Blood Wyverns

Blood Wyverns armorial with corrupted iconography.

A Blood Wyverns Heretic Astartes.

### **Specialty**

Pirate-Operations, Planetary-Assault, Shock Assault & Deep-Range Raiding Operations

### **Warband Size**

500+ Blood Wyverns Astartes200+ Other Astartes

## Pre-Heresy

### **Colours**

Blood Red, Black

The **Blood Wyverns** are a notorious Chaos Warband in the service of Chaos Undivided. They were formerly a Loyalist Chapter of the ill-fated 21st 'Cursed' Founding going by the same name. They presumably came from the gene-stock of Roboute Guilliman, this theory being confirmed millennia later.

Despite the fact there were no physical or mental defects with this Chapter, the fear and suspicion of the Imperium had caused them to go rouge when the Blood Wyverns had come to blows with an Inquisitorial task force. This occurred during a xenocidal campaign against the Tyranids in which the Blood Wyverns had attempted to prevent the *Exterminatus* of a world while Imperial citizens and soldiers were still in the process of evacuating, going so far as to engage the Inquisitorial fleet in combat.

Committing the sin of attacking representatives of the Holy Ordos of the Inquisition, this led to the Chapter being declared *Excommunicate Traitoris* by the Imperium, which subsequently saw their Chapter homeworld of Hades coming under assault from Imperial forces - most notoriously the unforgiving and merciless Astartes from the Minotaurs and Marines Malevolent. Eventually, this conflict ended with the Death World of Hades being captured and the Blood Wyverns 3rd and 7th Companies being wiped out.

Making their retreat to the farthest edges of Segmentum Pacificus, the Blood Wyverns turned into renegades, attempting to continue their fight against the traitor and the alien before slowly sliding into piracy when munitions and supplies ran low. For centuries this continued until a fateful encounter with the Howling Wolves Chapter led to their retreat within the Eye of Terror, eventually leading to their gradual fall to Chaos Undivided, becoming a force of raiders and pirates similar to the Red Corsairs, periodically sallying forth to plunder the Imperium which had wronged them.

## History

The earliest records of the Blood Wyverns indicate they were established during the 21st 'Cursed' Founding. Perhaps this should have been a sign of things to come.

Little is known of them during this period, other than that the Chapter had laid claim to the Death world of Hades, a world of volcanic ash and molten lakes, resembling stories of the Underworld from ancient Terran mythos, and that they were actively engaged with an unknown xenos threat on the outer edges of the Segmentum Pacificus.

### Exile from the Imperium (M39)

Records begin to clear up around M39, during the event that would make the Blood Wyverns infamous and have them declared *Excommunicate Traitoris* by the Inquisition and High Lords of Terra. During the evacuation of Regalia VII from the arrival of a splinter-fleet from Hive Fleet Leviathan, the Blood Wyverns engaged in combat with an Inquisitorial taskforce in orbit of the planet, attempting to prevent an exterminatus from being carried out while the final evacuation ships were still loading on refugees. Despite successfully delaying the exterminatus long enough for the evacuation ships to depart, the Blood Wyverns saw to the beginning of the end for their Chapter, with the Inquisitor in charge of the operation charging the Blood Wyverns with heresy and departing when the guns of the Astartes fleet turned on his vessel for such an accusation.

Months later the Blood Wyverns were summoned by the High Lords and Ordo Hereticus to face judgement, with Chapter Master Artrax Taloghast ignoring these summons, believing his Chapter had committed no crime and had merely carried out it's duty to the people of the Imperium. When even a representative of the Inquisition was turned away by the space marines, there was only one response left available to the High Lords and Inquisition. Declaring the Blood Wyverns as Renegades, an immense fleet was mustered by the Ordo Hereticus, with no less than two Astartes forces being present, the Minotaurs and Marines Malevolent.

The attack began with no warning as the fleet slipped out of the Immaterium and fired upon the orbital defenses and fleet vessels stationed above Hades, refusing all hails and destroying everything the bore the symbol of the Blood Wyverns. Soon enough a message from the lead Inquisitorial ship was recieved, demanding the immedaite surrender of the Blood Wyverns for censure. The response given was a volley of melta torpedoes fired at the ship. Despite a desperate defense, it was all for naught as the Blood Wyverns' losses started to mount, including the loss of the 3rd and 7th Companies garrisoning their fortress-monastery when it was invaded by the Minotaurs and Marines Malevolent.

Left with no other option, Chapter Master Taloghast ordered the withdrawal of what remained of his forces to save his Chapter, the Blood Wyvern's fleet being scattered across the sector and hunted down. When the scattered forces regrouped on the outskirts of the sector, another full companies worth of battle-brothers had been lost to boarding actions by the Minotaurs, reducing the Blood Wyverns from a thousand marines to less than half that number in days.

Considered traitors to the Imperium they had served loyally and relentlessly hunted down, the Blood Wyverns fled westwards to the outer-edges of the Segmentum Pacificus.

### Descent into Piracy (M39 - M40)

Declared renegade and hunted across the sector, Chapter Master Taloghast took what remained of his Chapter and fled to the farthest frontiers of Segmentum Pacificus, where Imperial rule was fledgling. Taking up temporary residence within the Kintares Nebula, located in the Jahnos Sector, the Blood Wyverns established a number of hideaways and outposts should the need to ever take refuge or resupply become necessary.

It was here, in the wilds of Imperial space, that Taloghast and his council conferred to decide on their next course of action. With their homeworld lost to them, their Chapter depleted, supply lines cut off, and the very empire they had spent their lives defending now hunting them down, there was little option available to the Blood Wyverns if they were to survive this. Initially attempting to reach out to their once allies among the Adeptus Astartes and Mechanicus for aid, they were met with scorn and hostility wherever they turned. Having no other recourse, Chapter Master Taloghast authorized his battle-brothers to do whatever was necessary to keep the Chapter alive, resorting to piracy and raids on Imperial shipping lanes and worlds. Such actions were not taken lightly, and done only when there were no other options. During this time they were also known to do trade with Rogue Traders, Merchant Fleets that would turn a blind eye, and less than legal elements of the Imperium in order to get required materials.

Initially these raids would be brief, quickly disabling a vessel just long enough to board it and take only what was needed before departing. This would not last long as these actions became more aggressive, the Blood Wyverns outright threatening Imperial citizens to hand over what they demanded or face the retribution of the Emperor's Angels of Death. In the past they would have balked at any loyal Space Marines undertaking such actions against the people they were charged with protecting, but it was justified by them as a necessary evil in order to continue their duty to the Imperium that had abandoned them. Not only that, but the Chapter also provided protection to those worlds that gave in to their demands, combating aliens, rebels, and heretics alike across the sector, further causing them to believe that what they were doing was just and right. The only reason their actions had not been noticed by the wider Imperium due to the sector being so far out on the frontier, that little to no attention was ever paid to it.

So it was for the next few centuries, the Blood Wyverns carving out their own independent domain among the scattered frontier worlds of the Imperium's western reaches. Unfortunately for the Blood Wyverns, it would not last indefinitely.

### Battle of Dancer IV (M40)

In the early 40th Millennium, the Blood Wyverns would intercept an astropathic message telling of heretical cult sightings on the Hive World Dancer IV. Moving in to investigate, the 2nd Company arrived in-system a few days after receiving the message, making their way to the planet only to discover a horrifying sight. Dancer IV was embroiled in civil war, most of the planet's hives and population having fallen to the service of the Ruinous Powers under the leadership of a Chaos Warlord known as Lord Arkanon and his warband.

Summoning the rest of their Chapter for aid, the Blood Wyverns landed on Dancer IV in force, rallying Imperial forces planetside and leading a counter-attack against the followers of Chaos as their opposing fleets brawled it out in orbit. Battling for several weeks across the planet's surface, the Blood Wyverns would receive word of an Imperial retribution force arriving in-system, spearheaded by the Howling Wolves Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes.

Arriving to the sight of Renegade and Chaos Space Marines battling each other, the retribution force chose to engage the more immediate threat and aided the Blood Wyverns in battling the Knights of Arkanon. Once the traitors had been dispatched and Dancer IV reclaimed, the Chaos Space Marines responsible for the uprisings retreating back to the Eye of Terror like wounded dogs and harrassed by the Howling Wolves 2nd, 4th, and 5th Companies, the issue of the Blood Wyverns presence was addressed.

Despite their efforts in aiding the Imperial forces and expelling the worshippers of Chaos, the status of the Blood Wyverns as a Renegade Space Marine Chapter could not be ignored. Demanding their immediate surrender so as to face censure by their peers in the Adeptus Astartes, who would judge the Blood Wyverns themselves, promising that the judgement of their fellow Adeptus Astartes would be fair and brought forward to the Inquisition and High Lords of Terra should their actions be deemed noble and their gene-seed free of taint. The response of the Blood Wyverns would alter their fate for millennia to come.

Outraged by the demands of the Howling Wolves Force Commander, Chapter Master Taloghast argued that his Chapter has remained steadfast and loyal through the centuries of exile, and that to demand they submit themselves for censure was a dishonorable act, one in which they would take no part. In response to this, the Imperial retribution force attempted to bring the Blood Wyverns to heel by force, prompting a new battle between the Renegades and Loyalists. Coming to blows with one another, the Howling Wolves and Blood Wyverns battled in the ruined remains of Janis Hive, the planetary capital where they had met. This battle would lead to the death of the Howling Wolves Force Commander at the hands of Taloghast, an action for which they would be decried as heretics by the Howling Wolves, and the escape of the Blood Wyverns from the system.

### Fall to Darkness (M40 - M41)

Now hunted with a renewed vigor by the Imperium, the Blood Wyverns had little recourse but to flee to the one place they would not be pursued, the Eye of Terror. Relentlessly hounded by Astartes Vessels, Navy Battlegroups, and Inquisitorial Taskforces, the Blood Wyverns would barely make it to the domain of Chaos intact, suffering further losses to their ranks in the bloody retreat. Once inside the Eye, the Blood Wyverns Chapter Master Taloghast and his followers slowly began to be corrupted by the Ruinous Powers, all that they had suffered and lost in the past few centuries, their rage and anger at the Imperium that had betrayed them not once but twice making them vulnerable to the whispers of the Warp.

In time the Blood Wyverns would fall into the service of Chaos Undivided, forming a relatively large fleet of pirates and raiders composed of Blood Wyverns, Chaos Cultists, Daemons, and even Traitor & Renegade Astartes hailing from other Warbands and Chapters seeking to join their ranks. With this renewed force and a fleet of warships either salvaged or stolen, the Blood Wyverns sally forth periodically from the Eye of Terror to burn and raid the Imperium that they have long since given up any hope of serving, instead embracing their new position among the ranks of Chaos, who have rewarded the Blood Wyverns efforts with power beyond their imagining.

## Notable Campaigns

* **Unknown Xenocide (M36) -**
* **Evacuation of Regalia VII (M39) -**
* **Defense of Hades (M39) -**
* **Battle of Dancer IV (M40) -**

## Warband Homeworld

The former homeworld of the Blood Wyverns was the Death World of Hades, a planet of volcanic ash and molten lakes resembling the ancient Underworld of Terran mythos. The planet supported an indigenous human population long lost to the Imperium that had reverted to a technological stage comparable to the early second millennium of humanity, living in massive, insulated subterranean habitats in some of the more stable regions of the planet.

### Fortress Monastery

The former fortress-monastery of the Blood Wyverns was known as ***Wyvern's Rest***, being located on one of the highest peaks in the southern mountain range made up of long dead volcanoes, reaching just above the atmospheric ash and noxious fumes making up the worlds atmosphere.

## Warband Gene-Seed

Despite the origins of their gene-seed being in question in the millennia since their inception, the Blood Wyverns were confirmed to hail from the lineage of Roboute Guilliman during the late 41st Millennium. However the standard Ultramarine stock used to create the Chapter originally had been modified by the Adeptus Mechanicus, much like all other 21st Founding Chapters.

With access to the gene-seed stocks controlled by the High Lords and Magos Biologis on Terra now lost to them, the Blood Wyverns have been forced to find other sources of gene-seed, often scouring battlefields for fallen Astartes (Loyalist and Traitor) or outright raiding Space Marine ships and facilities to make off with their stock. Another method for acquiring gene-seed is making deals with other traitor groups such as fallen Apothecaries and Dark Mechanicum Hell-Forges for access to their master fleshcrafters. As a result, the Blood Wyverns gene-seed is no longer purely their own, instead being a mixture of their own and gene-stock from other Chapters, in some cases being a chimeric mix, resulting in varying levels of mutation across the Warband.

## Warband Beliefs

The Blood Wyverns have come to embrace the power and glory of Chaos Undivided, abandoning their worship of the Corpse-Emperor that had abandoned them in their hour of need. While technically classified as Chaos Space Marines, the Blood Wyverns are little more than pirates and raiders who make use of Chaos as another tool in their arsenal, but a tool which they show great respect.

## Warband Recruitment

Due to their classification as *Traitoris Maximus* by the Imperium of Man, the Blood Wyverns are unable to recruit from most worlds in the traditional fashion, instead they must resort to other methods. These include kidnapping adolescents in raids on isolated settlements or sweeping up orphans and refugees displaced by warzones. Whatever the method, the Blood Wyverns rate of recruitment is extremely low before taking into account the deaths inflicted by the implantation process, making each loss a blow to the Warband.

## Warband Combat Doctrine

The Blood Wyverns are primarily raiders and pirates as they must scavenge for resources in order to survive as a Warband, often targeting isolated cargo vessels and outposts due to them lacking the strength to challenge most well-defended worlds. Unique to the Blood Wyverns is that unlike other Chaos Space Marines, the Blood Wyverns do not outright kill or slaughter most humans they come across, instead preferring the usage of intimidation and fear to make them submit and surrender their cargo, only killing when meeting resistance. This has been attributed to their belief that they still fight for humanity and prefer to save their killing prowess for xenos, despite being classified as heretics by the Imperium.

## Warband Fleet

With the loss of their homeworld of Hades, the Blood Wyverns have become a fleet-based Warband, hiding within the currents of the Warp when not raiding across the Imperium. As a result of this, and their piratical nature, the Blood Wyverns possess a large fleet of warships native to both the Imperium and Ruinous Powers ranging from Strike Cruisers to a Despoiler-class Battleship. The Battle-Barge ***Hades Wrath*** serves as flagship of their fleet.

The Warband fleet of the Blood Wyverns is known to contain the following starships:

* ***Hades Wrath* (Battle Barge) -** The ***Hades Wrath*** is the oldest vessel possessed by the Blood Wyverns and current flagship of the Blood Wyverns Pirate Fleet, it's ancient hull claimed to have been salvaged from a long-forgotten starship graveyard dating back to the Horus Heresy.

## Warband Appearance

### Warband Colours

The Renegade Marines of the Blood Wyverns wear dark crimson Power Armor, accented by black detailing and yellow visor lenses. Company and squad designation is no longer represented on the Power Armour in their post-heresy period.

### Warband Badge

The badge of the Blood Wyverns is that of the Hades predator they are named after, the skeletal form of a Blood Wyvern in flight. This symbol has often been the last thing countless Xenos, Imperials and Traitors alike have seen, and inspires fear in all that know of this fallen Chapter and their effective reputation.

## Notable Quotes

### About the Blood Wyverns

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

[Source]

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

[Source]

## Gallery

Blood Wyverns Space Marine Chapter, pre-heresy appearance.