Erasmus Tycho was the Captain of the Blood Angels 3rd Company, a brilliant commander whose face was ruined by an Ork psychic attack and who died fighting Orks at Armageddon. He’s one of the Chapter’s most tragic figures, and his fall says a lot about what the Blood Angels value.
Who Tycho was
Tycho led the Blood Angels 3rd Company during the 41st millennium, homeworld Baal. He took command during the Second War for Armageddon in 941.M41 after his predecessor was killed, and he served until his death in 998.M41.
He was widely seen as a likely successor to Dante as Chapter Master. That’s how highly the Chapter rated him, at least before everything went wrong.
- Homeworld: Baal
- Role: Captain, Blood Angels 3rd Company
- Active: M41 until 998.M41
- Died: Third War for Armageddon, killed by Orks
- Succeeded by: Galan Machiavi
The Weirdboy attack and the mask
During the Second War for Armageddon, Tycho’s squad clashed with a small Ork warband in the jungles between Armageddon Prime and Secundus. An Ork Weirdboy hit him with a psychic attack and left him for dead. He survived, but half his face was paralysed into a fixed, horrible grin.
For the Blood Angels, who care deeply about art and beauty, that kind of disfigurement cut deeper than most injuries. Tycho had a mask made by the Chapter’s finest artificer to cover it. He also developed a burning hatred of Orks that never went away.
A commander in decline
Tycho still won campaigns, and plenty of them. But he couldn’t stand being on Baal for long, surrounded by the Chapter’s beautiful architecture and artworks. Dante ended up sending him on more and more dangerous missions, further and further from home.
During the war against Hive Fleet Jormungandr, his tactics got so reckless that Sanguinary Priests started questioning his sanity. He also led the Blood Angels at Taladorn in 969.M41, where he deployed the Death Company and apparently rubbed Imperial Fists commander Darnath Lysander the wrong way. Lysander reportedly didn’t speak to Tycho for the rest of that campaign.
Death and legacy
Tycho died in 998.M41 during the Third War for Armageddon, killed by Orks. It’s a fitting, bitter end for a man whose whole later career was shaped by an Ork attack.
Galan Machiavi took over the 3rd Company. Tycho’s story sticks with fans because it shows the Blood Angels’ flaw from the inside: their love of beauty can turn into something cruel when a warrior can no longer see himself in it.
Key facts
- Erasmus Tycho was Captain of the Blood Angels 3rd Company.
- An Ork Weirdboy’s psychic attack left half his face paralysed in a grin, so he wore a mask.
- He was considered a likely successor to Dante as Chapter Master.
- He died fighting Orks in the Third War for Armageddon, 998.M41.
- Galan Machiavi succeeded him as Captain of the 3rd Company.
FAQ
How did Tycho get his mask?
An Ork Weirdboy’s psychic attack left half his face paralysed in a rictus grin. The Blood Angels’ most revered artificer made him a mask to hide it.
Who killed Erasmus Tycho?
He was killed by Orks during the Third War for Armageddon in 998.M41.
Was Tycho going to become Chapter Master?
Many thought he’d succeed Dante, but his obsession with his injury and his increasingly reckless behaviour changed that path.