Scrolls of Sanguinius

The Scrolls of Sanguinius are sacred texts of the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter which contain the visions of the future as foreseen by their Primarch, Sanguinius. Sanguinius inherited the prescient abilities of his genetic father the Emperor of Mankind, and he often recorded his visions of the terrible events to come for his Chapter and the Imperium of Man.

The Scrolls of Sanguinius are far too precious ever to be risked upon the field of battle. However, on occasions when the foresight contained therein is specific enough to be linked to a particular conflict, the ancient device known as the Veritas Vitae is coaxed into life, and the words of Sanguinius read aloud so that it may commit them to its Machine Spirit's (artificial intelligence) memory. This ornate Vox-reliquary hovers in the wake of a Blood Angels officer, mechanically intoning the prophetic fragments with which it has been entrusted, its words containing strategic insights that might allow an attentive commander to change the flow of a battle or even an entire war in his favour.

There are ninety-nine scrolls in all. Copies are kept in the Chapter Reclusiam in the Arx Angelicum, the Blood Angels' fortress-monastery on their desert homeworld of Baal. The Reclusiam nestles in the heart of a great spire that stands tall over the rest of the Arx Angelicum. Only the tower of the Chapter's Sanguinary Priesthood stretches as high. No part of the fortress-monastery is as revered as the Reclusiam, adorned as it is with banners and relics of ages past, its sable stones steeped in history and grandeur. Here do the Chaplains conduct their ceremonies, the rites of Initiation, Vindication and Redemption, the Blood Pact and the Host-throng. In earlier days, the Reclusiam tower was once given over to Sanguinius' quarters, and the Blood Angels believe that their beloved Primarch can hear any prayer given voice within.

The original copies of the Scrolls of Sanguinius written in the Primarch's own hand are interred in the deep Vaults of Marest in the Librarium of the fortress-monastery, protected by powerful stasis fields from time and decay. There are only five other copies kept outside of the fortress-monastery in the rest of the galaxy.