DELETED jdl3932

Main Character Wars! (Fantasy isekai RP with a twist!)

Oooh a chance for almost completely broken character designs? How could I not be interested? First, however, I will need to take care of some other roleplays that I'm part of that aren't going anywhere.

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@Dead Cruiser

Ah, I see.

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I will say, playing Gusion will be interesting. I see him siding with the status quo though, especially given his nature as a restorer of dignity and friends.

EDIT: Odd given he's a demon, but eh. Makes it more interesting than a purely evil character.

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I find myself interested. Possibly in playing Gusion.

Strange Arrivals (A ZAVAZggg & Calle Roleplay)

"I'll keep that in mind," Alastor said as he took an inquisitive sip of his drink, finding the slight burn it had going down not too dissimilar from the gentle burn of the energies that made up his home.

"A gift?" He asked, eyeing Andy suspiciously. "What kind?"

While he doubted his human confidant was going to try and betray him, the old habit to withdraw into a fortress of mistrust and paranoia was still deeply ingrained within his psyche, through no fault of his own. His entire civilization was built upon paranoia after all. Power plays and schemes, dynasties rising and falling to the most delicate of political maneuvering.

So naturally he was somewhat concerned about this gesture of kindness, as well as the motivation that inspired it.

Deepest Abyss (Conquer the World)

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Location: The Lagoon.
Interactions: @TheWindel.

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"I will assist in the procurement of a base," Azrael said, locking gazes with Ignis, his lip twitching in annoyance. "I have had my fill of stinking mutts for the day."

Trailing off, the fallen angels stuffed his hands into his pockets as he fell into a deep muse. Mainly about the being that had touched him. While he had elected to ignore her, preferring to focus on the interrogation instead, her touch had not gone unnoticed. And neither had her pleading gaze. One that begged for a display of mercy. Of something he had forsaken a long time ago, along with the rest of the heavenly benefits and comradeship he once enjoyed. But that was familiar territory, and Azrael of all people did not need yet another refresher when it came to his banishment. Still, he found it somewhat odd that the mute girl would want mercy, especially for creatures as pathetic as the wolves, but to each their own he supposed. If being the savior of dejected mongrels like their jailors gave her contentment in this life, then so be it.

As for him?

A sadistic smile carved its way across Azrael's face as he wandered through fields of silent carrion in the depths of his minds eye.

He wanted something a bit more... visceral.

I want some arena wins.

I think visitor's are supposed to post so the OP can adapt. At least if I understand the first post correctly.

Deepest Abyss (Conquer the World)

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Location: The Lagoon.
Interactions: @Flood.

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Azrael rolled his eyes, easing up slightly now that the wolf had decided to talk. While he would have simply killed the mutt and moved on, the fact that their absence would be noticed gave him pause. Granted the bastard could have been lying, but at this point he couldn't afford being wrong. He was so close to escape. For the first time in thousands of years he was almost out of this lightless hell.

He couldn't fuck this up.

"It is not my age that makes my methods sloppy werewolf," he hissed, his eyes narrowing into slits. "It is the fact that I must do this at all, even though I could snuff out your pathetic little life with naught more than a caress. Believe me mutt, if I had my way, you and your pack would have joined the grave long ago."

Azrael spat, removing the blade from the werewolves throat as he ground its face into the cold stone floor with a booted heel, shaking off the delicate hands that had found their way onto his arm in the process. Dispelling his Quintessence, he bent down so that his face was level with the guards ear.

"Now, give us the movements of your patrols, and we'll let you return to your comrades. On the condition that you reveal nothing about what happened here. Say that you were waylaid and had to fight your way back, but do not reveal our involvement. Or by the Seventeen I swear I will personally hunt down and execute every last one of you."

The exiled angel placed his palm against the top of the wolfs head. Snarling, he channeled a tiny bit of his own essence into the creature. Not enough to extinguish its light fully, but more than enough to bring it close. To make it understand what being on deaths door was really like. Once that was done, however, he stood up to his full height and stepped away from the miserable creature.

"And we may all be prisoners wolf," he said, glaring at the werewolves prone form from over his shoulder. "But you are more of a slave than the weakest person here."

Tearing his gaze away from their prisoner, Azrael moved back to the edge of the group and waited. Curious to see if the wolf would make good on his promise.

The Crossroads (Multiverse-Style Battle Royale Crossover RP) (Unlimited Slots, Always Accepting!)

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~VS~

_{Part Two: Battle of The Impaler's.}

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Alucard sprinted towards the malignance at full speed, eventually coming close enough to make out its features. It was a man, tall and pale skinned, with long claws and dark hair who was clad in a blood colored long coat with golden embroidery. A vampire then, from all appearances, and a powerful one at that if the malevolence he felt radiating off the guy in waves was any indication. Not that it bothered him much. He'd faced other vampires before and come out on top, and he'd do so again. As he drew closer, he took note of the crimson gauntlet surrounding the mans right hand, but did not make any attempt to move out of the way as he rushed towards him.

He wanted to see exactly what this blood drinker was capable of, what kind of weapons and abilities he would bring to bear. If that meant getting hit, then so be it. Alucard knew he was well within his limits in that regard. Predictably, the man lashed out, launching a whip of red tinged darkness towards him at high speeds. Watching the weapon arc through the air with a smirk, he allowed the whip to connect with his face and send him flying backwards into the side of a nearby building. Letting out a small chuckle, he clawed his way out of the rubble and got back to his feet, the large gash across his face already healing.

"Impressive!" He shouted, staring at the man from over the brim of his sunglasses. That attack had been more powerful than he'd been expecting, especially considering how underwhelming it'd looked.

Almost as though the vampire standing before him was holding back.

Leveling his Casull at the man-his eyes narrowing suspiciously-Alucard squeezed the trigger, sending a bullet spiraling straight for the mans forehead. Another test of his enemies capabilities, durability this time. While Alucard knew exactly how much damage his own body could take, just how much his opponent's was capable of tanking was still unknown.

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Dracula let out a quiet tsk as he slapped the other vampire away with his Shadow Whip, amazed at just how brash it had been. It was as though it had no concern for its unlife. Hell, maybe it didn't. Maybe it wanted to die, to put an end to its own existence as he himself did. Either because it saw its condition as a curse, or because it had simply grown tired of being. In any case the reason why hardly mattered as it had been taken care of. Turning away from the undead with sigh, Dracula dispelled his whip, and started to walk off when a shout caught his attention.

"Impressive!"

Halting midstride, Dracula turned round to find his opponent standing tall several feet away, its pistols still drawn.

One of which was pointed directly at his head. Watching as the other vampire pulled the trigger, his eyes narrowing into slits, Dracula saw the world slow as he called upon his supernatural reflexes. Striding towards Alucard, sidestepping the bullet as he moved in closer, Dracula summoned his void sword and took a swipe at his opponents neck, sending its head flying as the blade cleaved through lifeless flesh and bone with ease.

ZAVAZggg Character Vault.

Brother Ophiel

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"The Emperor protects."

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~Aliases~

• Battle-Brother Ophiel.
• Brother Ophiel.

~Appearance~

• Brother Ophiel is a very imposing figure, like most of his Blood Angel brethren, and his intimidating presence is only heightened with the addition of his crimson colored power armor. Although he does not wear it all the time, what he looks like underneath is known only to those within his Chapter and those who have faced off against him on the field of battle, although the latter could not tell you as they have long since been felled by Bolter and blade. It can be safely assumed, given the descriptions of other Blood Angel members who are more widely recognized however, that Ophiel shares the same noble and saintly countenance as others within the Chapter. A countenance that presumably shifts when he is overcome by the Flaw during battle, twisting his once beautiful visage into a pale nightmare that no sane person would dare gaze upon.

~Series of Origin~

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.

— Vulkan, Primarch of the XVIII Legion Astartes "Salamanders."

• Warhammer 40K.

~Personality~

• Brother Ophiel is a solemn individual, undertaking each kill with the utmost detachment and apathy in a futile attempt to curb the ceaseless writhing's of the Red Thirst. Something that has, thus far, proven to be disappointingly ineffective. This kind of restraint he seeks to exercise, when many of his brothers would simply give in and immerse themselves in the righteous slaughter of heretic and xeno alike, has made him somewhat of an oddity amongst the Chapter, albeit not the first or most unusual one they've had over the millennia.
  
  Other than his solemn nature, however, Ophiel shares the same desire to be perfect in all things he does that many of his brothers-in-arms do, in addition to the same overbearing willingness to die for the Emperor while out on some distant field of battle. For Ophiel-despite his futile attempts at staving off the thirst-acknowledges the inevitable nature of his gene-seeds curse and knows that should he not be felled in battle, then one day he will become nothing more than a mindless beast. A creature of war haunted by the hellish visions of his Primarchs final moments during the closing hours of the Horus Heresy and an insatiable thirst for the blood of his foes.

~Abilities~

"They shall be my finest warriors, these men who give of themselves to me. Like clay I shall mould them and in the furnace of war I shall forge them. They shall be of iron will and steely sinew. In great armour I shall clad them and with the mightiest weapons shall they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight them. They shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Terror. They are the Defenders of Humanity. They are my Space Marines...and they shall know no fear."

— The Emperor of Mankind.

All non-Primaris variants of Space Marines share the following modifications, along with the various benefits and drawbacks they grant.

Space Marine Physiology/Abilities

A gene-seed originally cultivated by the Emperor from one of his twenty genetically-engineered sons.

Secondary Heart (The Maintainer) - This is the first and least difficult implant to install. The Secondary Heart increases blood supply and pumping capacity and is capable of taking over entirely should the primary heart fail. It may also pump steroids and adrenaline into the first, primary heart to give the Astartes an extra "rush" of energy on the battlefield.

Ossmodula (The Ironheart) - This implant strengthens and greatly accelerates the growth of the skeleton of a Space Marine by inducing his bones to absorb a ceramic-based mineral administered in every Astartes Neophyte's diet. Within two standard years after the surgery, the Space Marine's skeleton will be larger and exponentially stronger than a normal man's with growth having topped out at around 7-7.5 feet (2.1 to 2.3 metres) in height with an equivalent amount of skeleto-muscular mass. An Astartes' rib cage will also be fused into a solid bone plate to provide greater protection from injury for the internal organs.

Biscopea (The Forge of Strength) - Implanted into the chest cavity, this implant massively bolsters skeletomuscular development and muscle fiber density throughout the Astartes' body to increase physical strength by unleashing a wave of human growth hormones. This gene-seed organ is commonly implanted at the same time as the Ossmodula since it is necessary to successfully regulate the Ossmodula's hormonal secretions.

Haemastamen (The Blood Maker) - Implanted into a main blood vessel like the aorta, femoral artery or the vena cava, the Haemastamen alters an Astartes' blood's biochemical composition to carry oxygen and nutrients more efficiently. The actions of the Haemastamen turn a Space Marine's blood a brighter shade of red than that of normal humans because of its greatly increased oxygen-carrying capacity. It also acts to biochemically regulate the actions of the 2nd and 3rd gene-seed implants, the Ossmodula and Biscopea.

Larraman's Organ (The Healer) - Shaped like the human liver but only the size of a golf ball, this gene-seed organ is placed within the chest cavity and manufactures the synthetic biological cells known as Larraman Cells.These biosynthetic cells serve the same physiological purpose for an Astartes as the normal human body's platelets, serving to clot the blood lost from wounds, but they act faster, more efficiently and more effectively. When a Space Marine is wounded and incurs blood loss, Larraman Cells are released by his circulatory system, attached to the body's normal leukocytes (white blood cells). At the site of the injury, they form scar tissue in a matter of seconds, effectively preventing massive blood loss and infection of the wound. The action of this organ is one of the reasons that the Space Marines are seen as nearly invincible and so difficult to kill despite the terrible wounds they sometimes endure.

Catalepsean Node (The Unsleeping) - Implanted into the back of the cerebrum, this implant allows a Space Marine to avoid sleep, instead entering an almost comatose trance where their minds "recharge". It also allows one half of the brain to rest while the other hemisphere remains alert, thus removing the need for the unconsciousness required by normal sleep. The longest any Space Marine has ever been on active combat duty without rest is 328 hours, achieved by a squad of the Crimson Fists Kill-team during the battle against the Orks for Rynn's World.

Preomnor (The Neutraliser) - The Preomnor is essentially an organic decontamination chamber that is implanted inside the chest cavity and connected to the digestive system, above the original stomach so that no actual digestion occurrs in the Preomnor. It is capable of biochemically analyzing ingested materials and neutralizing most known biochemical and inorganic toxins. The Preomnor enables the Astartes to eat normally inedible substances and resist any poisons he may ingest.

Omophagea (The Remembrancer) - Implanted into the upper spinal cord so that it becomes a component of the central nervous system, this organ is designed to absorb information and any DNA, RNA or protein sequences related to experience or memory. This enables the Space Marine to gain information, in a survival or tactical sense, simply by eating an animal indigenous to an alien world and then experiencing some of what that creature did before its death. Over time, mutations in this implant's gene-seed have given some Chapters an unnatural craving for blood or flesh.

Multi-lung (The Imbiber) - The Multi-lung is a third lung implanted into an Astartes' pulmonary and circulatory systems in the chest cavity that is able to absorb oxygen from environments usually too poor in oxygen to allow normal human respiratory functioning. Breathing is accomplished through a sphincter implanted into the trachea, allowing all three lungs to be used at full capacity. In toxic environments, a similar muscle closes off the normal lungs, thus oxygen is absorbed exclusively by the Multi-lung, which then filters out the poisonous or toxic elements.

Occulobe (The Eye of Vengeance) - Essentially, the Occulobe is a gene-seed organ that enhances an Astartes' eyesight after being implanted along the optic nerve and connected to the retina, granting him exceptional vision and the ability to see normally in a low-light environment.

Lyman's Ear (The Sentinel) - This gene-seed organ implant renders a Space Marine immune to dizziness and motion-induced nausea, and enables an Astartes to consciously filter out "white noise" or resist other sonic attacks.

Sus-an Membrane (The Hibernator) - This implant allows a Space Marine to enter a catatonic or "suspended animation" state and is implanted within the brain near the pituitary gland as a part of the body's endocrine system. It can allow a mortally wounded Astartes to survive his injuries, and bring the metabolism to a standstill until he can receive full medical care. Only the appropriate chemical therapy or hypnotic auto-suggestion can revive a Space Marine from this state. The longest recorded period for this form of hibernation was endured by Battle-Brother Silas Err of the Dark Angels Chapter, who was in Sus-an hibernation for 567 standard years.

Melanochrome - Linked into the endocrine system via the lymphatic system, this gene-seed organ alters the pigment cells in the skin, which allows the Astartes' skin to shield him from otherwise dangerous levels of radiation and heat. Different levels of radiation cause variations of skin color in different Chapters due to mutations in the Melanochrome organ's gene-seed. This can be related to the unusually pale skin of the Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters and the dark black skin and red eyes of the Salamanders.

Oolitic Kidney (The Purifier) - This gene-seed organ works in conjunction with the Preomnor, filtering the blood to remove toxins that have been ingested or breathed into the body. However, this detoxification process renders the Astartes unconscious once it begins, so it can be very dangerous if required during combat. Under normal circumstances, the Oolitic Kidney also acts as a regulatory organ for the Astartes physiology, maintaining the efficient action of the Space Marine's advanced circulatory system and the proper functioning of his other organs, implanted or otherwise.

Neuroglottis (The Devourer) - This gene-seed organ implanted in the mouth allows an Astartes to biochemically assess a wide variety of things simply by taste or smell, biochemically testing various objects for toxicity and nutritional content, essentially determining if the substance is edible or poisonous. From poisons to chemicals to animals, a Space Marine can even track his quarry by taste or smell alone, much like the average canine bred for tracking.

Mucranoid (The Weaver) - This gene-seed organ is implanted within the central nervous system and responds to specific chemical stimuli in the environment, causing the Space Marine to secrete a waxy protein substance similar to mucus through his pores that seals his skin. The gland's operations must first be activated by an external chemical treatment, usually self-administered, before it will activate. Space Marines are cocooned in this way before they enter suspended animation, and the process can even protect them from the harshness of the vacuum and other extremes of temperature, particularly deeply frigid environments.

Betcher's Gland (The Poison Bite) - Actually consisting of 2 separate glands implanted into multiple locations inside an Astartes' mouth, including the inside of the lower lip, in the salivary glands or in the hard palette, these two glands work in tandem to transform a Space Marine's saliva into a corrosive, blinding acid when consciously triggered. An Astartes trapped behind iron bars, for example, would be able to chew his way out given a few hours. These implants' more common use is to aid in the digestion of unusually difficult or impossible things to digest, such as cellulose. In the gene-seed of several Primarchs, like that of Rogal Dorn, this organ has atrophied and is no longer as effective or has simply ceased to function entirely in the Astartes of the Chapters that use those Primarchs' gene-seed.

Progenoid Glands (The Gene-Seeds) - Implanted into both the neck and the chest cavity, these reproductive glands serve to collect, gestate and maintain the gene-seed from a Space Marine's body, and to safeguard it for the continuity of a Chapter. These organs hormonally respond to the presence of the other Astartes gene-seed implants in the body by creating germ cells with DNA identical to that of those implants through a process very similar to cellular mitosis. These germ cells grow and are stored in the Progenoid organs, much like sperm cells or egg cells are stored in the testes and ovaries of normal men and women. When properly cultured by the Apothecaries of a Space Marine Chapter, these germ cells can be gestated into each of the 19 gene-seed organs needed to create a new Space Marine. Thus, for most Astartes, their Progenoid Glands represent the only form of reproduction they will ever know, though the DNA passed on will be that of their Primarch, not their own. The neck gland can be removed after 5 years, and the chest gland after 10 years; both are then used to create new gene-seed organs for the development of the next generation of Space Marines.

The Black Carapace (Interface) - The last and possibly most important of all gene-seed implants, this neuroreactive, fibrous organic material is implanted directly under the skin in the chest area of the hardened and shell-like ribcage of the Astartes Neophyte. Invasive fiber bundles that serve as neuron connectors then grow inward from the implant and interlink with the Space Marine's central nervous system. Points pre-cut into the Carapace before its implantation by the Apothecary are effectively neural connection points, allowing an Astartes to directly interface his central nervous system with his suit of Power Armor's Machine Spirit so that the suit can provide enhanced protection and combat maneuverability unavailable to an unaltered human wearing the same armor.

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The following is a list of ages at which each of these implants are grafted into a Neophyte, for the sake of reference.

Age 10-14: The Secondary Heart, Ossmodula and Biscopea are implanted, with the Ossmodula and the Biscopea usually being implanted during the same surgical procedure.

Age 12-14: The Haemastamen and the Larraman's Organ are implanted. This surgery can be difficult for Neophytes at the older end of this age range, who have less time to recover from the previous surgeries and the effects of the implants upon their rapidly growing adolescent bodies.

Age 14-17: Once the Catalepsean Node is implanted at the sixth stage of the process, the Neophyte begins his hypno-therapy conditioning in the device known as a Hypnomat.

Age 14-16: The Preomnor, Omophagea, and Multi-lung are all implanted within the Neophyte simultaneously in the same surgical procedure, some time during this age range but after the Catalepsean Node has been implanted and hypno-therapy has already begun. The Occulobe, Lyman's Ear, and the Sus-an Membrane can also be implanted at any time during this age range, also usually during the same surgical procedure.

Age 15-16: The Melanochrome, Oolitic Kidney, and Neuroglottis are ideally implanted during this age range, all during the same surgical procedure.

Age 16-18: The remaining gene-seed implants, the Mucranoid, Betcher's Gland, Progenoid Glands and the Black Carapace, are implanted in that order at any time between the ages of 16 to 18 standard years. The idea is to be able to introduce a Neophyte into a Chapter's company of Scout Marines by the time his adult growth has been reached, usually around 18 years of age, though some Neophytes have become Scouts as early as the age of 16 if their implantation process began at the young end of the age ranges given here.

~Weapons & Equipment~

Blood Angel Wargear

A masterfully crafted Bolt Pistol.

A masterfully crafted Bolter.

A strikingly decorated, perfectly balanced, and well maintained Chainsword with the name of the Chapters Primarch engraved along its length.

A suit of Mark VII Power Armor styled after the colors, markings, and heraldry of the Blood Angels Chapter, whose surface is decorated with several purity seals.

~Character Alignment~

• Lawful Evil.

~Other~

Informational Indexes.

Blood Angels Chapter Gene

--Chapter Gene-Seed--

The Blood Angels, of all the warriors of the Legiones Astartes, evidenced perhaps the greatest degree of transformation of their flesh from their human origins to the Space Marines they would become. This transformation's effects were even more pronounced and more fundamental than that of the Space Wolves or the Salamanders, both of which featured unique stigmata of their own. The aggressive over-writing of the aspirant's gene-helix by the blood of the Primarch was capable of transfiguring the rad-scarred and twisted inhabitants of Baal to create "perfected" warriors, living icons of the physical ideal of the Legiones Astartes, each one an echo of their Primarch, called "the Angel", Sanguinius in his fearsome glory. There was a price however for this power, and the process of transformation was a more arcane, elaborate and painful one than that endured by any other Legion. Even with the direct infusion of its Primarch's own blood to stabilise the process, the rate of fatalities among aspirants was frighteningly high. There were also those who argued that the mental scars suffered by those who survived the change were just as deep, instilling a sense of cause and purpose that manifested as unflinching, unreasoning fanaticism bordering on madness, a certainty which could in mere moments turn to insane fury when that purpose was challenged.

--The Blood Angels' Flaw--

"Say what you like, I will not fight alongside these madmen. The past proves nothing, except that the Blood Angels are cursed and but a single step from damnation."

— Yuron, Captain, Patriarchs of Ulixis Chapter.

Every Space Marine Chapter is defined by the legacy of their Primarch. Through their gene-seed these mighty beings would shape their sons' bodies, while through teachings and philosophy they would influence their minds. Yet none amongst the Primarchs would have as profound an effect upon their progeny as did Sanguinius. Although it is known to but a few, the Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters are a dying breed, for they suffer from a dreadful genetic flaw.

This Chapter, once the most golden and blessed of all the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, now shuns the company of its fellows where possible. Some Blood Angels, it is said, are driven by a terrible death-seeking madness called the Black Rage, brought on by visions of the death of their Primarch. Others are afflicted by the terrible Red Thirst, a craving for blood which some claim may be the first signs of corruption by Chaos. It is known that some amongst the Blood Angels themselves spend much time seeking a cure for these conditions, although most have resigned themselves to the slow and terrible decline of their Chapter.

Some savants say that it is because Sanguinius was more touched by Chaos than the other Primarchs during his gestation capsule's flight through the Warp after he and his superhuman brothers were stolen from the Emperor's gene-laboratory. They cite the fact that he possessed wings -- an obvious mutation -- to support their case.

Their argument runs that the gene-seed that was extracted from him was genetically flawed and corrupted even before the first Blood Angels Space Marines were created from it by the Emperor, and thus terrible consequences were preordained. Other savants of the Astartes deny this, citing that the Emperor Himself trusted Sanguinius implicitly, and personally oversaw the creation of the Blood Angels. Certain Heretics counter this with the argument that the Emperor also once trusted Horus above all others in His Imperium, and that even He could make mistakes...

Other Imperial scholars claim that the Flaw lies in the process that is used to create each new generation of Blood Angels Astartes. They assert that it has crept in through the generations because the Blood Angels use the process known as Insanguination to activate the implanted gene-seed organs within their Aspirants. All Space Marine Chapters use the gene-seed organs to unleash and control the metabolic processes that transform an ordinary mortal into a Space Marine.

The gene-seed is encoded with all the information needed to reshape ordinary human cell clusters into the special organs Space Marines possess in those instances where they are not directly implanted after being cultured in vitro. The gene-seed contains genetically-engineered viral machines which rebuild the male human body according to the biological template contained within it. However, even from the beginning of the Astartes' existence, there was never a set way to activate these functions of the gene-seed.

During the First Founding of the 30th Millennium when the Space Marine Legions were first created, the process was still highly experimental and many different ways of controlling and managing the transformation from mortal into Astartes were tried. This led to the Space Wolves using the ritual known as Blooding, the Imperial Fists using the process known as the Hand of Faith, the White Scars conducting the Rites of the Risen Moon and the Blood Angels using the ritual of Insanguination.

The process of Insanguination was originally triggered by injecting the Aspirants with tiny samples of their Primarch's own blood. This practice, of course, ended with the tragic death of Sanguinius at the hands of Horus during the Battle of Terra. However, some of his blood was preserved within the Blood Angels artefact known as the Red Grail. The still-living blood could not be kept this way for long and so it was injected into the veins of the Sanguinary Priests. In this way they became living hosts to the power of Sanguinius. To this day, the drinking of the collected blood of the assembled Sanguinary Priests from the relic called the Red Grail is part of the induction ritual for all Blood Angels Priests as well as the Chapter's Aspirants.

It is from these Sanguinary Priests that blood is taken to trigger the transformation of Aspirants into Space Marines. It is possible that over the countless generations since the time of the Horus Heresy the cells within the Blood Angels' gene-seed have mutated, slowly at first but more quickly in recent years, and that cumulative errors in DNA replication have resulted in the Flaw. Whatever the reason for the Flaw, it is certain that its hold over the Blood Angels has become ever stronger, and their tendency towards self-destructive insanity greater. Unless it can be halted and reversed, the Chapter and all of its Successors are doomed to extinction.

The Flaw of the Blood Angels has also been attributed to a combination of the genetic defects in the Legion's Omophagea gene-seed organ implant, and the psychic disturbance created during the final seconds of Sanguinius' life. During the battles of the Horus Heresy on Terra and Mars, the stored gene-seed imprint of the Blood Angels was lost, forcing the Legion to have to extract the gene-seed needed for their reconstruction after the Heresy from the fallen body of their Primarch himself. Every Space Marine created from the gene-seed drawn from Sanguinius after his death was doomed to fall to the Flaw, and in the 10,000-year history of the Legion and its Second Founding Successor Chapters, only three Space Marines have managed to defeat the Black Rage once it manifested (Chief Librarian Mephiston (twice) and Brother Rafen -- both with the assistance of visions of Sanguinius, and the Librarian Ashok of the Angels Sanguine).

The Black Rage

--The Black Rage--

"Treat them with honor, my Brothers. Not because they will bring us victory this day, but because their fate will one day be ours."

— Astorath the Grim, Blood Angels High Chaplain, referring to the Astartes of the Death Company.

The Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters still suffer from the psychic imprint left by Sanguinius' death (or by the daemonic "wound" caused on Signus Prime). This can cause them to go insane prior to or during battle and feel the rage that Sanguinius himself felt during the Battle of Terra.

The condition is largely irrecoverable and only a few Blood Angels have managed to defeat the "Gene Curse". Victims are locked away in the "Tower of Amareo" (named after an ancient Chapter Master of the Blood Angels) on the Blood Angels' homeworld. This insanity is known as the Black Rage. Rather than let them face a slow, insane death, Blood Angels will form those who have newly succumbed to the Black Rage into a special unit known as the Death Company.

They wear specially painted black Power Armor, and are often led by the few Chapter officers, notably Blood Angels Chaplains, who are still able to communicate orders to the insane troops and who are still obeyed by them, perhaps because Chaplains directly represent the authority of the Emperor. The members of the Death Company are then sent out to perform the most dangerous assaults, hoping for a quick and honorable death in combat. The Rage seems to lend those afflicted with a measure of the Primarch's might, granting them the strength to rend their foes limb from limb in bloody melee.

However, by some unknown means, the Flaw that produces the Black Rage also seems capable of extending the victim's lifespan, at least until he finally succumbs to the Rage. Commander Dante is by far the oldest living Space Marine (not including those interred in a Dreadnought) born more than 1,000 standard years before the present time.

The Red Thirst

--The Red Thirst--

Deep within the psyche of every Blood Angel is a destructive yearning, a battle fury and blood-hunger that must be held in abeyance in every waking moment. Few Battle-Brothers can hold this Red Thirst in check unceasingly -- it is far from unknown for Blood Angels to temporarily succumb to its lure at the height of battle. The Red Thirst is the Blood Angels' darkest secret and greatest curse, but it is also their greatest salvation, for it brings with it a humility and understanding of their own failings which make them truly the most noble of the Space Marines.

The fate of those unfortunates overtaken completely by the Red Thirst is known only to the Chapter itself. There are tales of a secret chamber atop the Tower of Amareo on Baal, and of howling cries that demand the blood of the living, but none are willing to say for certain what secrets lie hidden in this haunted, desolate place. There have been incidents when the Blood Angels have been stationed on distant worlds where members of the local population have gone missing only to turn up later drained of blood. It is possible that this is the work of cultists seeking to discredit the Chapter. It may even be that some of the more superstitious local citizens have taken to offering up sacrifices to their god-like visitors. It may also be possible that these folk have been killed by Blood Angels overcome by the Red Thirst.

Those affected by the Red Thirst often have pale skin, and a potent urge to drink the blood of their enemies that can emerge at any time during combat. Many also may develop elongated and sharpened eye-teeth. This genetic curse has also been passed on to the Blood Angels Successor Chapters, such as the Flesh Tearers, Blood Drinkers, and the Angels Sanguine. One Successor Chapter, the Lamenters, managed during their Founding by the Adeptus Mechanicus to eliminate the Flaw from Sanguinius' gene-seed through the genetic tinkerings of some overzealous Tech-priests. However, throughout its history, the Lamenters Chapter has been stricken by extraordinary bad luck in battle ever since, suffering an improbable series of unlikely catastrophes, and has been nearly annihilated.

The recent addition of Primaris Space Marines to the Chapter who were derived from Sanguinius' gene-seed has changed this calculus somewhat. In all of the combats since their introduction to the Chapter following the Devastation of Baal, the Primaris Marines have proved -- at least, so far -- immune to the Black Rage, but not the Red Thirst. However, they seem able to channel their fury more effectively, leading to fewer unfortunate "accidents" with civilians or other Imperial forces...

--Blood Angels Freed From The Flaw--

Mephiston - Originally Brother Calistarius, a Blood Angels Librarian of some ability and strength of character, he was almost overcome by the Curse when part of the relief force for Hades hive during the Second War for Armageddon, where, having suffered for 7 days and nights trapped in the rubble of the collapsed Ecclesorium building, a vision of Sanguinius helped him fight off the effects. He was reborn as Mephiston, the Lord of Death, and with his full psychic potential unlocked, quickly achieved the position of Chief Librarian. He is seen as the spiritual son of Sanguinius, a figure of hope to his Chapter. He is now considered to be the most powerful Librarian in the Astartes, and possibly the most powerful psyker in the Imperium, after the Emperor Himself.

Rafen - A Battle-Brother -- later promoted to Sergeant -- Rafen had to kill his actual sibling and fellow Blood Angels Astartes Arkio who was claiming to be Sanguinius Reborn but was in reality deceived by Chaos, having been made, through Chaotic mutation, into a likeness of Sanguinius. Rafen then had to succumb to the Gene Curse to unleash the power of the Holy Spear of Telesto (a weapon wielded by Sanguinius himself) in order to defeat Malfallax, a Lord of Change who had deceived Arkio. However, he was eventually able to pull himself to the surface of his consciousness, and also succeeded in helping Mephiston defeat the Black Rage within himself for a second time.

Ophiel is a tactical marine formerly under the command of Captain Sandini, Keeper of The Arsenal and leader of the Daemonbanes Battle Company, who has since become a lone wolf of sorts thanks to interdimensional meddling's.