Praetorian Sons

The Praetorian Sons are a Successor Chapter of the Ultramarines formed during the Third Founding. The Praetorian Sons are a Codex-Compliant Chapter and venerate Roboute Guilliman to the same extent as the Chapter does with the Emperor - the Chapter cult venerating both as gods. They are fanatical in their beliefs in Guilliman and believe his Codex Astartes to be divine mandate in how an Astartes must carry himself both on and off the battlefield. This has led to the Chapter remaining very versatile in their military capabilities but also means they do not excel in a specific form of combat like other non-compliant chapters. Rather than specializing in a certain form of combat, the Praetorian Sons are well known for being some of the most capable administrators and generals within the Imperium, they know how best to utilize forces at their disposal, both of their Chapter and allies, as well as creating and maintaining their own domain within the Imperium. They maintain very close ties to the Lions of Ultramar and Ultramarines, along with all Ultramarines Successor Chapters that are Codex-Compliant. They have very poor relations with the War Dancers and consider the Word Bearers and Steelblood Legion to be their greatest enemies.

Chapter Early History and Creation:
The Praetorian Sons can trace their roots back all the way to the 18th Chapter of the Ultramarines Legion of the Great Crusade. The 18th Ultramarine Chapter had a long and proud history during the Great Crusade. Being part of the 392nd Expeditionary Fleet alongside the Ultramarines 7th Chapter, they garnered much praise from Guilliman for their efficiency in battle and ability to rebuild worlds with great speed compared to other Ultramarine Chapters. The 7th would eventually be transferred to another Expeditionary Force, leaving the 18th to deal with a xenos held cluster of systems that would give the 18th its nickname Lions of Ultramar. The campaign was long and cost the Lions many Astartes lives fighting against the Xenos which called themselves the Knuthkraq, whose empire was designated Knuthraqi Domains. The 18th fought valiantly but simply did not have the forces to defeat the Empire head on without reinforcements. However, Dumnus Marsyas, the Chapter Master, devised a daring plan that involved a full scale invasion of the Xenos primary shipyards located on Thraq Secundus, bypassing multiple strongpoints and fortress worlds of the xenos. This would leave the invasion force to be easily outflanked and eventually overrun had the invasion been stalled in any way but that was the plan, to draw the xenos into a full-scale counter offensive against this invasionary force. While the xenos were preoccupied with dealing with the invasion, Dumnus would lead a secondary invasion on Thraq Primus, the Knuthraqi Capital World and kill the Matriarch of the xenos and disrupt the entirety of the xenos' leadership.

The invasion of Thraq Secundus would number 3,000 Astartes along with the entirety of the Imperial Army forces of the Ultramar Auxilia while the secondary invasion was solely 1,000 Ultramarines. The Fleet was greatly outnumbered and outgunned but was much faster and bettered armoured than the xenos. Its task was merely meant to provide cover for the first invasion force to make landing to begin the overall assault and once this was completed the Fleet would skirmish with the xenos vessels, occupying them while the xenos prepared to mobilize its total strength against this force. Once it appeared the xenos were fully committed, the Fleet would break for Thraq Primus and launch the secondary invasion along with a full scale bombardment of the planet before the xenos fleet would catch up. The plan would be executed with little variance from Dumnus' planning and xenos empire crumbled before the 18th with this daring tactic but cost the 18th many lives and resources. However, the losses the 18th endured would be trivial to the number of lives and resources which were spared cutting off the head of this xenos Empire, the lives of the 3,300 brothers lost in this campaign saved possibly tens of thousands of others along with countless mortals. This campaign would leave the 18th in a combat-ineffective status for years until the outbreak of the Horus Heresy wherein the Chapter had just been expanded incorporate an extra 1,000 marines to a total of 5,000.

The 18th was brutalized during the Horus Heresy, in particular, during the Great Scouring. Numbering 5 Battalions with 10 Companies each, the 18th Chapter would start the Heresy at 5,000 battle brothers, almost the entirety being raw recruits with several hundred veterans from the Great Crusade, rather than the original 4 Battalions during the Great Crusade. But, due to the homeworld of the Chapter being on the fringes of Ultramar, the vast Warp Storms kept the 18th from aiding Guilliman and their brothers during the Shadow Crusade or aiding the Emperor and the Loyalists on Terra. This led to great anger within the 18th but by the time the Warp Storm abated, the Emperor was mortally wounded and Horus defeated. In retribution the 18th went mad with lust for vengeance against the Traitors for what they had done to Ultramar and the Imperium, in particular the Word Bearers. Dumnus led the 18th in multiple successful campaigns against the sons of Lorgar but by the end of the Great Scouring, the 18th suffered around 80% casualties, most of which we sustained in a brutal campaign against the Word Bearers Legion known as the Lion's Cage. This campaign was where the 18th was ambushed and cut off from friendly forces when the Chapter Master Dumnus Marsyas had made a terrible miscalculation of the traitors' strength in the region around Colchis. The 18th was thought to be lost after Dumnus ordered the remainder of his forces to make a desperate jump into the warp once all hope had faded. For centuries the Lions of Ultramr were believed to have been defeated by the Word Bearers and great honors and ceremonies were held on Praetora for their lost sons and the Fortress of Hera would keep a shrine dedicated to the 18th with one of its ancient battle standards along with a tome of its accomplishments.

However, in the waning years of the 32nd millenium, a handful of badly damaged ships entered realspace within the Macragge System. The entirety of the Ultramarines, Auxilia, and Imperial Navy were on high alert and prepared for attack but realized that these ships were ancient vessels of the Ultramarines that appeared to have recently just escaped from battle. Immediately hailing the vessels, Tigris Decon recieved an immediate reply from an Astartes claiming to be Dumnus Marsyas of the 18th Chapter of the Ultramarines Legion. Apparently, the members of the 18th had just jumped out of their engagement with the Word Bearers in their own "timeline" but those few hours for the Legionaries of the 18th was nearly a millenia for those in real-space. This was difficult for all present to grasp and took months of private discussions, meetings, and informing the High Lords of Terra of the situation. Eventually the survivors of the 18th were given a choice, they could either be split into two under-strength successor chapters, one maintaining Praetora as their homeworld while the other being granted another world to make their own, or the survivors were to be dispersed across the successor chapters of the Ultramarines as veterans and officers. The 18th chose the first option and were split into two successor Chapters, and so the Praetorian Sons and the Lions of Ultramar Successor Chapters were created.

361.M32 Liberation of Ullysarius
Shortly after the founding of the Praetorian Sons and the Lions of Ultramar, both Chapters were called upon for aid by an Imperial Hive World designated Ullysarius. Both Chapter numbered no more than around 400 Battle Brothers each at the time but answered the call to arms to prove their loyalty to the Imperium, for all were still wary of these Sons of Guilliman and their unexpected return from the void.

Ullysarius had been invaded and mostly conquered by a sizeable Ork Warband from the Blackskull Tribes led by Warboss Gizgutz Yellowtoof. Only one hive remained under Imperial control and the entirety of the planet was blockaded by the Greenskin's Armada. The Praetorian Sons and the Lions of Ultramar had to deal with the Ork Armada but could not let the final Hive fall and they did not have time to wage a fullscale void battle to secure the space around Ullysarius before the final bastion fell. Dumnus devised a plan to both defeat the Orks in the void and save Hive Eraktion. Dumnus proposed to Chapter Master Themistoklitus, Chapter Master of the Lions of Ultramar and his former second in command, that the Lions and the Imperial Navy vessels lead a spearhead to attack the Flagship of Warboss Gizgutz Yellowtoof; the Laughing Skull, with the vessels of the Praetorian Sons in the rear. Once the fleet engaged the Greenskins, the Praetorian Sons' vessels would make all haste to the space above Eraktion, dropping 300 battle brothers and Chapter Master Dumnus into the middle of the Horde assaulting Eraktion. This was a risky plan, for it left the Praetorian Sons' fleet gravely exposed during the hours it deployed the Astartes planet-side but Dumnus hoped that the Greenskins in orbit would gladly join the fray against the Lions and Imperial Navy, realizing that they had left a hole in the blockade too late.

The Greenskins took the bait, launching a full-scale counter attack against the Lions and the Imperial Navy, granting the Praetorian Sons the time they needed to deploy planet-side. The Flagship of the Lions of Ultramar; Imperator's Lance, engaged in a duel with the Laughing Skull, exchanging furious broadsides and lance batteries blasting away at one another's voidshields. The rest of the Greenskin and Imperial fleets were engaged in similar duels across the void, titanic vessels clashed, boarding parties being launched by both sides, and fighters fought for void superiority. It pained Dumnus to leave behind his allies, his ships disengaging swiftly to the dropzone but he had his part to play and so too did his allies.

The sky was set alight with screaming thunderhawks and drop pods. The Orks bellow had no time to organize against the fury of the Adeptus Astartes and their lines were spread wide to encircle the Hive. Few had a chance to fire at the vessels that came down at them but little could be done. Within minutes, 300 Battle Brothers were disgorged into the heart of the Greenskin horde and the slaughter began. The Imperial defenders of Hive Eraktion hearts' filled with courage at the sight of the Emperor's Angels of Death coming to their aid and they launched their own assault against the Greenskins, the remained of their heavy armor and infantry cutting their way into the confused Ork ranks. After a day of fighting, the Horde that encircled Hive Eraktion was in full retreat both into the underhive or to the other Ork strongholds of the planet. Eraktion had been saved but Ullysarius was still firmly under Ork rule. Dumnus lost 37 battle brothers in the fighting and thousands of Imperial Guard died in their own assault, even with the combined forces, it would not be enough to liberate Ullyarius.

The Void battle continued as the Praetorian Sons engaged the Greenskin horde. The Imperials were heavily outnumbered and losing on all fronts and the Laughing Skull was fairing better than the Imperator's Lance in their titanic duel. An Ork boarding party led by one of Gizguts' Nobz was able to damage the void shield generator before being cut down by the marines aboard the vessel, leaving the Astartes Flagship completely exposed. However, before the killing blow was made, the Laughing Skull 's hull was lined with explosions, the Praetorian Sons' fleet had re-engaged the Orks and the vessels launched all torpedoes at the Ork Flagship. Gizgutz was no coward but his vessel had been cripped by the mass of torpedoes that hit his vessel. He abandoned ship, dropping to the planet below, leaving the Ork Armada without an admiral. After a few days of fighting, the Ork Armada had been defeated, fleeing the system and leaving their comrades abandoned on the planet. The Lions of Ultramar had suffered grievous losses in the void battle, some 153 battle brother were either killed or grievously wounded, two of their vessels crippled and one destroyed, and the Imperial Navy fleet lost 7 of the 14 vessels it had brought to bare. Even with the damaged fleet, it could still bring orbital support and the Lions of Ultramar were not going to let their brothers fight alone on the ground. Themistoklitus brought 200 of his battle brothers with him to the planet and the Lions of Ultramar and Praetorian Sons fought side by side for 3 years before liberating the planet. This was the first major victory for both Chapters and would be one of the many experiences that would keep the Lions and the Praetorians as close allies.

Naxium Crusade M34.219 - 224
The Praetorian Sons had been tasked by the High Lords of Terra with retaking the Naxium system that had seceded from the Imperium. The Naxium System had 4 planets, a dead world, an agri-world, a hive world, and a forge world. The planetary governors had decided amongst themselves that the Imperium was failing and that they would do better on their own. The Praetorian Sons unleashed the entirety of their Chapter to subdue these traitors.

The Praetorian Son's fleet consisted of 8 ships; 1 heresy-era Battleship, 2 battle barges, 4 strike cruisers and they sent all 1,000 battle brothers along with their full armament of vehicles and support craft. They were accompanied by 12 regiments of Praetor Guard and 13 Imperial Navy Warships: 1 Emperor Class Battleship, 3 Battle Cruisers, 3 Cruisers, and 6 Light Cruisers. The reason the Imperial Forces had brought such a large war-host was due to the Imperial Navy contingent protecting the system along with the Mechanicus Navy of the Forge World had also turned traitor.

The Void battle was fierce, the 21 strong Imperial Armada outnumbered the traitor fleet of 14 vessels, but the Mechanicum vessels proved to be a tougher opponent to overcome than expected. Eventually, after losing 3 Imperial Vessels and the Traitors losing 7, the traitor fleet fled from battle for their Flagship had been commandeered by an Adeptus Astartes boarding party. The 4 day long void battle was a resounding Imperial Victory but now the task at hand would prove far more difficult. It was estimated that the Hive World would be able to withstand a blockade for years and that each hive had somewhere around 5 years of supplies each, meaning that Imperial Forces could not starve out the planet by taking the Agri-World. This meant a direct assault, which would prove difficult due to the planet being known for its Imperial Guard Regiments named the Iron Breakers who were renowned for their siege abilities. However, that was not the only foe on the Hive Planet, for multiple Skitarii Maniples and a Titan Legion also reinforced their allies. The Forge World would prove even more difficult to take, for the Forge World was the main supplier of the Iron Breakers and had thus specialized in preparing weapons and warmachines that were specialized for siege warfare. The Skitarii would often work alongside the Iron Breakers and had thus become adept at siege warfare themselves.

Chapter Master Constantinos prepare a highly detailed plan to conquer the planet. Unfortunately, the High Lords had ordered that no orbital bombardments be conducted due to the strategic importance of both the hive and forge worlds, meaning this was to be an almost entirely ground based operation. Constantinos tasked his Astartes with taking taking 4 Hives; the Capital hive in the mountains, the 2 major industrial hives in the plains, and 1 'specialized' port hive along the ocean. Each of these hive assaults would be accompanied by 1 Praetor Guard regiment and the remaining 8 regiments would siege the last 2 hives of the world that were in the frozen wastes of the north. Constantinos understood the High Lords' wishes for keeping the hives and forges in tact but decided that strategic aerial bombardment by Imperial Navy Bombers and Thunderhawk was necessary to keep the lives of his men from being wasted. Heavy bombardment across every hive was enacted by the Imperial air assets along with numerous whirlwinds and basilisks adding to the devastation. After a week of these bombardments, the Imperials launched an all out assault on the hives. Heavy losses were endured, for the Hives and the specialized traitor guard regiments were proving extremely difficult to overcome, even with the Adeptus Astartes lightning strikes. After a year, near to 40% of the Praetor Guard were killed in action and some 97 battle brothers had died with another 128 wounded, but the planet was finally theirs.

Finally, the Forge World was brought to the forefront of the Imperial Command's Attention. The Skitarii Maniples and Titan Legion on the Hive Word had been a ferocious adversary and was but a taste of what lay ahead of the Imperial troops on the Forge World. Constantinos decided that instead of an invasion of the entirety of the planet, like before, the Imperial forces would focus on the primary Forge in an all out assault, for from orbit it appeared that the traitor Mechanicum forces had anticipated a similar strategy used on their former allies' world. Their forces were spread throughout the forges and prepared for a dispersed Imperial assault across the planet, leaving the forges vulnerable to a concentrated attack. Constantinos lead the assault on the primary forge with the entirety of the remaining imperial forces at his back. The fighting was long and hard but the 1st Company was able to cut through the Skitarii forces quickly at heart of the Forge and slayed the high command of the traitor mechanicum forces. As soon as the other forges realized what had happened, they unleashed their titans and Skitarii troops to aid their masters, which Constantinos anticipated. Once the traitor Mechanicum forces were far enough from their forges, the Imperial Armada unleashed a devastating orbital bombardment upon them, decimating the Titans and Skitarii that had once marched along the highways.

With most of the traitor armies gone, the Imperial forces now needed to clear out the remaining traitors from their forges. This proved a long and arduous task taking 4 years to finally slay the last traitor Magos. By the campaign's end, another 139 battle brothers had died and some 74 wounded. This left the Chapter at around 60% combat effectiveness, due to some 20% being too wounded to fight and another 20% being slain in combat. However, this campaign was a success and brought the Naxium System back under Imperial rule. Mars sent new Magi and other Mechanicus elements to the system to replenish the replace the losses endured during the campaign and dedicated the forge to aiding the Praetorian Sons in armament due to their success. The Those regiments of Praetor Guard that served alongside the Chapter would also be honored, for they fought valiantly alongside the Astartes despite incredible casualties being suffered.

Slaying the Hydra M34.761
The Praetorian Sons had been busy along the fringes of the realm of Ultramar, aiding in bringing back secessionist worlds back into the Imperium and fending off xenos that sought to take advantage of the fractured state of the Imperium. In M34.761, the Praetorian Sons' 1st Company had been ordered back to the System of Ulkarion, wherein the planet of Ullysarius was located. It had come to the attention of an Inquisitor that strange cults were beginning to grow within the system, primarily on the planet of Decantus, a hive world. Inquisitor Thror had called upon the Praetorian Sons to aid him in finding the culprits and cleansing the planet of said cultists. Since the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th companies were all away on other missions, Chapter Master Constantinos sent the 1st Company to aid the Inquisitor.

Initially it appeared to be a simple mission at first, the Inquisitor rooting out cultists with the aid of the Astartes. In fact, it appeared so simple that most of the 1st Company believed this to be a waste of their time until, as if coming out of nowhere, almost half of the planet turned traitor and a full scale civil war was being waged. This caught the loyalist forces, Inquisitor Thror, and the Praetorian Sons completely off guard, for it had appeared most of the cults had been purged. It was until reports of Astartes in aqua-like armor began assaulting loyalist strong points and slaying imperial high command. Captain Posseidos realized that the Alpha Legion was at work here and needed to root them out. However, this was a type of warfare that the Praetorian Sons were not well versed in and would prove extremely difficult to fight.

Captain Posseidos led multiple terminator squads in an assault on what appeared to be a secret Alpha Legion base in the underhive through Inquisitor Thror's intelligence. But, once the Astartes entered the facility, they realized they had been betrayed when they saw the rotting carcass of Inquisitor Thror laying at the center of the building. The man thought to be Inquisitor Thror was an agent of the Alpha Legion, the original Inquisitor being slain months before the agent had come to the Praetorian Sons for aid. Multiple Alpha Legion terminator squads and Astartes along with Alpha Legion obliterators had surrounded the facility and opened fire with heavy weapons and high explosives. All Praetorian Sons terminators had been slain in minutes of the ambush, 30 of the most veteran Astartes of the Chapter slain in a single engagement. The remainder of the first company had been spread throughout the rest of the capitol hive aiding in bringing down the traitor forces and didn't realize that they too had been betrayed. By the time they found out that their Captain and most veteran brothers had been slain, the full force of the Alpha Legion operatives and Astartes assaulted the remainder of the 1st company. Many Praetorian Sons fell in the ensuing battle but a handful survived and retreated back into the Imperial Governor's. Of the 100 veterans that had been deployed to Decantus, only 37 had survived the treachery of the Alpha Legion agent posing as Inquisitor Thror.

They prepared to make their final stand at the governor's mansion and when the Alpha Legion and the traitor cultists had launched their attack on the palace, the remainder of the Imperial forces fought tooth and nail to hold their ground. After a few hours, it appeared that the Praetorian Sons' line was about to buckle and collapse as Alpha Legion terminators led a spearhead against the front gates of the palace, until Astartes clad in silver armor wielding force halberds and power swords teleported amidst the traitor ranks. The Grey Knights had been notified of an inquisitor's disappearance on Decantus and had heard rumors of the potential traitor presence upon the planet. They had dispatched a small strike force to investigate and arrived in system merely days before the Alpha Legion showed themselves to the loyalists.

The appearance of the Grey Knights and their sudden assault upon the spearhead of the traitor's own assault blunted their advance. Swiftly the Grey Knights cut through the Alpha Legion terminators without a single loss of their own and the Preatorian Sons and the remainder of the loyal PDF regiments sallied forth from their positions and joined in the fighting. Sergeant Aristos was the highest ranking Astartes of the 1st Company left and led the remainder of his forces alongside the Grey Knights. After about two weeks of fighting, the backbone of the cultists had been broken and most of the Alpha Legion had been slain, the remainder either retreating back into the shadows or fleeing the planet altogether.

The Grey Knights admired the stubbornness of Praetorian Sons and their refusal to retreat from the planet despite their grievous losses. The Praetorian Sons would consider themselves in the debt of the Grey Knights for their actions and vowed to forever answer their summons and call to arms should the Grey Knights request it. This would create a great respect between the "chapters" but the Praetorian Sons would greatly distrust further Inquisitorial request and their hatred for the Alpha Legion would stem from this campaign.

Hrud Rising M35.989 - M35.992
The Praetorian Sons Chapter had defeated a small pirate band near the system of Illyrios when orders calls for aid against a xenos threat came. Systems near the Ghoul Stars were begging for aid and astropaths from the Praetorian Sons fleet had answered. All battle companies were immediately dispatched along with Chapter Master Julius, Reclusiarch Augustus, and the Chief Librarian and the 4 Epistolaries. This campaign would involved over half of the Chapter's strength and almost all of its veterans and heavy armor.

Arriving near the Ghoul Stars in M35.989, it was clear to Chapter Master Julius that his forces would need to spread across the various planets and fight alongside the other Imperial forces. He would defer command of his Chapter's forces to the Ultramarines commander. Helping the Dark Angels fight against the Hrud in some systems, the Praetorian Sons grew a certain degree of respect for their cousins until the Dark Angels left the campaign without giving a reason. This respect turned into anger and spite for the campaign against the Hrud was extremely difficult and claimed the lives of many Praetorians. Of the various other Chapter and Imperial Forces fighting against these xenos, the Praetorian Sons admired the Ultramarines above all and sought to emulate their progenitors.

The Praetorian Sons fought in all 3 systems wherein the Hrud infestation had spread and earned themselves many battle honors and praise from various Imperial Forces. In the final assault against the last held stronghold of the Hrud, the Praetorian Sons' 1st Company was granted the privilege of leading the spearhead wherein Chapter Master Julius would personally led the Company. The chainsword he wielded would later be named Hrud's Bane, for he personally killed over a dozen of the creatures in close combat before slaying what appeared to be the Hrud's 'commander'. He would be badly wounded in the duel but came out victorious. The Praetorian Sons earned their progenitor's respect in this joint campaign but had paid a steep price. Of the 500 or so Praetorian Sons that had been sent on the campaign, 193 were killed in action. To make matter worse, only 78 of the battle brothers' geneseed had been recovered, for many of the wounds the Astartes suffered had either outright destroyed the progenoid glands or they had been altered and mutated through by the weapons of the Hrud.

....

Dark Imperium
Praetora is located on the fringes of Ultramar and has been cut off from the ancient realm by the Great Rift. The Praetorian Sons are embattled upon their homeworld, besieged by the Steelblood Legion, who have joined Abaddon in the 13th Black Crusade. The Lions of Ultramar have been defeated in the void and are currently skirmishing against the Steelblood Legion's armada but the Praetorian Sons are alone fighting against innumerable foes on their homeworld. No Primaris marine reinforcements have been able to join the fray and the Chapter is left in the darkness and are isolated from their Gene-father's wisdom.

Praetora
The Praetorian Sons' homeworld Praetora lies in the Illyrios System which is located on the fringes of the realm of Ultramar. Praetora is considered to be a paradise world, with large oceans, large green valleys rich with life of all sorts, snow covered mountains and a sky as clear as can be. Its sprawling and pristine cities filled with all manner of well to do people and wealth flowing in and out, tall towers and citadels of marble and stone lining the sky, marble statues of great heroes of the Imperium decorating plazas, rich courtyards, and massive villas all magnify the paradise that is Praetora.

Praetora is the heart of an empire within an empire. It's people a proud and honorable folk, completely devoted to the Emperor and his Angels. A web of trade, communication, and travel goes through Praetora's incredible port, collecting taxes and ensuring no scum or enemies of Praetora can set foot on the paradise without going through extensive security measures and protocol. A mighty fleet lays anchor at the port at all times, the Imperial Navy ensuring this vital planet and its port remain free from any threat. So to lies the fearsome battle barges and cruisers of the Adeptus Astartes, making any foe think twice of invading the system. Despite the beauty of Praetora itself, it is a mighty world with many bastions, fortresses, and a fearsome defense force to defend it if the formidable naval forces are defeated.

Fortress of Ares
The Fortress of Ares is the Praetorian Sons' Fortress Monastery. These successors of Guilliman ensured that fortress was to resemble that of the Fortress of Hera on Macragge, making the fortress both an impregnable bastion but also a capital for an empire. The Fortress of Ares is much like Praetora both beautiful yet fierce. The Fortress is of elegant and intricate architecture, built with many columns supporting much of the buildings which houses beautifully sculpted statues of various heroes of the Imperium. There are vast chambers whose purposes vary; some being for civil use, court rooms, meeting rooms, war rooms, armories, libraries, and many reliquaries. Despite being a marble beauty, the Fortress of Ares is a multi-tiered fortress with a set of five walls lined with heavy weapons, artillery emplacements, and anti-air guns. Large stone plazas can serve as both gathering grounds and meeting places for civilians and officials or as a parade ground for the Praetor Auxilia and the Praetorian Sons to marshal their full military might.

Recruitment:
The Praetorian Sons recruit from the elite of Praetora as well as the Praetor Auxilia. Like their gene-fathers, the Ultramarines, the Praetorian Sons never lack for recruits. They do not have any barbarous traditions like many of their brother chapters, rather, the Praetorian Sons look for the most fit, strong willed, and loyal servants of the Imperium and force them to endure agonizing trials that are meant to test their strength of will and loyalty above all else. Physical strength is not the primary focus of the Chapter, they want Astartes that whose loyalty is unwavering but are also compassionate and intelligent, capable of administrating their realm and not just acting a butchers like some other Astartes. By the time an aspirant who has successfully passed the long and arduous process and has joined the 10th Company, they will be highly disciplined, physically mighty, of the highest moral fiber, and of unquestionable loyalty to the Praetorian Sons and the Imperium.

Combat Doctrine:
The Praetorian Sons pride themselves in being a versatile Chapter, capable in fighting in all forms of warfare proficiently. They do not specialize like many other Chapters but make up for this with their high coordination and discipline, strict adherence to the Codex Astartes, and ability to adapt quickly by using Guilliman's tactics. When facing an enemy that has an advantage over the battle brothers of the Chapter, the strategists of the Chapter will adapt their combat plans to turn their enemy's strength into a weakness.

In some cases the Praetorian Sons may appear fanatical or suicidal to carry out their orders, sometimes their battle strategies making no sense and appearing to be military blunders, however, most of these cases end up being a ploy. Much of Guilliman's strategies are intricate and are so advanced that only a handful of strategists can appreciate the scope of his strategic understanding and carry out his battle plans in even just a shadow of Guilliman's intention. Many of the Chapter Masters of the Praetorian Sons have been such caliber of men, but there have been a number of exceptions which have cost the Chapter in the past due to folly and gross miscalculation or even simply hubris. In fact, the Praetorian Sons' greatest military weakness is their belief in their superiority over most of their foes and allies. Seeing themselves, like their gene-fathers, as the exemplars of the Codex Astartes, the Praetorian Sons are unable to adapt to situations that are not specified in the Codex without great difficulty and debate, such as when fighting in the Tyrannid Wars or fighting Necron Legions.

Geneseed:
The Praetorian Sons only geneseed deficiency is the inactive Beltcher's Gland and is considered to be highly stable. Over the millennia, no mutations have occurred to the successors of Guilliman.

Chapter Organization:
The Praetorian Sons are a strict codex compliant Chapter that follow Guilliman's word to the letter. They maintain 10 Companies with 100 Battle Brothers in each. The Companies 1-4 are Battle Companies, 5-7 are reserve Companies, 8th Company is the Assault Company, 9th Company is the Devastator Company, and the 10th is the Scout Company.

Chapter Equipment:
The Chapter does not specialize in any particular kind of warfare but rather aim for being extremely versatile. This means that the Praetorian Sons maintain a very wide array of weaponry and equipment to suite the various warzones they will participate in. As usual the Mark IV Boltgun and Chainsword are the mainstay of the Praetorian Battle Brothers but each Battle brother is also trained to use various other special and uncommon weapons should their Specialist Brothers fall and require replacement. There are a handful of relics maintained by the Chapter; gifts, trophies, and ancient weapons.

 Pride of the 18th  - A Sacred Banner of the Chapter when they served in the Great Crusade as the 18th Chapter of the Ultramarines Legion. It is brought into battle by the Sigil Bearer of the Honorguard of the Chapter Master and will always be found in the thickest of the fighting, raising the courage and strength of all the Praetorian Battle Brothers that fight under its ancient shadow. The banner itself is an artistic rendition of the an Ultramarine Legionary of the 18th Chapter standing atop a mound of bones and skulls, his sword raised to the stars. His armor battered and bloody but his posture filled with pride as the sun behind him shines brightly on this son of Guilliman. It symbolizes the costly victories the Chapter had itself had undertake during the Great Crusade, being gifted to the Chapter Master Dumnus by Guilliman himself. After every battle, the banner is repaired by the most skilled artisans of Praetora to ensure that it is never in poor condition when it is on display in the Fortress of Ares or when seen upon the battle field.

 Praetora's Vengeance  - Praetora's Vengeance is a Relic Sword wielded by Chapter Master Dumnus Marsyas during the Great Scouring. Chapter Master Dumnus had been defeated in personal combat by a Word Bearer Champion during the Ambush at Colchis leaving the Chapter Master badly wounded. Reclusiarch Nikantor stepped in to defend his liege's broken body and fought the Traitor Champion on the Command deck of the Indomnitus. Nikantor's weapon had been broken in the duel and was also badly wounded by the Word Bearer, having his left arm severed, helm struck in two, and right leg punctured. Kneeling before the Word Bearer before being executed, Nikantor grabbed his liege's blade which lay beside him and pierced the heart of the Traitor before the Champion's blade cleaved his head from his shoulders. Nikantor would soon die from his wounds, next to his wounded liege, gripping the blade firmly in hand with a satisfied grin on his face. This blade's original name was lost during the passage of time but it had been renamed on that day as Praetora's Vengeance. It is an elegant weapon of near intoxicating beauty. Its crossguard a golden pair of wing that connect the golden hand guard to the golden pommel of an eagle's head. The blade itself a shining silver, single edged and slightly cured toward's the wielder, ending it a long sharp point. Ancient runes of unknown significance line both sides of the blade that turn from a cold ebony to an electric blue once the powerblade is turned on. The grip being a crimson red leather that is wrapped around the golden steel.

Chapter Fleet:
1 Ancient Battleship - Great Crusade Era - Customized Battle Barge, similar in design to, but smaller than, the Furious Abyss.

1 Battle Barge

5 Strike Cruisers

Symbol
The Chapter's symbol is a roaring Silver Lion with a Golden mane standing on its hind legs atop of a Crimson Fasces.

This is a reminder of the Lions of Ultramar title that the 18th used to hold and also the strict adherence of the Praetorian Sons to the Codex Astartes.

Livery
The Praetorian Sons maintain a Crimson Battle Plate and Pauldrons with Silver Trim and golden lenses. Each Company follows the Codex's coloring, so just like their gene-fathers, the Praetorian Sons' companies each have a unique trim for their pauldrons and their officer and veterans also make use of the same coloring schemes to mark them out from the average battle brother.