The Blood Drinkers are a Space Marine chapter descended from the Blood Angels. They’re defined by blood-drinking rituals that keep their gene-flaw in check, but those same rituals hide a daemonic bargain that could damn them all.
Who they are
The Blood Drinkers are a successor chapter of the Blood Angels Legion, founded during the Second Founding (though some sources disagree on the exact founding). They follow the Codex Astartes closely and favour close combat.
Their homeworld is San Guisaga, and their Chapter Master is Orloc. They wear red armour, with pauldron trim showing company affiliation.
The gene-seed flaw and the Rite of Holos
Like all Blood Angels successors, the Blood Drinkers carry the twin flaws: the Red Thirst and the Black Rage. Their Omophagea gene-seed is mutated, giving them a literal blood-lust.
At first glance, they seem to have it under control. Their Death Company is small and the Black Rage rarely surfaces. The truth is they don’t resist the Thirst, they surrender to it through a ritual called the Rite of Holos.
By M37 the chapter was dying, with brothers falling to the Black Rage as soon as they finished initiation. A battle-brother named Holos climbed Mount Calicium after a dream and met what he believed was an angel, possibly Sanguinius. The being taught him a rite to save the chapter.
In the Rite, ranks are set aside (except for Chaplains and Sanguinary Priests). The marines drink blood freely given by serfs, then sacrifice an unwilling victim. ‘Blood given, blood taken.’ This balance calms the Thirst.
The daemon behind the rite
Holos wasn’t visited by an angel. It was a daemon, heavily implied to be Kairos Fateweaver. The deal was simple: the Rite would save thousands from the Death Company, and in return Kairos could twist the visions of a few Death Company marines.
Instead of seeing Sanguinius’s death, those marines see Holos and the daemon. By M39, eighteen brothers had experienced this. Kairos spoke through the memories, tempting each with Chaos.
If even one brother thinks ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’, the entire chapter falls. So far, all have refused. Only the Reclusiarchs know the truth, and it’s unclear whether they want the chapter to fall.
Other rituals and reputation
The Blood Drinkers practice other mysterious rites, such as the Sanguis Excrucio and the Red Tears. Their bloody methods may be why they control the Black Rage better than most Blood Angels successors.
To outsiders, they look like a stable, Codex-compliant chapter. The reality is a tightrope walk over damnation.
Key facts
- Blood Drinkers are a Blood Angels successor chapter, likely Second Founding.
- Homeworld: San Guisaga. Chapter Master: Orloc.
- They use the Rite of Holos, a blood ritual, to control the Red Thirst.
- The rite came from a daemon (likely Kairos Fateweaver), not an angel.
- If any battle-brother accepts Kairos’s offer, the whole chapter falls to Chaos.
FAQ
Are the Blood Drinkers loyalists?
Yes, they’re a loyalist Space Marine chapter. But their secret deal with a daemon means one wrong thought could turn them to Chaos.
What is the Rite of Holos?
It’s a blood-drinking ritual that keeps the Red Thirst in check. Marines drink freely given blood and sacrifice an unwilling victim to balance the rite.
Who is Kairos Fateweaver?
A powerful daemon of Tzeentch. He’s heavily implied to be the entity that gave Holos the Rite, in exchange for access to the chapter’s Death Company visions.