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The Blood Pact, originally consisting of soldiers from the worlds around Ghourra, is a diverse organization. As the Blood Pact rose to prominence amongst the forces holding the [[Sabbat Worlds]], many lesser war bands and forces submitted to their rule and were absorbed. The leaders of the Pact willingly encourage the integration of other [[Chaos]] war bands, especially traitor [[Imperial Guard]] regiments and soldiers. The Blood Pact is also allied with alien races and mercenaries, such as the [[Loxatl]].{{Fn|4x}}
The Blood Pact is a highly organized army, consisting of soldiers rather than blood-crazed [[cultist]]s. They often have support in the forms of plundered tanks, which are often looted from defeated [[Imperial]] armies or manufactured in captured [[Forge World]]s. They are drilled and trained in warfare techniques to a standard of competence at least equivalent to the [[Imperial Guard]]. They have excellent (often captured) communication systems, and a firm chain of command, meaning that they can be confidently deployed with tactical precision. A Blood Pact General is called an [[Etogaur]]. The Blood Pact can hit specific targets or accomplish specific missions, and individual warriors have the intelligence and field training to operate independently, if necessary, for the Pact's interests. This is what makes them so dangerous. They are not mindless fanatics; they are excellent battlefield soldiers in the sworn service of Chaos{{Fn|4x}}. The Warband also had the ranks of [[Sirdar]], '''High Sirdar''' and [[Arnogaur (Blood Pact)|Arnogaur]]s. While one of the Blood Pact's fundamental decrees was that they did not kill each other, the Arnogaurs were the exception. They were given the sacred dispensation to kill any Blood Pact member who broke their master, [[Urlock Gaur]]'s commands. The Blood Pact also used [[Gore Mage]]s, artillery [[Usurper Gun]] vehicles and [[Chaos Space Marines]]. Among them were the [[World Eaters]]{{Fn|7a}} and [[Dark Tusks]].{{Fn|4x7b}}
Certain elite or veteran sections of the Pact form the so-called '''Death Brigades''', representing the finest and most ruthless storm squads in the Blood Pact. Though few in number, the Death Brigades are often encountered at the spearhead of assaults, as the private company of senior Chaos leaders, or deployed on specialist missions, and are the most dreaded of all Blood Pact units.{{Fn|4x}}
Unlike most Khorne worshipers, the Blood Pact favors a more disciplined and tactical style, emphasizing the martial aspects of the Blood God over those of the [[berserker]]. This means that the average Blood Pact trooper will be armed with a [[lasgun]] or [[autogun]] as his primary weapon. In close-quarter environments such as trenches or when storming techniques are required, they favor plate or chain mail tunics and arm themselves with billhooks, trench clubs and [[grenades]]. Some are able combat specialists in the field of demolition or sniping.{{Fn|4x}}
Blood Pact units will often contain a mix of heavy and support weapons akin to those of the Imperial Guard. Some Imperial tacticians claim that the officers of the Blood Pact deliberately style themselves on the Imperial Guard, and it is certainly the case that [[traitor Guardsmen]] are used to hone and improve the basic combat abilities of the Pact. Such traitors, due to their relative rareness, are distributed throughout the Pact's numbers to disseminate good techniques. Others point out that Blood Pact armaments resemble those of the Imperial Guard because these are the most commonly plundered. Several munitions-producing Forge Worlds - especially [[Neffethyl]] and [[Urdesh]] — were amongst the planets conquered in the Sabbat cluster, and from them the Blood Pact have enjoyed a ready supply of Guard-quality weapons.{{Fn|4x}}
The Blood Pact - thanks to these captured Forge Worlds - have numerous armor and artillery formations. Blood Pact armor is generally slightly inferior to standard Imperial issue, most of it being Urdeshi-pattern variants such as the [[STeG 4]], and the [[AT70 Reaver Battle Tank]]s, though they do also have more limited numbers of the larger and more powerful [[AT83 Brigand Super Tank|AT83 Brigand-pattern tanks]] as well as a few of the rare [[Baneblade]] super-heavy tanks. The Blood Pact also field a lighter-armored variation of the [[Defiler]] known as the [[Stalk Tank]]. All Blood Pact armoured vehicles are painted red, inscribed with numerous obscene Khornate slogans, and are often decorated with the skulls and hides of their enemies.{{Fn|1}}
*[[Vesh Etogaur]]
*[[Mabbon Etogaur]]
*[[Nautakah]] - [[World Eater]], who held the rank of [[Arnogaur (Blood Pact)|Arnogaur]]{{Fn|7a}}
*[[Haliuk]] - [[Sirdar|High Sirdar]]{{Fn|7a}}
==Related Articles==
*{{Endn|5}}: [[Regicide (Short Story)]] by [[Aaron Dembski-Bowden]]
*{{Endn|6}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/12/04/look-inside-the-sabbat-worlds-crusadegw-homepage-post-4/ Warhammer Community: Look Inside the Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Posted December 4 2019)] (Last accessed 12/4/2019)
*7: [[Urdesh: The Serpent and the Saint (Novel)]]
**{{Endn|7a}}: Chapter 3 - Section 16
**{{Endn|7b}}: Chapter 3 - Section 29
[[Category:Chaos Cults and Mutants]]
[[Category:Gaunt's Ghosts (Novel Series)]]
