Salamanders - Specialist Formations: Pyre Guard - When Vulkan was reunited with his Legion on Nocturne, he saw the potential in his few remaining Terran sons. From amongst these survivors he chose the most stoic and fiercely independent warriors; those who had endured the worst of the XVIII Legion's trials and tribulations throughout the early years of the Great Crusade before he had been reunited with them. From these chosen few, the Primarch founded the Pyre Guard, his personal Honour Guard; charged with the protection of their Primarch and to act as his inner circle of advisors. Set apart from the other warriors of the XVIII Legion, all seven members of the vaunted Pyre Guard were without equal. These individual warriors were hungry, ready for war. Like the deep drakes of Vulkan's homeworld, they were savage and fierce, sharp of claw and tooth. The members of the Pyre Guard were not like other Salamanders; they had more fire, more fury. Like the volcanoes of ancient Nocturne, the great jagged chains of the Dragonspike and Mount Deathfire, they were perpetually on the brink of eruption. Even the warriors of the Pyroclasts were not as volatile. The Pyre Guard were chosen warriors, those that displayed a level of self-sacrifice and self-sufficiency that exceeded all others. Like the saburai of old Nihon, they were fighters foremost, who could ally as a unit or function expertly on their own. They were also leaders, and each Pyre Guard commanded a Chapter of the Legion in addition to their duties as the Primarch's inner circle warriors. Though Terran-born, these elite warriors still displayed the physical traits of onyx-black skin and red eyes, an irreversible reaction to the unique radiation of Nocturne combined with the genetic heritage of their Primarch, which every Salamander, regardless of origin, possessed. The Pyre Guard's number always stood at seven, a number of great cultural significance to the people of Nocturne. When they marched to war with their Primarch, every one of their personal weapons was forged by its bearer, and every one could spit fire like the drakes of old. It is unknown at present if the Pyre Guard formation survived the end of the Horus Heresy as an active organisation in the reformed Salamanders Chapter.Pyroclasts - Shunning conventional Legion Destroyer units in his Legion, save for a small cadre retained for xenocide operations, due to the unclean nature of the weapons they wielded, Vulkan created the Pyroclasts to fulfil the role of bringers of utter destruction, creating for them advanced and extremely powerful thermal/incendiary weapons of his own devising. They Pyroclasts embody the Promethean mantra: destruction and renewal through purification by cleansing fire. In battle the Pyroclasts were relentless and remorseless, and where they were unleashed there could be no possibility of mercy nor reprieve from their cleansing flames.Legion Breacher Siege Squads - Breacher squads were a valuable component of Salamanders Legion Companies; often deployed at the spearhead of any attack, or as the core of any defensive line. Given this onerous duty, it was a position of honour to be chosen to fight among their ranks in the Legion. Induction was only granted after a gruelling series of trials which culminated with the hunting of one of Nocturne's legendary salamanders and the forging of a shield incorporating the beast's iron hard bones and resilient scales.Legion Terminator Squad - Selected from amongst the finest warriors and craftsmen their companies had to offer, the personal bodyguards of the Legion's Lords Protector who commanded its Realms stood as an embodiment of the principles of the Promethean Cult. These indomitable fighters invariably won many honours, and these victories were celebrated on the superlative suits of Terminator Armour they wore and which were passed down to their elite descendants in the Chapter after the Second Founding.