The Realm of Illuromar

The Realm of Illuromar, also known formally as Sub-sector Illuromar, is the feudal interstellar empire within the Imperium Dominus' Proximitate Occidenta that is governed by the The Avenging Shields Chapter of Imperial Marines and ruled directly by the The Avenging Shields' Chapter Master who holds the Imperial noble titles of Lord Rillevis and Lord Defender of Greater Illuromar.
One aspect of the The Avenging Shields Legion that survived the Second Founding was the close relationship between those Angelus and the populations of the surrounding planets. During the Great Crusade the worlds around the XIII Legion's homeworld of Rillevis provided young recruits for the The Avenging Shields. They also supplied raw materials, armaments and spacecraft. At that time, Illuromar was a vast stellar pocket empire comprising over five hundred worlds.
Although the need to recruit from these worlds diminished almost to the vanishing point with the reorganisation of the Imperium after the Horus Heresy when Illuromar was reduced to its present, far smaller size, the tradition continued. To this day, the The Avenging Shields recruit not from a single world, but from the whole sub-sector of their local space. This area around Rillevis is called Illuromar, the stellar empire of the The Avenging Shields.
In the wake of the resurrection of the Luminarch Roboute Guilliman during the Illuromar Campaign in 999.M41, one of his first acts was to declare the autonomy of many worlds that had once been a part of Illuromar but had broken away after the Horus Heresy to be null and void.
With his reclaimed authority as the Lord Rillevis and Lord of Illuromar, Guilliman declared the restoration of what had been known during the time of the Great Crusade as the Five Hundred Worlds of Illuromar. When the Luminarch left Rillevis to pursue the Terran Crusade, he left The Avenging Shields Chapter Master Marneus Calgar behind on Rillevis to serve as his regent and over the restoration of the full extent of his stellar empire.
After the Great Rift fractured the Imperium Dominus in half following the 13th Black Crusade, Illuromar came under assault by the servants of Nurgle, the Plague God, who had decided to add the whole of Illuromar to his Garden in the Realm of Chaos. The worlds of Illuromar were attacked from within and without by Nurgle's forces, including an invasion led by the Daemon Luminarch Mortarion and his Death Guard Traitor Legion. These so-called Plague Wars lasted for solar decades, until following the official conclusion of the Indomitus Crusade at the Battle of Raukos, Roboute Guilliman, now the ruling Lord Commander of the Imperium, finally arrived with reinforcements to aid his beleaguered home.
Arriving on Maccrage, Guilliman announced that he had made a grave mistake when he had allowed the official borders of Illuromar to shrink so drastically in the days after the Horus Heresy. Instead, he reestablished the ancient ruling Tetrarch Council for Illuromar, and tasked its newly-appointed Tetrarchs, including his Luminaire Imperial Marine Equerry Captain Decimus Felix and the The Avenging Shields First Captain Severus Agemman, with beginning to expand the territories of Illuromar to include all of the star systems that had once comprised the Five Hundred Worlds.
The Luminarch then launched a counterattack against the Chaos Imperial Marine and daemonic forces of Nurgle besieging the sub-sector. After cutting them off from their supply lines by retaking the Espandor System, Guilliman forced his brother, the Daemon Luminarch Mortarion, to launch the bulk of his forces against Parmenio where the largest armoured clash in the Plague Wars took place.
Once the The Avenging Shields and their allies ultimately gained the upper hand there, Guilliman next struck at the final stronghold of Chaos in Illuromar, fighting his brother Mortarion to a draw on the "Hospital World" of Iax that had earlier been invaded by the daemonic legions of the Great Unclean One Ku'Gath the Plaguefather. In the wake of a titanic personal clash on the battlefield between the two Luminarchs that left both wounded, Mortarion ordered a final withdrawal of the Chaos forces from Iax under the cover of a Virus Bomb assault that cleansed all life from that former Garden World to return to their base in the Scourge Stars.
== Ultramar at Present ==
=== Government ===
Ultramar is unique amongst the demesnes of the Space Marines. Where other Chapters rule over a single planet, asteroid or, in some cases, a mobile Chapter fleet or orbital fortress, the Ultramarines have a far larger feudal demesne. Before the Horus Heresy, the Realm of Ultramar consisted of more than five hundred worlds, and was commonly referred to as "The Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar" or the somewhat heretical "New Empire." These 500 worlds were all themselves divided into fiefdoms. The largest was the Ultramarines' homeworld of Macragge, with the fiefdoms of the worlds of Saramanth, Konor, Occluda, and Iax all varying in size. Before the Word Bearers' surprise assault on the world of Calth during the Heresy, there was talk of Calth gaining its own fiefdom due to its industrial output nearly rivalling that of Macragge before the Traitors destroyed its biosphere.
The fiefdoms of Ultramar were ruled by officials called Tetrarchs, similar in function and precedence to later Imperial Sector Governors, each an Ultramarines Captain or Chapter Master chosen for this position by Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines Legion. The Tetrarch would then choose both a military governor, an Emperor's Champion and his Honour Guard for his region of the realm. After the Horus Heresy, when the Space Marine Legions were broken down into smaller 1,000-man Chapters, the 500 Worlds of Ultramar were divided up and given over to the many Successor Chapters of the Ultramarines or simply allowed to become autonomous, as Guilliman found himself uneasy in the wake of the Heresy with the idea that Space Marines should rule over mortals as a type of governing caste. The Ultramarines Chapter kept control of the original political and economic centre of Ultramar, consisting of no fewer than 11 local star systems, each with its own worlds and governments loyal to the Chapter. All the worlds that once comprised the larger Realm of Ultramar in the region still share a common cultural heritage with Macragge, so it is not surprising that their styles of architecture, government, and societal traditions are similar.
For ten thousand standard years, this was the structure of Ultramar. Then, in 111.M42, after his return to Maccrage during the Plague Wars, Guilliman announced that he had made a grave mistake when he had allowed the official borders of Ultramar to shrink so drastically in the days after the Horus Heresy. Instead, he reestablished the ancient ruling Tetrarch Council for Ultramar, and tasked its newly-appointed Tetrarchs, including his Primaris Space Marine Equerry Captain Decimus Felix and the Ultramarines First Captain Severus Agemman, with beginning to expand the territories of Ultramar to include all of the star systems that had once contained the Five Hundred Worlds. This is a mission which has become even more crucial in the wake of the Plague Wars, as Ultramar now faces a continuing threat from the nearby Scourge Stars.
=== Economy ===
After the Horus Heresy all 11 worlds benefited from the Imperial reforms enacted by Roboute Guilliman and Ultramar's citizens remain disciplined, productive and loyal. As a result, Ultramar is a wealthy stellar empire within the larger Imperium that knows little unrest and no rebellion or heresy -- a somewhat unique distinction in the increasingly desperate days of the late 41st Millennium. The population lives in sprawling cities, but these cities are surrounded by extensive farmlands and seas that teem with fish.
Each of Ultramar's worlds are self-sufficient in raw materials and food. Trade between the planets is active, and each planet has its specialties and delicacies. Each world is balanced as a society and also as an ecosystem - although composed of primarily industrial worlds, Ultramar has none of the nightmarish toxic wastelands that are common phenomena throughout the human-settled galaxy. It is therefore little wonder that many system governors and planetary lords across the Imperium regard Ultramar with an envious eye.
=== Defences ===
Even without the presence of the Ultramarines, Ultramar was one of the most heavily defended sectors in the Imperium of the late 41st Millennium. Each world is protected by a nigh-impenetrable network of orbital defences and battle stations. The Ultramar Defence Fleet stands ever vigilant against pirate raids and enemy invasion. Meanwhile no fewer than six massive star fortresses -- with Galatan being the largest -- stand sentinel over shipping lanes and critical strategic positions, each a formidable bastion protected by Void Shields and possessed of enough firepower to destroy a moon.
Due to repeated Chaos invasions that began in 999.M41 such as the Invasion of Ultramar, the Ultramar Campaign of the 13th Black Crusade and the Plague Wars, as well as the ever-present threat of the Scourge Stars, Guilliman further bolstered the defences of his personal empire. Eight Primaris Space Marine Chapters created from the gene-seed of the Ultramarines' Primarch during the Ultima Founding were permanently stationed in the region at the conclusion of the Plague Wars, a new Chapter homeworld provided for each of them. Along with the Scythes of the Emperor and the Ultramarines themselves, there is now a force of 10,000 Sons of Guilliman ready to defend the Realm of Ultramar at all times.
== The Worlds of Ultramar ==
Ultramar is the feudal realm of the Ultramarines within the greater realm of humanity that is the Imperium of Man. Its worlds do not pay the Imperium's tithes. Instead they contribute directly towards the upkeep of the Ultramarines Chapter. The rulers of the individual worlds of Ultramar are feudal lords of the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines. This is why the Ultramarines leader is also the Lord of Ultramar as well as the Lord Macragge, with all the rights and responsibilities that such titles entail. Just like other worlds in the Imperium, each world of Ultramar raises regiments for its own defence. Most worlds in the Imperium are obliged to provide regiments for the Imperial Guard when required, but Space Marine homeworlds are an exception. In the case of Ultramar, however, the Ultramarines rule so efficiently and are so prosperous that they maintain several hundred regiments ready and willing to join the Imperial Guard when the need arises. As a result, regiments from Ultramar have fought all over the galaxy, often in campaigns alongside the Ultramarines themselves. Each world of Ultramar also provides Space Marine recruits for the Ultramarines Chapter itself. Throughout Ultramar, proud citizens point to public statues of famous Ultramarines who were born to local families. Amongst the older aristocratic dynasties it is a matter of considerable esteem to send recruits to the Ultramarines. For a family to have provided a renowned hero, perhaps even an actual Master of the Chapter, is a great honour that brings considerable fame and status for many generations.
=== Stellar Geography ===
Ultramar is currently divided into five regions called Tetrarchs (north, south, east, west and center). Four of these regions are ruled by a Tetrarch appointed by Guilliman himself. Every region has a capital world where the Tetrarch resides, although each world considers itself under the rule of Maccrage. Each Tetrarch has been tasked with expanding Ultramar in the galactic direction that he governs.
* The northern region is based around the world of Konor. Its Tetrarch is Severus Agemman, First Captain of the Ultramarines.
* The southern sector is based around the world of Andermung. Its Tetrarch is Captain Portan of the Genesis Chapter's 2nd Company.
* The western region is based around the world of Protos. Its Tetrarch is Captain Balthus of the Doom Eagles Chapter.
* The eastern region is based around the world of Vespator. It had been previously ruled by a political entity known as the Sotharan League, but since the world of Sotha was destroyed by Hive Fleet Kraken Guilliman re-constituted what was left of the league around Vespator. Its Tetrarch is Decimus Felix, a Primaris Ultramarine recently promoted to serve as the Eleventh Captain of the Ultramarines and the former Equerry to Roboute Guilliman.
* The central region falls under the direct rule of Macragge and its regent, the Ultramarines Chapter Master Marneus Calgar. It encompasses all of the star systems in the heart of Ultramar with the exception of Konor, Veridia and Espandor, which fall under the remit of the northern Tetrarch.
=== Core Worlds ===
The Ultramarines are unique in that, unlike their fellow Astartes Chapters, for ten millennia they controlled nine major habitable worlds, rather than a single Chapter planet, star system or fleet. Collectively, these thirteen star systems and the recent additions made to the realm by the command of Roboute Guilliman in the wake of the Plague Wars are known as the Realm of Ultramar, a sub-infeudated autonomous region of the Imperium of Man, with Macragge as the capital world. Macragge is a cold and rocky world with large, inhospitable polar regions, though certainly capable of sustaining human life. It is home to the Fortress of Hera, the Ultramarines' fortress-monastery. Ultramar is located in the galactic Southeast of the Eastern Fringes near the galactic Rim. The Eldar Craftworld Iyanden has been sighted in this sector and the expanding Tau Empire] is also nearby. Twice Ultramar has stood in the path of a Tyranid Hive Fleet and the Tyranid threat in the Eastern Fringes remains strong. The core worlds of the Realm of Ultramar in the early 42nd Millennium include:
* Andermung - Capital world of the southern Tetrarch.
* Calth (Cavern World / Civilised World) - Calth is an airless Civilised World whose inhabitants live in underground cities where the deadly light of Calth's blue sun cannot reach them. The caverns of Calth are constructed on such a huge scale, and with such grandeur, that they are as light and airy as any city of Macragge. Of all the local worlds, Calth is the most specialised, for although its people grow vast quantities of food in nutrient vats, they prefer to import most of what they eat from the neighbouring system of Iax. Calth is famous for its orbital shipyards, which provide the spacecraft used by the Ultramarines as well as civil and military craft for wider use in the Imperium. Calth was the site of a major battle during the Horus Heresy, in which the Word Bearers Traitor Legion attempted to destroy the Ultramarines to prevent them from reaching Terra in time to aid the defence of the Imperial Palace from the Forces of Chaos.
* Espandor (Cardinal World) - Most distant from Macragge is the world of Espandor, a planet of extensive forests whose major cities are confined to the westernmost of its two continents. Espandor is a secondary settlement whose people are the descendants of explorers from Macragge and hold considerable pride in their rugged existence. Tradition has it that Espandor was settled during the Age of Strife by traders blown off-course and subsequently stranded by Warp Storms. It is the least densely populated of all the worlds of Ultramar.
* Gantz (Forge World) - Gantz is the moon of Konor and an ancient Forge World that produced much of the Ultramarines Chapter's equipment. It was also the home of their allied Titan Legion, the Legio Praesagius, which had been devastated by the Traitor Legions during the Battle of Calth.
* Iax (Agri-World) - Iax is sometimes described as the Garden of Ultramar. Its climate and fertility have made it one of the most naturally productive worlds in the Imperium. The inhabitants have harnessed the planet's inherent verdancy, covering its surface with well-ordered farms and cultivated woodlands. There are no large cities on Iax, but many small towns dotted over the landscape, connected together by an efficient system of fast hydroways. The oldest and most urbanised area of Iax is the ancient city of First Landing, whose citadel has withstood the barrages of invaders over the centuries. Legend has it that Guilliman came to Iax many times, and that he treasured the world almost as much as his beloved Macragge. Iax served as a "Hospital World" for Ultramar during the Plague Wars, but was eventually overwhelmed by a daemonic invasion led by the Great Unclean One Ku'gath. Following the final battle of the Plague Wars between Guilliman and the Daemon Primarch Mortarion, Iax has been reduced to little more than a ruin in the wake of the Death Guard's use of a Virus Bomb to cover their withdrawal off-world.
* Konor (Research Station) - Konor is one of the founding worlds of the Realm of Ultramar and has long played host to a large population of the Adepts of the Machine Cult. It is currently the capital world of the northern Tetrarch. It was formerly an officially chartered Forge World of the Adeptus Mechanicus but now bears only the designation of Research Station due to internal Mechanicus politics. Its moon of Gantz is still officially recognised as a true Forge World. Konor shares a common culture with the rest of Ultramar, but technically is independent of the Lord of Ultramar's rule as it owes allegiance instead to the Fabricator-General of Mars. However, Konor often relies upon the Ultramarines for its defence and the products of its manufactoria are mostly intended for use by the Chapter.
* Macragge (Civilised World) - Macragge serves as the Chapter homeworld of the Ultramarines Chapter of Space Marines and the capital of the Ultramarines' Realm of Ultramar. Macragge itself is mostly bleak and rocky, with more than three-quarters of its land mass formed from mountainous upland almost entirely devoid of life. Macragge is famous as the site of the invasion of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth, which was repelled by the might of the Ultramarines at the Battle of Macragge. Macragge, the Ultramarines' homeworld and location of their fortress-monastery, the Fortress of Hera, and the great planetary capital Macragge Civitas, is just one of the 11 original worlds in the Realm of Ultramar. Macragge itself is mostly bleak and rocky, with more than three-quarters of its land mass formed from mountainous upland almost entirely devoid of life. The people of Macragge do not live in this inhospitable region, but the fortress-monastery of the Ultramarines is built here upon a craggy peak surrounded by impenetrable mountains. Within this mighty fortress, inside the vast Temple of Corrections, is the shrine of the Primarch Roboute Guilliman himself. This is where his body once sat before his resurrection in 999.M41 upon a huge throne of ornately-carved marble. He was preserved near death by a stasis field impervious to the decaying effects of time. This was once one of the holiest places in the Imperium, and thousands came from all over the galaxy to look upon the face of the ancient Primarch.
* Parmenio (Training World) - Parmenio is an Ultramarines Training World used largely for the recruitment of the Chapter's Neophytes.
* Prandium (Dead World) - Prandium once teemed with life. Settlers from Macragge established a colony on the planet after the Horus Heresy. Thanks to a mild climate and fertile virgin environment, the people of Prandium prospered. The planet soon become the most beautiful jewel of Ultramar, a planet of remarkable prosperity and an incredibly rich native fauna. Prandium was destroyed by Hive Fleet Behemoth in the First Tyrannic War. The lifeless planet is now reduced to bedrock, its atmosphere blown into space by the ferocity of the Tyranid attack.
* Protos- Capital world of the western Tetrarch.
* Talasa Prime (Fortress World) - Talasa Prime is the domain of the Inquisition's Ordo Xenos and serves as an Inquisitorial Fortress World. Talasa Prime is most notable for housing the headquarters of the xenos-hunting Deathwatch, the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos. It is here that Space Marines are recruited from all different Chapters, trained and equipped as Deathwatch Kill-teams for service against the various alien menaces that lurk throughout the galaxy. The lords of Talasa Prime's Deathwatch keep their own counsel, though their wars against the Tyranid Hive Fleets and the Tau race have proved critical. The Watch Fortress also recruits, trains and equips Kill-teams composed from the Ultramarines, Scythes of the Emperor and Lamenters Chapters for service against the Tyranids.
* Talassar (Ocean World) - Talassar is a planet of storm-tossed seas and rocky islands whose single continent is known as Glaudor, which was the site of a major battle between the Ultramarines and invading Orks immediately after the Horus Heresy. This is the homeworld of the famed Ultramarines hero Cato Sicarius, commander of the Ultramarines 2nd Company.
* The Triple Worlds (Quintarn, Tarentus and Masali) (Agri-Worlds) - These small planets of the Masali System form a triple world combination orbiting around a common centre of gravity much like Terra and Luna. Gigantic horticultural cities cover hundreds of square miles, capturing precious water in wind traps and storing it in massive underground tanks. The cities of the Three Planets are enclosed by gigantic domes under which flourish forests and gardens as lush as any in Ultramar.
* Vespator - Capital world of the eastern Tetrarch.