Ultra Marines

The Ultramarines are considered one of the strongest and most honoured of all the Space Marine Chapters in the Imperium of Man, and were responsible for almost single-handedly holding the Imperium together after the Horus Heresy. Highly-disciplined and courageous warriors, the Ultramarines have remained true to the teachings of Primarch Roboute Guilliman for 10,000 standard years. The Ultramarines were originally the XIIIth Space Marine Legion before the reforms that initiated the Second Founding and reshaped the Imperium after the Heresy in the Time of Rebirth on the orders of Guilliman himself as the Lord Commander of the Imperium and Imperial Regent. The name "Ultramarines" is a nod to the Chapter's galactic region of origin, its standing amongst the other Space Marine Chapters and their role as the source for the gene-seed of more Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes than any of the other former First Founding Legions combined. The culture of the Ultramarines is loosely themed upon the culture of Old Earth's ancient Roman Empire, as exemplified in their Astartes' High Gothic names and their strict adherence to the Codex Astartes, as well as the society of their homeworld of Macragge and the Chapter's method of recruitment. The Ultramarines directly rule the sub-sector of space in the Segmentum Ultima of the galactic east known as Ultramar as a fief of the Imperium and their Chapter Master is also considered the Lord of Macragge and the Master of Ultramar. Of all the thousand and more Space Marine Chapters in the Imperium, it is the blue-clad Ultramarines that, in the mind of the countless billions of the Emperor's subjects, personify everything that the Adeptus Astartes stands for. The Ultramarines and their many Successor Chapters have stood at the very forefront of the war against the Traitor, the alien, and the Daemon since the very foundation of the Imperium. Across the domains of the Emperor, the Ultramarines are celebrated as heroic, virtuous, and noble defenders of Humanity, their deeds recorded in devotional works the length and breadth of the galaxy. Even amongst the Space Marine Chapters themselves, the Ultramarines occupy a position of special honour. The gene-seed from which the original Ultramarines Legion was founded is considered the purest that remains, and it is estimated that some two-thirds of Chapters across the galaxy share their inheritance, being either direct successors or created from tithed Ultramarines genetic material. This shared inheritance often ensures that when the Ultramarines go to war, they are supported by many other Chapters, and that when Space Marine commanders gather to consider common strategy, the counsel of the Ultramarines is greatly valued. Often, the presence of even a small number of Ultramarines units in a larger military undertaking will ensure the participation of many more Chapters, so highly are the sons of Roboute Guilliman held in their brothers' esteem. When Hive Fleet Behemoth struck the Eastern Fringe, it was the Ultramarines Chapter that turned the tide, even at the cost of the Chapter's entire Veteran 1st Company. At the Chapter homeworld of Macragge, one of the largest battles seen in centuries was fought, with the Ultramarines, led by their master Marneus Calgar, at the very forefront. In addition to the great honour won by the Chapter in that titanic struggle, the Ultramarines gained invaluable experience in fighting these vile xenos, which they have passed on, often via service in the Deathwatch, to many other Chapters. When the Horus Heresy erupted, the Ultramarines were long prevented from defending the Throneworld by the great Ruinstorm conjured by the Word Bearers during the Battle of Calth that cut the galaxy in half for long years. By the time the Ruinstorm dissipated and the Ultramarines could move to reinforce Terra, the Warmaster Horus' Siege of Terra was already underway. Nevertheless, the Ultramarines fought their way towards Terra, and although they defeated a massive Traitor space ﬂeet, were unable to reach the Sol System in time to intervene in the final battle. It is Guilliman's actions subsequent to the Horus Heresy that made him the figure of adoration that he would become. With the Traitors scattered and the Emperor to all intents and purposes lost to Humanity, the Imperium stood at the precipice.

Deathwatch

The Deathwatch, known also as the "Long Vigil," and the "Long Watch," is a unique Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes comprised of mostly Veteran Space Marines that serves the Ordo Xenos of the Imperial Inquisition as its Chamber Militant. They are the warriors of last resort when the Inquisition needs access to firepower greater than that which the Astra Militarum or a team of its own Acolytes or Throne Agents can provide. Across the galaxy there are innumerable hostile alien civilisations that threaten Humanity, from the green-skinned Orks, to the monstrous Tyranids, sadistic Drukhari, spectral C'tan, and undying Necrons. It is the sacred task of the Deathwatch to stand sentry against all of these terrible xenos races and many more besides. They are ready to act when such ancient evils rise to threaten Mankind once more. The Space Marines of the Deathwatch form the first, and often only, line of defence against these inhuman horrors. Unlike other Space Marines, the ones serving in the Deathwatch are not truly a separate Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes; rather, they are a collection of Veteran Space Marines drawn from all of the different extant Chapters who serve together in the Inquisition's service for a discrete period of time. To be chosen by one's Chapter to serve in the Long Vigil of the Deathwatch is a great honour for any Space Marine. Only the most elite and experienced members of a Chapter are ever chosen for this extremely hazardous tour of duty, the specifics of which must be kept secret by Inquisitorial order and sacred oath even from a Deathwatch Astartes' home Chapter. Deathwatch Space Marines do not usually form the standard tactical groups like squads and companies generally used by the Adeptus Astartes. Instead, they operate as small, special forces units in close-knit groups of specialists called "kill-teams." If a xenos threat is particularly dangerous, several kill-teams may be assigned to deal with it, but if the threat is still too much for even the Deathwatch to handle, the Inquisition will be forced to turn to a full Space Marine Chapter or to multiple regiments of the Imperial Guard to deal with it.

Carchararodons

The Carcharodons, also known as the Carcharodons Astra in High Gothic and sometimes as the "Space Sharks" in Low Gothic, is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of an unknown Founding, though it has been alleged to be either an ancient Chapter born as early as the Second Founding, or a relatively new Chapter raised during the 23rd Founding. The Carcharodons is an alleged Successor Chapter of the Raven Guard, though this remains unconfirmed. They participated in the latter stages of the Badab War, returning from the outer void to punish those they saw as Traitors to the Imperium of Man and the Emperor. The Carcharodons have always been a fleet-based Chapter, following the far rarer Nomad-Predation pattern rather than the more common Crusading pattern adopted by countless other mobile Space Marine Chapters. In recompense for their role in the Badab War and with the tacit agreement of the Fire Hawks -- the new masters of the Mantis Warriors Chapter's territory in the Endymion Cluster -- the Carcharodons received permission to "harvest" new recruits from this promising group of Feral and Feudal Worlds of the Maelstrom Zone. Ransacking the Mantis Warriors' hidden armouries and bases, the Carcharodons then departed from the Ultima Segmentum, embarking again on their solitary crusade. However, since the creation of the Great Rift and the start of the Era Indomitus, the Carcharodons have been granted the Mantis Warriors' former homeworld of Ootheca to do with as they please. The Carcharodons may actually be the same Chapter as the Space Sharks; the term Carcharodons might simply be a fragment of their name translated into High Gothic as "Carcharodons Astra" for that same unit of Astartes. The Founding of this Space Marine Chapter remains shrouded in the mists of long-lost antiquity, thousands of standard years in the past, though it has been stated in Imperial and Chapter records that the Carcharodons have been serving the "Void Father" (the Emperor) for ten standard millennia. This alone would not be enough to warrant special consideration, but the Carcharodons' mystery has not lessened in recent centuries. Rather it has grown with each bloody deed and unexpected strike the Carcharodons perform. Now, the very name of this Chapter is synonymous with the cold, dark depths of the void and the hungry predators that lurk within.

Dark Angel

The Dark Angels are considered amongst the most powerful and secretive of the Loyalist Space Marine Chapters. They were the Ist Legion of the original 20 Space Marine Legions to be created during the First Founding of the 30th Millennium. Though they claim complete allegiance and service to the Emperor of Mankind, their actions and secret goals at times seem at odds with that professed loyalty, as the Dark Angels strive above all other things to atone for an ancient crime of betrayal committed over 10,000 standard years ago against the trust of the Emperor during the time of the Horus Heresy. The Dark Angels stand first amongst the Space Marine Chapters, as they have done since their very inception as the Ist Legion. They are a proud Chapter, with traditions and rituals that date back to the earliest days of the Imperium of Man. The origins of the Dark Angels remain shrouded in mystery. Few Imperial records of the Chapter's beginnings still exist, nor are there many mentions of the part it played in the Emperor's Great Crusade during the early 31st Millennium. Most references in the histories of the Imperium to its deeds during the accursed times of the Horus Heresy have actually been expunged. Yet a legend persists that at one point the Dark Angels teetered on the very brink of heresy and that an act of the most terrible betrayal dishonoured all of the Ist Legion's feats of valour, leaving an enduring stain upon all of its Successor Chapters' honour. Such is their shame that from that time onwards, the Dark Angels and their Unforgiven successors, of which there are more than 19 currently in Imperial service, strive for absolution from the sins of millennia past. The Dark Angels' terrible secret is this: during the Horus Heresy, some of their brethren were turned to the side of Chaos. The Renegades were defeated in a battle that destroyed the Dark Angels' Legion homeworld, Caliban, but many of the Traitor Dark Angels survived to be cast through space and time by the direct intervention of the Chaos Gods. These survivors are known to those few Dark Angels granted knowledge of their existence as the "Fallen Angels" or just "The Fallen." In the eyes of the Chapter's leaders, there is only one way that the Chapter can ever atone for its shame, restoring its honour and trust in the eyes of the Emperor -- all of the Fallen must be found and either made to repent their ancient sin, or slain. This story of treachery and betrayal is the Dark Angels' hidden shame, and their secret mission to destroy all of the Fallen is now their only hope of salvation. No one knows of this other than the Dark Angels, their Successor Chapters and, perhaps, the Emperor Himself, interred within His Golden Throne. The Chapter has been shaped by its dark past and is secretive and monastic in nature, with much time given over to worship and prayer. There are many different levels within the Chapter which individuals may gradually rise through. On attaining each new level, they are granted a little more knowledge of the truth behind the Dark Angels' origins, but only the highest-ranking members of the Chapter, the members of what is known as the "Inner Circle," know the terrible, shameful secret of what occurred 10,000 Terran years ago. The Dark Angels hold more battle honours than almost any other Chapter; its only equals are its own successors. The Chapter has fought the length and breadth of the Imperium and beyond; against every foe that has ever beset Mankind. Dark Angels have held Ork WAAAGH!s at bay, crushed planetary uprisings, and saved entire star systems from the incursions of the Ruinous Powers. They have fought across searing deserts, in the cold void of space, in dense carnivorous alien jungles, and in the depths of the wildest underhives. Yet, while Chapters such as the Blood Angels and the Ultramarines are lauded wherever they fight, the Dark Angels shun laurels and turn their backs upon adulation. Even though the Chapter has stood side by side with every major arm of the Imperium's military, it has always maintained a distance and aloofness that sets its brethren further apart from the bulk of Humanity, and even from other Space Marines. When the Dark Angels join a larger force to execute a great war or Imperial Crusade, they do so according to their own, unfathomable goals. When a Dark Angels force is committed to such a conﬂict, it invariably remains aloof. Its officers keep their own counsel on matters of tactics and strategy, and prefer to maintain their own lines of communication and supply sources. Even when dealing with the battle-brothers of other Astartes Chapters, the Dark Angels often remain sullenly quiet at the Space Marine command councils and tactical briefings, though that is not to suggest that they are any less effective on the battlefield. When the Dark Angels do undertake joint operations alongside other Chapters, it is quite common for them to do so with others amongst the so-called "Unforgiven" -- the Successor Chapters of the original Dark Angels Legion. The successors of the Ist Legion maintain especially close relations, their officers all being members of the Inner Circle.

Raven Guard

The Raven Guard is one of the original First Founding Chapters of the Space Marines and was originally the XIXth Space Marine Legion before the Second Founding and the adoption of the Codex Astartes. Named for a Terran avian seen by many Human cultures as the herald of fate and messenger of death, the Raven Guard have served the Emperor faithfully throughout the glories of the Unification Wars, the Great Crusade and the dark days of the Horus Heresy and beyond. From its earliest days, the warriors of the XIXth Legion were known as cunning and patient hunters, adept at biding their time until the moment to strike was at hand. When the Legion was united with its primarch -- Corvus Corax, the Raven Lord, the Deliverer -- theirs was a form of warfare exemplifying speed, stealth and precision which was codified into their doctrine, and under the ivory-skinned, shadow-eyed and sable-haired primarch, the XIXth Legion carved its name in the annals of the Great Crusade. As the tragic histories of the Horus Heresy were recounted, however, the Legion's glories were to be scattered upon the black sands of Isstvan V during the Drop Site Massacre, and the Imperium was almost shorn of one of its greatest champions. Though severely decimated, the Raven Guard would rise from the ashes of betrayal and go on to continue to serve the Imperium of Man as its protectors. As masters of the unseen war, they fight their battles with stealth and speed rather than fury and flames. For thousands of standard years, across thousands of worlds, they have continued to stalk the enemies of the Imperium as shadows of death, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver the killing blow before melting back into the darkness once more. The Raven Guard's Chapter homeworld is the planet called Deliverance, the airless mining moon of the Forge World Kiavahr, though its original name, before the Horus Heresy, was Lycaeus. The Raven Guard's fortress-monastery on Deliverance is known as the Ravenspire. The Raven Guard are known for their cool-headed, even intellectual temperament, their superb infiltration skills and skill at furious, close-quarters engagements. The Raven Guard are the masters of unseen and guerrilla warfare, only engaging in frontal assaults when no other option presents itself. The Raven Guard is also rightly feared for the potent Assault Marines and other close support units they field, who often prefer to wield a pair of Lightning Claws instead of the usual Bolt Pistol and chainsword. Kayvaan Shrike, the famed commander of the 3rd Company was the commanding officer of just such a unit before he ascended to the position of Chapter Master, known among the Raven Guard as the "Master of Shadows." The Raven Guard are the scions of the old XIXth Legion, whose Primarch Corvus Corax was said to have skin as white as ivory and eyes as black as night. The Legion suffered such devastating losses early in the Horus Heresy that its ability to inﬂuence the outcome of the calamitous galactic civil war was gravely limited. The cost of the Warmaster Horus' treachery would remain with the Raven Guard for millennia to come, shaping their doctrines, beliefs and their very destiny.