In the grim darkness of the far future, the
Age of the Imperium is over. Across the universe, a death knell has sounded
for the Time of Ending has begun. On countless worlds, billions perish in carnage
and slaughter to the laughter of thirsting gods. Ancient evils awaken in the forgotten depths,
assailing themselves against what few foundations of humanity remain. Everywhere in which the light of the Imperium
now fades, a multitude of horrors gather, awaiting the time when the last bastions are
broken and the great massacre of mankind can begin. Few remember there was once a time, slowly
forgotten with each passing day, when the God Emperor walked among humanity together
with his sons. A brief moment when all the terrors of the
galaxy might have been cast aside and a new golden age willed into existence from the
darkness of the old. Reason and compassion might have prevailed
over superstition and tyranny, but the triumphs of the Emperor and the Great Crusade he led
are gone, never to return. Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor
continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the demon infested
miasma of the warp, guided by the psychic manifestation of the Emperor’s light. For every step taken on a world claimed by
the Imperium, the enemies of mankind face the massed guns of the Imperial Guard, the
holy fires of the Ecclesiarchy, or the eldritch machines of Mars. Armies all, that fight and die in the Emperor’s
name. Yet on some battlefields, those most critical
to the Imperiums’ survival, grotesque xenos empires and traitors in service to the ruinous
powers, face annihilation by nothing less than the Emperor’s will made manifest. They are his Angels of Death, descending from
crackling skies announced by terrible thunder. They are his finest warriors, molded like
clay in the furnace of war. They are of iron will and steely muscle. In great armor clad and with the mightiest
guns armed. They are untouched by disease and sickness. They are the bulwark against the Terror. They are the defenders of humanity. They are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines,
and they shall know, no fear. Amongst the myriad of institutions that make
war in the Emperor’s name, the Astartes are counted among the most elite and battle
hardened. They make use of weapons, tanks, aircraft
and artillery, often more advanced, but not entirely dissimilar to those common within
Imperial armies. Instead, their true strength lies in their
soldiery. Every Space Marine has been genetically enhanced
through the lost arts of gene-craft to become something more than human. They are stronger, faster and more resilient,
capable of martial feats that would be impossible otherwise. Together these warriors are organized into
chapters, 1000 of which are said to currently exist, though the true number is impossible
to verify. A Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes is an entirely
independent and self-sufficient army. Each is a highly mobile, flexible force expected
to excel on any kind of battlefield against any kind of enemy. A Chapter encompasses a primary fighting element,
consisting of the Astartes themselves, and an auxiliary element; administrative personnel,
logisticians, and the fleet of warships and transports that keep the Chapter mobile and
operating at peak efficiency. These latter supportive elements might include
some Astartes who have been assigned to non-combative roles, but are otherwise overwhelmingly staffed
by Chapter Serfs. These are unmodified humans who for any number
of reasons have become indentured servants of the Chapter. Every aspect of a Chapter’s organization,
function and fighting ability, is expected to adhere to the Codex Astartes, the foundational
work concerning Space Marine doctrine. The Codex requires a Chapter be split into
10 companies of 100 marines. The 2nd through 5th companies are referred
to as the Battle Companies, and constitute the majority of the Chapter’s fighting strength. Each is led by a Captain with two subordinate
Lieutenants, and includes a Chaplain responsible for the company’s spiritual welfare. Additionally, an Astartes within every Battle
Company will be appointed the title of Champion, expected to protect the Captain with his life,
while another will be named Ancient and granted the honor of bearing the company standard. The remainder of the Company’s marines are
divided into 10 squads. Six forming the main battleline, two providing
close support and two providing fire support. An array of transport vehicles is maintained
by individual battle companies, ensuring its entire strength can be rapidly moved across
the battlefield when required. In addition to their battlefield role, the
Captain of each company is granted a number of titles and duties, traditionally associated
with the company he leads. These might be purely ceremonial, or critical
to the continued operation of the Chapter. The Captain of the 2nd Company is the Master
of the Watch, the 3rd Company Captain is the Master of the Arsenal, the 4th Company Captain
is the Master of the Fleet and the 5th Company Captain is the Master of the Marches. Chapter Companies six through nine are designated
Companies of Reserve. When a Battle Company suffers losses in battle,
it is from these formations that their replacements will be drawn. Unlike the mixed squad compositions of the
Battle Companies, the 6th and 7th each maintain ten standard battleline squads. The 8th and 9th consist solely of close support
and fire support respectively. Squads from the Reserve Companies will often
be assigned to serve alongside the Battle Companies, while in larger campaigns an entire
Reserve company might fight as a whole. Impromptu task forces at various levels of
strength are repeatedly created from component elements of the reserve companies depending
on the requirements and unique characteristics of the battlefield. Leadership of the Reserve Companies is largely
identical to that of the Battle Companies, with each including a Captain, Lieutenants,
Chaplain, and Ancient. Like their counterparts, these Captains are
each assigned additional roles and duties. The Captains of the 6th through 9th companies
are the Master of the Rites, the Chief Victualler, the Lord Executioner, and the Master of Relics. Their duties are mainly centered around Chapter
logistics and the codification of its traditions and customs. The 10th Company is unique within the Chapter
in that its members have yet to be fully transformed into Astartes. Known as the Scout Company, the 10th is a
formation in which raw aspirants learn the methods of war utilized by the Chapter and
gain vital experience. It is in many ways one of the final means
by which a potential Astartes is trained, under the intense pressure only a real battlefield
can provide. Once a Scout has proven themselves here, they
will undergo the final stages of their transformation and be assigned to one of the other Companies. The 1st Company of an Astartes Chapter is
its most elite military unit. Its warriors have mastered every battlefield
role after decades of service within the Scout, Reserve and Battle companies. They are the exemplars of the Chapter’s
strength, with each of its members having performed some legendary deed of bravery or
genius. The 1st Company is rarely deployed as a whole,
with the entire formation only fighting together during the most dire of circumstances. Instead, individual squads from this Company
are attached to other Space Marine strike forces, acting as mentors and examples to
their fellow Marines. These veteran squads are less constrained
by rigid doctrine, allowed at their discretion to deploy with weapons and armor best suited
towards close combat or ranged engagements. In most cases, access to the Chapter’s Terminator
Armor, a rare and ancient form of protection, will be granted to the 1st Company alone. Existing outside of the company structure
are a number of varied, smaller units and institutions. The Armory is responsible for maintenance
of the Chapter’s vehicles and warsuits. It is staffed mainly by Chapter Serfs, mindless,
robotic Servitors, specialist Astartes known as Techmarines and commanded by the Master
of the Forge. The Librarius is a repository of information,
home to the Chapter’s most sacred artifacts, trophies and texts. It is tended by the Librarians, powerful psykers
who now bend the warp itself to the benefit of their Chapter and brothers. It is overseen by the chapter’s Chief Librarian. The Chaplaincy tests and inspires the loyalty
of their brothers, performing rituals and ceremonies as dictated by the Master of Sanctity
or his immediate subordinate, the Reclusiarch. The Apothecarion manages the health of the
chapter, but the highest duty of its Chief Apothecary is the preservation of the Chapter’s
gene-seed, the only means through which new Astartes might be created. The Armory, Librarius, Reclusiam and Apothecarion
might temporarily or permanently assign members of their ranks to companies or squads, providing
field repairs, psychic powers, fanatical zeal, or medical care respectively. Above every other institution, is Chapter
Command; officers and specialists who form the headquarters staff. They are led by the Chapter Master, the supreme
authority from which all overs derive. These individuals are paragons of warfare
and logistics, capable of directing strategy and immediately reacting to every threat and
opportunity that presents itself. The arrival of a Chapter Master can be enough
to turn an imminent defeat into a great victory so complete is their understanding and ability. Within the greater Imperium, Chapter Masters
possess enormous personal authority. In addition to the complete command they wield
over their Chapter, Masters can requisition entire star systems or assume control over
most other Imperial military units. Above all, it is by their order alone that
their Chapter is deployed. To conduct warfare anywhere in the galaxy,
the Codex Astartes allows for each chapter to possess its own fleet. Many chapters, typically the oldest and most
established, make use of Battle Barges, specialized battleships uniquely suited towards boarding
actions. These are often the largest vessels utilized
by a Chapter and are the flagship of their fleet. Strike-cruisers and frigates make up much
of the remainder of the fleet. While they are all powerful warships in their
own right, ultimately their first responsibility is to bear the Chapter into war, and therefore
are most often used in line-breaking, blockade-running and planetary assaults. In rare instances, a Chapter might operate
from their fleet alone, constantly roving across the galaxy. These cases notwithstanding, most operate
a permanent headquarters located on a homeworld. This planet, moon, or even asteroid, exists
under the authority of the Chapter alone, and is the primary site in which training,
recruitment, and rearming occurs. In some instances, the homeworld is just one
among many planets that a Chapter controls. As the Imperium continues to fracture, a growing
number of worlds have ceded their authority over to Space Marine Chapters, providing recruits
and serfs in exchange for protection. The independent, flexible nature of the Space
Marines is anticipated within the Codex Astartes. Small deviations are acceptable within a Chapter’s
practices and organization to accommodate local traditions and culture. It is not uncommon for a Chapter’s ranks
and titles to incorporate or have been replaced by those used on their homeworld. Sometimes these variances extend to the role
of the Chapter Master, or the autonomy permitted to their Captains. Many Chapters have come to excel in a particular
aspect of war and outfit their Companies to reflect that. Through such nuances, it is possible that
two Codex Compliant Chapters might appear entirely different from one another in their
customs and nomenclature. Some Chapters however have diverged so thoroughly
from the Codex Astartes that their organization and capabilities are now entirely unique. These Non-Codex-Compliant Chapters might be
the result of an intentional deviation, or have occurred naturally over the millenia
without any explicit motive. Often these aberrations are overlooked, although
the reputation of the Chapter might suffer as a result. In some extreme circumstances, a Chapter that
has wildly departed from the structure of the Codex might be labeled heretical and marked
for destruction. Therefore, Non-Codex Compliant Chapters have
at times attempted to conceal their true nature. The Codex Astartes has attempted to standardize
the Chapters, but their variances are inherent to their biology. Every Space Marine is created using the gene-seed
of their respective Primarch, 20 immortal, superhuman generals and statesmen, themselves
crafted by the Emperor of Man during the earliest days of the Imperium. Through the surgical integration of 19 additional
organs, a normal adolescent human male is turned into the transhuman Astartes, but the
process also imbues them with certain qualities and aspects of their respective Primarch. Their physical appearance might be altered,
or they might become predisposed towards specific feelings, thoughts and methods. Since the creation of the Primarchs, the Imperium
has lost the ability to create new geneseed and must instead cultivate what already exists. Therefore, each Chapter must carefully preserve
their respective geneseed, often harvesting organs from their fallen brothers. In many cases, Chapters are no longer able
to replicate all 19 organs and must perform the transformation without them, leading to
missing or lessened abilities. Additionally, the geneseed has begun to deteriorate
over the millennia, and mutations can occur during the replication process. Individual Astartes, and sometimes entire
chapters can be afflicted by these mutations. Some of which have been known to be so severe,
that none have survived them. In other instances, mutations might be merely
superficial, or actually lead to beneficial and desired abnormalities. The creation of a new Space Marine chapter
occurs by the edict of the High Lords of Terra and is part of a larger grouping known as
a Founding. There is no defined interval between foundins,
several may occur in a decade and then a millenium before the next. But each is a massive undertaking, requiring
the resources of many hundreds of worlds, most notably Mars which plays an essential
role in creating the gene-seed samples from which these new Chapters will be based. Foundings can be particularly noteworthy or
infamous, and often demonstrate the rampant deficiencies within Imperial records. It is common for Chapters derived from the
gene seed of the same Primarch to feel a sense of kinship for one another. Those created during the First Founding, by
the hand of the Emperor himself are usually considered the first among equals. Others might actively distance themselves
from their brother chapters, while others still might have lost all records from which
Primarch they were created. Under such circumstances, it is impossible
to construct an accurate history of the Space Marines, beyond the most foundational of events. The Astartes were originally organized under
20 legions, each many times the size of a modern chapter, and used to pacify Terra as
part of the Unification Wars. Among their first duties was the destruction
of their immediate predecessors, the Thunder Warriors, who had begun to suffer a catastrophic
biological failure. These Legions then spearheaded the Great Crusade,
slowly bringing the Emperor back into contact with the Primarchs who had been scattered
across the galaxy by the machinations of the ruinous powers. Once united, the Primarchs led their legions
in the re-conquest of the galaxy, bringing hundreds of thousands of star systems under
Imperial control. By the end of the Great Crusade, two of the
legions had been expunged from Imperial records along with their respective Primarchs. The circumstances of their erasure have never
been disclosed, but might have been a warning of the tragedy to come that would tear the
Imperium apart. During the Horus heresy, a full half of the
remaining legions fell into the thrall of Chaos, igniting a 9 year war that would devastate
the galaxy and result in the interment of the Emperor upon the Golden Throne. While the Imperium narrowly emerged victorious
over the traitor legions, the conflict made apparent the inherent danger of placing so
many Astartes under the command of a single soul. To prevent another civil war of such scope,
Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines penned the Codex Astartes. Its most lasting and resented decree was that
the legions be divided and reorganized into smaller, 1000 marine Chapters. Eventually the other surviving loyalist primarchs
agreed. Their nine legions; the Dark Angels under
Lion El’Jonson, the White Scars under Jaghatai Khan, the Space Wolves under Leman Russ, the
Imperial Fists under Rogal Dorn, the Salamanders under Vulkan, the Raven Guard under Corvus
Corax, the Blood Angels and Iron Hands under the fallen Primarchs Sanguinius and Ferrus
Manus respectively, together with Gulliman’s own Ultramarines, all were broken down into
smaller brotherhoods. . One by one the Primarch’s disappeared into
legend, but their Chapters endured throughout the bloody age of the Imperium. Their number waxed and waned across the millennia. Terrible wars left many on the verge of destruction
and others were annihilated outright. Successive foundings swelled their ranks again,
but also brought new mutations and peculiarities. Only now, in an era feared as the Time of
Ending, have the Adeptus Astartes undergone a bold new evolution. In the days following the Horus Heresy, at
the direction of Roboute Gulliman, the Priesthood of Mars set to work improving on the Emperor’s
original designs. For 1000 years they toiled, and now with Gulliman
revived from his stasis and leading the Imperium as its new regent, the efforts of Mars have
finally borne fruit. The Primaris Astartes are a new breed of Space
Marine, capable of greater feats than any that came before. The Ultima Founding has deployed dozens of
new Chapters of such warriors across the galaxy, and every preceding Chapter has been reinforced
with Primaris Marines. Most critically, methods have been devised
so that every Astartes might undergo the transformation to become Primaris themselves. Not all have survived, but the enhanced capabilities
of those that do, have justified the inherent risk. Their introduction has brought the first substantial
revisions to the Codex Astartes itself, transforming the methods by which the Space Marines make
war. The Primaris Astartes were forged for use
in Mankind’s darkest hour, an hour that has now finally arrived. But however greatly they differ from the Firstborn
Astartes that once set forth across the galaxy during the Great Crusade, their purpose remains
unchanged. They are pure of heart and strong of body. Untainted by doubt and unsullied by self-aggrandisement. They are bright stars on the firmament of
battle. Angels of Death whos shining wings bring swift
annihilation to the enemies of Man. So it shall be for a thousand times for a
thousand years, unto the very end of eternity and the extinction of mortal flesh.
Only in Death Does Duty End
For the emperor!