Knights Seraphic

Knights Seraphic armorial with Chapter iconography.

Knights Seraphic Battle-Brother of the 2nd Company, 3rd Battleline Squad. Note, helm painted half-black, indicating this Astartes was formerly touched by the Black Rage.

## Space Marine Chapter

### **Allegiance**

Imperium of Man
(*Fidelis ad Mortem*)

### **Successor of**

Blood Angels
 (Sanguinius lineage.)

### **Chapter Master**

Exilarch Xeromus Severien Skysong (Alias: Xeromus Plague)

### **Homeworld**

Fleet-Based (Currently)
[REDACTED] (Formerly)

### **Fortress-Monastery**

*The Black Seraph* (Battle Barge; Currently)
The Sanctum Novenarum (Formerly)

### **Number of Marines**

Estimated 100-300 surviving members (under investigation)

### **Specialty**

Orbital drop shock assaults, melee combat, philosophical/artistic pursuits

### **Battle cry**

"By fire, by steel, by the Blood of the Angel, be purged!"

### **Colours**

Red with gold trim, black and white pauldrons.

### Successor Chapter(s)

None

The **Knights Seraphic** are a Successor Chapter of the heroic Blood Angels created during the 9th Founding. This vexatious and mysterious Chapter were formally sanctioned by the High Lords of Terra for dabbling in dark rituals and having a penchant for tech-heresy. To atone for their crimes they were forced to embark upon a penitent crusade by Imperial authorities. Steeped in secrecy and accused of anti-Imperial sentiment, this Chapter of monastic esotericists wander the stars trying to piece together the history of their order.

## Chapter History

The Knights Seraphic claim their heritage from the 9th founding, somewhere between 500.M34 and 600.M35. Although there is little evidence to support this claim, their lineage possess an uncanny resistance to the twin flaws common among the chapters of the Blood (similar to the Angels Resplendent of the same founding). A significant portion of their history has been purged from imperial records, but the inheritors of the chapter's traditions and rituals will claim they protect a secret older than the Horus Heresy, all the while trying to decipher the esoteric mysteries left to them by their forbearers.

## Notable Campaigns

Most of the Knights Seraphic currently serving under Exilarch Xeromus Plague are veterans of the Indomitus Crusade, many among them survivors of the catastrophic defense of their gene-sire's homeworld. Much of the original chapter was wiped out on Baal, leaving the Primaris reinforcements to carry on in the rituals and esoteric practices of the chapter with little understanding of their significance or purpose.

The Knights subsequently took on a forced penitent crusade to redeem their chapter's honour, after facing accusations of heresy from within the imperial Inquisition. Though they fought valiantly to protect Ephrad Secundus and other nearby worlds from a ravenous Tyranid splinter fleet, the forges ultimately fell to the swarming xenos and the Knights Seraphic were forced to retreat from the doomed world. There are rumours among those who assisted in the defense of the forge world that the chapter covertly recovered forbidden dark age technology from within the sub-surface vaults of Ephrad Secundus; no evidence has yet been produced to substantiate this claim.

## Chapter Home World

All records of the Knights' original homeworld have been sealed, leaving little to suggest their planet of origin. It is assumed their homeworld faced exterminatus, after evidence was presented of multiple chaos cults trying to influence potential aspirants to the chapter. They currently operate as a fleet-based chapter in exile, drawing their recruits from the criminal elements of the planets they visit.

## Chapter Organisation

### Officer Ranks

* **Captain**
* **Lieutenant**

### Specialist Ranks:

* **Exilarch** - The Knights Seraphic name an Exilarch, or a provisional leader in exile, by way of a sacred and secretive voting process. The leadership structure is somewhat decentralized, with many squadrons operating almost autonomously and communicating only as necessary.
* **High Chaplain**
* **Chaplain**
* **Chief Apothecary**
* **Apothecary**
* **Chief Librarian**
* **Librarian**
* **Master of the Forge**
* **Techmarine**
* **Chapter Champion**
* **Company Champion**
* **Ancient (Standard Bearer)**

### Line Ranks

* **Veteran Sergeant**
* **Veteran**
* **Battle-Brother**
* **Scout Marine**
* **Neophyte**
* **Aspirant**

### Specialist Units & Formations:

* **The Seraphic Guard** - The Sanguinary Guard of the Knights Seraphic style themselves "The Seraphic Guard", and split their numbers into small cults of four, each said to be entrusted with a portion of the great secret of the chapter's history. Unlike most warriors who carry on the traditions of Azkaellon, the Seraphic Guard reject the beautiful golden armour of their brothers; the memory of Sanguinius' death (and thus the failure of his Guard) is fresh among them even after ten thousand years, and so they adorn their armor with the black of mourning, the red of his blood and white feathers of his angelic wings.

## Combat Doctrine

The Knights Seraphic hold to the military strategy once employed by the Great Angel himself, and consider themselves close inheritors of the Primarch's legacy. They excel in close quarters shock assaults, and will choose to cross swords rather than exchange volleys where possible. In the hands of a Seraph, an ordinary jump pack seems to mimic the angelic flight of the Primarch himself. An order in exile, the Knights have adapted to a life on the run and learned to fight uphill against better equipped, more numerous enemies. Years of interstellar piracy have honed these shock tactics to a fine art, and the chapter continues to employ these skills even since earning redemption in the eyes of the Imperium.

## Chapter Culture & Beliefs

The Knights Seraphic maintain a deeply secretive culture. Rejecting the strict dictate of the Codex Astartes wholesale, they maintain a decentralized system of command and try to avoid creating significant distinctions between specialists through symbolism or regalia. The Chapter Master, or Exilarch, serves at the will of the brotherhood and his command may be rescinded at any time by a simple majority vote. Among their more curious eccentricities is their approach to the Black Rage; where most chapters regard the flaw as a curse, the Knights Seraphic possess a strange reverence for their brothers who experience the Rage. They regard these visions of Sanguinius as sacred, ancient whispers of their father from a time before his death. It is even said aspirants are made to ritualistically induce these visions themselves as part of the initiation, bringing themselves to the brink of the Rage. Only once they have seen through the eyes of their Primarch, felt his suffering, can they paint their helm half-black to represent their communion with the divine Angel.

Those brothers who are truly lost, out of touch with reality, are dressed in all white. Adorned with gold with helms of deepest black, the Death Company of the Knights Seraphic have always been held as a sacred weapon against their most hated foes. The bravery of these brothers is not to be wasted, and where other chapters might grant the Emperor's Mercy to a brother fully lost to the Rage, the Knights continue to retain and redeploy these holy warriors for so long as they are able. They believe it their sacred duty to recover these men from the field, and give them every opportunity to continue their service; they are never executed or sent on suicide missions, and they are only fielded on missions of utmost importance.

The Knights and their forbearers seem to have developed techniques to keep the Rage at bay, among them embracing the practice of art and philosophy alongside their ritualistic practice of blood consumption. They are mindful of the paradox they endure - beings of nobility and mercy, who are at once beasts of such bloodthirst as to be comparable to the demons they fight. Unlike others in the lineage of Sanguinius, who revel in the spilling of blood and the slaughter of living beings, the Knights regard combat as a grim duty and take effort to avoid unnecessary casualties where they can. It is well documented, upon worlds where they have had contact with civilians, they are known to be kind and will not hesitate to die protecting baseline human populations.

Scattered records retained by chapter historians suggest the Knights, formerly under a long forgotten name, held a dim view of the Imperium and claimed it as straying from the original vision of the Emperor. The Imperium, in kind, held a dim view of the Knights, condemning their blood rituals and esoteric studies as heretical. After countless accusations of tech heresy, and eventually a damning accusation that the chapter had fallen under the sway of the Ruinous Powers, the chapter went renegade and began a nomadic lifestyle. On the run from Imperial authorities, they would ransack suitable planets for resources and recruits, tending to pick up young outlaws who would adapt easily to a life of piracy.

For a time, the Knights of old were able to evade detection, and even pursued their own campaigns against Chaos warbands unaided by the Imperium. Information from this time is difficult to come by, much of it intentionally suppressed; however, most scholars agree the chapter was able to score significant victories, most notably the liberation of a loyal imperial world besieged by Chaos. Though the chapter master is said to have sacrificed himself to slay the Demon Prince, the memory of this achievement is venerated by the Knights still today.

Much of the symbolism surrounding the history of the chapter is depictive of the number 9, which they hold to be sacred as the 9th Founding of the IXth Legion. By coincidence, the current Exilarch Xeromus is the ninth recorded leader of the Knights, which has led to some speculation among his chapter cult that he may represent the coming of a prophecy that will reveal the chapter's ultimate destiny.

There are whispers among the cult that the chapter is watched always by the Changer of Ways, walking in the shadow of the dark deity's schemes. This is said to inspire the coloration of the chapter's pauldrons (white on the left, black on the right); like their father, they carry an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other.

## Chapter Recruitment

Previously the chapter recruited from an unknown homeworld, the memory of which has been burnt from Imperial records as a result of Inquisitorial actions against the chapter. Forced into exile, the chapter has traditionally drawn its aspirants from the worlds it visits during its travels.

Upon accepting the Seraphic Trials, an aspirant will surrender their name and take on a traditional angelic codename, typically ending in "el". Their original name is kept secret and used only during the most sacred of rituals - it is unknown if this practice began as a result of repeated conflict with demonic forces, or as some symbolic gesture undertaken to bond future Knights. Regardless, it is customary that the Exilarch alone wear their human birth name openly, a symbol of fearlessness and inevitable martyrdom alike.

## Notable Members

* **Xeromus Severien Skysong (Alias: Xeromus Plague)** - Inheritor of the Knights Seraphic Provisional Council in Exile, and Lord Executioner of the Seraphic Crusade. Accused of tech-heresy and studies of forbidden lore, he was tasked with redeeming his chapters honor following their near extermination by the imperial inquisition. Though he was able to earn the Knights a place of respect for their sacrifice in the defense of imperial forge worlds, he secretly continues his acquisitions of forbidden relics in keeping with the sacred practices of his chapters forbearers.

* **Blood Brother Rafael** - Chief Apothecary, and high Sanguinary Priest. Served with Xeromus during the Indomitus Crusade.

* **High Chaplain Raziel** - Master of Sanctity, Guardian of the Lost. A commanding orator, experienced in motivating his blood-frenzied brothers in the Death Company to remain focused on key objectives through the haze of the Black Rage.

* **Kill Team: Angel's Spear** - A small squadron of tactically deployed Intercessors, equipped with a single Death Company marine and tasked with sensitive missions behind enemy lines. (Names redacted)

## Chapter Fleet

Possessed of but a single battle barge, *The Black Seraph*, the Knights Seraphic are something of a nomadic order with few resources for fleet based combat.

## Chapter Relics

* ***Seraphic Standard***: A relic of the chapter's historical crusades, handcrafted by ancient chapter artisans and enhanced with materials recovered during the catastrophic defense of Baal. It is said to contain stones bearing the blood of each Exilarch, as well as a small drop of the Primarch's sacred vitae.

* ***Seraphic Broadsword'***: A master-crafted encarmine blade of such intricacy and beauty it defies description. Wielded by the chapter's Exilarch, the weapon tells the story of their Angel's falling from favor, and the prophecy of their redemption by crusade.

* **UNKNOWN**: It is believed by some that the chapter was able to recover long lost Dark Age of Technology during their failed defense of Ephrad Secundus. There is also reason to suspect some among their inner cult possess weapons of xenos origin, though these relics are kept under highly secretive conditions making confirmation of these accusations all but impossible.

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Knights Seraphic wear black on their right pauldrons, white on their left, with the rest of their armor traditionally colored in the blood-red of their First Founding progenitors. The details and trim are typically burnished gold. Knights who have their first encounter with the memories of Sanguinius are known to paint half of their helm black, while those who achieve rank may paint their helm half-gold.

### Chapter Badge

The Knights Seraphic's chapter badge takes the form of a black nine-pointed star composed of three interlocking triangles centered upon a field of white.

## Relations

### Enemies

* **Forces of Chaos** - The Knights Seraphic possess a deep hatred for the forces of Chaos, and have a lengthy history of service fighting Tyranids.

## Notable Quotes

"*If the Inquisition knew what I recovered in the vaults of this world, we would almost certainly die here. If we ARE to die, it will not be on the order of Imperial bureaucrats; we shall not wait for judgement, nor for reinforcements that are not coming. We shall meet our old nemesis in the heart of its vile machinations.*"
— Exilarch Xeromus Plague, prior to the defense of Ephrad Prime.
"*The Third will slay the Demon. The Sixth will walk in shadow. The Ninth will redeem the lost. By the sacred Blood, the Seraphic truth will manifest, and Light will swallow Darkness.*"
— Prophecy of unknown origin, discovered on a hidden scroll in the Chapter Librarium

[Source]

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

[Source]