Editing 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]].

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">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Unbroken]]''</ref> They can be identified by their heavy, all-red armor, which often features prominent horsehair-like crests.  

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/>  

{{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]]}}

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>

 

[[File:CaourandWarships.png|300px|thumb|Ca'our, the de-facto leader of the Legion and Guard]]

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 (expansion)|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 (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|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>

[[File:BloodGuardChosen.png|300px|thumb|Blood Guard and Red Legion guarding the Halphas Electus]]

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: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>

*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.

***''[[Season of the Forge]]''

***''[[Season of the Chosen]]''

[[Category:Cabal legions]]