These our the rest of the squads. The Blood Angels, the Ultra Marines, and the Deathwing Chapter. These are the main Marines I know of. Be sides the chaos Marines.
The Blood Angels are one of over a thousand Chapters of Space Marines, and all Chapters
owe much to the characteristics and powers of their Primarch. From their legendary
Primarch Sanguinius, the Blood Angels inherited their sense of nobility as well as their
tragic destiny.
The Blood Angels homeworld of Baal was once a prosperous land, until viral and nuclear
weapons turned it into polluted wastelands, inhabited by a savage culture of scavengers.
Led out of their dark times by the winged Primarch Sanguinius, the Blood Angels still
recruit from Baal - turning the scabby aspirants into the tall, strong, and superhumanly
powerful Space Marines.
Although it is known to only a few, the once-blessed and most golden of all Space Marines,
the Blood Angels are a dying Chapter. Cursed both by the tragic death of their Primarch,
and a mysterious flaw in their geneseed, the Blood Angels are still searching for a cure for
their maladies, but some have already resigned themselves to their slow and terrible
decline.
STANDARD SQUADS
For the most part the Blood Angels are organized according to the Codex Astartes - the strict organizational and tactical guidelines assigned to all Chapters of Space Marines after the rebellion known as the Horus Heresy.
The standard squads of a sergeant and nine Space Marines are broken down by the
battlefield roles they are to accomplish. The Assault Squad is armed and equipped for close
combat, including the option to wear jump packs to leap over difficult terrain and gain
extra mobility. Devastator Squads are equipped with the highest proportion of heavy
weapons, to deal with enemy tanks and strongpoints. Lastly the Tactical Squad is the most
adaptable of units, with some heavy weapon support, as well as some close combat and
special weaponry.
Although not as common, the Blood Angels can also field Scout Squads and Bike Squadrons.
Like all Space Marine Chapters, the Blood Angels also maintain a small number of
Terminator Armour suits - very heavy and bulky powered armour with deadly built in
weaponry. Only the highly honored Space Marines in the First Company of the Chapter
are allowed access to the formidable armour.
THE DEATH COMPANY
Where the Blood Angels differ from the rigid guidelines of the Codex Astartes is most
evidently seen with the Death Company. In order to rebuild the Chapter after the Horus
Heresy, the Blood Angels were forced to draw cells to create the geneseed from the dead
body of their heroic Primarch Sanguinius.
The cells used to create the Blood Angels Chapter were saturated with the last moments of
Sanguinius' struggle with the forces of Chaos, and his ultimate sacrifice. It is these ghostly
memories that are indelibly stitched into the minds of every Blood Angel Space Marine, and
have been for the 10,000 years since the tragedy occurred. While the Chapter has
ceremonies and rituals that help control these overwhelming emotions, on the eve of a battle
some individuals succumb to a frenzied bloodlust that calls for revenge on their foes!
Always on the lookout before an engagement, the Blood Angel Chaplains take any Space
Marines afflicted by the Blood Rage, and assign them to the Death Company.
The Ultramarines are the greatest of all Space Marine Chapters. As a Chapter it is safe to
say that the Ultramarines owe their unbreakable character and high state of organization
to their founder and Primarch, Roboute Guilliman.
Indeed, even before the catastrophic rebellion known as the Horus Heresy, the
Ultramarines were the largest and best organized of all Space Marine Legions. After the
fall of Horus there was a time of great confusion - the entire Imperium was vulnerable and
everywhere the enemies of mankind prepared to attack! Into this breach stepped the heroic
Primarch Guilliman and the Ultramarines.
Ceaselessly the Ultramarines fought, time and time again saving the Imperium from
invasions, further rebellions, and more. After each success, the Ultramarines left behind a
well-organized and self-supporting defense system. Using these planets and his own
superior training methods, Roboute Guilliman continued to recruit new Space Marines.
In order to prevent Chaos from gaining large scale control of humanity's greatest warriors ever again, the Emperor decreed that the Legions of old should be broken down into smaller Chapters of one thousand warriors each. Based on his extreme recruiting success, and his organizational talents, the restructuring was largely left to the Ultramarines' Primarch. Thus was borne the Codex Astartes...
The Dark Angels were the very first of over one thousand Chapters of Space Marines.
Their origins are shrouded in mystery, and in fact the references and histories of the
Chapter have been deleted from Imperial records. A legend persists that during the great
rebellion known as the Horus Heresy the mighty Dark Angels teetered on the brink of
Chaos, and that a terrible betrayal of the Emperor smeared the Chapter's loyal service.
Whatever the reasons, the Dark Angels have been on a secret crusade for 10,000 years to
restore their honor.
The Dark Angels themselves are different than any other Chapter. Shaped by their mighty
Primarch, Lion El'Jonson, the Dark Angels are regarded by many as the epitome of the
dedicated Space Marine warrior - slow to anger, but tenacious and all but unstoppable in
their zeal once aroused. At a glance, the monastic feel of the Chapter hides the fact that not
all is well with the Dark Angels.
SQUAD ORGANIZATION
After the Horus Heresy the Space Marines were totally reorganized to ensure that
humanity's ultimate warriors were never again led down the path of rebellion and betrayal
by the forces of Chaos. Divided into Chapters of one thousand warriors (more or less) and
not the massive legions of old, the Space Marines are now guided by the Codex Astartes -
the strict organizational and tactical guidelines set forth for all Chapters of Space Marines.
With a few exceptions, the Dark Angels follow the standard organization.
Space Marines are broken into a number of different squads, each of which has a unique
battlefield role. All the squads below are composed of nine Space Marines and a Space
Marine Sergeant.
The most common type is the Tactical squad. Considered to be the backbone of the
Chapter's fighting strength, Tactical squads are flexibly equipped to handle most situations.
The Assault squads are hand-to-hand specialists. The entire squad may be equipped with
jump packs to make them even more formidable shock troops, able to close distance quickly,
and even to leap over intervening terrain.
The Devastator squads are armed with a high proportion of heavy weapons - making this
squad less mobile, but harder hitting. Devastator squads are designed to take out enemy
tanks and dreadnoughts, and support the movements of their brother Space Marines.
There are some instances where the Dark Angels veer away from the strict guidelines
imposed by the Codex Astartes. These differences are, for the most part, due to their long
and glorious history. In most Space Marine Chapters the first company is full of
battle-hardened veterans. When need arises some of these troopers can don the mighty
Terminator armour - bulky suits of powered armour with deadly built-in weaponry. This is
where the Dark Angels differ - their first company, known as the Deathwing, is ALWAYS
equipped with this rare and precious armour. With their battle prowess and iron will,
combined with the nigh-impenetrable Terminator Armour, the Deathwing have more than
earned their galaxy-wide reputation for being one of the toughest squads.
The forces of Chaos emanate from the Warp, a swirling alternate dimension of space.
There are two ways in which Chaos forces can enter the material realm of man. In many
places, such as the Eye of Terror, the Warp spills over into real space, creating a realm
subject to the diabolical whims of Chaos. In these places the foul forces gather to raid
across the galaxy. The second way in which the forces of Chaos can enter the world is by
far more insidious and subtle. Corrupting humans with falsehoods and promises of untold
power, the forces of Chaos are often summoned by the hideous rituals of deviants and their
followers. On thousands of worlds Chaos Cultists, human followers of the Dark Gods, plot
and scheme for rebellion.
BIRTH OF THE CHAOS SPACE MARINES
In the early days of the Imperium the Emperor's greatest Champion, the Warmaster
Horus, was beguiled by the Dark Gods and so led Titan Legions, countless thousands of
Imperial troops, and fully half of the Legions of Space Marines into revolt. The Horus
Heresy (as it came to be known) wrought catastrophic damage across space, and the
tremendous battles only ended after Horus' defeat at the Emperor's hands. With their
failure the once loyal Chapters fled into the dark realm of space known as the Eye of
Terror. But the story doesn't end there...
SEARCHING FOR 10,000 YEARS OF REVENGE
In the 10,000 years since their first rebellion failed, the forces of Chaos have not been idle.
On countless planets across the galaxies the siren call of Chaos still lures men into rebellion,
and Daemons still lurk in the Warp waiting to be unleashed. Perhaps the most horrible of
all are the Chaos Space Marines. These are the same warriors of 10,000 years ago, now
totally corrupted by the Chaos Gods.
Like their Imperial counterparts, the Chaos Space Marines are genetically enhanced, fully
battle-trained, and outfitted with the best armor, weapons, and wargear available. The
forces of Chaos, however, have an additional spark stirring them on - 10,000 years of exile
in the Eye of Terror has left them with a terrible thirst for bloody revenge!
Last Updated May 20, 1999 by Branden D
