WH40k - Index Astartes - The Codex Astartes [WD#252].pdf - Inne dodatki - trzeci

The Codex Astartes describes the organisation,

tactical operation and countless other aspects of

Space Marine doctrine. Subjects as diverse as

religious instruction and strategic supply are all

covered in great detail within its thousands of holo-

pages. Over the following pages we will look at the

origins of this ancient tome and also how it states a

Space Marine Chapter should be organised.

The Horus Heresy

Of the original twenty Primarchs, Horus was the greatest and

most beloved of the Emperor and so was appointed his

Warmaster. He was placed in charge of the entire north-

eastern battlefront of the Great Crusade and only Lion

El’ Jonson and Leman Russ approached his tally of victories.

Little did the Emperor know that Horus really served a darker

master. The gods of Chaos, malevolent beings from the

warp, had corrupted Horus and his armies, turning them from

the Emperor’s light. Their plan was a foul and devious one.

They would allow the Emperor to possess the galaxy for a

fleeting moment only. He would be encouraged to stretch his

empire further and further from Terra, until his forces were

scattered thinly along the galactic fringe. Then the dark gods

would strike and crush the Emperor with one swift blow.

When rebellion erupted, Horus led more than half of the

Space Marine Legions into the bloodiest civil war ever to

engulf the galaxy and laid siege to the Emperor’s Palace. It

would take many pages to describe the battle for Earth,

suffice to say the war ended when the Emperor teleported

onto Horus’s battle barge and slew the Warmaster in single

combat. The titanic struggle saw the Emperor mortally

wounded and from that moment on he ceased to live in the

conventional sense. Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial

Index Astartes: The Codex Astartes

Fists discovered the Emperor’s dying body and carried it

back to Earth where he was interred in the life preserving

mechanism of the Golden Throne. And for ten thousand

years since that day, the Emperor has ruled immobile and

immortal from the throne of Earth.

Though the Horus Heresy was at an end, the galaxy was in

turmoil once more. The armies of the Imperium were

destroyed or scattered and worst of all, the Emperor could no

longer walk amongst his warriors. The leadership and

guidance he had given humanity for thousands of years was

suddenly absent. To lead mankind, a council was formed of

the twelve most powerful individuals in the Imperium. They

became known as the High Lords of Terra, and their role was

to rule the Imperium on behalf of the Divine Emperor.

THE DARK FOUNDING

Not all the foundings of Space Marine Chapters are recorded

in exact detail. However, the Adeptus Terra maintains a single

bank of original gene-seed from every single Chapter ever

created since the Horus Heresy. There is one notable

exception: the Thirteenth Founding, also known as the Dark

Founding. No-one knows how many Chapters were created by

the Dark Founding or what became of them. Perhaps the

secret lies in some deep vault in the record office of the

Adeptus Terra. Maybe the Space Marines of the Dark

Founding are still out there somewhere, waiting to return to

the world that created them.

The Codex Astartes

The newly created High Lords established the organisation

of the Imperium that remains familiar to this day. The first

High Lords laid down the structure by which the Adeptus

Terra operates, and described the feudal responsibilities and

duties of planetary lords. One of their most important

accomplishments was the reorganisation of the Imperium’s

armed forces. This task was undertaken almost single-

handedly by the Primarch of the Ultramarine Legion of Space

Marines, Roboute Guilliman, who quickly and efficiently

codified the structure of the Imperial Guard, the Fleet and the

Space Marines. Of all his works the most influential is the

Codex Astartes, the great prescriptive tome that lays down

the basic organisational and tactical rules for Space Marines.

The Horus Heresy had revealed weaknesses in the gene-

seed of several Space Marine Legions which had been

exaggerated by the accelerated zygote harvesting

techniques needed to keep the huge Space Marine

Legions up to strength. The powers of Chaos exploited this

growing physical and mental corruption to turn Horus’s

troops against the Emperor. The prime objective of the new

Codex Astartes was to recognise and expunge these

weaknesses.

The Codex decreed that Space Marines would be created

and trained over a controlled period of time. The genetic

banks used to cultivate implants would be carefully

monitored and cultivated organs would be subject to the

most stringent tests of purity. Young initiates would undergo

rigorous trials of physical and psychological suitability

before they were accepted, and only those of the highest

calibre would be chosen.

On Earth the Adeptus Terra created genetic repositories to

produce and store Space Marine gene-seed. These banks

were used to provide all new gene-seed for Space Marines,

and, to prevent cross-contamination, the genetic material

of each of the old Legions was isolated. Henceforth the

new Space Marine Chapters would receive gene-seed only

from their own genetic stock.

The gene-seed of the Traitor Legions was placed under a

time-locked stasis seal, although at the time many believed

these dangerous gene stocks should be destroyed. By

taking direct control of the genetic stocks, the Adepts on

Earth could ultimately control the Space Marines. Now they

alone had the power to destroy or create Space Marine

armies at will.

The Second Founding of the Space Marines was decreed

seven years after the death of Horus. The existing Space

Marine Legions were broken up and refounded as smaller,

more flexible formations. Where the old Legions were

unlimited in size, the new formations were fixed at

approximately one thousand fighting warriors. This

corresponded to the existing unit called the Chapter, and in

future the Chapter was recognised as the standard

autonomous Space Marine formation. No longer would one

man have power over a force as powerful as a Space

Marine Legion.

The existing Space Marine Legions were divided into new

Chapters, one Chapter keeping the name and colours of

the original Legion, while the remaining Chapters would

take new titles and colours. Most of the old Legions divided

into fewer than five Chapters, (the Space Wolves divided

into only two) but the Ultramarines were divided many

times. The exact number of new Chapters created from the

Ultramarines is uncertain: the number listed by the oldest

known copy of the Codex Astartes (the so-called

Apocrypha of Skaros) gives the total as twenty three, but

does not name them.

As a result of the Second Founding the Ultramarines’ gene-

seed became the favoured gene-seed of most subsequent

foundings. The new Chapters created from the

Ultramarines are often referred to as the Primogenitors, or

‘first born’. All the Primogenitor Chapters venerate Roboute

Guilliman as their founding father and patron.

The Codex Astartes further defines the tactical roles,

equipment specifications and uniform identification

markings of the Space Marines. These guidelines have

evolved over the centuries, and the Codex Astartes of the

forty first millennium is a highly developed treatise

combining the wisdom of hundreds of military thinkers

throughout history. Some of its contents seem petty and

restrictive, hardly worthy of the great mind of the Primarch.

Others describe actual battles together with comments on

the tactics employed and the decisions of the commanders

of the day. As such the Codex Astartes is revered as a holy

text, and many Chapters regard its recommendations as

sanctified by the Emperor himself.

To die without purpose is not a service to the Emperor.

It is a heresy to waste lives entrusted to you as an

Imperial officer. There is nothing shameful or disloyal in

righteous retreat. But in withdrawing from the enemy’s

presence, allow him no succour. That which cannot be

saved must be destroyed. Leave no weapons, armour,

transport, food or water in your passing. Scorch the

earth at his feet, and leave him desert and desolation

as his victory gifts.

Codex Astartes

Subsequent Foundings

The history of the Imperium since the Heresy is not a

continuous story. There have been periods of rebellion and

anarchy, times when the balance of power has suddenly

changed and history has been quite literally rewritten.

Many of the subsequent foundings of Space Marines

belong to these troubled times, making it almost impossible

to be certain when some Chapters were created or even

how many Chapters have been created at all. It is believed

that there are approximately a thousand in existence today,

scattered throughout the galaxy. Of these more than half

are descended from the Ultramarines, either directly or

through one of the Primogenitor Chapters of the Second

Founding.

The Second Founding

It is not certain how many new Chapters were created by

the Second Founding. Many Imperial records were lost

during the Age of Apostasy, a troubled time that lies across

the history of the Imperium like an impenetrable veil. In all

likelihood some of the Chapters created during the Second

Founding have since been destroyed leaving no record of

their deeds. Others have been lost in more recent times

and their names are now all that remain of them.

The Codex Chapters

The Chapters that rigidly follow the recommendations of

the Codex Astartes are sometimes referred to as Codex

Chapters. These Space Marines adhere to the Codex as

the model for their organisation, identification markings and

tactical doctrine. Of all the Codex Chapters the most

famous is the Ultramarines, the Chapter of Roboute

Guilliman himself, and many of the other Codex Chapters

are descended from their genetic line.

Most Chapters, however, do not stick so rigidly to the

Codex patterns laid down either for organisation, tactical

roles or other processes. Many Chapters are largely

organised according to the Codex but are further shaped

by their home world and the personality of their Primarch.

The Blood Angels and Dark Angels are prime examples of

this. A small number of Chapters are vastly different from

the Codex, and owe nothing at all to it. The most famous of

these ‘wild’ Chapters are the Space Wolves, whose strong-

willed Primarch, Leman Russ, moulded his Chapter very

much in his own image irrespective of other influences.

The Adeptus Terra has never felt it necessary to enforce

the Codex absolutely. Indeed it is doubtful whether it could.

However, with subsequent foundings they have always

favoured the Ultramarines' gene-seed and created new

Codex Chapters from their line. With the passage of time,

some of these Chapters have subsequently strayed from

the strict letter of the Codex, introducing new variations but

remaining broadly faithful to the principles laid down by

Roboute Guilliman many thousands of years before.

THE CURSED FOUNDING

The Twenty First Founding was the largest since the Second

Founding. It took place sometime immediately before the Age

of Apostasy, a time of civil war which divided and almost

destroyed the Imperium. The new Chapters were dogged by

bad luck right from the start. Several disappeared mysteriously

whilst in action or in warp space.

Every surviving Chapter of the founding is affected by

spontaneous genetic mutation of its gene-seed. As a result the

Chapters have gradually dwindled in size as their inability to

raise and induct recruits means that battle casualties cannot be

replaced. Worse still, some Chapters have developed genetic

idiosyncrasies, mutations which strain the tolerance of the

Inquisition and threaten the Chapters' survival. Few Chapters

have suffered as ignominious an end as the Flame Falcons

whose spontaneous and extreme physical corruption turned

them into a race no longer human or sane. The Chapter was

declared Excommunicate and driven from its home world of

Lethe by the Grey Knights.

Index Astartes: The Codes Astartes

Chapter Organisation

Following the Horus Heresy the Space Marine Legions

were divided into Chapters consisting of roughly a thousand

warriors. A large section of the Codex Astartes is dedicated

to structuring the organisation of these Chapters. A Chapter

consists of ten Companies each numbering 100 Space

Marines. A Company consists of ten squads of ten men

including a Sergeant. In addition to this basic fighting unit,

each company has its own Captain, Standard Bearer,

Chaplain and Apothecary.

Every Company with the exception of the Scout Company

maintains Rhino transports for their squads and officers.

The 1st Company is also equipped with Land Raiders to

carry Terminator squads. It is customary for Dreadnoughts

to remain with their Company as their fearsome presence

bolsters the Company’s fighting strength.

A Chapter also includes a

number of officers and

specialists who stand aside

from the Company

organisation. These individuals

are known as the

Headquarters staff and they

may be assigned to fight with

a Company in battle. Included

amongst them are psychic

Librarians from the Chapter’s

Librarius and Techmarines,

together with their Servitors.

CODEX ASTARTES

CHAPTER ORGANISATION

HEADQUARTERS

ARMOURY

Techmarines

Servitors

HEADQUARTER STAFF

Master of the Chapter

Senior Officers

Administrative Staff

Support Personnel

LIBRARIUS

Chief Librarian

Epistolaries

Codiciers

Lexicaniums

Although the Codex describes

a number of ranks and

responsibilities within the

Headquarters staff, only a very

few of these officers actually

accompany the Chapter to

war. Many are non-

combatants of advanced years

whose roles are to recruit and

train new members or

administrate the Chapter.

Some ranks described by the

Codex include the Chapter’s

Ancient (or Standard Bearer),

the Master’s Secretarius, the

Lord of the Household, the

Chapter’s Armourer, the

Commander of the Fleet,

Victuallers, the Commander of

the Arsenal, Commander of

Recruits and Commander of

the Watch.

BATTLE COMPANIES

SECOND COMPANY

Captain

Chaplain

Apothecary

Standard Bearer

THIRD COMPANY

Captain

Chaplain

Apothecary

Standard Bearer

Squads:

Support:

Squads:

Support:

6 Tactical

Dreadnoughts

6 Tactical

Dreadnoughts

2 Assault

Rhinos

2 Assault

Rhinos

2 Devastator

Land Speeders

Bikes

2 Devastator

Land Speeders

Bikes

FOURTH COMPANY

Captain

Chaplain

Apothecary

Standard Bearer

FIFTH COMPANY

Captain

Chaplain

Apothecary

Standard Bearer

Squads:

Support:

Squads:

Support:

6 Tactical

Dreadnoughts

6 Tactical

Dreadnoughts

2 Assault

Rhinos

2 Assault

Rhinos

2 Devastator

Land Speeders

Bikes

2 Devastator

Land Speeders

Bikes

The 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th are

Battle Companies, each

consisting of six squads of

Tactical Space Marines, two of

Assault, and two of Devastators.

These four Battle Companies

form the main battle lines and

generally bear the brunt of the

fighting. The Assault squads of

the Battle Company may be

deployed as Bike squadrons or

Land Speeder crews.

Of the ten Companies comprising

a Chapter, the 1st Company

consists of veteran troops and is

invariably the most powerful. The

1st Company is the only one

trained to use the treasured suits

of Terminator armour.

VETERANS

SCOUTS

The Chapter’s 10th Company

is its Scout Company

consisting of a number of

Scout squads. Scouts are

youths who have been

recruited and partially

transformed into Space

Marines. Until their physical

transformation and training is

complete they fight as Scouts.

There is no formal size for a

Scout Company as the rate of

recruitment is not fixed.

FIRST COMPANY

Captain

Chaplain

Apothecary

Standard Bearer

Squads:

20 Terminator

or 10 Veteran

Support:

Dreadnoughts

Rhinos

Land Raiders

TENTH COMPANY

Captain

Chaplain

Apothecary

Squads:

Scouts

Support:

Bikes

RESERVE COMPANIES

Companies 6 and 7 are

Tactical Companies, each

consisting of ten Tactical

squads. These are intended to

act as a reserve and may be

used to reinforce the main

battle line, launch diversionary

attacks or stem enemy flanking

moves. The 6th Company is

also trained to fight on bikes

and the entire Company may

be deployed as bike

squadrons. Similarly the 7th

Company squads are trained

to fight from Land Speeders

enabling the Company to fight

as a light vehicle reserve

formation.

SIXTH COMPANY

Captain

Chaplain

Apothecary

Standard Bearer

SEVENTH COMPANY

Captain

Chaplain

Apothecary

Standard Bearer

Squads:

Support:

Squads:

Support:

10 Tactical

Dreadnoughts

Rhinos

Land Speeders

10 Tactical

Dreadnoughts

Rhinos

Bikes

EIGHTH COMPANY

Captain

Chaplain

Apothecary

Standard Bearer

NINTH COMPANY

Captain

Chaplain

Apothecary

Standard Bearer

Squads:

Support:

Squads:

Support:

10 Assault

Dreadnoughts

Rhinos

Land Speeders

Bikes

10 Devastator

Dreadnoughts

Rhinos

The 8th Company is an

Assault Company consisting of

ten Assault squads. This is the

most mobile Company and is

often used wherever a strong

hand-to-hand fighting force is

needed.

The 9th Company is a

Devastator Company,

consisting of ten Devastator

squads armed with heavy

weapons. They anchor

defence points and provide

long range fire support.

WH40k - Index Astartes - The Codex Astartes [WD#252].pdf

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: