Crimson Paladins (Blood Angels)

The Crimson Paladins Order, also known as the Keruvim, or the Storm Winds, for the sudden onset of their anger and the lasting fervour of their hate, was a warrior Order of the ancient Blood Angels Space Marine Legion that saw action during the Unification Wars, the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia. They served as the guardians of the Primarch's halls and sanctums. At the Primarch's order, they also took to the field to serve as his determination and the shield of his will.

History
The origins of the Crimson Paladins lay in the reunion of IXth Legion and Primarch Sanguinius. The winged Primarch was to bring a sense of order to the often fractious Legion, stamping a new structure onto it in the hopes of containing its hunger. Though in essence this new order would seem to be in accord with the Principia Bellicosa, the schema by which the other Legions were organised, in actuality it also varied a great deal from the standard pattern. It retained the basic structure of companies, initially forming the Legion into 200 companies of approximately 300 warriors each, although by the last years of the Great Crusade this would have increased to 300 companies each of 500 warriors. However, past this basic structure there were many discrepancies, each chosen by the Great Angel to serve a purpose in his plans. These companies were grouped into Hosts for campaigns requiring greater force of numbers than that possessed of a single company, though each Host was a temporary creature broken and made as need required. Sanguinius created three Spheres to encompass his Hosts, three chambers by which he would give order and purpose to the warriors of the Legion. Each was separate and distinct from the Three Hundred Companies and the strictures of the Principia Bellicosa, forming a distinct strata of organisation that allowed the warriors of the IXth Legion to focus their hunger and rage towards a single end and to conquer it. Yet it was not merely a blunt tool, but an elegant and artful plan designed to promote the finer qualities of the Legion while providing an outlet for the more base. It was the Great Angel's masterwork, the fulfilment of an oath and the salvation of his children.

The First Sphere, the final demarcation of Sanguinius' new Legion, comprised the ranks of the Immortals. These warriors stood within the presence of the Primarch; they did not operate within one of the Three Hundred Companies but as the guards and servants of the Great Angel himself. Each, when inducted into the ranks of the First Sphere, gave up his common name to take on another and gave up his identity to do the work of the Primarch without guilt or regret. They were Sanguinius' wrath, his stern resolve and his watchful eyes each given form and purpose. Upon these warriors he depended for the most dangerous of tasks, to fight upon those battlefields and to act upon those errands that would tarnish the soul and bring the hunger roaring to the fore. By the armour of the names and persona that the warriors of the First Sphere wore like their own, they put off the toll of their actions and emerged from their service untarnished, to take their places in the ranks once again.

The First Sphere was made up entirely of a series of warrior Orders, each of which operated independently of the Three Hundred Companies. The first and most famous of these were the Sanguinary Guard, the lifeguard of the Primarch himself, but there would be many others - each assigned with a specific task and duty.

Also known within obscure dogma of the IXth Legion as Keruvim, or the Storm Winds, the Crimson Paladins are one of the warrior Orders of the First Sphere. As with the other First Sphere Orders, they forsake name and rank to assume an identity and role that subsumes all sense of self and leaves them with only the singular duty assigned them. Such a sacrifice, made in the name of the Great Angel and for the sake of their brothers, bolsters the resolve of these warriors to the point that no threat or dire fate can turn them from their purpose. It is commonly held within the legion that no warrior who wears the armour of a Paladin has ever taken a step backwards while the IXth Legion bears arms in righteous combat.

The Crimson Paladins of the Blood Angels stand as the guardians of the Primarch’s halls, a grim counterpart to the Golden Seraphs, the Sanguinary Guard. When these warriors take to the field, clad in the reliquary armour of their Order and cloaked in the names of the immortals, they stand as a bulwark against the foe and a shield for the sons of Sanguinius. They form the unyielding anchor upon which the Crimson Host turns – a single unshakeable bastion of blades and power shields. By their sacrifice and indomitable resolve are the Blood Angels freed to give vent to the noble fury of their Legion.

Notable Crimson Paladins

 * Barbiel - Barbiel was leader of the Crimson Paladins at the time of the Battle for Signus Prime. Barbiel defended the wreck of Red Tear, his great hammer dripped with the ichor of slain Daemons.
 * Hamonah - Venerable Hamonah once was the Lord of the Storm Winds and Principal of the Crimson Paladins. He participated in the Battle for Signus Prime in form of the mighty Dreadnought Keruvim.
 * Jophial - Jophial was a capable sculptor, he continued to work at marble even after he became Leviathan Dreadnought. Venerable-Exemplar Jophial was aboard the Red Tear, still engaged with enemy forces in the outer compartments, when that venerable warship smashed itself into the surface of Signus Prime. It is a testament to the formidable armour of his Dreadnought chassis that he survived the impact of the crash landing, and a tribute to his valour that he was among the first of the survivors to dig himself free and secure the area around the wreck. After serving a vital role in recovery operations, the indomitable Ancient would go on to serve as a linchpin in the defence of the wreck.

Wargear

 * Cataphractii Terminator armour
 * Power weapon
 * Coriolis pattern power shield

Optional Wargear (for Crimson Exemplar)

 * Blade of Perdition
 * Grenade harness

Optional Wargear

 * Sunset blade
 * Iliastus pattern assault cannon
 * Heavy flamer
 * Plasma blaster
 * Power fist