Heirs of Blood

A symbol of the Heirs of Blood warband, with tribute to their XII heritage and worship of Khorne.

An Heirs of Blood Heretic Astartes, belonging to the *Jagged Maws* squad of The Butchers division.

## Chaos Warband

### **Allegiance**

Daemon Primarch Angron, World Eaters, Khorne

### **Specialty**

Close Quarters Combat, Mass Numbers, Aggressive Strategies, Posessed/Mutant Tactics, Daemon Engines

### **Allies**

Gore Helots militia, Stalker Court cohort, The Curator

### **Warband Size**

1,400 Astartes, 23,000 Renegades/Cultists, 888 Daemons

### **Battle Cry**

"We are the inheritors of Angron's Legacy!"

## Pre-Heresy

### **Colours**

Blue, White, Bronze

"*Many claim that we are nothing but rabid beasts, lashing out mindlessly against anything moving. This is what the Nails do, they enslave us, like the Corpse-Emperor and Nuceria attempted to. Our forebears threw off their oppressive yokes and struck out against them, and we will do the same, breaking the shackles of the Nails. We will be free once more, Khorne wills it!*"
—Scionlord Larsakh Varren, addressing the forces of the Heirs of Blood after the War of Monsters and Men.
The **Heirs of Blood** are an infamous Chaos Warband within the Segmentum Obscurus, comprised of Khorne worshipping Astartes. They took their name from their self-perceived ownership of the legacy of the World Eaters, loathing with virtriol what the legion has turned into as a result of Skalathrax, remembering the events there with utmost shame and disgust. Their most important goal, above all else, is the discovery of some sort of cure, medical or warp-borne, for the Butcher's Nails, seeing the devices as the cause of the events on Skalathrax.

Without the knowledge of creating Astartes with the Nails absent, the Heirs of Blood fell into worship of Khorne, finding a limited relief from the curse. Now, as followers of the Blood God, the warband butchers and kills any in their path, in an attempt to achieve their coveted goal of purification from the Butcher's Nails.

Since the eruption of the Great Rift, sightings of the Heirs of Blood have increased, as have the aftermaths of their campaigns, Imperial Scholars theorising that a path is being cut across space, but those that have tried to stop them or discover why have all fell silent.

## Warband History

### Fractured Origins

The founding members of the Heirs of Blood, including Larsakh Varren, were members of the World Eaters legion, proud of their heritage. They were present during the Battle of Skalathrax, fighting against their detested rivals in the Emperor's Children legion. Their entrapment due to the night conditions on the planet, and the threat of Kharn the Betrayer looming ever closer, Larsakh ordered his followers to fight free of the hostile conditions to a nearby hangar. Their number having dwindled to twelve, they resolved to find transport soon, lest they be wiped out. Enduring an assault by pursuing Emperor's Children, they managed to find a servicable Stormraven craft, evacuating the planet onboard it. Vowing to not let the legacy of the World Eaters be destroyed by the catastrophic battle, and bring vengeance upon their rival legion, they departed with a new purpose, to establish a warband with which to keep their legacy alive.

### A Violent Gathering

Managing to gather disparate groups of World Eaters on the moon of Core I22 with the intent of uniting them, talks soon descended into violent conflict. Several hours of fighting ensued, before Larsakh's group managed to defeat the leaders of the others on the moon, executing the leaders and absorbing their followers into their group, their numbers swelling to over two hundred astartes strong. With stable numbers, the nascent warband started to pillage nearby planets for resources.

### Ominous Portens

With their numbers swelling at a steady rate, the Heirs of Blood were building their power base with an admirable speed, before their curse reared it's head. Several dozen of the warband's members fell prey completely to the influence of the Butcher's Nails, becoming mindless beasts, bent on slaughtering any they set their gaze on. After a quick, bloody battle, the crazed astartes were put down, with the Blood-Surgeon, Wrask Damaskr, sustaining permanent damage after partially falling prey to it. Seeing the enslavement they suffered from the Nails, Larsakh decreed that they would hunt down a cure to the infernal implant inside all of them above all else, the warband embarking on their new quest.

### Fire and Brimstone

Hunting down one of their potential leads on a cure, the Heirs of Blood came across a world recently corrupted by a Khornate cult. Meeting with the cult, fighting quickly erupted between the two forces, with the vast majority of the cult being slaughtered in the process. Unbenownst to the Heirs of Blood, they had killed the chosen champion of a Bloodthirster, and his blood being spilled summoned the daemon. Seeing the carnage that had been carried out, he stated that Khorne would approve of the bloodshed, and gave them the location of a world for them to conquer as reward for their actions. The survivors of the cult, out of fear or respect pledged to join the warband, and amongst them the Dark Apostle, Azkor Skullfiend, whose promise of more boons enticed the warband, in exchange for worship of Khorne.

### Bloody Recompense

Whilst licking their wounds after a successful conflict against elements of the Space Wolves, the warband inadvertedly set off a trap in the Jeslam sub-sector. A mighty crusade fleet lead by Black Templars had been monitoring the sub-sector due to it's history with chaos uprisings and engaged the Heirs of Blood. Despite performing admirably and taking down half of their assailant's numbers, they were forced to retreat, their ships damaged or destroyed and their own numbers reduced considerably. This lit the spark for a rivalry between the heretic warband, and their loyalist kin.

### Departure to Recovery

With their numbers reduced once more, and frustrated at the constant looming threat of extinction, the Heirs of Blood departed into the warp, intending to begin the long recovery of their numbers. Travelling between daemon worlds, they took on the role of mercenaries, selling their services to countless warbands in exchange for stocks of gene-seed, or aspirants to absorb into the warband. The recouperation of their numbers increased at an excruciatingly slow pace, as the warband had limited resources at their disposal. Over several millenia, their numbers grew to that of a full-fledged warband, and they were ready to emerge back into realspace.

### Living Legacy

After preparing to re-emerge into realspace, the Heirs of Blood recieved the call to arms from the daemon primarch Angron himself, who sought to restore some unity amongst the warbands. In awe at the opportunity, the warband immediately departed to join the gathering. Eager to show their new might to their brothers, the Heirs of Blood fought well in the First War for Armageddon, and despite losing many of their number in the fighting, they had caught the eye of the World Eaters. For their actions in the war, specifically in the Culling of Silver, they were rewarded with the slumbering form of an ancient contemptor dreadnought, known as Sorkhos the Tenacious. Treating the mostly-incorrupted dreadnought with great care and reverence, the warband declared they would fight alongside their brothers again without question, if they were to gather like this again.

### Strengthening of Faith

Arriving to a planet in the midst of an invasion by a splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Hydra, the Heirs of Blood began to fight a three-way war against the Astra Militarum defending the planet and the Tyranids. Managing to convert the regiment defending the world through shows of force against the Tyranids and strategic infiltration by the Dark Apostles, the warband managed to wipe out the splinter fleets presence on the planet. Seeing the regenerative capabilities of the hive fleet working with their own eyes, Larsakh Varren immediately gathered the best trackers in the warband and put them to the task of tracking down more splinter fleets of Hydra, so they can capture organisms for what he thinks is a stable cure. Seeing the opportunity of a stable cure as a reward for their services to Khorne, and with encouragement from Azkor Skullfiend and the other Apostles, the warband began to see Khorne as their savior, their passing worship becoming full-blown zealotry.

### The Final Arrival

After the eruption of the Great Rift, the Heirs of Blood spent a decade carving a bloody path across several systems, gathering 88,888 skulls to carry out a dark ritual. Laying out the skulls in the shape of Khorne's symbol, they summoned the bloodthirster that had originally set them on the path of worshipping Khorne. After a brutal, hours long battle to prove themselves, the bloodthirster agreed to guide them through the great rift, so they could finally locate the planet he had told them about millenia ago. Eventually arriving in the Samfaren Sub-sector, the Heirs of Blood began their long, bloody work of conquering the Sub-sector, as part of their long awaited reward.

### Pacification of Gore

The conquest of the Samfaren sub-sector started with Ygsalamor itself. Making planetfall, the Heirs of Blood discovered that the denizens of the planet had been slaughtered years before, the world itself having been corrupted by the Great Rift, and infested with daemons. What followed was a year of gruelling war as daemons continued to materialise out of warpspace thanks to the presence of the nearby warp rift, and more warband forces landed on the surface. The planet itself was affected by the carnage and slaughter, tainted blood seeping into the ground to corrupt the plantlife and the twisted aftermath of fighting affecting the geography of the world itself. By the time the conflict was over, Ygsalamor had been corrupted into a Daemon World, but the Heirs of Blood had managed to successfully wrestle control of it from the daemons.

Next in the warband's path was the neighbouring Mining world of Vidarus. Deciding that something uncharacteristically subtle was in order, the warband's apostles set to work infiltrating the planet with a handful of astartes to protect them, and began to subvert those on the lowest levels of the hives with promises of equalising the power within the cities and feeding them tales of glory. Before long, the burgeoning cults spread across the whole planet, and civil wars began to break out between those worshipping Khorne and those still uncorrupted. Beginning the next step of their plan, they began to summon daemons to the planet to unleash upon the loyalists amongst the Hives. Before long, the cultists outnumbered the uncorrupted in the Hives, and the uncorrupted surrendered, pledging themselves to Khorne in exchange for being able to keep their governing duties.

With the second of the four inhabited planets in the Samfaren Sub-sector under their control, the Heirs of Blood set their eyes upon the Agri-world of Obos. Making planetfall, the warband were mysteriously unable to find any of the planet's inhabitants, searching far and wide, finding possessions left behind and machinery still running but no signs of anyone living, as if they had dissapeared from the planet. Letting loose Flesh Hounds in a last ditch effort to find the inhabitants, they came across the entrance to what was assumedly a Storage Vault, deep within one of the Crop-Complexes. Breaking open the vault doors, they were prepared for resistance but what they found surprised them greatly. The Storage Vault had been turned into a laboratory, and the remains of the planet's inhabitants were either hooked up to machinery, wandering the vault as servitors, or stored in great vats bubbling with pale-green liquid. After searching the laboratory, they found the single free being on the planet, an eccentric, mis-shapen Tech-priest. Explaining what they were on Obos for, and inquiring about the purpose behind the experiments on the populace, they discovered that the Tech-priest, identifying himself as The Curator, had long been hidden in his laboratory, slowly drawing in the inhabitants of the planet, determined to trigger perfect evolution by forcing mutation in subjects. Seeing The Curator's great, if distorted, intellect, Larsakh Varren informed the Tech-priest of the warband's goal, and with the lucrative opportunity of breaking a long incurable curse and connecting ancient technology, The Curator pledged his services, and his resources to the Heirs of Blood. Thus, Obos came under the control of the warband and the crops of the Agri-world were repurposed for fuelling their forces.

Llelunov, a feral planet, would've normally been ignored by the Heirs of Blood, as the only beings living on the planet were savage animals, and disparate tribes of humans that had barely grasped the ability to use stone tools. However, the warband were in dire need of strong stock for aspirants, and beasts to fill their growing arenas back on Ygsalamor. Sending a Cleaver down towards the surface, they quickly set to work challenging the greatest warriors the tribes of Llelunov had to offer. Managing to subjugate the tribes, they took their best back to their ships to be transported to Ygsalamor, before they began setting up trapping outposts to start capturing wild beasts to take to the arenas. With the quick takeover of Llelunov, the Samfaren Sub-sector came under the firm control of the Heirs of Blood, and they set about strengthening their hold upon their new territory, raiding parties being sent out in the dozens to bring in Slave-serfs, so as to accelerate the settlement of the Sub-sector.

### Cure's Return

After their hold on the Samfaren Sub-sector had been strengthened, the warband restarted their hunt for splinter fleets of Hive Fleet Hydra. Despite being repelled by a force of Salamanders on the planet of Chiri D81, they had managed to acquire pict-feeds and a theoretical trajectory chart of a splinter fleet's path and embarked upon a pursuit, following the chart's path. Seeing signs of the fleet left on planets, the Heirs of Blood knew they were coming close, before they came upon a small fleet of Blood Angels. Fighting them to a standstill, the warband were perplexed when the enemy fleet suddenly retreated from the battle, unable to catch up with the loyalist as they fled back towards Baal.

Thinking they were nearing their quarry, the Heirs of Blood arrived at Bankoria. However, finding that the planet had already suffered an Exterminatus, and all traces of the Hydra had been destroyed, the warband departed. With their blood boiling in frustration and their patience broken, they travelled back to Ygsalamor, pillaging seemingly at random on their way to vent their aggressions at another dead end, but not losing their determination.

### Reunion of Shadow

Whilst on a despoiling path, the Heirs of Blood inadvertedly found themselves embroiled in a war between a Word Bearers warband and forces of the Adepta Sororitas. Managing to force the Sororitas to retreat after several months of ceaseless fighting, the two warbands then met to exchange their purposes for being on the planet, along with telling wistful tales of the Shadow Crusade, from the times of the Horus Heresy. Pledging to support eachother, the Heirs of Blood gave the Word Bearers the locations of several worlds exposed for conquer, in exchange for a small amount of gene-seed and a stockpile of weapons, before departing their own ways.

### The Tegroth Incident

Investigating the enticing rumour of a warp-borne blessing that can help still the mind, the entirity of the Heirs of Blood rush to the planet of Tegroth to secure what could well be the cure they've been seeking. Making planetfall, they discovered that the rumours of the blessing were nothing but a false promise, made to lure in unwitting prey. Overcome by fury and beset by now revealled tzeentchian cultists and their daemonic masters. Surrendering to their fury and fuelled by bloodlust for being robbed of their prize, the Heirs of Blood swept across the surface of Tegroth, slaughtering every member of the tzeentchian cult and banishing the daemons before vandilising everything they could see to satiate their rage, leaving the planet a blood-stained wreck in what came to be known as the Tegroth Incident.

## Notable Campaigns

* **Battle of Skalathrax (???.M31)** - The founders of what would become the Heirs of Blood take part on the Battle of Skalathrax, managing to survive the onslaught that ensued. Escaping on a stolen Stormraven, they stowed away on a rival warband's ship before departing into the warp. Those aboard the ship would not recognise the stowaways as they blended in, until the opportunity arose for them to escape again.
* **A Dogmatic Clash (873.M33)** - Finding themselves attacked by a Black Templars fleet, the Heirs of Blood are forced to fight a bloody, protracted battle in space that finds most of their numbers slain, despite taking half their foes down with them. Forced to flee into the warp, the warband vows vengeance upon the chapter.
* **Gladiatoral Bouts (486.M34)** - Starting their recovery, the remains of the warband join the fighting on the arena planet of Qliphnot IV. Climbing through the ladders, they earn the admiration of the other combatants, managing to recruit several dozens to their cause. Taking inspiration from tales of Angron on Nuceria, they then decide to stage an uprising against the lords of the arena, staining the arena floors red with the blood of the slavers and recruiting further aspirants to their ranks.
* **Petty Vengeance (964.M34)** Learning of a planned raid on an Emperor's Children fortress, the warband joins Night Lords forces as mercenaries, excited for the prospect of revenge for Skalathrax. Enacting a bloody toll on their enemy, but nearly losing themselves to the Nails, the Heirs of Blodo almost cost their employers victory, but reign themselves in enough to direct their wrath at their intended foe, departing after the war is won with a stock of gene-seed and an armoury of resources.
* **Reunion of Butchers (444.M41)** - Discovering the plans by the primarch Angron to re-unite what he can of the World Eaters legion, the Heirs of Blood immediately depart to fight alongside their progenitor's side, having managed to gain enough numbers to rival a Chapter. Assigned to fight forces of the Space Wolves and a handful of Grey Knights, the warband carries out their duty with a sacred reverance, enacting a bloody toll on their adversaries before they are forced to retreat with the banishment of Angron.
* **A Debt of Gore (813-827.M41)** - Lending two Cleavers to the heretic forces in the Siege of Vraks, in exchange for a portion of the weaponry in the planets armouries, the Heirs of Blood prove themselves to the forces in the Siege. Taking on the role of linebreakers and shock troopers, the Cleavers lent to the war effort fulfill their role well. However, with the ride turning against the traitor forces, the Heirs of Blood on Vraks pillage what they can from the planet's remaining resources, before departing back to the rest of the warband.
* **Of Monsters and Men (869.M41)** - Plunging themselves into a conflict in progress between Astra Militarum regiments and a splinter-fleet from Hive Fleet Hydra, the Heirs of Blood discover the value of converting cultists to worship of Khorne, inadvertedly starting the inception of the Gore Helots militia, to whom they would demand allegience. Eradicating the tyranid forces, the Blood-Surgeon, Wrask Damasker would discover the regenerative properties of Hydra, fuelling the hope of a cure for the Butcher's Nails greatly desired by the warband.
* **Long Awaited Reward (874.M41)** - Gathering 88,888 skulls to enact a violent ritual to summon the same bloodthirster that had given the location of Ygsalamor. After pacifying the bloodthirster with a gruelling duel, the warband journeyed into the Great Rift, fighting off raids from daemon packs that thought them an easy target. Releasing the bloodthirster after they arrived in the Samfaren Sub-sector, the Heirs of Blood then began the conquest of Ygsalamor, and the rest of the sub-sector.
* **Tides of Faith (940.M41)** - Caught in the middle of a war between Word Bearers and Adepta Sororitas, the warband assists their zealous cousins, pushing the Imperial forces off world. Earning the Word Bearers respect, the Heirs of Blood make their first ally, and a bond is kindled, akin to that of old between their two Primarchs.
* **War of Beasts (001-025.M42)** - Hearing the growing scale of the war on Vigilus, Larsakh Varren leads most of the warband to join the fighting on the planet. Learning of the Adeptus Mechanicus presence in Megaborealis, they joined the efforts lead by the Black Legion to break into it. Pillaging what they could of the Imperium's resources there, the Heirs of Blood were then met by the Greenskin hordes, and were forced into a stalemate. Glad at the opportunity to take trophies for Khorne, the warband fought their barbaric foe tooth and nail for several months before the fighting died down, causing the warband to return to Ygsalamor.

## Warband Homeworld

The Heirs of Blood reside on the corrupted world of Ygsalamor, which is located within the Samfaren Sub-Sector, within Segmentum Obscurus. After the Great Rift tore across the galaxy, corruption seeped into the several planets in the Sub-Sector, and daemonic incursions flooded onto Ygsalamor itself, slaughtering the populace within months, and twisting the landscape of the world into a harsh, unforgiving tundra-like environment. Being found after one of the warband's hunts, the Heirs of Blood and their attached allies invaded the planet, banishing the hosts that still resided there and claiming the planet for themselves.

Even the ecosystem was not spared from the corruption borne from the Great Rift. Plantlife became sentient, uprooting and fighting eachother for supremacy over the sunlight beaming from the blazing sun. The natural order of the food-chain amongst the wildlife constantly fluctuated, prey overthrowing their predators with newfound fury and appendages, before the predators adapted and re-established the order. The changes to the planet's life gave a sign to the Heirs of Blood, that Ygsalamor itself had embraced the Blood God, and they decided to conquer it as some kind of percieved gift stated from the warband's Dark Apostles and zealots.

Even after it's corruption, Ygsalamor could be described as a tundra planet, with sparse vegetation and rocky, mountainous surfaces. What vegetation there is has mutated from the Great Rift, often uprooting and as a result, it is hard to map out the flora of the planet. The most common flora on the planet are the Spikeroot, the size of a human's hand and spider-like, often stalking in the shadows in packs, waiting for prey to become isolated, and the Fudrian Goreleaf, a long-stemmed plant with leaves the size of a human's arm, but lacking any flowers. The Goreleaf is named for it's strange property, having veins and a bloodstream, which are visible especially in the leaves, clashing with the green colour of the plant itself. Likewise, the animals of the planet have mutated wildly from their original forms, each having a unique, varying appearance from others of their species. A large, skinless canine creature, with exposed skeletons and appendages on their backs, Muscledogs are the closest to a frequent predator on Ygsalamor, striding across the lands of the planet in large group, converging when they see prey, be they other animals, or even an Astartes if they are alone, stripping them too the bone before moving onto their next meal. The Peehs, conversely, would be considered a herbivore normally, with fleshy growths covering it's torso, their numbers gathering around the sparse vegetation. Normally docile, as a defence mechanism, various mutations spurt from the fleshy growths, ranging from lashing tendrils to fanged maws to defend themselves from predators.

The surface of Ygsalamor is split up into five large continents spanning the world called Crihon, Egoris, Viochios, Teadane and Sleidris. There is also the Blood Glacier at the northern pole of the planet, but it are not considered to be stable enough to be a continent, as it's size changes too frequently. The seas that seperate the continents of the planet are naturally toxic from chemicals within it, and coupled with the taint that has infected the water from the Butcher's Rift, it makes it undrinkable, forcing the denizens of the planet to rely on water supplies brought in from offworld raids.

### Notable Locations

#### Crihon

Crihon is the second largest continent on Ygsalamor, and houses the Great Angronian Citadel, named in tribute of the Red Angel. Most of the continent is barren and rocky, the only signs of life being fleshy growths and appendages coming from the surface itself, the only considerably populated areas being the Citadel and the various outposts. When the planet was settled, Crihon was chosen for it's strategic location, being the middle most continent on the planet, which allows the forces of the warband to move throughout the planet with ease. Most of the Heirs of Blood reside in Crihon, either in Angrothar itself, or the encampments dotted about the continent. Fortifications are placed in key locations across Crihon to help protect if the situation of a siege ensues, which can double up as brawling rings for those that are posted to the fortifications.

#### Egoris

Egoris is considered the most inhospitable continent of Ygsalamor, and it is home to the most vicious life the planet has to offer. Even the land itself seems to fight the denizens of the planet, chasms opening up to swallow things whole and jutting stalagmites rising from the ground to impale those unaware. The Heirs of Blood use this continent as a training ground for their aspirants, sending them in from outposts on the outskirts of the continent to survive. The warband also uses Egoris as a punishment of sorts, exiling rebels, troublemakers and any that would strike against them, to it's cruel lands. Many die within days or weeks from it's unforgiving climate and the vicious wildlife, but those that survive form disparate tribes, creating ramshackle encampments in the wastes. The Heirs of Blood find these tribes a great method for training their Aspirants, and in the event that an Aspirant is slain by one of the tribals, they are captured to take their place, before beginning their own training in Egoris.

#### Viochios

Viochios is relatively calm for being located on a daemonic planet, with sparse wildlife and wide open spaces, being the largest continent on Ygsalamor. To exploit the abundance of space, an enormous manufactorum facility was constructed, along with a spaceport, connected by several networks of large convoys pulled by daemonic beasts. All of the warband's armaments and resources are made in Viochios, to be sent over the planet to be sorted and stored. Small packs of Muscledogs roam what space there is left on Viochios, sometimes even following convoys incase any spoils are lost on journeys.

#### Teadane

If one of the continents could be seen as safe to live in, Teadane would be it. With enough food from the wildlife and room for Hab-Complexes, Teadane is where most of the Slave-serfs are located. Having cramped living quarters to pack in as many as possible, each Complex houses roughly 800,000 inhabitants. Living in squalor and with purposefully strict supply handouts, the citizens often split off into gangs, with desperate wars breaking out to increase their chances at getting rewards or to get closer to the handout points. The warband see the Hab-Complexes as informal arenas as a result, stationing bands of Astartes nearby every Complex to venture in and study the gangs, abducting any that show promise to take them to become Aspirants.

#### Sleidris

The twin continent to Viochios, Sleidris is connected to it's twin by four land bridges. Housing hundreds of storage facilities, some even underground, and fortifications to protect them, Sleidris is the second safest continent on Ygsalamor, after Crihon. There is also a hive located in Sleidris, which is populated by slave-serfs dedicated to operating and maintaining the storage facilities, and the convoys transporting resources across the planet. The extensive mountain ranges and gore-storms help obscure the locations of the facilities, with specially trained Seer-thralls to direct convoys to their destinations.

#### Blood Glacier

A peculiar phenomenon, the Blood Glacier is a colossal landmass, made out of frozen blood, with characteristics resembling ice. Nothing lives there, and nothing can, as at unpredictable times in the year, the Glacier changes size, some of it melting, which in turn increases the sea level. The Blood Glacier is responsible for what is called "The Month of Ire" on Ygsalamor, as after the Glacier has shrunk, the melted blood seeps into the land, affecting all who live on the planet, even the Astartes, increasing their anger and rage, which results in impromptu tournaments to help quell their fury. Despite rendering the water of the planet useless, the Heirs of Blood, for some unknown reason, can't find themselves to destroy the Glacier, some theorising that either some warp-borne malady, or a daemon slumbering deep within, prevents them from harming it.

#### Angrothar, the Brass Rampart

Angrothar is the single most fortified location on Ygsalamor, protected by layered wall networks, bristling with defensive emplacements and guarded by packs of daemon engines and the most skilled Astartes the warband has to offer. Named in tribute to the primarch Angron, reaching nearly 2,800 foot tall, with contents ranging from armouries, feasting halls, dungeon chambers and Altar-Lodges. The rampart houses all the Aspirants that the warband takes in, and even it's own garrison of Slave-serfs to work the menial tasks. At the top level, is the throne room, where the Scionlord of the Heirs of Blood spends most of their time when not fighting in the arenas. Those arriving at the Citadel would see a constant stream of supplicants arriving and leaving, either to petition the Scionlord or to finish their induction into the warband. The tip of the Rampart itself resembles a jagged crown, with metal spines thrusting into the sky and vicious bones sprouting out.

#### Argelus Manufactorum Facility

A monolithic array of manufacturing buildings, spanning nearly half a continent, the Argelus Facility is responsible for churning out a constant supply of armaments and resources to fuel their war efforts, and supply their soldiers. Called Argelus in tribute for the respected, near-revered ally of the World Eaters from the time of the Heresy, the Facility is greatly prized by the Heirs of Blood, and Astartes are always posted to ensure the facilities are maintained, and nothing is taken from the supply, else they face dire consequences. Convoys pulled by daemonic beasts continuously stride between the Facility and the Grashh Spaceport linked to it, ferrying pillaged resources into the Complex to be made into required material.

#### Complex Malchor

The largest of the sixteen Hab-Complexes in Teadane, and the northernmost of them, Complex Malchor serves as a form of sorting facility, ontop of living quarters. With a small force taken from the Gore Helots militia, the inhabitants of the Hab-Complexes are brought to Malchor, to be divided up. Many are sent to work at the Argelus Complex, toiling away in it's manufactorums, others sent to Sleidris to work in the storage facilities and those that have been deemed too weak or have rebelled against the Heirs of Blood are sent to die in Egoris. It has been the situation, on several occasions that a gang has sought to gain control of Malchor to free themselves, but when the would-be rebels are killed or captured, those that show promise are sent with escort to Crihon to become aspirants, whilst the rest that were captured are exiled to Egoris.

#### Samfaran Sub-Sector

The Samfaran Sub-Sector is considered small in comparison, with three other planets alongside Ygsalamor, that contribute to the warband's war efforts and plans, and a sun which the planets all orbit. The details of such are as follows:

* Vidarus, a hive-world, has a population of roughly six billion, and recruitment for the Gore Helots militia is harvested from it's Hive Cities. The government of the planet is given a certain amount of autononomy to run it as they see fit, but a garrison of Astartes is kept on the planet at all times to ensure that recruitment is kept steady, and they offer up tribute to the Blood God. The governor of Vidarus is also responsible for keeping the production of material for the Gore Helots up, large swathes of space in the Hives often being taken up impromptu by manufactorums being converted from living quarters and food production plants.
* Obos is an Agri-world, with wide-open landscapes that house many Crop Complexes which harvest the crops that grow on the planet. Despite having to migrate Slave-thralls from Vidarus to work it's fields, the planet contributes it's part to the resources of the Heirs of Blood, feeding it's warriors and housing the hidden laboratories of it's ally, The Curator.
* Llenunov is classified as a Feral world, inhabited by savage tribes of humans and many species of feral, vicious beasts and thick jungles that make the planet a dangerous prospect to live on. The warband uses Llenunov as a secondary recruiting ground for it's ranks, along with Ygsalamor itself. Providing a considerably lower amount of Aspirants than the hives of Teadane, the tribes of the planet make up for it with their hardiness and natural strength, affording the Heirs of Blood greater stock with which to augment their recruiting pool. The predators of Llenunov are also taken, to fill the arenas of Ygsalamor for the entertainment of the warband, to sharpen their skills, and to become tests for some of the Aspirant's trials.
* Gallaed is the sun, that keeps the four planets of the Samfaren Sub-sector orbiting around it, and prevents them from drifting off into space. Emitting baleful orange rays from it, the sun has felt the effects of the corruption from the Butcher's Gaze Rift, those staring straight at Gallaed noting that there is a creeping sense in the back of their mind that something is staring back at them from beneath the sun's surface.

#### Butcher's Gaze Rift

Situated in the upper most corner of the Sub-sector, to the left of the most distant planet, Llenunov, the Butcher's Gaze Rift is a constant reminder of the effects the Great Rift had left on the galaxy. Serving as the entryway for the Heirs of Blood original arrival, it is attributed to being the main cause for Samfaren's fall from the Imperium. It is large enough to come up on astronomic scans of the sub-sector, and visible on the planets themselves, and is the main avenue for when the warband and it's allies need to embark on campaigns in the other half of the galaxy.

## Warband Organisation

The forces of the warband are divided into three divisions, The Butchers, The Vultures and The Marauders. The Heirs of Blood are divided in such a way as an attempt to keep somewhat of an organised structure, given their nature as a warband.

### The Butchers

The Butchers are what can be attributed to the first contact, or front line of the Heirs of Blood. They contain the majority of the warband's infantry, and often work alongside the armoured divisions of the Gore Helots militia. Units and vehicles such as Maulerfiends, Vindicators, packs of Astartes and other daemon engines are often found here. The Butchers are the blunt instrument of the Heirs of Blood, clashing headlong against the enemy without much thought, having to be directed by their leadership into keeping to objectives. Often sustaining the heaviest casualties of the three divisions, The Butchers have the largest amount of Astartes of the warband, and have limited looting rights of the slain to help offset the casualty rate. They are currently lead by Lord Khorgedd Hakkan, known for his vicious, spiteful nature and the cruel power scythe he wields.

### The Vultures

The Vultures can be considered the backline of the warband's forces in conflicts, consisting of things such as havocs and forgefiends. They pick off targets that threaten to stop the progress of The Butchers or The Marauders, or finish off weakened foes left behind by the other forces. The Vultures welcome the more sadistic members of the warband into their ranks, who enjoy picking apart their foes ruthlessly. With the relative safety of ranged firepower to pick off their targets from afar and their dedicated purpose, they've earned the jealousy of The Butchers, having fought them in the past. Those whose minds are stunted by the Nails find themselves joining the ranks of The Vultures, having less desire to uphold the martial pride of the warband, finding themselves more comfortable with carrying out massive amounts of bloodshed in Khorne's name with their artillery. Lord Khargos Khorr leads the division, wielding a daemonically possessed Reaper Chaincannon, often at the head of Havoc packs, directing them where best to obliterate their targets.

### The Marauders

The Marauders fill the role of outriders, their ranks consisting of the agile or faster units at the warband's disposal. Bikers, Raptors, Heldrakes and others make up their ranks, and they carry out missions such as scouting ahead of the main forces, or attacking from the flanks, resembling a pack of hounds that swarm their targets and pick them apart. The Marauders are filled with the most aspiring members of the warband, seeking to prove themselves by killing the mightiest foes or destroying their deadliest vehicles. This sometimes leads them to come to blows with members of the other divisions, as they will ignore their given purpose to seek out mighty foes, getting in the way of the other divisions. After battle, members of The Marauders will challenge eachother for trophy rights, small brawls often erupting before being bullied back into line. Lord Torgax Draxxigor leads The Marauders, entering battle with the scream of his bike exhausts, followed by the resulting screams of carnage that ensue.

### Cleavers

The three divisions of the warband are split up, and elements from them are combined into forces known as Cleavers to better organise them for coming bloodsheds, said Cleavers consist of roughly 100 Astartes, comparable to that of a loyalist company. Duels between members of the Cleavers are encouraged, to help hone their skills whilst they are embarking to a warzone, and it is often found the forces of the warband are already bloodied by the time they make contact with the enemy. The composition of Cleavers changes depending on the planet they are being deployed to, and are only temporary, being absorbed back into the divisions after the war is over. The leaders of the divisions, or if the campaign is crucial, the Scionlord himself, elect who will lead the Cleavers, choosing a Lord and two Cleave-Leaders to accompany them.

### Warband Heirarchy

The heirarchy of the Heirs of Blood resembles that of a loyalist chapter, albeit one with three enlarged companies, with several unique ranks within the heirarchy and specialist units at their disposal. The details of the heirarchy is as follows:

#### Warband Leadership

* **Scionlord** - The supreme commander of all the warband's forces, the Scionlord is responsible for keeping the other leadership in line, as well as ensuring the warband's survival. The Scionlord also has the unique responsibility of ensuring the Heirs of Blood has a close tie to as many World Eaters warbands as possible, as well as making sure the warband itself keeps to the revered teachings of their primarch and progenitor legion.
* **Arch Apostle** - Leader amongst the Dark Apostles, the Arch Apostle has the usual duties that would be required, as well as keeping the warband's worship of Khorne solidified, and if any are found that are wavering, re-educate or execute them. They also oversee the recruitment of potential aspirants into the warband, and keeping the numbers of the warband's Razor Packs steady.
* **Blood-Surgeon** -The Blood-Surgeon is a greatly respected position within the warband, as they are the ones responsible for keeping a stock of gene-seed, and narrowing down the search for a cure for the Butcher's Nails. They are often given a certain amount of exceptions with what they do within the warband and have authority second only to the Scionlord, often acting as their chief advisor.

#### Officer Ranks

* **Dark Apostle**
* **Butcher-Medicae** - A handful of apothecaries under the command of the Blood-Surgeon, the Butcher-Medicae are the ones who carry out the Blood-Surgeon's commands, although due to their number they are only sparingly deployed onto the battlefield itself and when they are, they are accompanied by the best the warband has to offer. When not carrying out their duties as apothecaries, they are often assigned as interrogators, bleeding information from captives with savage, barbaric efficiency.
* **Lord**
* **Warpsmith**
* **Cleave-Leader** - The warband's equivalent of Aspiring Champion, or a loyalist Lieutenant, the Cleave-Leader is not held permanently by one member, instead those who have triumphed over their challengers or have proven themselves to the Scionlord are given the opportunity to lead one of the Cleavers deployed into a conflict, before the cycle begins again and all potential Cleave-Leaders have to fight to retain or gain their rank.

#### Rank and File

* **Chosen**
* **Aspiring Champion**
* **Possessed**
* **Havoc**
* **Heretic Astartes**
* **Aspirant**
* **Chaos Spawn**
* **Seer-Thralls**
* **Cultists**

### Specialist Units

* **Scionborne** -A group of Chosen, personally selected by the Scionlord, from those that show the most martial promise and those that uphold the most to their legacy, prospective members of the Scionborne are subjected to gruelling, unrelenting training with captured beasts or champions of the warband. Those that survive are given the best armaments and wargear, and grouped up into a pack, with the Aspiring Champion being chosen from the one that triumphs in a battle royale between the pool of would-be leaders. Accompanying the Scionlord into battle, they act as his bodyguard, and specialise in taking down priority targets, be they enemy leaders or vehicles with their ensorcelled weapons and skill.
* **Gnarled Ones** - A perculiar sight within the Heirs of Blood, Gnarled Ones are chaos spawn that have survived battles far past their expected death. They are herded into groups, and treated like a pack of wolves, given a handler from amongst the warband's members to 'bond' with. This gives them a strange loyalty to their handlers, gaining a certain protectiveness of them. Some might call it a pointless naive gesture, but it proves successful, as the Gnarled Ones fight all the harder.
* **Headrippers** - The Headrippers are a group of bikers from within the warband, selected by the Blood-Surgeon for their talents with tracking and abduction. They are given high-quality wargear and then identification of the target before being let loose to hunt them down. That is the only thing subtle about them, as they carve a messy, visceral path through foes until they reach their quarry, kidnapping them and only leaving a bloody wake with their departure as they return captives to interrogate. When not sent to abduct captives, they are sent to the frontlines, to make use of their savage ferocity and fury.
* **Seer-Thralls** - Created from a collaboration between the Dark Apostles and Warpsmiths of the warband, Seer-Thralls are unaugmented humans implanted with bionics and daemonic runes. They are then split up between the Apostles, usually between ten and twenty in a group at a time. With horrifying fusions of corruption and machinery, the Seer-Thralls are granted the ability to forsee when the tides of the Warp will potentially ebb and flow, allowing their commanding Apostle to seek out the most beneficial spots to begin daemonic incursions. However, the implantations fight against the Seer-Thralls, and inevitably, they meet their end, their bodies either giving out from the sheer stress or being used as a gateway to be possessed and twisted by daemons.

## Warband Combat Doctrine

The Heirs of Blood favour a very aggressive way of warfare, preferring the methods that will create the most carnage. Despite having a somewhat rigid organisation, the Heirs of Blood could more be considered a tide of armour and muscle than a cohesive fighting force, as the different units within the Cleavers often compete with eachother to see who can take the most skulls, or kill the largest foe. This can sometimes work on the warband's favour, pushing them further to wipe out their enemy but it can also be a detriment as sometimes fighting has broken out within the Cleavers, over percieved stolen kills.

The leadership of the Heirs of Blood keep what they can of a leash on the competetive nature of the warband, although they are not above wading into the midst of their forces and re-establishing order with quick punishment, or even death if the perpetrators are divisive enough. They have also instilled somewhat of a martial pride within all the members of the warband, and it has been noted on many occasions that Aspiring Champions will issue challenges to enemy leadership in a bid to show they possess some of the historical skill of their progenitors, the World Eaters. Even those in Havoc packs or operating vehicles will challenge enemy vehicles or monsters, and if successful, advancing up the field to collect their skulls to collect as trophies.

The most frequent tactic employed by the warband is that of a mass infantry assault, with waves of renegade militia supported by an Heirs of Blood Cleaver, which clash against the enemy lines, whilst vehicles and support break open a hole for the wave to exploit. This method often has high casualty rates but a brutal efficiency as the enemy lies bloodied and broken, ready to be pillaged.

Devised by Larsakh Varren, and brought about by the Dark Apostles of the warband, the possessed and other mutated units in the Heirs of Blood, such as obliterators and spawn, are put together in Razor Packs, which change size and composition based on the foe at hand, but are always lead by a Dark Apostle. They are used to supplement the strengths of the Cleaver they are attached to, and move together as a group to eliminate any threats that come their way. Often the combined skills of the Razor Packs have ensured victory on the battlefield.

## Warband Gene-Seed

The Gene-Seed of the Heirs of Blood could be considered a cobbled together cocktail of several different Chapters and other Warbands they have scavenged from. Roughly sixty percent of the warband's gene-seed still belongs to the World Eaters, as the few apothecaries in the warband ensure after every campaign to strip the battlefield clean of gene-seed from the warband's fallen, and trade supplies to other World Eater's warbands in exchange for gene-seed stocks. The other fourty percent is made up from the loyalist chapters and other warbands the Heirs of Blood have fallen, such as Salamanders, Black Templars, Ultramarines, Black Legion and others. However, the Heirs of Blood refuse to take the gene-seed of any Slaaneshi warbands, seeing them as disgusting filth, abhoring their depravity and allegience.

Despite having a robust method of keeping the warband's Gene-seed stocks at a stable level, the apothecaries in the Heirs of Blood lack the knowledge of augmenting aspirant astartes with the organs needed, without also implanting the Butcher's Nails into them, other augmenting methods having been lost to them for millenia. Countless expeditions across the galaxy and forays into the depths of the warp have been carried out, with one of the apothecaries at the head, but none so far have been able to find a reliable cure for the Nails, or a different method of augmenting aspirants they can carry out, growing increasingly furious, resorting to more savage and bloodthirsty avenues of potential cures, such as torching worlds bare and looting the ruins, or capturing loyalists to torture.

As a result of their fading memory, and the loss of more reliable gene-augmentation methods, the warband's Aspirants have a high mortality rate, with many not surviving the transformation process due to the stress of the Butcher's Nails or the crude surgeries. This has caused the Heirs of Blood to pull Aspirants from a large pool of recruits, both the gangs of the hives in Teadane and the tribes of Llenunov, to counteract the high mortality rate and keep their numbers steady.

## Warband Culture & Beliefs

The Heirs of Blood have a significant reverence of the past, seeing the history of the World Eaters as sacred, and something to be ressurected, so that they can truly be great again. They choose the iconography of their warband to match that of the XII from during the Horus Heresy, seeing the time between that and the Battle of Skalathrax as the last great period of history for the World Eaters. The veneration of the history of the World Eaters serves as their disgrace, as well as their pride, as they see the shattering of the legion after the Battle of Skalathrax as the single most monumental faliure that they could have committed.

As a result of this, and their dwelling on the pasty, they are ostracised by some Khornate warbands as being too nostalgic and weak-willed. Despite this, the Heirs of Blood are undeterred, and pursue a strange tradition. After a battle is won, the field is harvested for trophies from the slain, in a painstaking and slow manner so they can collect more. Seventy-five percent of the skulls go to tribute for Khorne, whilst twenty-five are stockpiled, before once a year, on whatever planet they are on, the skulls are piled u, resembling a pyre. Called the "Time of Abrogation", all who are present around the pyre burn the skulls, before reciting oaths to their progenitor, Angron, as well as the tales leading up to their trophies, hoping that their tributes will summon him, and give them recognition in their primarch's eyes.

Unsurprisingly, the Heirs of Blood also worship the Blood God, Khorne, seeing him as their savior, preventing them from befalling the fate of many of their brothers on Skalathrax. Worship of Khorne amplifies their lust for battle, and only serves as an encore for their duellist pride, and as a result, the warband seeks out challenges wherever possible, even with other members of the warband, fostering an enthusiastic outlook on battle.

The members of the warband treat their possessed and mutated brethren with an unusual amount of respect, some even treat them with a small amount of reverence. This is a result of the Apostles of the warband pushing the belief that those that are changed by the Warp, are brought closer to their patron god Khorne, and advocate themselves as their shepherds, seeking to teach the possessed about the ways of the Heirs of Blood. They hope that by teaching their possessed brethren, they will be granted boons by Khorne, and rewarded by taking in 'his flock'.

## Notable Members

***Scionlord Larsakh Varren*** - The proclaimed Scionlord of the Heirs of Blood warband, and the leadership behind it's attached allies, Larsakh Varren is an extremely dangerous individual. Respected by the warband for his physical strength and his skill in combat, Larsakh always leads from the front, fighting at the tip of the spear. However, the most notable attribute of Larsakh is not his strength, or skill with his axe, it is his drive. He wants nothing more than for him and his followers to be rid of the Butcher's Nails, loathing the device above any other with him. No method is too despicable for him in his quest for a cure, he will put worlds to the torch, or slaughter former allies if it will bring him closer, and whilst he has incredible drive towards his goal, he is often single minded, too occupied with staving off the effects of the Nails and pursueing a cure, that he has to be reined in by his lieutenants.

Larsakh Varren was the one that stepped up when the Heirs of Blood were culled to near extinction in the Battle of Skalathrax, and it was his lapse of clarity that allowed the survivors to escape destruction and begin to forge their own path. It was ultimately Lhis gratitude that pushed the Heirs of Blood to declare themselves followers of Khorne, and the Scionlord has the utmost loyalty for the chance to save his warband. He takes slander and challenges against the Blood God with grave severity, cutting down those would challenge the legitimacy of Khorne with merciless brutality. As a byproduct, this has fostered a boiling hatred for Slaanesh's servants in Larsakh's heart, and he will go out of his way to kill those that follow the god of excess.

In the face of his stubborn drive and resources, Larsakh is still prone to falling victim to the Butcher's Nails. The nature of how fully the Scionlord dedicates himself to Khorne, and his objectives unintentionally amplifies the effects of the Nails, causing Larsakh to fly to into a mindless, single-minded rage. It has been the result on occasion that Larsakh has butchered members of the warband in his bloodlust, or nearly jeopardized a battle before coming to his senses, be it by his own accord or by the few he trusts.

Despite this, Larsakh Varren is an incredibly feared foe, many have met their end at his hands, and nothing will prevent him from achieving his goals.

***Wrask Damasker*** - The closest advisor to the Scionlord, Wrask Damasker is one of the few apothecaries, or Butcher-Medicae, left in the Heirs of Blood, and from his station is afforded a limited amount of ground given for his actions and methods. Having fought alongside the Scionlord ever since the warband's inception, Wrask is the most trusted amongst Larsakh's lieutenants, and is often the one that breaks the Scionlord out of his single-mindedness, or convinces him of the value of a proposed strategy. In spite of his friendship and trust with the Scionlord, Wrask is seen as emotionless and cold when not under the effect of the Butcher's Nails, as they have permanently damaged his brain, sometimes not even feeling his camraderie with Larsakh, having to rely on his memories.

It is often the case that Wrask is accompanied by what is called an Alchemical Familiar. Coming about from an experiment by the Blood-Surgeon, the Alchemical Familiars are creatures formed from the remains of the murdered, combined with fleshy growths harvested from Ygsalamor, the warp-borne nature of the growths and the violence with which the slain met their end combining in a abhorrent fusion to form a being of limited cunning. Enslaved to Wrask, the Familiars assist him in his work, carrying concoctions or helping him harvest gene-seed.

To reflect his methodical mind as a result, and to fit his station as an apothecary, Wrask has been appointed the task of tracking down a cure for the Nails by any means neccessary, and given the authority of the Scionlord himself to help him achieve his mission. Under his command, loyalist astartes have been kidnapped, and the slain have had their gene-seed plundered, to either complete his mission, or to return to Ygsalamor to be stored for future aspirants.

***Azkor Skullfiend*** - Azkor Skullfiend, Arch Apostle to the Heirs of Blood, and Shepherd of the Mutants, is the leader of the Dark Apostles for the warband, and the most spiritual of them all. With the self-appointed task of ensuring that the worship of Khorne amongst the Heirs of Blood and it's allies does not waver, he is percieved as the arbiter of the warband, for better or worse, as members have dissapeared before for not following along with reverence. After learning of Larsakh's desire to pledge his fledgeling warband to Khorne, Azkor joined them with fervent glee, pledging his services in return for the opportunity to lead his Apostles.

Impassioned on and off the field of battle, Azkor Skullfiend is a fearsome sight to behold. Always followed by a Razor Pack, he seeks to enlighten allies and slaughter heretics to Khorne. Of note, Azkor is responsible for the warband's attitude towards possessed and other mutants, seeing them as the next step towards becoming closer to the Blood God, even going far as to claim they resemble children of Khorne and allowing himself to become mutated to show an example. Having been appointed to oversee recruitment of aspirants into the warbands recruitment pool and to ensure they are of good quality.

***Sorkhos The Tenacious*** - Sorkhos is a figure amongst the Heirs of Blood held in awe. Seen as a living remenant of their glorious past, Sorkhos is a leviathan dreadnought of considerable age, having served since before the Horus Heresy, and has been kept alive by warp magics and whatever foul machinery the warpsmiths can improvise. With an retinue of Slave-serfs to ensure his needs are met, Sorkhos serves as an informal tutor of sorts, having seen the examples of countless members of the World Eaters from their time as a legion. Often he is sought out by members of the warband, offering him tribute in exchange for lessons on how to better emulate their ancestors. Even Larsakh and his advisors have sought out the counsel of Sorkhos on occasion, wanting to make sure they do not stray from their path.

In battle, Sorkhos is a machine of destruction, acting as a bulwark for the enemy to break against, as well as a beacon for his brothers to rally around, pushing them to fight on through grave injuries with the promises that they will be recognised by their sire, Angron. None have successfully laid low Sorkhos, and his reputation as The Tenacious is well deserved, as he will never yield until all are dead before him, and the children of the Red Sands are re-united.

## Warband Fleet

The Heirs of Blood fleet consists of 11 ships of varying sizes, maintained by the Warpsmiths and The Curator. The vessels at the warband's disposal are capable of carrying different amounts of astartes and auxiliaries within them, which are as follows:

* Battleship - Capable of carrying 300 Astartes and 6000 auxiliaries.
* Heavy Cruiser - Capable of carrying 200 Astartes and 3000 auxiliaries.
* Cruiser - Capable of carrying 100 Astartes and 1500 auxiliaries.
* Escort - Capable of carrying 25 Astartes and 500 auxiliaries.

### Fleet Composition

* ***Red Sand's Fury* (Despoiler-class Battleship)** - Serving as the flagship of the Heirs of Blood fleet, the Red Sand's Fury is a Despoiler-class Battleship that has been in possession of the warband for several millenia. With modified holds to carry an extra six Dreadclaws, the Red Sand's Fury has gained a reputation for a ship with a battlelust deserving of it's ownership by the Heirs of Blood.
* ***Leviathan's Bane* (Hades-class Heavy Cruiser)**
* ***Warborne* (Hades-class Heavy Cruiser)**
* ***The Bronze Cleaver* (Hades-class Heavy Cruiser)**
* ***Furor Primus* (Styx-class Heavy Cruiser)**
* ***Silent Killer* (Slaughter-class Cruiser)**
* ***Heathen's Pact* (Slaughter-class Cruiser)**
* ***Backbreaker* (Iconoclast-class Escort)**
* ***Gorebringer* (Iconoclast-class Escort)**
* ***Hound's Teeth* (Idolator-class Escort)**
* ***Angel's End* (Idolator-class Escort)**

## Warband Relics

The Heirs of Blood have a selection of potent artefacts in their possession, with varying effects and properties, the most frequently seen of which are the following:

* ***Go'rzhuth, Scribe of Conflict*** - A mysterious yet small, unassuming daemonic familiar that found itself in Larsakh Varren's possession through an accidental manifestation, Go'rzhuth has a passive role despite being a daemon of khorne. Created with the purpose of recording the outcomes of potential conflicts to his memory, before storing said memories in the Deedsword it carries around with it. Entering a bargain of sorts with the Scionlord, Go'rzhuth is allowed to accompany the Heirs of Blood into battle and will be protected so it can record more battles, and in return, be able to grasp the Deedsword, and gain access to a wide array of tactic if blood has been spilled.
* ***The Abhorring Standard*** - Serving as a reminder of the Battle of Skalathrax which helped shape the inception of the Heirs of Blood, The Abhorring Standard houses the vengeful spirits of the warband that were slain in the battle, kept in a cold slumber until the bearer seeks to unleash them. When held high, the spirits inside the banner are unleashed, thrashing out in every direction until they can find a grip on another soul to latch onto, augmenting the fury and battlelust of those pledged to Khorne considerably, turning them into more brutal killing machines than they already are.
* ***The Scouring Monolith*** - The most inconspicuous of the relics at the warband's disposal, The Scouring Monolith is an object of cylindrical shape, hewn out of coarse rock, with unknown origins, the only information surrounding it being the daemonic markings etched all over the object. It offers great protection from psychic energies, red-hot to the touch, and it's marking glowing bright red when it senses the presence of any psykers, allied or otherwise. The bearer can channel the powers of the Scouring Monolith, giving them the ability to break any psychic powers sent towards them, and consequently, make the assailant's own psychic energies turn against them.
* ***Kha'na'brak, Sundering Edge*** - Many powerful weapons wielded by the forces of chaos have the spirits of daemons imprisoned in them, and the Sundering Edge is no exception. Kha'na'brak, an ancient daemon of unfathomable might and with an unquenchable thirst for war, was trapped inside the body of the axe millenia ago after a titanic battle, before being hidden away on an forgotten world. After being recovered by the Heirs of Blood, the axe, it found it's way into the hands of Larsakh Varren, who has wielded it since in countless conflicts. Kha'na'brak is a terrifying weapon to behold in battle, cleaving through power armour and the hulls of vehicles as if slicing through air, and sometimes the daemonic spirit inside the axe is able to break free, just for a moment, amplifying the power of the axe immensely, allowing it to reduce it's targets to a visceral pulp.
* ***Coronach of Barbarity***- A peculiar artefact, gifted to them by a Word Bearers warband after assisting them in the conflict known as the Tides of Faith, the Coronach of Barbarity is a modified vox-relay, with the ability to be removed and fitted to most vehicles at the warband's disposal. Seeped in the rage and faliure of hundreds of Khornate daemons, the Coronach blares out waves of unintelligable, gutteral snarls and roars to most, but those pledged to the Blood God are able to understand the rabid noises. Those not attuned to, or with a strong enough will to resist the noises of the Coronach, are reduced to acts of savagery and bloodshed, losing themselves to mindless rage as they seek the death and dismemberment of those before them. This makes the Coronach an excellent tool of terror, which the Heirs of Blood have used to frightening effect in battle.

## Relations

### Allies

* **Gore Helots Militia** - A renegade militia in service to the Heirs of Blood, the Gore Helots consist of recruits drawn from the population of Vidarus, as well as any they recruit whilst on campaigns. With a roughly similar structure to an Astra Militarum regiment, the militia has a relatively organised composition. However, with the recruiting pool consisting often of cults filled with undesirables and the downtrodden, the quality of equipment they are given, and training, is of a lesser quality to militias such as the Blood Pact. They are often used as the expendable waves in assaults or as armoured columns to reinforce spearheads.
* **Stalker Court Cohort** - The Stalker Court is a chhort of Khorne daemons, numbering 888 strong, it is considered smaller than what is assumed by the Inquisition to be the average warband of daemons. This is due to their purpose, made to stalk their quarry through the warp in incredibly quick times. For this, the cohort consists mostly of daemons of a faster nature, such as Bloodcrushers of Flesh Hounds. It is lead by Ohn'grah'ddon Skullpyre, the bloodthirster that lead the Heirs of Blood to Ygsalamor, who some within the Heirs of Blood theorise has a pact with their Scionlord, Larsakh Varren. The warband's favoured daemons to summon, the Stalker Court are used to track elusive targets across of space, or if the adversary is great enough, summoned directly into battle to turn the tide in the warbands favour.
* **The Curator** - Hailing from the Dark Mechanicum, The Curator is a centuries old Tech-priest, whos name has been long forgotten. With an experienced, if eccentric and crazed mind, The Curator is the most intelligent of the allies the Heirs of Blood can call on. Responsible for helping increase the capabilities of Ygsalamor's manufacturing potential several fold, and with scores of corrupted Skitarii and servitors at his disposal, the tech-priest offers technical expertise, and arcane machines which the warband enjoys the assistance of.
* **World Eaters** - Undoubtedly, one of the warband's greatest loyalties belong to the World Eaters. Wanting to preserve and nuture what they can of their heritage, the Heirs of Blood will go out of their way to assist other warbands that serve the World Eaters, hoping that pacts can be made to strengthen them. However, they will not be afraid to fight their kin, seeing those that scorn their legacy as spineless and weak.
* **Word Bearers** - With the veneration of the past, the Heirs of Blood ensure that they remember the close bond the World Eaters had with the sons of Lorgar, seeing it as a form of inherited trust. Meetings between members of the two factions show the something akin to camraderie, exchanging tales of their deeds and engaging in competetive duels. Some of the Word Bearers the warband has met have even offered to help soothe the effects of the Butcher's Nails. This causes the Heirs of Blood to offer the XVII more respect and civility, assisting them when able and even inviting them to the arenas on Ygsalamor. This has helped considerably with the warband regaining parts of their coveted legacy, but they have still fought the Word Bearers on occasion, concluding those that would break their millenia old alliance as traitorous filth, no better than the Imperium.

### Enemies

* **Black Templars** - Zealots of the Imperial Creed, and fervently loyal, the Black Templars are seen as the loyalist equivalent of the Heirs of Blood. The similarities do not stop there, as both hold an incredibly disdain for psykers, valuing martial prowess and preferring close combat in warfare. Despite the links, the warband, perhaps arrogantly, loathes the worship the chapter has for the Emperor, thinking it refrains them of fulfilling their true potential as warriors.
* **Blood Angels** - The utmost contempt is held to the sons of Sanguinius by the Heirs of Blood, percieving the Blood Angels as nothing more than hypocrites who were treated with biased favouritism by the Imperium despite their genetic flaw mirroring the curse of the Butcher's Nails. Cruel, perhaps even petty jealousy fuels the warband when they fight the Blood Angels, causing them to commit spiteful acts such as butchering corpses and debasing iconography of Sanguinius.
* **Emperor's Children** - Seen as the primary cause for the fracturing of the World Eaters from the Battle of Skalathrax, the III are treated with great prejudice and hostility, even holding them responsible for influencing the actions of Kharn the Betrayer. They fight the Emperor's Children without mercy, burning the bodies of their slain and going as far as to destroy traces of their gene-seed so they can not be salvaged. The patronage of Slaanesh only compounds these feelings, and the Heirs of Blood would settle for nothing but the total extinction of the sons of Fulgrim.
* **Hive Fleet Hydra** - Perhaps the most coveted of the warbands foes, the tyranids of Hive Fleet Hydra are believed to be holding the key to saving the Heirs of Blood from the Butcher's Nails. The regenerative nature of their organisms is what the warband needs, and they have gone to drastic lengths to gain the opportunity to encounter splinter fleets, ranging from bartering with xenos to making bargains with duplicitous daemons, concluding that nothing is out of the question to ensure their salvation.

 Tzeentch Warbands
 Nurgle Warbands
 Slaanesh Warbands
 Chaos Undivided Warbands
 Malice Warbands
 Minor Chaos God-Aligned Warbands

[Source]