Blood Wights

"Bring the wrath of the Emperor upon the forces of Chaos! Pick up your blades and prove your worth to our Lady, for we may not come back from this journey, but will live on forever to haunt the daemons!"

- Agathus Colchian, 312.M37 Abyssal Crusade, rallying the chapter before traveling into the Eye of Terror

The Blood Wights are a loyalist Space Marine chapter, successors of Sanguinius and Blood Angels. Allegedly created in M33 as one of the Missing Foundings. The purpose for their creation was to assist the Inquisition in cleansing the Chaos from the Feral world of Valos Krin in what was known as the Redemption of Hazeroth. They were awarded the Feral World after the successful purging and took root on the planet, maybe more than was expected. Blood Wights are known for their divergent beliefs, specifically the worship of a deity known as Lady Forlorn, whom the chapter believes to be the True Bride of the Emperor. Despite their exotic beliefs, Blood Wights proved to be steadfast allies and faithful worshipers of the Emperor throughout the millennia.

Redemption of Hazeroth
During the 33rd Millennium the Calixian Conclave was starting purging operations in the Calixian Sector. Once they reached the world of Valos Krin it turned out to be much more than the Inquisition sector forces could handle. Inquisitor Joshua Starkh requested one of the newly created chapters to assist with the cleansing. Blood Wights were reportedly the only chapter of this Missing Founding to be formed from Sanguinius' gene seed which resulted in it being altered stock. The chapter was eventually sent in to assist the Inquisition, under the command of Chapter Master Kraius Malacar. The united forces landed on the planet to be greeted by a Chaos cult who called themselves Witch-Brothers of Night. With the assistance of vicious and wroth Blood Wights the cult was easily decimated in a fortnight and cleansing of the planet could begin. The Inquisition stayed on the planet for a few years to ensure the local populations conversion to Imperial Law. After that, Blood Wights were awarded the planet and tasked with protection of it and the local region from further signs of Chaos corruption.

Settling of Valos Krin
Blood Wights took a liking to an old mountain fortress and started building around it and improving its existing structure. They named it Wrathspire and established the monastery in its halls. Throughout the years of settling on the planet and recruiting the local warriors, the chapter mixed in the local culture into their day-to-day. Kraius Malacar discovered an ancient statue within the halls of the fortress, the likes of an angelic woman reaching for the sky in the moonlit, cold stone chamber. The tales are told of Malacar going on a spiritual journey through the halls and labyrinths of the fortress, disappearing for a year. Returning a wisened man he proclaimed Lady Forlorn - a spirit or an angel came to him and showed him the truth. She is the True Bride of the Emperor and would light the path against the forces of Chaos for mankind. The marines would feel the chill of this spirit at her monument and would soon take to believing and worshiping the Bride of the Emperor, but never forsaking their loyalty to the Emperor himself.

Millennia of Strife
Throughout the years, Blood Wights mostly defended the Calixis Sector against Xenos threats, heresy and Chaos forces. They sometimes took to field in major campaigns to defend the Imperium of Man at large. Most notably: Siege of Eternity's Gate, Hunting down the 21st Cursed Founding, several Black Crusades and the Abyssal Crusade.

Abyssal Crusade
Counted among the 30 Chapters deemed by Saint Basillius to be wanting in faith, the Chapter Master Agathus Colchian agreed to lead the Blood Wights on a crusade of redemption and martyrdom into the Eye of Terror as part of "The Judged" Adeptus Astartes chapters. The nominal assault was a disaster as the outnumbering Chaos fleet tore into the arriving Space Marine fleet. The entire flotilla was scattered with huge losses. Blood Wight fleet barely survived with 3 ships left with Stormbringer at the lead. They tactically moved into the darker space of the Eye and started systematic assaults on the Chaos infested planets. Using Shock and Awe tactics they took over numerous planets. Their catalapsean node mutation allowed the chapter to fend off Chaos forces for up to months and then retreat into the shadow of the Void recuperating and regrouping. Despite their best efforts, the Chaos forces seemed unending and Blood Wights suffered immense losses. During one of the raids, Chapter Master Agathus Colchian and his squad got separated from the rest of the chapter and presumed dead. In 112.M38 the remaining Blood Wights on their flagship - the Stormbringer managed to reunite with Vorpal Blades and the other survivors of the Crusade. They traveled back through the Eye of Terror to be tested for traces of Chaos. Infuriated by this display and finding out Saint Basillius still lives. With the testimony of remaining leaders of "The Judged" the false saint was revealed as an agent of Chaos. Blood Wights, enraged by the loss of most of their chapter and their Chapter Master, joined Vorpal Blades in the attack on Basillius' palace and slayed the heretic.

The Grave Curse
With only 1/10 of the original chapter surviving, the Blood Wights returned to their homeworld to rebuild and repent. As they replenished their numbers, they started noticing a strange occurrence in their catalapsean node mutation. Before, they would have to sleep for a long period depending on how long they stayed awake, but now, the slumber would happen spontaneously and unnaturally. The victims would get pale, weak, and seemingly collapse into unconsciousness for up to months. After years of trying to battle the mutation, Grand Chaplain Corellius received a vision and came to the conclusion that this is their punishment for leaving their Chapter Master to his fate in the Void. As part of their repentance, Blood Wights started sending patrols into the fringes of the Void to look for their Chapter Master, alive or dead.

Call of the Grave
Despite their best efforts, they could not find Colchian. Either because of that or pure misfortune, members of the Chapter would fall into the slumber for longer periods of time. Much to the dismay and terror of the brothers, they would not wake up even after years of sleep. This would later be known as the Call of the Grave. All Adeptus Astartes of the Blood Wight chapter eventually fell into the slumber within their mountain monastery. Last to be awake was Grand Chaplain Corellius. Before he inevitably felt the call of the grave himself, he delivered a true and pious prayer to Lady Forlorn and the Emperor asking for forgiveness and redemption.

The Waking
A millenia later in 552.M40, one after another the entire chapter wakes only to be subjected to another threat. Dark Eldar emerge from the fringes of space and the Blood Wights are called to duty ordered to defend the Empire of Man from the Xenos threat. Upon their return from the campaign against the Dark Eldar, Corellius starts noticing traces of corruption within their own ranks. It soon turns out that as much as a third of the chapter has been tainted by Chaos during their long slumber. This begins the Long Night - a several hundred year long campaign of hunting down every trace of their corrupted brothers.

Return of Colchian
One of the Blood Wight patrols picks up a strange signal on one of the fringe Chaos planets. They land to find their lone Chapter Master, bloodied and weathered but alive. Agathus Colchian reappears in 139.M41 after 3 millenia of being missing, either due to the time distortion, the Blood Angel heritage or both. He is tested and proven clean of corruption and warns the Imperium of the 12th Black Crusade that takes place soon after, and Blood Wights valiantly take part in it, reinvigorated by the return of their revered Chapter Master.

Nature of Valos Krin
The hardy and weathered people of Valos Krin are known for their willpower and devotion to their ideals. Despite the intrusion of the Inquisition and the Imperium of Man, there still remain cults to the mysterious Lady Forlorn among the warrior clans of the feral world. The clans are hardy and quick to anger, vengeful but honest and resolute and cunning above all. The unforgiving nature of the planet requires it. The cold spires to the north and south, the deep wetlands and overgrown jungles along the equator and the colluding of magma fields and cold salt water of the Great sea, all make the world breed strong and uncompromising character. Among the worlds most vicious predators are the Dreadhounds, huge doberman looking breed of dire dogs native to the tundras and marshes of the planet. Throughout the millenia, Blood Wights have bred and trained the vicious animals as battle companions, utilizing their quick speed and relentless attacks, that synergize well with their own combat doctrine.

Wrathspire
Much like every other Chapter of Adeptus Astartes, Blood Wights command their forces from within their fortress-monastery that they named Wrathspire upon their settling of the planet. The building and its foundation is not original to the chapter itself however. Their first Chapter Master Kraius Malacar, settled inside the old citadel upon arriving. From old tales of the locals the buidling has been standing there as long ago as their texts remember. It is told to have been built by a mighty warlord who has been seeing visions of a beautiful, Grey winged angel with a dour and stoic look on her face. The mysterious spirit has been influencing the inhabitants of the world for millenia and protecting them from many threats, be it natural cataclysms or Chaos corruption. The fortress is built into the side of a giant mountain range and can be reached only by means of aircraft or through an extremely narrow and steep passage along the mountainside. The entire side of the fortress is heavily protected with land-to-air weaponry to prevent any heavy assault through air, and the steep passage is easily held as a chokepoint along with the natural defense of landslides and avalanches.

The Red Thirst
Similarly to Blood Angels and much like many chapters bearing gene-seed of Sanguinius, Blood Wraiths suffer from the genetic affliction known as the Red Thirst. Not as numerous and influential in numbers as some other chapters of the same gene-seed, it is still an issue and a curse that afflicts some marines of the chapter. Despite the drawback, the wrath and anger the curse brings out inside the marine during the heat of battle makes them vicious and near unparalleled warriors. Coupled with the heritage of Valos Krin and their faith and devotion for the Emperor and his Bride, they make an unstoppable force on the battlefield.

Curse of the Grave
A much less vicious curse than the Red Thirst, the Curse of the Grave is a more insidious drawback or a blessing in disguise. Due to the chapter being the only one to be created in the Missing Founding of M33 from Sanguinius' gene-seed, their genetic modification resulted in an altered-stock seed. The catalapsean node of every Blood Wight marine is mutated to the point where they don't have to rest for up to months or even years, but this is a double edged sword, because if the marine does not rest or meditate for long periods of time, it will trigger the curse and the warrior will involuntarily fall into a slumber for an unspecified time, depending on how long he has been awake. There are some cases, where the curse takes a much larger twist on the marine. Such as the case of Agathus Colchian, the current Chapter Master of the Blood Wights. He has been awake since the very beginning of his inception into the Blood Wight ranks. Only required to meditate for some time to regain his energy, this extreme mutation allows him to be unparalleled in vigilance and prolonged battles, and is probably a big reason to his survival inside the Void for as long as he did. However, Colchian has been known to suffer from waking nightmares. Strange occurrences that twist reality and essentially let him dream while still being awake, creating illusions and distortions in reality. This requires him to pray and meditate for hours on end to regain his grasp on reality.