Ultramarines
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- This article is about the Space Marine Chapter. For other uses, see Ultramarine (disambiguation).
| Ultramarines | |
|---|---|
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| Primarch | Roboute Guilliman |
| Battlecry | Courage and honour! |
| Colours | Ultramarine |
In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Ultramarines are considered to be one of the greatest of all the Space Marine Chapters in the Imperium of Man, almost single handedly holding the Imperium together after the Horus Heresy. Highly disciplined and courageous warriors, the Ultramarines have remained true to the teachings of their Primarch for ten thousand years.
"Ultramarines" is a nod to both their standing among Space Marine chapters, as well as the overall colour scheme of the army; which also lends its name to one of the main paint colours sold by Games Workshop. They are loosely themed upon Ancient Rome, as exemplified in their names and their strict adherence to the Codex Astartes.
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[edit] History
[edit] Roboute Guilliman
The Primarch of the Ultramarines Legion, Roboute Guilliman, appeared without explanation on the planet Macragge, a rocky, inhospitable world in what would become known as the Eastern Fringe of the Imperium.
Guilliman’s arrival was a time of great omen for the people of Macragge. Konor, one of the two Battle Kings, received a vision of a mighty warrior fighting away the darkness. After leading an expedition to the site portrayed in the vision, Konor found a golden-haired child.
Naming the child Roboute, Konor adopted him, and was amazed at the speed at which the child learned. Roboute was put through the compulsory military training academies; two years later he was considered the finest warrior on Macragge. Joining the military, he led a campaign to pacify the previously-unconquered Illyrium, the northern region of the planet. Within two months, he had both pacified and befriended the savage tribesmen.
Returning from his successful campaign, he found his home city in a state of anarchy. Leading his troops to the Senate house, he organised details to bring the city back under control. Entering the building, and defeating a hundred soldiers in the pay of the rival Battle King, Gallan, he found his adoptive father assassinated.
With the assistance of the troops loyal to both him and his adoptive father, Roboute brought the city under control, captured and executed the leaders of the rebellion, and assumed the role of Battle King. As Macragge and the surrounding systems flourished, the attention of the Emperor was attracted.
It was said that Roboute instantly recognised his true father, swearing loyalty to the Imperium and receiving command of the Ultramarines Legion in return.
[edit] The Great Crusade
Roboute Guilliman quickly assimilated the knowledge required for him to lead a Space Marine Legion, and took command. His talents lay in the art of war, and he led his soldiers to victory after victory, liberating countless worlds from oppression by alien races and Chaos loyalists, fighting in a way that caused minimal collateral damage, and winning over the hearts and minds of the people.
Back on Macragge, the Ultramarines who had remained behind began construction of the Fortress of Hera, and the training and genetic modification of new recruits. They were so effective, the Ultramarines Legion quickly became the largest of the twenty Space Marine Legions fighting in the Crusade. He was also one of the few primarchs to totally accept Horus's elevation to Warmaster, and Horus usually sought his counsel.
[edit] The Horus Heresy
When Warmaster Horus turned his back on the Imperium and began the Horus Heresy, his first act was to decoy as many loyalist legions away as possible. With the help of the notorious bandit Mythias Zalbaar, who eventually founded the first of the Chaos Cults on the fortress world of Taurus, they were able to lure countless chapters to meet their defeats. These fights were known as the "Blood Crusades". Horus ordered Guilliman to lead an expeditionary force to the Calth system, where, Horus claimed, an Ork Waaagh! had been massing. On arrival Guilliman was puzzled: no Orks were present, only the vessels belonging to the Word Bearers legion. Unknown to Guilliman, this legion had turned traitor, having gleefully accepted Horus's orders to close the trap on their hated rivals. The Word Bearers' sudden attack decimated Guilliman's fleet, and the Ultramarine ground troops quickly found themselves impossibly outnumbered by their former allies. The Word Bearers were slaying their hated foes in droves and driving them back over huge stretches of territory, and rejoiced. Unknown to them, Guilliman's ship, which had survived the initial attack, effected emergency repairs and regrouped with the other surviving ships in space. Having taken stock of his remaining forces, Guilliman sent an immediate distress call to Macragge.
The marines on Calth had been forced into a fighting retreat, but now occupied fortified positions. Many Ultramarines had been born on Calth, and proved more resolute than the Word Bearers anticipated. In space, Guilliman's vessels began hit-and-run attacks on their over-confident enemy. Guilliman assessed his ground troop's positions and broadcast clear, concise orders to each pocket of defence, coordinating them into a cohesive force. One Ultramarine force led by Captain Ventanus led a breakout and retook Calth's defence laser silos, aiding the sorely-pressed Ultramarine fleet. They slowed the Word Bearers down long enough for the remainder of Ultramarines Legion to arrive and fall upon the traitors in force and rout them from the system. Bloodied but unbowed, the Ultramarines then received Malcador the Sigilite's orders and immediately set course for Terra.
Meanwhile in Earth's orbit, Horus' allies delivered the fateful news. The Ultramarines, Dark Angels and Space Wolves legions were only hours away from reinforcing the Emperor. Horus knew that his gamble had failed, and was pushed into making a fatal mistake: he dropped his vessel's shields, allowing the Emperor to teleport aboard and slay him, ending the heresy. The Ultramarines did not arrive until after Horus's defeat, and they found his Imperium in ruins. Guilliman steadfastly refused to allow the Imperium to fall, and began dispatching his Legion to all corners of the galaxy to stem the tide of invasion and unrest as the other Loyalist forces recovered and rearmed. After a decade of intense fighting, stability was restored. To prevent such an event happening again, Guilliman presented his masterwork the Codex Astartes, dividing the Space Marine Legions into smaller and more manageable Chapters, each a thousand men strong. Never again would one man wield the power of a space marine legion.
[edit] After the Heresy
Roboute Guilliman continued to serve with the Ultramarines Chapter, leading them for a hundred years after the Second Founding. It was said that during those years, Gulliman led several incursions, alongside with his brother Primarchs, against the remaining Chaos Space Marines. An unreliable source states that during one incursion, Gulliman faced Alpharius of the Alpha Legion and defeated him in single combat, but could not liberate the planet as the Alpha Legion were adept to fighting independently, despite the death of Alpharius and eventually the Ultramarines moved on. He was finally defeated by one of the traitor Primarchs, Fulgrim of the Emperor's Children, who had become a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh.
Fatally poisoned by his onetime brother, Roboute was transported back to Macragge in a stasis field, and has remained entombed in the field for ten thousand years. Although physically impossible in a stasis field, it is believed that his wounds are healing, and one day he will awaken again.
[edit] The Tyrannic Wars
Some of the most notable events in the ten thousand year history of the Ultramarines are classified as the Tyrannic Wars, the Chapter's efforts against the extragalactic invasion of The Great Devourer. During the latter half of the 41st millennium, the incursions of the Tyranid Hive Fleets began to draw the attention of the Imperium.
Directly in the invasion path of the Hive Fleet codenamed Behemoth, the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, Marneus Calgar, ordered the deployment of the entire Chapter's forces in an effort to stall Behemoth's progress. Facing defeat on all fronts, Calgar ordered the forces under his command to retreat for Macragge, to mass for one last stand.
Despite horrendous losses from the orbital and polar defence grids protecting the Ultramarines' homeworld, many Tyranid organisms were able to reach the surface of the planet. Intense fighting spread across the planet, worst in the region of the northern polar defence installations, and while Calgar and the Ultramarines fleet were able to destroy the Tyranid ship-organisms, horrific casualties were suffered on the planet's surface. The entire elite First Company were wiped out to a man while defending the defence grids, and it took over two hundred years for the Ultramarines to rebuild the Company.
Since this time, the Ultramarines have become instrumental in the wars against other Hive Fleets. In response to the threat, and counter to the Codex Astartes, many of the veterans of the battle at Macragge have been formed into elite, specially trained anti-Tyranid squads. These Tyrannic War Veterans make up half of the reformed First Company, and are often seconded to the Deathwatch because of their experience and training.
[edit] Organisation
The Ultramarines Chapter follows the teachings of their Primarch and the Codex Astartes with a religious dedication. They follow the organisational format laid out during the Second Founding with strict devotion, only deviating from their Primarch's teachings when the situation leaves them no other choice (like the creation of the Tyrannic War Veterans).
[edit] Tyrannic War Veterans
During the first incursion of the Tyranid hive-fleets, the Ultramarines were constantly fighting the extragalactic menace. The invasion of Hive Fleet Behemoth was halted at Macragge, in a series of battles that completely wiped out the elite First Company.
Veterans of Tyranid conflicts are often grouped into elite units of Tyrannic War Veterans, also known as Tyranid Hunters. These units specially trained to effectively fight the extragalactic menace. They are deployed in the Reserve Companies, to allow maximum flexibility of use, and are only ever used against Tyranid invasion. Currently, half of the Ultramarines First Company are composed of Tyrannic War Veterans.
[edit] Ultramarines Honour Guard
The Honour Guard are comprised of Ultramarines who guard the Chapter Banner. To become an Honour Guard, one must display courage that goes above and beyond the normal call in a given situation. Those that do are rewarded with a decorative, but practical, suit of power armor, with its most notable feature being the wings of the Imperium Eagle across the face of the helmet, and an Axe of Ultramar, a powerful weapon forged by the Techmarines in the Chapter's forge and constructed with rare ores excavated beneath the world of Prandium. Among those in the Honour Guard are two special individuals, the Ancient (an Honour Guard designated to carry the scarred Banner of Macragge into battle and wears stronger Artificer armor) and the Champion (an Honour Guard who carries the Honour Blades, a matching set of broadsword and poniard that only he may carry, and also wear stronger Artificer armor).
Marneus Calgar is usually accompanied by a squad of Honour Guard into battle. Other Chapter commanders can be accompanied by a squad, as well. Sometimes, individual Honour Guard members can join a normal Command squad, Tactical squad, or Devastator squad by replacing one marine from the squad.
[edit] Combat Doctrine
The Ultramarines adhere rigidly to the tenets laid down in the Codex Astartes. For ten thousand years they have fought in the manner described in its holy pages. Other Chapters may freely interpret the words of Guilliman but, to the Ultramarines, such deviation is unthinkable. The Codex Astartes is a work of divine wisdom, sanctified by the Emperor himself, and the Ultramarines see no reason to deviate from its wisdom. The life-long lessons of discipline and self-reliance that are taught to the people of Ultramar from birth give them the strength of character to hold true to teachings over ten thousand years old.
For any given tactical situation, the Codex has hundreds of pages devoted to how it may be met and overcome. Each warrior of the Chapter is required to memorise whole sections of the Codex so that within a Company there exists an entire record of the Codex’s tenets. The wisdom of thousands of Imperial warriors have contributed to the Codex, and details on everything from unit markings to launching a full-scale planetary assault are contained within its pages. The codex also holds the basis for imperial cities, giving blueprints for certain buildings and road systems, and also issuing a bog standard outline for defences; the codex also gives guidelines for keeping imperial populations in line, prescribing social structures and PDF (planetary defence force) recruitment techniques. Within the book is also the command structure for the armies of the imperial guard. Because of the codex, armies can colonise entire systems and get to the stage of thriving cities with lightning fast precision and speed.
[edit] Battle Cry
"Courage and Honour!"
[edit] Appearance
The Ultramarines typically paint their power armour and vehicles a medium (Ultramarine) blue, and their symbol is an inverted white Omega. The Ultramarines also utilise black-and-yellow chevrons, usually on weapons such as power fists. They also incorporate the double-headed Imperial Eagle (especially seen in command and elite squads) in their armoury. They also have a gold (shining gold) trim on their imperial eagle. Their shoulder armor trim color varies depending on the company the marine belongs to, with the First Company being White, Second; Gold, etc.
[edit] Notable Members
- Marneus Calgar - Ultramarines Chapter Master during the 41st millennium. He wields The Gauntlets of Ultramar.
- Chief Librarian Tigurius - Believed to have survived contact with the Tyranid Hive Mind.
- Chaplain Cassius - Defined as "the master of sanctity", Cassius is one of the oldest Ultramarines not contained in an armoured Dreadnought sarcophagus, and acting mentor of the Tyrannic War Veterans.
- Captain Agemman - Captain of the Ultramarines Veteran 1st Company. Said to be one of the Chapters greatest heroes.
- Captain Cato Sicarius - Captain of the Ultramarines 2nd Company, hero of the Medusa Schism and overall commander of the Imperial Forces in the Medusa V campaign. Captain Sicarius is offered as a special edition space marine captain by Games Workshop.
- Captain Uriel Ventris - featured in the novels Nightbringer, Warriors of Ultramar and Dead Sky, Black Sun. Captain of the Ultramarines 4th Company. He is armed with the Sword of Ideaus, Ideaus being his predecessor and mentor.
- Sergeant Pasanius Lysane - 1st Sergeant of the 4th Company under his friend, Captain Ventris. His notable feature includes a self-repairing bionic arm, crafted for him after his original arm was lost in a battle with the Nightbringer, a Necron C'tan, and Terminator armour parts incorporated to his power armour due to his huge size. He wields a heavy flamer.
[edit] Background and Character
The backstory of the Ultramarines Legion takes many elements from the ancient Greek (particularly Spartan) and Roman societies, namely in terms of military organisation. They are portrayed as the pre-eminent, stereotypical Space Marines army, as they do not require any additional rules supplements beyond the Codex. This portrayal has resulted in many players believing that the Ultramarines had no real 'character', an opinion recent changes have attempted to rectify, for example by introducing the concepts of "Honour Guards" and "Tyranid Hunters".
As the Ultramarines are one of the armies included with the boxed set of the game, there is a high proportion of new players amongst those fielding Ultramarine armies. This has led to the Ultramarines being looked down upon by some more experienced players, and being given the nickname of "Smurfs" (due to their colour scheme) by others.
The Ultramarines dominion over Ultramar gives these Astartes unparalleled contact with Imperial citizenry. Many sources (such as the Warriors of Ultramar series) suggest that this administrative role, and Ultramarine recruits coming from all across Ultramar, has led to an unusual level of affinity for the common Citizenry. The Ultramarines see regarding themselves as protectors of the innocent, and not simply the Imperium's best warriors. This indicates the Ultramarines are the noblest of marine Chapters, fighting for not merely honour and martial pride, but to protect their own.
[edit] References
- Chambers, Andy (2004). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Space Marines, 4th Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-526-0.
- The Ultramarines series of novels
- McNeill, Graham (2004a). Dead Sky, Black Sun. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-148-X.
- McNeill, Graham (2004b). Warriors of Ultramar. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-262-1.
- McNeill, Graham (2005). Nightbringer. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-163-3.
- (December 2001) "Index Astartes – Ultramarines". White Dwarf: Australian Edition (264). ISSN 0265-8712.
- Merrett, Alan (2004). Horus Heresy – Volume II: Visions of Darkness. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-118-8.
- Merrett, Alan (2002). Insignium Astartes: The Uniforms and Regalia of the Space Marines. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84154-245-8.
