THE SPACE MARINES
In the dark universe of the 41st millennium, vast and terrible forces threaten the very existence of humanity. Alien races such as Orks and Tyranids ravage entire solar systems, and the soul of every living human is menaced by the daemonic powers of Chaos. Shielded only by the potent psychic power of the immortal Emperor, the Imperium of Man is besieged by hostile forces. Ranged against these inimical enemies are the armies of the Imperial Guard, the giant war machines of the Titan Legions, and most potent of all, the mighty Space Marines of the Legiones Astartes. A Space Marine is a towering warrior, the product of intensive training and genetic manipulation. This transforms mortal men already selected from the deadliest warrior races in the known universe into superhuman killing machines armed and equipped with the best weapons humanity can devise. Every Space Marine is born an ordinary human. The conversion into a super-warrior is achieved by the careful implantation of genetically cultured organs, created originally from the gene-seeds of the Primarchs themselves. Once * implanted these organs grow and modify the recipient’s genetic structure. Selected hormones are boosted to aid growth, expand muscle tissue and strengthen bone structure, while other genetically tailored substances are released into the Space Marine’s bloodstream which cause further changes throughout his body. This process takes many years and can only occur while the Space Marine is still growing, which means that all Space Marines are recruited at an early age and Start training before they reach adulthood.
SPACE MARINE CHAPTERS
The Space Marines are organised into Chapters. Each Chapter is a self-sufficient army, equipped with spacecraft and supplies, and capable of responding at a moment’s notice to any threat to the security of the Imperium. Many of these Chapters have histories pre-dating the Imperium itself, back to a time more than ten thousand years ago when the Emperor still walked among men. In those days the Emperor created the Primarchs, twenty immortal superbeings who were to be his generals and comrades during the Great Crusade to reunite the human worlds. The Primarchs were the creations of the Emperor himself, and they wielded powers the like of which are not known in the universe today. The first Space Marines of the nascent Imperium were also the creation of that period. In those days the Space Marines were organised into formations known as Space Marine Legions. Each Legion was led by a Primarch, and they were considerably larger than the later Space Marine Chapters.
Many of the Primarchs’ names ring down the millennia, and the tales of their deeds are legendary. Names such as Leman Russ, Rogal Dorn and the angel-winged Sanguinius are spoken of with awe on any worlds where mankind dwells. They command a reverence second only to that afforded the Emperor himself. Other names are cursed wherever men gather, for many Primarchs rebelled against the Emperor and followed Horus, mightiest of their number, when he raised his standard against all mankind. During the dark time known as the Horus Heresy they gave themselves over to Chaos, and ravaged the worlds of the Imperium, in a war that was to eventually lead to the death of Horus, and the incarceration of the fatally wounded Emperor within his life-preserving Golden Throne.

THE HORUS HERESY
Horus was the greatest of the Primarchs and the most trusted of all the Emperor’s generals. None guessed that he owed his success to more than mortal courage. Later events showed that Horus served a darker master and that his loyalty to humanity was nothing but a pretense from the start. Somehow his geneseed had mutated, corrupting both the Primarch and his Legion. While pretending to fight for humanity, Horus and the troops under his command were actually slaves of the Chaos Gods. When the time was right Horus turned on the Emperor, leading his Legions upon Earth in an attempt to crush the Emperor with one swift blow. Between nine to eleven Legions sided with Horus, accounting for more than half of the entire Space Marine forces and including the most experienced and battle-hardened armies of the Imperium. It would take many pages to describe in full the attack of Horus upon Earth and his subsequent defeat. Suffice to say the short war ended when the Emperor teleported onto Horus’s battle-barge and slew the traitor. However, before he died Horus mortally wounded the Emperor and killed Sanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels.
The wounds inflicted by Horus on the Emperor were grave, but somehow he survived long enough for his body to be encased in the Golden Throne which has preserved him for over 10,000 years. The defeated Traitor Legions were driven from Earth and escaped to a region of the galaxy known as the Eye of Terror. From there they have continued to raid the Imperium ever since, slowly becoming more and more physically corrupted by the influence of the Chaos gods as time passes. Now there can be no doubting the gods they worship and the malevolent effect this dark allegiance has on the human mind and body. These are not merely the same Traitor Legions that attacked Earth all those millennia ago, but the very same Space Marines, doomed to battle for their dark masters for all eternity.
In the dark universe of the 41st millennium, vast and terrible forces threaten the very existence of humanity. Alien races such as Orks and Tyranids ravage entire solar systems, and the soul of every living human is menaced by the daemonic powers of Chaos. Shielded only by the potent psychic power of the immortal Emperor, the Imperium of Man is besieged by hostile forces. Ranged against these inimical enemies are the armies of the Imperial Guard, the giant war machines of the Titan Legions, and most potent of all, the mighty Space Marines of the Legiones Astartes. A Space Marine is a towering warrior, the product of intensive training and genetic manipulation. This transforms mortal men already selected from the deadliest warrior races in the known universe into superhuman killing machines armed and equipped with the best weapons humanity can devise. Every Space Marine is born an ordinary human. The conversion into a super-warrior is achieved by the careful implantation of genetically cultured organs, created originally from the gene-seeds of the Primarchs themselves. Once * implanted these organs grow and modify the recipient’s genetic structure. Selected hormones are boosted to aid growth, expand muscle tissue and strengthen bone structure, while other genetically tailored substances are released into the Space Marine’s bloodstream which cause further changes throughout his body. This process takes many years and can only occur while the Space Marine is still growing, which means that all Space Marines are recruited at an early age and Start training before they reach adulthood.
SPACE MARINE CHAPTERS
The Space Marines are organised into Chapters. Each Chapter is a self-sufficient army, equipped with spacecraft and supplies, and capable of responding at a moment’s notice to any threat to the security of the Imperium. Many of these Chapters have histories pre-dating the Imperium itself, back to a time more than ten thousand years ago when the Emperor still walked among men. In those days the Emperor created the Primarchs, twenty immortal superbeings who were to be his generals and comrades during the Great Crusade to reunite the human worlds. The Primarchs were the creations of the Emperor himself, and they wielded powers the like of which are not known in the universe today. The first Space Marines of the nascent Imperium were also the creation of that period. In those days the Space Marines were organised into formations known as Space Marine Legions. Each Legion was led by a Primarch, and they were considerably larger than the later Space Marine Chapters.
Many of the Primarchs’ names ring down the millennia, and the tales of their deeds are legendary. Names such as Leman Russ, Rogal Dorn and the angel-winged Sanguinius are spoken of with awe on any worlds where mankind dwells. They command a reverence second only to that afforded the Emperor himself. Other names are cursed wherever men gather, for many Primarchs rebelled against the Emperor and followed Horus, mightiest of their number, when he raised his standard against all mankind. During the dark time known as the Horus Heresy they gave themselves over to Chaos, and ravaged the worlds of the Imperium, in a war that was to eventually lead to the death of Horus, and the incarceration of the fatally wounded Emperor within his life-preserving Golden Throne.

THE HORUS HERESY
Horus was the greatest of the Primarchs and the most trusted of all the Emperor’s generals. None guessed that he owed his success to more than mortal courage. Later events showed that Horus served a darker master and that his loyalty to humanity was nothing but a pretense from the start. Somehow his geneseed had mutated, corrupting both the Primarch and his Legion. While pretending to fight for humanity, Horus and the troops under his command were actually slaves of the Chaos Gods. When the time was right Horus turned on the Emperor, leading his Legions upon Earth in an attempt to crush the Emperor with one swift blow. Between nine to eleven Legions sided with Horus, accounting for more than half of the entire Space Marine forces and including the most experienced and battle-hardened armies of the Imperium. It would take many pages to describe in full the attack of Horus upon Earth and his subsequent defeat. Suffice to say the short war ended when the Emperor teleported onto Horus’s battle-barge and slew the traitor. However, before he died Horus mortally wounded the Emperor and killed Sanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels.
The wounds inflicted by Horus on the Emperor were grave, but somehow he survived long enough for his body to be encased in the Golden Throne which has preserved him for over 10,000 years. The defeated Traitor Legions were driven from Earth and escaped to a region of the galaxy known as the Eye of Terror. From there they have continued to raid the Imperium ever since, slowly becoming more and more physically corrupted by the influence of the Chaos gods as time passes. Now there can be no doubting the gods they worship and the malevolent effect this dark allegiance has on the human mind and body. These are not merely the same Traitor Legions that attacked Earth all those millennia ago, but the very same Space Marines, doomed to battle for their dark masters for all eternity.