Ultramarines
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This article is about the Space Marine Chapter. For other uses of Ultramarines, see Ultramarines (disambiguation). |
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| Legion Number | XIII |
| Primarch | Roboute Guilliman |
| Homeworld | Macragge |
| Fortress-Monastery | Fortress of Hera |
| Chapter Master | Marneus Calgar |
| Colours | Blue , White , & Gold [7c]
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| Specialty | Codex Chapter, Combined Arms,[72a] Diplomacy and Logistics[72b] |
| Strength | ~1000 marines |
| Battle Cry | Courage and Honour! / We march for Macragge![30] |
Successor Chapters:
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The Ultramarines were a First Founding Chapter of Space Marines, originally the XIII Legion.
Overview
The Ultramarines, originally known as the War-Born,[38d] were the XIII Legion of the original twenty Space Marine Legions. This loyalist Legion was later re-organised and divided into Chapters according to the Codex Astartes, with the only the foremost Chapter retaining the original title.
Their Primarch is Roboute Guilliman, whose leadership, not to mention his authorship of the Codex Astartes, were instrumental in humanity's survival following the Horus Heresy. Because their Primarch wrote the text that defines a Space Marine Chapter, the Ultramarines follow this Codex strictly; one of their rare deviations being the recent formation of the Tyrannic War Veterans, comprised entirely of Veterans of battles with the Tyranids. The Ultramarines are possibly the most important Imperial organisation on the Eastern Fringe.
Roughly two thirds of all Space Marines can trace their origins to the Ultramarines, and many still revere Roboute Guilliman as their creator.[47] As well as a Boltgun, many Ultramarines carry a sword known as a Gladius.[77] The Ultramarines Honour Guard wield formidable close combat weapons known as the Axes of Ultramar.[4b]
The Ultramarines are set apart from their other Astartes cousins by their discipline, strategic brilliance, and ability to adapt to new challenges. As such, the Chapter usually utilises balanced and adaptable forces of Battleline squads, alongside smaller amounts of specialised Devastator and Assault squads, coordinated with armoured support.[56c]
History
Early History
The Ultramarines, in the days before being reunited with their Primarch, were originally known as the XIII Legion. The legion was created towards the end of the Unification Wars, developed from Roboute Guilliman's gene-seed that was noted to be absent of mutation and with a high adaptability. The original recruits were drawn from from the sub-equatorial maglev clans of Panpocro, the war families of the Saragon Enclave, the Midafrik Hive Oligarchy and the anthropophagic tribes of the Caucasus Wastes. As varied in culture and origin as these groups were, they all had one factor in common; their violent and often bitter resistance to the later stages of Unification, a resistance broken ultimately in each case not by negotiated surrender but near annihilation, with in some situations little remaining save interned refugees and orphaned populations left by the savage conflicts which had brought these peoples to heel. The legion was created at such a late stage in the war that they have no recorded combat operations on Terra, instead being used for the first time for the liberation of the Solar System.[38c] During the Early Great Crusade, the Legion became known as the War-Born, referring to their disparate Terran origins that were all nonetheless forged through war.[38d]
They were one of the three Space Marine Legions to take part in the First Pacification of Luna, the first pitched battle of the Great Crusade.[31] Another major early campaign of the legion was putting down the Osiris Rebellion. By 833.M30, the strength of the legion had risen to 33,000, but its morale and pride was harmed as a result of heavy losses during the Osiris Rebellion.[38c]
The Youth of Roboute Guilliman
Like the other Primarchs, Roboute Guilliman was taken as an infant from the Emperor's labs by the powers of Chaos, and ended up on a far-flung world. The infant Guilliman's capsule fell on Macragge, where it was discovered by a group of noblemen hunting in the forest. Inside the capsule they found a child, surrounded by a glowing aura. He was taken back to Konor, one of the two Consuls who governed Macragge, who adopted the infant as his son and named him Roboute.[1a]
Roboute was a prodigy, growing fast in both body and intellect. By age ten, he had mastered every subject the wisest men of Macragge could teach him, and his insights into matters of history, philosophy, and science often stunned his elders. However, his greatest talents were as a military leader. These talents led his father to give him command of an expeditionary force to Illyrium, a mountainous region in the far north of Macragge, whose wild inhabitants had terrorised the civilised regions for years and successfully resisted every previous military campaign. Not only did Roboute fight a brilliant campaign but he also earned the respect of the wildmen who never again threatened the more civilised parts of Macragge. However, on his return to the capital Roboute found the city in chaos, as his father's co-Consul, Gallan, had attempted a coup. Gallan led a faction of Macragge's nobility who were used to enjoying their wealth and position at the expense of armies of slaves, and resented Konor's legislation favouring the common people, among whom he was immensely popular.[1a]
Approaching the city, Roboute and his soldiers saw the city in chaos, being sacked by mobs of Gallan's men, while the Consul House was under siege. Roboute left his men to restore order to the city, while he rushed to the Consul House and lifted the siege, only to find his father close to death, surrounded by his loyal bodyguards. He had been mortally wounded by an assassin in Gallan's employ, and with his dying breath, told Roboute who was responsible.[1a]
Roboute swiftly crushed the rebellion and, amid a wave of popular relief, assumed the title of sole Consul of Macragge. He set about punishing the treachery and carrying out his father's vision. Gallan and his co-conspirators were executed, and their lands and wealth were redistributed to the people. With superhuman energy, Roboute re-organised Macragge's entire social structure, creating a meritocracy where office and honours were given to the hard-working, rather than the wealthy and influential. Under his leadership, Macragge prospered as it never had before.[1a]
The Arrival of the Emperor
While Roboute was prosecuting his war against the Illyrian rebels, the Emperor of Mankind and his armies had reached the neighbouring planet of Espandor. It was there that the Emperor heard stories of the extraordinary son of Consul Konor, and realised that he had found one of the lost Primarchs. However, due to an unexpected warp storm, his ship was thrown far off course and by the time it reached Macragge, Roboute had been ruling for almost five years.[1a]
When the Emperor reached Macragge, he found a world that was self sufficient, prosperous, with a strong and well-equipped military, and engaging in trade with nearby systems. Impressed, the Emperor assigned command of the Ultramarines Legion to Guilliman, and relocated the Legion's forward base to Macragge.[1a]
Great Crusade
With the exception of the Luna Wolves, no Legion conquered as many worlds, or conquered worlds as fast, or left conquered worlds in such good state during the Great Crusade, as the Ultramarines. Guilliman restored the legion's morale and prestige following difficulties in the Osiris Rebellion and later took revenge on the Osirian Psybrids at the Battle of the Eurydice Terminal.[38c] Whenever Guilliman liberated a world, he would not move on until he had set up a self-sufficient defence system, and left advisors behind to create industry, set up trade routes with the rest of the Imperium, and form a government whose first concern would always be the well-being of the people.[1a] The success of the Ultramarines may be thanks to their diverse but stable gene-seed. In them was found a mixture of aggression and restraint, discipline and determination which rendered them supremely suited for joint taskforce operations and cross-theatre warfare.[38c]
As Ultramar grew into a small stellar empire in its own right, Guilliman created a supremely efficient military machine, centred on Macragge, that provided the Ultramarines with a steady flow of new recruits. Between this factor, and the minimal casualties suffered as a result of Guilliman's tactical genius, the Ultramarines soon became the largest of all the Space Marine Legions[1a] — so large, in fact, that an organisational unit above the Company was required. The Ultramarines were thus organised into Chapters, numbering at least 25 just before the Battle of Calth.[38a] Rumours speculate that the size of the Ultramarines could only have been possible due to the fates of the Two Unknown Legions.[51]
The Ultramarines not only gained an impressive tally of conquests, but they also did this while mostly avoiding battles of attrition and prided themselves on achieving strategic goals with minimum expenditure of life. This even extended to the enemy, provided they were a salvageable Human civilisation. Thus unlike some of the more bloody-handed Legions, the Ultramarines minimised collateral damage and sought to rapidly integrate these conquered foes into the wider Imperium after their compliance was achieved.[88]
At the time of the Horus Heresy, it is estimated that the Ultramarines Legion numbered around 250,000 Space Marines, making them the largest Legion.[20] This was in large part thanks to their highly stable and variable gene-seed.[47]
Horus Heresy
See main article — List of Heresy Era Battles of the Ultramarines
Before Horus declared his treachery against the Emperor, he ordered the Ultramarines Legion to assemble for war in the Veridian System in Segmentum Tempestus far to the galactic south, claiming that the system was under attack by an Ork invasion force from the Ghaslakh Empire. Ultramar was close enough for an assault against Veridian, so Guilliman ordered his Legion to assemble in the Calth System.[38a]
Battle of Calth
As Guilliman and his fleets arrived at Calth, they knew something was wrong, because none of their Astropaths could get messages through the Warp and the storms were interfering with the navigation of their ships; they were blocked from the rest of the Imperium. It was at this moment that the traitor forces of the Word Bearers Legion attacked, rendering the Ultramarines unable to participate in much of the Battle of Terra. Simultaneously, the Word Bearers under Lorgar as well as the World Eaters attempted to cut off the rest of Ultramar from the greater Imperium in the Shadow Crusade.[32b] The battle at Calth, though ultimately a victory for Guilliman, was devastating for the Ultramarines. Nearly 120,000 of the Legion's Space Marines were lost and another 28,000 rendered combat-incapable.[38b] This represented almost 60% of the Legion's Pre-Heresy strength of 250,000.[20]
Imperium Secundus
After the formation of the Ruinstorm, Guilliman feared Terra lost and used the Ultramarines and the realm of Macragge to create a new contingency empire known as Imperium Secundus.[34] Imperium Secundus faced a major test in the Battle of Sotha, where the Ultramarines and their fellow Astartes allies that had gathered fought off a force of Night Lords.[39]
Ultimately after a number of disasters, clashes between Guilliman, Sanguinius, and Lion El'Jonson, and a vision by Sanguinius that the Emperor was alive, Imperium Secundus was abolished. The three Primarchs led their legions in an attempt to breach the Ruinstorm and reach Terra. Through an arduous journey, they eventually reached Davin, the nexus of the Ruinstorm, and engaged a vast Daemonic host. After the battle and the destruction of Davin, a way to Terra through the Ruinstorm was clear. However, in their way stood many enemy blockades as Horus had foreseen this route. Sanguinius and the Blood Angels raced directly for Terra, as was their destiny, while Guilliman and Lion El'Jonson led the Ultramarines and Dark Angels in diversionary attacks against Horus' blockade.[48]
After the death of the Ruinstorm, Guilliman gathered whatever forces he could and made haste for Terra. In his path lay a large defensive chain of hundreds of worlds manned by the Iron Warriors. In a series of bitter engagements, both sides took heavy losses but the loyalists were able to maintain a steady advance.[45]
The Great Scouring
Guilliman was ultimately able to set course for Terra, destroying Chaos reinforcements along the way, but arrived after Horus had already been defeated, and the Traitor Legions in full retreat. Because of this, the Ultramarines were one of the few Legions at full strength in the aftermath of the Heresy; thus, Guilliman and his Ultramarines bore much of the burden of holding the Imperium together against aliens and Chaos forces.[3a] As he secured Terra, Guilliman gathered the surviving loyalist Primarchs and High Lords and organised the Grand Council of Reconstruction as a transitionary ruling body. A key debate arose as Rogal Dorn and others such as Leman Russ and Lion El'Jonson wished to immediately pursue the fleeing traitors in a Crusade of Vengeance, while Guilliman and his powerbase wanted to take a more careful strategy to consolidate their holdings and retake key assets such as Luna and Mars. With the support of the High Lords, Guilliman was able to prevail[95a] and launched the first battle of the Scouring, the Retaking of Luna.[95b]
During this time, the Ultramarines recruited heavily from Ultramar and eventually accounted for over half of the Loyalist Marines. Apart from leading his Ultramarines in countless battles across the Galaxy, Guilliman also accepted an extraordinary appointment as Lord Commander of the Imperium; with the Emperor crippled and Lord Malcador dead, it fell to Guilliman to re-organise the Council of Terra into a ruling body capable of running the Imperium without their sovereign.[3a]
Creation of the Codex Astartes
After the Horus Heresy, Roboute Guilliman dedicated himself to creating the Codex Astartes, which would define the tactics and organisation of all Space Marines, from battlefield strategies to squad markings. Most important of these changes was the division of the Legions into 1,000-strong Chapters. One of the Chapters would retain the heraldry of the original Legion, but the others would be given a new name and symbol. In doing so, Guilliman hoped to divide the power of the Space Marines to ensure that a civil war on the scale of the Heresy could never occur again.[3b]
This, however, caused dissention among the remaining Primarchs. Rogal Dorn, Vulkan and Leman Russ opposed the splitting of their legions while Guilliman himself was supported by Jaghatai Khan and Corax. Neither side was willing to relent and the controversy grew more intense, with Rogal Dorn calling Guilliman a coward for not having participated in the Siege of Terra, and Guilliman accusing Dorn of being a rebel for his refusal to follow the Codex. The situation threatened to bring the Imperium into another civil war. When the Imperial Fists strike cruiser Terrible Angel was fired upon by the Imperial Navy, Dorn finally relented and agreed to split his legion.[4a]
Significant Battles
- 010-030.M31: The Bitter War — A campaign that began in 010.M31 during the Horus Heresy, pitting various Loyalist forces of the Imperium, such as the Iron Hands, against the Word Bearers defending Colchis.[74] The war for Colchis was concluded when the Ultramarines and Inquisition destroyed Colchis with cyclonic torpedoes carried by the Ultramarines battle barge Octavius.[25c]
- 019.M31: The Iron Cage — Shortly after the Heresy, the Imperial Fists laid siege to the Iron Warriors' greatest construct, The Eternal Fortress. Guilliman advised his brother Dorn against the siege, but Dorn was embittered at having lost the debate over the Codex to Guilliman, and wished to vent his anger and frustration on his most bitter of rivals.[10] The Imperial Fists, however, had been devastated by the protracted battle, and had lost much gene-seed.[9] Perturabo's victory was spoiled because of the intervention of the Ultramarines. However, his sacrifice was great enough for him to be raised to Daemon Prince status.[9][10]
- ???.M31: The Battle of Tsagualsa — Responding to years of raids by the Night Lords, the Ultramarines and many of their new Second Founding descendant Chapters invaded their acting homeworld of Tsagualsa, shattering them as a Legion.[100]
- ???.M31: Duel on Eskrador — On Eskrador Alpharius, the Alpha Legion's primarch, was apparently taken by surprise when Guilliman departed from his own strictures and led a surprise assault by his elite units on the Alpha Legion headquarters. In the resulting personal combat between Alpharius and Guilliman, it is believed that Alpharius was killed. The Alpha Legion responded, not by breaking and fleeing as Guilliman expected, but by turning on the Ultramarine detachment and harrying them so mercilessly that by the time they had returned to the main body of the Ultramarine force their casualties were almost total. The Ultramarines were driven from the planet in the subsequent battle.[11]
- 121.M31: The Battle of Thessala — Ultimately, Guilliman's rule over the Imperium would come to an end in the Battle of Thessala. There, he faced his traitorous brother Fulgrim in a fateful duel. Guilliman was mortally wounded during the battle and put into stasis thereafter by the Ultramarines, where he would remain for the next 10,000 years.[44a]
Recent Events
Timeline
Major engagements of the Ultramarines since the Horus Heresy :
- 544.M32: During the War of the Beast, Ultramar was attacked by Ork forces. Quintarn and Prandium are invaded. The Ultramarines were ultimately able to destroy an Ork Attack Moon over Calth and another over Tarentus. Later, Chapter Master Odaenathus was killed by The Beast during the invasion of Ullanor.
- 546.M32: In the aftermath of The Beheading, Agnathio, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, united over fifty other Chapter Masters and arrived on Terra to contain the anarchy which followed the incident. Putting an end to the political squabblings of who should succeed the High Lords of Terra, the Astartes sorted out the issues in a closed session of the Senatorum Imperialis. When they emerged, the new twelve High Lords had been chosen.[28]
- 745.M41: The Battle for Macragge — The concluding battle of the First Tyrannic War that stopped Hive Fleet Behemoth on the Ultramarines' Homeworld of Macragge.
- 812.M41: The Space Hulk Fury emerges in realspace near the Agri World Iax. Marneus Calgar led the 5th company to the bottom of the ship to destroy the Chaos Warband known as The Broken and banish Daemon Prince The Witness. Only 15 marines from 5th company survive, giving the chapter a pyrrhic victory.[86]
- 855.M41: Assault on Black Reach — the Ultramarines 2nd Company under the command of Captain Cato Sicarius and Scout Sergeant Torias Telion defeated the brutal Ork Waaagh! Zanzag on Black Reach.[1f]
- 913.M41: The Six Hour War — A Strike Force Ultra under the command of Severus Agemman banished the Tau force from the world of K’ail.[33]
- 974.M41: The Damnos Incident — On the resource rich planet of Damnos, Captain Cato Sicarius and Chief Librarian Varro Tigurius led an Ultramarine assault onto the planet against the recently risen menace known as the Necrons.[1g]
- 990.M41: The Battle of Ichar IV — With the combined support of the Ultramarines, PDF forces and the Imperial Guard, the inquisition successfully destroyed the invasion and cleansed the planet of all Genestealers.[5]
- 999.M41: The Battle of Tarsis Ultra — the Ultramarines 4th Company were dispatched to the world of Tarsis Ultra to defend it against on of the two tendrils of Hive Fleet Leviathan. With help from the Mortifactors Chapter and several regiments of the Imperial Guard, the invasion was successfully repelled, though at great cost.[7a]
- 999.M41: The Second Battle of Damnos — Damnos is reclaimed by Cato Sicarius after the Necron Lord known as The Undying is destroyed.[76]
- 854999.M41: Invasion of Ultramar — Iron Warriors Warsmith Honsou assembles an enormous warband and invades the region of Ultramar, in league with the Daemon Prince M'kar. The entire Chapter must mobilize for war, to prevent Ultramar from being laid to waste.[15b]
- 999.M41: Thirteenth Black Crusade — The Ultramarines fielded the Ultramarines Honour Company.[29]
- ~999.M41: The Ultramar Campaign sees Belisarius Cawl and his Eldar allies resurrect Roboute Guilliman after ten thousand years.[50]
- ~999.M41: The Terran Crusade. The resurrected Primarch Roboute Guilliman leave Ultramar on a pilgrimage to Terra.[42]
- ~999.M41 - Present: The Indomitus Crusade — Guilliman leads the reclamation of worlds from within the Dark Imperium.[59]
- ???.M42: The Battle of Quradim[93]
- ???.M42: Yxian Campaign[58b]
- ???.M42: The Battle for the Orestes System — During the Indomitus Crusade, Ultramarines forces battle the Necron Szarekhan Dynasty.[60]
- ???.M42: The Solar Incursion[90]
- ???.M42: The War in the Pariah Nexus[61]
- 012.M42: Battle of the Pit of Raukos — Ultramarines, thousands of Primaris Space Marines and many other armies of the Imperium fight against a force of Black Legion, Word Bearers and Iron Warriors.[44c][44d][65]
- 012.M42-: The Plague Wars — The forces of Nurgle begin to overrun the Realm of Ultramar. The Ultramarines once again fight for their homeland, this time with Primaris Space Marines.[43][65]
- ???.M42: The War of Beasts — The Ultramarines battle on Vigilus against Saim-Hann Eldar. Eventually Marneus Calgar himself arrives at the front and coordinates the entire loyalist war effort against invaders that now also include the Orks, Genestealers, Dark Eldar, and Chaos. The massive campaign is ongoing.[52]
- ???.M42: The Third War for Damnos — The Ultramarines and allies again battle the Necrons over the world of Damnos.[64a]
- ???.M42: The Nachmund Rift War[67]
- ???.M42: The Arks of Omen Campaign[71]
- ???.M42: The Fourth Tyrannic War — The Ultramarines take part in the defence of the Sanctus Line as First Captain Severus Agemman leads forces in the Battle of Bastior.[73]
- The Battle of Trygg. 2nd Company Captain Acheran and Lieutenant Chairon are amongst the dead.[94]
- ???.M42: The Ultramarian Reclamation. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 10th Companies alongside the Shield Chapters of Ultramar, Ultramar Auxilia, and Ultramar Defence Fleet under the broad oversight of Captain Demetrian Titus launch a campaign to secure the newly enlarged realm of Ultramar.[96a]
Culture
The Ultramarines pride themselves on their strict adherence to the Codex Astartes, and view themselves as an exemplar for all other Space Marine Chapters. They believe - not without cause - that their Primarch's teachings have moulded the Adeptus Astartes, and the Imperium as a whole, in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy, and that it is their responsibility to continue to serve as this paragon.[14][22] For this reason they are viewed as strait-laced and somewhat elitist by their brother chapters, from the more anarchic Space Wolves[26] to even their own successor chapters, such as the Mortifactors.[13a]
The chapter treats deviation from the Codex as a crime tantamount to heresy, punishable by a Death Oath — exile from the chapter on a suicidal mission to combat the forces of Chaos inside the Eye of Terror.[22][23] To the Ultramarines, the Codex is more than a set of rules, it represents discipline and respect for order, the key virtues that separate the Ultramarines and their brethren from the Traitor Legions. Disobeying the Codex, even for a noble cause, is simply the first step towards the belief that the ends justify the means, and from there to total anarchy.[14][22]
To the wider galaxy at large, Ultramarines are renowned for their logic, superb training, tactical flexibility and ability to learn from failure and improve themselves accordingly. This is reflected in mental-strategic concepts emphasised by Guilliman himself. The Practical represents discipline, skill, courage, flexibility and battlefield results while the Theoretical represents analysis, assessment, precedent and planning. Virtually any challenge an Ultramarine faces will see the warrior balance these two notions in their mind. Despite their reputation for strict Codex adherence, Guilliman emphasises individual independence in tactical decision-making and believes lives should not be wastefully expended for the sake of maintaining the Codex.[98b]
The Ultramarines are also strongly influenced by their unique history as stewards of Ultramar and its human population. Guilliman founded a culture based on striving for the common good, and the Ultramarines are proud to uphold these beliefs. Where other Space Marines are aloof, and sometimes contemptuous of the Imperium's "lesser" mortals, most Ultramarines are used to working closely with "ordinary" people in Ultramar and regard any human life, no matter how seemingly insignificant, as sacred and worthy of protection.[12c][13a][15a][24] They are also harshly intolerant when they encounter less altruistic behaviour - greed, selfishness, corruption - on other Imperial worlds.[12c][13b]
During the Invasion of Ultramar in 999.M41, Inquisitor Namira Suzaku of the Ordo Malleus noted that the people of Calth regarded her and her entourage with curiosity, but no visible apprehension; she remarked that it was the first world in the Imperium she had ever visited where people felt they had nothing to hide from the Inquisition.[15c]
After the start of the Indomitus Crusade, some of the Ultramarines' Primaris began to call the 'common' (non-Primaris) Space Marines, as "first born", though Sicarius, for example, considered it overly reductive and colloquial.[57]
Home Sector
The Ultramarines are unique in that, unlike their fellow chapters, they control an entire sub-sector of space, rather than a single planet. Collectively, these systems are known as the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, with Macragge as its capital. Though the realm itself is divided into smaller sectors which are each in turn ruled by Tetrarchs that are appointed by Roboute Guilliman himself.[44f]
While the number of colonized worlds in this domain numbers in the hundreds, some of the most well-known planets of Ultramar include:[1d]
- Macragge: Capital of Ultramar/Chapter Planet
- Calth: Cavern World/Main Shipyard of Ultramar
- Espandor: Cardinal World
- Konor: Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World
- Parmenio: Training World
- Talassar: Ocean World
- Talasa Prime: Inquisition Fortress
- Laphis: Shrine World
- Ardium: Hive World
- The "Three Planets":
Recruitment
The Ultramarines continue the tradition, begun by Guilliman, of recruiting from the worlds of Ultramar. There is rarely a shortage of volunteer Aspirants, since the Ultramarines are revered throughout the realm, and many families can boast of having sent several generations of their sons to serve the Chapter.[12a][27] Currently the Ultramarines first look to Macragge's Ultramar Auxilia Juventia for Aspirants, due to the level of their training.[69]
No recruitment rites and trials of the Ultramarines are specifically known. However they are known to utilize two types of general trials known as the Exposure Trial and the Challenge Trial.[59]
In the Exposure Trial, the Aspirant must simply go out into the wilderness and survive for a set period of time. While simple in its nature, it is extremely difficult as the trial is often set on Death Worlds, Desert Worlds, or Ice Worlds. Other times a Feral World savage might be inserted into the middle of a Hive city. The trial is often impossible to complete, with a subject succumbing but being recovered and healed by Apothecaries should he deemed worthy. The Ultramarines make extensive use of the Exposure Trial. This form of trial seems to be culturally ingrained into Ultramar society, as the warrior elite is known to cast newborn infants into the wilderness in order to test their resilience.[59]
The other trial, the Challenge Trial, sees the Aspirant engage in a duel with a full Battle-Brother. None of the challengers are expected to defeat the Brother, the trial is measured in degrees of failure. Very occasionally, an Aspirant does manage to beat the Battle-Brother, and when this happens it is not uncommon for the individual to go on to become a legendary hero of the Chapter.[59]
Aspirants who survive training at one of the barrack institutions in Ultramar, human youths are inducted into the Chapter as Scouts, as the Codex dictates, before completing their transformation into full Space Marines.[1h] Those who fail their trials, however, can be turned into Aspirant Servitors, which are then used by the Ultramarines to later fatally test new groups of Aspirants.[70]
Gene-seed
The gene-seed of the Ultramarines is highly regarded as one of the most stable, with only a ten percent chance of mutation. Ultramarines Gene-Seed perfectly utilizes every organ and implant with low risk of mutation or defect.[47] Moreover, there is little observed degeneration of Gene-Seed over time, making Ultramarines Gene-Seed as perfect today as it was in the time of the Horus Heresy.[47] The Gene-seed is noted, however, for having a predisposed increase in aggression and a tendency towards cohesion and adaptation of hierarchy.[38c]
As the largest Space Marine Legion, the Ultramarines Gene-Seed was subsequently used to create most Second Founding Chapters and today are still the most over-represented origin of Gene-Seed among the Adeptus Astartes Chapters.[47]
Successor Chapters
The Space Marine Chapters that split from the Ultramarines Legion are amongst the most celebrated Space Marine forces, specially those near the Realm of Ultramar. Most of these chapters closely follow the doctrines in the Codex Astartes.[21]
2nd Founding - The Twenty-three
The Ultramarines' successors of the Second Founding, known as the Firstborn or Primogenitors[47][92] maintain a far closer bond with the Ultramarines than many other chapters, with many having their homeworlds in the Ultima Segmentum. But even the most distant Chapters send representatives to the Fortress of Hera, to confer with the Lord Macragge to coordinate the war across the entire Imperium. Many Space Marines of these chapters aspire to take a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Primarch.[21] The Primogenitors all venerate Roboute Guilliman as their founder and patron.[92]
The exact number of Second Founding chapters that came from the Ultramarines is unknown, but the Apocrypha of Skaros (the oldest known copy of the Codex Astartes, gives the total as twenty-three. The Apocrypha does not name the twenty-three successors however.[92]
Aurora Chapter[3b]
Black Consuls[3b]
Doom Eagles[3b]
Eagle Warriors[3b]
Genesis Chapter[3b]
Iron Snakes[44b]
Inceptors[3b]
Libators[3b]
Mortifactors[13c]- Nemesis Chapter
Novamarines[3b]- Obsidian Glaives
Patriarchs of Ulixis[3b]
Praetors of Orpheus[3b]- Silver Eagles[3b]
Silver Skulls[7b]
White Consuls[3b]
3rd Founding
4th Founding
8th Founding
21st Founding
23rd Founding
25th Founding
26th Founding
Ultima Foundings
Castellans of the Rift
Fulminators
Praetors of Ultramar
Silver Templars
Void Tridents
Avenging Sons (Refounded)[96b]
Unknown Founding
- Angels of Fury[8b]
Aquiloan Brotherhood
Blades of Unity[91b]
Brazen Consuls[64a]- Crimson Consuls (†)
Dark Sons (through the Novamarines)
Doom Legion
Hawk Lords[46] (conflicting sources)
Helion Legion- Heralds of Ultramar
Howling Griffons[18]
Illuminators[91a]- Iron Hawks[61]
- Knights Cerulean
- Marines Mordant[49]
- Nova Legion
Obsidian Jaguars[66]
Rainbow Warriors
Reborn- Red Consuls[35]
Sons of Guilliman[7b]
Sons of Orar[1c]
Swords of Guilliman[91b]- Vindicators
Suspected Successors
Fire Hawks[8a] (Claims to be of Ultramarines stock, but the Lords of Macragge have never publicly acknowledged kinship. 21st Founding)
Relictors[97] (Believed to have been created from Ultramarines and Dark Angels gene-seed. Belived to have been founded during the Age of Apostasy in M36)
Note
- The Swords of Haldroth Chapter thought themself to be Ultramarines successors for a considerable amount of time, until a chance meeting with Astorath the Grim in late M41 revealed them to be descended of the Blood Angels, after which they changed their name to Carmine Blades.[98]
Relics
The Ultramarines hold custody of a large number of unique relics. These relics are most commonly borne by higher-ranking Marines, such as Captains, but notably honoured Sergeants can sometimes bear relics too.[56e]
Occasionally, the Ultramarines may gift one of their successor chapters a relic, as a gesture of trust and respect.[56e]
Notable relics include:
Organisation
Legion
During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, the Ultramarines were a much larger Legion commanded by Roboute Guilliman. Beneath him were Chapter Masters who led approximately 10,000 warriors and a segment of the Legion fleet. Each Chapter was in turn divided into ten Companies of 1,000 under the command of a Captain.[47] The Legion also maintained several specialized forces no longer seen today, such as the Invictarii[38e], Fulmentari[85], Locutari[38f], and Evocati[32a].
In contrast to the vast numbers of Space Marines in the Ultramarines Legion, the naval assets of Ultramar were more limited. Historically, Roboute Guilliman had made a virtue of close alliance with the Imperialis Armada fleets of the Ultima Segmentum, and relied upon them closely when a particular campaign called for a powerful capital ship contingent to be employed or extensive orbital bombardments to be undertaken. The Primarch himself was known to have observed that his warriors were intended to excel in spheres of combat other than the impersonal long range clash of star ships many kilometres apart in the deep void, and greatly favoured his own Legion fleet to be optimised for close assault and maintained ships designed for invasion operations for this reason.[38d]
As a result, the Legion had never operated large numbers of the heaviest capital ships, retaining less than 30-35 of such craft at various points, having lost several in battle over time, notably the Legion's first flagship among them during the disaster at the Osiris Cluster. Of those heavy capital ships which remained, most had served since the Legion's inception at the beginning of the Great Crusade and had been heavily refitted over time. Only a handful of the newer models of heavy capital ships had been assigned to them since the Primarch Roboute Guilliman's command tenure had begun, although of these notably two were of the extremely powerful Gloriana Class Battleships.[38d]
The main body of the Legion's void craft fleet was then made up of mid-scaled cruisers and smaller battle barges of various classes, along with substantial numbers of lighter pattern purpose-built strike cruisers, frigates and fast patrol cutters, all which could be produced by the shipyards of worlds across Ultramar. Although this fleet structure did allow the Legion a great deal of flexibility and: range in how it deployed its many Space Marine chapters, its combined overall tonnage and firepower ranked the Ultramarines fleet in the mid-tier of the Legions, considerably behind the Imperial Fists, for example, in terms of tonnage and destructive power, and behind the Death Guard in terms of number of heavy capital units.[38d]
The Legion also maintained senior positions outside of Captains, such as the four Tetrarchs[47f] as well as Legates or Legatus who oversaw large battleforces.[32a]
Unique Troops
- Fulmentarus (Heresy-era)
- Suzerain Invictarus (Heresy-era)
- Locutarus (Heresy-era)
- Evocati (Heresy-era)
- Nemesis Destroyers(Heresy-era)
- Praetorian Breacher Squad (Heresy-era)
- Alaris Pilot (Heresy-era)[68]
Chapter
As the paragon Codex chapter, the Ultramarines are divided into ten Companies of 100 Marines, as prescribed by the Codex Astartes. Since the return of Guilliman, the de facto role of the various companies has changed slightly.[56d]
The 1st Company remains the Veteran Company, while the 2nd through 5th are still serving as the Battle Companies. However as of the birth of the Indomitus Crusade the 3rd and 5th Companies are both heavily fractured, spread out across several strikegroups from the Cadian Gate to Eastern Fringe. The 2nd and 4th meanwhile mostly commit themselves to the defense of Ultramar itself, seeing heavy action in campaigns such as the Plague Wars. The 6th and 7th Companies remain as a strategic reserve of mainstay warriors meant to fill any requirement, in particular operating Land Speeders, Bikes, and tanks. The 8th and 9th Companies are based around Close Support and Fire Support, with their warriors quickly and efficiently taking up different roles such as Hellblaster or Inceptor as missions demand. These are brought up rapidly then assigned to the main Battle Companies.[56d]
Like all Codex-compliment Chapters, the 10th Company consists largely of Neophyte Scouts under a Master of Recruits.[56b] More recently, 10 Vanguard Squads have been added to the 10th to give it further strategic flexibility.[56a]
Headquarters
The headquarters staff as of the Age of the Dark Imperium are:[56a]
| Chapter Command | |
|---|---|
 |
Roboute Guilliman, |
 |
 |
Fleet Command |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fennias Maxim,
|
Companies
The current Companies and their Captains as of the Age of the Dark Imperium are as follows:[56a]:
Notes
- Light vehicles and transports (Rhinos, Land Speeders, etc.) are not included in this count; such vehicles are held in reserve by their parent Company and drawn upon as their mission requires.[1b]
- a: Normally, the Captain of the Fourth Company would hold the position of Master of the Fleet. Uriel Ventris bestowed his title upon Lord Admiral Lazlo Tiberius instead, whom he felt was better suited for the job.[13c]
- b: How To Paint Space Marines lists a Captain Abraxxon as the Tenth Captain.[7a]
Ultramarines Honour Company
Because the Ultramarines Legion played little part in fighting the Warmaster's forces during the Horus Heresy, a number of Ultramarines Primogenitors Chapters contributed individual squads to a standing force near the Eye of Terror known as the Ultramarines Honour Company. Those that took this duty in the Cadian Gate were changed by the unknowable terrors. Many of these Space Marines went on to serve in the Deathwatch and were some of the most dedicated of their chapter's warriors.[21] It is unknown whether this company was either destroyed or simply made defunct after the collapse of the Cadian Gate and subsequent Cicatrix Maledictum.
Fulminata
The Fulminata is a newly formed demi-Company of the Ultramarines formed entirely from Primaris Space Marines.[53]
Unique Troops
Notable Elements
Notable Members
 |
Heresy Era
- Roboute Guilliman — Primarch[3b]
- Marius Gage — Chapter Master of the Ultramarines Legion's First Chapter (First Master of the Ultramarines).[25d]
- Ptolemy — First and greatest Librarian of the Ultramarines, founded the Library of Ptolemy.[15d]
- Aeonid Thiel — Sergeant of the 135th Company. Marked for censure prior to the Defence of Calth for running theoretical scenarios on fighting Space Marines. Was later honoured for heroics during the battle by having the Red Helmet of Censure he wore become the symbol of Sergeant rank.[25b] After the Heresy, he became Captain of the 2nd Company.[44a]
Post-Heresy
Chapter Command
- Roboute Guilliman — The recently reborn Primarch of the Ultramarines, who has become Lord Commander of the Imperium[42]
- Marneus Calgar — Chapter Master and Lord Macragge. 77th Chapter Master in the history of the Ultramarines.[36b] Lord Defender of Greater Ultramar after Guilliman's return.[44e]
- Varro Tigurius — Current Chief Librarian, and is believed to be the strongest psyker in the Imperium[1b]
- Ortan Cassius — Master of Sanctity and veteran of the Battle of Macragge, and now leads the Tyrannic War Veterans into battle[1b]
- Lazlo Tiberius — Lord Admiral, Master of the Fleet
- Vaniel — Chief Librarian during the War of the Beast in M32
Captains and Lieutenants
- Saul Invictus — Former 1st Company Captain, fought in the Battle of Macragge .[3c]
- Severus — 2nd Company Captain during its mission to Mithron.
- Severus Agemman — 1st Company Captain and current Regent of Ultramar.[1b]
- Cato Sicarius — Former 2nd Company Captain and commander of Imperial Forces during the Medusa V Schism[1b] Became commander of the Victrix Guard[44a]
- Uriel Ventris — 4th Company Captain, sent to fulfil a Death Oath for failing to follow Codex Astartes rules.[1b]
- Demetrian Titus — 2nd Company Captain who fought during the Graia Invasion.[80]
- Ferren Areios — 6th Company Captain[85], former Unnumbered Sons Lieutenant, served in the Indomitus Crusade[63]
Other Ranks
- Antaro Chronus — Armoury, "The Spear of Macragge"[1e]
- Torias Telion — Scout Sergeant, unparalleled marksman.
Notable Vehicles
Notable Vessels
- Galatan— Star Fort.[78]
- Macragge's Honour — Gloriana Class Battleship, flagship of Roboute Guilliman.[44c]
- Laurels of Victory — Flagship of Marneus Calgar.[79]
Gallery
Artwork
An Ultramarines boarding action.[89]
Rhino, Assault on Ikkyo, Last Tyrannic War, Codex Pattern variant: Sub-tropical: Forested[74]
Camouflage pattern[54]
Chapter Council featuring Primarch Roboute Guilliman, Chapter Master Marneus Augustus Calgar, Captain of the First Company Severus Agemman and Fleetmaster Draven.[72c]
Screenshots
Marine from Space Marine 2.
Champion from Space Marine 2.
See also
Related Articles
- Loyal Space Marine Chapters (List)
- Space Marine Forces (List)
- Ultramar Auxilia
- Codex (Short Story)
- Battlegroup Constantinius
Related Videos
Sources
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- 2: Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition), pg. 47
- 3: Codex: Ultramarines (2nd Edition):
- 4: Codex: Black Templars (4th Edition)
- 5: Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pg. 23
- 6: Chapter Approved 2001
[Help] - 7: How to Paint Space Marines:
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| Loyalist | I - Dark Angels · V - White Scars · VI- Space Wolves · VII- Imperial Fists · IX- Blood Angels X- Iron Hands · XIII- Ultramarines · XVIII- Salamanders · XIX- Raven Guard |
|---|---|
| Traitor | III- Emperor's Children · IV- Iron Warriors · VIII- Night Lords · XII- World Eaters · XIV- Death Guard XV- Thousand Sons · XVI- Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus · XVII- Word Bearers · XX- Alpha Legion |
