Calthen Justitians

Calthen Justitians armorial with Chapter iconogrpahy.

Calthen Justitians Firstborn Battle-Brother of the 3rd Centuriae ("Stormbloods"), 3rd Battleline Squad.

## Space Marine Chapter

### **Allegiance**

Imperium of Man
(*Fidelitas Scindere*)

### **Successor of**

Ultramarines
 (Roboute Guilliman lineage.)

### **Allies**

* Ultramarines
* Aasvogels
* Black Templars
* Flesh Tearers

### **Specialty**

-Castigation Crusades
 -Rapid Offensive Doctrines

### **Battle cry**

-"Justitia Ante Portas!"
 alternatively
-"We March for Calth!"

### Successor Chapter(s)

None.

"*We will kill them all. No matter where they run, no matter where they hide, we will not rest until every last son of Lorgar lies broken at our feet. Until oceans of blood have been reaped as Ultramar's tithe.

 Ten thousand years of war have not dulled our hatred. We remember Calth. We remember every brother, every man and woman, every child that was butchered in the days of atrocity. All will be repaid a hundred-, a thousand-fold.

 When Lorgar himself hears the thunder of our guns and beholds the fire of our father's sword he will know that justice is at his gates. His gods will not save him. Nothing will.* "
—Lord Consul Romulus IV.
The **Calthen Justitians** are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter, created from the gene-seed of the Ultramarines in the distant days of the 4th Founding. Much of their character is defined through the remembrance of the Calth Atrocity, and their deep hatred for the Word Bearers Legion.

They strive to closely follow the edicts of the Codex Astartes and the teachings of their Primarch, although there certainly exists a deep nostalgia for the XIII Legion of old. Their methods are known to be brutal and uncompromising, yet efficient in their execution. All strategies and tactics conducive to achieving victory are employed against the enemies of man, giving them the flexibility intended by the Codex. While the Calthen Justitians never cause more devastation than neccessary, they think nothing of collateral damage. All that matters to them is the most effective path to achieving their goals. If protecting the citizens of the Imperium happens to coincide with their ends, they will play the part of mankind's shield. If leaving thousands to perish is required to hunt down their prey however, they will not hesitate to pursue their ancient vengeance.

Countless battles and campaigns have been fought and added to the histories of the Chapter, waged against every foe imaginable on thousands of worlds and beneath countless stars. Yet across the breadth of the milky way the Justitians have always maintained an unyielding crusade against the crimson-clad apostles of Chaos, a singleminded obsession that has long since passed the line of fanaticism. Each brother fights as though he himself had been betrayed at the Calth Atrocity, psycho-indoctrinated, conditioned and taught in the ways of the Chapter so that only seething anger and cold efficiency remain.

Long forgotten are the values and morals over whose defilement their founder Romulus once wept. Though they have remained steadfast and loyal to the Emperor and his people, the intentions and dreams of the young Imperium and their father Roboute Guilliman have been twisted and perverted over the endless years, thus gradually removing them from the identity of the Justitians. Now the only things remaining at the heart of the Chapter are hatred and a mad lust for revenge that no amount of bloodshed will ever satiate.

## Chapter History

The founder and first Lord Consul of the Calthen Justitians Chapter was a man named Romulus. He had fought in the Battle of Calth, the great betrayal and the first blow struck against the realm of Ultramar during the Horus Heresy. At the time of the battle, he was a mere legionary with only a few years of combat experience. He was lucky to survive the initial attack, yet the coming years of war on Calth would break and remake him into a soldier of hatred. It was an unforgiving war, and its scars would never leave Romulus until his dying day.

It is said that in the midst of the atrocity Romulus and his comrades were struck and almost killed by enemy bombardment, during which the young warrior experienced a strange dream, one that showed him the symbol of a squared cross. He was not a superstitious man, yet an inexplicable feeling urged him to paint the symbol onto his shield and helmet, and to instruct his squadmates to do the same. Whether this strange marking played any part at all in their survival throughout the battle is not something any of them asked themselves. Indeed, the only thoughts that occupied their minds were of vengeance.

When the XIII Legion eventually fought its way towards beleaguered Terra, the ship carrying Romulus was lost in the Warp and assumed destroyed. When the vessel found itself in realspace again, the length of its absence became quickly apparent. The date read 500.M32, almost 1,500 years removed from his own time. It was a shock to be sure, in more ways than one. The Emperor had been gravely wounded and enthroned on Terra. His loyal sons, including Guilliman himself, had all disappeared or fallen in battle. Decline, stagnation and religious worship had strangled the Emperor's dream, leaving an Imperium that was slowly devolving into a parody of its former self.

Though greatly distressed by how events had unfolded, Romulus steeled himself to carry on the war that began on Calth, eventually fighting in the War of the Beast and founding a Chapter of his own in its aftermath. The core principals of this new order would be formed from the fury born in the Calth Atrocity. He dedicated himself and his men to the hunt for Lorgar Aurelian and his sons, a burning hatred for the Word Bearers and a need for retribution carved deep into his soul. From the moment of their founding the Calthen Justitians were defined by a hatred so intense that even ten millenia of crusade have not quenched it.

### Early Years

Romulus and his newly formed Chapter initially settled on a young colony world located just outside the boundaries of old Ultramar. By their will was the planet rechristened to "Ventana", a tribute to the saviour of Calth, Remus Ventanus. Unfortunately, their base of operations would not even see the completion of its Fortress-Monastery before tragedy struck. A Chaos Warband of Word Bearers descended upon Ventana, gravely wounding Romulus and nearly exterminating the Calthen Justitians. An old grudge between the Warband's leader and Lord Consul Romulus had been the impetus for the attack, one reaching back all the way to the scorched fields of Calth. Though the incident did not spell the end for the Chapter, the world of Ventana was left dead and uninhabitable, a grim reminder of the first betrayal, and the final nail in the coffin for the Chapter's restraint.

Never again would they linger in any one place, shackling themselves to a static world, but rather sally out into the unforgiving dark to hunt the wretches born of Lorgar's lineage. Every ship still remaining to the Calthen Justitians was converted into a permanent base for the Astartes crewing it, and the ancient Battle Barge "Remembrance" became their de-facto mobile Fortress-Monastery.

Romulus would eventually track down and slay the traitor responsible for Ventana's destruction, adding his broken body to the Consular Hall of the Remembrance as a trophy. To this day the Word Bearer's corpse remains preserved within the Battle Barge, his final agonised expression frozen for all time to the delight of the order's Battle-Brothers.

Only a few years after this event, Romulus would meet his end fighting the Orks on the obscure agri-world of Lithmor, though none of the Space Marines who survived the battle bore witness to his final moments. Even so, all who mourned his loss could agree that he must have been content to die at the hands of an Ork, rather than those of a Word Bearer. As a fleet-based Chapter the Calthen Justitians had no place to bury their fallen, and so Lithmor became the final resting place of Lord Consul Romulus. He was buried exactly where he fell, beneath a simple mound of dirt marked only by his helmet and the purity seals of those who fell beside him. Lithmor, alongside Calth, would become a world of pilgrimage for the Justitians, occasionally offering recruits to their ranks. Henceforth Romulus would be remembered in the annals of the Chapter's history as "Romulus the Founder".

### Notable Campaigns

Since their founding, the Calthen Justitians have seldom rested in their crusades and campaigns against the myriad enemies of mankind. The countless records held by the Librarius indicate thousands of large-scale combat actions against the Word Bearers alone, which is to say nothing on the many conflicts against traitors and aliens of power great and small. Only the most significant events are listed in the grand histories accounting the Chapter's past, for what man could possibly know them all?

* **Death of Ventana (625.M32) -** A Warband of the Word Bearers Legion descends on Ventana and renders most of it uninhabitable. The Chapter's incomplete Fortress Monastery is destroyed and most of its warriors slain in battle. Chapter Master Romulus survives gravely wounded, and manages to mount a defense against the invaders for several days until forces of the [REMOVED FROM RECORD] arrive to drive the enemy off.

* **First Calthen Crusade (626-707.M32) -** In the aftermath of Ventana's destruction, the Calthen Justitians martial all that remains of their fleet and set out to hunt down the Word Bearers on what would come to be known as the First Calthen Crusade. Over the next 81 years the fleet is expanded at every opportunity, and many aspirants are gathered and swiftly inducted into the ranks of the Astartes in order to bolster their numbers. After many long years of pursuit and various conflicts, the culprits behind the death of their home are found and brought to justice by the hands of Chapter Master Romulus.

* **Lithmor Campaign (713.M32) -** An incursion of greenskins befalls the agri-world of Lithmor, prompting the Chapter to lend their aid in defense. Victory is won at a great cost, as Romulus himself is cornered and killed by the Orks during the final stages of the war.

* **Battle of Paradyne (909.M32)** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ **[RECORDS SEALED]** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

* **Battle of the Pacificus Gulf (125.M33)** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ **[RECORDS EXPUNGED]** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

* **Second Calthen Crusade (626.M34) -** Once more the order finds itself in conflict with sons of Lorgar and persecutes a crusade against a Warband active in the Segmentum Pacificus.

* **Interregnum-Burning of Tekri Tiama (265.M35) -** During the Nova Terra Interregnum, the Calthen Justitians Fleet is intercepted whilst patrolling the western reaches of the Imperium. The opposing fleet declares themselves as servants to the true Ur-Council of Nova Terra, and demand to know whether the Chapter is loyal to the true council or the pretenders on Terra. Caring nothing for the political disputes of the mortal governance, the Calthen Justitians identify themselves only as warriors of the Emperor, before attempting to depart. The opposing fleet responds by opening fire, resulting in a short but brutal battle between the two forces. Information retreived from the enemy wrecks by the Justitians reveals the fleet's port of origin as being the miniscule shrine-world of Tekri Tiama. What transpired next is still not known in great detail, yet official records state that the Calthen Justitians Chapter located deep-rooted heresy in the government and population of Tekri Tiama, and was forced to resort to the final measure of Exterminatus after several weeks of fighting.

* **Battle of the Dark Dawn (481.M35)** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ **[RECORDS SEALED]** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

* **Third Calthen Crusade (125-150.M36)** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ **[RECORDS TO BE RECOVERED]** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* **Fourth Calthen Crusade (127-149.M36)** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ **[RECORDS TO BE RECOVERED]** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

* **The Rupture (503.M37)** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ **[RECORDS SEALED]** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

* **The Shadow Years (503.M37-932.M39) -** A period of over 2,000 years in which the Calthen Justitians Chapter gradually vanishes from the galaxy. After half a millenium the order is designated as destroyed, the assumption being that the entire Chapter Fleet must have been caught in a Warp Storm or perished on some uncharted backwater world. In late M39 Astartes bearing the livery of the Justitians are spotted upon Calth and Lithmor, two worlds that the Chapter often travels to in pilgrimage. Not long afterwards the order is seen fighting alonside Imperial Forces on multiple fronts, seemingly oblivious to their supposed disappearance.

* **Blood Campaigns at Griw (994.M40- 005.M41) -** When the Fortress World of Griw falls to a rebel insurrection the Calthen Justitians are sent into the combat zone to decapitate the rebel leadership. After most of the planet is reclaimed the Chapter prepares to depart and leave the remaining rebels to the soldiers of the Astra Militarum. When victory seems certain a number of Renegade Astartes and Chaos Warbands appear to take advantage of the situation. Once more the Justitians are sent into the fire, now to battle their own kind in a protracted conflict. Time and time again the war seems won for the Imperials, only to be turned the moment the Space Marines leave for other fronts. The Calthen Justitians come and go, sometimes leaving a garrison of multiple centuriaes, sometimes deploying a large chunk of the Chapter to be rotated out over the course of multiple months. Griw slowly evolves into a long and tedious meatgrinder of many bloody campaigns and numerous lost lives. In the eleventh year of the conflict, the entire Calthen Justitians Chapter enacts a final offensive against the foe, supported by the remnants of the exhausted Guard and Navy, though still numbering in the millions. The 3rd Centuriae acts as the spearhead, butchering their way across continents and letting red ruin flow wherever they tread. In the span of a single month the entire world is put to the sword, as no quarter is given and no mercy is shown. Even after utter victory is achieved, many sites already conquered are subjected to severe orbital bombardment for good measure. It is said that the warriors of the 3rd centuriae fought with the fury of the primarchs themselves in those crimson days, descending like a bloody stormwind that swept all aside with blade and boltgun. It was the slaughter of Griw that gave the Stormbloods their well-earned name, and many of their armours are still preserved as honoured relics to this day.

* **Halo Expedition (387-410.M41) -** The Chapter sets out on an expedition to the Halo Stars in the Calixis Sector of the Segmentum Obscurus. The reasons for this are unknown, as are the results of the expedition. Most of the Librarius records are heavily censored or outright sealed by order of Lord Consul Ancus VII.

* **Dror's Hunt (497-500.M41)** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ **[RECORDS EXPUNGED]** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

* **Second Lithmor Campaign (820.M41)** **-** Many millenia after the Chapter's first battle on the Agri World of Lithmor, the Justitians are once more called there to assist in repelling an assault by a renegade Chapter of Astartes. Yet when the Calthen Fleet arrives in system, their auspex readings inform them of fellow sons of Guilliman already engaged with the foe. The warriors of the Aasvogels Chapter greet their brethren and ask for their help in eradicating the traitors. The renegades had been identified by the Aasvogels to be a chimeric Chapter, mixing the bloodlines of multiple legions together in an unholy union of gene-science. After learning that these renegades were made in part from the gene-seed of the Word Bearers, the Justitians in system send out a call for the rest of their order to reinforce the warzone, whilst they themselves rush to the aid of the Aasvogels already embattled.

* **Ontiac Campaign (833.M41) -** More than a dozen chapters of the Adeptus Astartes flock towards the Ontiac system to exterminate the greenskin empire that has taken hold there. The worlds had been lost centuries before, conquered by ork warlords, its citizens enslaved, its factories turned over to producing weapons of war for their greenskin masters. During this war the Calthen Justitians claim the honour of breaching the blockade of the ork armada which surrounds the core worlds of Ontiac. The Space Marine orders present included the Aasvogels, Redemptors, Knights Angelicus, Optimus Legion, and Saurians, to name only a few. Many of these distinguished Chapters would later be key parties in the ordeal known to the Justitians as the Laternax Councils.

* **Laternax Councils (843.M41-012.M42) -** At the end of the Ontiac Campaign, an event known as the Robanni Incident causes an uproar among the Chapters who had participated in the Ontiac War. After the Aasvogels had ambushed and destroyed the loyal Silver Flames for the crime of being a Chimeric Astartes Chapter, a gathering was held in order to determine the consequences of the Aasvogels' actions, as well as future policy regarding Chimeric Chapters. The assembled Astartes include members of the Aasvogels, Saurians, Optimus Legion, **Novamarines**, Starborn Giants, Redemptors, Molten Fists, Abators Golden, Knights Angelicus, Iron Juggernauts, Dusk Vultures, Pyre Guards, Obsidian Fists, and the **Golden Sons**. The Justitians send a delegation of chaplains to represent their stance on the matter, to disband or destroy all Space Marines belonging to a mixed geneline. The deliberations drag on for centuries, and progress is made only on occasion. Following several more incidents, complications, and ultimately the opening of the Great Rift, the Councils are formally dissovled in the year 012.M41 of the new Era Indomitus.

* **Fifth Calthen Crusade (999.M41) -** Hearing news that the situation at the Cadian Gate is quickly escalating, and that traitors of all kinds are gathering in great numbers, the Chapter declares the Fifth Calthen Crusade and sets out to the fortress-world of Cadia. Their fleet is split into several strike forces, each tasked with reinforcing a different subsector surrounding the Cadian Gate. However, an enormous Warp Storm disrupts their efforts before they can reach their destinations. The Chapter is forced to gather together and regroup, leading to a sudden ambush by the Black Legion and several daemonic incursions aboard the vessels of the Chapter Fleet. Overwhelmed and outmatched, the Justitians are left with no choice but to retreat. Half their warriors, including Lord Consul Tullus II, are killed in this withdrawal. Those able to escape the onslaught continue in a fighting retreat whilst attempting to make sense of their situation.

* **Era Indomitus (M42 - Present) -** After the opening of the Great Rift the Calthen Justitians are thrown about the tides of the warp in search of a safe harbour. Following several months of discordant travel, the fleet encounters a massive crusade armada which is reconquering lost worlds in the wake of the Cicatrix Maledictum. This fleet informs the Chapter of the Lord Guilliman's return and the declaration of the Indomitus Crusade. Though initially suspicious of such claims, Lord Consul Romulus IV is soon shown irrefutable evidence of the primarch's return. Ecstatic, the Chapter swears absolute feality to their reborn father, and sets out to aid the Indomitus Crusade with blade and boltgun.

## Chapter Organisation

The Calthen Justitians follow the Codex Astartes in regards to how power is divided. Though the Lord Consul holds supreme power, the order as a whole is administered by the high officers of the Chapter Command, such as the High Chaplain and the Forgemaster, as well as the centurs of the Centuriae Battle Companies.

Despite the fact that the Chapter prefers to use its own dialect words for certain ranks or formations, it still adheres to the organisational structure laid out in the Codex Astartes. Its companies are referred to as **centuriaes**, demi-companies as **contubernii**, and formations consisting of more than one company are known as **cohorts**.

### Officer Ranks

* **Lord Consul (Chapter Master)** - The Lords Consul of the Chapter have always been selected from those individuals able to direct their hatred in a balanced and well-considered manner, ensuring that the vengeance of Calth is enacted efficiently and with purity of purpose.

* **Legate (First Captain)**

* **Centur (Captain) -** Centurs serve as the highest ranking officers of the centuriaes.
* **Optio (First Lieutenant)** - Optii act as the second-in-command and right hand man of their centur, offering exceptional combat ability and tactical insight to their superior.
* **Tessararius (Second Lieutenant)** - The Tessararii are often entrusted with aiding their centur in logistical and administrative tasks, as well as providing their counsel on strategic matters.

### Line Ranks

* **Aquilifer (First Company Ancient)** - The Aquilifer is the exalted banner-bearer of the First Centuriae.
* **Signifer (Company Ancient)** -Signifers are honoured brothers who carry the battle-standard of their centuriae into battle.

* **Champion**

* **Veteran Sergeant**
* **Veteran**

* **Sergeant**
* **Battle-Brother**
* **Scout Marine**

### Specialist Officer Ranks

* **Lord Commander -** Commander of the Goldswords

* **Chief Librarian**

* **High Chaplain**
* **Reclusiarch -** Senior Chaplain

* **Chief Apothecary**

* **Forgemaster**

### Specialist Ranks

* **Chaplain**

* **Apothecary**

* **Techmarine**

### Specialist Untis & Formations

* **Triarii** - The Triarii are an elite veteran formation within the 1st Company. They are the oldest of the veterans and are often held in reserve, unleashed only when the tide turns against the Chapter. Their numbers are constantly changing, but they rarely exceed three squads worth of warriors. It is understood that any deployment of the Triarii is given license to fulfil their objective with any and all means necessary, regardless of collateral damage or destruction wrought. And though their numbers are few, even a handful of Astartes can bring about terrible butchery when freed of restraint.

* **Goldswords** - These are the sworn Honour Guards of the Lord Consul and the greatest warriors in the Chapter, charged with their master's safety above all else. They always number seven, and are renowned for their skills in the art of the sword.

### Headquarters

**-Chapter Master-**

**Lord Consul Romulus IV**
**"The Sapphire Crusader"**

**1 Land Raider (*Avenging Chariot*)**

**Goldswords**

**-Goldswords Commander-**
**Lord Commander Vitrex Zais**
**6 Goldswords**

**Chapter Equerries**
***-Forgemaster-***
**Vorium Darre**
*+ Master of the Forge +*

**27 Techmarines**
**10,000+ Tech-Servitors**

**21 Battle Tanks (multiple types)**
**13 Predators**
**4 Vindicators**
**5 Whirlwinds**
**12 Land Raiders**

**14 Gunships (Stormtalons and Stormravens)**

**18 Centurion Warsuits**

**20 Land Speeders**
**Assault Bikes**
***-High Chaplain-***
**Constav Martorius**
**"The Silver Judgement"**
*+ Master of Sanctity +*

***3 Reclusiarchs***

**15 Company Chaplains**

***-Chief Apothecary-***
**Pentus Hohgen**
*+ Corpus Helix +*

**27 Apothecaries**

***-Chief Librarian-***
**Suetonius Illumi**

**2 Epistolaries**
**4 Codiciers**
**5 Lexicaniums**
**2 Acolytes**

***-Master of the Fleet-***
**Centur Remus Ulyjor**

**1 Battle Barge**
**1 Grand Cruiser**
**9 Strike Cruisers**
**33 Escorts**

**75 Thunderhawks**

#### Centuriaes

**-Legate Turactis-**
*+ Master of the Cross +*

**Optio**
**Tessararius**
**Company Aquilifer**
**Company Champion**

**30 Triarii**
**70 Veterans**

**3 Dreadnoughts**

**-Centur Maxurin-**
*+ Master of the Watch +*

**Optio**
**Tessararius**
**Company Signifer**
**Company Champion**

**6 Battleline Squads**
**2 Close Support Squads**
**2 Fire Support Squads**

**2 Dreadnoughts**

**-Centur Maruk-Aren of Griw-**
*+ Master of the Arsenal +*

**Optio**
**Tessararius**
**Company Signifer**
**Company Champion**

**6 Battleline Squads**
**2 Close Support Squads**
**2 Fire Support Squads**

**2 Dreadnoughts**

**-Centur Remus Ulyjor-**
*+ Master of the Fleet +*

**Optio**
**Tessararius**
**Company Signifer**
**Company Champion**

**6 Battleline Squads**
**2 Close Support Squads**
**2 Fire Support Squads**

**4 Dreadnoughts**

**-Centur Aegin-**
*+ Master of the Marches +*

**Optio**
**Tessararius**
**Company Signifer**
**Company Champion**

**6 Battleline Squads**
**2 Close Support Squads**
**2 Fire Support Squads**

**1 Dreadnought**

**-Centur Piohdorus-**
*+ Master of the Rites +*

**Optio**
**Tessararius**
**Company Signifer**
**Company Champion**

**10 Battleline Squads**

**4 Dreadnoughts**

**-Centur Decius Gohs-**
*+ Chief Victualler +*

**Optio**
**Tessararius**
**Company Signifer**
**Company Champion**

**10 Battleline Squads**

**3 Dreadnoughts**

**-Centur Auris Xerrius-**
*+ Lord Executioner +*

**Optio**
**Tessararius**
**Company Signifer**
**Company Champion**

**10 Close Support Squads**

**1 Dreadnoughts**

**-Centur Sacrus-**
*+ Master of Relics +*

**Optio**
**Tessararius**
**Company Signifer**
**Company Champion**

**10 Fire Support Squads**

**2 Dreadnoughts**

**-Centur Juhlius-**
*+ Master of Recruits +*

**Optio**
**Tessararius**

**Scout Squads**
**Unassigned Neophytes**

## Chapter Recruitment

As a fleet-based Chapter, the Calthen Justitians have no permanent recruitment worlds, but rather opt to select candidates on an ad-hoc basis, gathering suitable individuals from a great variety of planets. Most are taken from worlds where the Justitians waged war, others may be rescued survivors from drifting-hulk ships or recently abandoned void stations. Only Lithmor can be counted as a somewhat regular source for recruits, as it is a site of pligrimage for the Chapter where two major wars were fought against the enemies of man.

A great many recruits are taken from war-torn worlds or otherwise hostile environments, and the challenges offered up by the trials of ascension are almost gentle by comparison. There is no room for weakness, although the single most important aspect that the Astartes seek in their recruits is a pure and unquenchable hatred. Once that is kindled, it is firmly directed against the enemies of humanity over the course of their training.

Due to the harsh origins of most aspirants, mortality rates during recruitment are not as high as those of other prominent Space Marine Chapters. This isn't to say that the trials do not include their fair share of dangers, as even the slightest sign of weakness may lead to an untimely death. It is only the unforgiving background of the youths that tends to make them more adept at surviving. The training process is not always the same, for much variety is put into each batch of recruits, yet always do the efforts of the chaplains and veteran-sergeants yield results in the form of merciless and brutally efficient warriors.

### Trial of Trust

Though many tests and challenges stand between the recruits and their acceptance into the order, there are two trials which are deemed to be the most important. The first of these is the Trial of Trust. From the very beginning of their training, the aspirants to the Chapter are each assigned a partner with whom they will face the coming hardships. The aspirants are purposefully paired with someone who compliments their personality, temper, and rough age group, as these factors can vary greatly. Both are expected and encouraged to form a strong bond with one another, learning the values of brotherhood and comraderie.

The Trial of Trust, then, puts these bonds to the test. Each time the nature of the challenge is different, but in every instance it revolves around one of the aspirants being put into a perilous situation, sometimes staged to look like a genuine emergency situation, and the other being tasked to rescue his brother in arms. Ultimately it relies on both youths having faith in the other, and trusting one another unconditionally. Neither are ever in any true danger, for the goal of this trial is to further the connection between the recruits.

### Trial of Treachery

Towards the end of the aspirants' training, when all those remaining are assured their place in the ranks of the Angels and promised ascension to neophyte status, the Trial of Treachery is held. Once again, the exact way in which it play out varies greatly, yet the core intent is to imprint a most cruel and biting lesson. During a gathering of the aspirants, most commonly some kind of celebration like a banquet, half of their number will suddenly and without warning fall upon their trusted partners, aiming to kill them. It is also important to note whether the strongest feeling in the aftermath is sadness or hatred.

Since the recruits will have been trained in reacting quickly and always keeping their guard up, most are expected to not die from the outset, but rather engage their former brothers in close quarters. The essential quality observed in this trial is the ability to not only survive the initial treachery but to then also overcome shock, confusion, and grief in order to fight back and slay their trusted friends. How exactly the traitors are made to attack their comrades also changes from trial to trial. Sometimes they are slowly and subtly psycho-indoctrinated and hypno-programmed to do so, sometimes they are simply convinced by overseeing chaplains and battle brothers that their fellow aspirants have fallen to corruption. However it is done, the result is a brutal betrayal sure to instill a deep wrath.

In the case that the betrayed should die and the betrayer survive, the latter will be mind wiped and brought to believe that the roles were reversed, and that it was them who were attacked and merely defended themselves, since the Justitians would not wish to be too wasteful with their recruits.

Any trust issues that may arise in the aftermath of the trial are gradually mended after apotheosis to Astartes, as those of their fellow aspirants who survived will be able to bond with them over their shared trauma of treachery, having experienced the same wounds and knowing the same hatred for traitors in their hearts.

All this is of course used to its fullest effect when the neophytes are then indoctrinated to remember the Calth Atrocity and seek retribution for it, all their contempt and fury redirected against the sons of Aurelian.

## Chapter Gene-Seed

The Gene-Seed of the Calthen Justitians was, for the majority of their history, as stable as that of its parent Chapter, the Ultramarines, with no signs of mutation or deviancy and with all implanted organs working as intended.

However, after the shrouded period known as "The Shadow Years**"** the Apothecarion became aware of a defect in the Omophagea organ of the Chapter's warriors now known as "The Memorial Defect".

### Memorial Defect

This defect gave the Calthen Justitians an unsually precise ability to absorb DNA and memory through the consumption of biomatter. Not only did the information gained from the consumption of enemy flesh increase in scope and detail, the Astartes also found that the eating of plants and other biological life forms had the same result.

Through this, the intel obtained via the devouring of the Chapter's foes is made many times more valuable, as even the most profound details may be uncovered, though the consumer has no way to control exactly what memories are retreived. There have been rare cases where a Space Marine supposedly looked many thousand years into the past, somehow experiencing genetic memory passed down through the generations.

There is a downside to this strange mutation, one that lends a certain factor of risk to using it. Due to the deviancy of the Omophagea, its function as an organ has become extremely volatile and unpredictable, so that there is always a possibility of organ failure whenever a Marine attempts to consume fresh, unprocessed meat or plantlife. This failure can, in the most severe cases, result in body spasms and seizures, and render a Battle-Brother immobile for long periods of time.

## Chapter Culture and Beliefs

"*News has come to us that Ultramar is once more imperiled, yet we are unable to offer them aid. Our forces are already embattled all across this system. We swore to commit all our strength to this war, and once a vow is made it can never be unmade. Our pride would never allow us to abandon the field once we have chosen to walk upon it.

 Perhaps Ultramar will burn, perhaps Calth will again be defiled. It matters not.

 We do not fight to protect the Calth that is, but to avenge the Calth that was.*"
—High Chaplain Martorius, Unknown Date M41

The creed of the Calthen Justitians is defined by hatred and persistence, for it holds the pursuit of vengeance as the highest duty of the Chapter Cult. Although there are several historic conflicts known under this name in the annals of the Chapter, the "Calthen Crusade" is a general term used to refer to the overarching cause and ideology of the order. The hunt for the Word Bearers Legion and all sons of Lorgar is what drives and unites the Astartes of the Calthen Fleet under a banner of rage and retribution. It is a single-minded obsession with the fate that befell the planet of Calth during the dark days of the Horus Heresy, a pure and fanatical belief that the atrocities commited during that war can only be set right through the complete extinction of all who share the geneline of Lorgar Aurelian.

Inspired by the Eternal Crusade of the Black Templars, the Calthen Crusade shares many ideals upheld by the indomitable sons of Dorn. As the heirs of Sigismund march under his heraldic cross, so too do the followers of Romulus fight under the standard of the Calthen Cross. Whilst the Justitians have adhered to the Codex Astartes since their founding, they have long since believed it to be an increasingly outdated work that no longer applies to the realities of the 41st Millenium. They admire the Black Templars for their seeming defiance against certain restrictions demanded by the Codex, and have advocated for reforms amongst the Adeptus Astartes.

The way of the Chapter is aggressive and uncompromising, purely offensive in its doctrine and belligerent in its philosophy. Waiting for the enemy to strike, only to then defend rather than sally out is seen as shameful and irresponsible towards the sacred duty of the Space Marines. To wait is to die, to protect is to surrender the initiative on the field of battle. The Lords Consul of many generations have called for the High Lords of Terra to root out the myriad enemies of the Imperium at their roots by declaring crusades into the Eye of Terror and the Maelstrom, rather than cowering behind bulwarks such as Cadia. Neverending war is not only what their kind was created for, it is how the Imperium was forged. Only blood can seed the future of humankind, and only the destruction of those who oppose it can bring about lasting order for the species.

Calthen Justitians Chapter Archive

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+++DATE: 012.M42+++

+++ARCHIVED BY: Honoured Scribe to the Command Court of the Battle Barge Remembrance, Tacios Dio

+++ENTRY SUBJECT: Adress to the mustered Chapter Fleet by Lord Consul Romulus IV

+++CONTENTS+++

*Look upon the galaxy! Look upon the Cicatrix Maledictum, and recognize the rewards of complacency! For ten thousand years the Imperium was content to fashion itself shield after shield with which to hold back the dark, when they should have forged spears to strike out against it! At the high tables of Terra bureaucracy and administration took power, passed laws and dictated policy whilst the old enemy grew strong.*

*Cadia was our '**lynchpin'**, our '**greatest bastion'** and the first line of defiance. It should have been the staging ground for crusades to wipe away the wretched remnants of those who betrayed the Emperor! The High Lords have always been all too fond of crusades, have they not? Strange, then, that they never dared to martial them against the one place where evil was allowed to fester! Fools! Weaklings! It was we, the Astartes, who brought the sword to those deserving of its bite! The Black Templars! The Flesh Tearers! The Space Wolves!*

*All the Imperium ought to have been rallied under His banner to crush the Eye once and for all! We could have exterminated Lorgar and all his filthy brood long ago, been free of the shadow of Chaos looming over us.

Hear my declaration and oath, now renewed before the assembled might of our Chapter. Hear the truth of our father's glory! Hear why our blades are pledged to his cause forevermore!*

*Roboute Guilliman understands. It is evident that he was born of a distant, more enlightened time. Guilliman was not cowed by the Rift, he was emboldened by it! He wishes not to simply defend and retake, he aims to go to where our erstwhile brothers hide and drag them from their holes!*

*Fury. Determination. Strength. They burn in him like the heart of a star! When the Emperor bestowed the Throne's authority unto him, he swept aside the idiotic laws and traditions which had kept us fettered for so long, and he called the banners of the Imperium to his side! He did not care for the High Lords and their endless politicking, he simply took what he required, he took it! He did not ask permission, he went forth and did what should have been done millennia ago! And when those old fools in the Senatorum sought to usurp him and seize back their power, he had them struck down for their treachery! As was his right! As was his duty!*

*The Avenging Son is what the Imperium of Mankind needs! He is the herald of unity, the presager of retribution! He is the Emperor's war wrought in flesh, he is humanity's fury forged in bone, its vengeance cast in blood! He is our lord and father, and he will kill the alien, the heretic, the traitor!*

*For the Emperor!*

*For Guilliman!*

*For Mankind!*

*Justitia Ante Portas!*

*<ARCHIVE NUMBER: XIII-III-LXVI>*

<OPTION = CLOSE VIEW> <OPTION = EXPUNGE> <OPTION = RETURN> <OPTION = ASSISTANCE>

CLOSE VIEW█

It should come as no surprise that the Chapter was overwhelmed with joy and vindication when the Primarch Roboute Guilliman returned from his long slumber to sweep away the bureaucratic stagnation and cowardly incompetence of the Adeptus Terra. The Indomitus Crusade embodied everything the Calthen Justitians stood for, and so their allegiance to their reborn father was renewed with vigour and passion. Even though the Primarch's reforms were not quite as drastic as he would have liked, Lord Consul Romulus IV is still convinced that the Era Indomitus will be an age of reclamation and victory, and will at long last bring justice to the gates of Lorgar and all traitors of mankind.

The Primaris Marines introduced by the Lord Guilliman and his chief Mechanicus ally Belisarius Cawl were welcomed with much enthusiasm by the warriors of the Calthen Crusade, and the prospect of crossing the Rubicon to enhance their own abilities was so appealing to them that the Lord Consul had to enforce a limit on how many battle-brothers would be permitted to take the risk of becoming Primaris. In the eyes of the Justitians, the Primaris are simply an improvement to their lethality, a weapon sharpened to even greater heights. While their Chapter Cult values the traditions and remembrance of the past, they are more than willing to accept new ways of bringing death to their opponents. Had this blessing been offered by any other, there would certainly have been doubts and suspicions, yet the their unshakeable trust in Roboute Guilliman saw them embracing the new breed of Astartes without question.

Though a significant number of Firstborn chose the path of the Rubicon, many others were forbidden from doing so, as several of their brethren died in the procedures. Through a gradual and strictly controlled process, approximately half of the Calthen Justitians Chapter is now made up of Primaris, many of whom are newly inducted recruits.

### Consular Names

Every new Lord Consul traditionally takes on a new name after being selected to lead the Chapter. Though there have been exceptions, almost all adopt one of seven names taken from the first seven Lords Consul of the Chapter, these being Romulus, Numalius, Tullus, Ancus, Priscus, Sersius, and Tarquinius. The current lord of the Calthen Justitians is the fourth to take on the name of Romulus the Founder, for the name is considered one fit for eras of strife and crusade, thus being popular during especially dark times. Historically it has always been chosen by the most radical and aggressive Lords Consul.

### Chapter Dialect

The Calthen Justitians make use of a divergent Gothic dialect known as Ventunian. Most of it can be easily understood by speakers of standard Gothic, but it does have its quirks. It may be noted that the demonym for Calth used by the Chapter is "Calthen" rather than "Calthian", a byproduct of the Ventunian dialect. It also comes with unique terms for Astartes ranks and formations.

### Chapter Combat Doctrine

"*To defend is to surrender the initiative to the enemy, and that must never happen. The flow of battle must be decided by us, not our opponent, and so only offensive doctrines have any worth to our cause. The Adeptus Astartes were not made to place themselves in predictable defensive positions, we were created to strike quickly and fiercely, to hurt the foe with overwhelming and sudden force and to then move on. Never let them know where you are, never let them know what you are doing, and never let them read your movements. By the time the enemy has made your location, they should be dead.*"
—Centur Auris Xerrius, Lord Executioner, Captain of the Grey Lancers

The Calthen Justitians wage war in a rapid and uncompromising manner. They seek to maximize the gifts of the Space Marines by using them in the most effective way possible, striking vital positions and troop movements in quick succession, butchering without warning or mercy to achieve both tactical and strategic victories. Open battle is to be avoided, close quarters actions used only in order to break already weakened fronts or to terrorize weak-minded foes. It is of utmost importance that their warriors always keep moving as to maintain control over the tides of battle, and to force the enemy to react, rather than act.

To this end their assaults are often presaged by rapid advance forces which strike the enemy ahead of the Chapter's main attack, sowing confusion and wreaking havoc through the use of bike squads and land speeders. Combined with drop pod tactics and lighting strikes these strategems make the Calthen Justitians masters at delivering sudden death, without ever giving the enemy time to recover. Although their overall combat doctrine is not as focussed on speed as brotherhoods such as the White Scars, the Justitians are still more flexible than many would assume.

Their fleet is large enough to maintain operations in multiple active warzones simultaneously, though if brought together as a single force it may serve as a most deadly hammer indeed. After all, the Chapter is by no means a stranger to the last resort of Exterminatus. Past incidents involving excessive use of planetary bombardment had previously incured the scrutiny of the Inquisition, to the point where the Calthen Justitians were almost censured. Since then, the lords of the order have made sure that their warriors employ only as much force as is needed to accomplish any given task. Revelling too much in the act of violence itself was feared to foster a tendency for sadism.

Despite all of this, the Space Marines of the Calthen Crusade do regularly capture their adversaries alive in order to interrogate and torture them, most notably in the case of captured Word Bearers.

## Deathwatch Service

Over the many centuries the Chapter has committed many blades to the cause of the Deathwatch, bolstering the ranks of the black-clad alien hunters with their own blood. Despite the Chapter's fixation on the traitors known as the Word Bearers the eradication of xenos blights is still part of their sacred duties. Most aliens are just as worthy of a foe, and equally undeserving of life.

Those Battle-Brothers called to serve their Long Vigil treat it as the honour it is, and keep their vows of silence without question.

## Chapter Fleet

The Calthen Fleet is the home of the Chapter. No homeworld is theirs, and no system, sector or even segmentum can claim to own their loyalty over any other. They are eternally adrift to hunt the various enemies of the Imperium with blade and boltgun, bound to a crusade of justice and revenge. Naturally, each ship of the fleet is made to not simply transport but permanently house the Astartes and their wargear, with the two capital ships serving as mobile Fortress-Monasteries.

Though command of the Chapter rests within the hands of the Lord Consul, the Master of the Fleet, being the Fourth Captain, is given authority to lead any naval engagement in the void of space. If orders from the two commanders should ever clash, the Master of the Fleet will have the right to overrule the Lord Consul, though only when in the midst of battle.

The fleet has carried the Calthen Justitians through millennia of conflict, waxing and waning as the years passed it by. Though the order still maintains an impressive number of vessels the fleet was once even larger, to the point where the Chapter had barely enough men to sufficiently crew them all, even taking into account their serfs. Thousands of years of endless fighting have reduced its size considerably, which some consider to be a boon rather than a loss. The Chapter often divides its ships into multiple crusade fleets in order to wage war in multiple theatres at a time.

* ***Remembrance* (Battle Barge; Chapter Flagship) -** Flagship and primary Fortress-Monastery of the Calthen Justitians. This ancient vessel dates back to the days of the Great Crusade, and has stoically endured all that the beasts and traitors of the galaxy have brought against it. It is a behemoth of enduring strength and cold hatred, and its name serves as a reminder to all. A reminder that the sons of Ultramar remember the source of their righteous fury.

* **Antrodamicus Crux (Grand Cruiser) -** The secondary Fortress-Monastery of the Calthen Justitians. It is not quite as old as the Remembrance, having been added to the Chapter Fleet shortly before the Death of Ventana. It was christened Antrodamicus Crux after a smiliar Grand Cruiser that once fell from the heavens during the Calth Atrocity and scorched a continent with its doom.

* **Ultrix (Strike Cruiser) -** The Ultrix was reshaped to honour a battle standard that was once carried by Remus Ventanus during the war on Calth. A large ornament resembling an old battle standard of the Ultramarines legion is affixed to its front section, thus making the ship itself one enormous flagbearer. Fittingly enough, this vessel has ever led the Calthen Fleet at the forefront of the formation, forming the tip of the vanguard's spear. Although the Justitians do not permanently assign ships to specific companies, the Ultrix has often housed the warriors of the 8th Centuriae, also known as the Grey Lancers.

* **Crusader of the Mark (Strike Cruiser) -** One of the more infamous symbols of the first betrayal was the Mark of Calth. It described both the combat clock of the initial battle, and the radiation burns suffered by the unfortunate people exposed to Calth's murdered sun. Some have also used the term for the symbol used to identify the headquarters of the Ultramarines resistance, a black X painted on arms and armour to signify Arcology X. While it may be far more subtle than other ship decorations, the black mark upon this ship's hull holds meaning all the same.

* **Ashen Memoratum (Strike Cruiser) -** This ship is a constant reminder of all those souls incinerated and burned to black dust alongside their cities during the first strikes against the world of Calth. The Calthen Justitians have no places of burial, and so their dead are either buried where they fall or cremated and turned to ash. Their deaths too are remembered.

* **Only in Death (Strike Cruiser) -** Only in death does duty end. The eternal creed of the Imperium, and by all accounts an accurate descriptor for the unyielding determination of the Astartes. The Calthen Justitians are no different, and so they echo the age old mantra that has applied to the Ultramarines since the Age of Darkness: When you try to kill a son of Guiliman, you best make sure that he is dead. Otherwise, only in death will he stop hunting you.

* **Righteous Indignation (Strike Cruiser) -** One of the newer vessels in the Calthen fleet. The Indignation was constructed shortly after the Tyranid incursions into Ultramar. It was built with extremely long range augur arrays and extensive point defences.

* **Blood of the Slaughtered (Strike Cruiser) -** Named in honour of the Calth Atrocity's victims and the blood spilled by their murderers. After each battle the warriors of the Chapter gather as much blood as they can from the remains of their foes so that it may be applied to the hull of this ship, where the sign of a bloody palm marks it in crimson.

* **Bones of the Butchered (Strike Cruiser) -** The sister ship to the Blood of the Slaughtered. Its name holds the same meaning as that of its sister, and the same ritual is practiced for its sake. The aftermath of every engagement sees Battle-Brothers scour enemy corpses for bones, which are then ground up and mixed into a paste. The bone-paint is then used to refresh the crossed bones painted on the hull of this vessel.

* **Triumph of Retribution (Strike Cruiser) -** This was one of the void vessels pushed into service immediately after the Death of Ventana. It spearheaded the hunt for the Word Bearers who had assaulted the Calthen Justitians Chapter during its early years, and was known as the "Vengeful Charge" back then. After the culprits had been brought to justice, Romulus the Founder renamed the ship to celebrate their victory.

* **Praxora (Strike Cruiser) -** Supposedly this ship was named after one of the Arcologies below the ground of Calth, one of those destroyed by the Word Bearers through the use nuclear warheads. Exact details concerning its name and origin have been lost, though the Praxora is most likely one of the older ships in the Chapter's service, perhaps even dating back to the Horus Heresy.

* **33 Escort Craft -** The Calthen Justitians make ample use of escorts to supplement their cruisers and capital ships. These Gladius Frigates, Nova Frigates and Hunter Destroyers have served reliably and truly for many millenia.

## Relics

* ***Reliquary of the Betrayed Bones -*** A grand ark fashioned from silver that is carried at ceremonies and, at times, onto the field of war by veterans of the First Centuriae. Held within this most revered reliquary are the honoured bones of many a citizen of Calth, murdered during the great atrocity. Preserved by a stasis field, the charred and irradiated remains of the mortal populace serve as a most direct reminder for what the Chapter fights for.

* ***Lith Mord Greatsword -*** A mighty two-handed powersword created by the hands of Forgemaster Vorium Darre as a gift for the newly chosen Lord Consul Romulus IV, who carries it into battle with pride, for it is a blade that truly seeks its equal. Drops of blood belonging to former Lord Consul Tullus II as well as to Romulus are contained inside a squarely cut sapphire adorning the sword's hilt. This union of vitae represents the transition between the old era and the new.

* ***Augustine Lance -*** This ancient weapon, possibly dating back to the Horus Heresy, is the prized posession of Lord Executioner Auris Xerrius, centur of the Eighth Centuriae known as the Grey Lancers. It is a fierce power weapon whose tip melts steel and ceramite like snow. It is a deadly weapon in the hands of one seated upon a swift assault bike and armed with ample confidence.

* ***Shield of First Blood -*** A finely wrought Storm Shield gifted to the Justitians by the Mortificators Chapter, which is always carried by the longest serving Veteran-Sergeant of the First Centuriae. As the warrior honoured with being the first into battle during spearhead actions, he is also bestowed with the shield meant to receive the first of the foe's blood.

* ***Sword of the Great Sea -*** A powered broadsword belonging to Legate Turactis, first wielded by a champion of the veteran centuriae during the Second Calthen Crusade. The metal of its blade is one of utter blackness, sprinkled with the silver glimmer of countless stars. It is named after the greatest of all oceans, the sea of the stars through which the Calthen Crusade cleaves its path of vengeance.

## Chapter Appearance

### Chapter Colours

The Chapter livery mostly consists of a dark blue and black with white accents. Parts of the armour's backpack and arms are painted black, along with the right knee. The gauntlets are black with white fingers. The colours were specifically chosen as reminders to the Battle of Calth.

Blue, the colour of proud Ultramar, darkened by the taste of betrayal.

Black, invoking memories of the charred cities and forests of Calth.

White, like the bleached bones of the men, women and children who had been exposed to its dying sun.

### Chapter Badge

The Badge of the Calthen Justitians bears the white Cross of Romulus, also known as the Calthen Cross, upon a field of dark blue. The Cross, though never an official symbol associated with Calth, was first used by Romulus the Founder. Legend has it that it appeared to him in a vision during the Calth Atrocity, and that he afterwards painted it on his armor as a personal mark, for reasons he himself did not fully understand.

### Markings

Chapter Markings and Heraldry largely follow the *Codex* norm.

The Imperial Aquila on the plastron (chest guard) has red eyes and is stark white, as is the shoulder plate armour trim.

Centuriae Number is indicated by a coloured pattern displayed on the right leg.

Squad tactical specialty symbols -- Battleline, Close Support, Fire Support, Veteran or Command -- are displayed on the right pauldron. Specialty symbols are black for Battle Centuriaes and white for Reserve Centuriaes.

Squad Number is displayed as a High Gothic numeral centred on the squad specialty symbol.

Ranks are signified as follows:

* **Battle-Brothers -** Blue helmet

* **Sergeants -** Red helmet with a white skull. The right knee is black with a white Ultima and a red skull

* **Veterans -** White helmet. The right knee is white with a black X

* **Veteran Sergeants -** Red helmet with a white stripe and a white skull. The right knee is white with a black X which has a red outline

* **Optii/Tessararii -** Blue helmet with a white-and-red stripe and a white skull. The right knee is black with a white Ultima

* **Centurs -** Blue helmet with golden laurels and a golden skull. The right knee is black with a golden Ultima

#### Specialist Markings

* **Apothecaries -** Blue and white colours are switched. Most of the plate is white with blue trims, fingers and chestplate aquila. Prime Helix symbol on the right pauldron. Chapter Badge divided into blue and red on the left pauldron.

* **Goldswords -** Helmet, armour trims, chestplate aquila, fingertips and markings are all golden. The right knee is white with a golden Ultima. Goldswords bear white cloaks accented with golden Ultramar heraldry. Their blades, too, are usually ornamented with various shades of gold and bronze

* **Triarii -** Armour trims, right kneeplate, chestplate aquila, fingertips and markings are red. The helmet is black, and the right knee is black with a red X

## Despised Enemies of the Chapter

 Orks |      | Though the grudges which the Justitians bear against the greenskin menace pale in comparison to the traitors of the dark legions, the orks are still a foe that has gravely wounded the Chapter throughout its history. They are little more than a persistent plague that seems to return time and time again, and which will taste the bite of Calthen steel as many times as is required to cleanse it from the stars.

## Trusted Allies of the Chapter

 Flesh Tearers |      | The Calthen Justitians have long since admired the heirs of Amit for their brutal efficiency, and their willingness to unleash all their fury towards the enemy. While some have come to call them butchers, the sons of Calth think of them more like true warriors. Some of their actions in the past, including the seemingly needless slaughter of civilians, are considered dishonourable by the standards of the Calthen Chapter Cult, yet as they themselves have incurred collateral damages before, they are willing to look past such incidents. After all, the galaxy is a cruel place, and sometimes a sword must fall indiscriminately to slay its opponent.

## Notable Calthen Justitians

* **Lord Consul Romulus IV, "The Sapphire Crusader" -** The current Chapter Master of the Calthen Justitians bearing the title of Lord Consul was born on the world of Lithmor, some 290 years ago. His birthname had been Kewidarun, though this was later changed to Cevidarus when he ascended into the ranks of the Astartes. His aggressive temperament saw him fit well into the hateful brotherhood, and his charismatic nature made him a natural leader who was respected and liked amongst his peers. He sometimes clashed with Lord Consul Tullus II over how the Chapter should conduct its campaigns. Tullus was a careful man, more restrained and defensive than Cevidarus, who valued the most direct solution to any problem. Despite these disagreements the young warrior was eventually elevated to Third Centur, as the Lord Consul thought it advantageous to have an opposing voice present in Chapter Command. Cevidarus' temper proved effective as captain of the Stormbloods, who gave truth to their name under his guidance. He became known as one who would lead from the front in any assault, and who would inspire others to greater heights. The way in which he was quick to anger also led him into trouble more than once, both with the foe and his own brothers in arms. In one instance the young centur was goated into an ambush by the taunts of an enemy commander, almost costing him and his brethren the battle. Another incident saw him censured and nearly stripped of his rank, when he severely wounded a fellow centur in a fit of rage during an argument. Cevidarus eventually chose to reserve his anger for only the enemy and his own mistakes. His efforts to redeem himself must have been sufficient, as he was considered to be the most suitable candidate for Lord Consul when Tullus II was killed in the wake of the Great Rift. Taking the name of Romulus IV, he swore vengeance never before seen against the forces of Chaos and their foul servants, a promise he has striven admirably to fulfil. Since taking command of the Calthen Justitians, Romulus has effected his swift and brutal methodology with efficiency and unexpected finesse. He has brought the sword and the axe to all who oppose the Imperium of Man, for the return of his liegelord Roboute Guilliman has breathed zeal and righteous vigour into his soul. An era of crusade has dawned, and Romulus could not be more pleased about that fact.

* **High Chaplain Constav Martorius, "The Silver Judgement" -** Constav Martorius is the current High Chaplain of the Calthen Justitians, serving as the head of the Reclusiam and the Chapter's spiritual guide. He is one of the oldest individuals in a brotherhood known for short lives, being almost 500 years old. Constav himself insists that his is due to two factors: wisdom and luck. Though many would assert that his restrained and rational attitude is to thank for his longevity more than anything else. While it is his duty to personify the Calthen Crusade and its undying hatred, he has learned to direct and control said hatred. His wrath towards the Word Bearers is more pure than any other's, which makes him able to recognize when fury is wasted and when it is put to good use. Martorius strives to uphold the purity of the Chapter Cult by preventing grudges with other foes or fellow imperial factions from forming, seeking to focus the Chapter's efforts towards their singular goal no matter what. Even when xenos must be slaughtered or feuds adressed, it should be done with cold efficiency, as true anger is only to be used against the one enemy that matters most. This has made him one of the few Justitians capable of applying the subtle art of diplomacy with allied forces, and to restrain his temper when provoked. Only his contempt for the traitor can raise his ire, for the warp hath no fury like a calm man's wrath. Like any Astartes Chaplain, Constav Martorius is no mere preacher, teaching the enemies of humanity the lesson of disgust with the silver edge of his Crozius, the fierce application of which earned him his moniker of "The Silver Judgement".

* **Third Centur Maruk-Aren of Griw -** The Fortress World of Griw had once been a devastating battlefield for the Imperium, grinding Guard and Astartes into blood for many years until the Third Centuriae of the Calthen Justitians brought the conflict to a brutal end, earning the name of Stormbloods. Maruk-Aren was born on this world, many years after the war. The scars incurred in that battle were never forgotten, nor were the sacrifices of those who fought for the Emperor in the darkest hours. Maruk himself grew up huddling beneath the shadows of great statues commemorating the Space Marines who had broken the mighty fortresses of Griw and brought peace, though the young boy was never quite able to find this supposed peace upon Griw. Although order and discipline had been maintained and upheld in the military strongholds and training compounds of the Astra Militarum, the same could not be said for the civilian districts arrayed all around their high walls. Many of the common folk could earn a living by serving their protectors in some way, some even being recruited into the esteemed regiments of the Guard, yet for those gutter rats living in the lowest habzones there were only few opportunities to make ends meet. Maruk-Aren had a rather remarkable affinity for violence even from a young age, making his way through life as a debt collector, beating grown men senseless with rusty pipes and shards of glass. When ships of the Justitians arrived above the grey world of Griw, presumably a stop on their way to some more significant part of the galaxy, Maruk-Aren was just lucky enough, or maybe unlucky enough, to come face-to-face with the Angels of Death. Almost on a whim the Astartes decided to take the youth with them, and to test his mettle in the trials of the Chapter. The trials were harsh, and yet rules applied to them which made them more fair than his previous life had been. In the end it cost Maruk merely two or three fingers to complete the challenges set before him. He was recognized as a person who was always eager to take the initiative, to act and be decisive on the field of battle. On one occasion during his time as a scout, Maruk-Aren managed to kill a champion of the archenemy with an extraordinarily well timed vortex grenade, earning him honour and prestige at a young age. The years to come formed him into a rather brutal master of war, despite his rash temper and tendency to cause more destruction than required. As much as his exploits as Centur of the Third Centuriae are lauded by his peers, Chapter Command has since learned to keep a short leash on their bloodhound. Far too often is Maruk-Aren seen flanked by Chaplains, assigned to keep his belligerent nature in check, lest he let his hatred stray too far from the righteous path of the Calthen Crusade.

* **Legate Turactis, "The Silence of the Cross" -** First among the centurs of the Chapter, Legate Turactis, Master of the Cross, is remarked above all else for how little is known about him, even to his brothers. He was voidborn to a serf living in the quarters of the Calthen Fleet, and was deemed suitable for the trials of the Justitians. Even back then his physical prowess was overshadowed by his unnerving silence, a trait he has never lost. Through the years of his training, to his time as a Battle-Brother and beyond, the brilliance displayed by Turactis in battle was ever accompanied with utter calm. Among his peers it is jokingly said that Turactis only opens his mouth for two things: to give orders or to laugh. Indeed, despite the eerie silence shrouding him, the First Centur has a vivid sense of humour. It is in truth rare for him to show or admit this to anyone other than his closest companions, and so the lower ranks tend to know him only for his stern demeanor and curt but precise orders. If his instructions are followed well he seldom needs to take to the field himself, for his skill is in command above all else, not to say that his fighting fury isn't a match for any other of the order. Though he was always at odds with his fellow centur Cevidarus, he laughed with delight when he heard that the master of the third was to be named the new Lord Consul and take on the name of Romulus IV. In order to uphold his fierce and stoic reputation, Turactis speaks little of himself, which is why only the chroniclers and lore keepers of the Calthen Justitians know all there is to know of his deeds and past exploits. Rumours, more than anything, have given credit to his achievements. But there is one secret that the Master of the Cross hides from all. Unbeknownst to his brethren, the Legate keeps a notebook with him at all times, in which to record jokes he has deemed particularly humorous, some even of his own creation. As for whether or not any of them will ever see the light of day, only the Silence of the Cross can know.

* **Romulus the Founder -** Romulus, the first of the Chapter to bear that name, was born on the planet of Calth during the Age of Wonder, when the Emperor's Great Crusade seemed close to achieving ultimate victory over the foes of mankind. He was still young when he volunteered to become one of the Angels of Death, to the dismay of his mother, and the delight of his father. His father, who had served as a soldier in the Imperial Army and been rewarded with fertile land upon Calth, managed to convince his wife that a future in the XIII Legion would bring their son greater meaning than most people could even dream of, not to mention that Romulus had chosen this future for himself. Prepared as best he could have been, Romulus managed to pass the exams and trials for ascension into the ranks of the Ultramarines. The experience had been more unforgiving than he had anticipated, though the scars left by his transformation would soon fade, whereas his legacy, a united human race at peace, would last eternally. Or so he told himself. The young legionary had only seen a single combat action before he and his Chapter were recalled to the great muster at Calth, where they would gather with their allies from the Word Bearers Legion to subdue a nearby Ork threat. Of course, that is not how events unfolded. When the betrayal struck, Romulus and his squadmates survived by sheer chance, being lucky enough to merely lose consciousness when their mustering positions were bombarded by their supposed brothers in arms. During this brief blackness Romulus would dream of the symbol which would many years later become the symbol of his Chapter, the Calthen Cross. With this new emblem painted alongside the Ultima of Ultramar, he and his surviving brothers fought their way through a burned world beneath a dying sun. When the XIII Legion managed to organise and strike back, Romulus and his men were amongst those troops left behind on the surface of Calth, though they were not dismayed by this fact. As long as a single Word Bearer remained breathing on the planet's surface, they would not leave it. A glimmer of hope did emerge when the young warrior was reunited with his family, who had sought refuge in one of the many arcologies now filled with the displaced populace of the surface cities. It was on a routine patrol in one of those cities when the Ultramarines heard the rumble of far away thunder and felt the earth beneath their boots quake. It was the first indication they received that the arcology they were charged with protecting had been utterly anihilated by atomic warheads, smuggled in through cultists of the Word Bearers. Whatever sanity had remained in Romulus' body, vanished on that day. For the next few years the underground war raged in the arcologies, caves and mines of Calth, leaving scars and forging black deeds unworthy of being remembered or displayed as battle honours. For many of them, Romulus especially, there was only hatred remaining. Following the eventual victory in the underground war of Calth, Romulus and his comrades were redeployed to the Ultramar homeworld of Maccragge. There the Imperial Triumvirate, formed by the Emperor Regent Sanguinius, the Lord Protector Lion El'Jonson, and the Lord Guilliman, decided to force a passage towards Terra, in hopes of saving the Emperor before it was too late. The voyage was fraught with peril and daemonic traps. One such trap saw the vessel carrying Romulus lost in the warp, and when the ship finally returned into the materium, it found itself displaced in time by over a thousand years. What occured next remains largely unrecorded in the annals of the Chapter, only the Founder's participation in the War of the Beast is mentioned in passing. More emphasis is put on the founding of the Calthen Justitians Chapter which happened after the conflict's conclusion. The decision to settle the frontier world of Ventana was the last time Romulus ever dared dream of a brighter future, the last time he ever considered to let go of his unquenchable desire for vengeance and blood. When the young world suffered the same desecration as Calth, a hatred inherited for almost ten thousand years was set in stone. The eventual death of Romulus is also reported only sparingly, for though he fell valiantly in battle there were no living souls to tell of it, and the legacy of what he had forged in life outshone the manner of his honoured end. Romulus the Founder is held as the highest exemplar of vengeance by the Calthen Justitians to this day, a true embodiment of hatred and vengeance, a never forgotten witness to the greatest betrayal in the history of Ultramar. His name is borne by Lords Consul of the order still, and may it be so for many years yet to come.

## Notable Quotes

### By the Calthen Justitians

"*In those days, those black days, me and my brothers often found it hard to control our emotions, to think calmly and rationally. The truth was, none of us wanted to "win the war" or to "wage a successful campaign". Victory, long-term goals, none of that mattered to us. We wanted to kill them. We wanted to hunt down and kill every single one of those treacherous bastards. We wanted to beat them to the ground and strangle the light of life out of them with our bare hands. We wanted to see their faces as they realized that they had failed, that we were still alive and that they deserved every second of pain they endured. We wanted them to see, to truly see, how much we hated them. That hate nearly drove us insane. Sometimes I wonder if it did, and we just never noticed...*"
—Romulus the Founder recounting the Battle of Calth.
"*Listen, and listen well, governor. You will share any and all information you have on this matter, anything that might lead us to our target. If he is what we believe him to be, then we can not rest until he is dead. And if we are unable to find him, then we will scour this world down to its crust to ensure his demise.*"
—Legate Jeruvian during the Fourth Calthen Crusade.
"*Lift your spirits, brethren, for hatred is our weapon, tempered by the flames of betrayal. In hatred, we find strength, and strength brings victory. Betrayal begets blood, and blood begets hate. It is hate that drives us, unyielding in our pursuit of justice! Let the fires of vengeance scorch our Chapter’s legacy across the galaxy. Let righteousness burn bright within our hearts, for we are a beacon of retribution, and traitors are our kindling.*"
— Chaplain Gaius Gnaevus of the 8th Centuriae, the Grey Lancers (Late M40)
### About the Calthen Justitians

"*Heed my words, for few chapters truly comprehend the weight of duty that rests upon their shoulders. In the annals of history, the Calthen Justitians stand as exemplars of unwavering devotion, their sacrifices serving as a testament to their undying commitment to the Emperor's cause. They embody the essence of true protectors, embracing the sacred duty to safeguard the Imperium with every fiber of their being. With hearts ablaze with righteous purpose, they march forth, guided by the radiant light of justice. Let us learn from their noble example, and with fervent hearts, let us dedicate ourselves to the eternal cause of purity, righteousness, and unwavering duty to the Imperium.*"
—Chaplain Aazir Cathaar the Purifier of the Aasvogels
"*Remember Calth? For Throne's sake, they fell prey to the same foul machinations of Lorgar's brood on Calth down there on Ventana.*"
—Taurus Valerius, the "Bull of Iax", Standard Bearer of the Black Huntsmen on the subject of Ventana's ruination [625.M32].

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