Flesh Tearers - The Black Rage and the Red Thirst: The gene-seed of the Flesh Tearers bears all the hallmarks of the Successor Chapters of the Blood Angels, the Sanguinary Brotherhood. Its best known characteristic is the psychic imprint of Sanguinius' final memories, which leads to the affliction known as the "Black Rage."This can cause them to go insane and enter a berserker rage prior to or during battle as they feel the anger that Sanguinius himself felt during the Siege of Terra. The condition is largely irrecoverable and incurable.The Flesh Tearers are known to fall prey to the curse of the Black Rage far more often than members of any other Chapter descended from Sanguinius' lineage. This is believed to be due to a mutation in their gene-seed, but their combat doctrines and military philosophy may also influence the frequency of the tragic psychogenetic syndrome.At the time of their formation, the Flesh Tearers Chapter discontinued the Blood Angels' practice known as Insanguination which involved the drinking of a small sample of Sanguinius' own blood in an artefact known as a Red Grail to activate the implanted gene-seed within their aspirants. Some might speculate that this practice could have contributed to the horrific mutation and degeneration of their gene-seed without the primarch's blood to serve as a stabilising factor.Unlike the Blood Angels and their other successors, the Flesh Tearers are far further along in the descent into madness and their gene-seed carries a heightened version of the Flaw which may well spell their complete annihilation within the space of a few short solar decades. This means that even the most mentally stable and strong-willed of the Flesh Tearers feels the touch of the Black Rage and the pull of the Red Thirst, knowing full well that it is only a matter of time before they succumb and the madness takes them completely.A Flesh Tearer who has begun to fall more heavily under the effects of the primarch's curse begins a rapid and terrifying spiral into uncontrollable rage and fury which places not just himself, but everyone he comes into contact with in danger. A Flesh Tearers battle-brother knows that as soon as he becomes an initiate of the Chapter it is not a question of if, but when, and how long he has until he completely loses his ability to tell friend from foe.The Chapter's Apothecaries believe that their gene-seed also grants its recipients a significantly extended life expectancy, even for an Astartes, in keeping with its lineage. However, this point is largely moot. The life expectancy for most new initiates to the Chapter is less than two standard centuries. While a few of these inductees may die from the exigencies of war, the vast majority fall prey to the Black Rage. For unknown reasons, the Flesh Tearers succumb to the Black Rage far more than any other Successor Chapter of the Blood Angels, and therefore these Astartes were dwindling in numbers before their recent reinforcement by the Primaris Space Marines.Numerous efforts have been taken to attempt to mitigate the sudden and severe onset of the Black Rage among the Chapter's battle-brothers. The adoption of nightly bloodletting and purification rituals have not been shown to assist battle-brothers in their efforts to resist the Black Rage, nor has it mitigated the syndrome's effects once a Space Marine has entered the latter stages of the genetic curse.The only treatment for those who fully succumb is reassignment to the Death Company and isolation within the Chapter's Tower of the Lost in its fortress-monastery. A fortunate few find solace in death, when they continue to serve their Chapter on the battlefield as members of the Death Company. Less fortunate battle-brothers are subject to permanent incarceration once the High Chaplain of the Death Company has lost the ability to control them.The combination of a rapid decline due to the Black Rage and their proclivity for brutal assaults increased the Chapter's rate of decline. This is why the Chapter until recently only had enough Space Marines in its ranks to deploy 4 full Battle Companies. In many instances, Flesh Tearers died before their Progenoid Glands could be properly harvested. This combination cut into the Chapter's available supply of gene-seed as well as limiting the number of Veteran Space Marines capable of training new inductees. For this reason, the number of members assigned to Apothecary training was increased, as did the prioritisation of recovering these precious glands from fallen battle-brothers.The Flesh Tearers also suffer from the Red Thirst, an overwhelming desire to physically taste their enemies' blood. Unfortunately, when this trait is combined with the Black Rage it can devolve into outright cannibalistic assaults by the enraged Space Marines.Before the recent infusion of new Primaris Marines, the cursed Astartes of the Flesh Tearers seemed doomed to watch the ongoing collapse of their beloved Chapter. Even as they revelled in the destruction of the Emperor's foes, they also watched as their comrades gave in to the curse of Sanguinius' gene-seed.In spite of this, they remain valiant servants of the Imperium. Rather than give in to woe and despair, they constantly strive to fight against the curse as bravely as they fight those who oppose Mankind. As true tragic heroes, the Flesh Tearers remain devoted to their cause, even in the face of what may be ultimate defeat.