Their origins shrouded in mystery, the Blood Ravens chapter are ever drawnto the pursuit of knowledge and the acquisition of ancient lore. Guided bytheir powerful Librarians, the chapter fights with a precision and calculatedfury, able to predict an enemys plans and thwart them before they come tofruition. These powers have led to great speculation about the chapter.

Azariah was an intelligent warrior who knewmuch of history and bore the burden ofterrible knowledge of the Ruinous Powers. Hewas also blessed, some might say cursed,with tremendously powerful psychic powers.He spent months studying the enemysmovements, tactics and even their histories inan attempt to discern how they might bedefeated. While keeping up the facade thatthe Blood Ravens were reeling from theprevious attacks, he utilised his warriors andthose of the Imperial Guard to probe theenemy to see how they reacted, gauging theirresponse. To some it appeared that he wastedhis time, that retreating to books rather thansteel and courage was no way to fight theenemies of the Emperor.

Eventually, Azariah completed his divinationsand studies, declaring that he possessed theknowledge to defeat their enemies utterly. TheBlood Ravens launched a sweeping counter-offensive that at first seemed organised in aconfusing and uninformed way, hitting areasthat were virtually devoid of enemy activity.But each location proved to be a key pointwhere the forces of Chaos were secretinglarge amounts of supplies and troops,massing for ambushes or raising dark idolsto their blasphemous gods.

The attacks hit the Chaos forces with asupernatural prescience at their weakestpoints, smashing their resistance aside withease. Feted with honours, Azariah insistedthat the key lay in researching and dissectingthe enemys movements, but many believethat the powerful psyker was reading theminds of the enemy and gleaning thenecessary information he needed to defeatthem. After the crushing blow of the firstoffensive, the rest of the campaign was shortand extremely bloody, with the forces of theEnemy melting before the Blood Ravensrelentless assaults. At the conclusion of therebellion, Inquisitorial Purgatus teamsdiscovered dark writings and abominableidols that pointed to the involvement of thetraitorous Alpha Legion, a fact that did notsurprise Azariah when he was informed.

After the resounding victory in the Gothicsector, legends tell of how Azariah took thechapter away to heal its wounds, mourn itsdead and reflect on the battles it had justfought. At the insistence of his battle-brothersand the Secret Masters of the Chapter,Azariah took on the dual mantle of ChapterMaster and Master of the Librarium, anuncommon occurrence, and one that wasfrowned upon by other Space Marinechapters who believed in a strict adherence tothe Codex Astartes. Azariah served as

ORIGINS

T hough the Blood Ravens have a longand glorious history fighting in thename of the Emperor, their exactorigins and earliest days are clouded andambiguous. Not even the mightiest ChapterMasters or revered Librarians can say withany certainty where the origin of their chapterlies. They are a proud and secretive order,obsessed with ritual, history, and theacquisition of knowledge especially for thetruth of their beginnings. The majority of therecords on the chapter date back no furtherthan early M37, though references to theirservice in the litanies of other chapters andImperial organisations prove that they existedand fought the enemies of the Emperor forcenturies before this. This gap in the BloodRavens history has led to endlessspeculation as to their origin, and what couldhave happened to expunge such a large andimportant portion of their history from thechapters lore.

As a result, the Blood Ravens do not knowfrom which Primarch or chapter they aredescended from, and so revere no one asmuch as the Immortal Emperor, suprememaster of all Space Marines. The currentorganisation of the Blood Ravens owes muchto a Space Marine named Azariah Vidya,known to the members of the chapterthrough an ancient legend known as theFather Librarian, or Great Father.

The Legend of the Great Father tells thatAzariah was the Master of the Blood RavensChapter Librarium at a time when the chapterwas still in its infancy. The legend states thatthe Blood Ravens suffered terrible losses incampaigns fought against a series of warp-spawned rebellions said to have taken placein the Gothic sector though nocorroborating records exist to confirm this. Itis told that in the early days of thecampaigns, the foul servants of Chaos werewidespread and disorganised, with no hopeof standing before the might of the BloodRavens. But the machinations of Chaos aremanifold and this impression proved to behorrifyingly false. The cult forces were farmore organised than they at first appeared,and the centres of cult activity attacked by theBlood Ravens turned out to be fiendishlycunning traps. Many Blood Ravens were lostin these elaborate ambushes, and in a blowthat could have proven fatal to the youngchapter, the Chapter Master and the Master ofSanctity both fell defending the retreat of theremnants of the 1st Company. With theirranks depleted, the Blood Ravens turned toAzariah for guidance.

CHAPTERMASTER ANGELOS

Commander Gabriel Angelos hails from the planet of Cyrene, a pleasant, civilised world in the Korianis Sector. Cyrene wasonce a verdant world with an eclectic mixture of technologies, hydrofoil systems nestling alongside corrals for Sharaqs, localdray animals used for drawing carts and hauling bulky wagons. It had long been the tradition for the youth of Cyrene toenter the local Imperial Commanders household guard, the Planetary Defence Force, and earn their place in society through armedservice. Angelos excelled in this, becoming a well-respected leader even before reaching his teenage years and eventually being selectedfor initiation into the Blood Ravens after completing the Blood Trials set by the Chapter Chaplains.

Some considered the Blood Ravens practice for selecting youths from Cyrene unusual due to the markedly higher proportion ofmutant births amongst the populace. Though such abominations were swiftly cleansed and burned, it soon became clear that theseincidences of mutation were linked to a sudden rise in nascent psykers. Such a vast number of unprotected psykers could only lead totrouble and such was to prove the case when the Blood Ravens returned to Cyrene to sweep for new recruits. Now a respected andcourageous captain in the Chapter, Gabriel Angelos descended to the planets surface and began the selection process. The Blood Trialswere cut short, however, when Angelos returned to his Strike Cruiser and transmitted a secure Astropathic communiqu to anunknown location.

The substance of this message will, in all likelihood, remain unknown, but within months of its sending, fleets of Naval andInquisitorial vessels were anchored in high orbit. Almost immediately, the orbiting ships began pounding the surface of the planet todestruction with lance strikes, mass drivers and cyclonic torpedoes. The constant barrage continued for over a week until the entireplanet had been reduced to a smouldering wasteland with nothing left alive. Inquisitorial records remain sealed on this incident, andonly the Inquisition and Commander Gabriel Angelos will truly know what occurred on the planet of Cyrene.

Chapter Approved. Access Level: 7/a

Blood Ravens, Founding M37 further access restricted.Thought for the day: Heresy Lies Beneath

Auto-reactive shoulder guard:Chapter BadgeIconography

Blood Ravens Tactical Marine in Mk 7 Astartes PatternPower Armour. Note chest plate bearing Blood Ravens

chapter symbol.

Blood Ravens Librarian wearing artificer-made armourwith integral psychic hood, and welding a force staff

with Chapter Iconography.

Auto-reactive shoulder guard:Tactical Squad

markings

Veteran Sergeants Helmet

Chapter Master for several centuries, and hisheroic deeds are told in great prayerscommitted to the hearts and minds of everysingle Blood Raven.

While the Blood Ravens follow the CodexAstartes in spirit, if not letter, their passionfor knowledge was instilled into the chapterthrough the Great Fathers example. As aresult, the Blood Ravens maintain one of themost extensive, well-organised and detailedarchives ever seen in a Space Marine chapter,rivalling even the ancient records of many ofthe First Founding chapters. The BloodRavens believe that information, alongsidefaith, is the greatest weapon available to themin the fight against the Emperors enemies.

One of the most remarkable aspects of theBlood Ravens is the large number ofLibrarians within the chapter. The Librariansof the Blood Ravens are exceptionallypowerful, but whether this is due to the GreatFather or a result of the reverence the BloodRavens hold him in, is unknown. However,neither explanation explains how the BloodRavens manage to cultivate such a highnumber of psykers within their ranks, or howthey develop their powers to suchdistinguished levels.

HOMEWORLD

The Blood Ravens do not have a specifichomeworld, but whether this is due to itsbeing expunged from their history or somedarker reason is unknown. Their chapterfortress is a mighty Battle Barge known asOmnis Arcanum, and the rest of the chapter

travels aboard a host of Strike Cruisers andBattle Barges that travel as its escorts. TheLibrarium Sanctorum is aboard the OmnisArcanum and it is here that they maintaintheir records of heroic deeds, lore ofvanquished enemies and various capturedheretical information.

While there is no fixed base of operations forthe Blood Ravens, there are a number ofplanets that they consistently draw theirpotential recruits from, ranging from feralworlds of club-wielding savages to sprawlinghive worlds. There appears to be no rhyme orreason to this process, but there are anumber of worlds in particular that the BloodRavens favour over others. Why this shouldbe the case is unknown, but it is speculatedby some that these worlds have a higherincidence of psykers than is normal, thoughsuch speculation is, thus far, unsubstantiated.

COMBAT DOCTRINE

The Blood Ravens belief in studying theenemy and predicting their movementsbefore launching any attacks, rather thanusing rampaging charges or spur of themoment, lightning assaults, has led to somefriction between other, more headstrongchapters. Those who prefer a morestraightforward approach to battle, and inparticular one chapter, have branded theBlood Ravens cowards for their precise,methodical way of waging war, but this wouldbe an unfair judgement. Once the BloodRavens take to the field of battle, they fightwith a fury and zeal the equal of any otherchapter of the Adeptus Astartes.

Their battle plan never varies from initialconcept to final execution, and is executedruthlessly. Such is the depth of planning andthoroughness that every eventuality isplanned for, thanks to their Librariansuncanny ability to predict. As a result theyhave in the past warned or responded toenemy attacks or invasions well before mostImperial sources have even been aware ofthem. This has led some puritanical figures tomake dark mention of the tale of the fallenPrimarch, Magnus, and his ultimate fate claiming that his path to damnation beganwith such warnings

ORGANISATION

The Organisation of the Blood Ravens followsthe standard practices laid down in the CodexAstartes, with ten companies, each of tensquads. The chapter consists of theprescribed mix of Battle Companies, Assault,Tactical and Devastator Companies, thoughthe exact make up of these companies canvary quite extensively.

Due to the higher proportion of Librarians, itis rare, but not unknown, for them to leadcompanies into battle, though this usuallyonly occurs when the chapter fights aloneand unaided. The higher echelons ofcommand within the Blood Ravens reflect thehigh proportion of psykers too and many ofthe Secret Masters of the Chapter arethemselves psykers, leading powerful units ofwarriors chosen from the Librarium itself.These warriors obsessively study the ways ofthe Enemy to better fight the Ruinous Powersand are steeped in all manner of forbiddenlore. Because of this, though, they areextensively monitored by the ChaptersLibrarium for signs of corruption, as even themightiest of psykers are not immune to theinsidious lure of Chaos.

The chapters Librarium Sanatorium is grimtestament to this fact, filled with the madsouls who have proven too weak to completethe final transformation into a Librarian. Here,these unfortunates are put to final use by thechapter before being ritually executed as adanger to themselves and others. It is a placeof great solemnity, with those who have madethe ultimate sacrifice honoured before theirdeaths with a personal shriving from thechapters Master of Sanctity himself.

BELIEFSLike many Codex Chapters, the Blood Ravensdo not venerate the Emperor as a god, but asthe mightiest of men. This inevitably bringsthem into conflict with the Ministorum. Thisis allayed by the fact that they do not knowthe identity of their Primarch, which leadsthem to give praise to the Emperor with afervour greater than almost any other chapter.As their quest for knowledge echoes manytenets of the Adeptus Mechanicus, thechapter maintains close ties with the Priests

Thus far, there has been little evidence ofmutation, and nothing that points to thegeneseed as the source of the Blood Ravensdisproportionate number of psykers or thepower they exhibit.

There has been much speculation regardingwhich of the Founding Chapters the Blood

of the Machine God, often joining forces withtheir fleets of Explorators in their conquest ofthe unknown quarters of the galaxy.

The Blood Ravens are often known to seekout sites of lost artefacts and ancientsignificance to deny what they hold to theEnemy. To achieve this, they rely heavily ontheir Librarians both to keep the secretarchives in order and compile new records,as well as lead the continuing search for freshinformation to bolster their precious archives.

It is not uncommon for groups of Librariansto be dispatched with an army of servitorsand a number of squads of Space Marines touncover a lost artefact whose location hasbeen recently unearthed or revealed throughritual divination. This has brought the BloodRavens into direct conflict with the Inquisitionon several occasions, as many of the itemsthey seek are touched by the RuinousPowers. The Blood Ravens insist that it istheir duty to hunt out and oppose the forcesof Chaos wherever they may be and that byrecovering and destroying the tools of Chaosthey deny the Enemy their use. However, theBlood Ravens have been less thanforthcoming regarding any proof of thedestruction of any of the hundreds ofartefacts they are said to have procured. Suchactions do nothing to allay their critics.

GENESEED

The Blood Raven geneseed is relativelystable, though the high proportion of psykershas resulted in their geneseed tithe beingtested on a more regular basis than most.

Ravens geneseed is derived from. Both theBlood Angels and Raven Guard have beensuggested, but these are likely to be basedsimply on the similarity in names between thechapters. Rumour has also persisted that theBlood Ravens may be derived from the DarkAngels geneseed, but no facts have ever beenpresented to establish a definitive single

The Blood Ravens 5thCompany is known as theFated, and though the reasonsfor this are unclear, it may hark backto an incident recorded in the annalsof the Chapters Librarium, but neverspoken of openly. The 5th Companyof M38 are recorded as having beenlost in the warp, the great Bell ofSouls tolling a hundred times foreach lost Space Marine, but the truthof the matter is far darker. It iswhispered that one of the companysLibrarians was seduced by the lure ofthe Ruinous Powers and turned hisbrethren to evil, though of coursethis notion is dismissed by theChapter today. No records exist asto the ultimate fate of this companyor whether such a traitor was everbrought to justice. The Blood Ravenshave an especial hatred for those whoturn from the Emperors light, andto this day, the Space Marines ofthe 5th Company wear badges ofshame and penitence upon theirarmour, though none will reveal thereasons for this.

source of the genetic material that makes upthe chapter. The fact that the Blood Ravensthemselves have no record of the chapterthey descended from implies that they couldeasily have been a chapter created inanticipation of some threat to the Imperiumin centuries past that has since been met anddefeated, but the truth of their origin is theone piece of information the Blood Ravensseek above all else.

BATTLECRY

Knowledge is power, guard it well!

The path to becoming a Space Marine is long, arduous and fraught with peril,but it is an easy path to tread when compared to the hardships an Aspirantmust endure to become a Space Marine Librarian. Deadly trials and terrifyingordeals that test an Aspirants strength of will, character and psychic resilience arenecessarily harsh to ensure that the potential Librarian has the power to resist thepredations of warp creatures and astral entities that inhabit the haunted depths of theempyrean. Most human psykers must undergo the agonising ritual of the Soul Bindingto withstand such creatures, but Space Marine Librarians have to be strong enough toresist these horrors on their own.

Those who fail in such endeavours usually either die in agony during the testing orare swiftly executed as potential conduits for warp creatures. But there are others whofail in their testing, but are so ravaged by it that they are no longer sane or, in somecases, even humanoid anymore. These poor, unfortunate individuals are taken inpentagrammically warded chains to a shuttered, lonely place on the Omnis Arcanumknown simply as The Tower, where they are studied by the chapters Librarians tobetter understand what makes an Aspirant fail and how they might hone the minds ofthose who survive their trials. It is a horrifying place, echoing to the sounds oflunatic screams and shunned by all, save those who must brave the soul-destroyingterror of those condemned to this place. What happens behind the locked and wardeddoors of the Tower is never spoken of, but there are dark tales of beasts conjuredfrom beyond the veil and briefly allowed to manifest themselves in the flesh of thoseincarcerated within the Tower, before being banished back to the warp. The veracityof such tales is suspect to say the least but were they proven true, they couldpotentially be the chapters undoing

Graham McNeillGraham has worked forGW for five years andhas an unhealthyfascination for Buffy theVampire Slayer, thebooks of DavidGemmell and CliveBarker, as well asshooting things on hisX-box from time to time.