60,950
edits
Changes
From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
m
===Related Articles===
Possibility misspelled.
The '''Blood Ravens''' are a mysterious [[Chapter]] of [[Space Marine]]s dedicated to the acquisition of knowledge as well as service to the [[Imperium of Man]].
==Overview==
The precise Founding in which the Blood Ravens were created is unknown; their own chapter histories only begin in early [[M37]], though other [[Imperial]] records contain some small references to the Chapter proving their existence before then. It is important to note that the Blood Ravens' histories are ''completely absent'' before the M37 date; they are not just spotty or fragmentary records. As a result, the [[Astartes]] of the Chapter know absolutely nothing about their origins, including having no knowledge of their [[First Founding|primogenitor legion]] or [[primarch]]. This absence of information about a primarch has resulted in the Blood Ravens focusing their spiritual reverence on the [[Emperor]]. However, they do have one particular mytho-historical figure of import in the form of [[Azariah Vidya]], known as the '''Great Father''' of the Blood Ravens.{{Fn|2d}}
[[Image:Blood_Ravens.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Blood Ravens [[Firstborn]]{{Fn|2}}]]
Azariah Vidya is reputed to have been a member of the Chapter during its first years. According to the legend (for actual records of this event apparently do not exist), during a disastrous campaign against a [[Chaotic]] uprising in the [[Gothic Sector]], their [[Chapter Master]], [[Master of Sanctity]] and most of their elite 1st Company were killed in action. The young Chapter, now without much of their senior cadre, turned to [[Chief Librarian]] Vidya for leadership. Vidya, already said to be an expert in the ways of the [[Ruinous Powers]], turned to both research and guile to achieve victory; researching and documenting the enemies' movements, tactics and histories for clues, as well as using his Space Marine and [[Imperial Guard]] forces to probe enemy lines, strengths and reactions. After some months of such scrying and research, Vidya claimed he had the full knowledge to defeat those arrayed against them, launching a counterattack of surgical Astartes strikes on apparently deserted enemy positions that turned out to be hiding critical Chaos staging bases. The strikes were perfect, sweeping aside those before them, leading to the quick and bloody close of the campaign. In the aftermath, it was discovered that the whole rebellion (and therefore the associated extermination of the Blood Ravens veterans) had been organised by the [[Alpha Legion]].{{Fn|2d}}{{Fn|11g}}{{Fn|11h}}
Following the success of this campaign Vidya was asked by the ''''Secret Masters'''' of the Chapter to officially become Chapter Master; something he did while retaining his position as Chief Librarian.{{Fn|2d}} This resulted in the tradition of the Blood Ravens whereby Librarians are sometimes afforded dual-roles as command officers.{{Fn|2b}}
*The [[Psyker]] [[Kallista Eris]] had a vision concerning the fate of the Thousand Sons shortly before the [[Burning of Prospero]]. Among other things she mentioned "The Ravens. I see them too. The lost sons and a Raven of blood. They cry out for salvation and knowledge, but it is denied!"{{Fn|12b}} There are several possible interpretations of these words, but the language used is clearly pertinent to Blood Ravens speculation.
*The Blood Ravens' motto ''"Knowledge is power"'' was uttered by the Thousand Son [[Corvidae]] member [[Revuel Arvida]] upon his decision to dedicate himself to discovering the true causes of his [[Space Marine Legion|Legion]]'s destruction and combat them. Arvida was a member of the fleet-elements of the Thousand Sons who were sent into hiding by [[Magnus the Red]] prior to the [[Space Wolves]]' attack upon the Legion and therefore did not fall to [[Chaos]] during the [[Burning of Prospero]].{{Fn|10}}<sup>,</sup>{{Fn|12c}} Thus we have a (at that moment) non-Chaos aligned Corvidae Son dedicating himself to fighting the Ruinous Powers in the future. It is also worth mentioning that in his name, Revuel Arvida, certain stylistic similarities could be claimed to that of [[Azariah Vidya]], [[Great Father]] of the Blood Ravens. This motto was also stated by the Thousand Son [[Mhotep]] whilst locked in combat with a [[daemon]].{{Fn|13}} A counter-point to this potential link is that the Blood Ravens motto is a tenet uttered by various, non-Blood Raven individuals in a variety of other sources. However recently in [[The Last Son of Prospero (Short Story)]], Arvida is revealed to be [[Janus]], founder of the [[Grey Knights]], as opposed to having any connection with the founding of the Blood Ravens.{{citethis}}
*The Blood Ravens' [[Rahe's Paradise]] outpost was discovered to be built upon the ruins of a previous [[Space Marine|Astartes]] structure, one that dated from "ten millennia ago". While no identification markings could be found upon it, a red-painted Astartes shoulder plate was excavated from these ruins. Additionally, these ancient Astartes were revealed to have allied themselves with [[Eldar]] forces present upon the planet to defeat a [[Yngir|great evil]], and to have agreed to maintain stewardship over the world in order to thwart this evil should it return.{{Fn|8c}} Ten millennia ago possibly references the birth of the [[Imperium]], although the Thousand Sons were not the only Astartes [[Space Marine Legion|Legion]] to wear red as their primary colour at this time, seeing as the [[Blood Angels]] continue to do so (and one cannot dismiss the notion that this may include the [[Two unknown legions|two unknown Legions]]), there is also the possebility possibility of members from other Legions with a red pauldron as part of their personal heraldry. It's also the possebility possible that the pauldron is from a [[2:nd Founding]] Chapter.
*During an incident on the planet [[Arcadia (Eldar)|Arcadia]], [[Librarian]] [[Rhamah]] of the Blood Ravens suffered amnesia and fell in with the [[Prodigal Sons]] warband of Thousand Sons [[Sorcerer-lord]] [[Ahzek Ahriman]]. Throughout this association Ahriman and his warband referred to Rhamah variously as "Son of Ahriman", "friend of Ahriman" and as a "lost brother". Furthermore, when Rhamah locates an ancient [[Eldar]] tome - called ''[[The Un-Founding]]'' — that bears the crest of the Blood Ravens upon its cover, Ahriman concedes that he once owned a copy of the book and that another one was in the possession of [[Azariah Vidya]] (of whom Ahriman states, "I knew Vidya better than you might expect"). He further states to Rhamah "We are not so different, you and I. We were not always so different...there was a time, long ago, before the [[Rubric of Ahriman|Change]], when the Thousand Sons of [[Magnus]] wore the blood-red armour of their [[Primarch]]."{{Fn|8d}} No explanation is given for what any of this means, and it should be noted that Ahriman is a master of deceit and trickery who was attempting to use Rhamah for his own ends.
* In ''[[Index Astartes]] - Knowledge is Power: the Blood Ravens Space Marine Chapter'' (in [[White Dwarf 305 (UK)]]) and in ''[[Index Astartes]] - Blood Ravens: Non Shall Find Us Wanting'' (in [[White Dwarf July 2019]]) the section talking of their combat doctrine alludes to how their use of foresight to guide them and warn them is how [[Magnus the Red]]'s path of damnation begun.{{Fn|2b}}{{Fn|11j}}
==See also==
*[[Loyal Space Marine Chapters (List)]]
*[[Space Marine Forces (List)]]
**{{Endn|8d}}: {{Cite this}}, pgs. 620, 637, 689, 713,
*{{Endn|9}}: [[Dead Sky, Black Sun (Novel)]]{{Cite this}}
*{{Endn|10}}: [[Rebirth (Short Story)]] - — [[Age of Darkness (Anthology)]]*11: [[White Dwarf July 2019]]:**{{Endn|11a}}:pg. 18 - — ''[[Raven's Blood (Short Story)]]''**{{Endn|11b}}:pg. 19**{{Endn|11c}}:pgs. 19-20**{{Endn|11d}}:pgs. 21-22**{{Endn|11e}}:pg. 23**{{Endn|11f}}:pg. 24 — ''[[Index Astartes]] - Blood Ravens: Non Shall Find Us Wanting''**{{Endn|11g}}:pgspg. 25, 27**{{Endn|11h}}:pg. 27**{{Endn|11i}}:pgs. 27-28**{{Endn|11j}}:pg. 28**{{Endn|11k}}:pg. 29**{{Endn|11l}}:pg. 30**{{Endn|11m}}:pg. 31
*12: [[A Thousand Sons (Novel)]]
**{{Endn|12a}}: {{Cite this}}, pg.26
*{{Endn|17}}: [https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj9meCB0KLwAhUdwAIHHeACA8cQFjAIegQIBBAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.games-workshop.com%2Fresources%2FPDF%2FBlog%2FRazorback_Rikarius_ENG.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2ipoi2lSZouRreqMVN1aWE Games Workshop Razorback Rikarius Rules] (last accessed 4/29/2021)
*{{Endn|18}}: [[Deathwatch: Honour the Chapter]], pg. 26
*{{Endn|19}}: [[Dawn of War II (Novel)]] - ''', Chapter 1'''
[[Category:Blood Ravens|*]]
