Blood Griffins

Blood Griffins armorial with Chapter iconography.

Firstborn Battle-Brother of 4th Company, 6th Battleline Squad.

### **Specialty**

Shock Assault, Close Quarters Actions (Boarding Operations, Line-Breaker Attacks, Strategic Objective Assaults)

### **Battle cry**

"Strike their heads!" or "Your sword is your soul, strike with it like it's your last!"

### Successor Chapter(s)

None

The **Blood Griffins** are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of uncertain lineage. The Blood Griffins are semi-*Codex*-compliant and their number of Marines had never exceeded 1,000 active members. The Chapter is believed to hail from the late M34. Their progenitors are unknown but Inquisition believes they are the Successors of the stoic Imperial Fists. The gene-seed of the Chapter has been noted to be fairly stable with minimal mutations in height. They are a fiercely loyal Chapter of Adeptus Astartes who were never slightly tempted by any force.

## Chapter History

Hailing from the M34 to the modern times, the Blood Griffins have been highly venerated in their battles. In their early days the Chapter has been Fleet Based but after destroying a rebellion on Galbena Vedeta they were given right to claim the planet as their own. Much of their history has been lost due to battles in which they lost much of their scriptures, much to the annoyance of their Librarians.

In early M35 the Blood Griffins were sent to Galbena Vedeta to destroy a rebellion that befell the world. They managed to not only destroy the rebels but also bring back the populace to the Emperors light. In this conflict the knightly traditions of the Blood Griffins would appear as they engaged in conflict. Taking after the inspiring scriptures from an ancient time of humanity they became noble and honorable, ruthless and glorious melee sword fighting became their main characteristic.

In M37 the Chapter liberated a world from the grip of Chaos and began to help the populace. They were taking full action restoring the planet to its former glory. During this time another Chapter appeared upon the planet, the Sons of Orochi. The Chapter attempted to make the Blood Griffins leave the populace so they may be purged from the suspected taint of Chaos but the Blood Griffins refused. In a tragic event known as **the Betrayal of Angels** to the populace, Sons of Orochi have destroyed the 6th Company of Blood Griffins. The ensuing conflict was known as the **Seven Year War** where both Chapters waged brutal conflict before signing a temporary peace agreement and Sons of Orochi withdrew.

The Chapter took part in many conflicts but none were as bloody as their near extinction in the transition between M41 and M42. As the Chapter began a council meeting, a shadow loomed over the planet and the filthy claws of Tyranids gripped the world. The only two battle-ready Companies were taken by surprise and within hours most were wiped out. When the first Hive City fell, Corvus Castellum, millions died and only barely 15 000 survivors made it out. There were two Space Marine survivors of the 10 who were active, Apothecary Nychi of the 8th Company and Lieutenant Alysid of the 6th Company, both would be killed days later allegedly at the claws of a Winged Tyranid Prime although it might have been mistook as the Winged Hive Tyrant who would later terrorise the Chapter Fortress-Monastery. Within days only the Planet Capital would stay standing. The Chapter and Astra Militarum made a last ditch effort and attempted to destroy the primary link organism, the Winged Hive Tyrant. The beast and its guards along a handful of Carnifexes battled the Chapter Master, 1st Company and a Venerable Dreadnought upon a ruined tower. In the battle the Chapter Master has died and so did most of the 1st Company. The Hive Tyrant was seemingly defeated after it fell but it simply faked its death and flew away far enough to not be noticed. Hours later the Dreadnought had been crushed by rubble fighting a Tyrannofex and it was only the few survivors. The battle devolved into the Chapter and a few thousand humans bunkering up in the Fortress-Monastery. Soon the Tyranid swarm poured in and Dreadnoughts of the Chapter held them off until everyone ran deeper into the Fortress-Monastery. They were saved after Torchbearers reinforcements teleported into the Gene-Seed vaults, the last bastion of the survivors. Soon enough the small but terrible force of the Tyranids was killed and the Chapter was honored for their battles.

Now the Chapter is Fleet Based and all the human survivors were allowed to stay with the Chapter, becoming their serfs and starting their relatively comfortable lives as one of the cogs powering the machine of war that are the Blood Griffins. They are now launching an unknown crusade against the approaching Tyranid threat to Holy Terra.

## Notable Conflicts

### 7th Black Crusade (811.M37)

At some point in the 7th Black Crusade the Blood Griffins encountered a Warband of Traitor Astartes. The Blood Griffins fought off a traitor Lord by the name Tenebris Lancero. After a long battle The Blood Griffins have claimed victory and were awarded a relic for their battle.

### Seven Year War (820.M37 - 827.M37)

The Blood Griffins waged war against a Chapter known as the Sons of Orochi. After the Sons of Orochi executed the entire 6th Company of Blood Griffins the knightly green and maroon knights assaulted the Sons of Orochi. The following conflict was long and brutal as both Chapters engaged in tough warfare, countering each other perfectly. It'd be the Chapter Master of Blood Griffins at the time, slaying the Champion of Sons Orochi, that stopped the conflict. The blood stained streets of the planet they fought on forever remembered the bloody battles as angels fell on both sides.

### First Tyrannic War (745.M41)

The Blood Griffins encounter Hive Fleet Behemoth and briefly fought in a void battle but ultimately retreat. The Chapter took little part in the war and only helped the Imperium in saving what little they could.

### Fall of Galbena Vedeta (999.M41-008.M42)

As Hive Fleet Leviathan crawled under the galaxy its many tendrils managed to somehow split off. One such tendril found its way to Galbena Vedeta. The world and the Chapter were clueless to the approaching threat until it was too late. When the Chapter was performing a traditional ritual of theirs the Hive Fleet appeared. Within minutes the world began to fall, and the stationed Guard Regiment was taken by shock and surprise along with the 6th and 8th companies. They fought valiantly but fell in battle to the swarm. Soon enough Blood Griffins mobilized to eradicate the xenos threat along with the now-mobilized Astra Militarum members. In several weeks the war tilted in Tyranids' favor. In a desperate attempt, the Astra Militarum forces bombed the identified Hive Tyrant, the First Company of Astartes and the former Chapter Master Foteino Xifos went to combat the Hive Tyrant and disperse the psychic effects to the other organisms. Their effort was in vain as the Chapter Master was gravely injured and most of the First Company drowned out in the onslaught. In 008.M42 the remaining humans and 236 surviving Blood Griffins had barricaded themselves in the gene vaults of the fortress-monastery. The Tyranid onslaught breached through and would've won if the unexpected Primaris Marines reinforcements and Torchbearers hadn't appeared and turned the tide in the Chapter's favor.

## Chapter Homeworld

The world of Galbena Vedeta was a Civilised World prior to its reclassification to a Dead World, with a population of estimated 68 million citizens. The Chapter was in friendly relations with the human populace, helping extensively to further the planets progress. The planet had a moderate level of taxation relative to its number of produced goods, the food being the only resource not exported. The world is a part of the David Stea System being the second of the four planets. The Star System resides in the Ultima Segmentum. During its existence prior to its fall, the planet was moderately well defended but a larger enemy force would easily take the planet.

### Fortress-Monastery

The Fortress-Monastery of the Chapter was a giant castle from an ancient period from human colonization. It was a giant structure stretching nearly 747 standard Terran feet in height at the tallest spire. The Fortress-Monastery was equipped with several dozen defenses around it, proving as very useful stronghold. The Fortress-Monastery held several living quarters fit for both the Blood Griffins and Chapter serfs.

## Chapter Organisation

### Officer Ranks

#### Chapter Master/Blade Lord

The rank of Blade Lord is as in any other Chapter a highly honored role. In the Blood Griffins the one who became the head of the Chapter is a respected individual whose words are followed without question due to the Blade Lords superior warrior provess and skill. The role brings danger though, if a Blade Lord leads unjustly or poorly he may be removed from his rank, temporarily or even permanently. Despite this no Blade Lord has fallen out of favor by the Chapter.

#### Captain/Dux Maxima

Being a Captain means that you are a smaller Chapter Master. As each Brotherhood of the Blood Griffins is a seperate entity from the entire Chapter each Captain is a capable individual who leads and fights greater than anyone else in the Brotherhood. Depending on the Brotherhood the role of Captain may even fall to a Techmarine or a Dreadnought.

#### Lieutenant/Dux Minima

A Lieutenant is a right and left hand of the Captain like a Champion and Lead Chaplain is to a Blade Lord. There are always two Lieutenants at all times in each Brotherhood. Each Lieutenant prepares for their role as Captain and that the two fight eachother for the role but that often is not the case. A Lieutenant leads 55 Marines and their role is nearly absolute, second only to the Captain.

#### Sargeant/Bellator Ductus

A Sargeant is special Marine, he has shown leadership skills and proved his rank well. A Sargeant usually leads two Squads at once with two lower ranking Marines who ease the role if needed be. The First Brotherhood equivalent is **Bellator Ductus Prima**.

#### Shield Sargeant/Bellator Ductus Secundus

A Shield Sargeant is a lower ranking Sargeant, akin to a Lieutenant. A Shield Sargeant leads a singular Squad and is the helping hand to a Sargeant.

#### Battle-Brother/Fratri Prugnator

The standard rank as in all other Chapters. A Battle-Brother is a regular Marine. The Veteran version of this rank is **Fratri Prugnator Anciens**.

#### Vanguard Space Marine/Praeventores

Vanguard Space Marines are veteran Scout Marines who have earned the right to battle on their own. They're usually very close to becoming a fully pledged Battle-Brother so the ones that are in this rank often times are shortly in there. There are members who permanently stay as Vanguard and train Scout Marines who just came into the rank.

#### Neophytes/Ephoebus

Neophytes also known as 'Squires' are Blood Griffins initiates who passed their first trial. They're adopted into the Chapter and learn directly from the Astartes themselves.

#### Aspirants/Canditata

Aspirants are the recruits in the Chapter. They must overcome a trial of blood so that they may be allowed in the Chapter. The trial consists of fighting against other Aspirants, self mutilation (carving the symbol of the Chapter into their skin) and more.

### Specialist Ranks

#### Librarian/Prudentius

Librarians as common knowledge says, are the psychic warriors of all Space Marine Chapters. In the Blood Griffins, Librarians see little battle and are there to preserve the history of the Chapter and serve as multiple roles such as finding Aspirants with a high degree of proficiency or interrogation. Within the Blood Griffins there's two unique ranks of Librarians.

##### Reaper Librarians/Messor Psychicae

Reaper Librarians are the unique combat role of Librarians within the Blood Griffins. They're very much appreciated by the Chapter as they're an excellent way to clear out any hidden threat that cannot be found by the Astartes.

##### Hidden Ones/Abscondita

Hidden Ones are an interesting class of Librarians within the Blood Griffins, unique to the 8th Brotherhood. They seem to be the interrogators of the Brotherhood who took on the oath of blindness and silence. This is evident as the few Hidden Ones that have been seen had sewn their mouth shut and gouged out their eyes. This practice was deemed heretical but has since been proven to be not linked to Chaos.

#### Chaplains/Clericus

Chaplains are the spiritual leaders of the Chapter. They often work alongside Chapter command rather than being linked directly into it. As such Chaplains do not lead troops into battle unless they're regular human troops. A Chaplain in a Brotherhood is both a terrifying and awe inspiring figure. A Chaplain will induct humility and destroy anything leeching a fellow Marines mind with force. Blinding and blunt force awfully similar to the blunt shape of a crozius. A Chaplain has any weapon he likes in battle, often dual wielding a crozius and another lighter weapon.

### Specialist Units & Formations

#### Jinn Hunters

Jinn Hunters are a fierce specialist unit of the Blood Griffins. They were used proficiently in M36 and see little to no use today, there being only one Jinn Hunter today. The Jinn Hunters are Astartes wearing modified Mk VI Power Armor with a jump pack, along with this they have bionic limbs with arms similar to that of the Iron Hands to increase their arm strength and long legs with 4 clawed digits which are designed to grip onto walls and keep the Astartes at a preferred height. These Astartes were used to take out armored and slow opponents from a large distance and unreachable locations, excelling in hit-and-run tactics.

#### Black Knights

(*NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE BLACK KNIGHTS OF KNIGHTS ANGELICUS)*

The Black Knights are Astartes of the Blood Griffins without a Brotherhood. They were expelled out of their respective Brotherhoods for some reason, each being unique. Black Knights are attached to the Chapter but operate alone and fight in near suicidal battles in hopes of being inducted into one of the Brotherhoods. There are 13 Black Knights as of yet, one of them being a Redemptor Dreadnought and even having a Techmarine in their ranks. The leader of the Black Knights is named Uriel, a former member of the 2nd Brotherhood who was deemed too fierce.

### Order of Battle

#### Brotherhoods

Blood Griffins use the term of "Brotherhoods" instead of Company/Companies. Added to that the Chapter has 9 Brotherhoods all of which are Battleline, Scouts are also a part of auxiliary units within these Brotherhoods and are often deployed attached to Squads (as Astartes in the Chapter take these Scouts with them for training on the field). Each of these Brotherhoods has its own subculture derived from the greater Chapter and hold unique tactics which fall under the combat Doctrine of the Chapter.

##### Second Brotherhood

The 2nd Brotherhood is perhaps the most human Brotherhood within the Chapter. The Space Marines of the 2nd Brotherhood are renowned for a rich culture within their ranks. Hunting and family bonds are a powerful connector in the Brotherhood. The tradition of having Squires in the Chapter is very popular in this Brotherhood and the bonds that older Astartes and younger Astartes have together remain until death. The Brotherhood also has a long standing belief in wearing tabards and melee combat, being perhaps the best duelists in the entire Blood Griffins while also wearing the most ornated gear, second only to the First Brotherhood. Exploring the Reborn, their Strike Cruiser, one will definitely stumble upon wall paintings, made by the Space Marines serving in the Brotherhood. One may even find a Marine of the Second Brotherhood in his "free time" and can converse with him and seek lessons or just generally help around if one wishes to. Chaplains within the 2nd Brotherhood also appear to be wiser than their brothers in other Brotherhoods, the reason is unknown but it may be that simply they can focus more on their studies as the 2nd Brotherhood tends to be humble enough that Chaplains don't have to work on them.

In combat, the 2nd Brotherhood is rapid striking, their preferred method of combat are Line-Breaker Attacks. With a sea of close combat wielding Astartes, the 2nd Brotherhood easily mows down the enemy, be it an ordinary Astartes, Terminator, Dreadnought or even a Scout. While they prefer melee combat, the 2nd Brotherhood has devastating firepower backing them up in the form of Devastator Squads which destroy an enemy too hard to handle by melee alone. The Brotherhood will deepstrike the enemy with its Dreadnoughts right within their heart. As the Dreadnoughts clean up the enemy command, the Astartes break the enemy position and thus the war is already over.

##### Fourth Brotherhood

The 4th Brotherhood (Company) of the Blood Griffins are one of 9 Brotherhoods within the Chapter. They are led by Mikhail Nathaniel Traugar III, the Thrice Blessed Captain of the 4th Brotherhood, the Liberator of Forge World Nikalus, the Wise Dragon, the Wielder of the Eternal Flame of Traugar Family. The 4th Brotherhood is considered to be the least in personality among other Brotherhoods, for this they replace personality with brutal mathematical efficiency. The Brotherhood does not wear tabards and does not use melee mostly and guns least. They have a liking for swords but have a strong code of usage. They're very much humbler than the rest of the Chapter, this is due to their Chaplains being extremely strict about training. The traditions in the Brotherhood are few and far between, only having a handful of traditions the wider Chapter has. Despite their notably harsher nature they're still a bit human under their masks and honor the family traditions of the Chapter.

In combat the 4th Brotherhood is swift and precise and prefers attacking objectives if possible. They combine strengths of their Squads and avoid using a squad individually. They deploy Squads together and in such a way provide eachother support. In closed spaces they use a Tactical and Assault Squad together, Tactical providing fire support and the Assault dealing devastating close range assault. In open spaces they will use the Devastator Squad which either provides support with Tactical, without Tactical or deals the finishing blow. Dreadnoughts may be employed as shock assault, dropping directly on the enemy position, essentially replacing the entire Squad System only employing one Squad with the Dreadnought, depending which pattern of Dreadnought it is.

##### Sixth Brotherhood

The 6th Brotherhood of the Blood Griffins is a very elusive part of the Chapter. While not completely unable to be trusted the general Chapter does not seem them as particularly well liked. The 6th Company seems to indulge in their "Angel of Death" status by regular humans. This Brotherhood has a liking for wearing capes, tabards and hoods, especially when not wearing armor. The 6th prefers using Jump Packs and heavy armor over anything else, mostly specializing in Boarding Operations and Line-Breaker Attacks. They, like the rest of the Chapter use Terminators but seem to use them most rarely.

Culturally the 6th is as rich as rest of the Chapter. Their Chaplains take an Oath of Silence and never utter a sound. When outside their armor all of the 6th Brotherhood wears black robes and skull masks. The Brotherhood has a tradition of feasting where they fill an entire hall with tables, chairs and benches. All of the tables are filled with food and drinks and all of the ship crew and the Brotherhood feast until they can eat no more and all take a deep rest. This Brotherhood aswell has the biggest unnatural compulsion to remove one of their hands in the likeness of Rogal Dorns only hand that has been found.

##### Seventh Brotherhood

The 7th Brotherhood of the Blood Griffins is likely the most ferocious Brotherhood in the Chapter. They indulge in craftsmanship melee weaponry. Other Brotherhoods look up to the 7th Brotherhood as through their craftsmanship they bond together and ranks are little more than words as everyone is an equal. The Brotherhood is renowned for their creation and repairs of equipment where each new member of the Chapter creates a unique weapon for himself which will guide him through the path of an Astartes. Each broken weapon or a blade that lost its master is placed upon the Wall Of The Lost inside their Strike Cruiser. Each weapon is a relic on its own, each sword, axe and spear having its own story. The more tribal aspect of the 7th Brotherhood sees them as very formidable opponents due to their ferocity and most other Brotherhoods in the Chapter being unwilling to face the 7th Brotherhood in combat. The Captain of the 7th Brotherhood is Lord Gwynn the Sunlit Warrior, Grand Regent of the 7th Brotherhood, the Slayer of the Ivory Dragons of Bureza III, the Redeemed Knight. The 7th Brotherhood also gave rise to Foteino Xifos and Metaforeas Xifos, two legends of the Blood Griffins.

In combat the 7th Brotherhood is a ferocious sight indeed, attacking the enemy like a spiraling tornado of righteous fury. The Brotherhood is preferably using melee weapons so they have a weakness against long ranged opponents so they utilize lots of vehicles and auxiliary units to take out the long ranged units. Alternatively they will drop pod into the enemy position and slaughter them. Dreadnoughts of the Brotherhood are all Ironclad Dreadnoughts as of M41 and Brutalis Dreadnoughts afterwards. The use of these Dreadnoughts was purely to destroy the larger enemies that Astartes couldn't deal with. Following the 7th Brotherhood were also Armiger Knights of the forgotten Knight house that was on their Homeworld.

## Chapter Beliefs

The Blood Griffins unlike many of their cousin Chapters value the lives of regular humans but not to the same extent as Salamanders or Crimson Fists. Nevertheless they value the life of every man, woman and child within the Imperium. Their Combat Doctrine ties into this as the Chapter prefers to end conflict quickly as to not waste valuable life.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

The Gene-Seed of the Blood Griffins is suspected to be from Imperial Fists lineage. The Gene-Seed is heavily vaulted by the Chapter and they value it greatly.

### Genetic Flaws

The Chapter was noted as having stable Gene-Seed although with two genetic flaws other than the slightly taller height than average.

#### Madness of the Hunter

The curse of madness befalls the members of the Jinn Hunters. Similar to the Black Rage of the Sanguinius Lineage the Jinn Hunters may fall to blinded rage and hurl themselves at their opponents. It's unknown what causes this but it may be the modifications of the Astartes merging the Machine Spirit of his bionics with his psyche.

#### Mark of the Gene-Father

Simply known as the Mark is a genetic flaw present in the Blood Griffins. It is the manifested disappearance of their Primarch, Rogal Dorn. The mental health of the Astartes afflicted with this deteriorates for some time, reaches a climax and the Astartes become normal although not without a few mental scars of his own. The flaw takes several stages in its grip on a Blood Griffin:

**Melancholy** - in the first stage (AKA Melancholy) the affected Astartes is striken with a low mood for any real activity and only sees little excitement in combat. While this is a concerning sight an experienced Chaplain is able to heal the mood of his brother.

**Itch** - in the second stage, the afflicted Astartes feels intense itching in his hand and metaphorical itching in his mind. The Astartes still has a melancholic mood but returned to a semi-normal state. One might believe that the first stage was successfully beaten while the second stage already took a hold.

**Rage** - in the third stage the Astartes "itch" took a mental hold on the Astartes. While in combat the Astartes will hurl himself at the opponent, leading desperate attacks against the enemy. The third stage is something that cannot be cured and the afflicted Astartes can only move on with his curse.

**Talon of Blood** - in the final stage the afflicted Astartes will at any moment attempt to remove his hand or even entire forearm. While the Astartes feel little pain, for unknown reasons the one who is removing his own hand appears to be suffering from immense pain in doing so. Once the deed is finished the Astartes who was afflicted claims he saw Rogal Dorn but this is brushed off as side-effects of the gene curse.

## Deathwatch Service

In documentations that were found, the Blood Griffins tend to have a "standard" sending of Astartes into the Deathwatch. No notable Astartes is recorded to have been in Deathwatch. Either this is true or documentations were lost during the fall of their Homeworld.

## Chapter Combat Doctrine

The Blood Griffins are a Chapter noted to be fond of close combat. They specialize in shock assault, boarding operations, line-breaker attacks and strategic objective assaults.

## Notable Blood Griffins

### Teleftaios Ippotis

Teleftaios Ippotis is the current Chapter Master of the Blood Griffins since the fall of the Chapter's home planet. He is well known for being a determined leader in all things, which has earned him the spot of the First Company Captain prior to his rise. Teleftaios was praised by his Battle-Brothers even before becoming anything notable in the Chapter ranks, being said that while he's well versed in all types of combat he prefers to use his own sword technique only he uses in the Chapter. As much as he is a determined leader he's also quiet and keeps to himself unless needed to speak up. During the many decades of service to the Chapter, Teleftaios has built a legend among Chapter serfs and other lesser humans alike. Many Battle Brothers looked up to the First Company Captain and even now. He was a great friend of the former Chapter Master Foteino Xifos and grieved after his friend's cruel death.

### Foteino Xifos

Foteino Xifos was the Chapter Master of Blood Griffins before Teleftaios took his role. He served as the Chapter Master from M41 to his death in M42, nearly 1000 years old according to the little records left. Foteino was an exceptional combatant in Terminator armor, weilding two weapons, Thunder Talons and Griffins Claw, his melee weapons of choice. Foteino was a wise and charismatic leader and as a person was noted to be very communicative and outgoing as described by regular humans. During his service Foteino was first praised by his Chapter for outstanding service as a Sargeant in an unknown Company, soon afterward he was raised in rank and eventually joined the 1st Company where he gained access to Terminator armor that he adored using. Being larger than most Astartes he expressed dislike for Power Armor and was much more pleased using Terminator armor which suited his frame better. He used a special fighting technique he named 'Wrath of Storms' which he suited for his special Terminator armor used during his time as a Chapter Master.

### Metaforeas Xifous

Metaforeas Xifous is the First Company Champion of the Blood Griffins. Metaforeas served in the Blood Griffins from the same time Teleftaios Ippotis joined the Chapter and the two bonded like brothers in their training as Neophytes. Metaforeas has been several times praised by Librarians, Chaplains and Battle Brothers alike that he's the best swordsman in the entire Chapter History aside from the first Chapter Master. While Metaforeas is a skilled warrior he is not invincible in his duels, he lost almost his entire right arm to the Chaos Space Marine known as Tenebris Lancero in M41, 300 years after his initiation into the Chapter. After the fall of the Chapter Homeworld he went through the Rubicon Primaris and is one among the many of the improved Marines.

### Venerable Brother Rhein

Brother Rhein is a Firstborn Dreadnought of the Blood Griffins. He is a Siege Dreadnought within the 1st Company. Rhein is the only Firstborn Dreadnought in the Chapter after the fall of his Chapter Homeworld. He was found laying in rubble clutching a Tervigon and both appeared dead but it was until the Chapter approached the two that they were found indeed alive. During the invasion of his Homeworld he was 600 years inside his Dreadnought chasis and was one with his frame. In the current day Rhein is clad in dark gray and white, showing his Veteran status and mourning his fallen Dreadnought Brothers.

## Chapter Fleet

The Fleet of the Blood Griffins consists of nine main vessels and an unknown number of escort ships. Each Brotherhood of the Chapter has a singular main vessel and a number of escort ships. A large number of these ships have been originally replaced due to damages in conflict.

**The Bloody Talon** - the Bloody Talon is the main Battle Barge used by the Chapter, its used by the Chapters 1st Brotherhood exclusively. The ship has seen ages of conflict, being with the Chapter since day one. The current Ship Master is Nathaniel Tagryn, who comes from a long bloodline of Ship Masters.

**Reborn** - Reborn is a Strike Cruiser in the use of the 2nd Brotherhood. It has its name from the fact that it's a repaired vessel, almost as ancient as the Chapter itself. The Ship Mistress is unknown by name to the Imperial records.

**The Fists Vengeance** - this Strike Cruiser is in use by the 3rd Brotherhood and was gifted by the Imperial Fists themselves. The Strike Cruiser saw great results in the hands of the Blood Griffins, being one of the most famous in the Chapter.

(WIP)

## Chapter Relics

The Blood Griffins have two relics, one of them being given to them in the 7th Black Crusade and the second being very recently in galactic history.

### Psycho Blade

The Psycho Blade is a mysterious weapon in the possession of the current Chapter Master of the Blood Griffins. Teleftaios Ippotis wields this blade with extreme care for reasons unknown. The blade of the sword glows with a powerful hue in battle, as if the sword itself is magical. Teleftaios noted that the sword has great power against Warp based enemies, crackling with immense energy and releasing bolts of lightning at nearest opponents. The blade is surrounded by mystery and legend, apparently being forged in M37 through unknown means. Whatever it may be, there is no doubt that the sword has ties to the supernatural.

### Shield Breaker

Shield Breaker is the sword currently used by Metaforeas Xifous, he began using it after ascending to become the Chapter Champion. This is a large and powerful sword, truly fit for a Champion. As it's name suggests this sword is extremely durable and never failed in breaking through each opponents defenses. This weapon was given to the Chapter in the 7th Black Crusade by an unknown Chapter of Space Marines.

### Armor of Serenity

This is an unknown relic and it's unknown what it's origin is. It may have been gifted to the Chapter after their successful rebuilding or given to them in their crusade against Leviathan which threatens Holy Terra in recent years.

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Blood Griffins primarily wear light green coloured power armour with portions of their armour painted in a secondary colour of maroon including; the helmet, backpack vents, armorial trim, both gauntlets and poleyns. The Aquila or Imperialis affixed to the plastron is gold in colour. The Chapter's badge is prominently displayed on their left armorial insets.

The right armorial inset displays a black stenciled squad specialist symbol, which indicates a battle-brother's assigned squad specialty (Fire Support, Close Support, Battleline, Veteran or Command). A white-coloured Gothic numeral stenciled upon the squad specialist symbol indicates a battle-brother's assigned squad. While a much larger white-coloured Roman numeral stenciled on the left poleyn indicates a battle-brother's assigned company.

### Chapter Badge

The Blood Griffins Chapter icon takes the form of a large black-coloured Griffin, an ancient Terran mythological creature with a lion's body, an eagle's head and large avian wings. This beast is standing rampant ('rearing up'), depicted in profile standing erect with forepaws raised. The griffin is standing with one leg braced, with the other raised to strike. The talons of the griffin are blood red, with several large blood drops of their enemies dripping from them.

## Notable Quotes

### About the Blood Griffins

"*Yes, I knew Chapter Master Xifos personally, in fact. We shared a battlefield together on Yuron's Hold, and as the city was besieged we consulted on strategy together in the bombed out ruins of an old cathedral, before fighting side by side against the endless tide of orks. I found him to be a man of contradictions, in a sense. With his helmet off there was a personability to him, a brightness in his eyes, shielded by a sardonic grin never far from wit. Then the helmet would come on, and that humanness would melt away into a beast of violence and destruction. I have witnessed him carve through a wall of roaring green with the same ease a child tears at paper, armor once spotless caked in blood. There was a duality to him, a duality shared by his entire chapter, these Blood Griffins. Beast and man, killer and friend, two beings in one, a fusion I find at once fascinating, and truthfully, a bit unnerving.*"
—Chapter Master Erias Zerakot, Optimus Legion

[Source]

## Gallery

Blood Griffins Siege Dreadnought of the Chapter's elite 1st Company.