The Golden Sons are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter and a Successor Chapter of the Blood Angels, created during an unknown Founding of the 38th Millennium to serve as guardians of the northern reaches of the galaxy.
Nearly rendered to extinction in the Devastation of Baal by Hive Fleet Leviathan when most of its fleet was destroyed, the Chapter was reinforced by Primaris Space Marines during the Indomitus Crusade. It is now comprised almost entirely of Primaris Marines, with most of its rich cultural heritage forever lost.
Chapter History[]
The Golden Sons were long known as warrior-scholars, famed for the scope and scale of the information found in their fabled Librarius. The Golden Sons were a fleet-based Chapter, and their vessels were said to have an auric or golden colour to them. Each voidship housed a separate portion of the entirety of the texts that comprised the Chapter's famed Librarius.
Likewise, the Chapter's battle-brothers were considered warrior-scholars, and each had golden tattoos inked onto the skin of their faces.
Created as they were from the Blood Angels' gene-seed, the Golden Sons too carried the genetic flaws inherited from Sanguinius. Like many of their contemporary Successor Chapters founded in later centuries, the Golden Sons were greatly affected by the genetic flaws of their Blood Angels' heritage, the Black Rage and the Red Thirst, even more so than earlier successors. When a battle-brother fell to the throes of the Black Rage he was placed within the ranks of the Death Company.
Unlike their forebears, the Golden Sons were known to take a much harsher, punitive attitude to their battle-lost brothers, hurling their Death Companies into battle with no concern for their afflicted battle-brothers' lives and using them as a blunt instrument to break enemy front lines no matter the cost.
This Chapter displayed such merciless disregard many times across the span of the millennia.
The Chapter was largely destroyed by the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan during the Devastation of Baal, when its fleet was eradicated, reducing the Chapter to a handful of scattered survivors.
However, the Golden Sons soon received reinforcements following the arrival of Roboute Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade at Baal and is now comprised almost entirely of Primaris Space Marines. However, while the reinforcement of the Chapter with Primaris Marines drawn from Sanguinius' genetic lineage could refill the Chapter's ranks, everything else that had once defined the Golden Sons had been lost to Hive Fleet Leviathan. The current Golden Sons no longer resemble the Chapter they once were in any way.
Notable Campaigns[]
- Devastation of Baal (ca. 999.M41) - During the Devastation of Baal, the Golden Sons were among the Successor Chapters that answered Dante's call for aid in the face of Hive Fleet Leviathan's assault on Baal, committing the entire Chapter fleet to the defence. Despite its best efforts, the Chapter suffered extremely heavy losses, including the destruction of the entire Chapter fleet during the Great Devourer's relentless assault. The Chapter's legendary Librarius was lost to the void with the fleet. Its Chapter serfs were consumed by the Hive Mind and the Chapter itself was reduced to a handful of scattered survivors until their recent reinforcement with Primaris Marines.
Notable Golden Sons[]
- Chapter Master Erden Cleeve (KIA) - Erden Cleeve was the Chapter Master of the Golden Sons. He was slain during the Devastation of Baal.
- Captain Cantar - Cantar, bearing such titles as "Keeper of the Wheel," "Slayer of Danrane of the Fifteenth Path," "Bloodlord of Kathoi" and "Exterminator of the Skaal," was the commander of the Golden Sons' 2nd Company prior to the Devastation of Baal and was among the Golden Sons' forces sent to reinforce the Blood Angels in the face of Hive Fleet Leviathan's assault on Baal. It is unknown whether he survived the destruction of the Chapter fleet.
Chapter Appearance[]
Chapter Colours[]
The Golden Sons' Chapter colours are black and gold.
Chapter Badge[]
The Golden Sons' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Canon Conflict[]
The Index Astartes: Death Company claims that the Golden Sons are an extinct Chapter.
Yet, in The Devastation of Baal novel by Guy Haley, the Chapter still exists and participates in the defence of the Blood Angels' homeworld during the Devastation of Baal.
Sources[]
- Index Astartes: Death Company (Digital Edition), pg. 6
- The Devastation of Baal (Novel) by Guy Haley, pp. 168-169, 392
- Astorath: Angel of Mercy (Novella) by Guy Haley, Ch. 3