Horus Heresy · atlas

Legion XIII · loyalists

Ultramarines

Primarch: Roboute Guilliman

Homeworld: Macragge · Segmentum Ultima

The XIII Legion — disciplined empire-builders, lords of Ultramar, “the Five Hundred Worlds”. Their primarch Roboute Guilliman, “the Avenging Son”, grew the Legion into the largest of all. He withstood the treacherous Battle of Calth and the years-long Underworld War that followed, and then, cut off by the Ruinstorm, founded the Imperium Secundus beyond it, proclaiming Sanguinius regent-emperor. He did not arrive in time for the Siege of Terra, but after the mortally wounded Emperor was interred on the Golden Throne he began the Scouring and compiled the Codex Astartes, which determined the future of the Adeptus Astartes.

Side in the Heresy: loyalists Remained loyal. The Heresy caught them by surprise in the treacherous Battle of Calth (007.M31), where the Word Bearers struck them in the back during a great muster.

Number
XIII (13)
Side
Loyalists
Events in the chronicle
28 events
Strength
The LARGEST Legion — usually put at around 250,000 warriors, with no fewer than 25 chapters/formations. The best supported of the “soft” figures, but still not a hard Forge World standard.

Fate

Destroyed a huge traitor fleet on the way to Sol, but arrived at Terra a matter of hours too late: Horus was already slain, and the mortally wounded Emperor interred on the Golden Throne. Emerged from the Heresy as the largest and most intact loyalist force — the backbone of the post-Heresy Imperium. Guilliman began the Scouring and wrote the Codex Astartes.

Speciality

Disciplined combined-arms warfare and versatility; empire-builders and logisticians, lords of Ultramar. The largest Legion — the basis of the regulations that became the Codex Astartes.

Tactics

Balanced combined-arms operations, “theory and practice”, flexible adaptation; specialist formations — the Invictarii, Locutarii (assault), Fulmentarii (heavy) and Evocati. Companies of 1,000 within chapters of 10,000.

What the Legion is known for

The Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar; the treacherous Battle of Calth and the Underworld War; the Imperium Secundus beyond the Ruinstorm; the Codex Astartes and the Scouring.

Wargear

The gladius and the power sword; Invictarii Suzerains with shields, the assault Locutarii, Fulmentarii Terminators, praetorian breachers; Guilliman’s Hand of Dominion.

Notable warriors

  • Marius GageFirst Master

    A Terran Lord Commander and First Master of the 1st Chapter, second in command to the primarch; wounded by a daemon at Calth, he destroyed Kor Phaeron’s flagship in the warp on Guilliman’s orders.

    Events: Battle of Calth
  • Remus Ventanuscaptain of the 4th Company, “Saviour of Calth”

    A captain whose strategic instinct saved Calth from the Word Bearers; went on rooting out the enemy in the nearly decade-long Underworld War.

    Events: Battle of Calth
  • Aeonid Thielsergeant, “Red-Marked”

    A sergeant marked for censure for theorising about combat between Space Marines; his courage at Calth turned the red mark of shame into the sign of rank of Ultramarines sergeants.

    Events: Battle of Calth
  • Tylos RubioCodicier (battle psyker)

    A Librarian forced to conceal his powers after Nikaea; saved his company at Calth and was recruited into the Knights-Errant, later forming part of the core of the Grey Knights.

    Events: Battle of Calth, Knights-Errant Founded

Events involving the Legion

Eve of the Storm

The Fall

Shadow of War

The Road to Terra

The Siege of Terra

Epilogue — The Great Scouring

Characters of the Legion

Sources

  1. FW Black Book V: Tempest
  2. Lexicanum: Ultramarines
  3. WH40k Fandom: Roboute Guilliman
  4. Know No Fear (D. Abnett)
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