Bloody Hymn

**This article, Bloody Hymn, was written by Bronzemane Wolf. It may be linked to any page without asking for the author's permission.**

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## Bloody Hymn

Bloody Hymn Warband iconography.

Bloody Hymn Astartes.

## Chaos Warband

### **Origin**

Formerly a Blood Angels Successor Chapter

### **Leader**

Sanitiel Elaveth/Sanitiel the Crimson Lips

### **Specialty**

Close Combat, Melee, Shock Assault, Raptors, Aviation, Drop Pod Iron Rain, Void Warfare

### **Battle Cry**

"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne! Slaughter for the Slaughter's Hymn!"
"Let the galaxy bleed!"

## Pre-Heresy

### **Colours**

Red, gold, black and white

The **Bloody Hymn** is a name that strikes fear into the hearts of those who are both remotely sane and unlucky enough to have heard of it. Carving a path of slaughter and destruction wherever they go, this Warband of Khorne-worshipping Chaos Space Marines were once a loyal Chapter of Adeptus Astartes descended from noble and heroic Blood Angels. Though the Bloody Hymn once reflected this nobility they have since devolved into treacherous monsters in service of the Blood God and a horrifying example of what sons of Sanguinius may become if they turn from the light of the Emperor.

In many ways, they remind their cousins of the World Eaters Traitor Legion, yet through their rampage they maintain an odd, twisted grace about them, a twisted mockery of inner excellence and hope that is innate to those of the Blood. Eager to spill the blood of their foes just as much as they thirst for its taste, Bloody Hymn bring cruel deaths to millions of innocents and any who dares to resist them, spitting in the face of their progenitors by worshipping not only Khorne himself but also the arch-enemy of their Primarch - Ka'Bandha.

## Warband History

The Bloody Hymn was created as an Imperial Space Marine Chapter during the 8th Founding from gene-seed of the Blood Angels. They proved themselves as a reliable and brave group of warriors and were noted for being very orthodox in their efforts to uphold their parent Chapter's culture and traditions among their ranks. Bloody Hymn would remain stalwart defenders of Humanity for over a thousand years.

It is lost to Imperial history when and how exactly Bloody Hymn was corrupted. The only thing that is known is that they fought a fierce battle against followers of Khorne and though they came on top of their foe in the frenzy of war they became vulnerable to the Blood God's malignant influence and became his servants, denouncing the Imperium and choosing the path of senseless bloodshed. From those days on they have become a force for destruction and war in the galaxy, falling upon both Loyalists, xenos and fellow followers of Chaos alike.

## Notable Campaigns

* **Battle of Tverdograd (342.M41)** - Seeking to satisfy their thirst for blood and slaughter, leadership of a Khornate Chaos Space Marine Warband known as the Bloody Hymn decided to do something that even other Warp-corrupted madmen would be hesitant about - to attack a Space Marine homeworld. Emerging from the Warp and crushing all that was in their way these fallen sons of Sanguinius headed towards Tverdograd, home of the uncompromising Titanium Bears. The Bears were caught offguard, but it happened so that at the time the entirety of the Chapter was present and so Loyalists prepared for the inevitable onslaught. Bloody Hymn Astarted threw themselves from the orbit, not caring one bit for the numerous defence lasers and missile silos trying to slow them down. Screaming with fury they landed not far from the fortress-monastery and rushed at the coming Imperials. A brutal battle ensued with sons of Tverdograd fighting tooth and nail as unholy baroque warriors hurling themselves again and again at these Marines whom they saw as prey, using any opportunity to revel in the blood of the fallen. As the fight continued neither side managed to achieve full victory and after a long time of hot battle Imperial reinforcements came on Tverdograd, but Bloody Hymn continued to fight. As other Loyalists were coming closer to the forces of Chaos and Bloody Hymn were going mad with desire for blood even more than before, they were tricked. For a split-second an enormous Warp-portal had opened right underneath the Chaos Space Marines, with only Bloody Hymn Astartes falling though it and Loyalists standing upon in unaffected. As Bloody Hymn recovered from their shock they realized that they were upon a desolate world within the Eye of Terror and even their fleet had teleported together with them. Laughing at the followers of Khorne was a mighty Lord of Change who promptly disappeared from their sight. Denied their glorious slaughter, Bloody Hymn Astartes screamed in anguish and hate while Sanitiel the Crimson Lips came for them and punished them for their failure by killing each Marine out of twenty.
* **Battle of Tardgelar (M41.888)** – Within the Eye of Terror the Bloody Hymn intervened in a battle between two other Chaos Space Marine Warbands, one of the World Eaters and another of the Emperor's Children. After a bloody three-sided slaughter the world was overrun by Tzeentchian daemons led upon it by a coven of sorcerers on the opposite continent from where the battle was taking place. All three sides claimed to have been winners of the fight and it is not clear who is right if any at all.
* ***Spear of Fire* Campaign (M41.999 - Ongoing)** – Unwilling to cooperate with Abbadon the Despoiler and the Black Legion in their 13th Black Crusade the Bloody Hymn have launched their own military campaign against the Imperium. It is still continuing, though its pace has been reduced by the resurgent Imperium under Roboute Guilliman's leadership, much to the frustration of the Hymn.

## Warband Home World

Before falling to Chaos the Bloody Hymn Chapter hailed from the death world Trucidatio, which was chosen specifically for its similarity to Baal. After entering the Eye of Terror the Warband has acquired its own Daemon world which was transformed into a dark reflection of both Baal and Trucidatio by its new reigning Daemon Prince - Sanitiel the Crimson Lips. This world is now known as Trucidatio the New while the former homeworld is known as Trucidatio the Old.

Trucidatio the New is a desert of red sands, not unlike Mars, prowled by Chaotic monsters and mutated predatory beasts. The few humans who survive live in tribes and worship Khorne as their ancestral patron, partaking in warfare, hunting and cannibalism as a form of worship.

The Bloody Hymn doesn't have a fortress-monastery the way it had during its time as an Imperial Chapter. Instead, its primary base of operations is its warfleet, seen as "heavenly palaces" by Trucidatioans. Though the Warband does recruit from Trucidatio the New like most Chaos Space Marine groups it does not limit itself to it and due to its constant bloodthirsty campaigns, they visit their home only relatively rarely.

Like Baal, but unlike Trucidatio the Old, Trucidatio the New has two moons the surface and population of which is very similar to the planet itself.

## Warband Organisation

Like in most Chaos Warbands organization within the Bloody Hymn is more lax than in a Loyalist Chapter, though it is far from non-existent. Many traditions and units that are common to all of the Blood have been preserved within the Hymn, though as their dark and corrupted versions. Beyond that, the Warband's organization follows typical Khornate Chaos Space Marine lines, with Raptors, Havocs, Chaos Lords, Chaos Champions, Possessed, Sages of Slaughter and so on.

### Officer Ranks

* **Evening Star** – Title held by the Warband's supreme leader, Sanitiel the Crimson Lips.
* **Crimson Coryphaus** – Evening Star's second-in-command. It is unclear if this title was chosen because it is an ancient term for a leader of a choir or if it was borrowed from the Word Bearers, possibly both.

### Specialist Units & Formations

* **Sanguinary Guard** – Sanguinary Guard of the Bloody Hymn superficially resembles their Loyalist equivalents, save for occasional marks of Chaos and one of the white wings being replaced by a black wing of a daemon. Yet the truth is that inside these warriors are nothing like noble wardens of the Blood Angels, instead they are some of the most bloodthirsty and battle crazed Brothers of the Warband brought together. Despite their name Sanguinary Guard guards nothing for leaders of the Bloody Hymn see any sort of personal security as an insult as it is a sign of laughable weakness. Their purpose is to seek where the fighting is thickest and unleash their wrath upon the Hymn's foes, bringing slaughter to a new level. Beneath their beautiful golden exterior Sanguinary Guards are highly mutated and horrifying. Unlike those of their Loyalist counterparts, their wings are very real and alive, in combination with Warp's reality-bending giving them the ability to fly indefinitely similar to Raptors and some are no longer even capable of walking on the ground.
* **Erelim** – Just as Erelim of the Blood Angels is a grim reflection of the Sanguinary Guard, so are the Erelim of the Bloody Hymn. They wear black power armour and skull-shaped helmets, adorned with Jump Packs and two wings – one of black weather and one of black leather. It is said that they are those Brothers who have doubted the path upon which the Warband is and the bloody faith of Khorne, such as retaining an amount of sympathy for the Imperium or being seduced by another Chaos God, yet were deemed too valuable to be killed outright. After having undergone centuries of torture together with Khornate corruption and indoctrination they have become maddened killing machines and to describe them as bestial would be an understatement. Though this state is technically different from the Black Rage it would be hard to notice for those who face Erelim on the battlefield and many of their ranks do end up falling to their gene-father's flaw anyway.
* **Sanguinary Priests** – Sanguinary Priests of the Bloody Hymn combine the roles of an Apothecary and a Chaplain, though now as priests of Khorne their primary responsibility is to be great warriors and bring bloodshed to the enemy. Just like their Loyalist counterparts, they wear white armour. Bloody Hymn's Sanguinary Priests are often compared to World Eaters' Berzerker-Surgeons.
* **Death Company** – Those who have succumbed to the "pure" Black Rage are placed in the Death Company. Though looked down upon and pitied to the extent that Khornate Space Marines may feel pity, they are nevertheless an exceptionally potent tool as well as rage-filled berserkers and are utilized by the Bloody Hymn accordingly.
* **Avatars of Wrath** – Marines who have fallen to a corrupted version of the Black Rage, the Crimson Wrath, are proclaimed to be Avatars of Wrath. Their power armour is painted in the colour of brass and they lead Warband's charges as individual berserker champions, not able to see their Brothers behind them and thus attacking only the enemy. Avatars of Wrath are highly respected among the ranks of the Bloody Hymn and are seen quite literally as avatars of Khorne in flesh, and as hellish saints who have "fixed" Sanguinius in their souls.
* **Sanguine Berserkers** – Though many followers of Khorne can be described as killing machines and berserkers, that is far from the same thing as being a "true" Khornate Berserker and bearing the Butcher's Nails. It is rare to see those outside of the World Eaters Traitor Legion and when they are seen outside of it they are either Word Eaters' defectors or those who have been transformed by them. The Bloody Hymn, being fierce rivals of the sons of Angron, have for millennia attempted to replicate this formula on their own. So far, their Warpsmiths and Sanguinary Priests have not been entirely successful in this quest yet the warriors they have managed to create have been dubbed as "Sanguine Berserkers". These Bloody Hymn Astartes are rage-filled superhumans just like their World Eater counterparts, but they possess a deadly flaw that puts them aside. When being turned into a Sanguine Berserker a Space Marine undergoes a medical operation during which his brain is surgically installed with the Angel's Teeth – an attempt to emulate more famous Butcher's Nails. Though just like Butcher's Nails they greatly heighten the wearer's aggression and instill in his desire for bloodshed, as well as disable parts of the brain that are responsible for things like mercy, self-preservation and enjoyment of anything else but slaughter, they are also slowly but surely killing him, just like earlier versions of the Nails. So far the Bloody Hymn has been unable to improve Angel's Teeth to the level of its competitor, yet there are a plenty of Brothers in its ranks who voluntarily choose a brief life of pure rage and slaughter instead of prolonged existence as a mere shadow of it. Sanguine Berserkers are visually distinguished by having red metallic wings attached to their helmet, which is Bloody Hymn's take on the World Eaters' infamous bladed horns.
* **Singing Angels** – During its Loyalist days the Bloody Hymn, just like its parent Chapter, used to deploy disproportionate amounts of Assault Marine and had a fascination with flight – an obvious legacy of their winged Primarch. As the Chapter fell to Chaos this tendency has remained but now in a more twisted and dark form. Singing Angels is a large Cult of Raptors and Warp Talons within the Bloody Hymn. They are known to fall upon their victims in murderous frenzy even as their mouths are singing praise for Khorne and the Warband with angelic voices.

## Combat Doctrine

Combat doctrine of the Bloody Hymn is an exaggeration of that of the Blood Angels. They prefer close combat, shock assault and melee though also have inherited a taste for flight, which has resulted in them fielding unusually large amounts of Raptors, Warp Talons, Heldrakes and other flying units. Use of mass Drop Dod assaults is also frequent and the Warband is known for its particular mastery of space fleet engagements.

## Warband Culture & Beliefs

The Bloody Hymn are fervent worshippers of Khorne and believe that war, rage, destruction and domination and the primary goals of existence. Unlike their cousins from the World Eaters Traitor Legion however, they have, despite their mind-consuming madness, preserved some degree of high culture and intellectualism. As they march to war one can see that beneath spikes, skulls, daemonic runes and flayed skin their power armour is beautifully decorated and as they slaughter crowds of innocents their faces appear to be as beautiful as a human can be. This makes them appear eerie to their foes, a horde of blood-sucking berserkers imbued with ghostly angelic grace.

The very existence of the Bloody Hymn is seen as a blasphemy by the wider Imperium and especially by Chapters of the Blood, however there are things about this Warband that are even more blasphemous than that. For ten thousand years sons of Sanguinius have been hunted and fought against by one of the eight most powerful Bloodthirsters of Khorne - Ka'Bandha. Once the arch-enemy of their gene-father who had to crawl before the Skull Throne for having been defeated by him several times, he has spent ten millennia seeking to slaughter Blood Angels and their Successors to the last. It is hard to imagine an individual foe greater and more hated from the Blood Angels' lengthy history, save for only a few such as Horus himself, yet Astartes of the Bloody Hymn have done the unthinkable – they have started to worship Ka'Bandha. For them Ka'Bandha is everything that Sanguinius wrongly denied in Khorne, the very thing they wish he became and that they wish to emulate. Within void vessels of the Warband, many horrific idols and statues of this mighty daemon have been erected and its warriors frequently rush into fight with his cursed name on their lips. This veneration has not made the Exalted Bloodthirster any less aggressive towards Sanitiel and his subordinates and he seeks to spill their blood any chance he gets, yet being true followers of the Khorne Brothers of the Bloody Hymn wouldn't have it any other way.

Warriors of the Bloody Hymn often repeat the iconic Khornate chant - "Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!" while also adding to it their own verse, which is "Slaughter for the Slaughter's Hymn!". Despite being Chaos Space Marines as much as those of the Traitor Legions, they never repeat the infamous words of Horus Lupercal, "Let the galaxy burn" for he is a man who slew their Primarch and their hatred for him and his sons has not been extinguished by their conversion. Instead, Bloody Hymn Astartes say a different version of the quite, "Let the galaxy bleed!"

## Warband Recruitment

The Bloody Hymn typically recruits from three primary sources – native barbarian tribes of Trucidatio the New, Khornate cultists that follow and fight alongside the Warband and populations of worlds and space stations that they spread their murderous slaughter to. Like with most Chaos Space Marines and Astartes in general mortal candidates have to display truly exceptional abilities to be accepted into the Warband and if successfully turned into a Space Marine have to constantly prove their worth for the time they survive.

## Warband Gene-Seed

Though originally stable and comparatively pure, now under countless centuries of Warp-influence much of Bloody Hymn's gene-seed has become mutated and corrupted. The Warband is still capable of some level of internal recreation but if it ever gets a chance it jumps at an opportunity to collect gene-seed of Blood Angels and their Successors.

Like all sons of Sanguinius, Space Marines of the Bloody Hymn suffer from twin-curses known as the Red Thirst and the Black Rage. After embracing rage as the supreme virtue and being subjected to Khornate corruption these flaws have grown even stronger among their ranks, though they view it as a boon. Black Rage manifests in Bloody Hymn Astartes in two versions. Those who have not been corrupted by Chaos to a sufficient degree, often due to lack of divine favour, succumb to "regular" Black Rage and are sent to the Warband's Death Company. This is viewed as a shame and a failure for in his last moments the warrior becomes a Loyalist through thinking with the mind of Sanguinius, even though his blind rage makes it possible to direct him against any enemy of the Warband. Death Company of the Bloody Hymn functions and appears much like its Loyalist counterparts, wearing black power armour covered in red crossed lines yet also carrying sigils of Chaos and Khorne upon them.

However, those who have been twisted by the Blood God enough will fall into the so-called Crimson Wrath. Under the influence of Khornate Warp-energies and Chaotic mutation the vision they see has changed – instead of what truly happened aboard the *Vengeful Spirit* they see and sense Sanguinius embracing Khorne and slaying Horus with empowered rage, after which he roams the ship, slaughtering Loyalist Marines and seeking for the Emperor to slay him as well, though he never finds him. Those who fall to the Crimson Wrath are respected and venerated as some sort of dark saints as in the eyes of their Warband they have "fixed" their Primarch's mistake and have become living embodiments of everything the Blood God represents. Their power armour is painted brass and they become known as Avatars of Wrath, leading their Brothers as individual champions to ever-greater feats of bloodletting.

## Notable Members

* **Sanitiel Elaveth/Sanitiel the Crimson Lips** – Current supreme Chaos Lord and Evening Star of the Bloody Hymn Warband. Once a mere line Assault Marine loyal to the Emperor, Sanitiel Elaveth started asserting his dominance over his Battle-Brothers following their Chapter's fall to Khorne. Only a decade after their betrayal Sanitiel fought in a duel and slew the previous Chapter Master, after which he drank his body dry of blood and gained much of his memories and experience. From that day on the position of the Chapter Master was abolished – the Bloody Hymn would be only led by a Morning Star and that title has been held by none but Sanitiel. He would go on and gain daemonhood after his massacre of many millions of Slaaneshi cultists and hundreds of enemy Chaos Space Marines in the twisted pleasure world of Hashetif. This was a high point to previous centuries of slaughter and it was there, among the burning forests of Hashetif, while feasting upon a fallen foe, when Sanitiel was elevated into a mighty Daemon Prince by his god. Hashetif became his personal Daemon World and would be transformed in accordance with his wishes, becoming what is now known as Trucidatio the New.

Since that time Sanitiel has led his Warband from one battle to another. His form varies – at times he appears as a red-skinned daemon, at others as a beautiful yet twisted golden angel, and at others still as a cloud of pure darkness or a pale ghoul. None of this changes his true nature – an unearthly warrior hellbent on purposeless destruction and tasting the inner liquids of living beings. This is reflected in the only thing that stays consistent in his appearance, which is red blood dripping from his mouth at all times, even when that mouth cannot be seen. From this comes the name he is known by across the galaxy - Sanitiel the Crimson Lips.
* **Kartubrael** – Though Sanitiel is the head of the Warband, being a powerful entity of the Warp he is distant from his followers, more like a god than a king. As such he has a second-in-command – the Crimson Coryphaus. Current Crimson Coryphaus is Kartubrael, a man widely considered to be the greatest warrior in the Warband. On the battlefield, he usually communicates with his Brothers not through words or vox but through song. He roars louder than even a Space Marine should be able to and his words often cause mortals near him to mercifully go deaf or to have their minds broken with his song's inhumanly terrible meaning.
* **Vazarael the Insidious** – Though the Bloody Hymn are fervent worshippers of Khorne, they have always been less thuggish and more focused, intellectual and cultured than their World Eater cousins, be it lack of the Butcher's Nails or their later corruption. Some see this as evidence of the Warband's inner weakness, others respect it as a sign of martial superiority, but none can deny one thing. There is no place for cowardice within the Bloody Hymn. Vazarael is one of those who have learned this the hard way. Once he had been a subordinate Chaos Lord, leading his sub-warband of a hundred warriors and though he was respected and feared among his Brothers he was always an inferior of Sanitiel and Kartubrael. Under the malignant influence of the Warp what started as soft envy grew into all-consuming hatred. Knowing too well that he may not stand a chance in a duel with Kartubrael the Chaos Lord started plotting a coup in which the reigning Crimson Coryphaus would be assassinated and Vazarael would proclaim himself as his replacement. The plot would have worked perfectly if it wasn't for the supernatural protection that surrounded Kartubrael. Vazarael was found out, beaten and brought to his kneel before the man he tried to kill. The Crimson Coryphaus would judge the wounded warrior and find him guilty, not for trying to kill him but for trying to do so in a cowardly underhanded way. For this Vazarael was placed in an amniotic sac that he would never leave and was sealed within a terrible Helbrute, never to see the light of day again with anything but his mutated eyes and going insane from the pain and agony the dark machine is forcing upon him. Now he runs through warzones as a whirlwind of ruin and death, not flinching before the strongest opposition or the largest of guns. There is not a hint of cowardice within reborn Vazarael for there can be no cowardice where there is no reason.

## Warband Fleet

Bloody Hymn relies heavily on its warfleet, an extension of their angelic fascination with flight. Here are some of its notable vessels:

* ***Tear of Rage* (Unknown-class Battle Barge)** *– Flagship of the Bloody Hymn since their creation as a Chapter and to this day. Once a magnificent sight full of beauty and majesty it has turned into a daemon-infested and gore-covered slaughterhouse since the Chapter's fall. What is even more disturbing is that unlike many other Chaos Space Marines Brothers of the Warband have attempted to maintain much of the old splendor of the ship, mountains of corpses and bloodied fighting pits coexisting side-by-side with magnificent marble statues and elegant paintings drawn with insides of slain foes.*
* ***Bloodied Blade* (Desolator-class Battleship)**

## Warband Artefacts

* ***Red Victory*** – A powerful Daemon Sword held by the Crimson Coryphaus. It is said that should it give its victim even the smallest cut he shall explode in a fountain of gore and blood.
* ***Spear of Sanitiel*** – A Chaos weapon in the form of a spear created from the fury that Sanitiel experienced during a particular battle.

## Warband Appearance

### Warband Colours

Bloody Hymn Chaos Space Marine typically have their power armour painted red, with elements of gold, brass, black and white.

### Warband Badge

Symbol of the Warband is a beautiful golden head of an angel with two unnaturally large fangs coming from its mouth and a red teardrop laying on its forehead and also a larger one beneath it. From its left side comes a white feathered angelic wing while from its right side comes a similar wing but black. Beneath the wings the angel's head is the center of a golden eight-sided Star of Chaos. Before their fall to Khorne Bloody Hymn's Chapter badge was similar, except both wings were white and feathered and the angel had no fangs and no Star of Chaos.

## Relations

### Enemies

* **Blood Angels**
* **Sanguinary Brotherhood** Chapters
* **Black Legion**
* **World Eaters**
* **Emperor's Children**

## Notable Quotes

### By:

"*We are not Angels of Defence, nor of Safety or Protection. We are Angels of Death. The Bloody Hymn merely embraced what we are meant to be while others cower in fear and hypocrisy. What if one day all enemies of the Emperor are defeated, what would they be replaced by? Peace. There is no place for true Angels in peace. Emperor may have created us but it is the Blood God that gave us life. Rejoice! There shall never be an end to war! As long as Angels fly, blood shall be spilled! Take your axes, sharpen your swords, put on your helms! Today we will partake in the only thing that matters in this Universe, the only spark of time in which we truly live and are tested. Be slain and your life was not lived in waste. Slay those before you and you shall be lords of purpose. Let us not waste time with my speeches Brothers – fall on them!*"
— A Bloody Hymn Raptor to his Brothers before they assault their Loyalist cousins, early in the Warband's history
### About:

[Source]

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 Space Wolves Successors
 Imperial Fists Successors
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 Raven Guard Successors
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