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Blood Angels - Sanguinary Priest

A Sanguinary Priest is a specialist officer unique to the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter and its successors among the Sanguinary Brotherhood. The Sanguinary Priest performs the duties of an Apothecary in a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter as well as other services peculiar to the genetic inheritance of the Primarch Sanguinius. While the Apothecaries of other Chapters monitor their charges for genetic purity and provide all needed biomedical services, the duties of the Sanguinary Priests transcend this mundane medical need.

Some scions of Sanguinius are driven by a terrible death-seeking madness called the Black Rage, brought on by visions of the death of their primarch when he confronted the Warmaster Horus aboard his flagship the Vengeful Spirit in orbit of Terra during the closing days of the terrible Siege of Terra. Others are afflicted by the Red Thirst, a savage and nearly uncontrollable craving for blood which some claim may be the first signs of corruption by Chaos. The Sanguinary Priests tend to the Astartes afflicted with these genetic curses that comprise their Chapter's Flaw. They are also responsible for inducting all aspirants into the Chapter as neophytes as well as overseeing their implantation with the gene-seed and Astartes organs.

Like other Apothecaries, the power armour of Sanguinary Priests is often painted white to desginate their their status as purveyors of medicae.