Angels Penitent

"Penitence and pain are the hammers and nails of devotion."

- Taken from an ancient forbidden text of the Angels Resplendent

The Angels Penitent are a Codex Astartes-compliant Loyalist Successor Chapter of the Blood Angels, created during an unknown Founding. Almost nothing is known about this Chapter in the Imperial records. Prior to the arrival of the mysterious individual, known only as the "Undying Martyr," the Chapter was formerly known as the Angels Resplendent. After interrogating the mortal interloper, the Chaplains had listened to the stranger's new insights into the Imperial Creed and the irredeemable corruption of Mankind. Thus, a new creed was born, and the Chapter began the Great Purge. For many long years, the Angels Resplendent had protected humanity in the Emperor's name. But they were no longer resplendent, as their purity and zeal was turned inwards. Now the Angels Penitent, they are ruled by the Crown of Thorns, a ruling conclave made up of the Chapter's Chaplains, who punish any brother who dares to break their edicts.

History
"Those who stood unblemished yesterday shall fall tomorrow or the day after, for treachery hides in our blood, cloaked in pride."

- Proclamation from Chaplain Malvoisin

During some unknown point in their history, a strange individual, known only as the Undying Martyr, was a "human" who had survived crossing the River Tristesse that served as the moat of the Angel Resplendent's Fortress-Monastery, Kanvolis. Few Space Marines could master the Tristesse, so how had a mortal survived the feat? Instead of ending the strange human's life, he was taken before Chaplain Malvoisin for interrogation. The Chaplain conversed with the stranger for nineteen days before proclaiming him a prophet of the God-Emperor who bore terrible new insights into the Imperial Creed. These truths were dark indeed, for he revealed that mankind was corrupt beyond redemption and that its greatest guardians, the Adeptus Astartes, were the basest of all sinners, for they had faltered and fragmented in the war against the arch-betrayer Horus. There could be no hope of ascension into the Emperor's light, only penitence and pain for sins past and future. The war was already lost and the only victor was fighting on in the knowledge of certain defeat.

Thus began the Great Purge of the Chapter of all activities and items considered blasphemy, including many objects once crafted by the Warrior-Artisans themselves. The Great Purge had swept Kanvolis clean of beauty, yet it had left the fortress filthy, just as the Martyr's words had befouled the Chapter itself. When traversing the corridors, one would trample through a mulch of rotting tapestries and pulverised statuary. The Undying Martyr had pronounced this effluvium of desecrated glories sacrosanct - a mockery of treacherous pride.

Things might have been different if their Chapter Master Varzival had been around during this time, but the Knight Resplendent had been absent for years, campaigning with the elite First Company. There had been no word of them since the Purge and Chaplain Malvoisin had declared them lost, though many within the Chapter refused to believe it. The Knight Resplendent would return some day to reclaim and redeem his Chapter. In the absence of the Chapter Master, only Chief Librarian Athanazius and his Librarian brethren had spurned the Martyr's testament. Inevitably they were denounced as heretics and soon those loyal battle-brothers that following the will of the Chaplains, obediently stormed the librarium, driven by loathing they'd never felt before, even in battle with the xenos.

Athanazius and his followers had awaited them, absent arms or armour, yet shielded by a contempt that brought the charge to a standstill. The attackers waited for the frigid electric tang that presaged a psychic assault, but when Athanazius spoke it was only words: "We will rise on burning wings." Only words, but they were the Chapter's credo, delivered with a conviction that drained the poison from many of their attacking battle-brothers. It might had been enough, but then Chaplain Malvoisin bellowed the new credo, the one revealed by the Undying Martyr: "The Emperor condemns!" The Angels Resplendent died that day and the Angels Penitent rose from their grave, shadow-bound and bitter.

The Chapter is now ruled by a council of Chaplains called The Crown of Thorns. They judged those who they consider to have sinned, an example which included creating scrimshaws honouring the Primarch - for art exalted the tyranny of vanity. Some within the Chapter still secretly harboured their distrust of the order, clinging to the Chapter's old identity, believing they were once warrior artisans before the outsider had enslaved them. Their true skills lay in arms and art in harmony, the true path of the Resplendent. But to voice such unpopular opinions were considered sins in the eyes of the Crown of Thorns. Another worrying symptom of the new order as that the battle-brothers of the Chapter are now prone to fallen victim to the genetic curse known as the Black Rage. Prior to the arrival of the Undying Martyr, the Chapter had never had a single Astartes fall victim to it. It now appears to flourish freely enough to warrant the Chapter having a Death Company of it's own.

Chapter Colours
The Angels Penitent's armour is black with streaks of umber. Prior to becoming the Angels Penitent, the Angels Resplendent wore blue and gold armour.

Chapter Badge
The Angels Penitent's Chapter badge is a large white skull with a crown of thorns worn upon it's brow.