Archangels

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The Archangels are a successor chapter of blood angels. They believe that to truly follow the path of Sanguinus and the Emperor is by cleansing the black rage from their ranks. They do this with prayers and ritualistic executions of those suffering the Black Rage. As such the Archangels don't field a death company and look down upon other Blood Angels chapters that do. The Archangels remained mostly unknown to the Imperium because they wished to distance themselves from their erstwhile kin. They live on a remote fortress monastery known as *The Angels Eyre.* They oversee the Del'taar System. To the people living on the planets of the Angelus system they are revered saviours. Literal angels from the heavens. The people believe when you die you go to join them up in their floating castle. The original members of the Archangels were all drawn from the Blood Angles 1st company (the Archangels) and thus they were named. The Archangels love the thrill of riding through the air on jump packs and so they have more Vanguard Veterans than other chapters, on top of that The Archangels seem to have a very high amount of Sanguinary Guard jump packs much to the envy of other Blood Angels chapters. As such it is not uncommon to see Vanguard Veterans or even Assault Marines to ride the air on winged jump packs. The Archangels vary rarely use bikes however and are very arrogant, even by Astartes standards, this means that along with their self-imposed isolation they are a difficult force to work with for most members of the Imperium. They seem to have a special dislike for their human counterparts namely the Astra Millatrum and the PDFs

## Death Company

The Archangels have an unwavering revulsion for those fallen to the black rage. Anyone succumbing to the black rage will generally be killed on the spot by Executor-Chaplains. This leads to scenarios when, on the eve of battle brothers that fall to the black rage are killed leaving the Archangels army undermanned and underpowered for their objective. Despite that the Archangels show no sign of stopping with this practice.

## Attitude to the Red Thirst

As the dual part of The Flaw, the Red Thirst is an issue all sons of Sanginius must face. The Archangels deal with this is an similar way that they deal with the Black Rage, through prayer and ancient rituals, Battle brothers are taught to harness the Red Thirst to drive them in battle but they are also taught to not fall to it. An Archangel that allows the Red Thirst to take over and drinks blood will be executed in the same way as one who had fallen to the Black Rage. The only blood related ritual allowed by the Archangels is the Insanguination ritual. Even the blooding of weapons, that many other Blood Angels chapters carry out is forbidden. As for Insanguination the Archangels believe that it is part of what creates the flaw and so strive to find a better way to insert their gene-seed into recruits.

## Archangels Organisation

Organised like their progenitors the Archangels are mostly codex adherent though they like all other Blood Angels Successors have Furisio Dreadnaughts and Luscious Pattern engines. The main difference between the Archangels and other Blood Angels chapters is that the blood angels have a near complete absence of bikes, and a massive amount of assault squads. They also have an extra chaplain rank, the Executor-Chaplain, these chaplains are responsible for the killing of any battle brother that succumbs to either the red thirst or the black rage.

An exception to the normal orginistation of the Archangels is their 6th Company, The Penitent Host

## Battle Cries

**The Archangels battle cries are all called out in native Gelaryian**

**Is é an íonachta Rithe linne:**  **The Emperor's purity is ours.**

**Clann an aingeal, chun cogaidh!: Sons of the Angel, to war!**

**Ar sciatháin aingeal soar againn: On angels wings we soar.**

**Mar cleanse dúinn féin mar sin againn sciúradh an namhaid: As we cleanse ourselves, so we purge our foe.**

## Notable Campaigns

**RISING ANGELS** (500.M31)

The Archangels are founded, their founders are from what would become the 1st company also (some what ironically) known as the Archangels, they were originally led by Rylai Greth and are now led by Araqiuel Harbex. Over the decades they have earned a reputation as a highly arrogant and judgemental chapter, yet despite their distaste for other Blood Angels the Archangels shall always honour their vows of fraternity.

**CALMING THE RAGE** (619.M31)

The Red Thirst and Black Rage rear their heads as the Archangels go to war for the first time. The Archangels look to how the other sons of Sanguinius deal with the problem that confronts them. Seeing that most of the other chapters simply choose their fate the Archangels leave their brothers in disgust, and set out for the northern fringe to perfect their methods of controlling their terrible flaw. Yet before this is done Rylai Greth had the foresight to swear a bond of fraternity and allegiance to all the sons of Sanguinius, and a promise that despite their isolation and their view on their brothers, if it was possible to send aid for whatever reason, they would.

**THE** **ANGELUS SECESSIONIST WAR** (129.M35-229.M35)

Due to the Archangels very lax governing of the system and little over-watch of the systems governor Avitus van Kriek corruption began to set into the ruling system of Angelus, spurred on by mysterious voices in their heads, Avitus and three of the five planetary governors launched an open revolt against the Imperium, dragging Angelus into a long and bitter war. The voices in Avitus's head guided him well and he struck as the majority of the Archangels were away fighting against a Dark Eldar Kabal. Only the 10th and 8th companies were on hand to respond. Just as the Archangels seemed like the they had destroyed the insurrection Avitus summoned a horde of Tzeentchian Daemons to his aid. The battle was quickly ended when the second company, on hearing the news of the rebellion returned at full speed to the system and quickly annihilated Avitus and his Daemon allies. Since then the Archangels still prefer to rule the system distantly, but they now take much greater care of watching troubled areas and people.

**THE INCURSION OF PRINCE SA'DIN** (375.M36)

The Slaaneshi Daemon Prince Sa'Din rampages across the northern frontier of the Segmentum Obscurus and the two closest chapters, the Archangels and the Astral Wolves quickly mobilise their forces to combat the dire threat. They form a joint strike force of which The Chapter Master of the Archangels Rylai Greth is given control. The joint force moves to the frontier where they encounter a large group of noise marines and cultists led by Sa'Din a lengthily battle ensues in which Rylai Challenges Sa'Din to single combat, though outclassed the Chapter Master knows he must do his duty. The two fight but it ends with Sa'Din lifting Rylai into the air and brutally snapping his neck. The strike force falls back to regroup after their losses, Araqiuel Harbex is declared temporary Chapter Master as he is the highest ranked member present (he later goes on to become the full Chapter Master) and Lycaeus Eugelon is given command over the strike force. Eventually the strike force is victorious and Araqiuel personally banishes Sa'Din back to the warp

**THE FALL** (512.M38)

Araquiel is grooming Alesandro to be the new chapter master without Alesandro realising. Araquiel throws many tests at the resolute captain of the 6th and each one is past with ease, until the final test. Alesandro is sent to battle a chaos incursion in the Bordas system, but he is given only the strength of the 6th company. To back him up a regiment of Vostryoan Imperial Guardsmen are also sent to the sector under command of the jovial Captain Borishkov. Borishkov's incompetence combined with his absolutist authority causes Alesandro to snap, and he leads haf of the 6th company on a slaughter of the planet and then the system. The insurrection is finally put down but Alesandro and his most trusted body guards escape. Only to reappear decades later as second in command to The Bloody Harvest.

**THE SWARM COMES** (401.M41)

The Archangels astropaths detected a strange presence, a lack of presence they called it, in the warp around the turn of the millennium. During that time a very outlying system, on the very fringe of known imperial space suddenly lost contact with other imperial forces. Connecting the dots Chapter Master Araqiuel Harbex warned his chapter of a possible incoming Tyranid attack and sent a warning to to all nearby systems. The Archangels dig in and wait. It does not take long and soon Hive Fleet Laestrygon descends on the system. Soon worlds begin to fall at a sickening rate, yet as the Tyranids learn about the defenders, the Archangels study the Tyranids. The war drags on for centuries until suddenly Laestrygon peels away from the battle. Confused the Archangels clean up the remaining Tyranids and then realise where the swarm is headed

**CHASING THE GIANTS** (771.M41)

After many protracted battles across the Del'taar Sector suddenly a large force of Hive Fleet Laestrygon peels away. The Archangels, fearing for the safety of their sole allies system sends out a warning to the Astral Wolves, but thanks to the shadow in the warp created by Laestrygon the message arrives at nearly the same time as the Tyranids themselves. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd companies are sent in pursuit of the Hive Fleet whilst the rest stay behind to drive back the remaining forces. Though the Archangels are too late to help in the defence of the Astral Wolves home, they are in time to help drive the retched xenos from the Ghraca Sector and give the Astral Wolves valuable information about the enemy they face

**THE SHIELD OF BAAL** (998.M41)

Though they are far away from their brother on Baal, the Archangels remember what Rylai Greth swore and they seek to uphold it, as such the 3rd and 6th Archangels companies have been sent to Baal, to reinforce the Blood Angels and their successors. Though Araqiuel requested that they be kept as far away as possible from both the Flesh Tearers and the Blood Drinkers as he wished to keep the infighting to as much as a minimum as possible. The Archangels 6th company fought alongside 1st Company Captain Karlaen and his Deathstorm strike force once they learned of the foe he was fighting. The spawn of Cryptus was remarkably similar to a beast known as the Lord of Morh. This and the markings he and the rest of Leastrygon bore convinced the Archangels that Leastrygon was a Leviathan splinter fleet

## Notable Archangels

**Rylai Greth**: First Chapter Master of the Archangels Rylai Greth lead the Archangels to the northern fringe to seek ways to overcome the flaw. They settled in the Del'taar sector at the edge of Imperial Space, Inside the Sector they settled in a system they named the Angelus System. Rylai Greth was a strong leader and spent his time laying down the tenants of the Archangels beliefs and force organisation. Greth was almost fanatical in his belief that the flaw was a punishment for their impurity and it forms the backbone of the Archangels Chaplain's teachings. Rylai Greth was slain by the Daemon Prince Sa'Din in the Bordas System

**Araqiuel Harbex**: Araqiuel Harbex is the Current Chapter Master of the Archangels and is as valiant in battle as he is noble in character. Yet even he believes that those fallen to the Black Rage are less than animals, worthy of nothing but execution. Harbex is currently helping the chapter switch their focus towards the Tyranid menace that has been rampaging across the northern frontiers recently.

**Alesandro Valleta**: Alesandro Valleta was captain of the 6th company and fell to the Worship of Khorne dragging half of the 6th company with him. He and his fallen brothers did not have long to enjoy the boons of Khorne. The rest of the 6th with support from the 3rd managed to hunt them down and destroy the traitors. Alesandro and the rest of his squad managed to survive and joined with a Warband of Khorne berserkers. They support the berserkers from the air using their jump packs to manoeuvre around their foes and cause distractions until the red tide of berserkers can fall upon their foe.

**Aphael Uberos**: Aphael Uberos was Alesandro Valleta's closest friend and second in command of the 6th company. It was Aphael that personally led the rest of the 6th against their treacherous former Captain. With help from the 3rd company he managed to defeat Alesandro's forces and drive Alesandro and his hand picked squad into the warp. The only he way he managed to do this though was by breaking one of the most important rules of the Archangels; never drink another's blood. The Archangels have have a 0 toleration policy and so it was with remorse that once the battle was ended the 6th had to turn against the one who would have been their captain. It was with equal remorse that Aphael accepted his fate, asking only that he be able to kill himself. He was granted this wish.

**Azyr, The Gate Warden**

Azyr is the oldest living Archangel, though using the term living is a misnomer. Azyr is a librarian dreadnought that serves as the repository of the Archangels knowledge countless captain and chapter masters have come to the venerable Dreadnought for advice, leaving with a new found sense of purpose and spirit. No one knows when Azyr was actually entombed in his sarcophagus, but it is believed sometime around M35. Though he appears to be a mere librarian in a more literal sense of the word only 2 Psychers in the chapter can best him. On top of this he is in charge of a very specific area in *The Angels Eyre.* An area that well deserves guarding...