The Alternate Heresy - IA: Ultramarines

[Aurelius Rex]

Following on from the Word Bearers article, here are the alternate Ultramarines, and their side of the story to Istvaan. Although I actually finished this just after Christmas, now was the best time to fit it into the series. Many thanks to Ferrata, Sigismund Himself, Ferrus Manus and Octavulg for the intensive feedback and proof reading - if there are any errors left it is definitely all down to me.

 

Check out my signature for links to the overview of the Dornian Heresy and for the first four alternate Index Astartes articles on the World Eaters, Emperor's Children, Raven Guard and Word Bearers that are currently stored in the B&C Librarium.

 

Cheers,

Aurelius.

 

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Index Astartes: Ultramarines

 

The Alternate Heresy

 

Manipulated and betrayed first by the Traitor Legions, and then by the Imperium, the Ultramarines now stand defiantly against both great powers. From their fortified realm of Ultramar Segmentum, the legion and its successor chapters watch with pity as the Imperium falls ever-deeper into superstition, ignorance and corruption. Built firmly upon the inspired organisational principles of Roboute Guilliman, they patiently gather their strength for the day they will invade Terra and re-unify humanity under their own benign rule.

 

Origins

Author

Aurelius Rex is a board veteran, 40K quiz master, Arena of Death Overlord and former moderator of the Liber Astartes section. The Alternate universe 'Dornian Heresy' posits a history where events turned out just a little different, and this is the fifth of the Index Astartes articles about how each of the Legions was affected. For more information on the Dornian Heresy, read the

Overview Article here.

A

lthough it is commonly stated within the Imperium that the infant Primarchs were abducted and scattered across the galaxy by the Ruinous Powers, the tale of Roboute Guilliman’s arrival upon Macragge has led the people of Ultramar to doubt the received wisdom. According to legend, Consul Konor Guilliman, one of Macragge’s planetary leaders, was granted a vision of a noble child alone in the deep forest, and that a shining entity, supposed later to be The Emperor Himself, commanded Konor to guide and protect him. In the shadow of the mighty Hera Falls, the infant was found playing amongst the wreckage of his gestation vessel, and sensing the power within the child, Konor did as he had been instructed. He named the boy Roboute, or ‘The Great One’, and raised him as his own son.

 

Imperial scholars claim that this was simply The Emperor seeking to protect His sons until they could finally be reunited. However, the Ultramarines believe that the Master of Mankind deliberately engineered the dispersal so that the Primarchs would be able to experience life among common humanity in their formative years. Furthermore, they propose that Guilliman was intended to be found and mentored by Konor in his unique style of leadership and organisation.

 

As befitting the son of a Consul, Roboute Guilliman was intensively tutored, and rapidly absorbed every scrap of knowledge on offer, before taking his place at the prestigious Agiselus Barracks in Macragge City. There he was trained in the military arts, and in short order outstripped his fellow students and even his instructors. With nothing left to learn, he graduated, and re-took his place alongside Konor. It was clear that Guilliman's gifts for the practice and organisation of warfare would be of great use in battling Macragge's enemies, both on and off the planet. Proving that their faith in him was not misplaced, Guilliman delivered an unbroken series of military victories. This culminated with the complete destruction of the pirate fleets that had long-plagued the space-lanes between Macragge and the nearby systems with which it had remained in contact.

 

At a banquet held in honour of Guilliman’s achievements, Konor’s co-consul, Gallan, proposed that an ancient Macragge tradition be re-instituted: After performing some great deed for the nation, a feted hero would be rewarded with the opportunity to carve out territory of their own. What new lands they could conquer for the kingdom, they could keep. Gallan proposed that Illyrium, Macragge's wild, bandit-haunted northlands, would be the perfect challenge and reward. Its savage barbarian tribes had never been pacified, and although they attacked the expedition with unparalleled fury, within six months Guilliman had bested each of the tribal leaders in single combat and earned their respect and fealty.

 

The conclusion of this stunningly successful campaign was tainted, however, by the news that Konor had passed away, and that as sole remaining consul Gallan had taken command of his holdings. Gallan sent his condolences, but also commanded that Guilliman and his forces leave Illyrium at once to swear allegiance to him. Guilliman returned as requested, but was horrified to see the state of disrepair that his adopted father’s former lands had fallen into in the few short months of its new consul’s stewardship. So it was that when he stood before Gallan, he defiantly refused to kneel.

 

Before the assembled nobles he stated in no uncertain terms that Gallan was not the only Consul; that before them stood the Consul of Illyrium, as laid down in the ancient traditions Gallan himself had invoked. Gallan had no more hold over him than the stars themselves. With that, Guilliman returned to the north at the head of his large, battle-tempered army, and after such a display of martial strength, no more talk of fealty was heard from Gallan.

 

Free from the restraints of tradition, Guilliman forged his own vision of civilisation. Within a decade the barren wastes of Illyrium were home to industries and military forces that put those of the rest of Macragge to shame. By the time The Emperor arrived at Macragge, drawn by tales of the nation that Guilliman had wrought, Illyrium was firmly the centre of political and military power on the planet. In comparison, Gallan’s stagnant holdings were a mere backwater. The reunion of father and son, and the relocation of the thirteenth legion of the Astartes to the planet merely reinforced Guilliman's position as the true leader of Macragge.

 

Ultramar Segmentum

R

oboute Guilliman set his legion, which he renamed the Ultramarines after the deep blue seas of Macragge, to work reclaiming lost human worlds for The Emperor. First came the planets with which Macragge had remained in contact through their isolation from Terra, such as Talassar, Calth, Quintarn and Tarentus. The incorporation of these early planets became the template for the future. The legion went to great lengths to avoid unnecessary civilian bloodshed, even at the risk of sustaining greater casualties themselves. This, along with the way they repaired and improved each world’s infrastructure, meant that with each conquest they gained a stable world willing and eager to contribute to Guilliman’s mission, rather than a resentful population that required garrison forces to pacify. In this way the Ultramarines were able to draw recruits and materiel from an ever-larger area, and in doing so expanded their numbers at a rate unmatched by any other legion.

 

The worlds under their control became closely knit, with an identity as much Ultramarine as it was Imperial. With each new world, these Ultramar planets grew in military strength and cultural influence. Often their reputation would precede them to such a degree that invading forces would be welcomed on their arrival by cheering crowds rather than armed resistance. Eventually their expansion reached so far that it began to come into contact with worlds brought to compliance by other Imperial expeditions. Recognising the superior way that Ultramar was run in comparison to the staid, inefficient Administratum, an increasing number quietly petitioned to join them. There were even calls from some planets on the Eastern Fringe to rename Ultima Segmentum as Ultramar Segmentum.

 

This led to bitter exchanges between the Administratum and the Ultramarines. The legion was charged with instigating these petitions and of undermining the Imperium. This was strenuously denied, but the defiant Ultramarine representatives said that they would continue to lend their expertise to those Imperial planets that requested it. The war of words escalated to the point where, at the Jhalta conference, high ranking Administratum officials accused the Ultramarines of attempting to take control of Imperial worlds by stealth. During a particularly heated exchange, a member of the Administratum even dared suggest that they had turned their backs on The Emperor. With the meeting seconds from descending into violence, Guilliman himself entered the room. His superhuman charisma and presence calmed the tense situation, and by the end of the conference the Administratum representatives had accepted the Primarch’s intentions as benign. Many were even discussing organisational theories with him and taking notes. It appeared that the misunderstanding had been resolved.

 

Istvaan V

W

ith the Administratum seemingly pacified, Guilliman was shocked and horrified to receive a covert communiqué from Rogal Dorn, who brought a warning that The Emperor had personally ordered that he and the entire Ultramarines legion be put to death. Despite the unthinkable nature of what Dorn was saying, the haggard, haunted look in his brother's eyes convinced Guilliman to hear him out.

 

According to Dorn, since The Emperor had withdrawn to Terra, He had become increasingly isolated, and this had been played upon and twisted by sinister forces so that He had refused to see even His own sons. Dorn said that behind closed doors the misunderstandings with the Administratum had been manipulated to the point where their father had become convinced Guilliman was on the brink of seceding from the Imperium. The situation had spiralled out of control, and in a fit of rage, The Emperor had commanded that a vast battle fleet be assembled to tear down Ultramar Segmentum. When disquiet was voiced at the prospect of brother marines, indeed brother Primarchs, trying to kill one another, The Emperor had decreed that anyone who opposed the order be declared a traitor and be put to death.

 

And so it was that Dorn came to approach the fringes of Ultramar Segmentum in command of the Imperial fleet. The Emperor’s mind, he said, had been clouded by lies and paranoia, and while Dorn had been able to convince several of the Primarchs over the course of the journey, Corax, Fulgrim and Angron had been beyond reason. As repugnant as it was, Dorn proposed that their legions could be ‘neutralised’ by ambushing them at the newly compliant Ultramar world of Istvaan V. Dorn also revealed that the Word Bearers and the Alpha Legion had been ordered to strike deep into the heart of Ultramar Segmentum. To seal the pact, Dorn transmitted to Guilliman the projected routes of the Alpha Legion and Word Bearer fleets so that they could be more easily tracked, and eventually countered.

 

Seeing no other option, with a heavy heart Guilliman agreed to Dorn’s plan. His legion, supported by those that Dorn had been able to convince of The Emperor’s folly, crushed the Raven Guard, Emperor’s Children and World Eaters on Istvaan V. With knowledge of their transponder codes, the Ultramarines were able to target the landing ships and drop pods before most of their occupants could even set foot on the planet. The few that survived fought like lions, and while they were no match for the forces arrayed against them, a handful still managed to escape back into orbit, carrying with them word of the rebellion.

 

Dorn and his legions prepared to leave Istvaan, but before they departed the two brothers met one last time. Guilliman offered the renegade legions asylum within Ultramar Segmentum. Dorn thanked him for the offer, but said that he had to return to Terra to explain his actions to The Emperor. Dorn warned that those manipulating their father were experts in the arts of twisting the truth, and the same people who had whispered falsehoods against the Ultramarines would doubtless begin to spread their black propaganda against Dorn and his comrades in the months to come. Whatever news might reach them, Dorn urged Guilliman to remember their friendship, and to trust in him.

 

With that, Guilliman bade them farewell and good luck. As much as he desired to return to Terra and help free his father from the malign forces that surrounded Him, Ultramar was still under attack from two full legions of Astartes. Every marine, indeed, every citizen of Ultramar Segmentum would be needed to defeat them.

 

Fortress Ultramar

U

ltramar mobilised to defend itself, with travel, trade and communication cut off with the Imperium. What news did leak in told of all-out civil war, and as Dorn had predicted, his forces were portrayed in lurid terms. They were accused of having perpetrated acts of gross excess, torture and genocide. There were even fanciful stories of sorcery, magicks and daemons, which only reinforced their belief of the desperation of Dorn's enemies.

 

Within their own borders, the fleets of the Word Bearers headed arrow-straight for the heart of Ultramar Segmentum. Thanks to Dorn’s warning, the Ultramarines were able to assemble sufficient forces to intercept their ships before they reached Macragge. Denied their primary target, Lorgar’s fleet turned its fire on any planet they could find. They seeded Calth's star with arcane minerals that quenched its celestial fire and plunged the planet into eternal, icy night. Quintarn fared little better. With the zealots’ threat of exterminatus hanging over them, the entire population were forced to pluck out their eyes. Even to this day, Quintarn is known as the ‘World of the Blind’. What Lorgar’s legion lacked in tactics it more than made up for with religious fury and a fanatical determination never to give up, whatever the cost. They did horrendous damage, and the Ultramarines had to expend great effort simply to prevent the Word Bearers from massacring entire civilian populations.

 

The Alpha Legion’s approach to warfare was radically different, yet just as deadly. Where Lorgar’s assault was a battering ram, destroying all in its path, Alpharius was a debilitating poison that spread insidiously through Ultramar Segmentum. The enemy were seemingly everywhere, disrupting the command structures of each world they touched through assassination, disinformation, terrorism and sabotage. Worse, they were like ghosts: working through networks of human agents and maddeningly difficult to bring to the field of battle. In any realm other than Ultramar such an approach would have caused widespread paralysis and thrown every world into selfish isolationism, but Guilliman’s organisational teachings saw them weather the worst of the storm.

 

Eventually, Guilliman ran Alpharius to ground on the world of Eskrador. To throw his brother Primarch off-balance, Guilliman forewent his usual tactical caution and instead attempted to beat Alpharius at his own game. Taking the enemy by surprise, Guilliman’s force hit them from multiple directions at once, overwhelming them and cutting off all chance of escape. With no other option, the cornered Alpha Legion had no choice but to engage in a conventional battle, and though they fought fiercely, they could not stand against the Ultramarines.

 

After a duel that seemed to last for hours, Roboute Guilliman finally executed Alpharius for his crimes at the foot of the Amanthi cliffs. Rather than being a catharsis, Eskrador proved to be a pyrrhic victory for the Ultramarines. Many great heroes of Ultramar, such as Captain Orar and Lord Kharta, Regent of Talassar, died to achieve it, yet the loss of their primarch did not stop, or even significantly slow the insurrectionist cancer the Alpha Legion had spread throughout the Segmentum.

 

Better news came when the Word Bearers broke off their attacks on Ultramar’s core worlds and set course back towards the Imperium. It seemed that the zealot's will to fight had been broken. In time it became clear that this had been sparked by the death of The Emperor, although it seemed that Dorn and his side of the civil war had also been defeated. Despite all that had happened, Guilliman still grieved for his father, but he knew that this was merely a pause in the larger conflict. Wounded and bleeding though the Imperium was, it was only a matter of time before their vengeful gaze turned back towards them. War production was redoubled, and a metaphorical “Curtain of Steel” was thrown around the Ultramar Segmentum.

 

The Librarium

Coordination of a realm as large as Ultramar Segmentum is a monumental task, but it is one to which the rigidly organised sons of Guilliman are equal, and none are more vital to this than those of the Chapter’s Librarium. With no access to the ‘soul-binding’ ritual required to produce astropaths, only the powerful Astartes psykers of the Librarium have the ability and resilience to the Warp to communicate across the length and breadth of the Segmentum.

 

Strong psykers are particularly valued in Ultramar, and the danger of ‘wild’ or even weak psykers is well known. Most are weeded out, but some still lurk on the fringes of society. It is the responsibility of the Librarians to sniff out the spoor of these misguided fools, as whole cities have been lost to daemonic incursion because of the unguarded mind of a single rogue psyker.

For decades the only contact they had with Imperial forces was in the form of the insidious insurrections and guerrilla actions inspired by the Alpha Legion, and some dared to hope that they would be left largely in peace. Guilliman, though, remained adamant that they must stay vigilant. He was proven right when the hammer-blow came in the form of massed Imperial crusades. Through meticulous planning, skill and bravery they turned aside every attack. The death-toll was horrendous, with whole planetary populations lost in the fighting, but Ultramar, as ever, endured.

 

Seeing the rise in corruption and ineffectiveness of the Imperium after The Emperor’s death, Guilliman refined and codified his thoughts in his organisational masterpiece, the Codex Ultramar. As well as laying down how civilian authorities should be structured, it also decreed that his own legion would have to be sub-divided into more self-sufficient units to cover the vast areas of space under their protection. The Grand Companies were reorganised and renamed as ‘Chapters’ of the wider Ultramarines Legion, with Chapter Masters given far greater autonomy. In this way, Guilliman created a structure that was tied closely to the worlds they protected, but was still able to call upon the rest of Ultramar when faced with overwhelming threats like Imperial crusades.

 

This was put to the test when they came under attack from hideously perverted forms of marines bearing the insignia of the legions they had fought alongside at Istvaan. It was accompanied by an explosion in the number of bizarre, brutal cults within their borders. Although this was initially attributed to a new ploy by the Alpha Legion, it soon became clear that it was something far more dangerous, as the full, hideous nature of the Warp was belatedly uncovered by the Legion’s Librarians. As though the reality of daemonic possession, the existence of the Ruinous Powers and their ability to corrupt even Astartes was not shocking enough, it also brought the sickening realisation of how Dorn had manipulated them, and their view of the civil war. It became horribly clear that the fanciful tales from beyond the Imperial borders – tales that had been dismissed as nothing more than black propaganda - contained a bitter kernel of truth.

 

The realisation of how he had been used by Rogal Dorn was devastating for Guilliman. Dorn had played expertly on Ultramar's isolation from Terra and the misunderstanding with the Administratum for his own ends. Guilliman's trust in his brother had been used to make him complicit in the destruction of three loyal legions at Istvaan, and pushed him into choosing the wrong side of the uprising against The Emperor. The blood of his father was on Guilliman’s hands, and this realisation threw him into a bout of black depression and anguished self-reflection. This development concerned his men deeply, and when he emerged from isolation, he made two announcements. The first was the aching certainty that history had repeated itself. It had always been thought that Konor’s death had been accidental, but in light of Dorn’s plot to isolate Guilliman in his attempt to kill The Emperor and snatch power, Gallan’s actions became far clearer. From sending him far away to Illyrium, to the speed with which he took control, it became obvious that the man who had adopted him had also been murdered. Under the glare of scrutiny Guilliman’s assertions were rapidly proved correct and the name of Gallan and his line were cursed across the whole of Ultramar.

 

Guilliman’s second announcement was even more shocking. They must heal the rift between Ultramar Segmentum and the Imperium. Despite all the blood that had been spilled, they must reunite to overthrow Chaos, the Great Deceiver. Much to the consternation of his lieutenants, Guilliman opened up a détente with those who ruled in the Emperor’s stead, and the world of Prandium was chosen as the place for what should have been a historic meeting.

 

Instead, it was the site of a cowardly ambush under the flag of truce, and the last, best hope for peace between the realms was squandered. The Imperial delegation lulled them with warm words, and discussions between the two sides appeared to be progressing well, until the massed ranks of Imperial Astartes tore into their Ultramarine hosts without mercy. Guilliman was the target of their ire. In his final report as head of the primarch’s Honour Guard, Kaisus described cutting through the press of bodies, only to see Fulgrim of the Emperor’s Children strike his Lord Guilliman down from behind. The two were then obscured in a cloud of acrid fyceline smoke, and when it had cleared, both were gone.

 

They had both been whisked away into orbit, and though the Ultramarines hounded the Imperial fleets all the way back to the border and beyond, they could not rescue their primarch. Only later did they find out the awful truth, that the Imperial forces had trapped Guilliman in a stasis field a moment from death as a special torture, and that he had been brought to Terra as some grisly spoil of war.

 

This atrocity destroyed forever any chance of reconciliation between the realms. It was clear that the Imperium could never be trusted, and that it would not rest until every last Ultramar world and citizen was enslaved. From what they could glean from their covert agents and from refugees who fled across the border, the Imperium was trapped in a downward spiral of superstition, corruption, inefficiency and brutality. Without the Master of Mankind, the Imperium was slowly dying, but like any badly wounded beast it could still be lethal in its death throes.

 

Ultramar Ascendant

Ultramarine Successor Chapters

The concept of successor chapters was born out of Guilliman's early years on Macragge. After he had proved himself, he was sent out into the wilderlands and given the chance to carve out a domain of his own. The same opportunity has been given to Ultramarine heroes down the millennia, and hundreds of new 'Chapters' have been founded, split off from the greater legion and sent out to garrison the wild border areas of Ultramar Segmentum. The marines that strike out on their own do so for a variety of reasons. Some, such as the Sons of Guilliman and White Consuls, were founded by marines eager to challenge themselves, and to emulate Guilliman. Others, such as the death-cult worshipping Mortifactors did so to gain greater autonomy and acceptance of their views. Though these successors wear different heraldry and battle-colours from the Ultramarines, and may deviate, sometimes wildly, from the norms of Guilliman's great Codex, all are unified in their support for the ideals of Ultramar Segmentum.

B

eyond retaking worlds conquered by Imperial crusades and building up defences against the next assault, there was a wide consensus that the borders of Ultramar Segmentum should expand. The task of wresting systems from the dead hand of Imperial misrule was given primarily to newly founded successor chapters, who, like their primarch before them, carved out new territory to prove their prowess. Although the borders of Ultramar Segmentum have waxed and waned over the millennia, these aggressive young Chapters have been the cause of a gradual expansion of the realm.

 

Though it is but a fraction of the Imperium's size, Ultramar Segmentum continues to be ordered, productive and efficient, which enables it to support its vast military. It is also enlightened, tolerant and cultured, a far cry from the bigotry and closed-minded repression of the Imperium. This is why refugees take such risks to reach it, and the reason that populations fight so hard against being taken back into the corrupt and brutal Imperial fold.

 

There have also been many calls down the millennia for Ultramar to undertake a crusade of its own. Not just to liberate border worlds, but to mount a strike deep into the rotten heart of the Imperium and stop the attacks once and for all. This is also motivated from a burning desire to storm the gates of Terra and finally reclaim the body of Guilliman from his stasis prison. They passionately call for his release, allowing him either to die with dignity, or to be healed, so that he might lead the reunification of the whole of humanity into a new era of enlightenment.

 

The last of these calls came just over two centuries ago in 740.M41. A large number of new successor chapters had just been founded, and the Lord of Macragge, Marneus Calgar, seemed set to decree just such a crusade to rescue their Primarch. This bold plan, though, was derailed by the arrival of the Tyranid Hive-mind from beyond the galactic fringe. These implacable aliens devoured everything in their path, stripping whole worlds to the bedrock in their hunger. This first hive-fleet, designated ‘Behemoth’, was only stopped by a Segmentum-wide deployment of forces, and the sacrifice of the bulk of the Calth Battle-Fleet. Despite this, the Tyranids succeeded where the Imperium had failed so many times, by landing forces upon the surface of Macragge. Enemies and allies alike took advantage of the devastation, with Orks, the Imperium and even the previously friendly Tau encroaching into Ultramar space.

 

This stopped calls for an attack on Terra in their tracks, and for a short while after the Realm of Ultramar contracted. These events were shrilly proclaimed as being ‘judgements of The Emperor’ by the Imperium’s Ecclesiarchy, and these calls rose to fever pitch in the last decade with the emergence of a second Tyranid Hive-Fleet, code-named ‘Kraken’.

 

But Ultramar Segmentum does as it always does: It endures. Strengthened by the lessons learned in the struggle against the Tyranids, and infused by technology gleaned from their wars with the Tau, they will rise again, all the stronger for their trials.

 

Gene-Seed

A

s befits the legacy of Roboute Guilliman, each of the nineteen gene-seed implants operate at the same outstanding level of efficiency they did when they were first created. Untouched by the corrupting nature of the Ruinous Powers, and free of the superstitious ritual of the Adeptus Mechanicus, their gene-seed is undoubtedly the purest of all the Legionnes Astartes. Their optimised methods of implant culturing and aspirant selection minimises rejection, and ensures that the Ultramarines can replace losses and produce new marines at an astonishing rate.

 

To ensure that the high quality of Ultramarine gene-seed is maintained, each of the legion’s chapters regularly tithe samples to a facility deep beneath Macragge’s Northern Polar Defence Fortress. There it is tested for any sign of deviation or genetic drift, catalogued and stored. This process has been invaluable in replenishing the gene-stocks of chapters that have suffered catastrophic losses, and during the founding of new successor chapters to expand the borders of Ultramar Segmentum.

 

Homeworlds

The Macragge Gene-Seed Repository

Macragge's northern polar defence fortress was the site of the bloodiest battle in the planet's history. At the height of Hive Fleet Behemoth's attack upon the planet, countless millions of Tyranid organisms were scattered like seeds across the land. Seemingly endless swarms converged upon the northern polar fortress, and deep below it the Legion's gene-seed repository, but it was a location that the Ultramarines could never allow to fall. Though the first, third and seventh companies of the Macragge Chapter died to a man in its defence, their sacrifice had not been in vain. It bought enough time for the rest of the planet to mobilise and exterminate the xenos invaders.

 

Not only did they save the genetic legacy of the Ultramarines, they prevented the horror that would have ensued if the Hive Mind had been able to feed on such a rich store of biological information. Recognising the vulnerability of relying on a single site, the Ultramarines have since constructed further gene-seed repositories. Needless to say, the number and locations of these sites are among the most closely guarded secrets in the Segmentum.

U

ltramar Segmentum spans a vast swathe of the galactic east, and with each passing year it encroaches ever-further into the crumbling Imperium. Along with the technological benefits that membership of Ultramar brings, the legion also imports its culture and values and weaves them seamlessly into that of the original society. This means that while Ultramar Segmentum encompasses a vast array of different cultures, from the savage head-hunters of New Posul to the aeronauts in the floating cities of Doromus Minor, each one is tied, with great affection, back to Macragge.

 

As befits the world where their Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, fell to earth as an infant, Macragge remains the heart of Ultramar Segmentum. The First Chapter’s Fortress-Monastery still dominates the northlands of Illyrium, and from there the chapter master rules with beneficence. Like every world in their culture, Macragge is home to a great many military academies, and through the halls of these hallowed institutions have passed countless generations of Astartes and Segmentum guardsmen. The most venerated academy is the Agiselus Barracks in Macragge City, where Guilliman himself was trained.

 

While Macragge houses the first and greatest of the Ultramarine chapters, many other planets such as Orpheus and Ulixis have the honour of hosting one from the original legion, or one of their many successors. Of the core Ultramar worlds, the frozen planet of Calth and the shrine-world of Prandium, where Guilliman fell in battle, have both housed chapter monasteries. Over the millennia, Calth has grown into an orbital shipyard second only to the Segmentum Navy dockyards in Kar Dunaish. After Hive Fleet Behemoth came so close to devouring Macragge, a successor chapter, the Lamenters, was founded on Prandium. Sadly, both they, and another successor, the Scythes of Guilliman set to guard the outer rim, were completely destroyed in the Second Tyrannic War against Hive Fleet Kraken.

 

Despite now being deep inside the borders of Ultramar Segmentum, Istvaan V has continued to be a frequent target for Imperial attacks. Though it has become a veritable fortress-world, it still holds a special attraction for forces headed by the Emperor’s Children and World Eaters. Sadly, they seem unable to grasp that the Ultramarines were as much victims of Dorn’s Great Betrayal as they were.

 

Since the schism that tore humanity apart, the worlds along the border with the Imperium have been ringed with defence platforms and are under constant patrol by fleets of warships. It has been called a ‘Curtain of Steel’, and is certainly a formidable barrier, yet despite the Ultramar Navy’s best efforts, raider forces still slip past them to prey upon the more settled worlds beyond. There are even wars within the Segmentum’s borders, from skirmishes against the Tau beyond the Damocles Gulf and the omnipresent threat of Ork infestations to the insidious rabble-rousing of the Alpha Legion and the minions of Chaos. Every Ultramarine and every successor know all-too well the threats that face the Segmentum, but with courage and honour, they will endure.

 

Combat Doctrine

T

he master of organisation and strategy, Roboute Guilliman laid down the blueprints for these teachings in his ‘Codex Ultramar’. It is a comprehensive tome covering not just military and Astartes organisation, but also vital civilian aspects of governance and trade. The Codex emphasises a balanced, combined-arms approach to warfare, but is also flexible enough to recognise that there are times, such as when Guilliman defeated Alpharius, when a more extreme approach is required. He encouraged additions by later commanders to allow for the arrival of new enemies or developments in things such as tactics or weaponry.

 

Each of the legion’s chapters and successors has their own copy of the Codex, each with different changes and additions to reflect their own circumstances and experiences. The original, unamended version, written in Guilliman’s own hand, is stored in the deepest vaults of the Fortress-Monastery on Macragge, and is, like its author, preserved in temporal stasis. This incalculably valuable relic is retrieved only for the inauguration of a new chapter master. By placing his right hand on the fragile book, he signifies his intention to rule by his Primarch’s tenets and wishes.

 

The most important examples of changes to the Macragge Chapter’s annotated Codex in the last millennia are those concerning the best uses of heavy rail-gun technology, and the extensive tactics built up to combat the extra-galactic menace of the Tyranids. Before any additions to the Codex are allowed by the Chapter’s Librarians, the prospective author must be able to recite, and show a thorough understanding of, Guilliman’s original text. In this way their Primarch’s philosophy and intentions for the Codex have been protected down the millennia.

 

Organisation

T

he vast scale of Ultramar Segmentum necessitated that Guilliman break his legion into far more autonomous units. Instead of the Grand Companies, the Chapters of the Ultramarines were created, with ten companies each of a hundred brothers. Each chapter was given stewardship over an area of space, and charged with ensuring its good governance and defence. New recruits come from amongst the local population to closer bind their fates together. Drawn from the most promising youths, usually from the military academies modelled upon the Macragge tradition, these potentials are sent to the tenth, or Scout company, where they are rigorously trained, tested and implanted with the organs necessary to forge them into full Astartes battle-brothers. From there they pass into one of the four reserve companies, where they are trained in the arts of war for every role from piloting a vehicle, providing heavy weapon support as a devastator, in close combat with bolt pistol and chainsword, or - the backbone of the chapter - in the bolter-armed tactical squads.

 

The second to fifth companies are the main front-line fighting strength of the chapter. In line with the balanced approach laid down in the Codex, the ideal is for each of these battle companies to contain six tactical squads, supported by two devastator squads and two assault squads. The Chapter’s first company is composed of the veterans. Clad either in Tactical Dreadnought armour or power armour, these marines are tasked with the most deadly missions, and by their example inspire all those around them to great feats of heroism. Although a Chapter of the Ultramarines is composed of only a nominal thousand Astartes warriors, these are only the tip of the spear. The chapter master is in effect the military governor of every world under his domain, and so also commands every Ultramar guardsman, Navy ship and auxilia, and when the Ultramarines go to war, so too do they.

 

Beliefs

A

bove all things the legion venerates Guilliman and his teachings, and the realm of Ultramar Segmentum that they have created together. They believe that it is their manifest destiny to extend the boundaries of Ultramar Segmentum so that one day it will encompass all the worlds of humanity. The misguided, corrupt Imperium will inevitably fall and they will subsume it, be it by slow expansion or a single strike against Terra to topple the regime once and for all.

 

They see The Emperor as one of the greatest men who ever lived, and the father of their Primarch. However, despite the proclamations of the Ecclesiarchy, they know that The Emperor is long dead, and have no respect for the incompetent thugs that rule in His name. For all of this, their attitude towards the Imperium is one of distaste and pity rather than hatred. Their true loathing is reserved for the servants of the Chaos Gods, and especially the Traitor Astartes, who have given up all semblance of humanity. Only once they have the full resources of mankind, though, will they finally be able to extinguish the Ruinous Powers from the galaxy.

 

Battlecry

E

ach chapter and successor is free to choose their own battlecry, although "For Guilliman, and the greater glory of Ultramar!" is favoured by the Macragge chapter of the Ultramarines.

[gil galed]

first post.... o wait we're not on you tube... give me 10 mins to read...

 

edit:

 

O i really liked it, a great play on the Ultramarines, but i don't remember the Emperor being dead in the previous ones, did i miss that or has it not been written about/?

[Aurelius Rex]

The Emperor was grievously wounded during his battle with Dorn at the end of the Heresy, and is entombed in the life supporting golden throne in a similar way to the events of the norm-'verse, and as each IA is written in a manner slightly skewed to the particular legion, the Ultramarines see him as to all intents and purposes 'dead', and the High Lords just saying he is still alive as a pretense to retain power.

 

The Word Bearers from the last IA obviously see things a little differently and refer to him as a living god. :tu:

[gil galed]

The Emperor was grievously wounded during his battle with Dorn at the end of the Heresy, and is entombed in the life supporting golden throne in a similar way to the events of the norm-'verse, and as each IA is written in a manner slightly skewed to the particular legion, the Ultramarines see him as to all intents and purposes 'dead', and the High Lords just saying he is still alive as a pretense to retain power.

 

The Word Bearers from the last IA obviously see things a little differently and refer to him as a living god. :D

 

Ah ok that makes alot more sense :tu: , i do have to say i enjoy the different sided views. Really good piece for conjuring a sympathy for the UM's even though when i read the 'loyalist' ones i thought "Traitorous scum".

[Aurelius Rex]

Hehe, just try re-reading the Emperor's Children Alt-IA article... Fulgrim's heroic crusade post-Heresy which brought the traitorous Guilliman back to Terra takes on a very different light when seen from the Ultramarines' point of view... Attacking under a flag of truce brought s that they could discuss reuniting the realms to fight against Chaos? No wonder the Emperor's Children prefer their version. :tu:

[Midgard]

I must say I am enjoying these entries immensely - they were what drew me to B&C in the first place. They are well written, engaging to read, and truly get the feel of the 40K universe. So far, the Ultramarines appear as the only genuinely "good" faction in the alternate Heresy, and in fact they are probably the most sympathetic ones so far from the alternate Heresy Legions. Great work - keep it up! :)

[DeffWolf]

it sounds good, but i dont really understand how it's different to what has happened? can someone please painstakingly verify this matter.

[Aurelius Rex]

Well in brief, due to Guilliman's pride and excessive yearning for a personal empire they are now hated by every other marine in the galaxy, both loyalist and traitor. :)

[kil78]

very cool, I like how the are kind of the dorn-verse's AL ( on the traitor side but remaining out of the EOT) but very much remaining UM.

 

Ultramar ascendant!

[Aurelius Rex]

very cool, I like how the are kind of the dorn-verse's AL ( on the traitor side but remaining out of the EOT) but very much remaining UM.

 

Ultramar ascendant!

I hadn't thought of them like that, Kil. More as a third great 'faction' in opposition to both Chaos and the Imperium. B)

 

I was thinking that - other than every other legion wanting them dead - they don't have any significant disadvantages. As I always feel that character comes more from what a force doesn't have than what does, I was wondering what they could have lost, and how they would have adapted.

 

Obviously they have no access to the later adaptations of the Mechanicus, and perhaps their high-end constructs like titans and ordinati when the forge worlds were intentionally destroyed or abandoned. It feels too flip to say they even improved them... :lol:

 

Any thoughts on what they might reasonably have lost, and how it might have affected their style of warfare before I punt this over the join the other Alt-IA's in the Librarium?

[Iron Corsair]

Excellent job, Rex!

 

I'd say they lost Titans probably, or lost the means to repair them, build them, etc. so after centuries, they died out. Lol, I can see it now, *Warning. Endangered Titan Crossing.* :)

 

Land Speeders they would not have, and....That's all I can think of.

[Chaos_Minds]

I imagine older generations of power armor as well, unless the Ultras are up for some looting.

 

The entire IA was great to read and it felt real. I would totally being playing ultramarine's if this was their fluff. Now get on to the Death Guard.

[Son Of Khaine]

Very nice,I particularly liked the part about Librarians.

So who's next?

[Aurelius Rex]

I think titans might be the obvious things for Ultramar Segmentum to be missing, along with the things the EC would also be missing like speeders, I suppose. Maybe the heavy railgun weapon is attached to a rhino chassis to counter their lack of vindicators, as they were only just being introduced during the Heresy. They would be able to develop their own power armour marks if need be, or maintain the older suits. I have some old (and flippin' ugly) RT era terminator suits in the loft... they could be the last mark the Ultras got before Mars stopped shipping them out to Ultramar. :P

 

I shall think on how to reflect all this in the IA.

 

As to the next article, I am still working on the Space Wolves - the Khornate cult legion - but the plan is to have the White Scars published next, and then the Alpha Legion. :(

 

Death Guard will be number 18 to round off the series... sorry. ;)

[Apothete]

I think titans might be the obvious things for Ultramar Segmentum to be missing, along with the things the EC would also be missing like speeders, I suppose. Maybe the heavy railgun weapon is attached to a rhino chassis to counter their lack of vindicators, as they were only just being introduced during the Heresy. They would be able to develop their own power armour marks if need be, or maintain the older suits. I have some old (and flippin' ugly) RT era terminator suits in the loft... they could be the last mark the Ultras got before Mars stopped shipping them out to Ultramar. :D

 

From a modeling standpoint, I'd love to see them done in a more archaic tone but the modern style.

 

That is, I think that this version of the alternaverse Ultras ought to have Mk 3 or Macragge helmets across the entire Chapter, probably something similar to the Red Scorpions tassets from Forgeworld kits, and plenty of Artificier touches on just about anything they wear. They might not have the newest and shiniest of toys thanks to not having the Adeptus Mechanicus on their side, but I can imagine that the things they do possess are as refined and ornate as possible.

 

You probably ought to rule out Assault Cannons on anything that they possess, and I would say that Razorbacks would be out right alongside the Land Speeder. I don't have access to much in the way of the older codices, but anything requiring the active participation of the Mechanicus would probably be out, so no Titans, limited fleet support because of a lack of new ships, and so on.

 

As to the next article, I am still working on the Space Wolves - the Khornate cult legion - but the plan is to have the White Scars published next, and then the Alpha Legion. :)

 

I'm looking forward to it. They're all excellent so far.

[Moonsword]

Shipbuilding, while it does heavily involve the Adeptus Mechanicus, doesn't seem to be exclusively their province, and the Chapters do maintain and operate their own fleets without Mechanicus support beyond the Techmarines canonically. I suspect that Ultramar, with its much higher level of general technology, industrial capacity, and infrastructure can manage it, although they may rely on older styles of ships. Looking at Battlefleet Gothica, I'd suspect that they don't use ramming prows, for example, nor do they use most of the newer cruiser designs, instead relying on older ships, including grand cruisers and a few classes from the Chaos fleet. That said, Ultramar's engineering and technical sophistication likely makes them more efficient on a one-for-one basis than equivalent Imperial units, though they might come off worse against Mechanicus vessels.

[A_POINTED_STICK]

My only problem Aurelius, is that your universe is better than the cannon one. You've chosen to make the legions act as they should rather than the convoluted mess that the Horus Heresy was.

 

The Ultramarines have always had a third party feel to them. Too good for the Imperium, but not traitors.

 

You've made sense of the World Eaters and Emperors Children, cast Dorn who was always the perfect one to fall, because he was good but not in a holy Sanguineus way or a noble but dour Horus. He was the Emperor's bodyguard. In a game based on the Roman Empire the Praetorian is the man to chose to kill the Emperor. You've kept everything essentially the same but changed the feeling of each legion.

 

Not to mention you've turned Ultramar from "We the Best!" to a sort of Soviet Union weathering a ten thousand year Stalingrad. They're bitter that they were betrayed by everyone, their allies and their enemies both turned on them, and now they have nothing but cold steel and hot lead to sustain their glorious empire.

[Aurelius Rex]

Thanks for the feedback, guys, and apologies for the slow response. :)

 

That is, I think that this version of the alternaverse Ultras ought to have Mk 3 or Macragge helmets across the entire Chapter, probably something similar to the Red Scorpions tassets from Forgeworld kits, and plenty of Artificier touches on just about anything they wear. They might not have the newest and shiniest of toys thanks to not having the Adeptus Mechanicus on their side, but I can imagine that the things they do possess are as refined and ornate as possible.

 

You probably ought to rule out Assault Cannons on anything that they possess, and I would say that Razorbacks would be out right alongside the Land Speeder. I don't have access to much in the way of the older codices, but anything requiring the active participation of the Mechanicus would probably be out, so no Titans, limited fleet support because of a lack of new ships, and so on.

This all sounds reasonable to me. :) To an extent because they will not have post-heresy developments they may be similar to the Emperor's Children who froze their development just before the Heresy broke out. The difference would be that the Ultramarines would have adapted, but just not in the same way as the Imperium.

 

So Razorbacks would definitely be out - or as it is known in this universe the Tilvius APC, after its discoverer in both histories, Tilvius of the Adeptus Mechanicus. :)

 

Shipbuilding, while it does heavily involve the Adeptus Mechanicus, doesn't seem to be exclusively their province, and the Chapters do maintain and operate their own fleets without Mechanicus support beyond the Techmarines canonically. I suspect that Ultramar, with its much higher level of general technology, industrial capacity, and infrastructure can manage it, although they may rely on older styles of ships. Looking at Battlefleet Gothica, I'd suspect that they don't use ramming prows, for example, nor do they use most of the newer cruiser designs, instead relying on older ships, including grand cruisers and a few classes from the Chaos fleet. That said, Ultramar's engineering and technical sophistication likely makes them more efficient on a one-for-one basis than equivalent Imperial units, though they might come off worse against Mechanicus vessels.

I really like the look of the Grand Cruisers from BFG. ;) I would also guess that as developing a whole new ship class from scratch would take a degree of expertise that Ultramar Segmentum would now lack, I could quite see the fleets out of Calth and Kar Dunaish being dominated by these older types of ships rather than the newer styles of the Imperial fleet. I also get the impression that the styles of Battle Barges and Strike Cruisers we see now are to an extent post-heresy, or only just being issued during it, so they would probably adapt ships like the grand cruisers to fill in for this role instead, with hangars full of Stormbirds and assault boats. They would also be seamlessly integrated with the Ultramar Navies, without the separation of powers that Guilliman himself wrote into the Norm-'verse Imperium rulebook. That in itself has lots of scope to investigate... Do the marines get spread about all the Segmentum's ships (as captains, or at least a contingent present with the leader able to over-rule the ship's navy captain?) as well as having their own dedicated ships?

 

My only problem Aurelius, is that your universe is better than the cannon one. You've chosen to make the legions act as they should rather than the convoluted mess that the Horus Heresy was.

 

The Ultramarines have always had a third party feel to them. Too good for the Imperium, but not traitors.

 

You've made sense of the World Eaters and Emperors Children, cast Dorn who was always the perfect one to fall, because he was good but not in a holy Sanguineus way or a noble but dour Horus. He was the Emperor's bodyguard. In a game based on the Roman Empire the Praetorian is the man to chose to kill the Emperor. You've kept everything essentially the same but changed the feeling of each legion.

 

Not to mention you've turned Ultramar from "We the Best!" to a sort of Soviet Union weathering a ten thousand year Stalingrad. They're bitter that they were betrayed by everyone, their allies and their enemies both turned on them, and now they have nothing but cold steel and hot lead to sustain their glorious empire.

I take it that you mean that you really enjoyed it. Those kinds of problems I can live with. :P Initially when I read the post I thought you meant that I had made the Alt-Ultras 'too good'. I have consciously tried to skew these Alt-IA's towards the viewpoint of the individual legion, so the portrayal is more sympathetic to the Ultramarines here than it is in for instance the previous Word Bearers article. Saying that they still think of themselves as superior would be a fair assessment, though. I love the comparison of 'weathering a ten thousand year Stalingrad' - a great image. :)

 

The good news is the more that this gets delved into the more interesting ideas are revealed, which is hopefully the sign of a solid foundation from the IA itself. The downside is that I don't know how much of this could be included in the IA itself without it pushing an already hefty word count. I would love to include this kind of thing in an article devoted to modelling the different armies that would be outside the core IA. Hmmm, Possible, I suppose? :)

[Guest Mordray]

Hmmm... interesting... I'm sorry to say that I like these Ultra's... Damn you, ! I actually like ultramarines...

 

 

Alright on to the tech...

 

correct me if I'm wrong (which isn't unlikely) but wasn't the Razorback around during the great crusade? It's personal fluff mentions the MK1 being the original configuration. It's design was lost and only recently recovered... so wouldn't they have that design?

 

AC's... who needs 'um? personally I'd rather have a multi-barreled Autocannon with a multi-feed selector. Better range and adaptability at a (relatively) lower tech level no less...

 

Alight so other then the above here's a big question for you...

 

Without the Mechanicus' and the Ecclesiarchy's two pronged religious assault that keeps the imperium reliant upon the Mechanicus for technology what is stopping Ultramar from advancing their tech level?

 

If you don't have the numbers superior firepower can turn the tide quickly in your favor. Just look at the difference between a bronze age weapon and armor verses their steel counter parts.

 

Bolter's with better range... Jet packs that allow heavy weapon teams to advance and fire with speed and power... perhaps no suits of Terminator armor but what about modules that allow marines to move even faster and/or possess even greater strength then their conventional counter parts... oh and IMO the best part of all light PA for scouts instead of carapace...

 

But now I'm just rambling and my own Alter-'verse creation's idea's are starting to bleed through...

 

 

In general though your Dorn Heresy is doing amazing things to my imagination... I'm on the verge of writing up a AI set in your alter-'verse it's that good... now the question is should I write up the Void Reavers for this the HH 'verse or the DH 'verse?

[Aurelius Rex]

correct me if I'm wrong (which isn't unlikely) but wasn't the Razorback around during the great crusade? It's personal fluff mentions the MK1 being the original configuration. It's design was lost and only recently recovered... so wouldn't they have that design?

The STC for the Razorback, ahem, I mean the Tilvius APC, ;) was found in both timelines in M36. This has been the case since its introduction in the early nineties and after you said this I worried that they may have done a retcon in the new marine codex but it still says 'the Razorback has been in use for a mere four thousand years, whilst the Rhino and Predator predate the Horus Heresy.' Phew! :)

 

Alight so other then the above here's a big question for you...

 

Without the Mechanicus' and the Ecclesiarchy's two pronged religious assault that keeps the imperium reliant upon the Mechanicus for technology what is stopping Ultramar from advancing their tech level?

 

If you don't have the numbers superior firepower can turn the tide quickly in your favor. Just look at the difference between a bronze age weapon and armor verses their steel counter parts.

 

Bolter's with better range... Jet packs that allow heavy weapon teams to advance and fire with speed and power... perhaps no suits of Terminator armor but what about modules that allow marines to move even faster and/or possess even greater strength then their conventional counter parts... oh and IMO the best part of all light PA for scouts instead of carapace...

The worry about giving the Alt-Ultras too much of the good tech is that they then have no downsides. Characters (and organisations like legions and chapters) gain personality as much if not more from how they deal with their disadvantages as from their strengths. Having them lose out on the higher end tech from the mechanicus that they would have no way of replicating, like titans and newer ship classes as well as suggesting that they have instead adapted their practices to reflect their use of railguns obtained from the Tau was a way to give them some grit. :) If they really were better in every way that would be a bit dull.

 

In general though your Dorn Heresy is doing amazing things to my imagination... I'm on the verge of writing up a AI set in your alter-'verse it's that good... now the question is should I write up the Void Reavers for this the HH 'verse or the DH 'verse?

Muahahaha! Taking over the world one brain at a time! :P My own Scions of Dorn have already got an alt-mention in the overview piece. :) You may well be better off doing the Norm-'verse Void Reavers first before doing their alternate counterparts. That might make more sense to people as not everyone knows about this project, despite my attempts at worldwide domination. It will also be a while before all 18 legions are finished to fully complete the whole backstory. :)

[Moonsword]

Thanks for the feedback, guys, and apologies for the slow response. :)

 

Shipbuilding, while it does heavily involve the Adeptus Mechanicus, doesn't seem to be exclusively their province, and the Chapters do maintain and operate their own fleets without Mechanicus support beyond the Techmarines canonically. I suspect that Ultramar, with its much higher level of general technology, industrial capacity, and infrastructure can manage it, although they may rely on older styles of ships. Looking at Battlefleet Gothica, I'd suspect that they don't use ramming prows, for example, nor do they use most of the newer cruiser designs, instead relying on older ships, including grand cruisers and a few classes from the Chaos fleet. That said, Ultramar's engineering and technical sophistication likely makes them more efficient on a one-for-one basis than equivalent Imperial units, though they might come off worse against Mechanicus vessels.

 

I really like the look of the Grand Cruisers from BFG. :P I would also guess that as developing a whole new ship class from scratch would take a degree of expertise that Ultramar Segmentum would now lack, I could quite see the fleets out of Calth and Kar Dunaish being dominated by these older types of ships rather than the newer styles of the Imperial fleet. I also get the impression that the styles of Battle Barges and Strike Cruisers we see now are to an extent post-heresy, or only just being issued during it, so they would probably adapt ships like the grand cruisers to fill in for this role instead, with hangars full of Stormbirds and assault boats. They would also be seamlessly integrated with the Ultramar Navies, without the separation of powers that Guilliman himself wrote into the Norm-'verse Imperium rulebook. That in itself has lots of scope to investigate... Do the marines get spread about all the Segmentum's ships (as captains, or at least a contingent present with the leader able to over-rule the ship's navy captain?) as well as having their own dedicated ships?

 

I'm not sure on the cruisers and barges - I'd have to look through BFG for the history of the ship classes, although the traitor legions canonically did possess and retain a few battle barges of their own according to the Lexicanum Wiki. Whether or not Ultramar would use them extensively, adapt existing designs, or some mix of the two, I'm not prepared to say, but the grand cruisers seem more durable in general, if larger than a strike cruiser, so perhaps a general assault vessel based on a grand cruiser hull wouldn't be unusual. You'd still need a single company transport - if nothing else, tying up 20% of your spacelift on a piddling fight for eight squads is inefficient at best - but if it's a strike cruiser or not is more dubious.

 

On the level of naval command, I'd doubt that most of the Chapters bother with extensive cross-training beyond their existing specialties. As to spreading them out, no. You're going to dilute your manpower very, very quickly that way, and the Space Marines' Achilles Heel has always been their low overall numbers. Tying hundreds or thousands of them to the fleet in general is not a good idea. Space Marines are some of the best of the best on the ground, or in a boarding action, where their edge in firepower, skill, and durability is going to be absolutely murderous in the confined quarters of a battle, but relying on Ultramar Navy crews supported by Ultramar's more sophisticated technology is going to save them a lot of training time, effort, and resources, particularly since their advantages in general skill aren't going to be as authoritative on the level of naval combat in my eye, especially against the experience of someone who does nothing but train to do their job and has for decades, either for the individual crewmen or the command staff. Lacking the separation of powers cuts both ways - Space Marine chapters don't need to be as independent of the Navy's internal support structures, so they can draw on the Navy's own manpower pool and officers to do those jobs without having to tie up their own personnel in roles that really don't make as good of use of them. The overall commander of a force is almost certainly the senior Space Marine, but he's not going to be planning the naval fight unless this is a Chapter that focuses on space combat and boarding actions.

 

Those Chapters that do focus on space combat are going to be some of the most dangerous guys you've ever messed with in that field, though, and I'd imagine they're also frequently called on to supply contingents and commanders for major fleets and operations. Your average Black Templar or Word Bearer boarding or security squad who finds themselves helmet-to-helmet with these guys aboard ship is going to be in for a lesson on what it feels like to be the ones on the wrong side of the skill, equipment, and tactics divide for once, and the sheer competence of these dedicated Astartes naval commanders will be a telling factor in a fleet engagement.

[sgtNACHO]

Why must the Blood angels be bad? Especially Sangunius? He has always been the pure one, the angel, the BEST! Why would he suddenly succumb to pestilence and disease? Maybe I just hate that my boys get the Chaos card, I don't like that you just decided to switch the forces around, making evil=good and good=evil- Ultramarines.

 

I at first thought you were going to have the two forces split having World Eaters and Raven Guard fight Night lords anf Space Wolves, or whatever. You ( i know it wasn't just you) just mirrored the conflict to represent the other side.

 

Anyway back to Sanguinius. What in his character points to him getting the Nurgle card? So he is a little perfect, but wouldn't that at least sound more Slannesh?

 

I like an idea i had, which was have the Blood angels turn on their primarch who stays loyal, so the Blood angels become evil (if they had too) But Sanguinius gets to still get himself torn up by Dorn.

 

Oh well, I do like this IA and the "DH-verse" Which we should call it from now on forever and always. I don't like the complete opposite forces.

[Guest Mordray]

I agree giving them free reign to advance their tech could be bad... but that's an author choice... In alter-'verse just what is it that is holding them back?

 

You don't have to add it to the IA but I just can't gather what is stopping them from rediscovering the lost arts of science and kicking it into high gear again.

[Moonsword]

The point isn't to make the Ultramarines good. This is how they act, in a lot of ways.

 

As for Sanguinus going evil, I think it's narrative necessity. Blood is associated with a lot of things, and one of them is death. Tainted blood leads to death in many cases. Tainted Blood Angels... well, they bring death. They aren't death, but they're definitely carriers of the condition. Canonically, their blood is tainted anyway. Sanguinus was put at a position where he broke, finally, and even if the person and soul who defined who he was remained untainted, who says that Nurgle didn't simply stick something in the corpse, make it an unliving meat puppet?

[Aurelius Rex]

Thanks for these very interesting posts - I will get back to them properly tomorrow at lunchtime... but I hope that after the effort I have put into the project up to now that you will trust me to make the fall of Sanguinius organic and believable. :(