The Death Company is a unique unit of the Blood Angels and their successor chapters, made up of battle-brothers who’ve fallen to the Black Rage. They’re the chapter’s most ferocious shock troops, and every one of them is already considered dead.
What is the Death Company?
The Death Company is a special unit unique to the Blood Angels and their successor chapters, consisting of former battle-brothers who’ve succumbed to the Black Rage. On the eve of battle, chaplains watch for signs of the Rage while the chapter prays and remembers Sanguinius. Those who collapse into the chaplains’ arms during the chanting of the moripatris are taken away to form the Death Company.
Their power armour is repainted black with a blood-red saltire, symbolising the wounds of Sanguinius, and hung with devotional scrolls and records of honours earned before the madness took them. From that point on, they’re dead men walking.
Origins and the Black Rage
The Death Company exists because of the Black Rage, a genetic curse that runs through the Blood Angels’ gene-seed. It’s a psychic echo of the death of their primarch Sanguinius, and it eventually claims every son of Sanguinius who lives long enough.
Those who fall to it relive their primarch’s final battle and become uncontrollable killing machines. Rather than let them rampage through their own ranks, the Blood Angels channel them into the Death Company and point them at the enemy.
How they fight
Consumed by the Black Rage, the Death Company fights without fear, heedless of the quality of their opposition or the wounds they suffer. Under the watchful eye of their Death Company Chaplains, or particularly strong-willed scions of Sanguinius, they fight terrible odds to claim one last honour for the chapter.
They’re known to fight even more ferociously under the command of the Blood Angels’ High Chaplain Astorath and the Chaplain Lemartes. While the High Chaplain fights beside them to ensure they meet a deserved glorious end, Lemartes provides inspirational leadership and direction.
- Before battle, members of the Death Company gain access to the chapter armoury so they may fight their last fight with a weapon of their choice.
- Captains who fall to the Black Rage are granted the use of relic weapons and violently slaughter their foes as they seek death in battle.
- Many of the Blood Angels’ finest victories have come after the Death Company devastated the enemy forces, including battles on Truatas, Antax, Hollonan, Armageddon, and Venerax.
- The Death Company’s fearsome reputation has even spread to worlds that have not seen the Blood Angels in battle.
What happens to survivors
Those few members of the Death Company who survive an engagement usually perish shortly after, either from their wounds or by the hand of the Redeemer of the Lost. The members of the Blood Angels’ Death Company that escape those fates are sealed within the Tower of Amareo on Baal, where their maddened screams ring out.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founding chapter | Blood Angels |
| Cause | Black Rage |
| Armour | Black with blood-red saltire |
| Leaders | Death Company Chaplains, Astorath, Lemartes |
| Fate of survivors | Tower of Amareo on Baal |
Key facts
- The Death Company is unique to the Blood Angels and their successor chapters.
- It’s made up of battle-brothers who’ve fallen to the Black Rage.
- Their armour is repainted black with a blood-red saltire.
- They fight without fear and are considered dead men walking.
- Survivors are sealed in the Tower of Amareo on Baal.
FAQ
What is the Death Company in Warhammer 40k?
It’s a unit of the Blood Angels and their successor chapters made up of battle-brothers who’ve fallen to the Black Rage. They’re sent into battle as expendable shock troops, since they’re already considered dead.
Why do Blood Angels join the Death Company?
They don’t choose to. The Black Rage is a genetic curse that eventually claims every son of Sanguinius, and those who succumb are taken by the chaplains to form the Death Company.
What happens to Death Company survivors?
Most die in battle or are killed by the Redeemer of the Lost. The few who survive are sealed in the Tower of Amareo on Baal.