Salamanders (Warhammer 40,000)
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| Salamanders | |
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| Primarch | Vulkan |
| Battlecry | "Into the fires of battle! Unto the Anvil of war!" |
| Colours | Black and Green |
The Salamanders are a Chapter of Space Marines in the tabletop miniature wargame and fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000. They are considered to be hardy warriors; strong of constitution and single-minded in purpose.
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[edit] History
[edit] Vulkan
When the Primarchs were separated from the Emperor, one of the children ended up on the volcanic world of Nocturne. The baby was found by a blacksmith named N'bel, who, recognizing the child as one prophesised to the people of Nocturne as a saviour, named him Vulkan.
Like all the Primarchs, Vulkan grew at an extraordinary rate, reaching maturity (and a size greater than that of any man in the town of his raising) by the age of three. He was also highly intelligent, able to vastly improve the already considerable metalworking skills of the smiths of Nocturne.
When Vulkan was four, his town was attacked by the Dark Eldar. The people of his hometown hid, as they usually did when the decadent aliens came raiding, but Vulkan refused to hide. Armed with only a pair of blacksmith's hammers, he roused the people from hiding and drove back the assault, single handedly slaying a hundred Eldar. As word of the victorious battle spread, the headmen of the seven most important settlements on the planet came to pay homage to him, swearing to forevermore crush their foes rather than hide from them.
[edit] The Outlander
Jubilant at their victory, the people held a great celebration, involving tests of strength and craftsmanship. During the opening ceremonies, a stranger appeared. His skin was pale, compared to the dark complexion of the people of Nocturne, and his clothes were foreign. The stranger claimed that he could best any man at the competitions, causing many people to laugh at the seemingly inadvertent comparison to the superhuman Vulkan. Vulkan accepted the challenge, and the stranger wagered that whoever lost would swear his eternal loyalty and obedience to the victor.
For eight days, the stranger matched Vulkan in several events, with neither able to beat the other by more than a slight difference (for example, an anvil-lifting contest was declared a draw after both men held theirs up for half a day with no sign of fatigue).
[edit] The Final Contest
Finally, it came down to the final contest: salamander slaying. Both men had a day and a half to forge a weapon, then go out and slay the largest salamander they could find; enormous, fire-breathing reptiles.
Vulkan and the stranger worked all day at their forges, neither contender pausing to rest. As the day drew to a close, they emerged. Vulkan with a huge hammer, and the stranger with a keen-edged sword. They both climbed to the summit of Mount Deathfire, a massive volcano said to be the home of the largest salamanders on the planet, the several ton firedrakes.
Vulkan found his prey first, smashing its head off with a single blow from his hammer. As he carried the carcass back, the volcano erupted. Vulkan was nearly thrown off a cliff, but managed to grab onto the edge with one hand, stubbornly grasping the tail of his prize with the other.
Vulkan held on for several hours, but his hold finally began to slip, weakened by eight days of continual challenge and exertion. It was at that time the stranger reappeared, carrying a salamander larger than his own. The stranger quickly threw his carcass into the lava flow, using it as a bridge to cross over and save Vulkan.
Vulkan was declared the winner when they returned to the settlement, but Vulkan silenced the crowd. He knelt before the stranger, stating that any man who valued life over pride was worthy of his service. The stranger revealed himself to be the Emperor, and it was declared that Nocturne would be the homeworld of the Salamanders Legion, with Vulkan at his rightful place as Primarch and ruler of the planet.
[edit] Horus Heresy and the Aftermath
Little is known about the Salamanders' involvement during the Horus Heresy, nor about the fate of their Primarch, Vulkan. Even the Black Library's Horus Heresy artbook series, which shed light on much of the heresy, mentions little of the Primarch. The 1st Company, with Vulkan, was present as one of the three legions massacred by the traitors at the battle of Isstvan V, and Vulkan may have very well been slain during that conflict. Others say that Vulkan mysteriously disappeared a thousand years after the Heresy. The Salamanders believe that Vulkan will return and lead the chapter in a grand crusade to destroy the forces of Chaos once and for all.
It can be noted that the Second Founding brought about the creation of no known secondary Chapters from the Salamanders Legion, as the strength of the legion after the Heresy was less than that of a standard Space Marine Chapter.
This may be linked back to the Salamanders' inductment of new recruits. Only the most brave and determined of neophytes would be accepted for battle. Of course the Salamanders took this one step above normal and imposed even harsher trials for new neophytes than other chapters. As such their chapter has always been made up of a small, but elite, few. After the break-up of chapters it was impractical to dilute their numbers as it would have made their own chapter dangerously under-strength.
[edit] Organisation
The Salamanders adhere to the Codex Astartes as much as their personality and homeworld permit. The Chapter is made up of seven Companies, each one originally based on the seven greatest settlements on Nocturne. By the 41st millennium, the Companies have evolved into the First Company, three Combat Companies, two Reserve Companies, and one Scout Company.
The First Company is known as the Firedrakes, taking their name from the largest species of salamanders on Nocturne. Each man nominated to become a Firedrake must slay a beast of the same name as part of his initiation. The leader of the First Company also holds the position of Chapter Master, and the Firedrakes act as his personal guard.
The Salamanders place less emphasis on high speed attack and use of anti-grav vehicles as opposed to other chapters, due to the nature of their homeworld. See Combat Doctrines.
[edit] Headquarters
The Salamanders Chapter is based on the binary planetary system of Nocturne and its over sized moon, Prometheus. The two worlds circle each other in an erratic orbit, causing massive tectonic activity on the surface of Nocturne. Over hundreds of generations, the people of Nocturne, considered mad by most for enduring such conditions, have been molded into a hardy race, well adapted to become Space Marines. Also, the continual lava eruptions and earthquakes bring many precious minerals to the surface, allowing the people to survive by trade.
The Salamanders have built their Fortress-Monastery on the moon of Prometheus. The fortress-monastery is small, little more than a spaceport liked to an orbital dock for the Chapter's war vessels. Indeed the fortress-monastery on Prometheus (note the reference to the Greek god of fire) serves as a powerful bastion for the Salamander's chapter. However it is usually only inhabited by the First Company and the fire-drakes, with the rest of the chapter preferring to live and work among the people in the great hives of Nocturne.
[edit] Recruitment
Like many of the First Founding Chapters (and many subsequent ones as well), the Salamanders recruit exclusively from their homeworld. Children aspiring to become Space Marines begin at the age of six or seven as the apprentice to a Space Marine. They spend several years learning the art of the smith, as Vulkan did. The most able apprentices are then judged by the chapter's Apothecaries and Chaplains to see if they are worthy to become Space Marines. Their training includes many of the same feats the Emperor and Vulkan competed in, finally culminating in the hunting and slaying of a massive Salamander.
[edit] Combat Doctrine
The Salamanders follow the Codex Astartes, but their doctrines are also strongly influenced by the Promethian Cult, which places a high regard on self-reliance, self-sacrifice, and loyalty. The hammer and the fire are both important symbols of the cult, and the Chapter makes widespread use of Flamers, Meltaguns, and Thunder Hammers in their forces. This makes them very deadly in close-range firefights. Due to their pre-training background as craftsmen, the Salamanders also have a large amount of high-tech equipment, such as Artificer Armour and Master-Crafted weapons.
However, the high gravity and harsh volcanic conditions of Nocturne means that the Salamanders have little opportunity for training in fast-attack equipment such as Land Speeders or bikes, and as such, the army makes little use of them. They also seem to have slightly slower reflexes compared to other Space Marine Chapters, although still unnaturally quick compared to unenhanced humans.
Salamanders are trained to fight alone and never retreat, even when they are the last surviving member of their squad. A lone Salamander can hold his position for months. They refuse to give up, even in the harshest of situations, and will always do everything possible to emerge victorious from the most desperate of battles.
[edit] Battlecry
"Into the fires of battle, unto the anvil of war!"
[edit] Appearance and Colors
In early 1st edition Salamanders had Salamander Black armour highlighted with Salamander Green to give a very dark green appearance to the models. Honour, squad and rank markings used either standard codex schemes or flame motifs. There were two important variations from "codex" chapters at the time:
- Salamander banners all had plain fields as the markings were hidden in the infrared spectrum.
- Salamander Apothecaries had the lower body in chapter colors. The chest, left arm and left side of helmet were painted white while the right arm and right side of the helmet were red. The reason for this was that one Salamander apothecary painted his arm and helmet red to hide the blood of his brothers which he refused to wash off. Note that only the right side was painted red as this was the arm he used to hold his reductor, used to administer "The Emperor's Peace"
In 3rd Edition and with the publication of Codex-Armageddon - chronicling the 3rd war for the planet of Armageddon - the Salamanders changed to their current scheme of bright green armour (Snot Green highlighted with Scorpion Green) with black shoulders, gold trim and ornamentation on their weapons and vehicles. Their standard symbol is a white silhouette of the spiked head of a Salamander lizard (actual colors depend on the Company)
Salamander Space Marines have often been depicted in both drawings and models as having Negroid (or African) features and skin colours.
[edit] Notable Members
- Tu'Shan - Chapter Master during the 41st millennium. Defended Armageddon from both invasions by the orks. Only held the office of Chapter Master for several years before The Battles for Armageddon.
- Xavier - A Chaplain, considered to be the most zealous and dogmatic preacher of the Promethian Cult.
[edit] Successor Chapters
The Salamanders have no successor chapters from the Second Founding, however, chapters from subsequent Foundings are believed to include the Storm Giants and Black Dragons. These chapters appear to share similarities in physique, tactical doctrines and dogma to the Salamanders. The Black Dragons were later rewritten as products of the "cursed" 13th founding.
[edit] References
- (August 2000) "Index Astartes – Salamanders". White Dwarf: Australian Edition (249). ISSN 0265-8712.
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