Editing Blood Guard

{{Cabal Legion infobox
|nameBG=darkred
|BG=orange
|sectionBG=darkred
|lineBG=orange
|image= [[File:BloodGuardBanner.png|300px]]
|name=Blood Guard
|objectives= Protect Imperial Cabal leadership <br> Enforce the Red Legion and will of the Dominus
|commander(s)=[[Thumos, the Unbroken]] (presumably)
|keep(s)=[[Orobas Vectura]] <br> [[The Immortal]] <br> [[The Almighty]]
|deployed=[[European Dead Zone]], [[Earth]]<br>[[The Last City]], [[Earth]] <br> [[Arcadian Valley]], [[Nessus]] <br> [[The Leviathan]] <small>(briefly)</small> <br> [[Sundial]], [[Mercury]] <br> [[Cosmodrome]], [[Earth]] <br> [[Rathmore Chaos]], [[Europa]].
}}
{{Quote|They're known as the Blood Guard for a reason. I'd tell you to be careful, but… that didn't help the last team I sent out.|[[Suraya Hawthorne]]}}<ref name="Unbroken">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''Destiny 2 - [[Unbroken]]''</ref>
The '''Blood Guard''' is an elite unit of the [[Red Legion]]. Described as [[Dominus Ghaul]]'s "chosen" and would die for their leader,<ref name="Payback">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Payback]]''</ref> they often serve as commanders of operations throughout the [[Red War]] and can also be found serving as bodyguards to high-ranking [[Cabal]] officers.<ref name="Unbroken"/> They can be identified by their heavy, all-red armor, which often features prominent horsehair-like crests. 

==Overview==
The Blood Guard has members filling the roles of Legionnaires, Incendiors, and Centurions who are frequently seen serving as an Honor Guard centered around Red Legion Hardpoints, VIPs, or points of interest. It is heavily inferred Blood Guard are also enforcers amongst the Red Legion to help carry out the will of the Dominus or acting Red Legion leader along with serving as a royal guard and field operatives. 

Possessing a doctrine of no retreat, the Blood Guard exhibits usual Cabal dogma and loyalty however elevated in intensity towards those who they serve and the principles and objectives they seek to uphold. The Guard is observed as utterly subservient to their commanders with many openly sacrificing themselves for their higher-ups without hesitation.<ref name="Unbroken/> 

Considering the Red Legion's armor scheme with commanders and Ultras wearing Gold, his personal bodyguard along with the Guard's instability after his fall, it can be inferred [[Thumos, the Unbroken]] was a commander of the Blood Guard if not its leader.

==History==
===Red War===
{{Quote|The only thing standing between [[The Guardian|you]] and the Almighty is Thumos, the Unbroken. He's a Blood Guard. One of Ghaul's "chosen." The Red Legion will die for him.|[[Commander Zavala]]}}<ref name="Payback"/>

Stemming from an unknown period in time likely after the [[Midnight Coup (event)|Midnight Coup]], the Blood Guard are the most elite of the Red Legion's warriors and officers. During the [[Red War]], the Blood Guard were deployed across the system with Keeps primarily emplaced in the [[European Dead Zone]]. Acting under their command, The Blood Guard helped in the siege and occupation of [[The Last City]]. Many weeks after the preemptive attack, [[The Guardian]] would be forced to face the Blood Guard and its command as their only method of infiltrating [[The Almighty]].<ref name="Payback"/>

Assaulting [[The Tunnels]], the Guardian fought through hordes of Cabal Red Legion until eventually reaching the [[Orobas Vectura]], the [[Cabal Carrier]] of Thumos. Fighting through lines of Blood Guard Security, the Guardian eventually fought their way into the [[Echion Control|bridge]] of the carrier where they faced Thumos along with two [[Blood Guard Close Protection|body]] [[Blood Guard Bulwark|guards]]. Despite the skill of the Guard and the Unbroken, the Guardian vanquished them all, obtaining the keycodes to Thumos' ship and using it to infiltrate The Almighty despite an attempt from the Red Legion at defending the [[Harvester]].<ref name="Unbroken"/><ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''Destiny 2 - [[Larceny]]''</ref> Blood Guard members faced The Guardian on both the sun-destroying vessel and [[The Immortal]], Ghaul's personal flagship, yet all perished, unable to prevent the Guardian in their advance and vanquishing of Ghaul in the reclamation of the Last City.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''Destiny 2 - [[Chosen]]''</ref>

Blood Guard would also be seen during the attack on [[The Inverted Spire]] where they attempted to protect the various drills, but ultimately failed.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''Destiny 2 - [[The Inverted Spire]]''</ref>

===Ca'our's Reign===
[[File:CaourandWarships.png|300px|thumb|Ca'our, the de-facto leader of the Legion and Guard]]
{{Quote|Ghaul is lost. He stood before the Light and met a warrior's end. The Red Legion suffered a great blow today, and in time we shall mourn the Dominus. We do not lay in defeat like the wretched Eliksni. No, I will not return to Torobatl in defeat.|[[Val Ca'uor]]}}<ref>'''Bungie (2018/5/11)''', ''Destiny 2: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]] - Item Description: [[Last of the Legion#Lore|Last of the Legion]]''</ref>

Forced into disarray at the loss of the Dominus, [[Consul]], and their commander Thumos, the Blood Guard and Red Legion as a whole were disrupted.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''Destiny 2 - [[Anti-Anti-Air]]''</ref> This did not last for long, however, as in the wake of the power vacuum [[Val Ca'uor]] asserted himself as the new de-facto leader of the Red Legion and swiftly put the Blood Guard to new use. In Ca'our's short eight-month reign, the Blood Guard were encountered far more frequently in the field, partaking most notably in the assault on [[The Insight Terminus]].<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''Destiny 2: Warmind - [[The Insight Terminus]]''</ref> The Blood Guard would then be deployed to [[The Leviathan]] alongside the entirety of Ca'our's amassed Red Legion fleet until his subsequent death when the Blood Guard began to fracture into individual lead cells as their primary purpose for existing had been shattered.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/5/11)''', ''Destiny 2: Warmind - [[Leviathan, Spire of Stars]]''</ref> The largest example was several Blood Guard defecting to the "Unbowed Legion" in the form of [[Uprooted Centurion|Uprooted]] [[Uprooted Gladiator|Red]] [[Uprooted Incendior|Legion]], however, some remained loyal to the Legion and served [[Vrag, Sister of Tluam|Vrag]] and [[Tluam, Sister of Vrag|Tluam]].<ref>'''Bungie (2019/7/30)''', ''Destiny 2: [[Season of Opulence]] - [[European Aerial Zone]]''</ref>

During the [[Season of Dawn]], several Blood Guard in the form of Time Wardens would assist the Red Legion and [[Ozletc, the Sky Piercer|Psion]] [[Tazaroc, the Sun Eater|Flayer]] [[Niruul, the Hollow Voice|Triumvirate]] in subverting time to undo their defeat in the Red War. The Blood Guard and the respective Psion sisters, along with the Red Legion, would still fail in their attempts leaving even more Blood Guard slain.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/12/10)''', ''Destiny 2: [[Season of Dawn]] - [[The Sundial]]''</ref>

===Empress' Advent===
[[File:BloodGuardChosen.png|300px|thumb|Blood Guard and Red Legion guarding the Halphas Electus]]
{{Quote|I send out a challenge to the remains of the broken legion: prove your worth in battle. The ancient rites live again.|[[Empress Caiatl]]}}<ref>'''Bungie (2021/2/9)''', ''Destiny 2: [[Season of the Chosen]] - [[H.E.L.M.]] Radio message: [[H.E.L.M.#Season of the Chosen|Caiatl's Address]]''</ref>

Following the events of the [[Empress Caiatl|Empress']] arrival into the Solar System, the remaining Blood Guard had resurfaced amongst the fields of multiple [[Battlegrounds]] acting as field commanders, shieldbearers, and unstable fuel cell holders.<ref>'''Bungie (2021/2/9)''', ''Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen - [[Battlegrounds]]''</ref> Many remnant Blood Guard members would turn to the [[Imperial Cabal]] and be promoted to [[Val]]s, serving within the [[Halphas Electus]] with many falling in the [[Proving Grounds]] against the Chosen [[Guardian]] who sought to triumph over [[Ignovun, Chosen of Caiatl]] in a final Rite of combat that would determine the victor in the proposed treaty between the Last City and the Cabal.<ref>'''Bungie (2021/2/9)''', ''Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen - [[Proving Grounds]]''</ref>

Despite the events of the [[Clash of the Chosen]], some Blood Guard still held allegiance to Ghaul and the Legion such as [[Commander Dracus]] and [[Val Ma'rag]], two of the few officers remaining, and only served the Empress begrudgingly out of the prospect of material or reputable gain.<ref>'''Bungie (2021/2/9)''', ''Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen - [[Lore]]:[[Lore:From the Front|From the Front]], [[Lore:From the Front#The Hopeful Legion|The Hopeful Legion]]''</ref> Others would remain fractured, with one individual receiving the emissary of Caiatl in [[Driksys]]' ring on the Tangled Shore.<ref>'''Bungie (2021/2/9)''', ''Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen - Item Description: [[Shadow Price#Lore|Shadow Price]]''</ref>

==Known Blood Guards==
===Command===
*'''[[Thumos, the Unbroken]]'''
===Members===
*[[Bulurc the Destroyer]]
*[[Time Warden Braghusk]]
*[[Time Warden Cratenug]]
*[[Time Warden Legatul]]
*[[Combustor Valus]] 
*[[Kreth, the Living Skyfire]]
*[[Pashk, the Searing Will]]
*[[Final Guard Straff]]
*[[Purifier Vurst]]
*[[Val Cunqu'us]]
*[[Val Trekitus]]
*[[Val Veorthus]]
*[[Val Vinca'ar]]
*[[Zhagal, Disgraced Colossus]]
===Former Members===
*[[Commander Dracus]]
===[[Nightmare]]s===
*[[Nightmare of Emonut, Sworn of Moli Imoli]]
*[[Nightmare of Ka'hok, Sworn of Umun'arath]]
*[[Nightmare of Uroa, Sworn of Shayotet]]

==Blood Guard Units==
*[[Blood Guard Legionary]]
**[[Blood Guard Bulwark]]
**[[Blood Guard Close Protection]]
**[[Blood Guard Security]]
*[[Blood Guard Centurion]]
**[[Blood Guard Exemplar]]
**[[Blood Guard Security]]
**[[Plentiful Centurion]]
**[[Shieldbearer Centurion]]
*[[Blood Guard Incendior]]
**[[Shieldbearer Incendior]]
**[[Unstable Incendior]]
**[[Uprooted Incendior]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Ryan-gitter-redlegion-paintovers-01.jpg|Concept renders of Blood Guard designs with the Centurion and Legionary's armor being silver instead of red, the Legionary having crests across their shoulders, and the Incendior having gold armor, a plume on their helmet, and cords extending to their fuel tank.
File:RedLegionTroops.jpg|Blood Guard Bulwark and Close Protection with Thumos
</gallery>

==Trivia==
*There's a possibility that [[Phalanx]] units of the Blood Guard exist since [[Gor'ath Gath|multiple]] [[Grask, the Consumed|examples]] [[Phalanx Echo|of]] [[Val Eralus, the Obedient|Taken]] [[Yächaar, Bound to Sedia (Malfeasance)|Phalanxes]] have armor similar to the Blood Guard. However, untaken versions of these enemies have not been seen in-game.
*Blood Guard can double as standardized officers within the meritocratic hierarchy of the Cabal Empire, as can be seen with Val Ma'rag, Commander Dracus, and the Combustor Valus.
*In the IGN-First Fireteam Chat, Blood Guard Legionnaires were called Vipers.{{Citation needed}}
*In concept renders of the Blood Guard, the symbols on their armor appear different compared to the Red Legion insignias seen on them in the game.

==List of appearances==
*''[[Destiny 2]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]]''
**''[[Forsaken]]''
**''[[Season of the Forge]]''
**''[[Season of the Chosen]]''

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Cabal]]
[[Category:Cabal legions]]
[[Category:Enemies]]