Scarlet Serpents

"A single saber, thusly brandished, has done the work of a thousand."

- The words engraved upon the the tomb of Saint Raphael of Buhle, Patron Saint of the Scarlet Serpents, friend to Chapter Master Lord Romuald Childebrand A Chapter of noble countenance and regal renown, the Scarlet Serpents have a long and storied history as great Sons of Sanguinius, masters of the way of the sword and defenders of Imperial citizenry since their inception. Born of the ancient 4th Founding, the Scarlet Serpents were created with the express purpose of bolstering the tumultuous Imperial rule over the Exile Sector, the first in what would become a series of Chapters either created or settled in the region to defend its people against the nigh endless tides of xenos and heretics that plague it so. In this unending crusade against the enemies of Mankind, the Scarlet Serpents have been amongst the most venerated of their sister Chapters of the Justicarium, a loose affiliation of Space Marine Chapters who are based in the Exile Sector.

For eons the Scarlet Serpents have done battle against the legions of Chaos and the hordes of xenos, their halls of glory in the Castle Goth overflowing with trophies of vanquished foes and relics of champions past. Their blades have drunk deep of the blood of the abomination and the tyrant, and their swift interventions in both small rebellions and massive campaigns have saved the lives of countless billions of the Emperor's faithful. But a dark stain yet rests upon the otherwise glorious legacy of the Scarlet Serpents, Knights of Ainavstrast, Grand Angels of the Martyr. In spite of their nobility, utter dedication to discipline and poise, the savage bloodlust and madness of the twin curses of the Blood Angels Legion still infects them, and in a manner most vile. For, as the Scarlet Serpents endeavor so greatly to quell their curse, so it overtakes them almost completely. When a Scarlet Serpent falls, not even a trace is left of the warrior he once was. They become depraved, drinking the blood of men and beast alike, and taking to friend and foe with the blade in a savage maelstrom that not even the Chaplains can hope to contain. It is thus the way most members of the Scarlet Serpents, no matter how honorable or grand, are likely doomed to die, blood drunk and raving, their armor slick with the vita of both the heretic and innocent as their erstwhile Brothers shoot them dead like rabid beasts. Such is the curse of the Angel, such is the fate of the Imperium's heroes.