each. For logistical reasons, each squad is assumed to have a nominal strength of ten '*Vyrelings*' (Battle-Brothers), although battlefield attrition and instability brought on by the Flaw inevitably reduces this tally.

Following Roboute Guilliman's recent revisions to the *Codex Astartes* and the reorganisation of the Reserve Companies in the Era Indomitus, ten additional squad numbers and icons have been introduced to the Chapter, which now allows more than 100 Battle-Brothers in a company in certain circumstances. In addition, each Coterie or strike force will also have a number of Lemures within their ranks, although this is considered to be an auxiliary force. The Death Company's strength varies according to the onset of the Black Rage, and it, therefore, does not appear as an 'official' fighting body.

The 1st Coterie is composed of the Chapter's Strygos Veteran Squads, warriors with experience forged in countless battles throughout their decades, or even centuries, of waging war across the width and breadth of the galaxy. Many of these stalwart warriors are trained in the use of the sacred and extremely rare suits of Terminator Armour. The 2nd through 5th Coteries are the main Battle Coteries who carry the weight of the Chapter's combat duties.

The 6th to 9th Coteries serves as the Chapter's Reserve Coteries are composed of squads of the same overall type who often act as support for the Battle Coteries, as well as providing replacements for the casualties suffered by the Battle Coteries. The 6th and 7th Coteries are composed entirely of Battleline Squads (both Firsborn Tactical Marines and Primaris Intercessors), while the 8th Coteries is made up of various Close Support specialists, including Firstborn Assault Marines, Primaris Assault Intercessors, Inceptors, Incursors, and Reivers squads. The 9th Coterie has a full complement of Fire Support Specialists, including Firstborn Devastator Marines, Primaris Aggressors, Hellblasters, Vanguard Eliminators, and Vanguard Suppressors.

Finally, the 10th Coteries is composed of the Chapter's future legacy; Firstborn Scout Marines and '*Broodlings*' (Neophytes) who have not yet earned their place as full-fledged Battle-Brothers of the Chapter. With the introduction of Primaris Space Marines within their ranks, this Coteries also possesses several squads of additional Primaris Reivers, Vanguard Infiltrators, and Eliminators.

### Officer Ranks

* ***Grand Voivode*** - Chapter Master equivalent.
* ***Voivode*** - Legion Delegatus equivalent, this specialty rank is often granted to a Hospodar (temporarily) who is tasked with a specific mission by the Chapter's high command and formally dispatched to act in all matters with the full weight of the Grand Voivode's authority. As such, they can mobilise the Chapter's resources to the full, deploy its assets and, if performing a mission of vital strategic worth, assemble a strike force of chosen warriors from the various Coteries (companies).
* ***Hospodar*** - Captain equivalent.
	+ ***Spătharioi* (Master of the Keep equivalent)** - Translated from Nosgothian as 'spatha-bearer', this exalted individual is also known as the 'Sword of Nosgoth'. A Spătharioi serves as the Grand Voidvode's personal Equerry, acting as his second-in-command and will. He also serves as regent of the Chapter's homeworld in those cases where the Chapter Master is off-world or has been incapacitated. This title is borne by the commander of the 1st Coterie.
	+ ***Vornic* (Master of the Watch equivalent)** - The Master of the Watch serves as the sentinel of the Chapter's fortress-monastery on Nosgoth. He is responsible for the defence of his Chapter's base of operations and homeworld in the absence of the Chapter Master. This title is usually given to the commander of the 2nd Coterie though the company that is charged with the garrisoning of the fortress-monastery is allotted to a different company on a rotational basis.
	+ ***Armaș* (Master of the Arsenal equivalent)** - The Master of the Arsenal is a Space Marine captain who is charged by his Chapter Master with overseeing his Chapter's arsenal of weapons and munitions. This special duty is traditionally given to those officers who serve as the captains of the Chapter's 3rd Coterie.
	+ ***Flota Maestru* (Master of the Fleet equivalent)** - The Master of the Fleet is the Space Marine Captain who is deemed to have the most experience and greatest skill at planning and executing void-combats. He is given command of the Chapter fleet and essentially serves as the Chapter's fleet admiral, commanding its flagship and all other space assets when they deploy for major engagements. The title is traditionally given to the captain of the 4th Coterie.
	+ ***Dregător* (Master of the Marches equivalent)** - As well as leading an entire company of Space Marines in battle, the Master of the Marches has the duty of overseeing the deployment of the Chapter's fighting strength. It is his knowledge of Chapter dispositions that the Chapter Master turns to when readying for war. The Master of Marches is wholly devoted to his duty as he gazes at a massive length of parchment held aloft by a Cyber-cherub, which contains critical data. The Master of the Marches is usually the commander of the 5th Coterie.
	+ ***Alaiceauș* (Master of the Rites equivalent)** - The Master of the Rites is charged with recording and preserving the martial traditions of the Chapter -- a bombastic, courageous warrior with unswerving loyalty to his Battle-Brothers. This individual exudes a sense of martial pride and fervour to those around them through their exhortations of inspiring rhetoric during the heat of battle. This title is borne by the commander of the 6th Coterie.
	+ ***Chelar* (Master of Logistics equivalent)** - The Master of Logistics is responsible for all of the Chapter's supply needs, particularly those pertaining to food, drink, and the other personal requirements of the Chapter's Astartes and human support personnel. This title is borne by the commander of the 7th Coterie.
	+ ***Gealat* (Lord Executioner equivalent)** - Translated from Nosgothian as 'executioner', commander of the Chapter's 8th Coterie, a dour and bloody-handed individual who favours shorty, bloody and efficient melee combat. This individual is a cold remorseless killer who excels at his grim duty as the Chapter's foremost expert on close-combat operations. This title is borne by the commander of the 8th Coterie.
	+ ***Vistier* (Master of Relics equivalent)** - The Master of Relics is the commander of the Chapter's Reserve Fire Support Company, an unmatched expert in the tactics of long-ranged warfare. He is also the custodian of the Chapter's many technological masterpieces, the most dangerous of which are brought to the battlefield in times of exceptional strife. This title is borne by the commander of the 9th Coterie.
	+ ***Starosta* (Master of Recruits equivalent)** - The Master of Recruits is charged with the responsibility of training all of the Chapter's Broodlings (Neophytes) and also serves as the commander of the Chatper's Scout Virtue, the 10th Host. He will be a skilled Veteran of hundreds of battles and a shrewd judge of character, easily able to determine what will bring out the best in the genetically-altered adolescents who survived their Aspirant Trials and transform them into true Astartes. As the leader of a Scout Company, the Master of Recruits will be an expert in the irregular forms of combat that define the missions of Space Marine Scouts, including sabotage, infiltration, and counter-insurgency.
* ***Stolnik*** - Lieutenant equivalent.
	+ ***Divan Efendi* (Master of Reconnaissance equivalent)** - The Master of Reconnaissance are two junior officers who oversee the Vanguard Space Marines of the Chapter, typically from the 10th Coterie. These individuals are chosen for their aptitude for covert operations, and as such, serve under the command of the Starosta.
	+ ***Ceauș* (Master of the Signal equivalent)** - The Masters of the Signal are junior officers commonly attached to the forward elements of an Adeptus Astartes assault, providing communications support across the wider warzone. They are capable of calling down a pinpoint bombardment from either orbiting fleet assets or static artillery positions nearby, engulfing the foes of Mankind in flaming destruction. These junior officers serve under the commander of

### Senior Specialist Ranks

* ***Aprod* Primus** - Reclusiarch equivalent.
* ***Apotekar* Primus** - Chief Apothecary equivalent.
* ***Condicar* Primus** - Chief Librarian equivalent, master of the archives.
* ***Vătaf*** - Master of the Forge equivalent (means 'overseer').

### Specialist Ranks

* ***Aprod*** - Chaplain equivalent.
* ***Apotekar*** - Apothecary equivalent.
* ***Condicar*** - Librarian equivalent.
* ***Kovač*** - Techmarine equivalent (means 'blacksmith').
* ***Capugiu*** - Chapter Champion of the Grand Voivode.
* ***Iuzbața*** - Commander over the hundred battle-brothers responsible for defending the *Karpathos* against enemy boarding assaults.
* ***Cavas-bașa*** - A specialist honour guard composed of a quintumvirate of Aprods charged with protecting the Reclusiam of the Aprod Primus and the *Chaplice Vitae* (one of the Chapter's most sacred relics) contained within. Upon their ascension to this elite guard, they are stripped of all insignia and adornment save their Chapter's iconography emblazoned upon both shoulder pauldrons. Even their skull helms have been daubed death-black and jump packs are framed by halos of the darkest feathers. Only the glow of their red optics betrays them in the half-light of their eternal posts.

### Line Ranks

* ***Spătar*** - Veteran Marine equivalent.
* ***Drakan*** - Veteran Sergeant equivalent.
* **Patrician** - Sergeant equivalent.
* **Vyreling ('Blooded')** - Battle-Brother equivalent.
* **Juvinate** - Scout Marine equivalent.
* **Broodling ('Unblooded')** - Neophyte equivalent.
* **Thrall** - Aspirant equivalent.

### Unit & Squad Formations

* **Coterie** - Company equivalent.
* **Brood** - Squad equivalent.

### Specialist Formations

#### The Hellsong

Also known as Virtues, or Messengers, for their role as the personal envoys and deliverers of death of the Grand Voivode, these veteran Astartes are known by the Chapter as the Malakim Guard. Unofficially, this elite warrior cadre is referred to as the '*Hellsong*', for they are the final symphony the Impaler's foes would hear. Like the rest of their Chapter, compared to their fellow Scions of Sanguinius, the Hellsong were a dark brotherhood; their history a bloody and myth-strewn one filled with tales of fury and carnage, their fell deeds making them figures of dark terror.

Akin to other Sanguinary Guard of their fellow Blood Angels' Successor Chapters, the Malakim Guard of the Impalers are as dark mirrors to those golden-clad heroes that stand in the light of their Chapter Masters. Clad in silver artificer-wrought power armour resembling the striated musculature of the human form, their winged jump packs are designed to emulate Sanguinius' own angelic wings. However, instead of being angelic white, these wings represent a dark mirror of their fellow Sanguinary Guard counterparts, framing these guardians with a halo of the darkest feathers. When leaping down from above, they appear as a living manifestation of the grim executioner taken flight on broad angelic wings, like an avenging angel of death, striking fear into the hearts of their foes. These stalwart and dedicated guardians are charged with the safety and overall protection of the Grand Voivode.

Their ardour and devotion are such, that on the field of battle, they are an all but unstoppable force, whose wrath cannot be turned aside once their ire has been provoked. Some believe that they are the very personification of the Black Rage - Black Angels of pure rage and darkness - dark fragments of Sanguinius' soul that vents its rage through these ferocious warriors.

Upon induction into this highest of orders, they forsake their name and rank to assume an identity and role that subsumes all sense of self and leaves them with only the singular duty assigned to them.

The Malakim Guard fight with the weapons traditional to their honoured position, wrist-mounted relic storm bolters, Angelus pattern bolters, or leaving their hands free to wield massive two-handed Eviscerator chainswords instead of the traditional *Encarmine Sword* of other Sanguinary Guard formations.

#### Adrasteia Assault Squads

Within the Impaler Chapter are those warriors whose skills in the arts of the orbital strike and shock assault stand apart. Named for the ancient Grecian mythological spirit Nemesis, the goddess of indignation against, and retribution for, evil deeds. The Adrasteia Assault Squads are the Impalers' elite close support unit, chosen from amongst the most experienced and insanely daring warriors of the Chapter's assault squads.

Each of these chosen warriors bears the title of Erelim, or 'Valiant Ones', for their wrathful and bold natures, who act as the Chapter's tip of the spear during a planetary assault. Their innate ability to conduct precise strategic decapitation strikes has garnered them a legendary reputation within the ranks of the Scions of Sanguinius.

Arrayed with the Chapter's finest wargear and equipment, their ability to sunder an enemy's lines and tear the heart from its formation is second to none. Armed with their arm-mounted *Gladio Vitae*, wrist-mounted storm bolters and blades wreathed in keen-edged power fields, there are few enemies who can stand in the face of such a deadly onslaught.

#### Akhlys Destroyer Cadre

Within the ranks of the Impalers, stands a brotherhood apart from the rest of the Chapter. These are the loathsome and unforgiving battle-brothers assigned to the ranks of the elite Akhlys Destroyer cadres. Named for the ancient Grecian mythological spirit Akhlys, the personified spirit of the death-mist - the clouding of the eyes preceding death - these are the formidable and deadly heavy weapons specialists who are experts in the use of weapons of mass destruction. Grim of aspect and resolute of action, when called upon by the Grand Voivode these silver-masked killers unleash a new kind of hell against their doomed enemies, culling those not worthy of an honourable death.

The Akhlysii is the Great Angel's wrath personified, set forth by their Chapter Master's will to scour away those decreed unworthy of being saved. They rarely take to the field of war except only at the direct command of their lord. Armed with weapons from the Dark Age of Technology, they descend upon wings of fire, making use of powerful jump packs in order to close with the enemy in a swift lightning assault and unleash their unfettered fury upon the foe.

Upon being selected to join the ranks of these remorseless killers, they surrender their given names and identities for their term of service, taking one of the ritual names that identify them as a true Angel of Death. Donning their ritual silver masks that take the form of their Primarch's aspect of incandescent rage, they are indeed terrible to behold as they unleash their terrible weapons upon their enemies.

#### The Lemures

Named for the ancient Romanii belief in shades or spirits of the restless dead, The Lemures are those Impalers battle-brothers that have succumbed to the genetic flaw of the Black Rage. Consumed by this permanent, debilitating psychosis, these warriors are inducted into the ranks of the Chapter's Death Company. Their armour is re-painted coal-black and marked with red saltires ('crosses') that mark the symbolic wounds suffered by their fallen Primarch.

Though a boon on the battlefield, possessed of righteous strength and holy fury, these tormented souls are doomed to madness and inevitable execution once the storm of war passes. To the Impalers, their lost battle-brothers are incarnations of the Great Angel's wrath. Therefore, on the eve of battle, they mourn their lost brethren and then consider them gone, replaced by the spirit of Sanguinius himself.

Those that do not die in glorious battle against the Emperor's foes face a far more grim fate - as they are led away by the Chapter's Wardens and receive a quick and painless death. Their bodies are then ritualistically consumed by their battle-brothers in a solemn ceremony of remembrance for the lost. The Impalers believe it would be tantamount to an atrocity if the flesh and blood of their fallen brethren wasn't returned to the Chapter.

Consuming the bodies of their lost brethren is both a mark of honour as well as practicality - as it immortalises their fallen brothers and preserves their hard-won skills and experience. This practice has become a time-honoured tradition of the Chapter, a visceral ritual that binds the survivors together despite the loss of their fallen brethren.

#### Strigoi Mort

"*My sleep has been troubled. I dreamt of a great serpent slowly wrapping its coils around the Emperor's realm, threatening to throttle the life from it, engulfing it in destruction and death. Guide me to war, young one, I wish to rid myself of this melancholy and slake my thirst with the blood of dead traitors!*"
— Ancient Melchiah, Strigoi Mort of the Impalers' 2nd Company, upon being awoken during the dawn of the Era Indomitus.

Named for the ancient creatures of legend said to rise from the grave in order to punish those that commit grave sins against the Emperor. This apt moniker is utilised by the Chapter when referring to their Honoured Ancients - those battle-brothers that have been mortally wounded in battle and interred within a sarcophagus of a Dreadnought. These walking armoured behemoths carry the heavily scarred, mortal remains of the hero. This honour is only granted to the most brutal and bloodthirsty of the Impalers, and only in very rare cases.

Being entombed within a Dreadnought shell is both a blessing and a curse to the Impalers hero; they will live on, beyond the point of death, forevermore slaying in the name of the Emperor, however, they have also lost the last traces of their humanity. Scarred and crippled beyond recognition and bound to a shell of unfeeling metal and plasteel, they are no longer human in the conventional sense. They are unable to feel the hot blood of their foes splash across their face in battle as they revel in the carnage of brutal melee combat, feed upon the flesh of their fallen enemies or take part in their Chapter's bloody sanguinary rites.

In total, the Chapter possesses nearly two dozen Strigoi entombed in Dreadnought sarcophagi. At least one-third of these ancient heroes never use any ranged weapons, preferring to rip and tear their foes in close combat. The curse of their new eternal life and service can sometimes take a heavy toll on an Impalers Dreadnought, eventually causing them to succumb to the curse of the Black Rage.

These afflicted heroes are not consumed in the Chapter's Feast of the Sacrament and are instead transferred to the ranks of the Death Company, where they are to be permanently assigned until they obtain a glorious death in battle. These Death Company Dreadnoughts are secured by heavy chains and kept within heavily-shielded stasis chambers, until such time that they are once again called upon, and unleashed against the enemies of Mankind.

### Impalers Librarians

"*Remember, that knowledge is stronger than memory, and we should not trust the weaker.*"
— Condicar Primus Asmodeus, newly inducted Acolyte Condicars
The Impalers, like their fellow Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, also maintain a Librarium of powerful and gifted battle-psykers whose powers are used both on and off the battlefield. Unlike many of their kin within the Chapters of the Blood, the Impalers hold their '*Condicars*' (Librarians) in very high regard, for they are the helmsmen which steer the Chapter to victory through their Primarch's inherited prescient visions of various possible futures. Through the use of the Emperor's Tarot, long hours of meditation and divination, the Condicars of the Chapter have steered their Chapter away from foreseen calamities and dire outcomes that could have befallen the Chapter. However, this does not mean that the Impalers are in any way forced to rely on their psychic brethren to make tactical decisions, as ultimately, all battle-brothers answer to the authority of the Grand Voivode.

When the Chapter's battle-psykers are unleashed upon the field of battle, the most gifted of their kind use their power in terrible displays of psychic mastery, slaughtering swathes of the enemy with a mere thought. The Condicars favoured psychic disciplines are Divination and Biomancy despite the inherent risk and dangerous nature of these two turbulent disciplines. When called upon, the Chapter's Condicars can summon their powers to predict a foe's strategies or scry the fates for possible outcomes and counter their tactics like one would riposte a blade. They can also turn an enemy's own body against themselves when on the offensive. Often, they act as support, shielding their allies with summoned kine shields (psychic barrier) or hardening their brothers' bodies to be as tough as iron or to mend wounds. Though rarely do they call upon the formidable powers of Pyromancy or Geokinesis, nevertheless, they are still terribly deadly adversaries to face in battle.

When not on the battlefield, Condicars tend to the Chapter's Librariums. In contemplative silence, they place all their effort and concentration into safekeeping their Chapter's legacy. Over the millennia, thousands of tomes have been written and copied on the Chapter's history. The great deeds of heroes long dead, the famous victories hard fought to attain, and the traditions of the Chapter that have developed over the thousands of years it has existed - all recorded within the Chapter's main Librarium, the Sanctus Scientia. Psychic weapons and artefacts are also safely secured within the Condicars' care, locked away deep within the vaults of the main Librarium. Some are to be studied and recorded for posterity, others are far too dangerous to be left in the Chapter's main Armoury and only wielded in times of great need by the most powerful of Condicars, while still, others are to be sealed away forever, never to be seen or spoken of again. The Librarians must also keep the Chapter's most shameful and infamous deeds recorded, for in defeat, be it defeat against a foe or their gene-seed's curse, the Chapter is able to learn to never lapse similarly again.

Librarians of the Chapter are also tasked with aiding the '*Aprods*' (Chaplains) and '*Apotekars*' (Sanguinary Priests) in keeping the Black Rage and Red Thirst at bay for their brothers. Using their witchsight, the Condicars can see the auras of their brothers and can sense when either of the twin-curses is threatening to overwhelm their kin. By soothing their aura or manipulating their body's biological functions, a Condicar can aid their kin in keeping their curses at bay. Yet, this is a double-edged sword, for the Condicars must also be wary to not fall to either curse as well. For, to have a Condicar fall to either curse would risk a horrifying display of uncontrolled psychic might which would then, almost inevitably, lead to possession. Only once has one of the Chapter's Condicars been able to withstand falling to the Black Rage and not fall victim to daemonic possession. Chapter annals record the Condicar's name as Miklós Vaștag, who currently serves in the Death Company as the only Death Company Librarian.

#### Psyker Abilities

Impalers Condicars possess a number of unique psychic abilities only used by the psykers of their Chapter:

* ***Blood Boil*** - With a blast of psychic power, the Librarian drives his enemy's blood into a seething frenzy, superheating the target's blood, flash-boiling it and causing it to burst from their eyes, mouth, and ears with explosive finality.
* ***Blood Lance*** - The Librarian conjures a mighty psychic lance, glistening with gore. On a single word of command, the lance flies from his hands, hurling a blazing crimson lance of psychic power that skewers everything in its path.
* ***Fear the Darkness*** - Casting a psychic shadow across the battlefield, the Librarian summons the indescribable malice of the Warp, unleashing it in a mighty wave of sheer terror, assailing his foe's soul with nameless torment.
* ***Might of Heroes*** - Focusing his will, the Blood Angels Librarian utilises the deadly powers of the Immaterium to flow into him, heightening his speed and strength to unimaginable levels and summoning up a deep well of rage to smite the foes of the Emperor.
* ***The Sanguine Sword*** - The Librarian's Force Weapon takes on a violent crimson hue as he infuses it with a sliver of his inner rage.
* ***Shackle Soul*** - Reaching into the soul of his foe, the Librarian binds it in powerful bands of psychic energy. This power affects a single creature chosen by the Librarian. The Blood Angels Librarian can prevent those affected by this power from moving, attacking from a distance or making a melee attack or using a psychic power.
* ***Shield of Sanguinius*** - The Librarian wills a shimmering golden barrier of psychic energy into existence, preserving his companions from harm.
* ***Smite*** - Lethal bolts of ruby lightning leap from the Librarian's fingertips, tearing his enemies apart.
* ***Unleash Rage*** - Reaching into the minds of his fellows, the Librarian unleashes the savagery within the Blood Angels' psyche.
* ***Wings of Sanguinius*** - The Librarian sprouts a pair of blood-red wings of psychic energy from his back that can bear him aloft, allowing him to fly over the battlefield.

### Psychic Disciplines

Impalers Condicars also have a number of unique psychic Disciplines only utilised by the psykers of their Chapter, including:

#### Librarius Discipline

The ancient lore of the Chapter's Librarium is vast indeed, and hidden among its complement of ancient tomes and scrolls are the hard-won secrets of the Space Marine Librarians. Within a sacred few of these closely guarded texts are techniques that allow the user to enhance his own psychic might or quell that of his foes. In battle, those trained in the Librarius discipline can batter enemies with ethereal force, strengthen their own minds and bodies with the power of the Warp, or sever the connection of other psykers. The following are abilities of the Librarius Discipline:

* ***The Emperor's Wrath* (Primaris Power)** - Crackling bolts of psychic force leap from the Librarian's gauntlet, tearing through armour to annihilate the enemies of the Imperium.
* ***Veil of Time*** - The Librarian projects his will beyond the regular passage of time, taking in the strands of fate and understanding what is about to happen before returning to the present to sway the tide of battle.
* ***Fury of The Ancients*** - Calling upon the myths and legends of his Chapter's battered homeworld, the Librarian sends forth a terrifying monstrosity wrought from psychic energy.
* ***Psychic Fortress*** - Drawing on boundless reserves of inner strength, the Librarian shields his mind -- and those of his brethren -- from the threat of sorcerous assault.
* ***Might of Heroes*** - The Librarian cages the immense power of the Immaterium within his physical form and becomes the Emperor's vengeance made manifest.
* ***Psychic Scourge*** - The Librarian pits his superhuman willpower against that of an enemy Sorcerer in a battle of mental fortitude, seeking to scour arcane knowledge from the foul witch's mind.
* ***Null Zone*** - The Librarian unleashes the full might of his mind to cast down his target's defences, both technological and mystical, rendering them vulnerable to the retribution of the Adeptus Astartes.

#### Divination Discipline

Divination is a Psychic Discipline utilised by Librarians of the Adeptus Astartes, its practitioners of Divination are known as Diviners or fortune tellers. Diviners are Psykers who seek to discern the hidden past of the galaxy and know the course of events yet to come. These abilities allow Diviners to look into the twisting strands of the Immaterium in search of answers they seek, sometimes even influencing the outcome of future events themselves:

* ***Foreboding*** - Thanks to his Warp-gift insights, the Psyker makes his allies and himself aware that their foes are about to charge, even before their foes have themselves realised it.
* ***Forewarning*** - The Psyker prophetic powers allow him to walk through a hail of fire, dodging incoming bullets by knowing their exact trajectories in advance.
* ***Misfortune*** - With a click of his fingers, the Psyker twists fate so that his allies strike and tear through the weakest points in their opponent's armor.
* ***Perfect Timing*** - As soon as his consciousness pierces the veil of the Warp, a rush of images flood the Diviner's mind, foretelling the actions of his enemies down to the merest microsecond. Armed with this information, the diviner's allies can predict exactly when their foes will peer out from behind cover and expose themselves to a lethal headshot
* ***Precognition*** - Having already witnessed the one true path to victory, the diviner uses these premonitions to achieve victory on the battlefield like an avenging god of war. Whilst the premonitions run true, he is all but undefeatable, proof against bullet and bolt, blade and bombardment. However, should his self-wrought prophecies fade, or turn false, he will surely be doomed to ignominious defeat.
* ***Prescience*** - The Psyker can predict the path of bullets and swords. By focusing his Warp sight even more closely he can guide his allies' aims, allowing them to more accurately strike the foe.
* ***Scrier's Gaze*** - The Diviner can see the battlefield clearly in his mind's eye, with the vantage point of a hunting hawk and the precision of a laser. The to and fro of armies and war machines is but the scurrying of ants beneath his omniscient gaze. Thus can the diviner direct the deployment of specialist forces exactly when and where they are most needed, leaving no clue behind as to how this trickery was achieved.

#### Biomancy Discipline

Biomancy is a Psychic Discipline known to psykers who specialise in the use of manipulating biological energy and processes. Through this art, biomancers are capable of changing or influencing a change in the physical form of either themselves or their enemies. Practitioners are of Biomancy are known as Biomancers:

* ***Bio-Lightning*** - A Biomancer channels their life force through the meridians of their own body, causing them to form and crackle with living energy. They can then direct this energy against their enemies.
* ***Blood Boil*** - With a blast of psychic power, the Condicar drives his enemy's blood into a seething frenzy, superheating the target's blood, flash-boiling it and causing it to burst from their eyes, mouth, and ears with explosive finality.
* ***Cellular Control*** - Biomancers learn various ways of transcending their body's natural limitations by balancing their humours, modifying the cellular structure and meditating upon the meridians of their body. This power enables them to achieve the following:
	+ Gain immunity to poisons.
	+ Ignore the effects of extremes of temperatures.
	+ Gain immunity to fatigue.
	+ Survive the effects of vacuum temporarily.
* ***Constrict*** - With a word, thought, or gesture, a Biomancer can command the flesh of their target to sharply construct. The target's windpipe closes, choking them and cutting off their breath, causing suffocation.
* ***Enhaned Senses*** - With a moment's thought, a Biomancer can force their senses into impossible feats of perception that can only be equalled among humans by the biomechanically augmented. When this power manifests they can enhance one of their five senses.
* ***Hammerhand*** - Biomancers who have learned to channel the fierce power of the Warp into their limbs can eventually master the art of letting the energy of the Immaterium flow unhindered through their body, phenomenally increasing their fighting capabilities. Their body becomes a lethal engine, capable of shredding flesh and bone as if they were tissue paper. Such power comes at a cost though, for there is no subtlety to the Hammerhand, that, and they cannot wield a weapon save their own bare hands.
* ***Regenerate*** - One of the pinnacles of the biomancer's abilities, this power allows the Psyker to knit their flesh back together at a phenomenal rate, letting them swiftly overcome any non-fatal injury. This is a hard ability to master, but the rewards are great. Regenerate can eventually regrow lost limbs and organs and so on. Limbs and organs replaced by cybernetics do not regrow unless the bionic is first removed.
* ***Seal Wounds*** - A Biomancer focuses their power to repair their damaged flesh or that of any character within range. Ragged wounds fuse and cuts vanish. Broken bone knits together and burnt skin sloughs away as fresh tissue grows beneath.
* ***Shape Flesh*** - Shape Flesh is the point where their flesh and will become indistinguishable - the goal of many a biomancer. Shape Flesh allows a Biomancer to twist their physical frame in nearly any way they can imagine. Each manifestation of this power produces one of the following effects:
	+ Burrower - A Biomancer with this trait can move through solid objects by burrowing through them. They can burrow through soil, rock, sand and so on., and some can burrow through metal. When a Biomancer burrows, it leaves behind a tunnel. Creatures of one size smaller than the creature that created the tunnel can enter these areas without impediment.
	+ Crawler - Re-shaping their flesh, the Biomancer can assume a serpentine-like form and crawl and slither, enabling them to move over difficult or impassable terrain that they would be unable to move through otherwise.
	+ Dark Sight - A Biomancer can see normally even in areas of total darkness, enabling them to fight in areas of dim or no lighting.
	+ Flier - A Biomancer has a natural ability to fly, shaping their flesh into broad leathery wings or through strange warp energies.
	+ Hoverer - A Biomancer has limited capability for flight, flying no higher than two metres.
	+ Natural Armour - A Biomancer reshapes his skin to have a naturally tough hide or an exoskeleton, affording him some protection against attacks.
	+ Natural Weapons - Utilising this ability, a Biomancer forms sharp claws, teeth, spines, or some other natural weapon with which it can slice and dice its foes. It counts as being armed even when not wielding weapons. Though they can attack with these Natural Weapons, they cannot parry, nor can they be disarmed - unless, of course, their limbs are hacked off in battle.
	+ Quadruped - Reshaping their flesh, the Biomancer can reform his usual bipedal limbs into quadrupedal. As a quadruped, he can move much quicker over a distance than his bipedal counterparts.
* ***Toxic Siphon*** - A Biomancer can use their powers to draw poisons from the flesh. This has the same effect as taking a dose of de-tox.

Additional Biomancy abilities include:

* ***Enfeeble*** - As the psyker channels his powers, tendrils of Warp energy lash over his victims, every caress sapping vitality from their bodies.
* ***Endurance*** - Reaching into the essence of his allies, the biomancer knits together bones, heals flesh, and banishes fatigue so that they carry on the fight.
* ***Haemorrhage*** - Focussing his powerful mind, the psyker reaches forth and sets a fire within his victim's flesh. Within moments, the unfortunate foe's blood begins to boil in its own veins, tearing him asunder as it burst from every pore.
* ***Iron Arm*** - By transmuting his flesh into living metal, the biomancer can wade through enemy fire unscathed and pulp skulls with his bare fists.
* ***Life Leech*** - With a twist of his gnarled hands, the wrathful psyker rips the life force from his enemy, hoarding the stolen essence and using it to invigorate and restore his own injured flesh.
* ***Smite*** - Lethal bolts of ruby lightning leap from the Condicar's fingertips, tearing his enemies apart.
* ***Warp Speed*** - The powers of the Immaterium flow into the psyker, heightening his speed to supernatural levels. He is a blur amongst his enemies, felling the unrighteous with blows too swift to see.

#### Librarian Dreadnoughts

Like their primogenitors, the Impalers also utilise Librarian Dreadnoughts, known amongst their Chapter as Condicar Strigoi Morts. Entombed within a Furioso Dreadnought Sarcophagi, the Condicar Strigoi Mort are veterans whose bodies have been broken but their minds still remain intact. Despite the ruination of their body, they still possess their fearsome psychic potential. These deadly Librarian Dreadnoughts combine the firepower and armour of a Furioso Dreadnought, enhanced by the abilities of the Condicar entombed within. Their minds are terrible weapons in themselves, able to unleash fearsome blasts of raw Warp energy, seething arms of ætheric power, and waves of dread that blast an enemy's morale to ashes.

Many of these Condicar Strigoi Morts substitute one of their Power Claws for a mighty Force Blade, a large Dreadnought-grade weapon laced with a network of psycho-conductive material through which they are able to focus their psychic powers. The point of impact is torn asunder as the bonds of reality are severed by the force of the Condicar's mind and his mastery of the Warp, and few types of armour are proof against such a potent and arcane weapon. Revered by their brothers, Condicar Strigoi Morts are amongst the most revered of all the Chapter's ancients, and their counsel is heeded by even the Grand Voivode himself.

### Order of Battle

#### Headquarters

**Grand Voivode Strahd Tepes,**
**Lord of the Impalers**
**Virtue Wrath**
**Capugis (Chapter Champion)**
**Voivode Vladius Alu'kard**
**Spătharioi & Commander of the 1st Coterie**
**30 Strygos (Veteran Marines)**
**2 Juvinate Squads (Scout Marines)**
**Command Squad:**
**Apotekar (Apothecary), Condicar (Librarian), Aprod (Chaplain), Kovač (Techmarine), Company Champion, Vexillary (Chapter Standard Bearer)**
**Chapter Equerries**
**Serfs & Servitors**

**The Hellsong (Sanguinary Guard)**
**Virtue Honour, *Exalted Messenger of Sanguinius***
**Apotekar Primus Morfran**
***Bearer of the Chalice Vitae***
**Apotekars**
**Aprod Primus Desdemodius**
**Cavas-bașa (Honour Guard)**
**Aprod (Chaplains)**
**Condicar Primus Asmodeus Corvinus**
***Master of the Librarius***
**Condicars (Librarians)**
***Flota Maestru (Master of the Fleet)***
**5 Battle Barges:**
**(*Karpathos*, *Demogorgon*, *Sanguine Mortis*, *Vengeance of Baal*, *Amit's Fury*)**
**6 Strike Cruisers:**
**(*Red Angel's Blessing*, *Winged Vengeance*, *Blood Chalice*, *Blade of Raldoron*, *Scarlet Liberator*, *Vermillion Angelis*)**
**3 Frigates:**
**(*Zagan's Wrath*, *Azkaellon's Exaltation*, *Annelus' Fire*)**
**1 Medical Frigate:**
**(*Requiem of Maros*)** | **Hospodar Quillon**
***Chelar (Master of Logistics)***
**Vătaf (Add Name)**
***Master of the Forge***
**Kovačs (Techmarines)**
**Servitors**
**Predators**
**Baal Predators**
**Vindicators**
**Whirlwinds**
**Land Raiders**

#### Companies

***Spătharioi & Sword of Nosgoth***
**2 Stolniks**
**Capugiu (Company Champion)**
**Honour Guard**
**Command Squad:**
**Apotekar (Apothecary), Condicar (Librarian), Aprod (Chaplain), Kovač (Techmarine), Company Champion, Vexillary (Chapter Standard Bearer)**
**100 Strygos (Veteran Marines, which includes Terminators)**
**6 Furioso Dreadnoughts** | **Hospodar Orpheus**
***Vornic (Master of the Watch)***
**2 Stolniks**
**Capugiu (Company Champion)**
**Honour Guard**
**Command Squad:**
**Apotekar (Apothecary), Condicar (Librarian), Aprod (Chaplain), Kovač (Techmarine), Company Champion, Vexillary (Chapter Standard Bearer)**
**Strygos (Veteran Squads)**
**4 Battleline Squads**
**2 Close Support Squads**
**2 Fire Support Squads**
**2 Scout Squads (Includes Reivers & Incursors)**
**3 Dreadnoughts** | **Hospodar János**
***Armaș (Master of the Arsenal)***
**2 Stolniks**
**Capugiu (Company Champion)**
**Honour Guard**
**Command Squad:**
**Apotekar (Apothecary), Condicar (Librarian), Aprod (Chaplain), Kovač (Techmarine), Company Champion, Vexillary (Chapter Standard Bearer)**
**Strygos (Veteran Squads)**
**4 Battleline Squads**
**2 Close Support Squads**
**2 Fire Support Squads**
**2 Scout Squads (Includes Reivers & Incursors)**
**4 Dreadnoughts** | **Hospodar Draven**
***Flota Maestru (Master of the Fleet)***
**2 Stolniks**
**Capugiu (Company Champion)**
**Honour Guard**
**Command Squad:**
**Apotekar (Apothecary), Condicar (Librarian), Aprod (Chaplain), Kovač (Techmarine), Company Champion, Vexillary (Chapter Standard Bearer)**
**Strygos (Veteran Squads)**
**4 Battleline Squads**
**2 Close Support Squads**
**2 Fire Support Squads**
**2 Scout Squads (Includes Reivers & Incursors)**
**2 Dreadnoughts** | **Hospodar Ravanus**
***Dregător (Master of the Marches)***
**2 Stolniks**
**Capugiu (Company Champion)**
**Honour Guard**
**Command Squad:**
**Apotekar (Apothecary), Condicar (Librarian), Aprod (Chaplain), Kovač (Techmarine), Company Champion, Vexillary (Chapter Standard Bearer)**
**Strygos (Veteran Squads)**
**4 Battleline Squads**
**2 Close Support Squads**
**2 Fire Support Squads**
**2 Scout Squads (Includes Reivers & Incursors)**

***Alaiceauș (Master of the Rites)***
**2 Stolniks**
**Capugiu (Company Champion)**
**Honour Guard**
**Command Squad:**
**Apotekar (Apothecary), Condicar (Librarian), Aprod (Chaplain), Kovač (Techmarine), Company Champion, Vexillary (Chapter Standard Bearer)**
**Strygos (Veteran Squads)**
**3 Battleline Squads**
**5 Close Support Squads**
**2 Scout Squads (Includes Reivers & Incursors)**
**3 Dreadnoughts** | **Hospodar Quillon**
***Chelar (Master of Logistics)***
**2 Stolniks**
**Capugiu (Company Champion)**
**Honour Guard**
**Command Squad:**
**Apotekar (Apothecary), Condicar (Librarian), Aprod (Chaplain), Kovač (Techmarine), Company Champion, Vexillary (Chapter Standard Bearer)**
**Strygos (Veteran Squads)**
**1 Battleline Squad**
**7 Close Support Squads**
**2 Scout Squads (Includes Reivers & Incursors)**
**2 Dreadnoughts** | **Hospodar Melchior**
***Gealat (Lord Executioner)***
**2 Stolniks**
**Capugiu (Company Champion)**
**Honour Guard**
**Command Squad:**
**Apotekar (Apothecary), Condicar (Librarian), Aprod (Chaplain), Kovač (Techmarine), Company Champion, Vexillary (Chapter Standard Bearer)**
**Strygos (Veteran Squads)**
**8 Close Support Squads (Includes Primaris Assault Intercessors & Inceptors)**
**2 Scout Squad (Includes Reivers & Incursors)**
**1 Dreadnought** | **Hospodar Zachaeus**
***Vistier (Master of Relics)***
**2 Stolniks**
**Capugiu (Company Champion)**
**Honour Guard**
**Command Squad:**
**Apotekar (Apothecary), Condicar (Librarian), Aprod (Chaplain), Kovač (Techmarine), Company Champion, Vexillary (Chapter Standard Bearer)**
**Strygos (Veteran Squads)**
**8 Fire Support Squads (Includes Primaris Aggressors, Hellblasters, Vanguard Eliminators & Suppressors)**
**2 Scout Squads (Includes Reivers)**
**3 Dreadnoughts** | **Hospodar Kazimar**
***Starosta (Master of Recruits)***
**2 Stolniks**
***Divan Efendi & Ceauș (Masters of Reconnaissance & Master of the Signal, respectively)***
**Capugiu (Company Champion)**
**Honour Guard**
**Command Squad:**
**Apotekar (Apothecary), Condicar (Librarian), Aprod (Chaplain), Kovač (Techmarine), Company Champion, Vexillary (Chapter Standard Bearer)**
**Strygos (Veteran Squads)**
**6 Scout Squads (Includes Reivers, Vanguard Infiltrators & Eliminators)**
**4 Vanguard Squads**

**Aprod Dumitru Bathory**
***Warden of the Lost***
**5 Cavas-bașa**
**Condicar Miklós Vaștag**
**Unknown number Death Company Astartes.**
**3 Death Company Strigoi Mort**
**All Impalers Space Marines who have succumbed to the madness of the Black Rage serve in the Death Company, including Dreadnoughts.**

## Chapter Recruitment

Once every six months, the bloodthirsty rulers of Nosgoth send emissaries to the various tribes in order to take Thralls (Aspirants) from the terrified and helpless natives. Known as the 'Blood Tithe', the Chapter's Wardens (Chaplains) oversee the process of culling the weak from the strong in a series of duels, often to the death. The type of duel varies, as sometimes primitive weapons such as flint-tipped spears or sharpened, serrated fangs of wild beasts are being used. Sometimes none at all, as the adolescents are forced to fight in deadly hand-to-hand combat. The combatants are expected to pummel, gouge, throttle, bite, and tear one another bloody, using nothing but their hands and teeth.

Those that fail these initial rites of selection are usually killed outright during these brutal, no-holds-barred affairs. The few that manage to survive these initial trials, but are still deemed unworthy as potential future Astartes, are instead marked for a darker fate - ritual sacrifice.

However, the remaining few Aspirants that manage to emerge bloody, but triumphant are taken as potential aspirants to undergo even more arduous trials in order to become an initiate of the Chapter. Even those that are crippled in body or mortally wounded during these deadly contests, and are still deemed worthy by the officiating Warden, are taken back to their fortress-monastery to be rebuilt by the Chapter's Apotekars. Led to a waiting transport, these adolescents leave behind their former life forever.

Once accepted, these adolescent recruits become known as Broodlings (Neophyte equivalents) and will undergo further processing and evaluation to ensure their worthiness and to undergo the arduous transformation into transhuman Astartes. They will be further tested in soul-crushing trials that will test their body, mind, and souls, to ensure their purity and worthiness as potential Astartes.

## Sanguinary Beliefs

"*Sanguinius, The Brightest One, Master of Hosts,
Greatest of the Emperor's sons.
Most beloved of the Primarchs.
A billion tears were wept when you fell at the hands of the Arch-Traitor.
A billion hearts bleed for your loss, still.
Your final moments haunt your legacy.
We are your heirs, Great Angel.
Your fall is our guilt.
We shall redeem your legacy for all of those of The Blood.*"
— From the '*Catechism Martial*', *Sanguine Rites, Book 1, Verse 1*, commonly recited on the eve of batte.
As Scions of Sanguinius the Impalers strictly adhere to the ancient sanguinary practices of their progenitors. Their heritage is apparent in both their extreme addiction to blood and in their pride in the Chapter's traditions. The Impalers have adopted both the endocannibalistic and cannibalistic traditions of the Nosgothians and incorporated them into their sanguinary rites and rituals.

The Impalers firmly believe that blood is the key to their survival and grants the means to stave off the worst effects of the 'Blood Thirst', and that denial is not the answer. They do not suppress their appetites as their fellow Scions of Sanguinius are wont to do. Though they believe the monster within cannot be defeated, it cannot be denied either. They believe that it can be sated, its strength borrowed. Through the Ritual of Devouring, the Impalers believe they have found their salvation from the genetic flaw that leaves the majority of the Chapters of The Blood.

The hunger within all Impalers Astartes remains - a shackled beast that lurks ever-ready at the edge of madness, waiting for the chance to be set free once again. However, through the use of their bloody-handed rituals and practices, the Impalers have learned through their faith in the Primarch, to have a firm hold of its fetters. By embracing their inherited blood hunger instead of ignoring it, the Impalers have learned to harness the power of the Great Angel and unleash their fury upon the enemies of Mankind. Even in the heat of battle and the throes of the 'Blood Thirst', there remains within the warriors of the Chapter a spark of nobility, the still-warm ashes of the ancient IX Legion's martial pride and determination. They fight to grasp the fickle favour of victory, not simply for slaughter, and hold to their own codes of honour with an iron will.

### Ritual of Devouring

"*The blood is the life!*"
— Partial benediction, taken from the Impalers *Sanguine Rites*.
The entirety of the Chapter's rituals and observances are based on the consumption of massive quantities of blood, though the source of the blood used in these ceremonies is unknown to outsiders, as is the form these rituals take. It is assumed that this blood is mostly taken from whatever source they can acquire. During the 'Blood Tithes', when the Chapter's Wardens oversee the collection of Thralls from the native Nosgothian tribes, they cull the wheat from the chaff, separating those that are deemed fit for further initiation rites as potential Astartes, while those deemed unfit or weak, face the inevitable fate of being ritually sacrificed as a source of food for the ravenous Astartes.

Some detractors whisper that this blood is also unwillingly taken from captives, fallen enemies, or even innocents. Unknown to those outside the Chapter, those enemies that manage to survive the Impalers' murderous onslaught are later sacrificed and eaten in the most gruesome manner. These captives are brought to the Chapter's fortress-monastery to the Chamber of Feasting where they will become the main course to be served up during the Ritual of Devouring. Brought to a large stone chamber, the captives are placed within alcoves surrounding the chamber and chained in place, so that they cannot escape their gruesome fate. First, they are exsanguinated of all blood, which flows freely from a multitude of metal tubes inserted into their major arteries. This blood is collected into channels cut into the stone floor and poured into a large depression sunk within the center of the chamber, its shape cut into a large blood drop, reminiscent of their Progenitor's iconography - the '*alatus cadere*', or "winged drop" - the angelic winged droplet of ruby vitae.

After the appropriate benedictions are given by the Chapter's Aprod (High Priest), the Chapter's Kovačii (Techmarines) collect a small portion of the precious liquid for benedictions of the Chapter's armours and weapons. With a signal from the Aprod, the battle-brothers are then allowed to gorge themselves on the collected blood until none remains. After the blood is consumed, the final stage of the ritual is conducted, as the Chapter's Spătarii (Veteran Marines) step forward to take their rightful place before the chained captives. Silently, they begin their oblations by eating their captives alive - the massive halls echoing with the din of their victims' unheeded screams for mercy. By devouring the flesh of their foes, the Impalers believe they ritually inherit their victims' strengths and secrets. Symbolism is a strong element in the sanguinary rites of the Impalers, for they believe the act of devouring one's enemy is the greatest symbol of the power of all.

### Sacremental Feast

"*In blood we find truth. In the blood we shed in battle is the truth of our conviction and in the blood of our foes is the truth of our destiny. Our truth is written in blood.*"
— Excerpt from the *Liturgy of the Blood*, Stanza 7.
The Ritual of Devouring is turned into a different matter entirely when it comes to fallen Impalers that are killed in glorious battle. The bodies of the fallen are stripped of their battle-plate and wargear, which is then secured within the Chapter's armoury, to be passed on to a newly created future battle-brother. The body is then covered in a simple black coloured pall (or mortcloth) from head to toe. The pall is often decorated with a single large ruby-coloured blood drop, often running the whole length of the cloth from end to end, signifying their eternal bond to their gene-sire and their fellow Chapters of The Blood.

The bodies of the fallen are then carried in a solemn procession to the Sanguinary Temple. Here, the body will be placed upon the Altar of Devouring. A large image of the Great Angel, his wings and arms outstretched as if ready to receive his fallen son, is carved upon the face of the altar. An inscription on the front of the altar reads '*Corpus Spiritus*' (translated from High Gothic, 'Body and Spirit'). Here, the Aprod will conduct the Sacramental Feast, as the gathered assemblage of the Chapter's companies look on.

In these rituals, the Space Marines consume their dead brethren in a solemn and dignified way, each survivor muttering praise to Sanguinius. By taking the dead brethren into their own bodies, the Impalers benefit from the memories and experiences of the martyred ones and honour the dead in their own morbid way. The Wardens perform the Rituals of Sacrament and later make sure that the gnawed remains are buried with sacred ossuaries within the Hall of Heroes.

#### Feast of the Lost

Not all lost brothers of the Death Company are destined to meet a glorious death at the hands of their foes on the field of battle. Those that do not are sometimes placed within stasis in specially constructed sarcophagi within the Reclusium of their Chapter's flagship, *Karpathos*, while campaigning across the galaxy. However, the majority are brought back to Nosgoth and placed within stasis sarcophagi in the Chamber of the Lost within the Tower of Varo, until such time they are once again unleashed and can find peace at the side of the Great Angel.

For some, the peace found in death during war does not come. These lost brothers are instead released from their mortal forms during the ritual Feast of the Lost, where they are consumed by their fellow battle-brothers. It is a solemn rite that takes place atop the Tower of Voro, and is quite unlike the victory feasts that take place after a successful campaign. This mortuary rite is meant not only as a sign of respect but is also considered an act of compassion, to help the lost find an honourable peace and to ensure that they live on in the Chapter forever.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

"*Let the flesh instruct the mind.*"
— Partial benediction of an Impalers Apotekar, during the surgical implantation of zygotes into a newly inducted Broodling (Neophyte).
The Impalers were created in an attempt to overcome the genetic idiosyncrasies that manifested in those Chapters descended from the bloodline of Sanguinius. It became clear to the Imperium's genetors that the gene-seed of the deceased winged Primarch Sanguinius had been somehow tainted during the final cataclysmic duel between the Great Angel and the Arch-Traitor Horus. This disturbance is hidden deep within the genetic code of the Scions of Sanguinius and sets both the Blood Angels and their Successors apart from other Chapters, indelibly affecting them on a subliminal level and haunting their dreams with nightmarish, hidden messages of doom, staining their conscious waking minds with visions of sacrifice and blood. All Scions of Sanguinius are linked to one another through this bond.

Like their predecessors, the Impalers suffer from the same dreadful genetic flaws - the Black Rage and the Red Thirst (which they call the 'Blood Thirst'). The Impalers especially suffer from the latter genetic curse which causes an overwhelming desire to physically taste their enemies' blood. This is more than likely due to a mutation in the Legion's Omophagea implant, which causes an insatiable craving for human blood. In truth, the Impalers cannot survive the ingestion of massive quantities of blood, as they are afflicted with an unnatural hunger for this precious vitae far and above most other Chapters of The Blood. Without it, they would eventually wither and weaken, turning into a veritable husk.

Due to this dependency, the Impalers Apotekars have incorporated specially constructed blood vials that contain the collected blood of sacrificial victims and incorporated them into the battle-plate of the Chapter's warriors. These small vials have small tubes that are fitted directly into a warrior's body, helping to provide a small amount of blood to be fed directly into a ravenous battle-brother's system. This constant need for blood has resulted in an almost constant state of insatiable hunger when in battle. The Astartes of the Impalers are more than bloodthirsty warriors suffering mere lapses in self-control, many battle-brothers borders on full-blown psychosis, such is their need to feed upon the living. Without taking such drastic measures, a battle-brother in the heat of battle would lose all self-control and be unable to distinguish friend from foe.

To help stave the worst effects of the 'Blood Thirst', the Impalers also practice several morbid rituals of blood rites and ritual feasting. Many of these rites incorporate the bloody-handed rituals and beliefs of the tribes of their Chapter homeworld. The Impalers believe that by feeding the beast within, they are able to sate it temporarily, therefore, holding off their inevitable fall into madness and unquenchable bloodthirst. Such mortuary rituals are not without merit, as the effects of the Impalers' over-active omophagea allow for new recruits to be inducted and granted a basic competence with extreme rapidity through the flesh of the newly fallen. This ghoulish practice has been commonplace within the Chapter since its inception, allowing the swift replacement of battlefield casualties.

### The Waning

Another notable flaw in their gene-seed is the mutation called the 'Waning', a particular condition that causes their Larraman cells not to clot their wounds as they do in other Astartes, so they carry devices to actually exsanguinate the blood of their enemies in battle to compensate for this deficiency.

Wielding specially crafted, forearm-mounted blades, this weapon enables an Impalers Battle-Brother who wields it to drink the blood of any target to which the sword deals wounds, averting the negative effects caused by the unnatural cravings of their Chapter. The unique curse of the Impalers is a carefully kept secret, and one the Chapter has gone to great lengths to keep. From some perspectives, the true worth of these mighty blades known as *Gladio Vitae* is not in their killing edge or fearsome length, but in the shame, they can avert.

These *Gladio Vitae* possesses a unique power field permeable to the blood of foes, which it channels down a deep fuller in the centre of the blade, and from there, to an injector linked to the med-ports of the Legionaries' battle-plate. The weapon thus allows the curse of the Blood Thirst to be slaked in battle, with no outsiders gaining knowledge of this secret stain on the Chapter's honour. Through the use of the *Gladio Vitae* as well as extensive use of various blood rituals, they have managed to achieve a measure of control over their genetic flaws, however, it remains to be seen if this achievement comes with a greater cost.

### Physical Traits

Like all Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, those Chapters descended from the lineage of Sanguinius were granted their own unique genetic traits engineered by the Emperor Himself. The Impalers are no exception. The Chapter takes those that are scarred, dispossessed, or broken, and remakes them into veritable angels - uniformly tall and fair - their features sculpted in stern elegance. However, over time, the distinctive physical traits of the Chapter soon manifest within these battle-brothers after several decades of service, rendering them into something more nightmarish and grim in aspect.

Like many Chapters created during the ill-fated Cursed Founding, the Impalers have also developed several physical characteristics that make their Battle-Brothers resemble something like that out of a nightmare. Those few survivors of an Impalers' assault that were not totally incapacitated by shock have reported that they appear as otherworldly creatures, much like the ancient mythological creature of Old Earth legends - the Vampyr. There is some merit to these rare first-hand accounts, as Impalers Space Marines have developed several physical characteristics that distinguish them from the average Astartes, including singular details such as pale skin with a deathlike pallor.

The oldest members of the Chapter possess almost translucent-like skin with dark spidery veins that can be seen just beneath the surface. Their mouths are filled with razor-sharp, scythe-like fangs which slowly lengthen over time. When they attack a foe in close combat, they are able to morph their mouths disturbingly wide as if to swallow a victim's head whole. Impalers have been known to crush their enemies' skulls between their powerful vice-like jaws. Those unfortunates that have the ill-fortune of meeting a gruesome end at the Impalers' hands are often found horribly mutilated on the battlefield and the brutal manner in which these Astartes carry out their frenzied assaults is dreaded even amongst the most stalwart of the Imperium's seasoned warriors.

### Primarch's Curse

#### Blood Thirst

Due to the genetic mutation of their Omophagea implant, the Impalers are exceptionally vulnerable to the effects of their heritage, making them completely dependent on human blood to survive. The ravages of the 'Blood Thirst' makes them extremely blood-dependent over time, and require the use of a specially constructed sanguinary apparatus incorporated into their battle-plate with several vials of vitae being directly transfused into their transhuman bodies to help stave off the worst effects of their genetic curse. Without these constant infusions of fresh blood, they will either succumb to a frenzied state that causes them to have an overwhelming desire for fresh blood or they will fall into a torpor state and wither and die.

This can cause an affected Battle-Brother to fall into a blood-frenzied state, possessing a mad craving for blood that they must have at all costs. The presence of an inordinate amount of blood spewing forth from the severed limbs or a decapitated head of their enemies could cause those Battle-Brothers in the throes of the 'Blood Thirst' to tear off their helmets and attack their victims with fang and claws until they have gorged themselves on the precious vitae and sate their ravenous appetite.

* **Stage 1 (Berserk Fury):** The Battle-Brother completely loses control when he frenzies and finds it almost impossible to claw his way back to reason as long as there are foes to fight and blades drawn. Even when foes are not near, the madness of Frenzy grips him and he rages endlessly for battle and blood, howling out his anger and striking the ground with his blade. The Battle-Brother must take care, lest he loses control at any moment. Any time the Battle-Brother takes damage is confronted with a clear threat or is put in a position of great stress, he must summon all his willpower in order to contain his fury for the duration of an encounter with an enemy.
* **Stage 2 (Blood Frenzy):** The Impaler thirsts for the blood of their foes when in the grips of the Blood Thirst and longs to see it spilt across the ground in great arcs and gouts. They also crave the feeling of hot blood on their skin and splattering across their armour, staining the dark red battle-plate a darker shade still. The Battle-Brother must engage foes in close combat if possible, either making melee attacks against them or shooting point black with pistols so that their blood spills at his feet. When he downs a foe, he must resist the urge to hack or blast the foe's corpse apart. If the Battle-Brother is attacked by a new foe while he is in this state while hacking at another foe, he will turn his attention to his new attacker instead.
* **Stage 3 (The Beast Within):** Near the end, an affected Impaler is little more than a blood-seeking animal filled with fury and madness and striking out at all those around him. While he may still have lucid moments where he remembers the noble warrior he once was, these moments are fleeting and quickly gone to be replaced with only the thought of killing and the thirst for blood, and he will attack the nearest target (friend or foe) if there is more than one to choose from. At this point, the Battle-Brother is completely within the grips of the Black Rage and must be transferred to the Death Company.

#### The Black Rage

The genetic lineage of those Chapters created from the Primarch Sanguinius is unique. As a powerful psykers in his own right, the Great Angel possessed an extremely powerful genetic bond with his gene-sons unlike no other. With his death at the hands of his former brother Primarch, the Arch-Traitor Horus, his resulting death was imprinted with the genetic memories of this final battle. These memories have had an indelible effect on the Scions of Sanguinius. Often, on the eve of battle, something can trigger this memory and a battle-brother's mind is thrust back ten millennia earlier to the time of the Great Heresy. A feeling of rage overcomes the affected battle-brother's mind and to others, he appears mad with fury, unable to distinguish the past from the present. The Chapter's Wardens chant the Moripatris and the afflicted are taken from his company and brought forth to the Tower of Varo.

Here, his battle-plate is ritualistically, painted coal black and blood-red saltires, representing the wounds taken by Sanguinius during that fateful final battle, are painted on sections of his armour. Past Oaths of Moment uttered by the afflicted battle-brother, as well as accounts of past glorious deeds are affixed to his battle-plate. Once adorned in his new mortuary array, the fury-stricken battle-brother is placed within the ranks of the Chapter's Death Company. Here, the fallen seek one thing: a glorious death in battle fighting against the enemies of the Emperor. A metal plate bearing the lost brother's name is then affixed to his right shoulder pauldron. This will be retrieved after the battle and placed on the wall in the Chamber of Requiesce, in eternal remembrance of their fallen brothers, even at duties end.

## Combat Doctrine

When the Impalers make war, they take the field as an unstoppable wave, sweeping away the opposition in a flurry of brutal assaults. The Chapter often deploys to the most dangerous war zones imaginable, unafraid to face any foe or any threat that would dare assail the inviolable domain of the Emperor of Mankind. The Impalers are the epitome of a shock-assault force, preferring to get to grips with the foe as quickly as possible, and rending them limb-from-limb in horrific displays of butchery and savagery. Over the course of their existence, as the flaw has taken hold, the Impalers have become more of a dedicated assault force. Only the most stalwart and strong-willed are able to hold tactical positions in battleline or fire support squads.

The Chapter is largely formed of battleline squads of line infantry equipped almost exclusively for the brutal madness of close-quarters assault - many battle-brothers being equipped with some kind of chain weapon, power-axe or sword - complimented by bolter, plasma pistol or meltagun. This is a role the Impalers excel in, always favouring a sudden and overwhelming charge to a long drawn-out battle of attrition. Many a tactical battle has resulted in a rout, as the fighting devolves into melee combat, with the Impalers being gripped by the 'Blood Thirst', rending their enemies apart with chainsword, pistol, fists, and teeth.

Worse, the Impalers have continued to practice the psychological tactics of terror in order to demorolise the ranks of the enemy. Sickening sights of dismemberment, crucifixions, and their dreaded specialty - impalement - are a common sight wherever the Impalers stalk the field of battle. Indeed, enemy armies have broken at witnessing such horrific sights and fellow Imperial forces have refused to fight alongside such an unsavoury Chapter.

In the direst of circumstances, the Chapter has displayed its ability to stand against any threat that threatens to overwhelm them, no matter the odds. To their fellow cousin Chapters, such feats of resilience sometimes seem to border on the preternatural, or in some cases, divine intervention, for the Impalers have, time and again, managed to rise from the ashes of inevitable defeat, stronger and more resilient than before. Fueled by their inner rage and grief wrought in their hearts by the deaths of their fallen battle-brothers, the Impalers will stand resolute, even when it would be tactically beneficial for them to withdraw. The warriors of this Chapter refuse to baulk in the face of the enemy, and even in their death throes, are intent on dragging their foes down with them, even when faced with mutual destruction. Few enemies can stand against such unshakeable and zealous warriors, whose unbreakable will endure is all but impossible to break.

## Notable Members

* **Grand Voivode Varo Audros** - Domnitor and first Chapter Master of the Impalers Chapter.
* **Grand Voivode Strahd Tepes** - Domnitor and current Chapter Master of the Impalers Chapter.
* **Voivode Vladius Alu'kard** - Commander of the 1st Coterie.
* **Hospodar Orpheus** - Commander of the 2nd Coterie.
* **Hospodar János** - Current Commander of the 3rd Coteries.
* **Hospodar Samael (Deceased)** - Former commander of the 3rd Coterie. Succumbed during the Black Rage and died during the subsequent Excoriation of Visegrad campaign in 996.M41. Succeeded by János.
* **Hospodar Draven** - Commander of the 4th Coterie.
* **Hospodar Ravanus** - Commander of the 5th Coterie.
* **Hospodar Zagan** - Commander of the 6th Coterie.
* **Hospodar Quillon** - Commander of the 7th Coterie.
* **Hospodar Melchior** - Commander of the 8th Coterie.
* **Hospodar Zachaeus** - Commander of the 9th Coterie.
* **Hospodar Kazimar** - Commander of the 10th Coterie.
* **Virtue Wrath** - Chapter Champion, Wrath is an elemental force on the field of battle, cutting down swathes of the foe like chaffe before a scythe. In the heat of battle, he never leaves the Grand Voivode's side, ensuring his master can move about the battlefield unimpeded.
* **Virtue Honour** - Honour is the Chapter's Ancient, and has the high honour of carrying the Chapter's standard into battle, the image of their serene Primarch Sanguinius, his eyes weeping blood, into the heart of the enemy.
* **Virtue Mercy** - Despite his nom de plume, Mercy doe not possess this trait in the least. In fact, the only 'mercy' he offers his enemies is that of a long, drawn-out and agonizing death.
* **Virtue Grace**
* **Virtue Devotion**
* **Virtue Patience**
* **Virtue Silence**
* **Virtue Retribution**
* **Virtue Charity**
* **Aprod Primus (Reclusiarch) Desdemodius**
* **Apotekar Primus (Chief Apothecary) Morfran**
* **Condicar Primus (Chief Librarian) Asmodeus Corvinus**
* **Condicar Miklós Vaștag** - This powerful and gifted battle-psyker is the only recorded Librarian of the Chapter to have ever succumbed to the curse of the Black Rage and not fallen subsequent victim to daemonic possession. He currently serves as the only Librarian within the ranks of the Lemures.

* **Ancient Khayman** - Interred within a sarcophagus of a Venerable Dreadnought, Khayman has served the Chapter for over three millennia. Formerly, he served as an assault Captain for close to eight centuries, until he was mortally wounded while fighting against a daemonic incursion on the world of Ikias while fighting against a Bloodthirster of Khorne. His mortal remains were recovered and eventually, he was interred within the shell of a venerable dreadnought. He would continue to serve the Emperor and the Great Angel beyond the point of his first death for over a millennium and a half. Unfortunately, the strain of serving so long as a dreadnought took a toll on the ancient warrior's mind, and eventually, he began to experience visions of Sanguinius during his final epic battle during the Horus Heresy. Falling into the throes of the Black Rage, Ancient Khayman was reassigned to the ranks of the lost within the Chapter's Death Company. Thus, he is one of only three honoured ancients that serve within the Death Company. As one of the most ancient members of the Chapter, he is held in high esteem by the rest of his younger kindred. He is rarely awoken, except in times of only great upheaval, awakened perhaps once or twice in a century. He is a powerful symbol, representing his Chapter's link to the distant past, and is greatly revered by the Impalers as a hero of legend.

## Deathwatch Service

"*No trifling with me! I never jest! There is grim purpose in all I do, and I warn you that you do not thwart me. Take care, for the sake of others if not your own.*"
— An Impalers Vyreling (Battle-Brother) seconded to the Deathwatch, chastising a fellow battle-brother of another Chapter who made the mistake of mocking the Impaler's serious intent during a sparring session.
## Chapter Fleet

* ***Karpathos* (Warspite-class Battle Barge)** - Flagship of the Impalers Chapter.
* ***Demogorgon* (Battle Barge)** - Flagship of the 1st Coterie.
* ***Sanguine Mortis* (Battle Barge)** - Flagship of the 2nd Coterie.
* ***Vengeance of Baal* (Battle Barge)** - Flagship of the 3rd Coterie.
* ***Amit's Fury* (Battle Barge)** - Flagship of the 4th Coterie.
* ***Red Angel's Blessing* (Strike Cruiser)** - Flagship of the 5th Coterie.
* ***Winged Vengeance* (Strike Cruiser)** - Flagship of the 6th Coterie.
* ***Blood Chalice* (Strike Cruiser)** - Flagship of the 7th Coterie.
* ***Blade of Raldoron* (Strike Cruiser)** - Flagship of the 8th Coterie.
* ***Scarlet Liberator* (Strike Cruiser)** - Flagship of the 9th Coterie.
* ***Vermillion Angelis* (Strike Cruiser)** - Flagship of the 10th Coterie.
* ***Zagan's Wrath* (Frigate)**
* ***Azkaellon's Exaltation* (Frigate)**
* ***Annellus' Fire* (Frigate)**
* ***Requiem of Maros* (Medical Frigate)**

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Impalers Chapter primarily wears dark red power armour the colour of spilled blood. The top of the backpack and helmet are black. The right shoulder pauldron has gold coloured trim while the left shoulder pauldron trim is slate gray. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest guard is also gold in colour. Unlike their progenitors, the Impalers prefer to utilise the *Codex*-proscribed squad specialty markings (Fire Support, Close Support, Battleline, Veteran and Command). A small white gothic numeral is stenciled on the right shoulder pauldron inset to designate squad assignment.

### Chapter Badge

The Impalers' Chapter badge is a stylised rendition of a skeleton, hands bound, impaled through the length of its body with a large black stake, the top of it poking out of the skeleton's open mouth. This symbols is centered upon a field of dark red.

### By the Impalers

"*We are angels born of blood. Darkness lingers within our soul, infusing us with the Great Angel's power. It is a blessing to be thusly embraced, for naught shall stand before us, his Scions of The Blood.*"
— Attr. to Varo Audros, first Great Voivode of the Impalers Chapter.
After subduing a heretic soldier, the Impalers Patrician quickly removed his helmet and cast it aside to the ground. With a mocking smile, he placed one massive gauntlet upon his victim's shoulder, holding him tight, forcing the unfortunate captive to bare his throat with the other, saying as he did so, "*A little refreshment to reward my exertions. You may as well be quiet and not resist; it will not be the first time, or the second, that your veins will appease my thirst!*"
— Vid log recording taken during the Castigation of Golgotha, ca. 458.M36.
"*We enjoy the night, the darkness, where we can do things that aren't acceptable in the light. Night is when we slake our thirst.*"
— An Impalers Astartes explaining his Chapter's penchant for nocturnal assaults upon the enemy, to a fellow battle-brother of the Golden Seraphs Chapter.
"*It's not the size of your fangs, it's how you bite.*"
— An Impalers Drakan (Veteran Sergeant) explaining to an Astartes of the Brazen Lions, his Chapter's penchant for utilising precise, tactical strikes at an enemy's weakest point.
*Feel free to add your own*
### About the Impalers

"*...the galaxy seems full of good men - even if there are monsters in it.*"
— Partial transcript taken from an Inquisition report, following the actions of the Impalers during the Serkis Compliance, ca. 692.M38.
"*There was something so panther-like in the movement - something so..inhuman, that it seemed to sober us all from the shock of his coming. As the Astartes saw us, a horrible sort of snarl passed over his alabaster face, showing eye-teeth long and pointed; but the evil smile quickly passed into a cold stare of lion-like disdain.*"
— A rare survivor's account of an encounter with an Impalers Astartes during the Meridian Massacre, 743.M37
"*An Impaler might play with his food, but he never sets it free.*"
— Comment made by a Sanguine-Brother (Battle-Brother) of the Sons Sanguine Chapter, after observing the Impalers in battle.
"*You are right. In my duties I travel the galaxy, aiding those of the Blood. Every Chapter I visit I have taken the measure of; the Flesh Tearers are the Angel’s fury, the Stormborn his pride...you..you are the despair that threatened to take him, to make him something dark, when the Arch-Traitor betrayed the Imperium, you Impalers, you are that darkness Strahd and I will have no part in it.*"
— Astorath the Grim, Redeemer of the Lost, chastising the Grand Voivode of the Impalers
## See Also

* ***In the High Spires of Visegrad*** (Short Story) by Glorious Mongoose

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## Gallery

An Impalers Spătar (Veteran Marine) assigned to the elite 1st Coterie (Company), 8th Brood (Strygos Veteran Squad).An Impalers Drakan (Veteran Sergeant) of the 3rd Coterie (Company), 6th Brood (Adrasteia Close Support Squad).An Impalers Malakim Guard. Note: Unlike their fellow Chapters of The Blood, the Malakim Guard of the Impalers are arrayed in armour of the finest silver and their jump packs possess mighty pinions of blackened feathers. In battle, they prefer to wield massive two-handed Eviscerator chainswords, rather than the traditional *Encarmine Sword* of other Sanguinary Guard formations.
## Videos

Warhammer 40k Lore - The Impalers, Homebrew ChaptersWarhammer 40k Lore - The Impalers Return, Homebrew Chapters