Ultramar

Ultramar is the name given to the stellar empire of the Ultramarines. Yes, it sounds stupid and made up, but it was actually an Old Spanish term meaning “(place) beyond the sea” given to the Crusader States established in the Holy Land/Levant during the High Middle Ages, so it fits the Space Marine bulwark on the Eastern Fringe perfectly.

It was also the nickname of the Portuguese Empire, the first global empire, which moved its capital to Brazil after getting Napoleoned...and weirdly ties into the whole "Unremembered Empire" business, in which Roboute Guilliman decided to use Ultramar as the nucleus of an "Imperium Secundus" in case the whole Horus Heresy triggering WORST ENDING.

History

So, when the Emperor of Mankind finally found Roboute Guilliman, he had been ruling as Lord of Macragge for some five years, and had established an alliance of mutual aid with eight other star systems. After the Emperor made Guilliman Commander of the Ultramarines, the worlds allied with Macragge reoriented themselves to providing food, munitions, and recruits to the Ultramarines Legion. While they only supported a Chapter now, the alliance remained, and the worlds formed the realm of Ultramar.

Originally, there were said to be even more than 500 worlds in the 30k era. However, the Shadow Crusade led to the destruction of many of these planets. Exact numbers are not specified. However, in "Laurel of Defiance" it states that about a hundred planets were destroyed by the combined might of the World Eaters and Word Bearers Legions. In the 41st Millenium, he Ultramarines now only controlled about 50-60 planets (given the latest maps from Gathering Storm). The rest were given away to successor chapters/independent administration. This is because, after the Heresy, Guilliman didn't want the Ultramarines to be tied up defending their own realm while battles raged elsewhere in the Imperium.

All of this changed after Guilliman returned in the closing years of M41. He declared the treaties which gave many of the 500 worlds their independence "null and void" and ordered a return to the five hundred worlds system.

Shadow Crusade

During the Horus Heresy, the full might of the Word Bearer and World Eater Legions were unleashed upon the 500 worlds as Horus wished to keep the Ultramarines from interfering with his advance to Terra. Many of the planets in Guilliman's star empire were subjected to ferocious and unexpected invasions. With almost half of the Ultramarines Legion killed or put out of action after the Battle of Calth, and interstellar communication/travel cut off from one another due to the Lorgar's ruinstorm, each planet was left to fend for itself. Some planets were able to repel the invaders completely. On Astagar, a force led by Lucien Corvo (later the founder of the Novamarines) managed to win the battle for the planet by destroying a possessed Warlord-Class Titan belonging to the Word Bearers.

On others, the Ultramarines destroyed their worlds rather than let the enemy have them. Such as on Percepton, where an outnumbered chapter of the Ultramarines subjected the planet to phosphex bombardment, burning away both defenders and invaders who were unlucky enough not to evacuate in time.

More traitor legions would also invade Ultramar space during the Heresy, although they were not part of the Shadow Crusade. For example, the 25,000 strong force of Night Lords that were one of the six splinter fleets escaping the Dark Angels would attack Sotha. In the outer reaches of Ultramar, the Death Guard would also launch probing attacks on the relatively undefended border worlds.

Invasion by Hive Fleet Behemoth

In 745, M41, Hive Fleet Behemoth would invade Imperial space, the bulk of it making a beeline towards the Ultramarines home planet. Although the Hive Fleet was destroyed after the Battle of Circe, the invasion would leave many scars on Ultramar such as the destruction of the civilized world, Prandium. Still, because the Tyranids had focused their attacks on a relatively few number of important planets, the star empire had recovered fully in the span of less than sixty years.

The Plague Wars

In M42, its formerly idyllic existence was shattered by a Death Guard invasion led by Mortarian himself. Three systems to the galactic north of Ultramar were corrupted by influence of Nurgle and its planets are turned into staging grounds for the invasion of Guilliman's mini-Empire.

Espandor was badly sieged, Iax was overrun by daemons of Nurgle after being converted into a hospital world due to a convoluted scheme involving Guardsmen infected with Nurgle bugs, and even Macragge suffered bouts of Chaos-induced rebellion. Adding to the Ultramarines' misfortune, the invasion force also consisted of Typhus and his Plague Fleet alongside a Great Unclean One named Ku'Gath.

Guilliman eventually returns to Ultramar from his Indomitus Crusade after hearing of this invasion. There, he leads the Ultramarines and their auxilia in a large-scale counterattack against the invaders. He first sets his eyes on Espandor, which serves as the main supply line for the Death Guard invasion. After a brief battle, Espandor was cleansed and the forces of Nurgle were cut off from the Scourge Stars. Several loyalist Ultramarine successors also joined the fight, their fleets engaging the Death Guard and doing their best to keep Ultramar's shipping lanes safe.

The next great battle took place on Parmenio which saw the largest armored clash between the traitor and loyalist forces during the war. The largest star fort in Ultramar, Galatan, attempted to provide support but was engaged by the Plague Fleet and was boarded by traitor marines, leading to the death of the Novamarines Chapter Master. However, Guilliman kills Ku'Gath's lieutenant, Septicus and shatters his Plague Guard, after which the loyalists make gains on Parmenio and the Primarch of the Ultramarines leads a relief force to Iax.

The final battle of the war takes place here, with Guilliman and Mortarian fighting each other to a standstill amongst the ruins of Iax. Eventually, Mortarian and the Death Guard are summoned back to the Scourge Stars which had come under threat from the War in the Rift. They withdraw from Iax under the cover of a virus bomb and the forces of Nurgle withdraw from Ultramar.

Notable Features of Ultramar

What makes Ultramar notable is that by M41, it is a model of self-reliance, justice, and stability in the otherwise rotting Imperium of Man. Most people (such as he who shall not be named) say that it is a testament to Guilliman's ideals, a closer examination reveals more believable reasons:

Martial society: Lacking the Hive and Death World so common among Space Marine homeworlds, the worlds of Ultramar have developed a highly industrious warrior society who looks down on those who cannot pull their weight. This would disqualify most nobles who absorb resources without providing anything for the masses. The people of Ultramar are indoctrinated into taking pride in their work for the betterment of the Imperium

Social mobility: The worlds of Ultramar lack the Hives so common in many planets, and there is little population discontent. Space Marines place value on competence, and the Ultramarines are no different. People do not gain a position of power unless they can show genuine leadership.

Minimal Imperial presence: The Imperium of Man is quite frankly a horrible place to live, with the Administratum, the Adeptus Arbites, the Inquisition, and the Ecclesiarchy basically running things to the ground, in other words the Administratum won't screw up Ultramar with any filing errors, the Arbites and the Inquisition won't be Ultrabarging into people's homes and taking them away for "interrogation" and the Ecclesiarchy won't be the corrupt church that makes use of the extreme ignorance of the people while being highly hypocritical and counterproductive. However, because Ultramar provides for the Ultramarines, the Imperium classifies the worlds as free of Imperial tithes. And despite setting up the High Lords of Terra, Guilliman was firm on maintaining that the Space Marines answered to the Emperor, and the Emperor alone. As such, like other Space Marine homeworlds, the presence of the Adeptus Terra is quite limited in Ultramar and squarely subordinate to the Ultramarines.

Structure and Defences

After his return from the Indomitus Crusade, Gullliman engaged in a series of reforms. He divides Ultramar into 5 segments (North, South, East, West and Center). The Eastern segment is said to have 86 worlds by itself. However, it should be noted that this was the segment what suffered the most under the Tyranid invasion and other segments may have many more worlds. So therefore, assuming a minimum of 86 worlds in each segment, Ultramar should consist of 430-500 worlds. How did they get more than 400 worlds if only 400 were left after the Horus Heresy? Well, it has been 10k years. Several more planets must have been colonized as well. Guilliman also stations 8 Primaris Ultramarine successor chapters within the realm of his star empire. Including the Ultramarines and the Scythes of the Emperor, he pledged a force of 10,000 Space Marines to defend Ultramar in the future and to launch a future campaign against the Scourge Stars. Several star forts also exist within the region to guard against invaders, although at least two were destroyed in the invasion of Nurgle.

Ultramar is currently divided into five sectors (North, South, East, West and Center). Four of these sectors is ruled by a Tetrarch appointed by Guilliman himself. Every sector has a capital world where the Tertrarch resides, although each world considers itself under the rule of Maccrage.

• The Northern Sector is based around the Forge World of Konor. It's Tetrarch is Severus Agemman, First Captain of the Ultramarines.

• The Southern Sector is based around the world of Andermung. It's Tetrarch is Second Captain Portan of the Genesis Chapter.

• The Western Sector is based around the world of Protos. It's Tetrarch is Captain Balthus of the Doom Eagles.

• The Eastern Sector is based around the world of Vespator. It had been previously ruled by a political entity known as the Sotharan league, but since Sotha was destroyed by Hive Fleet Kraken, Guilliman re-constituted what was left of the league around Vespator. It's Tetrarch is Captain Felix, a Primaris Ultramarine.

The Central Sector falls under the direct rule of Macragge and its regent, Marneus Calgar. It encompasses all systems in the heart of Ultramar with the exception of Konor, Veridia and Espandor which falls under the remit of the Northern Tetrarch.

Worlds of Ultramar

• Macragge, capital and homeworld of the Ultramarines.
• Talassar, an ocean-world.
• Tarentus, a desert-world with cities encased in domes to provide produce.
• Konor, a research world given to the Adeptus Mechanicus.
• Espandor, a cardinal world given to the Ecclesiarchy.
• Mali, an agri-world.
• Quintarn, an agri-world.
• Calth, a cavern-world where the population lives underground. Used to be a civilised world which threatened to overturn Macragge as the Capital of Ultramar, before the Word Bearers fucked over the planet and poisoned its star.
• Talasa Prime, an Inquisitorial fortress
• Iax, agri-world. Invaded by daemons of Nurgle, presumed wiped out.
• Parmenio, a training-world.
• Prandium, Nom by the Nids, used to be a pretty nice planet dubbed "the Jewel of Ultramar" (hint: Prandium is Latin for Lunch).
• Armatura, a war-world which supplied the Ultramarines Legion with recruits and repaired damaged warships. Purged by the Shadow Crusade, now a dead world.
• Nuceria, a "civilized" world with the dubious honor of being the homeworld of Angron (and in extension, the World Eaters). Now a dead world after Angron purged it of all life.
• Sotha, an agri-world in the age of the Great Crusade and later homeworld of the Scythes of the Emperor. Eventually overtaken by the Tyranids.
• Gantz, A Forgeworld that produced most of the Legion's equipment and was the home of their allied Titan Legion, the True Messengers.

There used to be a metric fuck ton of others (Ultramar was once known as the 500 Worlds of Ultramar), but presumably the Shadow Crusade fucked them over (Most of them were handed over to Ultramarine Successor Chapters). It also got OM NOM NOM'd once. Aside from that, Ultramar may actually be one of the best places to live in the Imperium for your average dude aside from very few exceptions (or we just need to put Sandy Mitchell in charge of creating more worlds through Ciaphas Cain's novels).