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Presentation of the faction of Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine
Savij
Member Posts: 341
french orignial: http://www.jeuxonline.info/actualite/41291/presentation-faction-space-marines-warhammer-40000
here the google-translation
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be always up to date about Eternal Crusade
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Other EC Sites i'm in:
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Comments
Reading that made my eyes bleed... Please... LEARN TO ENGLISH :P
Half of the sentences made no sense at all.
Playing: Rift
Wating For: Guild Wars 2
Played: World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online, Age of Conan.
ah forgot to mention that it is google translated
be always up to date about Eternal Crusade
WH40k:EC dev Tracker
Other EC Sites i'm in:
Dakkadakka Savij
Reddit EC Savij1337
EternalCrusader.com Savij
This is some early Legion/Chapter lore:
LEGIO I "DARK ANGELS"
Primarch: Lion El'Jonson
Homeworld: Caliban - Destroyed (Location: Segmentum Obscurus)
Status: Loyal to the Imperium...
Origins
Lion El'Jonson
The gestation pod containing the infant Primarch Lion El'Jonson that had been mysteriously teleported through the Warp from the Emperor's gene-laboratory beneath the Himalayan Mountains on Terra by the Ruinous Powers landed on the feudal Death World of Caliban. Caliban was a planet of immense forests inhabited by terrible, monstrous beasts mutated by the touch of Chaos in the centuries after the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh due to the planet's proximity to the nearby Eye of Terror. Jonson managed to survive in the forests alone, living as a wild man far from civilisation.
Caliban was home to many knightly orders of warrior-aristocrats created to defend its people and the massive fortress-monasteries they lived within from the Great Beasts. These knights maintained a few aspects of Caliban's ancient technology from before the Age of Strife and wielded primitive Bolt Pistols and wore suits of simple Power Armour very similar to that later used by the Astartes that were handed down from knight to knight. Despite these technological trappings, however, Caliban remained very much a pre-industrial society whose warriors rode to war on horseback. One of the most prominent knightly organisations was known simply as "The Order", and was made up of commoners and nobles alike, whereas the other knightly orders were drawn by tradition only from the Calibanite nobility. A group of The Order's knights on patrol in the forests discovered the feral Primarch in the forests. When the knights seemed inclined to kill him, one man, a well-respected knight named Luther, stayed their hands and decided to take the Primarch into The Order. Luther named the feral boy Lion El'Jonson, which means "the Lion, Son of the Forest" in the Calibanite dialect of Low Gothic.
El'Jonson was taken to The Order's fortress-monastery and taught human ways. The Lion learned to speak incredibly quickly and soon mastered all of the necessary aspects of Calibanite culture faster than anyone, including Luther, his mentor, foster father and best friend, believed possible. Before long, El'Jonson had become a fierce warrior in The Order's ranks�though of his years living alone in Caliban's forests, he said nothing, then or later. With Luther at his side, El'Jonson ultimately rose into the highest ranks of The Order. At the height of his reputation, El'Jonson made clear his extraordinary ambition: he called for a grand crusade to exterminate the Great Beasts of Caliban so that the people of his world could finally know peace and live free from fear. This was received with great enthusiasm by the other members of The Order and even the other knightly orders, but it proved to be a time-consuming process that took nearly a decade of constant warfare against the terrible dangers of the deep forests. The word of their successes brought an influx of new recruits into The Order as the campaign progressed. Any Calibanite knightly order that did not follow Jonson's lead, such as the Knights of Lupus of the northern forests which feared that the destruction of the Great Beasts would up-end Caliban's traditional social order, was destroyed to the last man. After the last of the Great Beasts fell, Jonson was named Supreme Grand Master of The Order and was recognised as the rightful ruler of all Caliban. It seemed that the world was ready to enter the new golden age of peace and prosperity that the Lion had promised.
Shortly after the success of this campaign, the Emperor of Mankind and his Astartes scouts arrived on Caliban after they detected the psychic emanations of one of the Primarchs. From the moment the Emperor landed, El'Jonson felt the deep connection between himself and the Master of Mankind, and swore his fealty. In return, the Emperor made the Lion the commander of the I Legion of Space Marines that had been created from his genome. The Emperor had launched his Great Crusade after the end of Old Night to reunite all the lost colonies of humanity and restore Mankind's birthright as the rulers of the galaxy. The Emperor's Space Marine Legions purged entire star systems of humanity's xenos oppressors. As the Imperium's wave of conquest advanced across the galaxy, Imperial scouts brought word that they had rediscovered the isolated world of Caliban in the Segmentum Obscurus and that it was home to a man who was likely one of the missing Primarchs. The Emperor had first sent emissaries from the I Legion to serve as his advance force on Caliban, Astartes who had been created from the genome of their lost Primarch Lion El'Jonson.
The Imperials brought with them all of the advanced technology that was hailed by the people of Caliban as miraculous. Soon, the Astartes of the I Legion were putting potential Astartes Aspirants from The Order and the other knightly organisations through myriad martial trials and competitions to gauge their level of martial prowess and character. Only the strongest and most dedicated were allowed to pass to the next stage. Many within The Order whispered that they were competing for a place within the ranks of the Astartes. But these trials also served the secondary purpose of determining if the human strain on Caliban was genetically pure enough to warrant its status as a world that the I Legion could recruit from in the coming years.
While the Calibanite knightly orders revelled in their differences and often resorted to combat to settle their feuds, the Astartes Legions were united in purpose and will. Such division could not be tolerated, and at the behest of the Lion and the Astartes, the individual knightly orders were disbanded and brought under the control of the I Legion. Such a drastic move did not happen overnight, and could not pass without dissenting voices, but when the Lion spoke in favour of the union of knights and the glory that would be theirs for the taking in the service of the Emperor, most such voices were stilled, most, but not all.
The Emperor himself finally came to Caliban on a day that would live on for centuries in Calibanite legend. His great vessel descended from the heavens and he welcomed his lost son back into the fold. The event was slightly marred by an attempt against the Emperor's life made by certain conservative knights of The Order who feared the changes that would be wrought to their world by the Imperium and its advanced science and culture, but these malcontents were swiftly and mercilessly executed as traitors by the Astartes. More objections were raised when the soldiers of the Imperial Army descended to the surface of Caliban. The I Legion's Aspirant trials had already identified the likely candidates for recruitment into that august body, but the vast majority of the planet�s population would still be able to serve the Emperor as troops of the Imperial Army. Within an unimaginably short period of time, the surface of Caliban was transformed from a world of sprawling wilderness and castles to one of martial industry that rang to the beat of factory hammers and the tramp of booted feet as its populace girded itself for interstellar war.
The Emperors servants had descended to Caliban with enormous earthmoving machines that cleared dozens of kilometres of forest a day and left flat, lifeless soil in their wake, ready to be planted or built upon. Mines, refineries and manufactorums followed, ready to transform the planet�s abundant resources into vital war materiel for the Emperors Crusade. Cities were built to supply the sprawling industrial sites, growing upwards and outwards with each passing year as the traditional villages and towns surrounding the fortress-monasteries were emptied and their citizens relocated to better serve the Imperium.
Finally, the day arrived when those individuals whose courage had been proven beyond doubt, whose stamina, endurance and strength had seen them through the Astartes trials were ready to be added to the ranks of the I Legion. Word had come from Luther that the Astartes had made their final selection for advanced training and the genhancement required to join their ranks. Through the application of Imperial science and the marvels of the gene-seed, these Aspirants were transformed over the next several years into Battle-Brothers of the I Legion, newly renamed the "Dark Angels" by the Lion after an ancient Calibanite fable.
Luther had been chosen to join the I Legion by the Astartes, but in common with a large proportion of that initial intake from The Order and the other Calibanite knightly orders, he had been too old to benefit from the implantation of gene-seed. In its place, Luther, and others like him, had undergone an extensive series of genetic, surgical and biochemical enhancement procedures designed to increase their strength, stamina and reflexes to superhuman levels. They were taller, stronger and quicker than mortal men, but for all that they were still not true Astartes. It was difficult for Luther and the others to come to terms with that fact, knowing that they were surrounded by those who had once served under them as squires and junior knights, but were now far more powerful than they could ever hope to become. Luther still served as the Lion's second within the Legion, earning his position based on merit and fuelled with a desire to prove himself by his devotion to the Imperial ideal. But despite his successes, he could not escape his own inner conviction that he was somehow being looked down upon because he was not a full Astartes.
The Great Crusade
Twenty Legions of Space Marines were created by the Emperor during the Great Crusade to join and lead the Emperor's quest to unite all of humanity under the aegis of the Imperium of Man. The Dark Angels Legion was the very first of those original "First Founding" Legions to be created at the beginning of the Great Crusade, and so were originally under the command of the Emperor himself.
Once the Emperor discovered Lion El'Jonson on Caliban, however, the Primarch took command of the Dark Angels Legion that had been created from his genetic stock, and he was granted command of the 4th Expeditionary Fleet of the Great Crusade in orbit of the planet Sarosh, which had formerly been commanded by an officer of the White Scars Legion. The Saroshi ruled by a bureaucracy had recently expressed their interest in becoming part of the Imperium, and the Imperials were eager to allow them in, believing that these people seemed to possess the same secular beliefs as they did in the Imperial Truth. But the Saroshi (without mentioning it to the Imperial expedition) secretly worshipped Chaotic entities in the Warp they called the Melachim, and saw the anti-religious stance of the Pre-Heresy Imperium's Imperial Truth as unsuppressed evil. The Lord High Exacter, the leader of the Saroshi bureaucracy, denounced Jonson and the Emperor to his face aboard the Dark Angels' flagship, and Jonson responded by ramming his Power Sword through the fanatical Saroshi leader's body. The Saroshi had also brought a nuclear device aboard their shuttle, intending to assassinate the fleet's entire command structure, including Jonson; however, Luther and a junior Librarian named Zahariel managed to eject the shuttle into space, causing only minor damage to the flagship. After this incident, Luther, Zahariel and five hundred other Dark Angels were sent back to Caliban in disgrace for allowing an enemy to get a nuclear device aboard the Primarch's flagship to oversee the recruitment of new Space Marines into the Legion from the Calibanite population.
Another incident occurred during the pacification of the world of Dulan that started the millennia-long rivalry between the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves. The Planetary Governor, Durath, had denounced Space Wolf Primarch Leman Russ as "the Emperor's lap-dog" and swore to feed his heart to his pet Grox. Russ, enraged, swore to kill Durath himself and demanded the satisfaction of leading the assault. Jonson, however, had meticulously planned the attack and was not about to let his brother's hot-headedness foil his plans. Jonson led the assault, leaving Russ to watch helplessly as the Lion killed Durath. After the battle, Russ stormed into the fortress and struck Jonson across the room. A brawl ensued that lasted a full day and night, the two combatants being said to be equally matched: while Russ was slightly stronger, the Lion was slightly quicker. Russ eventually ceased and started laughing, realizing how foolish their fight was and how he had allowed his pride and temper to get the better of him. Jonson, however, still angry at what he considered the treachery of Russ' first punch, knocked the laughing Space Wolf out cold with one final blow. By the time Russ regained consciousness, the Dark Angels had departed for new fields of battle in the Great Crusade. It has since been customary for selected champions from both Chapters to engage in a non-lethal duel whenever they meet so that honour may be satisfied.
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LEGIO VI: "SPACE WOLVES"
Primarch: Leman Russ
Homeworld: Fenris
Status: Loyal to the Imperium
Origins
The cornerstones of the Imperial creed are related across a hundred thousand worlds. Although the details vary, it is widely acknowledged that, millennia ago, the Emperor of Mankind walked upon the face of Terra. His mighty deeds unified the race of Man in a spiritual golden age, and legends of his greatness have been told across the galaxy for countless centuries. The vaults of the Library Sanctus contain many truths such as these, held sacred by the Librarians of the Adeptus Astartes since the birth of the Imperium. One of the most coveted and respected of these legends concerns the creation of the Primarchs.
The Emperor, at the height of his powers, was virtually omnipotent. Yet the Emperor of Mankind could not be in every place at once, the blinding beacon of his light could not illuminate all the dark corners of the galaxy. And so the Emperor created the Primarchs, sons born from his holy blood, each a paragon of humanity that surpassed Mankind in every way. Each of these first-born were brought into being as leaders, warriors whose might was tempered by serenity and wisdom.
There are no records as to how the Primarchs became so widely spread across the galaxy. The prevalent theory maintains that as the Primarchs were still incubating in their nascent state in the laboratories of Luna, they were scattered to the far corners of the galaxy. One certainty to arise from this foundation of mystery is the fact that the Emperor subsequently used the lost Primarch's gene-seed as a template for a genetically engineered species of superhumans, the Space Marines.
Every one of these enhanced warriors were many times more powerful than an ordinary human soldier, and it was with these elite troops that the Emperor intended to unite the galaxy. Legion upon legion of the Legiones Astartes were created in their Primarchs' image. One of the greatest of these legions would become the Space Wolves.
Many of the Imperium's records concerning the Space Wolves' heritage owe much to the life's work of Gnauril the Elder, a contemporary of the ancient Fenrisian king Thengir. His sagas have been retold word for word across continents where possessions are scarce and the written word completely unused. That such records remain, even after millennia had passed, is a testament to the awe that the Fenrisians reserve for their mythology. Gnauril tales, many of which detail the early years of Leman Russ' life, have passed into the folklore of Fenris itself.
In the far north-west of the galaxy, on a remote and frozen ice world named Fenris, one of the infant Primarchs came to rest. Given the harshness of the climate, it is safe to say that a lesser being would have died almost immediately. It seems highly likely that the Primarch was adopted by a Fenrisian she-wolf; Leman Russ himself mentioned his lupine parentage on more than one occasion. Russ' wolf companions, Freki and Geri, are widely believed to have been his original pack-brothers, growing to maturity at much the same time.
Gnauril's saga, 'The Ascension of the Wolf-King', tells of one fateful Helwinter when the young Primarch joined his pack in a raid on a nearby settlement. Running into the village on all fours, a pack of lean, howling wolves behind him, he smashed his way into the village storehouse and gorged on great shanks of salted meat. The wolves were attacked by the villagers before they could carry the spoils to their starving kin, and the Primarch fought with unfettered ferocity to allow his fellow wolves to escape. The villagers had not seen the like, and petitioned their liege, King Thengir of Russ, to rid them of this menace. Within the week, a hunting party was sent out 'with drake-poison on their arrows and knives sharp enough to slice through oak.'
Many of the Primarch's pack died as a result of this action, pierced by the spears and arrows of the hunters. Even the venerable she-wolf that defended the litter was impaled through the throat, ending the lives of five hunters before she finally succumbed to their poisoned arrows. But the wolf-child was spared as he crouched growling over the she-wolf's corpse, the poison slowly affecting his iron constitution, barbed arrows sticking like quills from his face and back. The wolf-child was bound and gagged tightly with strips of gut and sinew cut from the corpses of his pack, and thrown before King Thengir himself.
The saga continues in detail, telling of the Primarch's first contact with the royalty of Fenris:
"In the evening the wolf-man was ungagged, and the King demanded that the feral creature grovel for his life like a dog. The strange beast drew itself up to its full height and roared so loud and so long that some of the younger men had to leave the hall. The wild-eyed creature spat a great gobbet of blood and poison at King Thengir, his golden eyes shining with regal pride."
Over the next few years, the wolf-child was taken into the care of the King himself. He was taught how to use a battle-axe, how to fish and, soon after that, how to speak. The Primarch matured quickly, absorbing knowledge at an incredible rate. He also showed a natural aptitude for weaponry, in addition to being unmatched in unarmed combat. Quick to roar with laughter or bellow tunelessly in song, the Primarch slowly realised that he was more human than wolf, and that he was far greater than either. When Russ handed the Champion of the King's Guard his battle-axes during their third sparring session, Thengir admitted to himself that the young man was destined for greatness. The Primarch soon spoke with powerful eloquence, and one evening, King Thengir deemed him worthy to receive a true name.
Thus it was that Leman of the Russ was truly born.
Much of what is known of Leman Russ's early years is borne of hearsay and legend as his fame quickly spread throughout the land. The legends of Fenris cite him as being able to pluck an oak from the earth and snap it in twain over his back, facing armies of the King's enemies and sending them running without sustaining a scratch, wrestling a Fenrisian Mammoth to the ground and roasting it whole for his meal that evening. When Thengir died, there was no question as to the succession. King Leman Russ took his place on the throne.
Each Allwinter's Eve, in the halls of the Fang, the Space Wolves' Fortress-Monastery, the Rune Priests recount in great detail the saga of Leman Russ. Every one of the Space Wolves knows the tale by memory, and the legends are passed down from solemn Priest to naive cub with the greatest of reverence. In this way the saga of Leman Russ is kept alive to this day.
Due to their oral tradition, the following legend has not been written down in any form by the Space Wolves. However, the clandestine introduction of a vox-corder to the Feast of the Wanderer by Inquisitor Chalfont, a guest at the table of Cormack Wolftongue, has provided Imperial scholars with the following transcription:
"Thus it came to pass that Russ was hailed as King of all Fenris, his judgement as strong as his sword-arm and his authority indisputable. No man nor beast could best the Wolf-King,
No tribe could stand against his armies. Within Russs kingdom a truce existed between man and wolf. His court was attended by the fiercest of warlords and the most beautiful of maidens. Tales of his mighty conquests spread like forest fires, and it was not long before the eyes of Terra turned upon his deeds.
Such was Russ's fame and so great were his accomplishments, The Holy Emperor of Terra did take it upon himself to meet with the Wolf-King. He believed, in the core of his soul that this mighty warrior was one of his true sons. He knew well that Russ would not bow to his rule without being beaten in a contest. The Emperor was convinced of his own power, and knew that such a challenge would be as nothing to him. Who could best a living god? Who could stand firm in the presence of Humanity's king? And so it was that the great, sky-spanning ships of the Emperor Travelled to the centre of the sea of stars Settling on the hard, cold skin of Fcnris scant years after Russ s ascension to the throne.
The Emperor, clad in a long, plain robe, entered King Leman Russ court Through a yawning cave mouth in the south of Fenris he came. His divine aura was hidden from the curious eyes of the King's court And his towering physique was cloaked with runes of disguise and confusion. Half his face was within the shadow of his hood. In his hands he carried the oaken staff of the wanderer, But to the sharp-eyed and sober, his nature was clear: The great wolves of Fenris slunk away at the strangers passing.
Slouched on his oaken throne sat Leman Russ, A flagon of fine mead in one hand and the leg of a roast bear in the other. Freki and Gcri, the Kin-Wolves, lay curled about his bare feet, and a great pool of blood glittered in the torchlight around the base of his throne. The court had been hunting, and did not take kindly to the interruption of their feast. The wanderer approached the gnarled wood of the throne and its gargantuan occupant, and stood firm, staring hard at where Russ was presiding over the feast. The court grew silent as the Wolf-Kings growl reverberated around the walls. Freki stood at the sound, baring his fangs, Geri, old beyond his years, proved wiser than his brother. The stranger was meeting their masters gaze unflinchingly.
It was then that the stranger offered his Challenge. The nature of the contest was for the King to decide. If he won, the stranger asked for nothing but to be allowed to drink at the right hand of Russ during the feast. The shouts of the household rang against the shields strung around the roof, the laughter at this preposterous suggestion shared by all present. Russ demanded that should the wanderer fail, he would serve at the King s behest for a year. Grimly, the stranger accepted.
The Wolf-King did not wish to spoil a good feast; His first challenge was to an eating competition. The food was brought forth on vast brass shields, and the stranger ate well indeed, consuming many times more than the stoutest warriors present without pause. But by the time he looked up from his platter, Russ was finishing his third Auroch. The vast, red bones lay around him, not a morsel of meat to be seen. Giving voice to a thunderous belch, Russ grinned at the wanderer. Fangs glittering red in the torchlight. The stranger bowed his head.
But the King was enjoying his sport. He realised that the brown-cloaked traveller had the spirit of a Fenrisian. And so challenged the newcomer to a drinking bout. The second contest began, sounded by a clarion horn. But by the time the wanderer had reached his sixth barrel of strong Fenrisian mead, there was no more to drink. The Wolf-King had drained the entire feast dry. Consuming enough to fell a whole Great Company. The light of anger appeared in the wanderer's eye.
If he was not to be given the chance, how could he prove his mettle? If all that would greet him was derision and scornful laughter. How could he welcome this warrior, so fond of his mead, as his lost child? Driven by disappointment, the wanderer called Leman Russ a drunkard and a glutton, Able to achieve nothing more than filling his face and bellowing hollow boasts.
At this, the court fell silent. None even dared to breathe as the Wolf King drew himself up to his full height. The bloodied carcass of his meal crunching beneath his feet. Russ drew his greatsword and stepped onto the banqueting table, a growl rising in his throat. The Wolf-King calmly laid down the consequences of his last challenge, and his court backed away as one.
Time seemed to stop as the Emperor of Mankind threw away his cloak, the hood falling from his face, his true form revealed. Standing far taller than any man present. swathed in light and clad in baroque golden armour. The God-Emperor stepped onto the banqueting table. His sword shimmered as it was drawn from its gem-encrusted scabbard. With a roar that shook the walls of the court, the Wolf-King leapt. Battle was joined between the two titanic figures.
The Emperor fought gracefully and with precision. His every act like liquid fire, his swordsmanship faster than the eye could follow. The Wolf-King attacked with the force of pure fury. Tempered by years of living by his skill and wits alone. The lustrous gold of the Emperor's burnished armour Reflected the glimmers of torchlight and the eyes of a thousand onlookers. The Wolf-Kings skin glistened with sweat and blood, His matted hair flying around him as he roared and howled.
The speed and passion of Russs attack A perfect fusion of martial prowess and a focus that was nothing less than total. Convinced the Emperor without doubt that this was one of his lost sons. Swinging his power fist around in a blurring golden arc The Emperor struck Leman Russ full in the face."
(It has been noted in the transcription that at this point in the recording a great cheer erupts from all present. This part of the legend seems to be the cause of much mirth amongst the audience, all of whom have evidently heard the tale before).
"It is testimony to the fortitude of our Lord Russ That within the hour he was able to think clearly once more. Recovering quickly from a blow that would have destroyed any mortal man. Russ made little show of his headache. It was as a result of ingesting mighty quantities of Fenrisian mead Rather than the result of the duel. But nevertheless, with bloodied smile and broken fang, He swore fealty to the Emperor of Mankind."
It is well known among Imperial scholars that, when given proof as to his origins, Leman Russ did indeed pledge his sword to the Emperor. His teaching and training went swiftly; it was a matter of weeks before the Emperor judged Russ worthy of leading his armies in the holy war across the galaxy. Leman Russ was introduced to the warriors who bore his mark within their very genes. And so it came to be that Leman Russ became the father, progenitor and Lord of the Space Wolves of the Adeptus Astartes.
Leman Russ settled into his role as the Primarch of the Space Wolves. He was gifted with a great suit of armour blessed thricefold by the Emperor himself. His greatsword was replaced with the legendary Frostblade Mjalnar, whose teeth were fashioned from the maw of the Great Kraken Gormenjarl and whose blade, it was claimed, could cleave the very ice mountains of Fenris in twain. It was without question that the Space Wolves Legion accepted the towering Wolf-King as their Primarch and leader and, over the next few years, they became as sons to Leman Russ.
In time, all of the Primarchs were united with their respective Legions; the records of that time speak of a golden age of conquest and success. The forces of the Imperium were unstoppable in their quest to unite the galaxy in the worship of the God-Emperor. Russ plunged headlong into the fighting at the forefront of every battle, vanquishing all before him. Throughout the long and various battles of the Great Crusade, the Space Wolves and their lupine allies were at the front line. Russ strode at the head of his Legions, slaughtering all who dared stand before him, his coming announced by the howling of the pack.
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LEGIO IX "BLOOD ANGELS"
Primarch: Sanguinius
Homeworld: Baal (Location: Segmentum Ultima)
Status: Loyal to the Imperium
Origins
When the 20 genetically-engineered superhumans known as the Primarchs were scattered across the galaxy by the machinations of the Chaos Gods from the Emperor's secret gene-laboratory hidden beneath the Himalayan Mountains on Terra, some were afflicted by some forms of mutation induced by their brief exposure to the powers of Chaos. The most seriously affected was the infant that fell in his gestation capsule to the second moon of the world of Baal, Baal Secundus, the child-Primarch who already bore vestigial wings when he was found by the Baalite tribe known as The Blood. Although they initially wanted to kill the boy because of his strange mutation, the tribe quickly recognized him as an angelic being in both body and soul, and named him Sanguinius, the Angel of The Blood in their corrupted dialect of High Gothic.
The feral tribes of Baal were miserable groups of individuals, forced to eke out an existence from the irradiated deserts of Baal Secundus. The levels of radiation experienced on the moon were capable of killing an unprotected man in mere moments. The Baalite tribes were forced to continually wear heavy, cumbersome radiation suits in their nomadic travels, and forced to continually defend themselves from cannibal-like mutants.
Sanguinius, like all the Primarchs, grew at an impressive rate. After three weeks, he was strong enough to defeat a Baalite Fire Scorpion with his bare hands, a creature that stood twice the height of a grown man, and whose stinger carried a poison virulent enough to burn a man from within. A year after his landing on Baal Secundus, Sanguinius stood taller than any man on the moon. His form was perfect, despite the massive amounts of radiation he was exposed to. His wings had grown strong; pure-white pinions that could carry him into the sky.
Under his guidance and protection, The Blood prospered and grew. They were protected from the mutants that plagued the world of Baal Secundus by Sanguinius, the Primarch capable of defeating hundreds of mutants single-handedly. The other pure-blood tribes soon united under Sanguinius' guidance, and a successful war of annihilation was waged against the mutants of Baal Secundus.
The Emperor and the Angel
The Emperor, in the midst of his Great Crusade to reunite all the scattered worlds of Mankind, had been searching across the galaxy for his lost children and his incredible psychic powers had led him to Baal. His ship landed at the Conclave of the Blood, and the Emperor entered the massive natural amphitheatre that had been carved from Mount Seraph by the Baalite tribes to serve as a central meeting place. Those of the pure blood attended Sanguinius' address by the tens of thousands. The Emperor stood within their ranks, a shining golden figure amongst the tattered warriors of The Blood. But the Emperor knew humility as well as divinity, and he listened as intently as any warrior there. Sanguinius gave a speech which lifted the very souls of his people, giving them more than hope, at its conclusion soaring into the air above them with a shout that every man there echoed. Thus, the Emperor was convinced without a doubt that the Angel was indeed one of his lost sons.
Others among the Primarchs are said to have fought against the Emperor when they first met, but this was not the case with Sanguinius. When approached, Sanguinius recognised the Emperor immediately. Many believe that Sanguinius's reputed ability to foresee future events informed him of the Emperor's visit, explaining his reaction. He fell to his knees, crystal tears falling from his cheeks into the crimson dust. Where they fell, alabaster flowers thrived upon the barren and toxic soils of Baal Secundus. The Emperor bade him stand, and looked upon the myriad faces raised unto him, proud and resolute. He saw that the men and women of The Blood were both fair in mind and deed, possessed of a small part of the nobility and strength of their leader. The best of Sanguinius's warriors were subsequently selected to become Astartes, implanted with the very core of Sanguinius's physical being; the pure and precious gene-seed that the Emperor had engineered from the Primarch's own genome. Thus, these warriors were raised up into the IX Legion of the Space Marines, better known as the Blood Angels, launched on the Emperor's Great Crusade. Those who remained upon Baal Secundus were entrusted with the duty of defending Mankind's birthright upon the planet, and ensuring that future generations of warriors were taught the Imperial Truth and learned of the Primarch who had once walked amongst them and restored their hope. So it is that even now, with millennia passed since those fateful days, the Blood Angels take all their Aspirants from the moons of Baal.
Resplendent in glittering armour, shrouded in white wings, Sanguinius was the noblest of the Primarchs in physical aspect. Proud and resolute, the Angel radiated a confidence so vital that any shadows of doubt were banished beneath his light. The detail of the Primarch’s intricately-worked Artificer Power Armour was rendered perfectly, the sculpted edges of the golden battle-plate visible along with the fine etching across the brassarts, shoulder guards and breastplate. On his chest was a heavy ornamental roundel carved from huge Megladari rubies. The central jewel was cut into the shape of a heart and set on a mount of gold flames, and it signified the burning spirit of the Blood Angels as expressed through their Primarch. Atop it were four more ruby discs, each dedicated to one of the worlds from which the IX Legion had drawn its numbers -- Terra, in the first instance, then Baal and her two moons. Across one shoulder he wore a ceremonial war cloak, the black-dappled pelt of a Carnodon; similar in form to the extinct snow leopards of Old Earth but much, much larger, the ice stalker had been Sanguinius’ first kill during the pacification of Teghar Pentarus, the first initial battle he had fought in beside his Legion after reuniting with his father the Emperor.
The Great Crusade
Under the leadership of Sanguinius, the Blood Angels Legion threw itself into the Great Crusade, quickly finding a role as specialised assault troops. The IX Legion formed a rivalry during this period with the similarly assault-oriented World Eaters Legion. After being introduced to all of his fellow Primarchs, over the decades of the Great Crusade, Sangunius formed the closest bonds with Horus, Leman Russ and Jaghatai Khan and the Blood Angels also forged close ties born in blood and battle with the Luna Wolves, Space Wolves and White Scars Legions, respectively.
As the Great Crusade pushed outward, and more Primarchs were discovered, the Emperor's time became divided, pulled in more and more directions by the demands of organising the growing Imperium. Horus, the most favoured son of the Emperor, was often placed in overall strategic command of the Crusade, a position in which he proved his skill as a leader time and time again. He quickly won the approval and support of the other Space Marine Legions, along with that of their leaders. One of the burgeoning Imperium's greatest victories occurred during the Ullanor Crusade, a vast Imperial assault on the Ork empire of the Overlord Urrlak Urruk. The capital world of this empire, and the site of the final assault, lay in the Ullanor System of the Ullanor Sector, which had long been under the dominion of Urrlak Urruk's Greenskin pocket empire. The Crusade included the deployment of 100,000 Space Marines, 8,000,000 Imperial Army troops, and thousands of Imperial starships and their support personnel.
Upon the successful conclusion of this most lauded of Imperial victories, Horus was raised to the rank of Imperial Warmaster and given command authority over all of his fellow Primarchs and every Expeditionary Fleet of the Great Crusade. Following the victory celebrations at the Triumph of Ullanor and the elevation of his most favoured son, the Emperor retired to Terra to pursue his secret Webway Project which was intended to open up the Webway for human use so that the Imperium would tie Mankind together as never before in history. But the Primarchs would never come to terms with the Emperor's absence. Their hurt feelings over his seeming abandonment of the Great Crusade to pursue a secret project, whose purpose he chose not to reveal to his sons, laid the seeds of corruption that would ultimately blossom into the Horus Heresy. Following the corruption of Horus by the Chaos Gods after his mortal wounding upon the plague moon of the Feral World of Davin, he began to lay the seeds for his coming rebellion, to overthrow the Emperor, and eventually assume the Imperial throne in his bid to rule the galaxy. In the midst of the darkness of the Horus Heresy, the Blood Angels never wavered, but held true at the Emperor's side.
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LEGIO VII: "ULTRAMARINES"
Primarch: Roboute Guilliman
Homeworld: Macragge
Status: Loyal to the Imperium
Origins
Uniquely amongst the First Founding Legions, the history of the Ultramarines is relatively well documented and there exists a wealth of information regarding the formation of this most illustrious Chapter. One of the greatest mysteries concerning the Primarchs of the Space Marine Legions are the circumstances of their sundering from the Emperor and this has vexed scholars down through the millennia. There are many wild and fanciful theories, but none can fully explain how such a calamitous event could be allowed to transpire. While it is a mystery that will probably never be adequately solved, it is when Roboute Guilliman's discovery on Macragge is examined that Imperial scholars find perhaps the greatest clue to the true facts of the matter.
Macragge is a rocky, inhospitable world on the eastern fringe of the galaxy. Three-quarters of its surface is covered by bleak, mountainous uplands, the rest with glittering blue seas. Macragge had survived the worst catastrophes of the Age of Strife; its industries had remained intact, contact was maintained with nearby star systems, and spacecraft regularly travelled between them. The people of Macragge were ruled by two Kings, or Consuls, and their word was law. To break their laws was to invite severe retribution, but honest toil was rewarded and positions of power granted to those most capable. Life on Macragge was harsh and only the strongest survived to adulthood. The state determined whether children, both male and female, were strong when they were born and weakling infants were left on the mountains to perish.
To be a citizen of Macragge was to live a life of discipline, self-denial and simplicity. The people viewed themselves as the true inheritors of Humanity's best traditions, shunning luxuries and occasion for leisure. Reliance on technological advancement was seen as bringing discord, weakness and a decline in moral values. This exercised a profound pull on the surrounding systems which admired the discipline and order of Macragge. To maintain this way of life, children of both sexes were sent to military and athletic academies at the age of six where they were taught to fight, build their stamina, maintain discipline, endure extremes of pain and survive in the wild. Life for the students was brutal and only the very best survived. At fourteen, after eight years of the toughest training imaginable, those students became soldiers.
This punishing regime ensured that the military might of Macragge was second to none and many of the surrounding systems adopted the same method of training. While the rest of the galaxy threatened to plunge back into the anarchy of the Age of Strife, Macragge and her neighbours prospered, disciplined armies of highly trained warriors hurling back alien invaders, pirates and human renegades time and time again. A soldier served until he or she reached the age of thirty, when they were allowed to leave the military and start a family of their own. However, despite the overwhelming military successes off-planet, areas of Macragge remained untamed and wild, with bandits and brigands raiding from the barbarous lands of Illyrium in the north. Konor, the mightiest Battle King of Macragge, had led armies against the northern barbarians, but even he had never managed to pacify the region for any length of time.
The coming of Roboute Guilliman was a time of great omen for the people of Macragge. Scribes recorded many strange sights and a passage in Konor's journals offers a significant clue to the mystery surrounding the Space Marine Primarchs. These writings have been preserved by the Librarians of the Ultramarines and its words have enlightened and divided Imperial historians in equal measure.
"Such dreams as might make a man believe he had lost his mind, or worse, fallen prey to a daemon, beset me nightly. It has been three months since I spent a night not woken from sleep by a scream so terrible I scarce believe it to be my own. Every night, dark terrors of fang and claw seek to rend my flesh and feast on my soul. The physicians prepare me infusions of Lassiam root, but they do not help. Until tonight I felt like I should go mad. But as I dreamed of dark monsters that longed to suck the marrow from my bones, I beheld an armoured figure in a moulded breastplate of iron, embossed with an eagle and polished so that it shone like silver. A close fitting helm of bronze obscured the warrior's face and he stood with a wide-bladed sword that crackled with powerful energies. The dark beasts swarmed around him, but he smote them with his mighty weapon and, as each creature fell, it howled and vanished from sight. As the last beast was slain, the warrior turned to me and I suddenly found myself beside Hera's Falls in the Valley of Laponis. Spray from the mighty waterfall drenched me and I saw a golden haired child on the ground. The warrior bade me protect the child and as I reached to gather the babe in my arms, I woke, feeling more refreshed than I have in months. Dream or vision? I do not know, but I awoke with a fine mist of fresh mountain water on my face."
According to legend, the Valley of Laponis was the site of the crowning of the first Battle King of Macragge and, the following day, Konor rode east at the head of his bodyguard to Hera's Falls. Weeks later, the king's expedition eventually crested the impenetrable, snow-capped peaks and reached the vast falls, glacial water thundering to the rocks tens of thousands of feet below. Here, wrapped in swaddling clothes, they discovered the child that Konor had seen in his vision. How the child came to be in this isolated valley farcical for Roboute to remain at the training barracks as he was already the mightiest warrior on Macragge. He could best every one of his instructors in hand to hand combat and none could out-think his battlefield stratagems.
As Roboute took his place within the military, Macragge itself was in a state of change. Konor was a well-liked ruler, yet his fellow Consul, a vain and jealous man named Gallan, plotted against him. In these times of prosperity, Gallan and a powerful group of the wealthy elite of Macragge had grown fat off the labour of slaves and vigorously opposed Konor's proposed reforms that would oblige them to provide their slaves with reasonable food and accommodation. Konor also pushed through legislation that forced the wealthy to contribute to his ambitious programme to enlarge and improve the capital city. His reforms were of great benefit to the people of Macragge, but Gallan and his supporters were fearful of losing their wealth and power. Such was Roboute's fearsome reputation, Gallan knew that he could not strike while Konor's son was still in the capital, and secretly arranged to have him removed from the city. Spreading gold amongst the Illyrium tribes, Gallan had the tribesmen launch a series of bloody raids against the northern communities of Macragge. He then counselled Konor that the pacification of these tribes would be the perfect task for Roboute. Konor readily agreed; he had been seeking a task worthy of his son and he believed that this was the perfect opportunity for him to prove his readiness for command.
Roboute marched north into the untamed lands of Illyrium and launched a brilliant campaign against the tribesmen. His genius for military strategy and organisation was nothing short of legendary, and within two months his expeditionary force had not only pacified the entire region but had earned the respect of the fierce tribesmen. Roboute became blood brother to Bardylis, head man of the strongest tribe, after sparing his life in battle and accepted oaths of loyalty from the leaders of every other tribe at the Gathering of Paonia. Bardylis then told Roboute of the gold that had come north from Gallan and begun the bloodshed. Roboute immediately gathered his men to march south to the capital but, as they came within sight of the city, they saw thick pillars of black smoke and the flickering glow of many fires.
Roboute led his army towards the gates, advancing through hordes of citizens fleeing from the terror within. The city was in anarchy, drunken soldiers looting and killing at random, and fires raging unchecked. Roboute marched to the Senate house, executing any looters he came across, and formed work details to fight the fires that threatened to engulf the city. A hundred soldiers in the pay of Gallan blocked the gates of the Senate house, but Roboute butchered them and forced his way inside. Leaving his troops to deal with the drunken mob, he fought his way through the Senate building to find Konor lying near death, an assassin's blade lodged in his heart. With his dying breath, Konor told his son of Gallan's betrayal and implored him to continue his works. The physicians did what they could for the Battle King, but the wound was poisoned and they could do nothing to save him. Roboute's thoughts filled with vengeance as he began the task of restoring order within the city. Those soldiers who had remained faithful to Konor were besieged within their barracks, but when word reached them of Roboute's return, they broke out and linked with other forces loyal to the Battle King.
With Roboute at their head, the rebels were soon crushed and not a single man was spared the Primarch's wrath. Gallan had fled the planet, but Roboute hunted him down and dragged him back to Macragge in chains, personally beheading him with Konor's sword. By popular demand, Roboute assumed the mantle of Battle King of Macragge and he worked swiftly to destroy those who had betrayed his father, executing them and seizing their lands and titles. He distributed these amongst his loyal supporters and set about continuing his father's works. A year later, the rebellion was forgotten and Macragge flourished like never before. Soon Macragge had been almost completely rebuilt with wondrous structures of smooth marble, steel and glass. The people prospered and wanted for nothing. Disciplined, well-equipped armies from Macragge kept the King's peace, and starships travelled regularly between neighbouring systems. It was, in all respects, a perfect model of human society, and when the Emperor learned of this Utopian civilisation he took ship for Macragge to meet its legendary King.
The Speculum Historiale records the meeting of the Emperor and Roboute Guilliman in great (and often unnecessary) detail and many historians cite this as proof that the Emperor had set Roboute Guilliman on Macragge deliberately. The Emperor met Roboute wearing a polished silver breastplate with an eagle at its centre and an all-enclosing bronze helm. He carried a glowing power sword and welcomed Roboute as an equal. Roboute instantly recognised the Emperor from the description in his father's journal and knew that he had at last met his true father. The Emperor was astounded by the prosperity and strength of this world and immediately assigned the forward base of the Ultramarines Legion to Macragge. The Ultramarines had been created from Roboute's genetic template and they established their base high in the Laponis Valley, beginning construction of a mighty fortress on the exact spot of Roboute's discovery.
The Primarch soon assimilated the wonders of the Imperium and readily took command of the Ultramarines Legion. As ever, his greatest talents lay in the art of war and he led the Ultramarines to victory after victory, further expanding the Emperor's realm. He liberated countless worlds from the domination of aliens and foul Chaos renegades, but where some of his brother Primarchs left a trail of death and destruction in their wake, Roboute brought peace and fresh prosperity. Every world the Ultramarines liberated rapidly took its place amongst those loyal to the Imperium, and Guilliman's genius for planning campaigns ensured that the planet's population and industry suffered the minimum amount of collateral damage. On Macragge, the Fortress of Hera took shape, a building of such magnificent proportions that it defied the human mind with its grandeur. Upon its completion, those Ultramarines who had remained behind to oversee its construction began recruiting from Macragge and the surrounding systems. The training academies provided many fine candidates for the Legion and soon the Ultramarines received the first influx of warriors born and bred on Macragge. The surrounding systems also provided warriors for the Legion and, before long, the Ultramarines were the largest Legion in existence.
Dreah I'm yunk, wazzit matter to you?