Realm of Ultramar: Astronomy and Geography

[Captain Idaho]

Indeed it is. I thought/got the impression that the reason was because the ground on the planets and suns are anathema to the Daemon kind (which was kinda mentioned). Like holy ground or something.

[Seahawk]

There were few tall buildings on Iax. (Enforcer, p. 194, 2010)

 

For those that are interested, the omnibus Enforcer by Matthew Farrer just came out, and it's about an Arbites Senioris that grew up on Iax. She makes plenty of references to Ultramar and their ways, so it's really kinda neat. It's basically a 40k detective book, if there could be one. I honestly think her personality would make a far better Ultramarine than any of McNeill's writings.

[Captain Idaho]

Interesting. Will maybe give it a try then. :)

[Brother Pariah]

"...it shouldn't take us more than a week, warp-willing, to reach Calth [from Macragge]." (The Chapter's Due, p. 85)

 

Calth:

 

"Assembly Hangar Septimus Oravia was just one of a thousdand construction yards, nestled cheek by jowl in Calth's largest surface metropolis. Its official designation was Ultimus Prime, but everyone of Calth knew it as Highside City." (The Chapter's Due, p. 107)

 

"Four Valley's Gorge was bathed in stark light from the solumen generators worked into the roof, casting deep shadows and illuminating the vast cavern mouth the led back to Guilliman's Gate and the surface of Calth. This giant compartment was a place of transit, where voyagers from the surface would descend into the rock of the planet and begin their journey onwards into the Cavernas Draconis. Three wide valleys led from the gorge, one each to the west, south and east. Castra Occidens barred the western valley, Castra Meridem the southern, and finally Castra Oriens the eastern. Before them, numerous graceful structures had sprung up along the wide roads... Forests sprawled over the northern expanse of the compartment and a waterfall tumbled from a cleft in the rock below iots vaulted roof, nearly seven hundred metres above the cavern floor." (The Chapter's Due, p. 179)

 

"Mountains of Twilight." (The Chapter's Due, p. 131)

 

"...the Cavernis Draconi, a natural cavern system believed to be the oldest on Calth." (The Chapter's Due, p. 167)

 

"The Cavernas Draconi cus through the upper mantle of Calth in a warren of tunnels that no one had yet fully mapped. New tunnels were being cut every year and, since cave-ins were far from uncommon, most maps were obsolete within a few years of their commissioning." (The Chapter's Due, p. 252)

 

Apamea Ragiana: "sprawling agricultural community" 9 hours travel from Castra Occidens. "Set within a range of rolling hills and thick forests, the town nestled in the lee of a towering cathedral of the Emperor." (The Chapter's Due, p. 252-253)

 

Dragon's Gullet: wide, cylindrical cavern some three hundred metres wide, kilometres long, with ridged, volcanic walls of glistening black rock... Childish representations of dragons on the walls. Hours from inhabited areas. (The Chapter's Due, p. 254-255)

 

Lost Tomb of Ventanus: 3 km down a tunnel, known only to Uriel Ventris, from the Dragon's Gullet. (The Chapter's Due, p. 256-257)

 

Espandor:

 

"...the great city of the river, the place named for Ancient Galatain's fall [Corinth]." (The Chapter's Due, p. 77)

 

"Corinth had once been a golden city of culture and learning.... Many fine temples of silver marble, bathouses, thriving markets and wondrous theatres.... A sweeping bow of the River Konor bisected the city.... Three bridges once spanned the mighty river." (The Chapter's Due, p. 174)

 

"This small settlement had once been Olynthus, a prosperous trading post in the south-eastern reaches of Espandor's great forests." (The Chapter's Due, p. 103)

 

"Since leaving Herapolis... they had moved directly eastwards, following the course of the Konor River as it flowed from the mountains into the verdant forest plains.. [to Corinth]." (The Chapter's Due, p. 160)

 

Macragge:

 

"A thousand steps led from the last plateau to the top of the mountain, a thousand steps worn smooth by the passage if countless supplicants to the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines. Winding up the rugged height of the Valley of Laponis, the stepped flanks of the great canyon were shawled in highland fir and glistened with sprinklings of quartz. Intertwined rainbows arced across the valley as glacial water thundered from the top of the mountain and fell in misty sheets to the rocks below.... White mountains stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions, though the western horizon glittered with the distant hint of ocean." (The Chapter's Due, p. 33)

 

"Macragge's most isolated solitarium... all the way up in Illyrium." (The Chapter's Due, p. 82)

 

Talassar:

 

"...the Reef Towers, the great golden spires that rose out of the waters of Glaudor's northern coastline..." (The Chapter's Due, p. 103)

 

"...marble citadels of Perusia's consul guilders..." (The Chapter's Due, p. 103)

 

"The ocean planet's only continent was named Glaudor... the foothills of the Lirian Mountains..." (The Chapter's Due, p. 124)

 

Castra Tanagra, ancient shrine fortress in the Lirian Mountains. (The Chapter's Due, p. 157)

 

Tarentum: a small mining community in the high plateau around the Capena Spire. (The Chapter's Due, p. 163)

 

Colonia Serdica: Refinery city. (The Chapter's Due, p. 163)

 

Perusia: Where Sicarius was from. (The Chapter's Due, p. 163)

 

Tarentus:

 

"The city of Axium, a wonder of geometric precision, colourful buildings and pleasing lines.... located at the confluence of three rives and surrounded by millions of hectares of arable land. High above, the great dome stretched over the city, shielding the farmland around the city from the arid climate and parched earth...." (The Chapter's Due, p. 14)

[Captain Idaho]

Um, not sure if this is information should be placed here, but I was stumped where to put it! It does kind of fit, because it is relevant to the exports of Ultramar:

 

pg 181 Nemesis, Horus Heresy series - When describing the opulence of a particular audience Chamber it is described it having a gallery of ornaments and treasures from all over the Ultima Segentum, specifying that there were tapestries and threadwork from Ultramar.

 

Minor? Perhaps, but it certainly supports the notion that Ultramar is recognised around the Imperium for it's artistic creations.

[Brother Pariah]

Hmmm... It doesn't fit here. Maybe we should start a "Realm of Ultramar: Culture and Society" project?

[Seahawk]

I am very accepting of that idea. Not only is there some info in the series, but in the Shira Calpurnia series there is an immense wealth of Ultramar ideas, and Ultima Segmentum as well.

 

It's a bit harder to implement of course...but then again not really. We have plenty within the codexes, WD articles, and books already so quoted. Culture is basically the last piece we're missing.

[Brother Pariah]

I'll think about the exact parameters of the next Project. It should be pretty broad, I think. Politics (both internal and external), society (government, trade, socioeconomic factors, class, etc.) and culture (including art, educational practices, notable books, architecture, etc.).

 

I'm just starting in on a new web design contract today, so I can't get started right away, but I should be able to get the ball rolling within a week or so.

[xcasex]

Update:

As of Chapters Due, which i guess is canon, Espandor is still a lush forest world.

[The Emperor's Champion]

Update:

As of Chapters Due, which i guess is canon, Espandor is still a lush forest world.

Indeed. It appears they'd confused Espandor and Kraken with Prandium and Behemoth. :ermm:

[Ethrion]

Lost Tomb of Ventanus: 3 km down a tunnel, known only to Uriel Ventris, from the Dragon's Gullet. (The Chapter's Due, p. 256-257)

 

Is this the same Ventanus that's in 'Age of Darkness'? If so that's a very cool link!

[The Emperor's Champion]

I think I'm going to build the entire 40k galaxy in Universe Sandbox.

 

Starting with Ultramar, obviously.

Edited April 30, 2011 by The Emperor's Champion

[Seahawk]

Found this:

 

The Straits of Halk form the northwestern border of the region of Ultramar, dominion of the Ultramarines. The straits are nigh un-crossable and in no small way contribute to Ultramar‟s relative independence from other arms of the Imperium‟s authority, though of course the Ultramarines‟ own might remains the deepest root of their dominance. For millennia the straits offered little to would-be privateers, since all trade in the region fell under charter of the Regent of Ultramar and thus benefited from protection from the Ultramarines themselves – an enemy too great for any pirate to contemplate an attack upon.

 

The coming of Hive Fleet Behemoth changed all this. The arrival of the Tyranids drew the Ultramarines‟ attention and the bulk of their forces southeastward. Though the initial invasion was repelled at great cost, the continuing grave threat posed by the Tyranids means that Ultramar must always keep a watchful eye to the east, and the resultant drain on overtaxed and finite resources effectively ended all patrols of the straits. The powerful warp shadow cast by the approaching hive fleet also made navigation difficult in many of the outlying areas of Ultramar, forcing new trade routes to be opened away from the blighted areas. Many of these new routes pass close to the Straits of Halk, providing an enticement too great to ignore for the dozens of privateer bands and nearby Xenos races that lurk there. (BFG 2010 Compendium)

[The Emperor's Champion]

Lovely.

:rolleyes:

[Megapope]

I love that Macraggae went from dust oceans to nice blue seas. Not often a world becomes better in the 40K universe...

[The Emperor's Champion]

I love that Macraggae went from dust oceans to nice blue seas. Not often a world becomes better in the 40K universe...

There's no reason to think there aren't both.... This isn't Star Wars, most planets in 40k have more than one type of biome.

[Megapope]

There's no reason to think there aren't both.... This isn't Star Wars, most planets in 40k have more than one type of biome.

 

I'm going to assume you've seen the various lists in various books detailing the types of planets around the Imperium, such as deathworlds, hiveworlds, gardenworlds, desert worlds, swamp worlds, etc.

 

Plus, oceans. Oceans are big, and world spanning. I don't buy that Macraggae has entire oceans of dust as well as normal water. Especially since the dust oceans haven't been mentioned for quite some time. I have no problem with letting GW retcon things out of existence... why try and fit every single thing that they say into the same setting? That doesn't always work.

Edited October 26, 2011 by Megapope

[Cptn. Palladorus]

Plus, oceans. Oceans are big, and world spanning. I don't buy that Macraggae has entire oceans of dust as well as normal water.

Why not? Earth has oceans of sand as well as normal water.

[Seahawk]

Macragge has more water than Earth though.

 

Megapope, when was it oceans of sand? 1st edition? 2nd ed on it was all sparkly blue...

[Captain Idaho]

Macragge has more water than Earth though.

 

Indeed, the picture of Maccragge we have is very blue and green and maybe a bit grey if I remember correctly. Doubt it has any deserts going from recent descriptions and pictures.

[The Emperor's Champion]

I believe he's talking about the Iracund Sea Of Dust.

 

Macragge has a lot of water, and then most of the land seems to be mountains. There's not reason there couldn't be a huge desert somewhere on there. Indeed, just go look back at this thread. We've been sorting this out and Pariah has a pretty good map going.

[Cptn. Palladorus]

Macragge has more water than Earth though.

Indeed, the picture of Maccragge we have is very blue and green and maybe a bit grey if I remember correctly. Doubt it has any deserts going from recent descriptions and pictures.

Unless they're gray deserts. Earth viewed from space is very blue and green and a bit tan-brown. Most deserts and beaches on Earth are tan-brown because that's the color of the rocks that were eroded to form them, and dirt is brown mostly because of plant waste and decaying plant matter. There are at least a few white deserts on Earth. Deserts made of sand from gray or black rock could easily be gray, as could clay deserts if the clay was already naturally gray.

 

And as for the water, Seahawk, take a look at the Sahara and the Middle East. Surrounded by water and dry as a bone.

Edited October 26, 2011 by Cptn. Palladorus

[The Emperor's Champion]

Macragge has more water than Earth though.

Indeed, the picture of Maccragge we have is very blue and green and maybe a bit grey if I remember correctly. Doubt it has any deserts going from recent descriptions and pictures.

Unless they're gray deserts. Earth viewed from space is very blue and green and a bit tan-brown. Most deserts and beaches on Earth are tan-brown because that's the color of the rocks that were eroded to form them, and dirt is brown mostly because of plant waste and decaying plant matter. There are at least a few white deserts on Earth. Deserts made of sand from gray or black rock could easily be gray, as could clay deserts if the clay was already naturally gray.

 

And as for the water, Seahawk, take a look at the Sahara and the Middle East. Surrounded by water and dry as a bone.

Mountains are grey :)

[Seahawk]

I never said the presence of oceans makes deserts not possible. I merely commented that with more ocean than desert and more mountain than other landscape features, Macragge doesn't have that much room or geological likelihood to have deserts. The deserts you describe are like that because of how our world is set up. Obviously we know much, much less about Macragge...deserts could exist. They just haven't yet been described to us yet :blink:

[Balroth]

I love that Macraggae went from dust oceans to nice blue seas. Not often a world becomes better in the 40K universe...

There's no reason to think there aren't both.... This isn't Star Wars, most planets in 40k have more than one type of biome.

 

Actually they blatantly don't. 40k is one of the worst examples of 'all worlds have one type' in fiction. At least if you go by the various charts in various Codexes and rulebooks.

 

-Ss