Sanguinary Priest

Sanguinary Priests are a cadre of specialists unique to the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter and its Successors, performing the duties of Apothecaries as well as other services peculiar to the inheritance of their Primarch Sanguinius. While the Apothecaries of other Chapters monitor their charges for genetic purity, the duties of the Sanguinary Priests transcend this mundane medical need. Some Scions of Sanguinius, it is said, are driven by a terrible deathseeking madness called the Black Rage, brought on by visions of the death of their Primarch when he confronted Warmaster Horus during the closing days of the terrible Horus Heresy. Others are afflicted by the terrible Red Thirst, a craving for blood which some claim may be the first signs of corruption by Chaos.

History
Every Space Marine Legion, and every Chapter has maintained a corps of Apothecaries to safeguard its gene-seed and the health of its Battle-Brothers. Yet the Primarch knew that his sons would require more than physical curatives if they were to endure the endless war that was to be their mission in the years to come. The Blood Angels Primarch foresaw the darkness that would manifest itself in his children, and knew that it must be guarded against. He knew the shadow of death would come to nestle in his scions' hearts - though he knew not how it would descend - and judged that constant guidance would be needed to put this darkness to proper use. So did he transform the Legion's Apothecaries into Sanguinary Priests, setting them as high in honour as the Chaplains of the Reclusiam, and as vital to the spiritual guidance of the Blood Angels.

The Sanguinary Priests therefore keep a vigilant watch upon the genetic and spiritual well-being of their charges, and counsel them through the darkness of the Flaw. It is known that some amongst the Blood Angels themselves spend much time seeking a cure for these conditions, although most have resigned themselves to the slow and terrible decline of their Chapter. Some savants say that it is because Sanguinius was more touched by Chaos than the other Primarchs during his gestation capsule's flight through the Warp after he and his superhuman brothers were stolen from the Emepror's gene-laboratory. They cite the fact that he possessed wings -- an obvious mutation -- to support their case. Their argument runs that the gene-seed that was extracted from him was genetically flawed and corrupted even before the first Blood Angels Legion were created from it by the Emperor, and thus terrible consequences were preordained. Other savants of the Astartes deny this, citing that the Emperor Himself trusted Sanguinius implicitly, and personally oversaw the creation of the Blood Angels. Certain Heretics counter this with the argument that the Emperor also once trusted Horus above all others in his Imperium, and that even He could make mistakes.

Whilst the sermons and ceremonies of the Chapter's Chaplains exhort their Battle-Brothers to reject the anger within, those performed by the Sanguinary Priests call upon the Blood Angels to embrace the Red Thirst and wrest it to their control; unleashing its strength to buttress theirs when the day is darkest and the battle goes ill. Even to this day, the Sanguine Tower of the Priesthood, also known as the Tower of Amareo, is the only part of the fortress monastery that challenges the dark glory of the Chapter's Reclusiam. There are tales told of a secret chamber atop the Sangine Tower of howling cries that demand the blood of the living, but none are willing to say for certain what secrets lie hidden in this haunted, desolate place. These two towers - one a shining beacon of redemption and renewal, the other sinister and sombre - remain a physical monument to the dual nature at the heart of every Blood Angels' soul.

Sanguinary Priests Roles
Sanguinary Priests are both medics and mystics, for they are called upon to counsel the Battle-Brothers of their Chapter in regards to the Flaw, to preach how it might be overcome, or, when needed, harnessed. While it is the task of the Blood Angels Chaplains to guard for the onset of the Black Rage, it is the duty of the Sanguinary Priests to guide the brethren through the worst excesses of the Red Thirst, and to remain noble and pure throughout. Whilst the sermons and ceremonies of the Chapter's Chaplains exhort their Battle-Brothers to reject the anger within, those performed by the Sanguinary Priests call upon the Blood Angels to embrace the Red Thirst and wrest it to their control; unleashing its strength to buttress theirs when the day is darkest and the battle goes ill. Even to this day, the Sanguine Tower of the Priesthood is the only part of the fortress monastery that challenges the dark glory of the Chapter's Reclusiam. These two towers - one a shining beacon of redemption and renewal, the other sinister and sombre - remain a physical monument to the dual nature at the heart of every Blood Angels' soul.

Like Apothecaries of other Chapters, a Sanguinary Priests foremost concern is to conserve the Chapter's legacy -- it's gene-seed. For those Battle-Brothers that are wounded in battle and can be saved from the clutches of death, the Sanguinary Priest will do his utmost to preserve his Battle-Brother's life. The injured Battle-Brother is returned to full fighting health, so will the gene-seed within him survive and the Chapter endure. Yet those Space Marines that are mortally wounded in battle and rendered incapable of recovery, the Sanguinary Priest can do little but calm the spirit of his dying Battle-Brother in preparation for oblivion, sometimes relieving his charge's mortal agonies with a single shot. Once death has come, the Sanguinary Priest performs one final act for his fallen comrade, extracting the progenoid organs - the reservoirs of gene-seed - from the corpse. This is by far the hardest part of a Sanguinary Priest's duties, for the Red Thirst cares little for the nature of blood - only that it is warm and flowing. So it is that every gene-seed extraction performed by a Sanguinary Priest becomes not only a ritual necessary for the continuation of the Chapter, but also a trial for the mind and soul of the Sanguinary Priest himself.

Within the veins of every Sanguinary Priest runs the blood of Sanguinius, so that they might continue to Insanguinate the Chapter’s Aspirants—the process by which the geneseed is activated—in the absence of their Primarch. As befits so potent and blessed a legacy, there are few Sanguinary Priests who do not in some way share the tiniest fraction of their Primarch’s legendary grace. The presence of a Sanguinary Priest is heartening for all those who descend from blessed Sanguinius, and few Astartes can deny the presence of a Primarch’s blood. However, so vital to the Blood Angels are the Sanguinary Priests that it does not bode well if one is permitted to fall in battle and be abandoned. If a Sanguinary Priest is slain, and his body and wargear not recovered, the dishonour of such an act reduces the honour of the Chapter as a whole.

Sanguinary Priests & the Deathwatch
A rare few Sanguinary Priests come to take the Apocryphon Oath and serve a Vigil of the Long Watch with the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos of the Deathwatch. When doing so, they perform all of the usual duties of an Apothecary: monitoring genetic purity, healing wounds, and recovering the Progenoids of the fallen. In addition, they are highly gifted in oratory, the very best of them able to inspire not only the Sons of Sanguinius but any Space Marines they serve alongside. However, there is one duty above all others that a Sanguinary Priest serving in the Deathwatch must attend to, and that is the counselling and monitoring of others of his kin serving in the same Watch Station. Should he detect any sign of the Black Rage, he must act for the good of all, and ensure that his lost Battle-Brother is returned to the Chapter, or that his suffering is ended.

Wargear & Equipment

 * Power Armour
 * Chainsword
 * Bolt Pistol
 * Frag & Krak Grenades
 * Exsanguinator - Used by Sanguinary Priests to harvest the gene-seed of fallen comrades, the Exsanguinator is both a sophisticated medical device and close quarters weapon. When a Battle-Brother falls in combat, it is the duty of the Sanguinary Priests to either restore him or safeguard his genetic heritage for future Battle-Brothers, storing it away in the Exsanguinator. An Exsanguinator counts as a Narthecium in all respects. The tool of a Sanguinary Priest's trade, an Exsanguinator contains implements specially designed for Space Marine physiology and for performing first aid without having to remove the patient’s power armour. It also comprises various counterseptics, skin patches, transfusions and other compounds engineered for the Space Marines’ physiology, and several stasis tubes for storing recovered gene-seed.

Blood Chalice
The Sanguinary Priests have as the symbol of their office a gold-wrought cup called a Blood Chalice, a vessel into which it is said a portion of the blood of Sanguinius himself was once poured. The very first Blood Chalices were presented to the priesthood by Sanguinius himself. Legend has it that the Primarch somehow placed a part of his being into each vessel, and that the bearer of the rdic and all Battle-Brothers nearby can hear Sanguinius' voice in their mind, urging them to greater glories. Over the long centuries, many Blood Chalices have been lost to the caprices of war and, though there are no longer Blood Chalices egual to the number of priests, each Exsanguinator - the Sanguinary Priest's chief tool of healing - contains a shard from a shattered Blood Chalice so that the blessing is not lost. The greatest of these is the Red Grail, into which the blood of the slain Primarch was poured, but every Blood Chalice is a relic of the utmost reverence. In the 41st Millennium, there are more Sanguinary Priests than there are Blood Chalices, for the capricious ebb and flow of galactic war has led to some being lost or destroyed. Yet, the Blood Chalice is such a potent symbol of the Chapter’s inheritance that those Sanguinary Priests whom are considered worthy bear one into battle in order to inspire their fellow Space Marines. Even Battle-Brothers not of the Blood Angels’ line cannot help but feel inspired by the proximity of such a relic, for the blood of the Primarch is a potent essence to all of the Adeptus Astartes. Should such a holy relic be lost upon the field of battle, or its bearer fall to enemy fire, the Blood Angels and their allies will fight as savage animals to recover it or to avenge its loss. Entire campaigns have been launched to recover a lost Blood Chalice, and the mere rumour that one has been identified is sufficient to drive the Blood Angels to the edges of the galaxy and beyond to retrieve it.

Notable Sanguinary Priests

 * Brother Corbulo - Corbulo is mightiest amongst the ranks of the Sanguinary Priests and serves as the Bearer of the Red Grail. As sometimes happens with Blood Angels Battle-Brothers, Corbulo bears a great physical resemblance to the Chapter's lost Primarch Sanguinius.