Novamarines

"The existence of the Alien is a problem with but one solution: Extermination. When Mankind is alone in the cosmos, only then will we have achieved our destiny." - Lucretius Corvo, first Chapter Master of the Novamarines

The Novamarines are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter and Second Founding Successors of the Ultramarines Legion. An ancient and proud Chapter, the Novamarines are hard-line adherents of the Codex Astartes who consider the writ of this sacred text, penned by their blessed Primarch Roboute Guilliman, to be divinely ordained law. In the past, they have been known to have drawn blood against those who would stray too far from the Codex. The Novamarines' virtue and honour are such that they have been held up as an example to other Chapters of what it means to be of the Adeptus Astartes, much like their parent Chapter. They have no known Successor Chapters, at least not officially, but they are believed to have had the honor of their brethren being selected to aid the Founding of several Ultramarines Successor Chapters in the past, notably the Dark Sons and the Angels of Fury.

The Novamarines are one of the proud Primogenitor Chapters, sired by the Ultramarines Legion during the Second Founding. The Chapter’s homeworld of Honourum is to be found in the galactic north of the Ultima Segmentum, a great distance from the Ultramarines’ Realm of Ultramar. The region is sparsely populated and its proximity to the Halo Stars means that the Chapter’s sphere of influence and area of operations is large indeed. The Halo Stars, as well as the vast tracts of unexplored wilderness space around Honourum, are host to all manner of ancient threats, nascent alien empires and as-yet undiscovered lost human colony worlds from the Age of Strife. As a consequence, the Novamarines have seen action against a wide range of enemies, from terrible xenos monstrosities to isolationist human realms that refuse to bow to the rule of the Emperor of Mankind. Perhaps partly because the Novamarines operated across such a wide area, the Chapter has very rarely gathered all 10 of its companies in one place. As far as can be ascertained, this has not occurred since the 37th Millennium, so active and far-flung are its companies.

As a Primogenitor Chapter, the Novamarines maintain close links to the Ultramarines and their other Successor Chapters. The great distance between Honourum and Macragge means that the Chapter is unable to send representatives to the court of Marneus Calgar as often as its brother Chapters, but every Novamarine aspires to make a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Primarch on Macragge at least once in his lifetime. Those that have done so traditionally mark the fact by adorning their battle helmets with a laurel wreath,a mark of honour that the Chapter's Scout Marines mark with awe and dream of one day earning for themselves.

The Novamarines contributed a large force to the continuing battle against the expansion of the Tau Empire during the Damocles Gulf Crusade in the mid-8th century of the 41st Millennium, based far to the galactic south of Ultima Segmentum. This deployment surpassed the demands of normal operations on the Chapter and took on the dimensions of a full Imperial Crusade, scouring the upstart aliens from several star systems in and around the Lithesh Sector and earning many glorious battle hnours in the process. When the crusade force was ordered by Inquisitor Lord Kryptman to redirect to Macragge to face the onslaught of the Tyranids' Hive Fleet Behemoth, the Novamarines sped to the side of their Progenitors. In the aftermath of the Battle of Macragge, the Novamarines' contingent remained in the region for several months, rearming and refitting before making for the Jericho Reach. The Chapter's first battles were fought exclusively against the Tau of the Velk'han Sept, which included a series of fleet engagements rimward of the Black Reef. The Novamarines have recently taken losses from which they are rebuilding following a series of less-than-successful assaults on the traitorous human warlords of the world of Iphigenia.

Chapter History
The Novamarines' founding Chapter Master is known to have been Lucretius Corvo, a highly honoured Captain of the Ultramarines Legion who served as one its Champions during the vicious fighting against the apostate Word Bearers Legion on the planet Astagar during the Horus Heresy. During the particularly brutal six-day battle, Corvo led a desperate counter-attack against an enemy force many times his own unit's number. His chosen band managed to destroy a Traitor Warlord-class Battle Titan and break the siege. As recognition for his tenacity and heroic actions, a Laurel of Defiance was awarded by Roboute Guilliman himself. This sacred object is still enshrined at the Novamarines' fortress-monastery, the Fortress Novum. At their Founding, the Novamarines were given the guardianship of the pre-Imperial fortress world of Honourum by the Ultramarines' Primarch. This sacred site had once marked the furthest northward extent of their Legion's advance into the galactic North of the Ultima Segmentum. At their founding, the Novamarines swore an oath to defend the Ultima Segmentum from the enemies of Mankind, and in almost eight thousand standard years they have not wavered once in this charge.

Notable Campaigns

 * The Pale Wasting (M34) - The Pale Wasting refers to a campaign where the Novamarines' earned some of their earliest recorded battle honours, though it also remains one of the most shadowed and mysterious events in the Imperial records. The Pale Wasting took place during the Nova Terra Interregnum (a time in the 34th Millennium when the Imperium fractured into warring factions), and was what scattered and veiled references in the records refer to as a great threat that arose from the Ghoul Stars. The Novamarines' own chronicles are curiously empty of any reference to this conflict.
 * Damocles Gulf Crusade & Lithesh Sector Crusades (740's.M41) - The Novamarines were also involved in the Damocles Gulf Crusade and the Lithesh Sector Crusade - both conflicts fought by the Imperium against the rapidly expanding Tau Empire.
 * The Badab War (901-908.M41) - Delayed in time by numerous conflicts the Chapter was already engaged in, a Novamarines contingent finally arrived in the Badab warzone in 906.M41 in response to the first calls for aid. They responded primarily because of their revulsion to the Astral Claws' renegade Chapter Master Lufgt Huron and the rebel forces' presumption and arrogance at defying the Imperium. The Novamarines were quick to apply themselves to saving their Loyalist allies against the barbarous Executioners Chapter. At the request of the Loyalists' High Commander Carab Culln of the Red Scorpions Chapter, the Novamarines remained in several smaller, highly mobile taskforces for the remainder of the war, guarding Imperial shipping and fighting small-scale and intense battles on several frontier worlds. The Novamarines withdrew their forces in 908.M41 to defend their homeworld against the impending threat of a growing Ork WAAAGH!, amongst many other problems plaguing the Ultima Segmentum.
 * 13th Black Crusade (998.M41) - The Novamarines contributed six full companies to the defense against the Forces of Chaos during the 13th Black Crusade.

Chapter Organisation
Being a proud Successor Chapter of the Ultramarines, the Novamarines Chapter are amongst the most strict adherents of the Codex Astartes and its divine tenets. They have continued to rigorously enforce the Codex's mandates despite their companies being scattered across the length and breadth of the Imperium throughout their long and glorious history. They are very proud of maintaining the honorifics and titles employed by their parent chapter, the Ultramarines, despite the galaxy-spanning distance from the realms of Ultramar. Another notable feature is that this Chapter maintains many ancient relics in fully operable condition from the bygone days before the Horus Heresy. This includes a full complement of Terminator Armour to equip their entire veteran 1st Company if needed, as well as extensive arsenals of early pattern Predators, Vindicators and Whirlwind armoured personnel carriers and numerous Dreadnoughts lovingly maintained with great reverence by their Chapter's forge.

The Novamarines are not a strictly fleet-based Chapter. Often they have had cause to divide their warriors and disperse them over vast areas of the galaxy to fulfill their duties. This wide dispersal over such a vast area has meant that the Chapter has seldom fought together as a whole. The Novamarines have not fought as a whole chapter since the 37th Millennium. Whilst their strength may be divided, in the past this has been advantageous, as the Novamarines have been able to be the first to answer the call of their fellow Chapters in need. A recent example would be their intervention in the defense of Obsidia, the homeworld of the Sable Swords Chapter. Their timely intercession prevented Obsidia from being overrun by mutant hordes whilst the majority of the Sable Swords were engaged elsewhere. A solemn oath of eternal debt was sworn by the Sable Swords to the Novamarines for their valiant rescue of their homeworld, something not taken lightly by the Chapter.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
As befits a Successor Chapter of the legacy of Roboute Guilliman, the Novamarines strictly adhere to the rigid tenets laid down in the sacred Codex Astartes. For nearly eight millennia they have fought in the prescribed manner as laid out in the illuminated pages of this holiest of texts. They do not deviate from the words of Guilliman in the slightest, for to do so is considered anathema. The Novamarines believe that this work of divine wisdom penned by their Primarch and sanctified by the Emperor of Mankind himself, is divinely ordained law. This Chapter is not afraid to mete out punishment to those that would deviate or profane the blessed dictates of this sacred text.

Chapter Beliefs
The Novamarines' homeworld of Honourum has a small population made up of feral hunter-gatherer tribes. These simple and hard people have provided recruits to the ranks of the Novamarines since their founding. During a Neophytes' indoctrination into the Chapter, all vestiges of their former life are stripped away and replaced with the pattern of thinking and culture identical to those native to Ultramar. The only idiosyncrasy of Honourum's natives that is retained is the practice of ritually tattooing their skin. Each Battle-Brother's skin become an illustration of their career and their lives, with designs and sigils depicting where they've traveled throughout the galaxy and the campaigns they have fought in. Their tattoos take on the quartered appearance of the Novamarines' own colours, which is itself based upon Lucretius Corvo's original personal heraldry. The Chapter believes that these tattooed images serve to armour their soul from the predations of dark spirits, and that it is by this roll of deeds recorded on their skin, when they reach the realm of Death, that the Emperor's Champion will judge their worth.

Chapter Colours
The Power Armour of the Novamarines is quartered navy blue and bone with a golden Aquila. The Chapter's rare use of a quartered livery is believed to be based on Corvo's personal heraldry, further setting their first Master's stamp upon the Chapter.

Chapter Badge
The Chapter's badge is a skull surrounded by a stylized star that resembles an Iron Halo.