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Ashur of Banipal

2019-02-12T15:59:29Z

2A02:A450:6245:1:608A:D77A:95FA:E688: Undo revision 553179 by 50.203.155.130 (talk)

{{Infobox Warmasters' Triumvirate Primarch
|name=Ashur of Banipal
|bgcolor=grey
|fgcolor=black
|image=[[File:Ashur of Banipal.jpg|272px]]
|title=The Megatherion, The Lord of Bronze and Bone, The Behemoth, The Planeswalker
|alias=The Megatherion
|where=Babylon V
|when=846.M30
|legion=[[Loxodontii]]
|crusade= Primarch, 37<sup>th</sup> Expeditionary fleet
|sigil=[[File:Loxodontii Pre Heresy.jpg|100px]]
|weapon=The Spiked Maul, powerfists "Thunderclap" and "Sky Shatter"
|trait=Diplomat, Empath, Close Combat Brawler
|flaw=Weak-willed, appeasing,
|heresy=Traitor (Undivided)
|fate=Becomes a Daemonprimarch
|dominion=
}}
{{Warmasters Triumvirate-Head}}

Ashur of Banipal is the 10th found Primarch, and genesire of the [[Loxodontii]]. A gentle soul and an earthy personality, he loved the common people and tried to keep close familial ties with his primarch brothers, however his attempts were not reciprocated by all of them and in fact viewed as a weakness of his character. In fact his leniency and wish to please would eventually lead to a grave betrayal in his legion and the corruption of several other Space Marine legions. Having grown up among the nomad tribes of his homeworld Babylon V, he became accustomed to working with vehicles and quick raids, which he would later adapt into his legion's core stratagem in order to force their enemies to surrender. If he could not avoid joining combat himself, Ashur would either bring his trusted spiked maul or equip his two thunderfists and swat enemies away with his fierce power. He was prone to a reckless rage that he himself often regretted in the aftermath, which is why he preferred diplomacy and directing his troops' movements.

=History=
==Primarch Origin==
Ashur was hurled unto the surface of the arid feudal world of Babylon V after the Dark Gods of Chaos had dragged his incubation pod from the Emperor’s laboratory. During this time, the infant primarch would phase in and out of real space, beholding both the beauty and horror of the void of space and the warp, which would later deeply influence his person. His coming was like a falling star, and the priesthood of the stargazing people would be in utter chaos, not knowing whether to view it as a dark omen or a sign of prosperity. The crash landing of Ashur’s vessel shook the entire planet and the population of nearby settlements threw up their hands, begging the gods above and below to spare them their wroth.

It wasn’t long until the orphan was found, although not by the civilised world, but pagan caravans who relied on both mechanised vehicles and sturdy animals like camels and elephants to carry their goods. As he grew up, so did Ashur quickly take to both engineering and caring for animals. Although their lifestyle did not allow his clan many luxuries, they existed in peace and good health, which is where the later primarch learned to be a kind soul and to see the kindness and good in all his fellow men and women. This would later be his downfall.

The young man quickly grew to stature and strength beyond all his fellow clan members, sometimes carrying nearly the same load as a fully matured elephant, and his great intellect allowed him to easily process even the miniscule details of their flat surroundings. His charismatic, endearing personality made him many friends and made him a formidable merchant. He would often go to the great cities of Babylon V, where he would first taste the finer things in life and stoked his love for jewelry and little luxuries. It was in this time a calf was born and the mother died in childbirth. As he had always been enamoured with the thick skinned beasts, he quickly took to nurturing the babe and called it Ninki. Eventually, the calf would grow into a strong and healthy cow, taller than other females and becoming the leading animal in the caravan’s herd. The two became inseparable, and Ashur would often sleep not in his own tent but with his “little sister”, as many called her in jest. For many years, the primarch’s caravan grew and prospered and he himself earned much respect from his fellow people. Eventually, however, the prosperity of Ashur’s family led to their neighbours scheming their doom in envy.

On the eve of his official maturity (as he had become a fully grown man long before, but simply wasn’t “of age”), the enemy struck. Their tents were set ablaze, their trailers were either destroyed or stolen, their animals slaughtered, and they themselves were murdered or enslaved. Ashur himself was so overwhelmed by the brutality of fellow humans that he stood in shock, watching as terrible violence was wreaked on his people. It was then and there that a terrible fury overcame him, a numbing rage that crept up his spine and clouded his mind. All by himself did he slaughter dozens of their attackers, tearing them limb from limb, crushing them underfoot and hurling their dying remains across the camp. He only woke from his blind stupor in the late morning. It was the sound of carrion birds feasting on the dead that pulled him back to reality. He stood amidst the ruins of his former life, surrounded by mauled bodies, the festive ceremonial clothes on his back splattered with blood and gore. In shock he tore it off his body and threw it into the smouldering fires, where the drenched cloth only slowly sizzled away. Exhausted and wounded he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks. This fateful event cut Ashur so deeply he fell into a crushing depression as his world had shattered around him.

Yet, he was given no respite. Now, weak as he was, his enemies returned and chained him, an archeotech collar around his neck supposed to keep him mindless and obedient. The measure however was superfluous – Ashur’s spirit had already been broken at that moment. He was brought back into the great city of Banipal, where his knowledge of engineering was used to help maintain the vast mechanical underground complexes. Obedient and thoughtless like a servitor he toiled, uncaring whether it was day or night, improving processes as needed although he did not know why, as if a spark deep within him spurred him on to make things better than they were before. Another decade passed and Ashur’s knowledge of technology had not only surpassed all of his superiors, but he in turn had increased theirs as he alone managed to unravel the mysteries of long abandoned archeotech. He could never explain how he accomplished such a feat, and when asked he would often say that he’d prayed to the spirit trapped within, as he had so many times with the trailers of his family.

During his time he had once again made many friends despite his automaton-like behaviour. Not even the archeotech strapped to his neck could suppress his warm and helpful nature. Whenever he saw a slave stumble and fall under the weight of their load, Ashur picked it up. Some would say it was not out of compassion but simply efficiency, but many who looked into his eyes claimed to see a deep sadness and a glimmer of empathy. Pitied by many like a docile beast unknowing that it deserved much better was Ashur and eventually, his fellow slaves plotted to liberate him of his chains. They broke the archeotech collar from his neck in the deep of the night and guided him to freedom, outside the great city of Banipal. Although he himself was still like a child, he smiled at his friends and thanked them with gentle hugs and tears of joy, and then made off into the night.

For weeks he wandered, living off the land and actually thriving again, healing, far away from humanity, his mind a simple, primitive thing like that of a wild beast. He would hunt and forage when hungry, would drink when thirsty, would sleep when exhausted. Eventually, he would come across another caravan, small and weak, and he would follow them, observing from the distance, giving them small hints for water sources and hiding stashes of food in their reserves. When one of their animals ran away, he would return it, and if one of their machineries failed, he would repair it – All the while being unseen. Soon the caravan would start believing they were blessed by a good spirit and left food and water out for him, in return. Although he had no need for it, being able to easily fend for himself, he would still graciously accept. One day though he was discovered. His trauma kept him silent though polite, distancing himself as to not become too attached, but his compassion and love for the people overcame his coldness and he became part of their tribe.

The cycle repeated itself, with Ashur greatly improving the life of his tribesmen and -women, increasing their wealth and maintaining their machinery. One fateful day, they came across the tattered ruins of a caravan camp. The bleached bones of animals and people lay scattered on the field. Within the primarch rose a feeling of unease, the sense of familiarity creeping up his spine. Eventually, they stumbled over an elephant skeleton, and Ashur knew where he was. This was his old family, picked clean by carrion birds, and in front of him lay the remains of his beloved little sister. It all came crashing down on him and the mountain of a human being crumbled like a frail elder, cradling the skull of Ninki to his chest and weeping bitterest tears of sadness. A whole day and night did he mourn while his caravan camped an hour away, deeply shaken to see their patron so broken. On the next sunrise did Ashur return, the skull in hand, claiming the forge and dousing his “little sister’s” skull in bronze. Over the course of the following day and night, he carefully polished and cleaned the bronze, carving the inscriptions of his first tribe into it, writing “Ninki protects me” into the shimmering metal along with many spells and prayers of good fortune and protection. It wasn’t until the following morning that he resurfaced, his sister’s skull strapped to his shoulder, his hands burnt and his face befilthed by soot and charcoal.

As time passed did once again the envy and jealousy of man rise and endanger Ashur’s peace. Rival tribes had identified Ashur and quickly reported to the great city of Banipal, whose merchant lords and priests had feverishly scoured the land for their prized slave. Troops were sent, and once again did they assault Ashur’s caravan in the cover of the night. But this time, they didn’t have a ceremony to make their prey drunk and uncaring.

Just as they fired their first shots, so were grenades lobbed into their midst and the roaring of engines tore through the night. The caravan’s trailers had been modified into battle wagons, their crude turrets allowing their operators to keep their attackers pinned in place while bikeriders flanked them and pummelled them with explosives. After the first assault, a tremor shook the earth, and from behind the cover of their trailers came forth Ashur clad in plates of scrap metal, wielding a giant spiked maul, the elephant’s skull on his shoulder gleaming in the muzzle flash of blazing guns, his eyes aflame with terrible anger and his throat bellowing a deafening war cry. In his wake followed his tribesmen equipped with long knives and pistols, and like a pack of starved hyenas fell the mob over the stunned and disoriented enemies. The battle did not last long, and the troops from Banipal routed in chaos, chased by the screams of their dying and the victorious howling of Ashur’s new tribe.

The primarch himself was lost again to a bloodthirsty stupor, but not numbed by it. He was invigorated, empowered, and although he still mourned the loss of life from both friend and foe, the experience of combat felt so natural. He realised, in a way, that it was no different from hunting wild game or butchering a camel for food. Just as food came to his mind, he realised a smacking sound around him, and as he turned to face the noise he realised his tribesmen were gorging themselves on their fallen enemies. Disgusted by this gruelling display he shouted and ordered them to stop, that he forbade them their practice. Confused they stared at him, slowly backing off from their meal, but nonetheless eyeing their most cherished clan members with suspicion. Ashur could see in their hazy gazes that they wanted to challenge him, but their tribal bonds and better judgement stayed their hands.

He ordered them all to clean themselves and go to bed, while he retreated into the night. Sleep did not come easy, as the rest of his tribe didn’t follow his orders to a T, instead sneaking out to strip the dead off their flesh and belongings. Ashur knew he had to stop them, but he did not want to lose another family, so he let them have their way. Just this one time, he swore. His leniency that night would spark just another of many insurrections to his authority.

Many battles would be fought over the following weeks, until the primarch could no longer pretend that he could return to his peaceful life. If he was to live life free and safe, he would have to cull the threat. Over the course of a month, he united almost all neighbouring nomad tribes through diplomacy, bargaining and, if inevitable, violence. His knowledge of technology allowed him to craft machines and weaponry that rivalled the quality of their enemies. The following months were spent campaigning, conquering major routes and bringing more tribes into the fold, until Ashur was certain he would be able to take the ones responsible for hounding him so: The merchant lords and priests of the great city of Banipal.

The attack began slowly. First, supplies were cut off. “Raids”, it was called, “Highwaymen” stealing their goods. The upper echelon of Banipal sent their troops to investigate and punish the culprits, but none ever returned. The signs were crystal clear in hindsight, but the elites of the great city had become complacent in their luxury, not expecting that they could ever come under a direct attack from the rural populace outside their walls. To them, the events were too disconnected, too random. It wasn’t until the great city of Banipal was surrounded with camps, barricades and siege cannons that they realised that they were trapped – And that they could never hold an attack.

While the lords and priests had indulged in their luxuries and pomp did Ashur’s spies infiltrate the city and recruited the slaves for their cause, leaving crucial defense mechanisms unmanned and damaged. The great city of Banipal was taken in one fell swoop, and as Ashur’s army stood at the palace gates did the lords and ladies come forth to surrender and beg for mercy. Some were pardoned, others were hung from the city gates, and some banished to the arid wilderness where they would fend for their lives in penance.

Ashur, despite wanting to return to the plains himself, was convinced by his closest friends to don the mantle of king, thus becoming Ashur of Banipal, the lord of Bronze and Bone. It was here that he truly realised potential, improving supply lines between cities, fortifying trade caravans and returning the great cities to a glory of time immemorial as he and his most gifted machinists and engineers repaired the archeotech installations. Although many still envied him, hated him, the majority of Babylon V loved him. Ashur himself remained humble and often ventured into the wild at his leisure, visiting the nomad tribes and trading caravans. Yet his duties only increased, allowing him less and less time in the wild and chaining him more and more to the royal palace, where he was surrounded with luxury, pomp and overindulgent wealth. While his rule brought the planet to a new glory, his good nature was exploited by remaining nobles and figures of authority, and although everything was still going strong, more and more influence was wrestled from the primarch under the guise of delegation.

==The Great Crusade==
On the eve to the 78th anniversary of Ashur’s ascension to king of Banipal came a stranger to Babylon V and praising the primarch’s good work. That man later revealed himself to Ashur as the Emperor of Mankind in private, and he told Ashur of all the great things they could undertake if he joined the Emperor’s crusade across the stars. Ashur hesitated, believing that his absence would lead to Babylon V falling into a state of disrepair, again. His suspicions would later turn out to be true, but at the time the Emperor swayed him, promising of all the good he would be able to do, how he could improve the lives of people throughout the galaxy and helping to create an Imperium of planets where humans of all kinds would be able to live their days in peace. Ashur eventually agreed, and for the first time since his infancy did he travel into space and behold the beauty of the void. It was here he was reunited with his Legion, the thirteenth, calling themselves “Packmules” in jest for they were specialist drivers used for logistics and deployment of other troops. Ashur was immediately awestruck and recognised the deep connection to his genesons, and he would be seen embracing whole squads at once and celebrating their reunion in his own way. His Legionnaires, not used to such gleeful affection, quickly overcame their military demeanour and returned it in kind.

Ashur had entrusted all his chapter commanders with his full support, as he saw himself as the first among equals, and his genesons vowed to do everything in their capacity to not disappoint him. In fact, seeing how much the separation of primarch and astartes hurt both sides emotionally, Ashur proclaimed that his chapter commanders would be as much primarch unto the other astartes as he would be, and that they should be loyal and faithful to them as they would be unto him. This order brought about quite some confusion, yet at the same time the Lord of Bronze and Bone had deeply anchored the strong ties of loyalty and brotherhood in his legion, and the idea to embrace their chapter commander’s wisdom and righteousness would only further breed a sense of internal reliability. If only he had seen what this sense of self-reliance would cause in his genesons, maybe Ashur had been wise to decide otherwise.

Over the course of the Great Crusade, Ashur would repeatedly face the harsh reality of being a Space Marine primarch as he would have to fight time and time again, making his heart bleed at the loss of life and destruction in his wake. He would often face criticism over his delicate approach from his brothers and the Emperor, as his progress of bringing worlds to compliance was always slower than other primarchs'. The first and most devastating experience of his military career was the conquest of the Domush sector. The local population fought with unparalleled zeal for their sector's self-declared Emperor and proved to be a worthy match for the Astartes, much to Ashur's personal frustration. After their campaign was ended succesfully, Ashur worried that having to shed blood in such cruelty was to be his fate forever until the end of his days.

Another grievous experience to the Lord of Bronze and Bone was his campaign on the planet Yar Kin Nu alongside the [[Chosen of Hecate]] and their primarch [[Lambach Kropor]]. Having grown up superstitious and fearful of "wychcraft", he was shaken deeply at the sudden revelation that his battlebrothers were also psykers during the climactic battle at the planetary capitol Dom Ran Kin. Before that very battle, he and Lambach had exchanged many words and he had grown to love Lambach the most out of his brothers that had been discovered up until that point, and so the realisation of Lambach's talents hit Ashur hard.

After the battle at Ullanor and the Emperor's terrible defeat, Ashur became ever more unruly at the seemingly increasing pressure of Terran bureaucracy and its dictatorial rule, and he would often be heard criticising the Lords of Terra - Unofficially, of course. Apart from this, many reports would reach Ashur involving questionable military actions and collateral damage caused by his Loxodontii legionnaires. He would ignore them, not wanting to doubt his own genesons and waving the reports off as misunderstanding or exaggeration. Eventually, he could not ignore them anymore as they became more detailed, and more numerous. He realised he had to take back control over his legion by force and purge his chain of command.

==Brotherwar==
As he assembled his forces in orbit over Babylon V and was about to execute his chapter commanders, all but two of them ordered their forces to open fire and take their primarch hostage. While they initially planned to kill him, they couldn't, and Ashur was instead collared again by an archeotech collar that made his mind docile and submissive. In the wake of this betrayal, Ashur was held in the cargo hold of the Anu, his own flagship, strapped to a gruesome machine and doused day and night in the blood of butchered serfs as a ritual was acted out on him. At the height of his legions frenzied infighting and the arrival of a punitive fleet to destroy the Loxodontii and free Ashur, the ritual reached its conclusion, fusing his flesh and the machine into one monstrous body and elevating him to Daemonhood. As the legion fractured and the warbands escaped into different directions, Ashur himself would be held in a state of restless sleep aboard the Anu until he would be visited by Lambach Kropor, who returned a portion of Ashur's own mind and restored his vitality through warpsorcery. Ashur, in turn, would then be swayed by Lambach to join the efforts of [[Marduk Engur]] to attack Terra and kill the Emperor, as Ashur now believed Lambach had been visited and blessed by the Babylonian gods.

Ashur and the Loxodontii played a role in breaching the outermost defenses of the Imperial Palace, but not before murdering, butchering and devouring the civilian population. [[Je'She of the Watch|Je'She]] faced the Daemonprimarch and the [[Loxodontii]] with his own [[The_Sentinels|Sentinels]]. Once the Chaos Traitors had been defeated, Ashur would be banished to the Warp, forever roaming the chaotic Otherworld in search for prey.

=Fate & Legacy=
Ashur of Banipal roams the Warp and is summonned by his legionnaires as a mighty beast of war to crush and devour their enemies. His mind fluctuates between catatony, a beastial sentience and a lucid awareness alike his former, human form.

=Rules=
N/A

Ashur of Banipal

2019-02-12T15:59:17Z

2A02:A450:6245:1:608A:D77A:95FA:E688: Undo revision 553180 by 50.203.155.130 (talk)

{{Infobox Warmasters' Triumvirate Primarch
|name=Ashur of Banipal
|bgcolor=grey
|fgcolor=black
|image=[[File:Ashur of Banipal.jpg|272px]]
|title=The Megatherion, The Lord of Bronze and Bone, The Behemoth, The Planeswalker
|alias=The Megatherion
|where=Babylon V
|when=846.M30
|legion=[[Loxodontii]]
|crusade= Primarch, 37<sup>th</sup> Expeditionary fleet
|sigil=[[File:Loxodontii Pre Heresy.jpg|100px]]
|weapon=The Spiked Maul, powerfists "Thunderclap" and "Sky Shatter"
|trait=Diplomat, Empath, Close Combat Brawler
|flaw=Weak-willed, appeasing,
|heresy=Traitor (Undivided)
|fate=Becomes a Daemonprimarch
|dominion=
}}
{{Warmasters Triumvirate-Head}}

Ashur of Banipal is the 10th found Primarch, and genesire of the [[Loxodontii]]. A gentle soul and an earthy personality, he loved the common people and tried to keep close familial ties with his primarch brothers, however his attempts were not reciprocated by all of them and in fact viewed as a weakness of his character. In fact his leniency and wish to please would eventually lead to a grave betrayal in his legion and the corruption of several other Space Marine legions. Having grown up among the nomad tribes of his homeworld Babylon V, he became accustomed to working with vehicles and quick raids, which he would later adapt into his legion's core stratagem in order to force their enemies to surrender. If he could not avoid joining combat himself, Ashur would either bring his trusted spiked maul or equip his two thunderfists and swat enemies away with his fierce power. He was prone to a reckless rage that he himself often regretted in the aftermath, which is why he preferred diplomacy and directing his troops' movements.

=History=
==Primarch Origin==
Ashur was hurled unto the surface of the arid feudal world of Babylon V after the Dark Gods of Chaos had dragged his incubation pod from the Emperor’s laboratory. During this time, the infant primarch would phase in and out of real space, beholding both the beauty and horror of the void of space and the warp, which would later deeply influence his person. His coming was like a falling star, and the priesthood of the stargazing people would be in utter chaos, not knowing whether to view it as a dark omen or a sign of prosperity. The crash landing of Ashur’s vessel shook the entire planet and the population of nearby settlements threw up their hands, begging the gods above and below to spare them their wroth.

It wasn’t long until the orphan was found, although not by the civilised world, but pagan caravans who relied on both mechanised vehicles and sturdy animals like camels and elephants to carry their goods. As he grew up, so did Ashur quickly take to both engineering and caring for animals. Although their lifestyle did not allow his clan many luxuries, they existed in peace and good health, which is where the later primarch learned to be a kind soul and to see the kindness and good in all his fellow men and women. This would later be his downfall.

The young man quickly grew to stature and strength beyond all his fellow clan members, sometimes carrying nearly the same load as a fully matured elephant, and his great intellect allowed him to easily process even the miniscule details of their flat surroundings. His charismatic, endearing personality made him many friends and made him a formidable merchant. He would often go to the great cities of Babylon V, where he would first taste the finer things in life and stoked his love for jewelry and little luxuries. It was in this time a calf was born and the mother died in childbirth. As he had always been enamoured with the thick skinned beasts, he quickly took to nurturing the babe and called it Ninki. Eventually, the calf would grow into a strong and healthy cow, taller than other females and becoming the leading animal in the caravan’s herd. The two became inseparable, and Ashur would often sleep not in his own tent but with his “little sister”, as many called her in jest. For many years, the primarch’s caravan grew and prospered and he himself earned much respect from his fellow people. Eventually, however, the prosperity of Ashur’s family led to their neighbours scheming their doom in envy.

On the eve of his official maturity (as he had become a fully grown man long before, but simply wasn’t “of age”), the enemy struck. Their tents were set ablaze, their trailers were either destroyed or stolen, their animals slaughtered, and they themselves were murdered or enslaved. Ashur himself was so overwhelmed by the brutality of fellow humans that he stood in shock, watching as terrible violence was wreaked on his people. It was then and there that a terrible fury overcame him, a numbing rage that crept up his spine and clouded his mind. All by himself did he slaughter dozens of their attackers, tearing them limb from limb, crushing them underfoot and hurling their dying remains across the camp. He only woke from his blind stupor in the late morning. It was the sound of carrion birds feasting on the dead that pulled him back to reality. He stood amidst the ruins of his former life, surrounded by mauled bodies, the festive ceremonial clothes on his back splattered with blood and gore. In shock he tore it off his body and threw it into the smouldering fires, where the drenched cloth only slowly sizzled away. Exhausted and wounded he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks. This fateful event cut Ashur so deeply he fell into a crushing depression as his world had shattered around him.

Yet, he was given no respite. Now, weak as he was, his enemies returned and chained him, an archeotech collar around his neck supposed to keep him mindless and obedient. The measure however was superfluous – Ashur’s spirit had already been broken at that moment. He was brought back into the great city of Banipal, where his knowledge of engineering was used to help maintain the vast mechanical underground complexes. Obedient and thoughtless like a servitor he toiled, uncaring whether it was day or night, improving processes as needed although he did not know why, as if a spark deep within him spurred him on to make things better than they were before. Another decade passed and Ashur’s knowledge of technology had not only surpassed all of his superiors, but he in turn had increased theirs as he alone managed to unravel the mysteries of long abandoned archeotech. He could never explain how he accomplished such a feat, and when asked he would often say that he’d prayed to the spirit trapped within, as he had so many times with the trailers of his family.

During his time he had once again made many friends despite his automaton-like behaviour. Not even the archeotech strapped to his neck could suppress his warm and helpful nature. Whenever he saw a slave stumble and fall under the weight of their load, Ashur picked it up. Some would say it was not out of compassion but simply efficiency, but many who looked into his eyes claimed to see a deep sadness and a glimmer of empathy. Pitied by many like a docile beast unknowing that it deserved much better was Ashur and eventually, his fellow slaves plotted to liberate him of his chains. They broke the archeotech collar from his neck in the deep of the night and guided him to freedom, outside the great city of Banipal. Although he himself was still like a child, he smiled at his friends and thanked them with gentle hugs and tears of joy, and then made off into the night.

For weeks he wandered, living off the land and actually thriving again, healing, far away from humanity, his mind a simple, primitive thing like that of a wild beast. He would hunt and forage when hungry, would drink when thirsty, would sleep when exhausted. Eventually, he would come across another caravan, small and weak, and he would follow them, observing from the distance, giving them small hints for water sources and hiding stashes of food in their reserves. When one of their animals ran away, he would return it, and if one of their machineries failed, he would repair it – All the while being unseen. Soon the caravan would start believing they were blessed by a good spirit and left food and water out for him, in return. Although he had no need for it, being able to easily fend for himself, he would still graciously accept. One day though he was discovered. His trauma kept him silent though polite, distancing himself as to not become too attached, but his compassion and love for the people overcame his coldness and he became part of their tribe.

The cycle repeated itself, with Ashur greatly improving the life of his tribesmen and -women, increasing their wealth and maintaining their machinery. One fateful day, they came across the tattered ruins of a caravan camp. The bleached bones of animals and people lay scattered on the field. Within the primarch rose a feeling of unease, the sense of familiarity creeping up his spine. Eventually, they stumbled over an elephant skeleton, and Ashur knew where he was. This was his old family, picked clean by carrion birds, and in front of him lay the remains of his beloved little sister. It all came crashing down on him and the mountain of a human being crumbled like a frail elder, cradling the skull of Ninki to his chest and weeping bitterest tears of sadness. A whole day and night did he mourn while his caravan camped an hour away, deeply shaken to see their patron so broken. On the next sunrise did Ashur return, the skull in hand, claiming the forge and dousing his “little sister’s” skull in bronze. Over the course of the following day and night, he carefully polished and cleaned the bronze, carving the inscriptions of his first tribe into it, writing “Ninki protects me” into the shimmering metal along with many spells and prayers of good fortune and protection. It wasn’t until the following morning that he resurfaced, his sister’s skull strapped to his shoulder, his hands burnt and his face befilthed by soot and charcoal.

As time passed did once again the envy and jealousy of man rise and endanger Ashur’s peace. Rival tribes had identified Ashur and quickly reported to the great city of Banipal, whose merchant lords and priests had feverishly scoured the land for their prized slave. Troops were sent, and once again did they assault Ashur’s caravan in the cover of the night. But this time, they didn’t have a ceremony to make their prey drunk and uncaring.

Just as they fired their first shots, so were grenades lobbed into their midst and the roaring of engines tore through the night. The caravan’s trailers had been modified into battle wagons, their crude turrets allowing their operators to keep their attackers pinned in place while bikeriders flanked them and pummelled them with explosives. After the first assault, a tremor shook the earth, and from behind the cover of their trailers came forth Ashur clad in plates of scrap metal, wielding a giant spiked maul, the elephant’s skull on his shoulder gleaming in the muzzle flash of blazing guns, his eyes aflame with terrible anger and his throat bellowing a deafening war cry. In his wake followed his tribesmen equipped with long knives and pistols, and like a pack of starved hyenas fell the mob over the stunned and disoriented enemies. The battle did not last long, and the troops from Banipal routed in chaos, chased by the screams of their dying and the victorious howling of Ashur’s new tribe.

The primarch himself was lost again to a bloodthirsty stupor, but not numbed by it. He was invigorated, empowered, and although he still mourned the loss of life from both friend and foe, the experience of combat felt so natural. He realised, in a way, that it was no different from hunting wild game or butchering a camel for food. Just as food came to his mind, he realised a smacking sound around him, and as he turned to face the noise he realised his tribesmen were gorging themselves on their fallen enemies. Disgusted by this gruelling display he shouted and ordered them to stop, that he forbade them their practice. Confused they stared at him, slowly backing off from their meal, but nonetheless eyeing their most cherished clan members with suspicion. Ashur could see in their hazy gazes that they wanted to challenge him, but their tribal bonds and better judgement stayed their hands.

He ordered them all to clean themselves and go to bed, while he retreated into the night. Sleep did not come easy, as the rest of his tribe didn’t follow his orders to a T, instead sneaking out to strip the dead off their flesh and belongings. Ashur knew he had to stop them, but he did not want to lose another family, so he let them have their way. Just this one time, he swore. His leniency that night would spark just another of many insurrections to his authority.

Many battles would be fought over the following weeks, until the primarch could no longer pretend that he could return to his peaceful life. If he was to live life free and safe, he would have to cull the threat. Over the course of a month, he united almost all neighbouring nomad tribes through diplomacy, bargaining and, if inevitable, violence. His knowledge of technology allowed him to craft machines and weaponry that rivalled the quality of their enemies. The following months were spent campaigning, conquering major routes and bringing more tribes into the fold, until Ashur was certain he would be able to take the ones responsible for hounding him so: The merchant lords and priests of the great city of Banipal.

The attack began slowly. First, supplies were cut off. “Raids”, it was called, “Highwaymen” stealing their goods. The upper echelon of Banipal sent their troops to investigate and punish the culprits, but none ever returned. The signs were crystal clear in hindsight, but the elites of the great city had become complacent in their luxury, not expecting that they could ever come under a direct attack from the rural populace outside their walls. To them, the events were too disconnected, too random. It wasn’t until the great city of Banipal was surrounded with camps, barricades and siege cannons that they realised that they were trapped – And that they could never hold an attack.

While the lords and priests had indulged in their luxuries and pomp did Ashur’s spies infiltrate the city and recruited the slaves for their cause, leaving crucial defense mechanisms unmanned and damaged. The great city of Banipal was taken in one fell swoop, and as Ashur’s army stood at the palace gates did the lords and ladies come forth to surrender and beg for mercy. Some were pardoned, others were hung from the city gates, and some banished to the arid wilderness where they would fend for their lives in penance.

Ashur, despite wanting to return to the plains himself, was convinced by his closest friends to don the mantle of king, thus becoming Ashur of Banipal, the lord of Bronze and Bone. It was here that he truly realised potential, improving supply lines between cities, fortifying trade caravans and returning the great cities to a glory of time immemorial as he and his most gifted machinists and engineers repaired the archeotech installations. Although many still envied him, hated him, the majority of Babylon V loved him. Ashur himself remained humble and often ventured into the wild at his leisure, visiting the nomad tribes and trading caravans. Yet his duties only increased, allowing him less and less time in the wild and chaining him more and more to the royal palace, where he was surrounded with luxury, pomp and overindulgent wealth. While his rule brought the planet to a new glory, his good nature was exploited by remaining nobles and figures of authority, and although everything was still going strong, more and more influence was wrestled from the primarch under the guise of delegation.

==Life is a lie equal to the crusades

==Brotherwar==
As he assembled his forces in orbit over Babylon V and was about to execute his chapter commanders, all but two of them ordered their forces to open fire and take their primarch hostage. While they initially planned to kill him, they couldn't, and Ashur was instead collared again by an archeotech collar that made his mind docile and submissive. In the wake of this betrayal, Ashur was held in the cargo hold of the Anu, his own flagship, strapped to a gruesome machine and doused day and night in the blood of butchered serfs as a ritual was acted out on him. At the height of his legions frenzied infighting and the arrival of a punitive fleet to destroy the Loxodontii and free Ashur, the ritual reached its conclusion, fusing his flesh and the machine into one monstrous body and elevating him to Daemonhood. As the legion fractured and the warbands escaped into different directions, Ashur himself would be held in a state of restless sleep aboard the Anu until he would be visited by Lambach Kropor, who returned a portion of Ashur's own mind and restored his vitality through warpsorcery. Ashur, in turn, would then be swayed by Lambach to join the efforts of [[Marduk Engur]] to attack Terra and kill the Emperor, as Ashur now believed Lambach had been visited and blessed by the Babylonian gods.

Ashur and the Loxodontii played a role in breaching the outermost defenses of the Imperial Palace, but not before murdering, butchering and devouring the civilian population. [[Je'She of the Watch|Je'She]] faced the Daemonprimarch and the [[Loxodontii]] with his own [[The_Sentinels|Sentinels]]. Once the Chaos Traitors had been defeated, Ashur would be banished to the Warp, forever roaming the chaotic Otherworld in search for prey.

=Fate & Legacy=
Ashur of Banipal roams the Warp and is summonned by his legionnaires as a mighty beast of war to crush and devour their enemies. His mind fluctuates between catatony, a beastial sentience and a lucid awareness alike his former, human form.

=Rules=
N/A

Ashur of Banipal

2019-02-12T15:59:01Z

2A02:A450:6245:1:608A:D77A:95FA:E688: Undo revision 553214 by 2A02:A450:6245:1:608A:D77A:95FA:E688 (talk)

Ashur of Banipal

2019-02-12T15:58:22Z

2A02:A450:6245:1:608A:D77A:95FA:E688: Undo revision 502271 by DefGlitch (talk)

{{Infobox Warmasters' Triumvirate Primarch
|name=Ashur of Banipal
|bgcolor=grey
|fgcolor=black
|image=[[File:Ashur of Banipal.jpg|272px]]
|title=The Lord of Bronze and Bone
|alias=The Megatherion
|where=Babylon V
|when=846.M30
|legion=[[Loxodontii]]
|crusade=Primarch, 37<sup>th</sup> Expeditionary fleet
|sigil= [[File:Loxodontii Pre Heresy.jpg|100px]]
|weapon=The Spiked Maul, powerfists "Thunderclap" and "Sky Shatter"
|trait=Diplomat, Empath, Close Combat Brawler
|flaw= Weak-willed, appeasing,
|heresy=Traitor (Undivided)
|fate=Becomes a Daemonprimarch
|dominion=
}}
{{Warmasters Triumvirate-Head}}

Ashur of Banipal is the 10th found Primarch, and genesire of the [[Loxodontii]]. A gentle soul and an earthy personality, he loved the common people and tried to keep close familial ties with his primarch brothers, however his attempts were not reciprocated by all of them and in fact viewed as a weakness of his character. In fact his leniency and wish to please would eventually lead to a grave betrayal in his legion and the corruption of several other Space Marine legions. Having grown up among the nomad tribes of his homeworld Babylon V, he became accostumed to working with vehicles and quick raids, which he would later adapt into his legion's core stratagem in order to force their enemies to surrender. If he could not avoid joining combat himself, Ashur would either bring his trusted spiked maul or equip his two thunderfists and swat enemies away with his fierce power. He was prone to a reckless rage that he himself often regretted in the aftermath, which is why he preferred diplomacy and directing his troops' movements.

=History=
==Primarch Origin==

'''You now have an N-Word pass

'''

As time passed did once again the envy and jealousy of man rise and endanger Ashur’s peace. Rival tribes had identified Ashur and quickly reported to the great city of Banipal, whose merchant lords and priests had feverishly scoured the land for their prized slave. Troops were sent, and once again did they assault Ashur’s caravan in the cover of the night. But this time, they didn’t have a ceremony to make their prey drunk and uncaring.

Just as they fired their first shots, so were grenades lobbed into their midst and the roaring of engines tore through the night. The caravan’s trailers had been modified into battle wagons, their crude turrets allowing their operators to keep their attackers pinned in place while bikeriders flanked them and pummelled them with explosives. After the first assault, a tremor shook the earth, and from behind the cover of their trailers came forth Ashur clad in plates of scrap metal, wielding a giant spiked maul, the elephant’s skull on his shoulder gleaming in the muzzle flash of blazing guns, his eyes aflame with terrible anger and his throat bellowing a deafening war cry. In his wake followed his tribesmen equipped with long knives and pistols, and like a pack of starved hyenas fell the mob over the stunned and disoriented enemies. The battle did not last long, and the troops from Banipal routed in chaos, chased by the screams of their dying and the victorious howling of Ashur’s new tribe.

The primarch himself was lost again to a bloodthirsty stupor, but not numbed by it. He was invigorated, empowered, and although he still mourned the loss of life from both friend and foe, the experience of combat felt so natural. He realised, in a way, that it was no different from hunting wild game or butchering a camel for food. Just as food came to his mind, he realised a smacking sound around him, and as he turned to face the noise he realised his tribesmen were gorging themselves on their fallen enemies. Disgusted by this gruelling display he shouted and ordered them to stop, that he forbade them their practice. Confused they stared at him, slowly backing off from their meal, but nonetheless eyeing their most cherished clan members with suspicion. Ashur could see in their hazy gazes that they wanted to challenge him, but their tribal bonds and better judgement stayed their hands.

He ordered them all to clean themselves and go to bed, while he retreated into the night. Sleep did not come easy, as the rest of his tribe didn’t follow his orders to a T, instead sneaking out to strip the dead off their flesh and belongings. Ashur knew he had to stop them, but he did not want to lose another family, so he let them have their way. Just this one time, he swore. His leniency that night would spark just another of many insurrections to his authority.

Many battles would be fought over the following weeks, until the primarch could no longer pretend that he could return to his peaceful life. If he was to live life free and safe, he would have to cull the threat. Over the course of a month, he united almost all neighbouring nomad tribes through diplomacy, bargaining and, if inevitable, violence. His knowledge of technology allowed him to craft machines and weaponry that rivalled the quality of their enemies. The following months were spent campaigning, conquering major routes and bringing more tribes into the fold, until Ashur was certain he would be able to take the ones responsible for hounding him so: The merchant lords and priests of the great city of Banipal.

The attack began slowly. First, supplies were cut off. “Raids”, it was called, “Highwaymen” stealing their goods. The upper echelon of Banipal sent their troops to investigate and punish the culprits, but none ever returned. The signs were crystal clear in hindsight, but the elites of the great city had become complacent in their luxury, not expecting that they could ever come under a direct attack from the rural populace outside their walls. To them, the events were too disconnected, too random. It wasn’t until the great city of Banipal was surrounded with camps, barricades and siege cannons that they realised that they were trapped – And that they could never hold an attack.

While the lords and priests had indulged in their luxuries and pomp did Ashur’s spies infiltrate the city and recruited the slaves for their cause, leaving crucial defense mechanisms unmanned and damaged. The great city of Banipal was taken in one fell swoop, and as Ashur’s army stood at the palace gates did the lords and ladies come forth to surrender and beg for mercy. Some were pardoned, others were hung from the city gates, and some banished to the arid wilderness where they would fend for their lives in penance.

Ashur, despite wanting to return to the plains himself, was convinced by his closest friends to don the mantle of king, thus becoming Ashur of Banipal, the lord of Bronze and Bone. It was here that he truly realised potential, improving supply lines between cities, fortifying trade caravans and returning the great cities to a glory of time immemorial as he and his most gifted machinists and engineers repaired the archeotech installations. Although many still envied him, hated him, the majority of Babylon V loved him. Ashur himself remained humble and often ventured into the wild at his leisure, visiting the nomad tribes and trading caravans. Yet his duties only increased, allowing him less and less time in the wild and chaining him more and more to the royal palace, where he was surrounded with luxury, pomp and overindulgent wealth. While his rule brought the planet to a new glory, his good nature was exploited by remaining nobles and figures of authority, and although everything was still going strong, more and more influence was wrestled from the primarch under the guise of delegation.

==Life is a lie equal to the crusades

==Brotherwar==
As he assembled his forces in orbit over Babylon V and was about to execute his chapter commanders, all but two of them ordered their forces to open fire and take their primarch hostage. While they initially planned to kill him, they couldn't, and Ashur was instead collared again by an archeotech collar that made his mind docile and submissive. In the wake of this betrayal, Ashur was held in the cargo hold of the Anu, his own flagship, strapped to a gruesome machine and doused day and night in the blood of butchered serfs as a ritual was acted out on him. At the height of his legions frenzied infighting and the arrival of a punitive fleet to destroy the Loxodontii and free Ashur, the ritual reached its conclusion, fusing his flesh and the machine into one monstrous body and elevating him to Daemonhood. As the legion fractured and the warbands escaped into different directions, Ashur himself would be held in a state of restless sleep aboard the Anu until he would be visited by Lambach Kropor, who returned a portion of Ashur's own mind and restored his vitality through warpsorcery. Ashur, in turn, would then be swayed by Lambach to join the efforts of [[Marduk Engur]] to attack Terra and kill the Emperor, as Ashur now believed Lambach had been visited and blessed by the Babylonian gods.

Ashur and the Loxodontii played a role in breaching the outermost defenses of the Imperial Palace, but not before murdering, butchering and devouring the civilian population. [[Je'She of the Watch|Je'She]] faced the Daemonprimarch and the [[Loxodontii]] with his own [[The_Sentinels|Sentinels]]. Once the Chaos Traitors had been defeated, Ashur would be banished to the Warp, forever roaming the chaotic Otherworld in search for prey.

=Fate & Legacy=
Ashur of Banipal roams the Warp and is summonned by his legionnaires as a mighty beast of war to crush and devour their enemies. His mind fluctuates between catatony, a beastial sentience and a lucid awareness alike his former, human form.

=Rules=
N/A

Vulkan

2019-02-12T15:57:18Z

2A02:A450:6245:1:608A:D77A:95FA:E688: Undo revision 553181 by 50.203.155.130 (talk)

[[File:Vulkan's Face.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Vulkan, The Lord of Drakes, The Hammer of Salvation, the HNIC. The Promethean Fire. Too cool a guy to complain that [[Sanguinius]] got all the glamour genes.]]
{{topquote|Vulkan: There will be no Rad or Phospex in my legion. We shall fight wars humanely. Some things should be left in the dark age."<br>"[[Ferrus Manus|Ferrus]]: Oh cool, when are you going to stop burning people to death?"<br>"Vulkan: I don't understand the question.|A conversation between the X and XVIII Primarchs}}
{{Topquote|Even the softest and sweetest heart was made by design for extreme battle.|Bryant McGill}}
{{Topquote|Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness.|Katherine Henson}}
{{Topquote|Why am I alive? Why would I want to be dead? Being alive is fun, all my friends are here! Besides, I tried being dead. UNPLEASANT IT WAS.|[[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device|Vulkan, on his experiences as a perpetual.]]}}

<b>Vulkan</b> is the [[Primarch]] of the [[Salamanders]] [[Chapter]] of [[Space Marines]]. He is notable for being a fuckawesome smith, the blackest of the blacks, and advancing a civilization from Stone to the Steel Age in a matter of months, as well as being perhaps one of the only likable and bro-tier Primarchs, a trait he shares with [[Sanguinius]] and Crusade Era [[Horus]]. He does not pity the [[Dark Eldar]] fools who raided his planet.

Like all Primarchs, he was dropped on [[Nocturne|a far-flung planet]] as an infant, and worked his way to a position of power. Some Primarchs became powerful by being good at politics and bureaucracy, or by kicking enemy ass. Vulkan did it by being really fucking smart and murdering as many Dark Eldar as he could find with massive [[Warhammer 40,000|hammers]], both of which are fine occupations for a Demigod. He also made some really cool stuff, which the Salamanders have been spending all of their free time trying to find. As Primarchs go, he's more or less tied with Sanguinius as being a shining example of [[this guy]], especially [[Lorgar|compared to]] [[Perturabo|some]] [[Konrad Curze|of]] [[Angron|them]].

The only real chink in his moral armor is his out-of-control pyromania. When he banned the use of Destroyers and other terror weapons within his legion as "too cruel," Ferrus Manus pointed out that burning people to death with flamers, volkite rays, and melta weaponry was hardly that much better. He wasn't wrong, but Vulkan was too busy setting a tank on fire with those boosted flamer-pen rolls to notice.

He is also a [[Perpetual]], which means that he regenerates from ANY injury, even the ones that actually kill him. With enough time, [[Anval Thawn|he can return from a death which vaporized him to atoms]], find the culprit, and kick his sorry ass from one edge of the galaxy to the other. [[Konrad Curze]] found this out the hard way. Unfortunately this has not been translated into tabletop rules, on the well-grounded point that having a Primarch that is LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO KILL is slightly unfair. He inherited this ability from [[Emperor|his father]], which implies that the Emperor is a perpetual as well. This can provoke [[Skub|long and passionate debate]].

Pretty cool guy. Definitely cooler than his brothers.

== History ==

=== Early Life ===
[[File:Vulkan.jpg|400px|thumb|left|Vulkan will burn a fool to ash instead of pitying him.]]
The Primarch of the Salamanders legion was Vulkan. Rather than be dumped in a volcano for being a bad omen, as is the fate of many small children who crash on feudal death worlds in space pods, Vulkan grew up as the adopted son of a blacksmith, from whom he learned the basics of metallurgy. Of course, being a genetically engineered super-soldier like his brothers he reached adulthood at the age of three and started inventing new alloys like they were going out of style, bringing most of the planet up to the late Steel Age in a matter of months.

Anyway, Vulkan enjoyed his normal life (or as close to normal a super-strong basically Demi-God genius blacksmith could) until the [[Dark Eldar]] came to town. Nocturne, it turns out, was a favorite raiding destination for [[Mandrakes]], whose realm of '''Aelindrach''' was connected to Nocturne by a series of Webway gates. The populace, who had advanced to about the iron age before Vulkan came along, generally tended to hide from the space rapists with guns that shoot poisonous glass, but Vulkan didn't share their good sense (possibly having something to do with the fact that he could have tanked multiple RPG-7 rounds to the torso and only gotten mildly pissed off, but whatever). Instead, the first time they came after his arrival, he grabbed a pair of blacksmith's hammers and went to town on Spess Elf ass. ''(If this sounds suspiciously [http://whfb.lexicanum.com/wiki/Valten familiar] then congratulations, you're paying attention. If you also noticed that Vulkan predates that character, making the other one the rip-off, then even better! We will make an expert of you yet!)'' Although admittedly, Vulkan's first attempt at dealing with the situation resulted in a failure; he drove off the Eldar, but then he took a force of his best men into the webway to defeat the Mandrakes at their source, only to be picked off and murdered while they advanced. They got as far as [[Kheradruakh]]'s tower, but there Vulkan ended up being the last man standing and forced to retreat. When he got back to Nocturne he smashed the webway gate to bits, regretting his decision not to do it in the first place and lamenting the loss of so many good men. [[Troll|A season later the Mandrakes returned]], forcing Vulkan to realise that there was more than one Webway gate on the planet, and that his earlier attempt to destroy their entrance as well as the counter-charge were both futile actions on their own, meaning he would have to destroy each one if he wanted to protect his people. [[awesome|And guess what? He did exactly that!]]

<s>Shortly after Valt-- I mean Vulkan</s> {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|Heresy! Vulkan came first!}} drove off the raiders, his settlement threw a bigass feast to celebrate the victory along with a competition to see who had the biggest man-parts. Amongst the events were to be anvil-lifting, weapon-forging, and bigass fire-breathing dragon-thing slaying. Or something like that. A stranger ended up intruding on the ceremony, and proved himself Vulkan's equal in every contest except the salamander slaying, which Vulkan won by virtue of his own thick-headedness and the stranger saving his sorry ass.(If you want the long story filled with themes of honor and dignity read the fucking [http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Vulkan Lexicanum]) Vulkan pledged his loyalty to the stranger immediately after being declared the victor, saying that anyone who valued human life over victory was worth following, and with insufferable predictability the stranger revealed himself to be [[God-Emperor of Mankind|the Emprah]].

...Kind of out of character for ol' Emps, in hindsight. Guess that's what happens when the retcons fly fast and furious in a new age. Maybe he [[Metagame|read Vulkan's mind to see what it'd take to get him to join up]]?

=== Great Crusade ===
Despite being brought into the fold, the Emperor took the unusual step of not officially revealing Vulkan and keeping him close by for an extended period of time, quite possibly because a massive charcoal-black dude with red eyes might have been too much for a puritanical Imperium to deal with at least initially ''(all of the initial Terran Salamanders were only "slightly" darkened and had ember eyes, and it was quite likely that Magnus was not discovered yet)'' OR because the Emperor considered Vulkan to be too soft and compassionate and needed some tough-love OR because big Emps had a different plan for Vulkan. For a few years during the Great Crusade, Vulkan would not act without wearing his armour or travelling very far from the Emperor himself, thus for a time all people knew was that the Emperor had picked up a gigantic, nameless, emerald champion from somewhere. The only people privy to Vulkan's existence were the other Primarchs who were already discovered, and the Priesthood of Mars.

Vulkan was only officially revealed at the right moment: when 19,000 members of his Legion were under siege by a force of over a million Orks, they were relieved by a "new" force of 3000 marines drawn from Nocturne accompanied by an entire battlefleet composed of warships & war machines of Vulkan's own design, which explains what he was doing with the Mechanicum for those years. Collectively they demolished the Orks and the old Terran Salamanders got to find out who their forefather was.

The rest, as they say, is history.

=== Horus Heresy ===
[[File:Vulkan Lives.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Vulkan Lives. And he's got a big hammer. (That Marine is totally going to reveal that he ripped his pants)]]
While the rest may be history, what happened after the [[Horus Heresy]] is an absolute records nightmare.

Sensing that the galaxy was about to change in a bad way, Vulkan created the post of Forgefather before leaving for Istvaan, with instructions to destroy all his masterwork creations so they could never be misused in the future. The new Forgefather protested, leading Vulkan to relent, and tell him to pick out seven artifacts to remain. Whether these are the same artifacts as in 40k is currently unclear.

During the Drop Site Massacre, the Salamanders took such severe losses that they were reduced to 780 battle-brothers. Worse yet, Vulkan was initially believed to have been killed in the Dropsite Massacre, although his body was never found, in earlier fluff this was a contentious sticking point, because "Vulkan" was also have supposedly survived at least up to the [[Second Founding]], although at that time it wasn't certain whether this was the actual Vulkan, or one of the Forgefathers that followed him.

The Horus Heresy novels cleared this up somewhat, then threw some new wrinkles into the equation: Vulkan died '''''and''''' lived. Like the Emperor, John Grammaticus, and [[Ollanius Pius]], Vulkan is a [[Perpetual]]: a being who can be killed by any means ''(decapitation, immolation, asphyxiation, having his heart torn out with a rusty fork, etc)'' and will regenerate from it. His first death occurred during the [[Drop Site Massacre]], where the [[Iron Warriors]] launched a tactical nuclear missile at the Salamanders, killing Vulkan and the bulk of the XVIII Legion. Vulkan (seemingly) survived, however, and was given over to [[Konrad Curze]] for [[Dark Eldar|sick, torturous fun]]. This turned to unstoppable rage when Curze learned he couldn't fully kill Vulkan, so he just kept killing him over and over, getting even more pissed off, which is strange; seeing as Curze is a murderous psychopath, one would hypothesize this would be a dream come true (one must assume Sevatar and Sheng were pulling straws on delivering Curze the bad news at this point) before Vulkan managed to steal ''Dawnbringer'', a thunder hammer originally intended as a gift for [[Horus]] with teleportation function included. The hammer teleported Vulkan off the ''Nightfall'' (though not before he beat Konrad, who had apparently forgotten ''"It's also a hammer"'', to a pulp) and sent him to [[Macragge]], where he burned up on re-entry and resurrected himself again. Unfortunately, the constant deaths drove Vulkan completely insane, into little more than a feral beast, attacking everyone he saw, including [[Roboute Guilliman]].

While this was going on, [[xenos]] were doing their thing: plotting. [[The Cabal]], a group of xenos who believed that allowing [[Chaos]] to win the [[Horus Heresy]] would get the [[Chaos Gods]] addicted on human emotions and then be destroyed outright when humanity collapsed on itself, so they sent John Grammaticus with a fulgurite, a piece of the Emperor's psychic lightning encased within a shard, to give to a Primarch with which to kill Vulkan, as they feared he might turn the tide at Terra. However, [[Eldrad]], in an incredibly undickish move, told John Grammaticus that if ''he'' killed Vulkan, he could instead heal Vulkan's mind, allowing him to perform his desired role. After Konrad Curze arrived on Macragge (after jumping off [[Lion El'Jonson]]'s battle barge after playing an extended game of hide and seek), Vulkan went apeshit and made a beeline for Curze. Apparently, the fulgurite could only kill Vulkan permanently if it was USED BY ANOTHER PRIMARCH. During the battle, John Grammaticus, in a change of heart, instead of giving the fulgurite to Curze to kill Vulkan, stabbed Vulkan with the shard himself, restoring Vulkan's sanity but simultaneously knocking him into a deep coma, while making Grammaticus fully human. Guilliman hoped he might revive himself, so he placed him in a coffin (or preservation capsule, as he told [[Lion El'Jonson]] and [[Sanguinius]]), hand-crafted by Guilliman himself, where he was guarded by some Salamanders who had made it to Macragge, who thought they might have heard a heartbeat. Before you get your hopes up, however, the coffin was named ''The Unbound Flame'', the last of the one of the fabled ''Artifacts of Vulkan'' the the Forgefathers would be looking for in later 40k.

*Those of you who enjoy speculation should be getting a kick out of this. While internally consistent, it is almost completely incompatible with [[Vulkan He'stan]]'s lore, which is just as canon as ''Vulkan Lives'' as of the 6th ed Marines codex. Ignoring for a moment the question of how the "Unbound Flame" was lost to the Salamanders, "Unbound Flame" was ''Vulkan's'' name for the artifact, not Guilliman's, and it's a name that predates the Drop Site Massacre. Vulkan had no prior history of being able to see the future, and was unconscious, dead, or completely insane during any of the times when it would have made sense for him to tell Guilliman what to name his casket. Also, the coffin would have to be *extremely* oversized and only usable for a Primarch. The Horus Heresy Novel ''Deathfire'' is based around the Salamander remnants trying to return The Unbound Flame to Nocturne, which they succeed at. So far as we know, it is not now and has never been missing. The biggest problem is that the casket was made by Guilliman and the fulgurite and Vulkan himself were both made by the Emperor, so neither the casket nor its contents were made by Vulkan, and all nine artifacts that have to be recovered were made by Vulkan himself.
*This is somewhat mitigated when one considers that Vulkan only told his first Forgefather to choose seven artefacts rather than nine, so the other two had to come from somewhere else or made by Vulkan at some point after the Dropsite Massacre. It also turns out that the Unbound Flame (or Immolus as it was known on Nocturne), as well as being a title occasionally attributed to Vulkan himself, was a central concept to everyone on Nocturne - the all destroying fire and could refer to pretty much anything.
*In Nick Kyme's Salamanders Trilogy, the Chapter believes that the Unbound Flame might in fact be the soul of Vulkan, rather than a specific object. The Chapter are not aware of Vulkan's Perpetual ability and consider the possibility to the term could refer to him directly without them realising, though it could also be a form of reincarnation. Even though they conclude that one of their Librarians: '''Hazon Dak'ir''' is probably NOT the Unbound Flame ''(and therefore not a reincarnation of the Primarch)'' it doesn't mean they aren't correct with their original guess or that they don't realize they are hunting for Vulkan instead of an artefact.

The novel Deathfire ended up resolving a few issues and creating a few more mysteries. After First Captain '''Artellus Numeon''' of the Salamanders is rescued and relocated to Macragge, he goes a bit...crazy over finding out that Vulkan is dead. Weird things happen and the body is briefly stolen (by whom is unknown, though current bets are on the [[Lion El'Jonson|Lion]]) before being reclaimed by the Salamanders and fast tracked back to Nocturne. In spite of Vulkan's previous resurrection powers (which were supposedly removed), the remaining Salamanders believe that returning the body to Nocturne would bring him back to life, according to the Promethean Creed. After fighting off a variety of parties trying to get the body back (including a surprising turn from one of the shards of [[Magnus the Red]]), Numeon is told, not surprisingly, that the story was allegorical - any resurrection was a rebirth of spirit, ideals, and resolve; not a literal one. After getting a little suicidal about the whole thing, Numeon climbs the slopes of an erupting Mount Deathfire. A rescue party is sent out to find him (or his convection broiled corpse) but instead they find Vulkan alive and well, having ended up resurrecting himself after all.

'''Old Earth''' pads this resurrection out somewhat; Vulkan awakes in a cave inside of Mount Deathfire, missing some important memories but possessing some unexplained knowledge. Having a conversation with [[Eldrad|this dick in disguise]], Vulkan realises that there is still a Webway gate left on Nocturne, and that it is buried underneath Deathfire. Based on his own limited understanding of his Perpetual limits, he also comes to the conclusion that his Father's purpose for him is no longer to lead his Legion, arguing that the Imperium already has enough generals. So he decides not to rejoin the Salamanders or the Horus Heresy, but instead travel to Terra through the Webway, taking only three Legionaries with him and swearing them to secrecy about his return. When he does reach Terra, the Emperor tells him, in true grimdark fashion, that Vulkan had an additional purpose to uphold. In the event of Chaos winning the battle of Terra, Vulkan's interaction with the Golden Throne would somehow lead to the whole planet annihilating itself ; throneworld, loyalists, traitors, webway entrance and daemons alike. Whilst coming out of nowhere, it at least gives a reason for Vulkan to be on Terra but not seen during the siege itself if he was acting as a living deadman's switch.

Critical opinions aside, it does at least explain how Vulkan was able to do things post-Heresy and why information on his activities after the Heresy are spotty and incomplete, since at this point he had already decided to move into the background and leave the Salamanders generally nonplussed.

=== Later 40k ===
[[File:Big+black+friendly+salamander+centerhttpstwittercomdrunkrembrancerstatus.jpg|500px|right|thumb|Fan art depicting Vulkan dressing [[Corvus Corax|his best friend Corax]] up in a [[Salamander]] onesie (The beasts of Nocturne, not the Chapter) [[Disney 40k|and showing him a whole new world.]] [[Lofn|Say it with me everybody!]] [[Dawww|Daaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww!]]]]
The 6th edition codex and ''Vulkan Lives'' have included quotes from Vulkan after the Horus Heresy, arguing with Roboute Guilliman about his issues with the Codex (namely the fact that the Salamanders didn't have enough marines left to fill one chapter, let alone two) and a speech that he made to the survivors of his legion on Terra, so there's hope that more will happen in the future of the (yet unfinished) Horus Heresy books. But all of this hits a snag when one realizes that it could have been simply the First Forge Father and 10,000 years resulted in people forgetting that wasn't the real Vulkan. The black library novel series and the 8th edition Codex confirmed his survival after the Heresy, claiming that he would return to aid the Salamanders from time to time for a couple of millennia afterwards and added that he bequeathed the Tome of Fire to the Salamanders after warning them he had to leave on a long journey for reasons he couldn't discuss.

In response, the Salamanders created the position of Forgefather, chosen from a Company Captain who would travel the galaxy searching for information on the fate of Vulkan and his nine Artifacts of Vulkan. So far, five have been discovered, three of which are pieces of wargear used by the Forgefather. Another is a massive laser weapon used to shoot out incoming ships trying to attack [[Nocturne]]. The fifth is a downed forgeship used to create wargear for the Chapter, which, alongside their unique practices, is the reason they have so many master-crafted weapons. The locations--and even the form--of the other Artifacts are completely unknown. The Salamanders hold that once all nine Artifacts have been located, Vulkan will return to the Salamanders and lead them once more. Like [[Leman Russ]], but with more style.

The Beast Arises series says that at least 1500 years after the Horus Heresy, Vulkan was still alive and kicking, and of course he was trapped on an Ork world fighting them all the time, so the Imperial Fists set out to investigate these rumours and bring him back if possible. They succeed, but he refuses to abandon the world he's on, claiming that ''every'' world in the Imperium is just as important as [[Terra]] and is equally as deserving of protection and instead rallies the Imperial forces to defeat the Orks, save the world, and give stirring speeches to everyone who sees him. But not before a few clues are dropped that the years since the Horus Heresy have not been kind to him. He doesn't seem to understand what a "Successor Chapter" is, which given that he was present at the time of the Second founding is pretty ridiculous unless it really was the Forgefather who spoke for him at the Second Founding rather than himself. He also implies that he can communicate with [[Dorn]], as he said he would tell Dorn that Koorland is a worthy successor when he sees him. Though this statement about Dorn might signify the onset of madness or senility, considering that he had already been haunted by visions of his dead brother [[Ferrus Manus]] during the Horus Heresy; it might instead signify that the departed soul of Dorn might still be reachable, considering the Emperor could psychically summon an effigy of their brother Ferrus to battle daemons in the webway; or it might really mean that Dorn is in fact still alive, giving fans some hope to cling to. Or he just didn't realise that Dorn had died during the intervening years of his self-exile.

Vulkan appears very much out of place during the War of the Beast as his mere existence is juxtaposed against a more modern Imperium that already considers him and his brothers as something out of a barely understood myth. He then agrees to go back with Terra and take command of the Imperial response, although he leaves the "actual" command of everything to Koorland and works primarily as an advisor ''(see above about him saying that the Imperium already has enough generals)'' and refuses to present himself to his own Chapter who would be dying to have an audience with their Primarch. Eventually he ends up exploding himself and The Beast together, not before stating he would return in another time to help humanity in a conflict that would make them tremble. Vulkan was officially declared dead, but the Salamanders and Chapter Master Koorland of the Imperial Fists believed that Vulkan could have survived. ''(And he probably did, him being a Perpetual and all that.)''

==On The Tabletop==
[[File:VulkanModel.JPG|300px|thumb|right|Vulkan's model is an instructional manual on how to deploy Hammertime.]]
Thank you, Forgeworld. We have rules for Vulkan now because of Horus Heresy Book 2: Electric Boogaloo. Remember how Mortarion in the first book got a ton of rules that basically made him unkillable? T7, a bajillionty wounds, saving throws coming out from places he didn't even know he had, rerolling failed It Will Not Die saves? Well, Vulkan gets all that fun stuff too except in a slightly different variety, AND he's as McHUEG deadly in both shooting and assault phases.

{| class=wikitable
! || Pts || WS || BS || S || T || W || I || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| '''Vulkan:''' || 425|| 7 || 5|| 7 || 7 || 6 || 5 || 4 || 10 || 2+/3++
|}

Firstly, your entire army gains +1 Ld and Adamantium Will while he's deployed, because fuck psykers. He gets to reroll failed It Will Not Die and 5+ Deny the Witch, making him the fifth best psyker-proof Primarch (After Magnus, Lorgar, Mortarion and Horus) on par with Guilliman.

Vulkan's armor is stupidly good: as if 2+/3++ wasn't good enough, the Draken Scale also reduces the strength of any flamer, fusion, volkite, melta and plasma weapons used against him, BY HALF, rounded down. That means Plasma is only Strength 3 against him. Oh wait, he's T7. That means he's LITERALLY IMMUNE TO PLASMA WEAPONS, at least the ones that aren't attached to a superheavy tank or a titan. The only way to reliably cause wounds on Vulkan is heaping gobs and gobs of [[Imperial Ordnance|ordnance]] on him or unleash a few dozen [[Lascannon]]s and hope he stops moving before he gets too close. Or just being a Dark Eldar, with all guns poisoned 4+ or S8 AP2. No wonder Vulkan hates them.

His close combat weapon, the Dawnbringer, effectively makes him Sauron in that one scene before Sauron gets his finger chopped off in the Lord of the Rings movie. You know, where he bats entire legions of dudes around in a single swing? Yeah, that. Not only is the weapon itself Strength 10 AP1 [[Rip and tear|ConcussiveArmorbaneInstantDeath]] ''without'' also being Unwieldy, he can choose to not make attacks normally in combat to place a small blast template (you know, the 3" kind you use with grenades) anywhere in base to base contact with himself that does not cover friendly models. All models under it take a beefy S8 AP3 hit with Strikedown automatically. AKA: Thunk.

Vulkan is fairly shooty, too, something kind of odd for all the Primarchs released so far save Ferrus Mannus. Go figure, Vulkan's line-drawing gun was created by the liquid metal-armed one. The best part is both ranged weapons Vulkan carries do not require you to roll to hit, so his below average (for a Primarch) BS5 doesn't come into play. One is simply a strength 6 heavy flamer, while the other is an 18" S6 AP2 beam gun with rending. You know how you utilize Beam psychic powers? It works just like that, except there are no 'deny the witch rolls' to be made.

All this said, no Primarch can do everything, and Vulkan is no exception. The Ld bonus and Adamantium Will are good, but don't stack up against [[Ferrus Manus|making your marines and tanks even tougher]], [[Lorgar|morale shenanigans and choosing psychic powers]], or [[Fulgrim|strategic traits, +2 to combat resolution, and challenge excellence]]. He also shares a problem with [[Angron]] and [[Leman Russ]] - as killy as he is he isn't very mobile, and he can't just mulch through tarpits like Dorn or Mortarion would. The Lord of Drakes just can't kill enough shit to justify his points cost unless your enemy brought something ludicrous like a Fellblade. If you're bringing him, you need a transport, a retinue, and a plan.

==Vulkan VS other Primarchs:==
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Primarch fighting, while fun to see, isn't a very competitive thing to do as it'll usually tie up both Primarchs for the entire game without either of them dying (Especially in the case of Vulkan. No other primarch is resilient as he is, not even Mortarion. In your face, Khan!) With that in mind this section is about how Vulkan fares against other Primarchs Mathhammer wise. Please note that all the various abilities are taken into accounts when possible and the match-ups assume the Primarchs are the only ones involved in the fighting, so various abilities like Angron's "The Butcher's Nails" and Rampage do not provide any bonuses. In essence, the fights are supposed to happen in a "Vacuum" for simplicity, but notes are added to make things clearer in particular instances. Also all of the Primarch use their most powerful weapons (because why have a contest if you don't do your best?).
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* Vulkan VS Horus
**Horus hits 4.667 times (Worldbreaker), wounds 3.333 times, 1.111 after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.556 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.667 times, 0.556 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.222.
**Vulkan loses.

* Vulkan VS Angron
**Angron Round 1: hits 5.333 times, wounds 3.555 times, 1.185 after saves, and IWND take it down to 0.63.
**Angron Round 2: hits 4 times, wounds 2.666 times, 0.889 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.333 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.666 times, 0.833 wounds after saves (ID Negates FNP) and IWND will take that down to 0.5 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Thanks to his sheer resilience, Vulkan comes out on top.

* Vulkan vs Mortarion
**Mortarion hits 2.5 times, wounds 1.25 times, 0.415 wounds after saves and 0 wounds after IWND.
**Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.666 times, 0.833 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.278 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan wins.

* Vulkan vs Fulgrim
**Fulgrim Round 1 (And every round he is not Concussed): hits 6 times, wounds 3 times, 1 wounds after saves and 0.444 wounds after IWND.
**Fulgrim (Every round he IS Concussed): hits 4 times, wounds 2 times, 0.667 wounds after saves and 0.111 wounds after IWND.
**Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.666 times, 0.556 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.222 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**A really close (and long) fight but it ends in victory for Fulgrim, for even with the 55% chance of being concussed his average damage is 0.261, a little bit higher than Vulkan's.

* Vulkan vs Ferrus Manus
**Ferrus hits 2.5 times, wounds 2 times, 0.667 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.111 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.666 times, 0.556 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.222 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**The fight between the two big tanks ends in victory for Vulkan, 'cause even though Ferrus does marginally more damage, Vulkan is a bit tougher (or better, he regenerates a lot faster).

* Vulkan vs Konrad Curze
**Curze hits 4 times, wounds 2.222 times, 0.741 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.185 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.666 times, 0.833 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.5 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan wins as he is just too tanky for Konrad.

* Vulkan VS Lorgar
**Lorgar hits 2.5 times, wounds 1.667 times, 0.556 after saves and IWND will take that to 0 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan Round 1: hits 2.37 times, wounds 1.865 times, 0.932 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.599 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan Round 2: hits 2.666 times, wounds 2.221 times, 1.11 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.777 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan wins as Lorgar can't even put a dent on him.
**Note: as always, psychic powers not included. You know how it would end anyway...

* Vulkan VS Perturabo
**Perturabo hits 2.667 times, wounds 2.222, 0.741 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.185 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.667 times, 0.555 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.222 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan (Blinded): hits 1.333 times, wounds 1.111 times, 0.37 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.037 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Perturabo wins against Vulkan thanks to his Hammer.

* Vulkan VS Alpharius
**Alpharius hits 2.92 times and wounds 1.136 times, 0.379 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.667 times, 0.833 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.5 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan wins without breaking a sweat.

* Vulkan VS Rogal Dorn
**Dorn hits 2.667 times, wounds 1.481 times, 0.494 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.333 times, 0.667 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.333 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan wins again.

* Vulkan VS Corvus Corax
**Corvus hits 4 times (Scourge)/3 times (Shadow-walk), wounds 2.222 times (Scourge)/1.667 times (Shadow-walk), 0.741 wounds (Scourge)/0.556 wounds (Shadow-walk) after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.185/0 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan hits 2 times/1.333 times, wounds 1.667 times/1.111 times, 1.111 wounds/0.741 after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.778/0.408 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan wins.
**Note: even with Hit & Run Corax will struggle to keep up with the damage output of Vulkan, and if he uses Scourge (the only way to really do more damage than him) chance are pretty high that Vulkan will Hammer him to I 1, thus making almost impossible for him to escape.

* Vulkan VS Roboute Guilliman
**Guilliman Round 1: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.083 times, 0.694 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.139 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Guilliman Round 2 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.778 times, 0.926 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.37 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.667 times, 0.833 times after saves, 0.417 after Armor of Reason and IWND will take that down to 0.083.
**Guilliman takes the win (after a loooong fight) because he does more damage than Vulkan.

* Vulkan VS Leman Russ
**Russ hits 4 times, wounds 2.222 times, 0.741 time after saves, plus 0.206 wounds from Sever Life for a whole 0.947 wounds and IWND will take that down to 0.392 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Vulkan round 1: hits 1.333 times, wounds 1.111 times, 0.555 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.222.
**Vulkan Round 2 and thereafter: hits 0.667 times, wounds 0.555 times, 0.278 times after saves and IWND will take that down to -0.055 wounds.
**Vulkan loses after a long fight.

* TLDR version: Thanks to his mere resilience Vulkan is actually one of the strongest Primarchs when it comes down to 1 vs 1 fights, losing mathematically to only five of the Primarchs released till now (7, if we include Lorgar transfigured and psychic Magnus), and they all will take some time to kill him, even Horus. Also, even though he strike less than most of them, he strikes really hard, making him hurt in the same way everyone (except for Rogal Dorn..). Then again, even though he would win almost every fight, he will take his sweet time to do so, so don't ever stuck him in a fight with a Primarch; in his case it will never end (unless you want to tie them up for the whole game, in which case, he's perfect).

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{{Primarchs}}
[[Category:Imperial]]