Blood Drinkers - The Rite of Holos: The Rite of Holos is the rite that is ritually practiced by the Astartes of the Blood Drinkers Chapter. This rite of blood involves the assembly of Battle-Brothers of the Chapter within their individual vessels' or fortress-monastery's Reclusium that was called the Hall of Life. Standing shoulder to shoulder, dressed in simple scarlet trousers with black tabards embroidered with the yellow blood drop and chalice of the Chapter, the decorated belts they habitually wear, denoting their role and rank within the Chapter, are absent.Techmarine stands with Battle-Brother, Neophyte with Initiate; stripped of their badges, all are equal for the Rite of Holos. For the duration of the ritual the matter of their brotherhood is paramount. Distinction of rank or suborder is unimportant, a distraction from their fundamental sameness in the face of the Thirst. Only the Sanguinary Priests and Chaplains stand apart, all bearing their marks of office; Crozius and chalices gleaming in the chamber's febrile light.They flank the major portal leading into the main room. Ten Sanguinary Guards stand behind them, armed and armoured also, five with the Chaplains, five with the Sanguinary Priests. Through the use of ritual bloodletting, Chapter Serfs willingly offer their precious vitae to their ravenous masters.During the ritual the Battle-Brothers take their assigned positions in outlying alcoves all along the chamber's walls. The Serfs all have thin, metal tubing all over them; the ways to their arteries and the fluids that sustain the Chapter.From the alcoves, the Serfs have their metal tubes connected, draining their precious blood, which flows freely into channels cut into the stone floor and pour into the large depression sunk into the granite floor in the centre of the chamber, its shape cut into the blood drop of the Chapter.At the narrow end of the drop, an altar soars high. A relief of helmetless armoured Battle-Brothers circles it, carved of red carnelian, each one with a skull for his head, bowed over hands clasped around the hilts of swords and axes. Upon the altar channels are also cut, below manacles of bright adamantium, leading from places that would correspond to the major arteries of the human body's limbs should a person be laid out upon it: carotid, femoral, ulnar and radial. The channels run from these points to gather, then as one lead to the apex of the blood drop.This is where the Blood Drinkers ritually sacrifice a hapless mortal in service to the Emperor -- the Chapter's monstrous price for their ravenous bloodlust, known as the "blood-tithe." Later, when the Thirst is quenched, the Chapter's Reclusiarch will lead them in prayers of atonement and then of preparation.They will reaffirm their oaths to the Emperor, and beg forgiveness of one another for the lives they have taken. The Techmarines will take a measure of blood from the brothers themselves to placate the Chapters' weapons and armours. Only then, with the beast inside them tamed, will the brothers' minds turn fully to battle and the destruction of Mankind's foes.The Blood Drinkers firmly believe that blood is the key and that denial was not the answer. They will not quake before their appetites as their brother Chapters do. Though they believe that the monster within them can not be defeated, it can not be denied either. They believe that it can be sated, its strength borrowed. Through the Rite of Holos, the Blood Drinkers believe they have found their salvation from the genetic flaw that reaves the Scions of Sanguinius.But the truth behind the Blood Drinkers' supposed "salvation" is far more insidious. When Brother Holos ascended Mount Calicium and spoke with the angelic vision, some within the Chapter believed this to be none other than their Primarch Sanguinius, who imparted to his genetic son how to save his dying Chapter.However, the truth behind the Rite of Holos is that the brother-saint was visited not by an angel, but rather a daemon. Though the identity of this Neverborn is unknown, it is suspected that it was most likely the Daemon Lord Kairos Fateweaver, Tzeentch's vizier and the first amongst the Great Conspirator's pantheon of Greater Daemons.Holos made a devil's bargain with the Daemon Lord -- in exchange for the knowledge of the blood drinking ritual that would grant his Chapter salvation, saving thousands of his Chapter's Battle-Brothers from the dark fate of the Death Company, Kairos would gain the ability to alter the visions of a select few Death Company Astartes. Instead of receiving the usual visions of their angelic Primarch's death they would instead receive visions of Holos and the Daemon Lord himself.The Blood Drinkers firmly believe that the Black Rage is a blessing, not a curse. Those few great heroes within their Chapter granted these visions did not see what the other scions of Sanguinius saw. Though there were few who were "blessed" with these visions, they were believed to be gloriously blessed.While their brothers all saw the cause of their damnation with the death of their Primarch at the hands of Horus, the Blood Drinkers who were granted these daemonic visions witnessed the moment of their supposed "salvation"; the climb of Brother Holos, the very thing that set them free! This was what the Blood Drinkers believed, and among all of the sons of the Blood Angels, they felt hope.By the 39th Millennium, eighteen brothers had witnessed these visions, and Kairos had spoken to each of these Battle-Brothers through these memories, tempting them with the power of Chaos. If one Battle-Brother even so much as contemplates accepting the Daemon Lord's offer, the Blood Drinkers would be damned and fall to the Ruinous Powers.Thus far, all have refused the Daemon Lord's offer, but Fateweaver is patient, waiting for only one Battle-Brother to utter a single "yes," and damning the Chapter forevermore. Only the Chapter's Reclusiarchs know the truth behind the Rite of Holos, though it is not known if they truly wish for the Chapter to fall.