vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Vratine Armour - Vratine Armour: Vratine Armour is a special type of power armour worn by the Sisters of Silence. When a sister-aspirant takes her final oaths of duty and says the last words she will ever utter aloud in her lifetime before her voice is silenced by the Vow of Tranquility, she is given her panoply of war: the Vratine Armour -- literally "the armour of the oath."It is a sub-pattern of technologically-advanced battlegear which shares design elements with both the power armour of the ancient Legiones Astartes and the silicate-mesh of Selenite void-mail, though unlike either of those famed armours, it is not -- at least without additional gearing -- fully environmentally sealed or designed for extended operations.It does, however, provide formidable protection from ballistic impacts and directed energy weapons, and is tailored and forged uniquely to its intended wearer to allow for their complete freedom of movement and to augment their reaction speed.
Vresh - Vresh: Vresh is a heavily urbanised Imperial world located in the Segmentum Obscurus which is the homeworld of the Astra Militarum's Vresh Grenadiers.The Grenadier regiments hail from the violence-torn tech-slums of Vresh where a strong and violent gang culture pervades its shifting worldscape of rust and metal, and its warriors quickly learn to be cunning in combat and to follow the orders of their leaders.The Flak Armour they wear is typically fashioned from metal scrap plates, which are beaten into shape to wear during the running slum battles. Once drafted into the Astra Militarum this same armour is often retained and given regimental markings, though many of the lurid gang emblems of the Grenadiers' former lives are retained on helmets and breastplates.Like some other regiments raised from the disreputable bowels of Imperial urban society where gang warfare is rife -- such as those from Necromunda, Jhal Sak III and certain elements of Armageddon's soldiery -- the Vesh Grenadiers evince a sectarian hierarchy. This makes reinforcement and integration of new troops difficult, with rival elements from their former lives liable to turn on each other when placed in the same unit.Before every muster of new Grenadiers regiments on Vresh, vicious wars break out between rival tech-slum warlords. Painted to the Departmento Munitorum as a ritual tradition by Vresh's planetary governor, in truth this violence ensures that only one Vreshian gang culture is singled out for each tithe of new regiments to the Astra Militarum, so that rivalry between the slums is not carried into the newly raised regiments, degrading their performance.
Vresh Grenadiers - Vresh Grenadiers: The Vresh Grenadiers are a Militarum Regimentum of the Astra Militarum usually deployed to the Segmentum Obscurus and Segmentum Ultima who are particularly skilled at subterranean combat and urban superiority warfare. The Vresh Grenadiers emulate the Cadian Shock Troopers in many ways. The drilled precision and ardent resolve of lost Cadia's regiments have been emulated across countless Imperial worlds, with many Militarum Regimentos receiving training from Cadian infantry and tank officers. Cadian-derived tactics and uniforms are therefore seen upon battlefields throughout the galaxy.The Grenadier regiments themselves hail from the violence-torn tech-slums of Vresh, a world in the Segmentum Obscurus. A strong and violent gang culture pervades this shifting worldscape of rust and metal, and its warriors quickly learn to be cunning in combat and to follow the orders of their leaders.The Flak Armour they wear is typically fashioned from metal scrap plates, which are beaten into shape to wear during the running slum battles. Once drafted into the Astra Militarum this same armour is often retained and given regimental markings, though many of the lurid gang emblems of the Grenadiers' former lives are retained on helmets and breastplates.Like some other regiments raised from the disreputable bowels of Imperial urban society where gang warfare is rife -- such as those from Necromunda, Jhal Sak III and certain elements of Armageddon's soldiery -- the Vesh Grenadiers evince a sectarian hierarchy. This makes reinforcement and integration of new troops difficult, with rival elements from their former lives liable to turn on each other when placed in the same unit.Before every muster of new Grenadiers regiments on Vresh, vicious wars break out between rival tech-slum warlords. Painted to the Departmento Munitorum as a ritual tradition by Vresh's planetary governor, in truth this violence ensures that only one Vreshian gang culture is singled out for each tithe of new regiments to the Astra Militarum, so that rivalry between the slums is not carried into the newly raised regiments, degrading their performance.
Vulcan Mega Bolter - Vulcan Mega Bolter: A Vulcan Mega Bolter is an immense, hydraulically-driven, five-barrelled, air-cooled, electrically-fired rotary Bolt Weapon. The Vulcan Mega Bolter is one of the most potent and effective anti-infantry weapons available to the Imperium, and easily carves through swathes of Heretics or xenos with mass-reactive shells larger than human skulls firing two at a time, leaving a heavy carbonised reek in the air.So large and powerful is the weapon that it must be mounted onto the massive arms of an Imperial Titan, or on the hull or turret of a Stormlord super-heavy tank -- little else could handle the ground-shaking recoil or bear the weight. This weapon is comprised of massive, dual, heavy-calibre, rotating Bolters with multiple barrels. Its staggering rate of fire makes it an ideal weapon for use against infantry, light vehicles and even small structures.
Vulcan Mega Bolter - History: The use of Vulcan Mega Bolters on Titans dates back to before the tragic ending of the Great Crusade and so many Traitor Titan Legions also possess them within their own heretical arsenals. On their quest for destruction, they use them liberally, and to brutal effect. On the Shrine World of Gundora in the Tratoll System, corrupted Titans in possession of this weapon tore the entire 44th Cadian regiment to shreds. So relentless was the bulletstorm that some Cadian vehicles were later discovered half-buried, the pressure of the many impacts having pushed them under the sands.It was the Forge World of Lucius where the Tech-priests first experimented with mounting the Vulcan Mega Bolter, usually reserved for Titans, onto tank variants. Having long been adept at the arcane construction of god-machines, they began attempting to transfer the weapon across to other vehicles in the late 33rd Millennium. Many of the Machine Spirits reacted badly to these efforts and failed rituals led to the destruction of many tanks before relatively stable patterns were developed.As Servitors mount this weapon onto Stormlords or even Macharius "Vulcan" variants, Enginseers pour sacred unguents over the cogs to placate the volatile Machine Spirit into accepting the modifications. When all the components and rituals come together, and the violent machine successfully comes to life, it takes a particularly brave or wild crew to risk driving the unified vehicle into battle.The Renegades of the Dark Mechanicus do not possess the ritual knowledge for successful transference of the Vulcan Mega Bolter onto tanks. Therefore it is only the Chaos Titans that march to war armed with the Vulcan Mega Bolter. However, reports of defiled variants of Stormlords have been reported on Orax near the battlefront of the 13th Black Crusade. The Vulcan Mega Bolter was seen being put to treacherous use against the civilian populations and have helped disable two-thirds of the planet's manufactoria.
Vulcan Mega Bolter - Operation: The Vulcan Mega Bolter is essentially two rotary cannons mounted together, each with multiple barrels the size of an Autocannon. The regularly blessed cogs then rotate at phenomenal speed; in the blink of an eye, two loaded barrels click into place, and another pair of shells are unleashed. It is this rapid rate of fire, combined with the explosive power of the mass-reactive shells, that makes the Vulcan Mega Bolter able to rip thick gouts out of whatever the enemy throws at them. With sophisticated navigation and target identification tools, the Vulcan Mega Bolter can be used effectively even against concealed targets.While a Titan is in combat, one crew member tends to a mag-crane in the arm that feeds the thick chains of shells in a constant flow to the weapon itself. Loaded onto the Titans using massive grav-hoppers, these chains contain enough shells to last through solar days of the most violent battles. Meanwhile, a second crew member continually evokes the Litany of Reloading and Redemption, as sanctioned by the Adeptus Mechanicus, to ensure the smooth release of ammunition and that the plentiful supply of mass-reactive shells continues to load.He pours blessed oils into the whirring mechanisms whenever the Vulcan Mega Bolter is in danger of overheating. Within super-heavy tanks, similar large bolt chains are fed into the weapon by two crew members, both of whom are tireless in their muttering of prayers and offerings of blessings. Knowledge of these specific arcane practices is restricted by the Tech-priests of Mars, which is one of the reasons the Vulcan Mega Bolter is not more widely observed on the battlefield.Whether mounted on a Titan or a Stormlord, the Vulcan Mega Bolter is used to pulp waves of troops with its withering fire, as shells shred their formations without mercy, clearing the way for the Imperium's defenders. Even small vehicles such as lightly armoured tanks are blown into jagged pieces, their metal hulls buckling under the incessant fire. The fire of Vulcan Mega Bolters has been unleashed across war-torn worlds for thousands of years by lethal Titans stalking their foes. They have shredded buildings that harboured xenos adversaries and excoriated daemon-infested hives from the surface of innumerable planets. They have carved paths through tides of greenskins stretching from horizon to horizon, and have been found to be of particular use in dealing with large swarms of Tyranids, cutting up waves of advancing Gaunts, felling hulking brutes and filling the air with shredded chitinous fragments and alien blood.
Vulcan Mega Bolter - Deployment: So large and powerful is a Vulcan Mega Bolter that it can only be mounted on the hull of Stormlord super-heavy tanks or on the massive arms of a Titan -- little else could handle its ground-shaking recoil and immense weight. The Vulcan Mega Bolter is commonly fielded to provide cover for other Warhound-class Titans and Imperial super-heavy tanks and to ensure the suppression of enemy heavy weapon positions with a devastating storm of shot and shell.The Vulcan Mega Bolter also provides a Warhound-class Titan with unparalleled anti-infantry firepower. This weapon can also be mounted on Reaver-class Titans and even the mighty Imperator-class Titan, which carries an even larger version of this devastating weapon.
Vulcan Mega Bolter - Source: Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pp. 251-254Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse, pg. 125Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), pg. 363Warhammer 40,000: Munitorum - Vulcan Mega Bolters (Digital Edition)Titanicus (Novel) by Dan Abnett
Vulkan - Youth: When the primarchs were first created within the gene-laboratories hidden beneath the Himalazian Mountains on Terra, though the machinations of the Chaos Gods the gestation capsules of the nascent primarchs were scattered across the galaxy. The Promethean Opus (source of much Imperial knowledge of Vulkan) tells the tale of how one of the Emperor's superhuman children ended up on the feudal Death World of Nocturne during one of its tumultuous periods known as the "Time of Trial."Among the hardy and stoic people of Nocturne, the infant Vulkan had fallen like a blazing comet, and into the home of a "Black-Smiter," -- a metal worker by the name N'bel, in the city-settlement of Hesiod -- he had been taken as a foster child. N'bel recognised the child as the one prophesied to be a saviour by the teachings of the Promethean Cult, and named him Vulkan. Like all the primarchs, Vulkan grew very quickly, reaching full adulthood (and a size bigger and more muscular than any man on Nocturne) by the age of only three Terran years. He was also highly intelligent, able to vastly improve the already considerable metalworking skills of the famed smiths of Nocturne.Quickly, he had risen in strength and wisdom, embracing the culture which had taken him up, working in his adopted father's forge and hunting the great saurians and other beasts bestirred by the planet's fiery temper, becoming a legendary champion in his world's defence against far more dangerous foes; "Dusk Wraiths" as they were known in Nocturne. In reality, these creatures were of the most degenerate and vile class of Aeldari slavers (Drukhari), nightmarish beings to whom pain and slaughter were as meat and drink, who sought to prey periodically on the hardy people of Nocturne for their own wicked sport.The Opus tells that during Vulkan's fourth year, his town was attacked by these "Dusk Wraiths," who were on a slave-taking expedition. The people of his hometown hid, as they usually did when the decadent xenos came raiding, but Vulkan refused to hide. Armed with only a pair of blacksmith's hammers, he roused the people from hiding and drove back the assault, single-handedly slaying a hundred Drukhari warriors.As word of the battle's outcome spread, the headsmen of the seven most important settlements on the planet came to pay homage to Vulkan, swearing to forevermore crush their foes rather than hiding from them. Against this threat Vulkan became transformed, and his legend spread across his world. He was the "fire-born" -- an undefeated warrior whose superhuman strength had torn the slave-barges down from the sky and crushed the xenos in droves, and whose granite-like flesh had scorned their poisoned blades unmoved, driving the Dusk Wraiths from Nocturne.
Vulkan - The Outlander: In celebration of the primarch's victory over the Dark Eldar in what was the year 832.M30 by the Imperial Calendar, a tournament of various contests involving tests of strength and craftsmanship common to the people of Nocturne was held. During the opening ceremonies, a stranger appeared. His skin was unusually pale, compared to the dark, swarthy complexions of the people of Nocturne, and his clothes were very strange, made of materials unfamiliar to the pre-industrial Nocturneans.The stranger asked only to be allowed to compete. The stranger claimed that he could best any man at the competitions, causing many people to laugh at the seemingly inadvertent comparison to the superhuman Vulkan. Vulkan accepted the challenge, and the stranger wagered that whoever lost the competition would swear his eternal loyalty and obedience to the victor. With a smile at such effrontery, Vulkan agreed to the outlander's terms.Lasting for eight local Nocturnean days, the contest included many tests of strength and endurance. The people of Nocturne were treated to the spectacle of two godlike beings competing against one another, utterly astonishing the mere mortals around them with their superhuman prowess. Many of the contests had to be called a draw between Vulkan and the fair-skinned stranger, for there was simply no way to determine a victor. For instance, the anvil lift, where the contestants were required to hold an anvil aloft above their heads for as long as possible, ended in a tie when the two superhuman competitors both held anvils aloft for half a day with no sign of tiring, while all the other competitors had given up after mere solar minutes.All the subsequent contests saw similar outcomes, and by the end of local day 8, Vulkan and the stranger were tied in the overall tournament. To break the tie, the elders of Nocturne decided that the winner would be determined by the test of Salamander Hunting. Both contestants were given 24 solar hours to forge a weapon, before using that weapon to hunt down and slay one of Nocturne's reptilian salamanders. Assessing that this task, impossible for any mere mortal, would be but a formality for both godlike contestants, the elders included the caveat that the contestant who brought back the largest salamander would be proclaimed victorious.
Vulkan - The Final Trial: In the end, it came down to the final trial: Salamander-Slaying. Both men had a day and a half to forge a weapon, then go out and slay the largest salamander (a large, heat-loving reptile native to Nocturne), that they could find. Vulkan and the stranger worked all day at their forges, neither pausing to rest. As the day drew to a close, they emerged. Vulkan had forged a huge warhammer, and the stranger a keen-edged sword. They both climbed to the summit of Mount Deathfire, a massive volcano said to be the home of the largest Firedrakes, the most fearsome species of salamander, on the planet. Vulkan found his prey first, smashing its head off with a single blow from his hammer. As he carried the carcass back, the volcano unexpectedly erupted. Vulkan was nearly thrown off a cliff, but managed to grab onto the edge with one hand, stubbornly grasping the tail of his prize with the other. Vulkan held on for several hours, but his hold finally began to slip. It was at that time the stranger reappeared, carrying a salamander larger than his own. The stranger quickly threw his carcass into the lava flow, using its heat-resistant hide as a bridge to cross over and save Vulkan. Vulkan was declared the winner when they returned home since he had a salamander hide and the stranger had lost his, but Vulkan silenced the crowd. He knelt before the stranger, stating that any man who valued life over pride was worthy of his service. At that moment the stranger at last revealed himself to the Primarch His true nature as the Emperor of Mankind. Vulkan would take his rightful place as Primarch of the XVIIIth Legion and ruler of his adopted world. Vulkan's only reservation on departing Nocturne was that he would not leave its people undefended, but in this the Emperor countered that Vulkan's duty was not simply to one world but to many, worlds that knew the terror of the darkness and the feasting of alien horrors uncounted as Nocturne had, and that Nocturne itself as the homeworld of a Primarch would forever be secured by his sons, the XVIIIth Legion which bore his blood.
Vulkan - Aftermath: The events immediately following the end of the great galactic civil war are even more obscure in current Imperial records and perhaps known only to the taciturn masters of the Salamanders' Librarius. What is clear, however, is that when the Ultramarines' Primarch Roboute Guilliman authored the Codex Astartes during the Reformation of the Imperium after the end of the Heresy and prepared the plan to safeguard the Imperium from another civil war by breaking down each Space Marine Legion into a single Chapter comprised of only 1,000 Space Marines, Vulkan stood alongside Leman Russ of the Space Wolves and Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists in opposition to the plan. However, like the others, Vulkan eventually acquiesced rather than put the unity of the Imperium at risk once more.The XVIIIth Legion appears to have sired no immediate Successors, and it is likely that their numbers were so depleted by the events of the Istvaan V Drop Site Massacre that it was not possible to divide it into separate Chapters. Several Chapters were created much later in subsequent Foundings which might share the genetic inheritance of the Salamanders, but no evidence exists of any Second Founding Successor Chapters having been sired. The extent to which the dictates of the Codex Astartes were adhered to in the aftermath of the break-up of the old Legions varied greatly, and the Salamanders appeared to have obeyed it in some respects, while ignoring it in others. The fielding of only seven, over-strength companies is one example of this, though in other respects the present-day Salamanders Chapter is largely compliant with the dictates of Guilliman's tome.
Vulkan - Artefacts of Vulkan: The ultimate fate of the Salamanders' primarch is a matter of much conjecture, for he disappeared many standard years after the Horus Heresy. Some sources state that Vulkan led his Chapter for three entire millennia before he departed on some mission he never declared to the Imperium at large, though scant evidence of any of his deeds throughout that age remain. The tale is made all the more mysterious by the fact that Vulkan appeared to have left behind him a text, called the Tome of Fire, within which is locked the nature and location of nine artefacts the primarch willed to his Chapter.It said that over one thousand standard years after the events of the Horus Heresy, Vulkan hid these nine artefacts around the galaxy for his Chapter to find, as a test to see if they were worthy of his leadership. Of these nine relics, five have been recovered, three of which, the Spear of Vulkan, Kesare's Mantle and the Gauntlet of the Forge, are wielded by the Chapter's cuurent Forgefather, Vulkan He'stan. Two, the Chalice of Fire and the Eye of Vulkan, remain on the Nocturnean moon of Prometheus in the Chapter's fortress-monastery, while the last four artefacts, the Engine of Woes, the Obsidian Chariot, the Unbound Flame and the Song of Entropy, have yet to be discovered.The Tome of Fire claims that only when all of these artefacts are recovered by the Forgefather of the Salamanders, as five now have been, will Vulkan judge the Salamanders sufficiently tempered to have passed the ultimate contest. Then, so the legend states, he shall return to lead the Salamanders in the final war against the enemies of Humanity in accordance with the prophecies written within the Chapter's most sacred tome.
Vulkan - Wargear: The Draken Scale - Vulkan's Artificer Armour was a marvel of the Imperium and famed relic in its own right, and its crowning glory was the skull of the great Firedrake Kesare mounted upon the Primarch's shoulder, upon whose image the Legion's symbol was based.Dawnbringer - A warhammer of prodigious size and reputedly indestructible material construction, Dawnbringer was too great a weight for any but a Primarch to lift. Wielded by Vulkan, Dawnbringer was capable of sundering any defence set against it, from isolithic stone to the densest armour plate, and brutally crushed countless foes in the Primarch's hands. Dawnbringer also possessed unknown, formidable teleporter technology that enabled the Primarch to safely teleport over vast distances of space, even from one world to another.The Furnace's Heart - A baroquely-styled energy weapon similar to a Plasma Pistol gifted to Vulkan by Ferrus Manus, this unique weapon utilised individual charged shells to produce powerful laser-like blasts capable of cutting swathes through even heavily armoured foes. The weapon, however, was not truly favoured by Vulkan, for reasons that remained the subject of dark rumour, but the Salamanders Primarch carried the weapon into battle at Istvaan V regardless to honour his brother for the gift.
Vulkan - Trivia: The name Vulkan is derived from the name Vulcan, the Roman God of fire, volcanoes and the forge. Vulcan is often depicted by a blacksmith's hammer.
Vulkan - Lord of Drakes (Novella) - Vulkan - Lord of Drakes (Novella): Vulkan - Lord of Drakes is the ninth novella in the Primarchs series.
Vulkan - Lord of Drakes (Novella) - Synopsis: As the Emperor marshals His armies to reclaim the galaxy for the glory of Mankind, one by one his Space Marine Legions are reunited with their missing Primarchs. The XVIII Legion are still waiting to find their true identity, unaware their own lord has been found. In the Taras Division, Legionaries face annihilation as they take a last, desperate stand against a monstrous Ork invasion. Meanwhile, on Nocturne, Vulkan has raised and trained a new force of warriors. Now it is the time for him to lead his sons into battle. Now it is the time for him to truly don the mantle of Primarch, not only to save one half of his Legion, but forge a new, indivisible whole.
Vulkan He'stan - Vulkan He'stan: Vulkan He'stan serves as the current Forgefather of the Salamanders Space Marine Chapter. The hope of the Salamanders rest upon this one Space Marine. To be honoured as the Forgefather is to be tasked with an epic quest, a journey that has been handed down in turn to the greatest heroes of the Chapter since the mysterious disappearance of their beloved Primarch, Vulkan.For millennia the Forgefather of the Salamanders has led the Chapter's search across the galaxy to recover nine legendary relics, the Artefacts of Vulkan. At a simple request, the Forgefather can draw upon the full might of the Chapter -- for they would go to any length, suffer any losses, in order to find all of the missing artefacts.It is a Salamanders legend, as told in ancient tales and inferred from the sacred book of the Promethean Cult known as the Tome of Fire, that when all nine of the Relics of Vulkan are recovered and returned once more to his homeworld of Nocturne, the Primarch himself will return to lead his sons to final victory over the enemies of the Imperium. But before one can fully understand Vulkan He'stan and his quest, one must first know the tale of the Salamanders.
Vulkan He'stan - History: The Salamanders are one of the first of the twenty Legions of Space Marines founded by the Emperor Himself. They were the XVIIIth Legion until they were reunited with their Primarch, Vulkan, upon what would become their homeworld -- the volcanic Death World of Nocturne. At that point they took the name Salamanders, in tribute to the enormous reptilian drakes that were the apex predators of that harsh planet. In the roll of the Imperium's forces, the Salamanders have earned their rightful place amongst the finest ever to have served. Time and again they have thrown themselves into the fires of war, holding their ground or pressing the assault with a fierce determination. Over their long history, there are many examples of the Salamanders withstanding terrible odds, tenaciously waging war until they alone emerge triumphant. Since the massive battles of the Unification Wars, the Salamanders have sustained 90% or more casualties over a dozen times -- bleeding themselves dry to preserve needed victory. Always, they rise again.When the original Space Marine Legions were split during the Second Founding, there was no need to break up the Salamanders. They had sustained so many losses during the fighting of the Horus Heresy that their reduced strength would not warrant such measures -- or so argued Vulkan. Soon afterwards Roboute Guilliman, the Ultramarines Primarch, laid down the standards for the Adeptus Astartes in the Codex Astartes. The Salamanders simply rebuilt to Chapter strength, rather than to the vast numbers of a full Legion.The Salamanders follow most of the guidelines prescribed by the Codex Astartes, although there are some noticeable differences. The most obvious of these are the number and size of their companies, their adherence to the Promethean Cult, and the unique Chapter rank known as the Forgefather. According to their ancient lore, their Primarch Vulkan left behind nine artefacts -- nine technological relics of incredible craftsmanship wrought by his own hand. These he left for his sons to find, and wield if they should prove worthy enough to discover them. The Primarch scattered these wonders across the galaxy, both to prevent Mankind's enemies from winning a great store of matchless artefacts and also because he knew that even the grandest prize is worth nothing if it is seized without challenge equal to its worth. Since Vulkan's mysterious disappearance, thousands of Terran years ago, the Salamanders have appointed one of their number to serve as Forgefather.
Vulkan He'stan - The Forgefather: It is a great honour for any Salamander to be chosen as Forgefather, for the title is only given to the most heroic exemplar of the Chapter. To be so named, the Space Marine in question must be a great warrior, skilled in battle -- but this alone is not enough. The Forgefather must excel in the qualities that the Salamanders themselves esteem most highly -- self-reliance, fierce loyalty, sacrifice, uncompromising determination and tenacity. No matter the odds, a Salamander does not relent. These are the hallmarks of the Chapter and have been since the days when their Primarch first walked amongst them. The Forgefather is often chosen from a leadership position -- typically, but not always, one of the Captains of the companies. Upon becoming Forgefather, the individual renounces his old position, title and name and takes on a new role and the name of Vulkan. The Primarch of the Salamanders was named Vulkan for that was the name given to the greatest of the salamanders, the giant lizards that roam the volcanic mountains of Nocturne. It is the Forgefather's task to seek out and find the artefacts left by the Primarch –- five of which have already been found. It is his role to sacrifice the solace of brotherhood for a life lived mostly in solitude and duties yet more perilous.
Vulkan He'stan - The Nine Artefacts of Vulkan: As the close of the 41 Millennium approaches, five of the nine hidden artefacts of Vulkan have been recovered, three of which are personally borne by Vulkan He'stan. The Forgefather is protected by Kesare's Mantle -- the legendary scaled cloak taken from the skin of a drake slain by the Primarch. In his right hand, he carries the Spear of Vulkan -- a weapon forged by Vulkan himself, its incandescent blade so powerful it can set even ceramite ablaze. He'stan's other hand is encased within the Gauntlet of the Forge, a mailed fist cunningly wrought to summon fire at need. This is the one artefact that He'stan is most proud of -- for he himself recovered it. The tale of how he took it from the Eldar Corsair, Lord Iath Bloodweaver, after defeating his warhost in battle is just one of the dozens that are now told about He'stan.
Vulkan He'stan - The Quest of Vulkan He'stan: Vulkan He'stan devotes his every hour towards the recovery of the final four relics and the completion of the quest. It is written in the Tome of Fire that only when all nine artefacts have been recovered and returned to Nocturne will Vulkan judge the Salamanders to be sufficiently tempered; only then will he return to lead his sons to battle. Hunting for the relics is dangerous work. So far, the quest has claimed the lives of each Forgefather that came before He'stan. It seems an impossible task, for the Forgefathers have been hard at work searching for many thousands of Terran years -- but the Salamanders do not begrudge this challenge. Rather they accept it with the same stoic pragmatism with which they go about all their duties.In his searchings, He'stan has visited alien planets, the abodes of Traitors and even the Immaterium, searching that nether-realm for traces and hints of his lost Primarch. Often, clues are only revealed once such places have been scoured clean, and if the task is too large for He'stan alone, he will call for the aid of his Battle-Brothers. The Salamanders do not hesitate to bring their full might to bear at He'stan's command. They too would endure any woe and suffer any loss to retrieve the Primarch's gifts. For it was in his teachings that through hardships would come deliverance -- the tempered blade is the strongest. Thus far on He'stan's epic journey there have been more false trails, more misreadings than successes. So it has been for every Forgefather before him. Yet, piece by piece, He'stan Vulkan has built upon the knowledge and findings of his predecessors, and has further interpreted the Tome of Fire. He knows that he is on the right track and that revelations are not given, but earned.The path is not without pitfalls, and sometimes leads away from the quest itself. Whilst searching for clues in the Ultima Segmentum, He'stan ran afoul of the Arch-Arsonist of Charadon. This began what the Salamanders call the Flame Wars -- a running series of engagements that, by its conclusion, required the efforts of two full companies of Salamanders. Early on, He'stan had concluded that the trail was false, but by his actions an Ork WAAAGH! was broken, and the lives of many Imperial civilians saved. Vulkan himself would not be displeased with such a result -- indeed, it was as if that was, in itself, part of the test.Not all the wars that He'stan has been involved in have been of his own choosing. Twice now, the Necron Overlord Trazyn the Infinite has instigated attacks upon He'stan. The Necron artefact collector attempted to wrest the Spear of Vulkan from He'stan's hands for the first time in 878.M41, for he covets that technological marvel greatly, but was defeated in personal combat by the Forgefather. Indeed, it is widely guessed that Trazyn was behind the demise of several Forgefathers in the past -- although this has never been proven. In a later plot, the ancient Necron attempted to lure He'stan into a trap, during the Tochran Crusade of 943.M41, but the stalwart Forgefather thwarted his plans.
Vulkan He'stan - Era Indomitus: In the wake of the Great Rift's birth, many believe that the devastating empyric disruption to communication and travel has rendered He'stan's quest impossible.Yet it is in this darkest hour that a fresh clue has revealed itself; an ember burning bright in the dark of the Imperium Nihilus, upon a world named Zero.An ember that hints at the location of the Artefact of Vulkan known only by the name Unbound Flame...
Vulkan He'stan - Wargear: Artificer ArmourBolt PistolFrag GrenadesKrak Grenades
Vulkan He'stan - Artefacts of Vulkan: Only four of Vulkan's original nine artefacts does He'stan seek -- the others have been found through the travails of previous Forgefathers. He'stan himself is already the keeper of three, including:The Spear of Vulkan - A mighty relic Power Weapon that takes the form of a huge master-crafted halberd, once wielded by Vulkan himself. The incandescent blade of this polearm can set even ceramite ablaze.Kesare's Mantle - A legendary drakescale cloak made of Adamantium-hard drake scales that was made from the near-inpenetrable hide of the infamous salamander Sho'Valla.The Gauntlet of the Forge - A master-crafted armoured gauntlet with a built-in Heavy Flamer that incorporates a set of digital weapons, whose molten rage none can endure.The other two recovered artefacts remain on the Salamanders' moon of Prometheus, for they are valuable beyond measure. One is the Forgeship Chalice of Fire, whose vast manufactoria provide the Salamanders with their weapons of war.The next is the Eye of Vulkan, a spacebound Defence Laser assembly that stands eternal vigil over the Salamander's fortress-monastery on Prometheus.Of the remaining artefacts, the Engine of Woes, the Obsidian Chariot, the Unbound Flame and the Song of Entropy, only the names are known. Their size, form and location are locked within the Tome of Fire, there to be uncovered as the Primarch's prophecies reveal themselves.
Vulkan He'stan - Sources: Codex Adeptus Astartes - Space Marines (8th Edition), pp. 102, 138Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 112, 194-197Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 93Codex Supplement: Salamanders (8th Edition), pg. 36Warlords of the Dark Millennium - Vulkan He'stan, pp. 3-13, 21-27Firedrake (Novel) by Nick Kyme
Vulkan Lives - Vulkan Lives: Vulkan Lives is the twenty-sixth volume in the Horus Heresy series of novels.
Vulkan Lives - Synopsis: Vulkan Lives takes place in the wake of the Drop Site Massacre at Isstvan V, the survivors of the Salamanders Legion searched long and hard for their fallen primarch, but to no avail.Little did they know that while Vulkan might have wished himself dead, he lives still.As the war continues without him, all eyes turn to Ultramar and Guilliman's new empire there, and Vulkan’s sons are drawn into an insidious plot to end the Heresy by the most underhand means imaginable.
Vultarax - Vultarax: The Vultarax, also known as the Vultarax Pattern Stratos Battle-Automata, was the principal model of flying Battle-Automata used by the armed forces of the Mechanicum throughout the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. The Vultarax is a robust, multi-role robot which is both heavily armed and remarkably swift. Its sophisticated sensory gear allows it to operate effortlessly in hostile environments and dense terrain where more conventional units would struggle considerably. Tactically versatile, the Vultarax proved itself to be the keystone of both the Taghmata Omnissiah's and Explorator Expeditions' air-support.Many Imperial savants of the late 41st Millennium have remarked upon the many similarities the Vultarax shares with the Daemon Engines later known as Blight Drones that are preferred airborne combat support units for the Death Guard Traitor Legion. Believed to be twisted perversions of the ancient Vultarax Stratos-Automata, these fly-like mechanical horrors ride the high air currents over the battlefield on droning turbines, before dropping down to slaughter the enemy with cannon fire and feed upon their seeping corpse-fluids.
Vultarax - History: Unlike most other Battle-Automata -- and indeed some other classes of Stratos Battle-Automata -- of the Mechanicum Taghmata, which were designed with primarily humanoid or animal forms, the design of the Vultarax owed little to nature, even in the abstract, save perhaps to certain predatory creatures of the deep ocean. Instead, it was based on pre-Imperial STC templates for autonomous aerial machines and constructed around a powerful variant of the cybernetica cortex. The Vultarax was conceived during the Age of Strife on the Forge World of Anetarbraxus and later given up in tribute to Holy Mars. From the Red Planet, it quickly spread to other Forge Worlds in the solar decades after Anetarbraxus' reunification with the Imperium. By the time of the Horus Heresy, it was one of the rare testimonies to the Forge World's existence, Anetarbraxus having been reduced to molten slag during the Great Mandragoran Incursion.
Vultarax - Armament: For a flying machine or a Battle-Automata of its size, the Vultarax is powerfully armed which as furthered its use as a rapid response unit and hunter-killer role in open battle. The Vultarax also frequently serves in scouting duties.Vultarax Arc Blaster2 Setheno Pattern Havoc Missile Launchers - The Setheno-pattern is a more sophisticated version of the more common Havoc Missile Launcher commonly mounted on Imperial vehicules. The weaponsystem derives its appellation form the Setheno data-djinn which guide each missile and which have proven themselves deadly against enemies trying to hide behind cover.2 Battle-Automata Power Blades  (Optional)Flare ShieldEnhanced Targeting ArraySearchlight
Vultarax - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: The technical specificatrions of the Vultarax have not been made publicly available by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Vultarax - Sources: Codex Heretic Astartes - Death Guard (8th Edition), "Grim Origins," pg. 50The Horus Heresy - Book Seven: Inferno (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 294-295Forge World Webstore - Mechanicum Vultarax-Stratos Automata
Vulture - Vulture: The Vulture is a gunship of the Imperial Navy's Aeronautica Imperialis that is capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL). It is used to provide heavy air support for Astra Militarum ground units and the Valkyrie transport. The Vulture is very similar in appearance to the Valkyrie, but with a drastically different role on the battlefield. The Vulture is capable of carrying a large variety of weapons and is able to engage both infantry and armoured units, and is also able to effectively attack fortified enemy structures and bunkers.The Vulture is an attack gunship, and its main role is the support of Valkyrie assault carriers while in flight and while their Imperial Guard troops are disembarking. The Vulture will often stay at the drop zone after the Valkyries have left in order to provide heavy air support to the infantry on the ground. Regiments of the Imperial Guard like the Elysian Drop Troops make heavy use of Vultures as they are often deployed into hostile territory without heavy armour or artillery support.Like all Imperial aircraft, the Vulture is crewed and operated by members of the Imperial Navy's Aeronautica Imperialis, though it is always used in support of Astra Militarum ground forces. The Vulture is not used as an air superiority fighter due to its slow air speed. That is a role better left to the Aeronautica Imperialis' Lightning and Thunderbolt aerospace fighters. The Vulture, like the Valkyrie, is also unable to operate in the vacuum of space and thus cannot be used in space superiority or orbital assault actions.
Vulture - Armament: The Vulture can be armed with a vast amount of weaponry and various upgrades and modifications. The default armament of a Vulture consists of a nose-mounted Heavy Bolter, Twin-linked Multi-Lasers, and 2 Hellstrike Missiles. The aircraft has two weapon hard-points on each of its wings, and can equip two different weapon systems which are linked to their counterpart on the opposite side of the aircraft.The inner hard-point, closest to the center of the aircraft, is capable of exchanging the Twin-linked Multi-Laser for external fuel tanks that will extend the aircraft's operational time and range. Twin-linked Lascannons can be attached for increased anti-armour firepower as well as Twin-linked Missile Launchers with either Frag or Krak warheads, Twin-linked Autocannons, or Twin-linked Rocket Pods.The outer weapon hard-point is capable of exchanging the Hellstrike Missiles for external fuel tanks, 2 Bomb Racks with up to 3 bombs each, 2 Heavy Smart Bomb Racks, with up to 3 Heavy Smart Bombs on each, 2 Missile Racks with 3 Hunter-Killer Missiles per rack, 2 Hellfury Missiles, or 2 Multiple Rocket Pods. Both wing hard-points can be used for a single Twin-linked Punisher Gatling Cannon on each wing. The Vulture can also be equipped with ejector seats, flare or chaff launchers, a more heavily armoured cockpit, a Searchlight, Extra Armour Plating, an infra-red targeting system, and illumination flares.
Vulture - Notable Users of the Vulture: 81st Imperial Navy Tactical Wing - The 81st Tactical Wing fought against Tau forces on Dolumar IV.15th Elysian Drop Troop Regiment - The 15th Elysian used Vulture gunships during the Yarant II Campaign.64th Elysian Drop Troops Regiment - The 64th Elysian used Vulture gunships during the fifth ill-fated Ymgarl Insertion.2nd Imperial Navy Tactical Wing - The 2nd Tactical Wing made extensive use of Vultures during the Defence of Cadia in the midst of the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41.9th Elysian Drop Troop Regiment - The 9th Elysian used Vulture gunships against the bio-forms of Hive Fleet Kraken on Veridian Prime.33rd Imperial Navy Tactical Wing - The 33rd Tactical Wing which uses Vultures was a part of the Planetary Defence Forces that defended Betalis IV.23rd Elysian Drop Troop Regiment - The 23rd Elysian used Vultures against the Tau during the Taros Campaign.226th Elysian Drop Troop Regiment - The 226th Elysian used their Vultures to great effect against the Eldar of Craftworld Mymeara on Betalis III.
Vulture - Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications: Vulture GunshipTypeAttack GunshipOperational Ceiling11,000 MetresVehicle NameVultureMax Speed1100 kilometres per hourForge World of OriginMars, Voss, Artemia, Estaban VII, Agripinaa, Phaeton, LuciusRange2000 kilometres in atmosphereKnown PatternsI - XMain ArmamentNose-Mounted Heavy BolterCrew1 Pilot, 1 Weapon OperatorSecondary Armament4 Wing Hard-pointsPowerplant1 x F200-KW4 Afterburing Vector TurbojetMain Ammunition200 RoundsWeight9.0 TonnesSecondary AmmunitionVaries by weapons equippedLength19.2 MetresArmourWingspan14.2 MetresSuperstructure75 millimetresHeight4.9 MetresHull75 millimetres
Vulture - Sources: Imperial Armour: Apocalypse, pg. 40Imperial Armour: Apocalypse II, pg. 24Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard & Imperial Navy, pg. 249-254Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard (Second Edition), pg. 260Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pg. 279Imperial Armour Volume Eight - Raid On Kastorel-NovemImperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of MymearaImperial Armour Volume Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus, pg. 207Imperial Armour Aeronautica, pg. 14-15Aeronautica Imperialis (Rulebook), pg. 22
Vyaniah - Vyaniah: Vyaniah is a Hive World that is located in the Khymaran Drift Sub-sector of the Badab Sector of the Segmentum Ultima. In 902.M41, just before the outbreak of the internecine Imperial conflict known as the Badab War, Vyaniah was still a heavily industrialised Frontier World and was only in the early stages of being developed into a minor Hive World.Vyaniah became the site for a major battle of the Badab War in 906.M41 between the Badab Sector's human Auxilia troops who were collectively known as the Tyrant's Legion and Loyalist Space Marine forces from the Red Scorpions, Marines Errant and Novamarines Chapters. This battle represented the Tyrant's Legion's first deployment for a major campaign against Astartes forces.
Vyaniah - History: Colonial settlements were first established on the temperate world of Vyaniah in the late 38th Millennium, and increased with a large influx of refugees following the massacres of Isin in the Badab Sector in the early 40th Millennium. Vyaniah was officially recognised as an independent Imperial world by the Segmentum authorities in 107.M41. By 902.M41, the planet had become industrially self-sufficient, exploiting its own mineral and chemical resources to sustain its civilisation and tithing to the Administratum in return for the protection of the Imperial Navy and the import of goods and services otherwise unavailable.Vyaniah's secondary industry was based around macro-scale harvesting and the processing of plentiful lower order sea life into foodstuffs. Historically the system has been protected somewhat by its relative distance from the Maelstrom itself, and benefited from its position as the most developed world on the outer southwestern rim of the Maelstrom Zone.In 906.M41, during the internecine Imperial conflict known as the Badab War (904.M41-912.M41) that raged across the entirety of the Maelstrom Zone, the Loyalist forces under the control of Lord High Commander Verant Ortys, the Chapter Master of the Red Scorpions, conducted a series of heavy raids on the Vyaniah System, having determined it to be a target against which great pressure could be brought to bear on the Secessionists.Vyaniah was an important world and served as the gatehouse along one of the secondary Warp routes around the rim of the Maelstrom. Furthermore, its defences and planetary garrison were weaker than that to be found in the heavily reinforced Sagan System. There were further intelligence reports indicating that the Secessionist-occupied world was awash in civil unrest which might be stirred up into open revolt by a Loyalist attack.Strike forces drawn from the Red Scorpions, Marines Errant and Novamarines conducted a three-pronged attack on the Vyaniah System, the first of several such raids carried out in rapid succession. The Loyalists' goal was to damage the planet's productive capacity and orbital transhipping platforms. This would effectively weaken the Secessionists' grip on the system. Confronting the reformed and reorganised Badab Sector human Auxilia of the Tyrant's Legion in open warfare for the first time, the Loyalist Space Marines greatly underestimated them, and as a result their strike groups were largely prevented from achieving many of their goals in the first raid.Data intercepted from the Vyaniah command Vox-network revealed the price of the Tyrant's Legion resistance, with the Loyalists inflicting a greater than 178:1 kill ratio. In 906.M41, the Red Scorpion forces conducted the last of the Vyaniah raids which proved particularly bloody for the Tyrant's Legion. The Red Scorpions invaded the Caelian industrial hive with the specific goal of inflicting mass casualties on the human defenders and picking off their Astral Claws masters where found within the defenders' ranks. Despite several Loyalist attacks, the Secessionists maintained their grip on the planet, and ultimately, the system for the duration of the conflict.