Sons of Dorn - Redemption: After the corruption of Alexandros the Mad and the violence that followed, a conclave was formed to determine the Chapter's future. There was some reluctance on the part of some of the senior Astartes to allow another prospective successor from the Lineage of Alexandros to ever be allowed to drink from the poisoned blood, but eventually a consensus was reached; they would not restrict any prospective successor, in accordance with Alexandros the Great's wishes, but would place closer scrutiny upon every future inheritor of the Chapter Master's mantle.The Chapter's senior Reclusiarch and Chief Librarian would undertake this solemn duty, acting as both advisors and vigilant guardians over the spiritual and physical well-being of the chosen Chapter Master. If that Chapter Master showed the slightest deviance of spirit, Chaos taint or presented a dire threat to the survival of the entire Chapter, he would be executed without remorse.After five millennia of shame, the Chapter's redemption may have finally come in the form of their current Chapter Master, Alexandros "the Blind." Also born to the famous Lineage of Alexandros the Great, Quintus Decius Alexandros is the second Alexandros descendant to have risen within the ranks of the Sons of Dorn to the position of Chapter Master.Some say he is the prophesied saviour who would finally defeat the evil of Alexandros the Mad, and wipe the stain to their Chapter's honour clean in the sight of the Emperor. Born on Archea in 779.M41, Quintus also came from humble origins.He was inducted into the Sons of Dorn at an early age and quickly rose to prominence within his Chapter as a Scout Novitiate during the later stages of one of the Chapter's Crusades near the Eye of Terror. Quintus moved rapidly through the ranks, his skills applied to service with both his Chapter's famous 4th Battle Company and later the elite 1st Company Veterans, "The Praetorians".His skills eventually saw him raised to the status of a prospective successor for Chapter command, despite having only a standard century of practical experience compared to other Sons of Dorn battle-brothers. He was universally admired and respected by his fellow Astartes for his abilities as a level-headed and skilled commander.Quintus' presence on the battlefield was said to bolster the morale of those around him and his tactical skills were said to rival that of his famous ancestor. Upon the death of their former Chapter Master in 889.M41, Quintus was unanimously elected to undergo the rights of initiation as a prospective Chapter Master. Under the close scrutiny of the senior Chaplain and Librarian of the Chapter, Quintus partook of the poisoned blood of his ancestor and survived the ordeal.Quintus went on to serve the Sons of Dorn as Chapter Master for over a Terran century, without showing any signs of corruption. Putting the well-being of his warriors before his own, Quintus led many of his strike forces from the front lines, often in the thickest of the fighting. The sight of his form in alabaster white Artificer Armour smashing through the enemy's ranks served as an inspiration for the warriors that followed him into battle, assuring them of his righteousness and purity.It would not be until the Defence of Archea from the Tyranids in 999.M41 that the effects of the poisoned blood that he had imbibed over a century earlier became readily apparent. Quintus was convalescing upon Archea within the Chapter's Apothecarium, recovering from severe wounds incurred during the defence of the Imperium from the 13th Black Crusade, when word reached him that a Tyranid hive fleet was fast approaching.Despite the severity of his wounds, Quintus pushed through the severe pain and hastily prepared his world's defences, in order to hopefully survive the inevitable onslaught. He bent his skills to further buttress Archea's defences. Quintus knew that the survival of his world rested on the outcome.When the Tyranid splinter fleet arrived at Archea, it arrived at a world ready for a fight, for the planet's surface possessed a carefully wrought series of defences, which the Sons of Dorn would man alongside Archea's Planetary Defence Forces. Quintus' plan, should the worst befall his defenders, was to fall back towards the Chapter's fortress-monastery located in the planet's towering peaks and hopefully hold out until reinforcements arrived. The Sons of Dorn's fleet was hopelessly outmatched in orbit and had to disengage to preserve their numbers, leaving the forces on the ground to fend for themselves.The four companies of Space Marines on Archea were despatched across the globe to various key cities and locations to protect the population. They fought valiantly but it was a losing battle and eventually the Astartes had to pull back to their fortress-monastery, leaving the Archean civilians to fend for themselves.This brutal conflict lasted for several solar months as the Sons of Dorn fought a brilliant but ultimately futile campaign against the vast hordes of the ravenous Tyranid swarms. All hope for aid was lost, and with only 135 Astartes remaining, the Sons of Dorn knew that they were going to die, but not before they sold their lives dearly.It was near the outskirts of the Sons of Dorn's fortress-monastery, at the Battle of the Ichean Plateau, that Quintus and his surviving Astartes made their valiant last stand. Just as all hope was lost, their hearts soared at the sight of their Chapter's Drop Pods and Thunderhawk gunships dropping from the skies, with the valiant 4th Company spearheading the assault.The 4th Company slammed into the rear flank of the Tyranid swarm as Quintus led a valiant charge from the front lines, catching the vile xenos in a pincer movement. The Sons of Dorn were vastly outnumbered, and though it appeared that they would ultimately fall, Quintus never lost hope in the face of overwhelming odds. He trusted that the Emperor and the spirit of Rogal Dorn would protect them.Leading the assault, the Chapter Master soon identified the malevolent intelligence that led the usually mindless swarm -- a Tyranid Hive Tyrant. Under the Hive Tyrant's psychic dominion, the swarm continuously adapted to defeat Quintus' tactics as quickly as he developed them.Determined to break the synapse control of the domineering bio-form, Quintus bravely plunged into the fray, attacking the Hive Tyrant and his bodyguard of Tyrant Guard bio-forms. Beset on all sides, Quintus' superlative swordsmanship felled three of the Tyrant Guard, but there was still the Hive Tyrant to deal with.In the midst of the ferocious fighting, Quintus took a score of wounds from the large bone-blade of the ravaging Hive Tyrant, laying him low. It was then, when all seemed lost and Quintus was poised to die at the hands of the Hive Tyrant that a miracle occurred. A brilliant explosion of light erupted from his body, levitating his form off the ground. This luminescence disappeared as abruptly as it had appeared, to be replaced by a nimbus of un-light that spread across the battlefield -- it was dark, yet not.Those who witnessed this miracle still find it almost impossible to explain. As this dark light rolled across the battlefield, the Chapter's Librarians fell to their knees in agony, as the projected aura of psychic blankness washed over them, a powerful aura of psychic nothingness similar to that used by the Culexus Assassins. Their psychic connection severed, the Tyranid swarm quickly descended into anarchy without the dominating will of the Hive Tyrant to guide them.Seeing their Chapter Master beset, the Sons of Dorn hastened to their fallen lord and quickly despatched the remaining Tyrant Guard. Quintus' Honour Guard fought against the Hive Tyrant, and in a monumental battle, hacked the monstrous creature down with the blades of their ceremonial Power Swords. The Sons of Dorn then destroyed the remainders of the swarm in earnest.After the battle, it was determined by the Chapter's Chief Librarian that Quintus' manifestation of these strange abilities had resulted in him spontaneously becoming a Pariah -- a "Psychic Blank." Quintus now possessed the innate ability to nullify psychic powers, and if in close quarters to those with psychic abilities, his very existence could drain the strength from them.It was reported by those that witnessed this event that the aura projected by the Chapter Master was so powerful that even non-psychic battle-brothers doubled over in agony, causing them to retch blood. Just like his ancestor, Appius before him, Quintus had never shown any signs of possessing the rare Pariah Gene or any latent psychic abilities.Therefore, it was determined that his abilities were caused by the poisoned blood he had imbibed a standard century earlier. It could not be explained why it took so long for these abilities to manifest. Some claimed that it was the divine intervention of the Emperor, sending Quintus this "gift" as a way to combat the Great Devourer.The Chapter's Master of the Forge, working in concert with the Chapter's Librarians, developed a dampening device to help block the worst of the effects caused by Quintus' powers, which was fitted to the Chapter Master's suit of power armour.The Librarians still felt ill at ease when near him, but for those without psychic abilities, the device proved its worth. This enabled the Chapter Master to turn off the device at will, a useful ability when combating Heretics, daemons or xenos that possessed psychic abilities.The Librarians claimed that Quintus was the fulfillment of the ancient Chapter prophecy from thousands of Terran years ago, come to fruition. Hailed as their Chapter's prophesied saviour, battle-brothers within the Chapter reverently now refer to their Chapter Master as "Alexandros the Blind," in honour of his miraculous abilities.Where Alexandros the Mad had been excessive, insane and megalomaniacal, Alexandros the Blind was the exact opposite of his ancestor in every way. With his Pariah abilities, Quintus will be able to cancel out Appius' greatest advantage -- his powerful psychic abilities. Though the two Chapter Masters have yet to confront one another, Quintus has vowed that before he dies, he will find Appius and destroy him, erasing the stain on the Chapter's honour forever.