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At a glance
Macragge is the capital world of Ultramar, the realm of the Ultramarines on the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy. It is a cold, rugged world of high mountains, deep valleys and rocky coasts, and its great city, Magna Macragge Civitas, is a vision of classical grandeur in white marble, bronze and gold. Above the city stands the Fortress of Hera, the fortress-monastery of the Ultramarines, one of the most famous strongholds in the Imperium.
Macragge is where the Primarch Roboute Guilliman was found and raised, and it bears the stamp of his genius. Its society is orderly, educated and prosperous, its military is highly professional and its people are proud citizens of Ultramar, a realm that has long been held up as the model of what the Imperium could be. It is also a world that has known terrible war, most famously in 745.M41, when the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Behemoth descended upon it.
In the Era Indomitus, Macragge has become one of the centres of the Imperium. Guilliman, returned from ten thousand years of stasis, rules as Lord Commander of the Imperium, and his homeworld is once more a place from which great crusades are launched.
Geography & environment
Macragge is a world of extremes. Its mountains are tall and jagged, crowned with snow and ice for much of the year, and its valleys are carved by glaciers and rivers. Its climate is cold, and its winters are long and harsh. The coasts are rocky and wind-swept, and the seas are cold and grey. Yet the valleys are fertile, and Macragge supports agriculture, forests and lakes, as well as mines and industries in the mountains.
The most important region of Macragge is the area around the capital, Magna Macragge Civitas, which lies in a valley beneath the mountains. Nearby are the Valley of Laponis, a beautiful and historically important region, and the great waterfall known as Hera's Falls, which tumbles down from the mountains near the Fortress of Hera. The polar regions are home to fortified installations known as the Polar Fortresses, which protect the planet's defence systems and stores.
The planet's mountains contain rich deposits of minerals and metals, and its seas are home to fisheries. Its population is relatively modest compared to hive worlds, but its people are healthy, educated and prosperous. The landscape is dotted with towns, villages and estates, connected by roads and transit lines.
History
Before Guilliman
Before the coming of Guilliman, Macragge was ruled by a pair of consuls in a political system inspired by ancient Terran republics. The planet was divided between the city-dwelling aristocracy and the people of the mountains and countryside, and its politics were turbulent. Konor, one of the consuls, was a wise and just leader, but he faced opposition from rivals within the aristocracy, especially the other consul, Gallan.
The child in the forest
According to legend, a party of nobles out hunting found the infant Guilliman in a forest clearing, surrounded by a glowing field of energy. They brought him to Konor, who adopted him as his son. Guilliman grew quickly, displaying astonishing intelligence and strength. He studied history, philosophy, science and warfare, and he became a brilliant military commander, leading campaigns against the barbarians of the Illyrium mountains to the north.
While Guilliman was away on campaign, Gallan's faction staged a coup and murdered Konor. Guilliman returned, crushed the rebellion and took control of Macragge. He reformed its government, built new infrastructure and transformed the planet into a model of efficiency and prosperity. When the Emperor arrived, Guilliman welcomed him and accepted command of the XIII Legion, the Ultramarines.
Ultramar and the Heresy
During the Great Crusade, Guilliman built a realm around Macragge known as Ultramar, a network of worlds governed according to his principles. The Ultramarines became the largest Legion, and Ultramar became one of the most powerful realms in the Imperium. During the Horus Heresy, the Word Bearers attacked the Ultramarines at Calth in the Battle of Calth. Cut off by warp storms, Guilliman briefly established Imperium Secundus, a temporary empire centred on Macragge, before learning that the Emperor still lived and leading his forces to the relief of Terra.
After the Heresy, Guilliman wrote the Codex Astartes, the book that shaped the organisation of the Space Marine Chapters. He divided the Legions into Chapters, and the Ultramarines produced many Successor Chapters. Guilliman was later wounded by the daemon Primarch Fulgrim and placed in stasis in the Temple of Correction on Macragge, where his body remained for ten thousand years.
The Battle of Macragge
In 745.M41, Hive Fleet Behemoth, the first Tyranid hive fleet to be encountered by the Imperium in force, attacked Ultramar and descended upon Macragge. The Ultramarines under Chapter Master Marneus Calgar fought a desperate battle across the planet. The First Company died defending the Polar Fortresses, and Calgar himself was gravely wounded. The Battle of Macragge ended in victory when the Ultramarines' fleet destroyed the Tyranid hive ships, but it was one of the bloodiest battles in the Chapter's history.
The Return of Guilliman
In the Era Indomitus, Guilliman was revived through the combined efforts of Belisarius Cawl and the Ynnari. He returned to Terra and became Lord Commander of the Imperium, and he launched the Indomitus Crusade to restore the Imperium after the opening of the Great Rift. He later returned to Ultramar to defend it during the Plague Wars, when the Death Guard attacked his realm.
The Realm of Ultramar
Macragge is the heart of a larger realm. Ultramar is a network of worlds governed according to the principles laid down by Guilliman, and in the days of the Heresy it was known as the Five Hundred Worlds. In later millennia, the core of Ultramar was a smaller group of worlds, among them Macragge, Iax, Espandor, Talassar, Calth, Prandium, Quintarn, Masali and Konor. Each world had its own character: Iax was a garden world of great beauty, Talassar a world of seas, Calth a world whose surface was ruined in the Heresy and whose people lived in underground caverns.
Ultramar is governed by a system of planetary governors, known as Tetrarchs and Lords, who answer to the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines. Its worlds share common laws and traditions, and their people are proud of their realm's stability and prosperity. They serve in their own defence forces and frequently provide recruits to the Ultramarines and to the Astra Militarum.
To the Imperium, Ultramar is a model of efficient government and loyal service. To the Ultramarines, it is a sacred trust, the realm their Primarch built and that they are sworn to protect. Many of the most famous wars fought by the Chapter have been fought in defence of Ultramar.
Illyrium, Agiselus and the mountains
North of the capital rise the Illyrium mountains, a harsh land of peaks, gorges and glaciers. In the days before Guilliman, the mountain tribes of Illyrium were a constant threat to the cities of the lowlands, and it was against them that the young Primarch won his first victories. Rather than exterminate the Illyrians, Guilliman made peace with them and brought them into his realm, a decision that his later admirers hold up as an early example of his wisdom.
The mountains are also where the youth of Macragge are tested. The Agiselus Barracks, a training institution older than Guilliman himself, sends its students into the wilderness to survive alone, hunting for food and enduring the cold. Guilliman himself trained there as a boy, and the tradition continues today. Many of the Ultramarines' greatest heroes first proved themselves in the snows above the barracks, and the survival trials of Agiselus remain one of the first steps on the road to becoming a Space Marine.
Macragge in the Era Indomitus
The return of Guilliman has transformed Macragge. For ten thousand years it was a revered shrine to a Primarch who lay silent behind a stasis field. Now it is once more the seat of a living son of the Emperor, and the Fortress of Hera is filled with the coming and going of generals, admirals, Adeptus Mechanicus envoys and Space Marine Chapter Masters. Primaris Marines have reinforced the Ultramarines, and new fortifications have been raised across Ultramar.
Yet the age of Guilliman's return has also brought danger. The Great Rift cut much of the galaxy off from Terra, leaving Ultramar as one of the strongest bastions in the Imperium Nihilus. Mortarion and the Death Guard targeted Ultramar in the Plague Wars, spreading disease across its worlds. Guilliman returned to his realm to defend it, and he confronted his traitor brother at Iax. Although the Death Guard were driven back, several worlds of Ultramar suffered terribly, and the realm has not fully recovered.
People & culture
The people of Macragge are known for their discipline, education and civic pride. Their culture places a high value on duty, honour and service to the community. Children are educated in history, philosophy and science, and many young people serve in the planetary defence forces. Macragge's society is less rigidly hierarchical than that of many Imperial worlds, and its people have greater opportunities for advancement.
The Ultramarines draw recruits from Macragge and across Ultramar. Aspirants are chosen from among the youth of the realm, many of whom train at the Agiselus Barracks, an ancient institution on Macragge where young men learn the arts of war and survival in the harsh mountains. Those who show exceptional talent are taken to the Fortress of Hera for the process of becoming a Space Marine.
The culture of Macragge reflects the ideals of Guilliman. Its architecture is classical and grand, its art celebrates heroism and civic virtue, and its literature is rich and diverse. Its people revere the Emperor as the Master of Mankind, but they also honour Guilliman as their founder and protector.
Landmarks
The Fortress of Hera
The fortress-monastery of the Ultramarines is a vast complex of marble halls, towers and fortifications built into the mountains above Magna Macragge Civitas. It houses the Chapter's armouries, barracks, chapels and libraries, as well as the Temple of Correction, where Guilliman lay in stasis for ten thousand years. Its walls are decorated with statues and banners celebrating the Chapter's victories.
Magna Macragge Civitas
The capital city of Macragge is one of the most beautiful cities in the Imperium, with wide boulevards, grand temples and civic buildings in classical style. It is home to the planet's government, its great libraries and its centres of learning. Its people are proud of their city, and they maintain its beauty with care.
Hera's Falls
This great waterfall cascades down the mountains near the Fortress of Hera, and its spray creates rainbows in the sunlight. It is one of the most famous landmarks of Macragge and a place of pilgrimage for the people of Ultramar.
The Valley of Laponis
A beautiful valley of meadows and forests, Laponis is said to be where Guilliman spent part of his youth. It was the scene of fighting during the Battle of Macragge, and it remains an important site for the people of Macragge.
The Polar Fortresses
At the north and south poles of Macragge stand the Polar Fortresses, which house the planet's main defence systems and power plants. In 745.M41, the First Company of the Ultramarines died defending the Northern Polar Fortress against the Tyranid swarm, and its ruins became a memorial to their sacrifice.
Defenders & war-machine
Macragge is defended by the Ultramarines, the largest and most famous of the Space Marine Chapters. Their forces include the full range of Codex units, from Tactical Squads and Intercessors to Terminators and Dreadnoughts, supported by armoured vehicles and aircraft. Heroes such as Cato Sicarius and Uriel Ventris have led the Chapter's companies in many wars.
The planet also has its own defence forces, well-equipped and highly trained, and a substantial naval presence. The fleet of Ultramar includes many warships, and the Ultramarines' flagship, the Macragge's Honour, is one of the most powerful vessels in the Imperium.
Notable battles
- The Illyrian campaigns (M30): the young Guilliman leads Macragge's armies against the mountain tribes of Illyrium.
- The Battle of Calth (M31): the Word Bearers betray the Ultramarines in Ultramar; see Battle of Calth.
- Imperium Secundus (M31): Guilliman establishes a temporary empire centred on Macragge during the Heresy.
- The Battle of Macragge (745.M41): Hive Fleet Behemoth attacks; see Battle of Macragge.
- The Plague Wars (M42): the Death Guard invade Ultramar; see Plague Wars.
Trivia
- The Codex Astartes was written by Guilliman, and the Ultramarines are known for following it closely.
- The Temple of Correction once held Guilliman's body in stasis, with his wounds visible beneath the stasis field.
- The Ultramarines' Successor Chapters include many famous Chapters, such as the Novamarines, Genesis Chapter and Black Consuls.
- Macragge's Honour, the Ultramarines' flagship, has served since the days of the Great Crusade and carried Guilliman to war at Calth and beyond.
- The sacrifice of the First Company at the Polar Fortress is remembered every year on Macragge, when the names of the fallen are read aloud in the Fortress of Hera.
- The First Company of the Ultramarines was rebuilt after the Battle of Macragge, and the Chapter honours their sacrifice every year.
