vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Space Marine Chapter Homeworld - Uninhabited World: There are plenty of Chapters that prefer to maintain their secrecy and isolate themselves from nearby Imperial populations. Fortunately, there is no shortage of barren or otherwise uninhabited worlds for such Chapters to utilise as bases of operation.The fact that even an apparently desolate, airless rock might harbour one of the greatest military forces in Humanity's arsenal is deterrent enough for many would-be invaders, and who knows how many itinerant outcasts have stumbled across a fully operational fortress-monastery whilst exploring some isolated world, and never lived long enough to tell the tale?Chapters utilising isolated, unpopulated planets as their homeworlds have to look farther afield for sources of recruitment, but they are rarely far from worlds they are entitled to recruit upon. Such Chapters may recruit from a variety of nearby planets, drawing their recruits from Feral World tribes, Hive World gangs or any other source.Mixing several sources in a single intake of Neophytes provides its own set of challenges, but ultimately, produces a wide range of skills and qualities that serve the Chapter well wherever it serves.
Space Marine Chapter Homeworld - Fleet-Based: Fleet-based Chapters make their homes on vast space-going vessels. Often these are unique artefacts predating the Age of the Imperium, or in the case of the Dark Angels' fortress-monastery, The Rock, a vast chunk of planetary debris hollowed out and fitted with the very largest of Warp-Drives.Many of these Chapters travel the galaxy in vast circuits, taking Terran centuries to pass through a single segmentum, while others limit their movements to ancient, hereditary spheres of influence and areas of responsibility.Fleet-based Chapters recruit from a wide range of planets. Sometimes they hold the exclusive rights to recruit at particular worlds, although the populations of those worlds may know nothing of any such arrangement. Others make a point of seeking out new societies to recruit from, ever vigilant for promising recruits.Should an exceptional source be discovered, some Chapters establish small facilities in order to watch over the population and test aspirants, as is the case with the Black Templars Chapter. Upon discovering a singularly valuable recruiting source, some fleet-based Chapters may even abandon their itinerant existence, claim the world and establish a planetside fortress-monastery.Because they tend to recruit from a variety of sources, fleet-based Chapters are more unlikely than any other type to inherit the ways of the communities it recruits from. By way of example, one of the Chapter Masters of the Dark Angels was born amongst the head-hunting savages of the Feral World of Kimmeria.Yet he is counted amongst the most noble and charismatic of the Chapter's leaders, in no small part because the Chapter's own identity is so established and ingrained that even the most extreme of outside influences has little or no effect on it.
Space Marine Chapter Homeworld - Relationship with Chapter Homeworld: How does the Chapter govern its homeworld? Space Marine Chapters with a homeworld are its ultimate masters, with total control over their domain and any peoples living there.The Chapter Master holds the same Imperial legal powers and place within the nobility as a planetary governor, indeed, potentially more for his political and military force is far greater.While most Chapters take little part in the political and economic affairs of the population of their homeworld, some involve themselves to varying degrees. These arrangements can be summarised as direct rule, stewardship and distant rule, as detailed below.
Space Marine Chapter Homeworld - Direct Rule: The Chapter rules over its homeworld and subject peoples directly, and its leaders are regarded by them as figures of ultimate authority. It is comparatively rare for a Chapter to involve itself in the practical considerations of administering its homeworld, and even when one does so, the more prosaic details are often left to Chapter serfs or leaders chosen by various means from the population.The advantage of direct rule is that the Chapter can enforce every element of its will upon its subjects, shaping their development the better to produce promising aspirants.In times of outright war, the Space Marines may take direct control over the world's military and planetary defence forces, sometimes even despatching its officers to serve as generals amongst the lesser armies of mere mortals.
Space Marine Chapter Homeworld - Stewardship: Some Chapters cede the administration of their subjects to a ruling class drawn from the population, issuing broad directives but maintaining their distance. The Space Marines are regarded as figureheads, and may even attend traditional events and services, such as the Feast of the Emperor's Ascension or its local equivalent.Generally, the people hold the Space Marines in awe, even if they rarely see them, and every family aspires to one of its sons being selected to serve in their ranks.Should the homeworld face invasion, the Space Marines may revert to direct rule for the duration of the emergency, or at the very least have the power to issue grand strategy to the world's indigenous armies.
Space Marine Chapter Homeworld - Distant Rule: Many Chapters lay claim to a particular homeworld, yet are rulers in name only. In practice, they take no hand in the affairs of their subjects. Indeed, many Chapters prefer to keep their recruiting stock as "pure" as possible, trapping them as flies in amber in the state that makes them such ideal aspirants in the first place.If the population is even aware of the existence of the Space Marines, they are distant, semi-mythological figures, whose appearance is a portent of great things.In the event of an enemy threatening the world, the Space Marines are likely to assume the burden of its defence, but are less likely to interact with the population directly.
Space Marine Honours - Space Marine Honours: The Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes maintain a great many awards and decorations for the valour displayed by their transhuman warriors.Some of these honours exist across all of the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, while others are found only within individual Chapters.Honour badges are used by Space Marines to recognise battle prowess and to designate specialists, such as Apothecaries and Techmarines. Each honour badge has its own customs of display, but are typically worn, painted or embossed on the recipient's power armour.Some honours, such as the Iron Halo and Imperial Laurel, are commonly displayed on Space Marine standards, particularly Chapter banners.This page presents some of the most notable honours, decorations and campaign badges available to the Space Marines.
Space Marine Honours - Purity Seal: The Purity Seal is not so much an honour as a blessing given by the Chapter's Chaplains.Before a campaign the Chaplains pass through the ranks chanting litanies and invocations.Honoured individuals are marked by the Chaplains for special blessings recorded on the parchment streamers and affixed to their armour with the great wax seal which are often replaced with a more permanent electrum casting of the seal after the battle.
Space Marine Honours - Marksman's Honour: This device is the Marksman's Honour. Acts of remarkably accurate shooting or consistent performance with targetting of Astartes weapons are honoured with this award.The Codex Astartes insists that those warriors who prove their accuracy in combat should be singled out so that their skill may be instantly commanded when necessary.The badges themselves are believed to have been constructed by taking gold Bolter cases, fired in battle from the Boltgun of Roboute Guilliman himself, and encasing them in the award.
Space Marine Honours - Imperial Laurel: Deeds of valour leading to a great victory for the Imperium are rewarded with the Imperial Laurel. A Battle-Brother who bears this honour has literally earned his laurels.The wreath is often worn as a crown or sculpted into the Ceramite of an Astartes's helmet. The Wreathed Skull is also a common form of the same honour.The Codex Astartes demands that company and Chapter standards be borne into battle only by Astartes who have been awarded the Imperial Laurel.
Space Marine Honours - Iron Halo: The simple badge called the Iron Halo has its origins in the earliest days of the Imperium. Often painted onto an Astartes' armour as a red badge, the Iron Halo is the award granted for an exceptional battlefield leader and strategist.This award is given to those Battle-Brothers who demonstrate exceptional initiative. It is displayed on the shoulder armour or behind the helmet of the Astartes who has earned it as a mark of rank.
Space Marine Honours - Iron Skull: A traditional honour badge of ancient origin, the Iron Skull is awarded for the display of exceptional leadership in combat.It is the Codex Astartes-required insignia for a Space Marine Sergeant and is often displayed on the shoulder armour or helmet of an Astartes of this rank.The classical convention is to represent the Iron Skull as a red heraldic device.
Space Marine Honours - Imperialis: The Imperialis was originally the campaign badge used by the Loyalist Space Marine Legions during the Horus Heresy. Over time it has evolved into the "honour of righteous victory" and is awarded to any Space Marine who has participated in an honoured victory for his Chapter.Instead of being presented as a medal or badge, it is most commonly carved into the deserving Space Marine's chest plate, replacing the armour's standard Imperial Aquila symbol (if the Astartes is wearing Mark VI, Mark VII, VIII or X Power Armour).It can also be seen engraved on the weapons of Astartes who have earned the badge, and also on banners or atop their heraldry finnials.It is intended to represent both the Imperium of Man as a whole with the wings of the Aquila and the Emperor's sacrifice for humanity at the end of the Horus Heresy, which is embodied by the skull icon.
Space Marine Honours - Skull and Motto: In addition to the specific badge of the Iron Skull, there are many other icons and emblems which incorporate the skull, a common Imperil motif intended to represent the sacrifice made by the Emperor for humanity's sake during the Horus Heresy.As honours these decorations often have a multitude of uses and meanings. Often combined with simple mottoes, the skull honour can be seen on shoulder plates, helmets, knee plates and even on Bolter cases or vehicles.
Space Marine Honours - Prime Helix: The Prime Helix is the emblem of the Apothecaries of a Chapter.The bright red design represents both the gene-seed itself and, to some extent, the sacrifice every Space Marine is prepared to make to ensure the Chapter's future.
Space Marine Honours - Crux Terminatus: This is one of the most famous of all Space Marine icons. Only the honoured 1st Company Veterans of a Space Marine Chapter fight in suits of Terminator Armour and wear this badge.The symbol has various forms and designs but all versions are carved from great chunks of stone.Within each badge is bound an infinitesimal fragment of the suit of Power Armour worn by the Emperor during His climatic battle with the Arch-traitor Horus over ten millennia ago high above Terra.Sergeants and Captains bear modified versions of the design to signify their rank and authority.Smaller representations of the Crux are frequently worn by the Veterans when they fight in standard Power Armour to display their elite status. These small, metallic icons can be hung from banner tops, weapons and belts.
Space Marine Honours - Service Studs: Service Studs are small metallic rivets that are attached directly to an Astartes' cranium to record his years of service to his Chapter.A single stud records, 10, 50 or 100 Terran years of service depending on its design and the Chapter traditions.The awarding of service studs is described in the Codex Astartes but is not set out as an official requirement or regulation of the Chapter.In recent centuries the awarding of service studs has been on the decline and fewer Chapters continue the practice.
Space Marine Honours - Tattoos: Tattoos are not official Chapter honours but traditional markings derived from a Chapter's ancient practices. Some tattoos may even be vestiges of pre-Space Marine tribal markings or hive city gang affiliations.Space Marines are recruited from hundreds of different human cultures across the galaxy so it is no surprise to see this diversity reflected in some Astartes retaining the tattoos, scarification or warpaint of their homeworld's dominant peoples.
Space Marine Honours - Machina Opus: The Machina Opus is the mark of a Tech-priest Adept.It is awarded to each Techmarine after he completes his mysterious training with the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars in the science and technology of the Imperium.Bearers of the Machina Opus are accorded great respect by the Tech-priests and they alone are allowed free passage through the Red Planet's Ring of Iron and into the great workshops of the Martian hive cities and forges.
Space Marine Honours - Raptor Imperialis: The Raptor Imperialis was the first symbol used to represent the Imperium of Man during the Unification Wars.During the Great Crusade, after the adoption of the Imperial Aquila, it marked out a Terran-born veteran Space Marine who had once fought alongside the Emperor Himself.
Space Marine Honours - Other Known Honour Badges: Within the various Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, there exists a diverse assortment of honour badges, icons, titles and fetishes that are used to recognise Battle-Brothers of a specific Chapter.
Space Marine Honours - Executioners: Entry into the Chronicles of the Death-Speakers is considered a high honour in this Chapter.
Space Marine Honours - Fire Angels: Order of Martyrdom
Space Marine Honours - Fire Hawks: Enemy of Valour - This is the only known honour to be granted to enemy combatants by a Space Marine Chapter.Medallion Immolatus
Space Marine Honours - Lamenters: Writ Sanguinatus Mori
Space Marine Honours - Mantis Warriors: Sigil of Prophecy
Space Marine Honours - Marines Errant: Order of the Sundering Star
Space Marine Honours - Minotaurs: Bloody MantleRed Hand
Space Marine Honours - Novamarines: Order of Guilliman
Space Marine Honours - Raptors: Tenebrae Astra
Space Marine Honours - Salamanders: Order of the Fire of Ry'lan
Space Marine Honours - Sons of Medusa: Citation for Fortitude
Space Marine Honours - Star Phantoms: Laurel of EndurancePennant Specularis
Space Marine Honours - Ultramarines: Aquila - An honour badge proclaiming great wisdom. This badge is a miniature representation of the Emperor's Imperial Eagle.Eternium Ultra - There are few such revered relics in Ultramar as these. They mark an Ultramarines Battle-Brother of senior rank and esteemed position.Honorifica Valourum - Awarded in recognition of exceptional bravery during a notable battlesLaurel of DefiancePrincipex MaximaValour Crest - The right to bear a Valour Crest must be earned through acts of near suicidal bravery; the colours of the crest are often representative of the noble house of Ultramar from which many Ultramarines Aspirants are recruitedVictorex Alpha - Awarded for exceptional valourPersonal Heraldry - Every Ultramarines can ultimately develop his own heraldic crest if he survivies long enough to wrack up a string of impressive deeds.
Space Marine Honours - Army Campaign Badges: Space Marines often find themselves going into battle alongside other Imperial forces. The massed ranks of the Astra Militarum form the major portion of any allied contingent of Imperial forces and include huge tank divisions as well as enormous numbers of foot soldiers.When an army of the Imperium goes to war it is standard practice for the Imperial Commander or commanding general to choose a symbol to act as a campaign badge in accordance with the regulations set down in the Codex Astartes.This "field sign" is known as the Army Badge and serves to identify all the troops and equipment that are operating under a single command for a single campaign and helps with recognition of friendly units on the field of battle. The Army Badge is painted on Space Marine Power Armour and Astra Militarum vehicles alike.Each time a Space Marine applies the badge the recipient receives a blessing from the company Chaplain or from an attached member of the Imperial Ecclesiarchy if serving alongside one of the other Imperial armed forces.The Army Badge is deliberately designed to be quite straightforward and is an instantly recognisable symbol that functions as a battlefield identification. Space Marines generally apply the Army Badge to their right leg greave.The Army Badge is generally used for the duration of a single campaign and is removed or replaced at the successful conclusion of the campaign. If a squad, regiment or indeed an individual warrior has performed exceptionally in the campaign, the Army Badge may be incorporated onto their armour, uniform or heraldry as a permanent honour.This is particularly true of banners and standards and many of the lavish designs seen on Chapter, company and individual Astartes banners are, in part, derived from the Army Badges of previous campaigns.
Space Marine II - Space Marine II: Space Marine II, formally Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II, is a third-person shooter, hack-n-slash video game developed by Saber Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment as a sequel to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (2011).The game was released for PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox Series X and Series S on 9 September 2024. The game received generally positive reviews from critics.The game was released in Standard, Gold and Ultimate Editions. The Gold Edition was the same as the Standard Edition, but came with a "season pass" to provide the first year of post-launch DLC content and 4-days of early access. The Ultimate Edition contained everything in the Gold Edition but released with an Ultramarines Champions Pack that contained more cosmetic choices for the Ultramarines' power armour and bolt rifles.There was also a limited release, physical Collector's Edition which included all of the content of the Ultimate Edition as well as a painted 8.25 x 6.7" resin statue of Lieutenant Demetrian Titus, and a Collector's Edition Steelbook entitled The Art and Making of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II which was a 172-page art book showcasing the work used to develop the game.
Space Marine II - Gameplay: In Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II, the player engages enemies using a mix of both melee and ranged combat from a third-person perspective. The player controls Demetrian Titus, a Primaris Lieutenant of the Ultramarines Chapter and the returning protagonist from the first game.Titus is accompanied by fellow Primaris Space Marines Chairon and Sergeant Gadriel throughout the campaign, who can be controlled by other players in the game's cooperative multiplayer mode or by artificial intelligence (AI) in single player.The game utilises ranged combat when facing weaker enemies (such as Tyranid Gaunts), while hack and slash melee combat is required when fighting more powerful enemies (such as the Tyranid Warrior) that can block incoming projectile damage. Players can parry an opponent's attack, though some hostile attacks are unblockable and therefore must be dodged. Additionally, the player can fight alongside Astra Militarum foot soldiers controlled by the AI throughout sections of the game.Titus is protected by his power armour. When his armour breaks, his health will drop permanently when he is attacked. Health will only replenish when the player recovers medi-packs on the game's battlefield. His armour, however, will regenerate after Titus performs an execution attack on an enemy. If a character's health is depleted the character will drop to the ground and bleed out for 30 seconds during which other characters can revive them before they die.The game also supports a separate cooperative mode named "Operations," and three 6v6 competitive multiplayer modes (Annihilation, Seize Ground, and Capture and Control). Players can choose from six different Primaris Marine character classes and freely customise their player avatar with various cosmetic items.
Space Marine II - Development and Release: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II was announced on 9 December 2021 with a cinematic trailer at The Game Awards 2021. It was confirmed that Demetrian Titus was making his return and had become a Primaris Space Marine. The game would take place in Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe and featured the Ultramarines Chapter of Space Marines.The Tyranids were announced to be the primary featured enemies. It was also announced that the role of Titus had been recast (he had been voiced by [Mark Strong] in the original game), and that he would now be voiced by Clive Standen. A gameplay reveal was also shown at The Game Awards 2022.In June 2023, at Summer Game Fest 2023, it was confirmed the campaign would feature three player co-op with either other players or the game's AI controlling the characters and it was additionally revealed that the game was set for a "winter" 2023 release. A gameplay trailer was released at the end of August 2023, as well as confirmation that there would be a beta release.In September 2023, Games Workshop released a board game based on the upcoming game which included a miniature model of Demetrian Titus. In November 2023, Games Workshop and Wētā Workshop revealed several statuettes in the works, with one of them being a statuette of Titus with interchangeable weapons and heads.Space Marine II was originally scheduled to release for PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox Series X and Series S in 2023, before being delayed to 9 September 2024. In June 2024, developer Saber Interactive announced that the planned beta was cancelled in order to focus on getting the game ready for the delayed launch date.
Space Marine II - Reception: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. The game attracted more than 2 million players on its launch day.
Space Marine Landing Craft - Space Marine Landing Craft: The Space Marine Landing Craft is a super-heavy landing craft that is used by the Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes.This massive voidcraft is designed to quickly deliver troops, vehicles and supplies to a planet's surface from orbit, much like its smaller cousins the Thunderhawk gunship and the Thunderhawk Transporter.The main difference between these craft, however, is that the lander can carry entire detachments of Space Marines and their supporting vehicles, more than twice the complement of the Thunderhawk.
Space Marine Landing Craft - Deployment: The Space Marine Landing Craft is loaded with its cargo in cavernous hangers aboard Astartes starships in orbit, and once it leaves its parent ship powerful thrusters quickly propel the craft at speeds of several thousand kilometres a solar hour towards the surface, making it nearly impossible for enemy anti-air batteries to target it as it plummets through the atmosphere.The craft hurls itself at velocities impossible for all but a Space Marine to endure, and just seconds before hitting the ground ballistic charges blow away the disposable heat shields protecting the more vulnerable parts of the landing craft and the vehicles it is transporting.After the heat shields are cast aside the landing craft's powerful secondary engines and esoteric anti-grav devices are employed to rapidly slow down and level out the ship's descent, finally allowing it to touch down safely upon the surface.Before the lander even comes to a complete stop its many weapon systems swing into action, hatches slam open to allow the infantry inside to deploy and the hydraulic locking clamps holding any vehicles in place are released.Within twenty to thirty solar seconds of leaving the orbiting starship, the full capacity of the Space Marine Landing Craft can be on the ground and ready for combat, supported by the craft's mounted gun batteries. Due to the lander's massive size and the large amount of ammunition carried aboard, if a lander is hit during planetfall or destroyed after landing it will likely be completely annihilated, along with its entire cargo, producing a massive explosion capable of severely damaging anything caught in the blast.
Space Marine Landing Craft - Armament: The Space Marine Landing Craft is heavily armed to support disembarking troops and vehicles, and as long as it remains on the ground it can act as a mobile stronghold and fall-back point for all Astartes forces on-planet.The craft is armed with two sets of turret-mounted Lascannons, one located on each of its rear wings, above its main thrusters on the top of the ship's hull.The central spine of the lander is dotted with three remote-controlled pintle-mounted Storm Bolters for anti-infantry defense, and three sets of remote-controlled turret-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters that are located on the ship's wings and one near the cockpit.
Space Marine Landing Craft - Carrying Capacity: The Space Marine Landing Craft can carry a large number of units into combat including but not limited to:Internal Cargo Holds:60 individual Space Marines36 Space Marine Assault Bikes36 Scout Marine Scout Bikes12 Space Marine Attack Bikes30 Space Marine Terminators6 Space Marine DreadnoughtsExternal Hydraulic Clamps:4 Land Raider-class vehicles6 Rhino-class vehicles
Space Marine Landing Craft - Trivia: The Space Marine Landing Craft only appears in the Warhammer 40,000 specialist game EPIC 40,000.The craft, along with many other 6 milimetre scale EPIC-only units have yet to be made in the 28 milimetre scale used by Warhammer 40,000, and as such may no longer be considered canon.The Space Marine Landing Craft may be too large for the 28 milimetre scale, and as such may have been replaced with the Thunderhawk Transporter made by Forge World.
Space Marine Landing Craft - Sources: Epic: Armageddon (3rd Edition), pg. 84Games Workshop Webstore (No Longer Available)
Space Marine Legions - Space Marine Legions: The Space Marine Legions, or the Legiones Astartes in High Gothic, were the original unit formations of the Space Marines created during the First Founding by the Emperor of Mankind on Terra in the late 30th Millennium.This initial Founding happened before the start of the Great Crusade that reunited the scattered worlds of Humanity beneath the banner of the Imperium of Man, while the Unification Wars were still raging on Terra.At the start of the crusade, as the Legions were placed at the forefront of the Imperial expeditionary fleets that left Terra, the Astartes were renamed Space Marines and their formations the Space Marine Legions.Unlike the current Adeptus Astartes, who serve the Imperium of the 41st Millennium as a planetary assault and rapid strike force, the Space Marine Legions were the primary frontline military forces of the ancient Imperium of Man.This role changed after the Second Founding, when the Astra Militarum replaced the Legiones Astartes as the Imperium's frontline armed forces, relegating the much smaller Space Marine Chapters to a more specialised role as effectively special operations troops.
Space Marine Legions - Legion Organisation: The smallest formation within the "Logos Terra Militia" and therefore within the early Space Marine Legions was the squad. This consisted of a group of Astartes under the command of a non-commissioned officer with the rank of Sergeant.Squads varied widely in both size and specialisation, with the majority of the units ranging between 10 to 20 Space Marines. Conversely, very specialised squads such as reconnaissance units or those that had suffered heavy casualties might only consist of a handful of Space Marines in active service.The chain-of-command was simple and direct, and the Legions' officers, themselves mighty warriors, would lead their Astartes into battle personally as had long been the wont of the techno-barbarian tribes of Old Earth. The battle would always be taken to the enemy because to defeat a foe was never enough for the Legiones Astartes, only the utter destruction of an enemy of the Emperor counted as a victory.This cold logic, coupled with their inhuman strength and bearing, and the sheer dread they inflicted on friend and enemy alike, was to give the Space Marines one of their earliest appellations, and perhaps their most appropriate -- "the Angels of Death." It would be a name they would earn time and time again.
Space Marine Legions - Legion Structure: By the time of the outbreak of inter-Legionary hostilities during the Istvaan III Atrocity, the command and organisational structure of a Space Marine Legion was often more a mirror of the character and preferences of its Primarch and its abiding culture than formal writ.While certain formations and features were common as an outgrowth of practical manners such as deployment and logistics, their organisation and use was far from standardised. During the Great Crusade there were numerous terms for the internal constituent units of a Space Marine Legion, from largest to smallest: Great Companies, Regiments, Chapters, Battalions, Cohorts, Demi-Chapters, Companies, Squads and Maniples.Most often, the practical reality of their disposition would vary still more as terminology used within different Legions for equivalent ranks and specialisations bore the mark of the Legion's character rather than the desires of the Imperium's central administrators for a common nomenclature.In some cases this discrepancy increased as local languages and dialects such as Fenrisian or Khal'd had come to replace Imperial Terran (the forerunner of High Gothic). With these caveats in mind, the Strategic Disposition of a Space Marine Legion chart above describes the broad and most common structural basis of an Astartes Legion (as well as some of the more commonly used terminology of rank) in the latter half of the Great Crusade.
Space Marine Standard - Space Marine Standard: A Space Marine Standard is the sacred battle standard of a Space Marine Chapter or an individual Space Marine company and is usually displayed by the Chapter or company Honour Guard. These battle standards are possibly the most revered of all of a Chapter's artefacts. Each standard has proudly flown over hundreds of battlefields and every Battle-Brother will understand every nuance and historical reference that has been woven into their lavish designs. A Space Marine Standard is usually carried by a Veteran Astartes who bears the title of "Ancient."
Space Marine Standard - History: Since ancient times, standards have been used as an inflexible but mobile image, which displayed (and often honoured) as a formal, visual symbol of a powerful individual, nation, or military unit. Standards are often used as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of an army's commander. In the chaos of battle, soldiers needed to be able to determine where their surrounding unit was and to distinguish between friend and foe. The use of standards in battle is thought to have originated in Ancient Gyptus (Egypt) many millennia ago. The Romani Empire also made battle standards a part of their vast armies in the form of legion vexillum or standard poles. Their use was formalised in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, when standards were emblazoned with the commanding noble's coat of arms. As armies became more professionally trained and adopted set formations during the early modern period of the Age of Terra, each regiment's ability to maintain its formation was crucial to its, and its army's, success.The practice of carrying a standard into the heat of battle was re-instituted during the Wars of Unification in the late 30th Millennium to reunify Terra beneath the single rule of the Emperor of Mankind, by His ancient Thunder Warriors, gene-enhanced warriors created by the Emperor who served as the precursors to the present-day Space Marines. This tradition was continued amongst the Space Marines of the ancient Legiones Astartes. Often a hand-picked Veteran Marine was chosen to become his Legion's Standard Bearer, or Ancient. These specially-chosen individuals were consummate warriors, selected for the great honour of carrying one of the Legion's standards, making them a rallying point on the battlefield for the Legion's troops. These Astartes were members of Legion Command Squads, had access to the finest wargear available to the Space Marine Legion's rank-and-file and embodied the Legion's honour in war.
Space Marine Standard - Chapter Banners: Chapter Banners, or Ceremonial Standards, are the most sacred artefacts belonging to a Space Marine Chapter of the 41st Millennium. These banners are ancient and are only ever carried into battle by the appropriately named Chapter's Ancient. Each standard is an ancient relic, steeped in history and heavy with the glories of the Chapter. They bear the insignia of the Chapter, together with sacred motifs and battle honours acquired in past wars and campaigns. When not in battle, these ceremonial standards are usually hung in the Chapter's Reclusiam and revered as sacred embodiments of the fighting spirit of the Chapter. Many of these standards are ancient and venerable relics which have been carried into battle time and time again by generations of Astartes. Old, tattered and fragile banners are devoutly restored, and new battle honours added to them.The banner is as individual as the Chapter itself and there are few rules to govern its design. The Codex Astartes limits its comment on the Chapter Banner to simply saying that the standard should carry the colours and icon of the Chapter and should display such honours as the Chapter Master deems worthy. The specific design varies greatly from banner to banner, but all will evoke one of the Chapter's greatest triumphs or some other key moment from its long history.It is quite likely that a Chapter will in fact own a number of Chapter Banners although one, and only one, will be in use at any given time. This battle standard will have been consecrated by the Chapter's senior Chaplain and dedicated to the heroes of the Chapter's past, present and future. In battle the banner is used to inspire the Space Marines to superhuman feats of martial prowess and woe betide the enemy that threatens this holiest of relics. Eventually these banners age or are damaged beyond repair and will then be retired to grace the great hall of a Chapter's fortress-monastery. Furthermore, new Chapter banners may be fabricated to mark great victories or to honour mighty heroes who have fallen in battle. For a Chapter with a long history like one of the First Founding, there will be dozens of these venerable and venerated flags in the great hall, each one carefully preserved and honoured by the Space Marines.Every Chapter has its own heroic tales and legends associated with its battle standards. One such story concerns the banner of the Lamenters. After their involvement in the Badab War, their banner was but a tattered remnant, having been in the very midst of the worst fighting. When the Lamenters were granted the Emperor's forgiveness for their part in the rebellion, the banner was handed over to the Adeptus Sororitas to be restored and purified. Their handiwork was indeed inspired by the Emperor Deified, and it is said that they wept as they wove, contemplating the Emperor's great sacrifice for Humanity. The banner became known as the Banner of Tears and was taken with the Lamenters on their penitent crusade.
Space Marine Standard - Company Standard: Similarly, a Company Standard represents the honour of each individual company in a Chapter and its commanding officer. The Company Standard is a great source of pride for each company, and several traditions have developed around it, stemming back to ancient times. Each standard is a relic, steeped in history and heavy with the glories of the Chapter, and every Space Marine, from the most inexperienced recruit to the hoariest veteran, fights all the harder in its august presence. The Company Ancient is trusted never to let his banner out of his grip while he still draws breath -- to do otherwise is to invite the most terrible and shameful dishonour. Any sort of disgrace towards a Company Standard is considered a grave dishonour, especially to those who would dare to desecrate or steal a standard, which is considered one of the basest of treacheries. In the heat of battle, the Company Standard is used as a rallying point during the din and confusion of war, and often times serves to boost morale and inspire a company's Battle-Brothers to great feats of valour.
Space Marine Standard - Sacred Standard: When a Chaplain marches to war, he often leads a Reclusiam Command Squad. Assigned to one of the ten companies of the Chapter, he is a commanding figure on the battlefield. As an overseer of sacred rites and a conductor of solemn rituals, a Chaplain is vitally important to the strength and morale of his company. The Standard Bearer of a Reclusiam Command Squad has the honour of carrying a Sacred Standard into battle, a worthy and honoured burden. This ancient standard embodies the faith and resolution of a Chapter's Battle-Brothers and helps bolster their resolve against the most dire of foes. As each Chaplain is one of the keepers of the Chapter's Reclusiam, the shrine within a Chapter's fortress-monastery, this means that many of the company's most sacred relics are under his stewardship. The bearer of such items feels the shades of Battle-Brothers long past looking down in judgement and approval. A company has many banners, and a Chaplain may authorise the Standard Bearer to bring out one of the oldest and most glorious banners in order to inspire his Battle-Brothers against a particularly potent enemy.
Space Marine Standard - Back Banners: The display of Back Banners is a manifestation of many Chapters' conception of war. Any Battle-Brother can be equipped with a telescopic aerial on his backpack, complete with integral Chapter, specialist or squad banner. These banners are used on ceremonial occasions, and are often displayed in battle to help identify specialist units. It is common practice for one member of each squad to display his banner, which acts as a focal point for the rest of the squad, and marks its progress on the battlefield. Volunteering to display the banner is considered an act of heroism and a privilege eagerly sought.An outstanding example of this has been passed down in a legend dating back to the 30th Millennium during the time of the Great Crusade. Several Astartes detachments from different Legions had been assembled for the final assault on the enemy positions, but victory was by no means assured; the battle, and consequently the outcome of the war, was held in the balance. It was as if the gods of war were witholding their judgement, and were waiting to see which side was most worthy of victory. Then the divine inspiration of the Emperor of Humanity descended upon the commander of the detachment, and he gave the order; "Let the banners be flown, for this is the moment of destiny." Thereupon, in each and every unit along the entire battle line, the Astartes' heraldic Back Banners were unfurled, and it was as if a great wave had rushed along the ranks. Then the commander gave out a cry saying, "The gods of war are with us!" The entire line advanced with weapons firing and the victory was ultimately won.
Space Marine Standard - Sources: Chapter Approved: The Second Book of the Astronomican (2001), "Sisters of Battle - Ministorum Wargear," & "Ultramarines Special Characters," by Andy Chambers, pp. 8, 120-121Codex Adeptus Astartes - Space Marines (8th Edition), pp. 66-67, 200Codex: Angels of Death (2nd Edition), pp. 44, 53Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 22, 44, 81, 88, 124, 127Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pp. 23, 55Codex: Ultramarines (2nd Edition), pp. 31, 57, 64Dataslate: Reclusiam Command Squad, pg. 9The Horus Heresy - Book Five: Tempest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 86, 106The Horus Heresy - Book Seven: Inferno (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 86, 153Warhammer 40,000: Compendium (1st Edition), "Index Astartes - Codex Imperialis: Standards," pg. 137White Dwarf 405 (UK), "Reclusiam Command Squad"Legion of the Damned (Novel) by Rob Sanders, Ch. 1, pg. 34
Space Marines - Origins: The Space Marines are the Imperium of Man's supreme, transhuman warriors. Genetically-enhanced to be the ultimate soldiers of Mankind, they are far stronger and more resilient than ordinary Human beings. Space Marines are organised into roughly a thousand Chapters, with each Chapter numbering approximately 1000 warriors organised into ten companies of 100 troops each.Each Chapter is a self-sufficient Imperial army, equipped with its own spacecraft and capable of responding at a moment's notice to any threat to the security of the Imperium. Every Chapter is fiercely proud of its history and achievements, and each one has its own distinctive colours and heraldic markings. These were established at the Chapter's Founding and are displayed with pride upon all of its armour and vehicles.All of the wargear of the Space Marines is painstakingly maintained, and many items are covered in lines of intricately rendered devotional script in High Gothic, each line detailing a battle honour won in a glorious campaign.A Space Marine is a towering, transhuman warrior, his brute strength tempered by inhuman skill. He is armed with the fearsome Bolter, a blessed weapon that fires devastating, mass-reactive shells that explode within the flesh of the target.He is protected by a suit of power armour, shielding him from the fiercest of enemy fire whilst simultaneously strengthening his blows and allowing him to survive the most hostile of environments.He is the product of intensive training and genetic manipulation, which transforms mortal men selected from the deadliest warrior races in the known galaxy into the most lethal of superhuman killing machines in Mankind's arsenal.
Space Marines - The Thunder Warriors: The Space Marines can trace their origins back to the Unification Wars on Terra in the late 30th Millennium, when the Emperor of Mankind first revealed His existence and led regiments of deadly genetically-engineered soldiers known as Thunder Warriors in a great campaign to unite all of the myriad techno-barbarian tribes and nation-states of Old Earth under his rule.From the outset of his retaking of Terra, the Emperor employed genetically modified warriors within His forces and in these early enhanced troops lay the origins of what would later become the Space Marine Legions. During the Age of Strife, known as "Old Night" on Terra, the cradle of Mankind had seen more than its fair share of augments and "super" soldiers created both from the bio-alchemy of genetic engineering and cybernetic augmentation.But it was the Emperor's own Thunder Warriors, named for the early thunderbolt and raptor's head heraldry used by their master in the Imperium's earliest days, that were to prove superior to all of them.These superhuman warriors were a gestalt mix of unprecedented superhuman physical power, gene-programmed resistance to environmental and even psychic attack, a warlike spirit and the Emperor's own strategic genius. The Thunder Regiments were an army unlike any that had come before them, and the forces of the powerful tyrants of Old Earth had nothing to match them.This Unification of Humanity's homeworld marked the beginning of the Imperium of Man and the Emperor's quest to reunite all of Humanity under a single interstellar government.This quest was intended to prevent His species' extinction from the growing threats which confronted the Human-settled galaxy in the wake of the Age of Strife. But despite their many early victories in the Unification Wars, the Thunder Warriors were far from perfect.Some were mentally unstable, others suffered catastrophic biological failure after an unprecedented span of years as their own superhuman physiques turning against them in the end.It seems obvious in retrospect that the Emperor knew early on that a more permanent and stable force of genetically enhanced warriors was needed, so even while the Thunder Warriors waged war in their early days the Emperor gathered about Him a team of savants and gene-wrights, some willing and others as captives taken from His foes, and constructed new genetics laboratories deep in the vast dungeons of the former Sigillite fortress He had taken on His own beneath the Himalazian (Himalayan) Mountains.Labour there went on for solar decades in absolute secrecy and resulted in the creation of the primarchs and other wonders of gene-craft known and unknown. Foremost amongst these were the Space Marine Legions, the Legiones Astartes.Into their creation went all the secret history and genetic lore of the Age of Strife, hard wisdom gained through the success and failure of the Thunder Warriors and the Emperor's own unparalleled genius.
Space Marines - Crusade and Expansion: As the Great Crusade continued the expansion of the nascent Imperium into the galaxy, the discovery of the primarchs and their newly adopted homeworlds helped to stem an impending crisis that was not widely known of at the time outside of the exalted ranks of the Imperium's ruling War Council.Namely, the diminishing stability of the gene-seed itself through over-use and the increasing need for ever greater numbers of Space Marines in the field.This was a matter that only worsened as the Great Crusade pushed ever wider afield into the galaxy. Imperial forces could no longer be concentrated as easily as before, and attrition was taking its toll as years of near-constant battle became solar decades.To relent the pace of the Great Crusade's progress was for the Emperor simply not an option and so the simple truth was that more Space Marines were needed and they needed to be created faster than before.A secret conclave of gene-wrights under the Emperor's direct supervision posited the solution that became known as Grabiya's Theorem, which demonstrated that a primarch's genetic code could be used to stabilise and expand Astartes gene-seed stocks with what was hoped to be "minimal deviation."Alongside this accelerated gene-culturing technique, other previously unavailable genetic technologies, many taken from the Selenar gene-cults of Luna, were put into effect, reducing the processing time required to create a battle-worthy Space Marine to a single Terran year in some cases.Such accelerated gene-seed techniques, along with absent, inadequate or over-forceful psycho-indoctrination techniques, were later found to have unseen fundamental flaws.Many Imperial savants since have come to believe that the drive to create larger Space Marine Legions at accelerated speed played a prime role in the degradation of the sanity and psychological make-up of certain Legions and paved the way for the horror that was to come.