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It is a time of hidden conflict and secret warfare; when battle-lines were drawn and re-drawn between brother and brother. This is a record of those times, set forth by autolocutor Apologist.

The ancient and crumbling Apocrypha of Davio, a relic of the Second Founding, lists eight successor Chapters to the Thirteenth Legion.

The later Apocrypha of Skaros states there were twenty-three successors to the Ultramarines, but does not list them all...

Herein lies the tale of the brethren of the Praetors of Calth.


The Apaesians, Squad II; Agonistes Company; XV Chapter, XIII Legion.

First off, this is my new log for a big ol' project that I'll be working on for the next few months – some Ultramarines of the XVth Chapter.

My goals for this project are:
1) Improve my freehand and greenstuff skills
2) Develop an attractive army with a backstory that links in with existing canon to satisfy my inner fluffhound.
3) Stick to existing canon where possible, and make up fitting stuff where I want to do something fun and new.

For this reason (and also because I'm sick to the back teeth of painting red), I thought I'd go for a pre-heresy Ultramarines army. The backstory will be developed (and justified) as I go, but the bare bones are that this army represents the fifth company of the fifteenth chapter of the Legion, who bear the honorific the Praetors of Calth, led by Chapter Master Titus Orpheus Agonistes.

After the heresy, the veterans of this force will form the basis of the successor chapter the Praetors of Orpheus – but at the moment, they are simply some of the first of the new Ultramarines drawn from Macragge at the start of the Great Crusade.

I'm sticking to Codex markings as far as I can see, which means that they'll be blue with gold trim (all the Ultramarines in the Visions series of artbooks have gold trim rather than company trim), and will use archaic versions of the Insignium Astartes (since the Codex Astartes hasn't been codified yet).

The left shoulder of each Space Marine will bear personal heraldry based around the Legion symbol, as I want to reinforce the idea that each Space Marine is a hero in and of himself.

Well, there's the ambition – let's see if I can do it justice!


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Brother Neosebius is shown wearing a version of Mark II plate produced in the Macragge system, with an enclosed respirator and removable faceplate on the helm; and the hooped and reinforced 'lorica segmentum' torso plate popular among the Ultramarines.


While there are armour Marks in use during the Great Crusade, these broad designations actually cover a bewildering array of interchangable pieces of equipment, and there was near-constant development on armour in the fabricata of Mars.

Both distant from Terra and with the most successful recruitment rate of any legion, the Ultramarines artificers were hard-pressed to keep their ever-expanding and crusading troops in armour. Many local worlds offered tribute in the form of manufacture, and only the Ultramarines keen governance kept their troops well-armed and equipped as the Crusade wore on.

Nevertheless, older armour marks were frequently pressed into service, particularly by reserve forces; and the Ultramarines are believed to be the first Legion to experiment with lighter non-powered armour for their recon and scout units – whether by necessity or design will probably never be known, but the freeing up of additional equipment certainly kept front-line troops well-protected.

Loks great keep posting. Show WIP photos of thos emarines. Lovely work.

ender502

An exciting project. Great looking Marines. Can you post pics of some of their individual heraldry?

Can you post pics of some of their individual heraldry?

Voila!

Eumon:


Telion:


Atlion 'Straightback':


Neosebius:


Santiagon:


Cerberon:


Neophrast:



Young Holion:


Myrmion:


Iophilus:



...and Santiagon's torso heraldry.

You're over here as well huh! Keep up the good work man!

wait, what? those are yours?
And you only post them NOW? dude, not cool!!

ive been following your progress and I must say, that this is truly awesome. That helmet design youre using is simply of the hook and the whole "personal heraldry" theme really adds great character to the individual squad members. superb, simply superb.

I really love these guys. Lots of awesome fluff in there too. I would love to see each member get a short piece about them ^_^. At the very least explaining the heraldry some!

Wow ! they are freakin awesome !
i especially like Atlion 'Straightback' he looks cool

they dont make em like they use to .. pre hersery marines wow. These are by far the coolest ultramarines I have ever seen. So impressed.

grey_death wrote:I really love these guys. Lots of awesome fluff in there too. I would love to see each member get a short piece about them ^_^. At the very least explaining the heraldry some!

Careful what you wish for!
Apologies for the missing images; but here's a collection of the ongoing material I've been writing to develop these guys and get some ideas going. If you want to see the accompanying piccies, I'm afraid you'll have to go off-site, as relinking 'em would take far too much time!

Nevertheless, hope it's an enjoyable read:

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Brother Neosebius is shown wearing a version of Mark II plate produced in the Macragge system, with an enclosed respirator and removable faceplate on the helm; and the hooped and reinforced 'lorica segmentum' torso plate popular among the Ultramarines.

While there are armour Marks in use during the Great Crusade, these broad designations actually cover a bewildering array of interchangable pieces of equipment, and there was near-constant development on armour in the fabricata of Mars.

Both distant from Terra and with the most successful recruitment rate of any legion, the Ultramarines artificers were hard-pressed to keep their ever-expanding and crusading troops in armour. Many local worlds offered tribute in the form of manufacture, and only the Ultramarines keen governance kept their troops well-armed and equipped as the Crusade wore on.

Nevertheless, older armour marks were frequently pressed into service, particularly by reserve forces; and the Ultramarines are believed to be the first Legion to experiment with lighter non-powered armour for their recon and scout units – whether by necessity or design will probably never be known, but the freeing up of additional equipment certainly kept front-line troops well-protected.

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Brother Gabulus wears a standard Mark II helm, which has probably been recently issued. Like many of the new Chapters of the Ultramarines newly raised from Macragge, the 15th were equipped in part by Mechanicus thralls from nearby Forgeworlds, meaning that marines wearing relatively old equipment were seen fighting side-by-side with the latest equipment, even from the very start of the Crusade.
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This marine, identifed by vid-capture as Brother Neosebius, is armed with a M31. Mars Pattern Mark IV boltgun. This benefits from numerous technologies gleaned from the Great Crusade, and as such will operate effectively in hard vacuum, submerged, or even covered in gelatinous mud.
Effective links to the Mark II autosenses have recently been discovered, and this has reduced the need for bulky armoured cabling on the forearms
Note the sheaf of Meditation Notes tucked under the non-standard hip shield. Peculiar to the Ultramarines, these notes are hand-scriven copies of the Primarch's teachings; copied out by the marine for inspiration and to focus the individual's efforts.
Most importantly, Guilliman's Meditation Notes ritually bind the individual to the squad, the squad to the company, and the company to the Legion, ensuring that each marine knows his vital role in the workings of the Great Crusade.
The act of scrivening is an important ritual to the Ultramarines, helping them to focus their minds on the immediate task at hand, and many carry favourite quotations, inscribed on toughened leather, into battle. This serves to remind them to drive for success, courage and honour.
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Sergeant Santiagon is a Terran veteran, and wears artificer-altered Mark I armour. He is armed with a traditional Chalybes-pattern sword, known in Macragge dialect as a spatho, and a Mars-pattern mark II bolt pistol, sleeker and lighter than the standard.

Since Space Marines need fear few small arms the various Xeno species of the galaxy bear, he wears a rallying banner. These are common amongst the Legions of the Astartes and are mounted on a telescopic and retractable pole. Banners are worn in open warfare as a means of identifying friendly squads in the midst of battle. The designs are by no means standard, but the XV Chapter banners commonly bear the squad's personal heraldry – in this case, the honorific: Apaesians, to commemorate the first leader of the squad.
The skull at the base of the backpack and on the banner boss marks Santiagon out as a squad leader, and the wreath on the boss marks him as having won the Imperial laurel for courage.
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This detail of an Astartes identified as Brother Cerberon helps illustrate how quickly Space Marine armour was developed, and how its interchangable nature led to a hotch-potch appearance in units far from resupply.

This early crusade-issue power pack shows the older reinforced cabling necessary on the early Mark II suits, but the lower part of the pack is clearly one of the more up-to-date.

Hard to damage but difficult to repair, the Crusade suits of power armour were often jury-rigged by artificers to use sections of older patterns or marks following battle damage. This practise led to many individual Astartes, and even whole legions – particularly the more superstitious, like the White Scars and Space Wolves – refusing to swap their reliable older mark armour for new plate, and ending up with patchwork hybrid suits.
Alert and ready, Cerberon clears dirt from his boltgun in the field. Note the distinctive hooped armour of the Macragge-pattern Mark II Lorica armour.

This particular variant of the Crusade Suit benefitted from advanced power relays that ran perpendicular to, and underneath, the horizontal hoops of armour – as opposed to the Mars-pattern Mark II armour, which had a vertical power reley running up the centre and outside of the hoops.

The Macragge-pattern was advanced and effective, but the integrated relay method of construction made it almost impossible to repair. In addition, the relays could not support as much raw weight, meaning that the sur-plate that covered the upper torso had to be abandoned to prevent fatal heat build-up, reducing the effacity of the armour by as much as six per cent to direct force trauma.
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It is standard practise amongst the Thirteenth Legion to have a squad leader under the direct command of the sergeant. Having demonstrated inititative, fieldcraft abilities, understanding of strategic and tactical elements and command potential even above regular Astartes, these warriors are fully capable of effectively commanding their brethren in the field of battle. This is eased by every Ultramarine's spectacular resourcefulness and discipline.
Wearing an Honorific belt buckle taken from a suit of Thunder Armour, Squad Leader Eumon appears to be directing his brethren's fire. Note the frag and krak grenades slung from his belt and the Meditation Notes pinned to his shoulder pauldron.
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All Space Marines are trained in the use of specialist weaponry, but those who show particular aptitude tend to be assigned squad support weaponry, such as Brother Atlion, known as 'Straightback'. Unfortunately, the records of this particular marine are lost, and the origin of this appelation are unknown. Indeed, it is only through indirect records in the Apocrypha that we know his name and heraldry at all; the Hyponian Hololith having been damaged at some unknown date.

This is a particular shame, as the presence of the Imperialis (winged skull) on his chest was later to become the campaign badge for the Loyalist forces during the Horus Heresy – and this seems to be the earliest recorded instance of its use.

Note the reinforced cabling below the arms. Despite suspensors and power-augmented strength, this mark of Heavy Bolter (Braun VI Malfeasance) was near-impossible to control under fire, and only the very strongest marines could hope to use it with any accuracy. Additional power cabling and improved couplings helped somewhat, but it was still far from ideal.
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This pict-capture shows a marine with his helmet removed. The Macragge-pattern helm was based on an incomplete STC that showed extremely advanced autosenses, including terrorsight extended IR vision and Eocene aural pick-ups, which bypassed the eardrum and transmitted sound through the jawbone. In conjunction with the Lyman's ear, this development gave wearers incredibly acute hearing – including in hard vacuum, when marines could transmit by touching another's armour and allowing the autosenses to pick up microvibrations.

Although initial tests were promising, the autosenses were bulky and easily damaged. This led to the development of the distinctive faceplate. Unfortunately, the retrospective development of the STC led to an extremely temperamental helm, which got locked open or closed, shut down involuntarily, and whose filtration and gaseous exchange systems periodically got clogged.

This was generally put down to dust and grit infiltrating the expanded joints but through historical research, senior Techpriests can now explain this as improper incantations and supplications to the machine spirits.

This probably explains why the marine (tentatively identified as Brother Iophilus) has removed his helmet; though it is possible it has become damaged in battle. Note also the bolter strap (commonly discarded) and colligative rebreather. While not necessary on the majority of the planets in the Hypon system, the Ultramarines were sticklers for form and commonly took additional equipment into battle. This turned out to be extremely fortunate in the J'rel Incident, when the orks released huge quantities of an extremely deadly nerve toxin – countered only by the Ultramarines having pre-prepared osmotic gills and other filtration agents.
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The use of specialist weaponry is common amongst the Astartes. This marine bears a Sigur-pattern flamethrower. This long-snouted weapon projects a sheet of burning promethium over a greater distance than the more common Annihilator-pattern.
This pict-capture shows the bulky fuel tank of the Sigur. Due to this, and the unwieldy extended projector, this pattern of flamer fell out of favour for close-in work.
Gabulus warns his brethren back as he investigates the remnants of a burnt-out building. Note his armour plate – this is the newly-developed Mark III Armorum Ferrum, commonly known as Iron Armour. Providing increased protection against attacks from the front arc, this visually brutal suit of armour is of great use to assault and recon fireteams, who must close with the enemy.
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Brother Noctem
The relatively primitive comms units of the first Imperial units were sufficient for inter-squad communication and relays to higher command in the Wars of Unification and the begininning of the Crusade. However, as more developed and species were encountered, the Expedition fleets started to find their primitive communications hacked, deciphered and scrambled, which led to stinging defeats.

Crusade Armour, developed by Martian techpriests who were conversant with such strategies, was largely immune to conventional electronic warfare tactics; but even the Astartes fearsome training and high-quality equipment was not immune to foes such as the Cuprean Hegemony; the Steel Warriors of Oneida or the Ancient Eldar, with their psychic-based communications.

Much like weapons discipline, all Astartes train in battlefield communications; and much like weapons specialists, Astartes squads often have communications specialists. In the Ultramarines, this position is known as a Fryktoroi, derived from the old Macragge custom of lighting beacons. The Aepesians' Fryktoroi has been tentatively identified as Brother Noctem.
This pict-capture shows Brother Noctem's advanced Mars-pattern Mark II. Note the additional piping around the faceplate, which houses the sonic baffles and semantic encryption cabling. Visible over the top of his boltgun is an honorific shield. No records remain of the reason for this award.
The bulky scytale vox-suite integrated into Noctem's backpack is obvious from this angle. Note the Herodotus Deception Vane and Faraday Cipher Projector; as well as the OFM-Aegis of the microband receptors below them, which provided the fryktoroi with aggressive nullification of psychic abilities below Theta-level – a vital defence against the low-level psychics of species like the Kk-kk and the Salamon Lien in the era before the implementation of the Librarius divisions.

The additional heat this equipment generates necessitates an additional heat sink vane, visible below the normal right-hand vane. Nevertheless, this heat build-up often unfortunately allowed the enemy to detect the Astartes and his squad, and once the equipment was developed sufficiently, the scytale backpack fell away into disuse, replaced by the more advanced systems that were so small that they could be integrated into Mark IV plate.

The shot also shows a set of magnoculars to the lower left. Non-standard kit for comms specialists, this again demonstrates the fearsome preparation and redundancy the Ultramarines practised.

This final pict-capture shows Noctem issuing a silent hand signal with his left hand. Macragge field signals are as ancient as human habitation of the system, and were traditionally used to hunt beasts and game. Guilliman integrated traditional the fieldcraft of the people into his legion, keen to use simple systems that were time-honoured and proven.

Two fingers pointing down indicates danger ahead – in this case, we know an ork ambush was waiting. The orks were surrounded and neutralised by the Aepesians in short order, thanks to support and info relayed in from surrounding augers to Noctem.

Fryktoroi provided their brethren with protection from electronic attack, kept them shielded from passive enemy scans and maintained communications with high command, in addition to their regular duties as assault forces. It is only due to the high training and abilities of the Astartes that this heavy burden could be maintained near-indefinitely.

Nevertheless, the role of fryktoroi fell away into tradition once the advanced Mark IV battleplate was issued, which allowed all marines access to tightband secure communications and improved electronic warfare by a quantum level to the Astartes – another example of the difficulties and primitive equipment that with which mankind began to conquer the galaxy.
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Hand outstretched behind him to ward back the Hyponian Army officer, Telycon carries a mark II boltgun. Note the primitive handgrip.

Of course, even Astartes are dwarfed by some of their fighting vehicles: Standing three times the height of a man, Dreadnoughts are feared by all foes of the Imperium. On the battlefield they are death incarnate, with powerful weapons blasting their foes and lethal close combat weaponry crackling with deadly energies. There are few opponents in the galaxy who can stand against such armoured savagery.
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Veteran Brother Eumon:
Brother Eumon is shown here directing the fire of his brethren. Note the jury-rigged steel plate across the vulnerable piping of the Mark II armour, and the black halo encircling the inverted omega of the Ultramarines on his Thunder Armour belt buckle. This represents the fleet of Macragge, and indicates Eumon has crewed a starship.

Numerous medallions, honorifics and details cover his breastplate: his right as a veteran.

Eumon's personal heraldry shows the diagonal split of Calth, with a gold and black cogged background indicating his support by one of the Techniclans. This is surmounted by a red Iron Halo, marking him out as a squad leader.

Note also the Meditations - two sets mark him out as particularly devoted to the teachings of the Primarch.

This angle shows the Legion heraldry - the inverted Omega of the Ultramarines. Inside this is the squad number. To the lower left is the Chapter number (in this case, 15), and to the lower right is the squad designation: tactical.

Note also Eumon's personalised boltgun, inscribed with 'Calth'. Numerous members of the Fifteenth Chapter were drawn from the militaristic areas of Calth, which gave the Chapter its honorific: The Praetors of Calth.

In Eumon's case, he is almost certainly a Terran veteran, and this boltgun casing may have been granted to him by an admiring artificer, as a personal gift from one of his brethren, or as an honour granted by his Captain on his promotion to squad leader.
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A veteran of the Colchis Insurrection and the Klade campaigns, Neophrast is the oldest member of the Aepesians. His tactical knowledge spans from ice-world to desert plains, and he has been involved in the execution of twelve sentient species, consigning them to the dataslates of the Remembrancers.

Note the army badge on the left hip plate rather than the (more common) knee. The Wreathed Skull denotes the Pacification of Twelve-Forty Two, also known as Hypon.
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Sergeant Santiagon:

This pict-capture documents the execution of Dregsnaga Wortgutz, a relatively minor ork personality who had been placed in charge of the enslaved populace of Scythia, Hypon's third largest continent.

Santiagon is marked out as a sergeant by a number of details. Wreathed shoulder trims were a common marker of status at this time, and the Iron Halo honorific – a red skull – is shown as part of his tactical markings on his left shoulder pauldron and on his backpack.

He has also incorporated a red halo into his personal heraldry, which combines the blue and white of the Legion with the halo of Calth. Despite hailing from Macragge, Santiagon has clearly embraced his brethren's protectiveness towards Calth.

Proof of his Macraggian heritage is drawn from his pure iron service stud (other worlds in Ultramar utilise other materials for such honorifics), and also the skull wreathed by the Wings of Ultramar (a winged inverted omega) on his chestplate.
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Brother Cerberon
Adjusting the iron sights on his boltgun, the segmented hoops of Mark II Crusade armour are clear to see. Devoid of decoration except for a simple Legion symbol, Cerberon is a good example of a stalwart Ultramarine.

Partially obscured by battle damage, Cerberon's heraldry depicts an inverted Omega with three red dots, symbolising the Three Planets: Quintarn, Tarentus and Masali. Records have been partially lost for Cerberon's heritage, but a tentative supposition of Tarentian heritage can be made due to the red upper part of the omega.

Additional hosing and a third heat sink made the Triple Mark (as the backpacks produced in the Tarentian manufactories became known) a rugged and reliable (if ugly) piece of equipment.
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Brother Iophilus of the Ciconians
Armed with the indefaticable Mark I boltgun and equipped with Mark III Ferrum armour powered by the bulky Terran Mark I backpack, Iophilus cuts a striking figure, typical of the courageous and aggressive Ciconians.

A Talassarian, Iophilus honours Guilliman with the red and white section of his heraldry, held above all; Calth with the Blue and Black section, at the rear of his armour as a symbol of protection; and Talassar with the Blue and White section, held forward with pride.

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Brother Myrmion of the Ciconians
A Calthan, Myrmion is highly honoured and traditional, preferring to augment his Crusade armour than swap to one of the newer patterns. Such minor superstitions are common and indulged – or at least overlooked – by superiors.

Note the shield honorific with silver half-wreathed Legion symbol, indicative of assumed command of allied forces in battle. Marines are often called upon to lead human troops due to casualty or for special missions, and the silver half-wreath implies a successful and casualty-free completion.

Full of bonhomie, Myrmion is well-liked by his brethren. Typical of Myrmion's good humour is his heraldry – a red Legion symbol surmounted by an M. In the Ultramarines' heraldry, an M typically refers to the thousand brethren of the Astartes' Chapter; but in Myrmion's case it is more likely to be a reference to his name!

Astartes are not above pride, but Myrmion has tempered his joke by making sure the M does not overbear the Legion symbol; instead adopting a humble asymmetry – and wearing the legend Calth above all as a final symbol of his courage and honour above pride.

'Orkbane', as the Chapter Master was now known, was keen to drive on to new systems and bring the light of Imperial Truth to the numerous human worlds still locked in Old Night.

Following the compliance of the Hypon system, a new tithe was put in place on the planets and the fleet dipped back into the Immaterium, heading for the Mordant Zone. The 3903rd Expedition was engaged in supressing orks on 3903-403, known as 'Alsanta'; and there were known to be numerous human worlds in the region.

With the Praetors of Calth having filled their casualties from the recruits, the roll-call is known to contain the following notable squads, drawn from the Apocrypha of Davio. This artefact gives an interesting insight not only into naming conventions, but also the world of origin of the various members. Guilliman was known to encourage a diverse mix of troops.

The Ciconians
Sergeant Mox – Macraggian
Kaeso Half-hundred – Macraggian
Myrmion – Macraggian
Pisentius – Talassarian
Fulgor Abraxas – Iaxian
Caldo – Macraggian
Mercution – Triple System (Quintarn)
Teletas – Terran
Iophilus – Calthan
Hetus – Macraggian

The Apaesians
Sergeant Santiagon – Macraggian
Eumon – Calthan
Atlion Straightback – Macraggian
Neosebius – Calthan
Cerberon – Triple System (Tarentus)
Neophrast – Terran
Telyon the Determined – Calthan
Eynon of the Fell – Prandium
Martianus – Macraggian
Young Holion – Talassarian

The Locrians
Sergeant Epipatros – Calthan
Eudox – Macraggian
Isathon – Terran
Vibius – Macraggian
Titus Dio – Iaxian
Albus of Iax – Iaxian
Ganymon – Calthan
Neoprotos – Calthan
Telacos – Macraggian
Caius of the Furlong – Prandian

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Right, that ought to give me a reminder about where everybody's from! Keeping track was turning out to be really complicated (particularly because I kept getting names wrong, or deciding I didn't like 'em), so hopefully this'll help me.

In other news, here's a better picture of the as-yet unnamed scout Sergeant.


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...and the final two Apaesians:

This pict-capture shows a typical room clearance. Brother Eynon (right) is directing brother Martianus through into the room. Astartes were unmatchable in urban fighting, owing to their nigh-impenetrable armour, terrifying and disorientating weaponry, and their indefacitable and untiring nature.

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Brother Eynon


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Brother Martianus

Yes! These guys are carrying their equipment! Good job man! Keep up the good work!

Excellent work. Raw, gritty, emotional, and the lack of "polish" doesn't matter at all.

Ah-ha! Knew it was here somewhere...

*Blows dust off log*
Here are some updates:
The army as it stands


Dreadnought
Still WIP. Does anyone know where I can find a 60mm rolled-shoulder urban base?




Techmarine
Named 'Arius' after the piccy in the Horus Heresy Visions... book, but I feel the need to sing 'Roxanne' every time I see the streetlamp. Again, still WIP – I'm going to tidy some bits up.




Brother Martianus




WIP Predators




WIP Roboute Guilliman


[i]Speculatores[i] – Scouts
These are WIP pics, though I finished them at the weekend.




Sergeant Epipatros
Tempted to repaint his helmet.



Brother Eynon




Brother Caldo



Pleased to say that my traditional 'run a half-marathon to celebrate the army' went well – knocked quarter of an hour off last year's time with a 1hr 45min finish.

Bah. Stupid photobucket bandwidth limit. Thankfully, it looks like the Praetors have overcome this little obstacle, thanks to this man:

Neoprotos
The extermination campaign waged against the Nekulli in the sector saw the deployment of many strange weapons by the xenos. None were more effective than the Nekulli's electro-magnetic warfare instruments, deployed to deadly effect in the second month of the campaign. The eerie sound of the varying Enigma-Hex devices disabled autosenses, caused unexpected power-downs in power armour servos and saw many Astartes isolated from their brethren and killed, unable to raise reinforcements, create meaningful counter-tactics or receive orders.

Reports became strangled and patchy, with reports almost impossible to transmit and pict-captures temporarily reduced to Scrapshunt malcode. The Ultramarines and supporting Alpha Legion were driven to dig in, with no solution in sight.

Fortunately, the Praetors of Calth were second-to-none in technomantical support, and supported a long tradition of tech-savvy Astartes raised by the techniclans of Calth. Brother Neoprotos, late of clan Kilch-Wriss; was the first to decipher the Nekulli Enigma, and lift the machine-hex from his brethren. A counter-code was swiftly developed and patched through to Polonin, the Ultramarines' newly-instated Master of the Forge, who saw the developing code transmitted throughout the fleet, and to all the supporting forces.



Equipped with a broad-band modified Auspex, designed to penetrate and counter any of the distonal Enigma variations, Neoprotos of Calth is pictured checking the screen for nearby ambushes.

God of War


I hope you like how he's looking so far. He's very much WIP, but I'm really pleased with how the modelling and early painting have come out! I wanted to get quite a gritty 'realistic' feel for a twelve-foot superman, but without losing the majesty of his Primarch status.

Also presented here is a lot of background fluff – I wanted to reconcile the various different views of Guilliman, and make him a bit more of a character than the 'boring' archetype that some people think he is.

Guilliman is pictured here during the Hypon campaign, a scant decade before the outbreak of the Heresy. He wears the Armour of Konor, an artificer-made suit of powered armour crafted by the Mechanicus of Mars from the melted-down honour armour of Guilliman's adopted father. Crafted after designs by Kelbor Hal himself, this was the masterwork of Polonin – a creation that pleased Guilliman so greatly that he dubbed Polonin the Ultramarines' Master of the Forge, a new rank amongst the Techmarines. The armour is buffed to a brilliant shine, and bears state-of-the-art autosenses and motive fibre bundles, amplifying the Primarch's already prodigious strength to unheard-of levels.

As his weapons, he bears the shield of Calth – a man-sized plate of ceramite-reinforced plasteel that was the pride of Calth's workshops, and given in supplication to the Primarch upon his inauguration.



In addition to his master-crafted boltgun and boltpistol – Courage and Honour, Guilliman's preferred arm was the Axe of Ultramar, a gift from the Emperor himself. The axe is a traditional weapon of the highland clans of Macragge, and Guilliman showed a marked preference for the use of this weapon. It was with the Axe of Ultramar that Guilliman beheaded the Beast of Gehenna; defeated the Archstylist of Zohan, and forced the Renegade Alliance of True Mankind to Compliance.

Of course, such a pict-capture shows only a tiny fragment of Guilliman's arms and equipment – the two hundred years of the Great Crusade saw him wielding everything from rapiers to warhammers.

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Guilliman's head is pictured here framed by the Halo of Iron; a portable power field generator that surrounds his head and upper body, and maintains an atmosphere generated by the armour of Konor, allowing Guilliman to walk bare-headed into battle – both to scatter his enemies in terrified dismay, and to instill his troops with courage. It also allows him to operate bare-headed in hard vacuum and in other atmospheres that Guilliman joked even he found 'uncomfortable'.

It was gifted to Guilliman by Vulkan, a Primarch with whom Guilliman struck up an easy friendship. The wings behind the halo represent the Chariot of the Emperor – a friendly, if arch, reference by Vulkan to the swiftness and breadth of Guilliman's early campaigns.

Charged with zeal, and pursuing the Imperial Truth with a reverent air, Guilliman's earliest victories were marked with an almost religious devotion to ensuring the Emperor's newly-conquered domains were quickly brought not simply to Compliance (it is well-known the Guilliman hated the term), but to support the Fledgling Imperium. Of all the Primarchs, the worlds conquered by Guilliman were loyal to the Primarch, to the Imperial Truth, and to the Emperor above all. Fewer than ten per cent of the worlds brought to compliance solely by the Ultramarines rebelled against the Imperium during the Heresy, compared to the fifty per cent rate of the other Legions.

Known today as stern and unremitting, and parodied as obsessed with detail and conservative to the point of brittlenesswith his views; Guilliman was as inspirational, charismatic and creative as his brother Primarchs in the early days of the Crusade. His earliest victories – Moracre, Thandros, Salem and Sotha – were marked as almost poetic in their execution, both the Primarch and his Legion-sons clearly relishing their being unleashed on the cosmos. Even the dour Ferrus Manus, always slow to praise any of his brithers, sent emissaries bearing congratulations.

Recognising that the Imperial Army units struggled to keep up with the demands placed on it by the Thirteenth Legion, he ordered that his teachings be disseminated as tools to assist; never proscribe. The early drafts of what became known as the Codex Astartes were given in the form of 'Meditations' – open questions that encouraged and directed thought, and rewarded more talented strategists with insight, while providing more stolid and unimaginative commanders with concrete plans.

Always aware of his shortcomings compared to his brethren – the Lion's strategic genius, Perturabo and Dorn's siege and defensive expertise, Corax's unparalleled stealth tactics – Guilliman kept contact with his brethren and sought their aid and guidance; using his particular talent for detail and adaptation to create a near-complete manual for war. In his unerring eye for his brothers' particular talents, Guilliman made long-lasting bonds – and rivalries – with many of the other Primarchs.

Curiously, at some point, Guilliman underwent a stark change in the way he interacted with his peers and Legion. Early records mark him as filled with zeal, easy humour, and open to the point of carelessness in his personal relationships – in stark contrast with his control and attention to detail in martial matters – while post-Heresy records characterise him as dour, strict and impatient. This change occurred extremely quickly, and it is known that he sought a private audience with the Emperor himself on more than one occasion in the space of a few months.

While some attributed the change to hubris on the Ultramarine Primarch's part after hearing of Horus' elevation to Warmaster, it is notable that the change began before this news had become public. It is possible that Guilliman was informed by the Emperor himself, but this seems unlikely. What is clear is that Guilliman had two extremely close friendships in the early years of the Crusade – but none of the records of the other Primarchs seem to correlate with Guilliman's visits and personal missives.

Most tantalisingly, these same missives have been altered, censored and are otherwise incomplete; with numerous veiled references made to long-deleted or mysteriously absent records – a stark and telling contrast to Guilliman's habitual care and attention to detail. The message boat trails to these two figures also stop abruptly at round-about the same time as Captain Orar's personal journal notes the Primarch's darkening mood. It is unlikely that the identity of either of these two mysterious figures will ever be known.



It was at this time that Guilliman began to consolidate his contribution to the Crusade, fortifying and strengthening the Imperium's shipping lanes and trade routes between the Compliant worlds in order to create a web of interreliant and prosperous worlds. Always in two minds regarding the Legion's Librarius division, Guilliman set the newly-formed Librarians to codifiy and order his Meditations – no mean task; and one designed to reinforce the discipline he felt necessary to control their burgeoning psychic talents. Personal records of those in his close counsel noted his rejection of them, and a feeling of despair and inertia fell over the Legion while Guilliman brooded alone.

A pall of gloom fell over the Ultramarines during this dark time, but, ever-dutiful, they continued to train without reserve. The techmarines, led by Polonin, used this fallow period to re-equip and re-arm the legion, and the ranks of the brethren were swollen by hundreds of Speculatores in these brief weeks.

On his emergence, Guilliman was changed. His open countenance was brooding and grim, but his art of war had been honed to a diamond edge. With some relief, his commanders were called to a council of war, where Guilliman curtly detailed his most ambitious project yet – nothing less than the complete compliance of the Scutum-Crux spiral arm of the Galaxy. The Legion was drilled and prepared, and itching for action – which Guilliman had at last ordered.

Almost all of the Ultramarines on tour – honour guard, shipping crew and those on secondment to the other Expeditionary Fleets – were ordered to return to Ultramar with immediate effect. This was a colossal undertaking, and would require nothing less than the full might of the largest legion. The campaign became famous, and drew in elements of the Blood Angels, Alpha Legion, Night Lords, Imperial Fists and Iron Hands, as well as over ten thousand regiments of the Imperial Army. It was a colossal mobilisation; and the early sub-campaigns of Hypon, Ymga, Doton, Kar Duniash, Alsanta and Pavonis were executed with easy relief by the all-conquering force.

It was as the second wave of campaigns were prepping to move, when orders came from Horus for the Ultramarines to muster at Calth...

Wow...I remember the first pictures of him and me not being overly enthusiastic about them...but this...wow! Great job! Really like the fluff too, you've given Guilliman more character rather then the typical: "and then he annoyed Alpharius by showing his theories on war down his younger brother's throat".

That first wave of campaigns to conquer the Scutum Crux could be a great storyline for other modellers and such to join in!

The level of detail of your work is great, respect for the work your going put in by creating a complete army to this standard.

This is quite amazing, I love the detail and fluff. It makes me want to take on one of the Heresy era legions myself...Also I love the Archstylist of Zohan thing...classic....

Looks great. Unfortunately I don't like the scouts much, they look off. Could you show a scale shot of a guardsman and a scout? Everything else looks great though.

All these guys look great, and what book did you say you got the inspiration from again?

That first wave of campaigns to conquer the Scutum Crux could be a great storyline for other modellers and such to join in!

I'd be very happy if anyone decided to do that – sharing inspiration's what the hobby's about for me!

All these guys look great, and what book did you say you got the inspiration from again?

No single book, really – I got the idea for named squads from Brother of the Snake (where they're called 'Notables'), and the idea for heraldry came from the early WDs detailing the Ultramarines – they had specific designs for captains and so forth, and I thought that if I combined it with mediaeval heraldry, I'd get a distinctive army.

Thanks for all the comments.

WIP Orpheo Tacitus Orar

Orar's roll of honour is logged in the Hypon Monolith; but such was his fame and gallantry that his deeds are commonly known amongst the Ultramarines of the present day, as well as numerous successor Chapters – and the general populace of Ultramar. The Sons of Orar hail him as a spiritual Patriarch, the Praetors of Orpheus venerate him as their founder, and the Blades of Tacitus know him as a uniquely gifted Astartes.

A deeply spiritual man, Orar pursued the Imperial Truth with secular devotion, and encouraged all of his men to spend time considering their actions in war, and to meditate on what was right in conflict. As a result, Orar's men were one of the most devoted and effective fighting forces of the time.

Captain Orpheo Tacitus Orar is the examplar of an Ultramarine. Courageous, honourable, merciful and determined, Orpheo represents everything that an Ultramarine should aspire to be. He was dubbed the Knight Champion of Macragge – an Honorific Rank that dates from pre-Imperial times – following the successful completion of the Persecution of Heiro.



Still lots to do – but the first ProCreate layers are on him, and the basic shape's there. Quite pleased with how he's turned out – I especially like his helmet: it's a bit of a nod to Sicarius, as Orar is based on Sicarius' rules in the Tempus Fugitives' campaign pack.

Now, I've got to try and work out how to fit the storm shield on there!

Beautiful stuff man, makes me want to do some true scale marines myself...

Keep up the good work

This army is all kinds of cool. I really love the unique yet consistent look you maintain throughout the army!

smurf marines that actually look amazing? i never thought this was possible until now!


excuse me while i take a gun to my head.

What is the base model for this new guy?

Thanks very much. The base model for Orar is Archaon on foot.

Of course, when I checked the Tempus Fugitives' pack, I realised that Orar's not got a Storm Shield at all. Not only that, but he's got artificer armour, which I don't think was really evident earlier.
*Facepalm*

A quick change later:


What do you reckon to his new helmet? He looks a little like a Blood Angel or Word Bearer at the moment, but I think a silver paint scheme will really make him pop as an Ultramarine.

I also fitted a shield generator/bracer to his wrist to give him a bit of a higher-tech look. He needs cleaning up and detailing, but I've fixed up the arm for the moment, and started to smooth his chest.



Quite pleased with how he's looking, but I might change the sword for a mace – seems to fit the paladin feel better, and will move him away from looking like a Blood Angel. I think I'm going to return him to having a bare head, but this artificer helm will turn up somewhere...

Alternatively, I could give 'im some wings, call him Sanguinius and sell him to fund bits for a completely new captain Orar!

+++

In other news, I've been working on more specialists:
WIP Heavy Bolter marine


WIP Locrian Veteran Squad Leader


WIP melta gunner


WIP Grenade-lobbing Ciconian Veteran Squad Leader – with beard!


WIP Astartes from Macragge

I like this one a lot – might try and replicate the pose in others.

...and a group shot, accompanied by a Remembrancer.


Still a lot to do – particularly cleaning up the putty before I add the shoulder pads, but working with them on the bases is really helping me get some drama into them.

Those are fan-frigging-tastic. Excellent work!

The Dreadnote wrote:Those are fan-frigging-tastic. Excellent work!

Agreed!!!!!

These are stunning, the scale is fantastic!