Blood Angels 2nd Company - History: Just as each Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes is unique among its peers, so too are the companies of the Blood Angels ancient and sacred brotherhoods in their own right. Legends say that "The Blooded" earned their name long ago from Captain Athaeus, remembered as one of the first to command the 2nd Company.As the tale goes, Athaeus the Blooded was among the first of his brothers to master the Red Thirst. Some say it was just after the Second Founding, when the Chapter was forged from the Legion that had fought to protect the Emperor from the treachery of Horus, others that it was later, during the dark centuries that followed.Whenever Athaeus lived, the stories agree he was a great warrior, created in Sanguinius' image. Even in those days, the genetic Flaw had already started to make itself known within the ranks of the Blood Angels. Athaeus learnt that only by giving in to the Red Thirst was he able to master it.This revelation came upon him when he was drenched in the blood of his foes. It was amid a broken citadel of the Emperor's Children when Athaeus had just finished quenching his rage with the lives of the Traitors. Only when he came back from the brink of madness did he feel a calm fall upon him, and knew in that moment that the Red Thirst no longer had mastery over his mind, and that he could channel it to his will.Thus, millennia later, The Blooded still relate tales of Athaeus and strive to master the same Flaw that assailed their ancestor. It has become a practice within the secret circles of the 2nd Company that no battle-brother can know the Red Thirst until they have completely given themselves over to it. This process is known to the company as being Blooded, and it is from this that they draw their name.Although casting down any foe while in the grip of the Red Thirst is sufficient for the Blooding, it is considered favourable to expend this rage upon a cursed Traitor, just as Athaeus did. Whether or not the process of Blooding grants the battle-brothers of the 2nd Company any more mastery over the Flaw than other Blood Angels is unclear.However, Captain Aphael encourages the continuation of the tradition -- he himself having undergone the rite before earning the mantle of Company Captain. What is apparent is that, while the Blooded more frequently display the Red Thirst than their brothers, they are less likely than any other Blood Angels to fill the ranks of the Death Company.This polarisation of the Flaw led Sanguinary High Priest Corbulo to become very interested in The Blooded in his quest to cure the Black Rage. However, he has as yet been unable to discern any specific reason for this discrepancy from among the traditions and secrets of the 2nd Company.The company's gene-seed likewise holds no answers, drawn as it is from the same stocks as the rest of the Chapter and burdened with the same mutations. Corbulo has begun to suspect that whatever drives The Blooded to perfection is as much of the mind as it is the body. Unlike the Flesh Tearers, which under the stewardship of Gabriel Seth have given in completely to the Red Thirst, The Blooded channel the Flaw with every action and deed.When the urge to rip apart their foes with tooth and nail swells up within their hearts, and the very scent of blood seems to hang heavy upon the air, the battle-brothers remember their Blooding. They recall the feeling of bringing death to their enemies and how their foes' flesh came apart under their crushing fingers.In this moment their bodies succumb to the Red Thirst, charging towards their quarry, but their mind remains clear and filled only with exacting purpose. To their foes, in the fleeting moments of terror and hatred before they are hacked down, the channelled rage of The Blooded is an essence indistinguishable from the battle-madness of other Blood Angels.And yet, to the Sanguinary Priests, The Blooded are unique. As they fight, their expressions remain serene and purposeful, the light in their eyes unclouded by the madness commonly seen in a Battle-Brother in the grip of the Red Thirst.In recent centuries The Blooded have found themselves at the forefront of the Chapter's fighting time after time. It was The Blooded that destroyed the Mirrorfane on Hydris V. When the Hydris Planetary Defence Force fell to possession and madness, the planetary lords sent out a plea for aid from the Imperium.First to arrive were three regiments of Valhallan Astra Militarum, six thousand veteran soldiers fresh form the warzones of the Shardfell Reaches. These too succumbed to the Keeper of Secrets trapped within the Mirrorfane, swelling the armies of Chaos.By the time Captain Aphael and The Blooded reached orbit above Hydris they found a world fortified against them and thousand of enemies hungry for their blood. Without hesitation, Aphael divided his company into two demi-companies and launched lightning strikes against both the planetary lords of Hydris in their Stormwrought Citadel and the Mirrorfane fortress.Guided by the masterful command of Aphael, the fury of the Blood Angels crushed the Traitors' defences. Aphael himself shattered the Mirrorfane with his Power Sword, banishing the Greater Daemon of Slaanesh back into the Warp.The Hydris War was a perfect example of how the Red Thirst is tempered by the discipline and planning of The Blooded. Captain Aphael organised the demi-company that struck the Stormwrought Citadel around his Devastators, Dreadnoughts and heavy tanks. Their combined firepower allowed them to tear apart the Traitors and blast a way into the inner sanctums of the planetary lords.Meanwhile Aphael personally led the other demi-company, this one built on a foundation of Assault Marines and fast-moving armoured transports. These warriors embraced the fury of the Red Thirst to overcome the superior numbers of their foes. With this tailored battle-group Aphael was able to take the forces defending the Mirrorfane by surprise, obliterating them completely in a furious close-quarters engagement.