Salamanders
Between watching the Euros and finishing off Honourkeeper I've been kept pretty busy of late, but I must still apologise for the lack of activity on the website. I shall indeed (thanks to prodding - cheers Xisor), be making a few posts in the next week or so, just bringing anyone who's reading up to speed and what I'm up to.
What better place to start than the most controversial project I've ever been involved in, the Salamanders. I was actually prompted into this from writing a rather lengthy comment reply to Xisor about said Chapter and as I was on such a roll felt I should publish it fully (with some extra thoughts) as a post. The first section you'll read after this waffle then is the aforementioned comment (apologies for all those who've already it - tune in after 'interesting opportunities' for the new stuff). Here goes then...
Ah, Salamanders. Boy, has that subject generated some debate (a glance at my World Building post reveals all - it was only quite a brief reference to the Chapter as well). After some discussion with the guys that shape the IP at GW (namely Rick and Alan), I have discovered that Salamanders do have black skin and glowing red eyes. It's a Chapter trait they were always meant to have and something that comes into being when the Salamander geneseed is implanted. The natives of Nocturne i.e. the non-Astartes do not suffer from this trait as it is, as you quite rightly surmise, a 'geneseed problem'.
And just to preempt the avalanche of dissenting voices on this subject, this DOES NOT mean that Salamanders aren't tribal in terms of their culture, that they don't use scarration rituals and aren't concerned about ordinary humans. I believe the fact that the outward appearance of the Salamanders in fact belies their humanitarian nature is a wonderful dichotomy and one I plan to explore. The Salamanders live amongst the natives they rule; what's more they really care about them. This intrigues me as an author greatly and it will form one of the central themes of the novel (oops, may have said too much there). I daresay the people of Nocturne will be used to these diabolic-looking (not saying they are daemons or evil or have a dark secret or anything silly like that) individuals, these superhumans, but others in the galaxy will not. That in itself presents some interesting opportunities.
The forge and rebirth is something that strikes me as another potential theme for this story, too. The fact that the Salamanders use close range, fire-based, weapons only supports this as does their predilection for thunder hammers and the fact that they are craftsmen and artisans of the highest order. What wonderful warrior values and a culture of strong traditions. They seem like a noble breed to me, who are slightly unlucky to have been landed with such a disconcerting appearance but one that can be used to great effect in terrorising their foes (but then aren't all Space Marines terrifying). One thing I want to examine with Salamanders, perhaps something that can be explored more fully in this narrative context, is the fact that Space Marines are not human. They are a breed apart and above. What better Chapter to test this than with the Salamanders. Their humanity obviously suggests a deep affinity with their charges and why not, they were all human once, but perhaps this unusually high regard for human life implies a deeper connection. As already stated, they live amongst the people of Nocturne. They are rulers of the planet for sure, but they do not do so on high from the lofty parapets of their fortress monastery; they do it in concert with the natives.
Imagine the Time of Trial, who will it be that comes to the aid of the people of Nocturne, who will protect them from the ravages of their own planet - the Space Marines. Living together, working together - it's a unique and compelling image for the Astartes. And the real kicker here for me is the vaunted First Company, the Fire Drakes, those that DO NOT live on Nocturne but remain in their fortress monastery on Prometheus. There's some opportunity there for fascinating character dynamics (and I plan for the First Company to feature quite heavily in this book).
Okay, that's my thoughts so far. The news is that Salamanders DO have jet-black skin and red eyes - there's no getting around it, folks; believe me, I've tried. This only makes me want to embrace the culture of these noble warriors more and makes them a more interesting prospect to write about. I hope you're all looking forward to reading about them.
One last thing. A HUGE thank you to everyone who has got in touch with me over the last few weeks regarding this project. I will be printing out all of the source material you've very kindly sent me and taking all of your points on board. It means a great deal to me that this Chapter means so much to all of you. Your support and even concerns are all very much appreciated.
(And fingers crossed, if I can swing it, I might even have a sketch of the novel's cover art to show in a few weeks - no promises, though...)
What better place to start than the most controversial project I've ever been involved in, the Salamanders. I was actually prompted into this from writing a rather lengthy comment reply to Xisor about said Chapter and as I was on such a roll felt I should publish it fully (with some extra thoughts) as a post. The first section you'll read after this waffle then is the aforementioned comment (apologies for all those who've already it - tune in after 'interesting opportunities' for the new stuff). Here goes then...
Ah, Salamanders. Boy, has that subject generated some debate (a glance at my World Building post reveals all - it was only quite a brief reference to the Chapter as well). After some discussion with the guys that shape the IP at GW (namely Rick and Alan), I have discovered that Salamanders do have black skin and glowing red eyes. It's a Chapter trait they were always meant to have and something that comes into being when the Salamander geneseed is implanted. The natives of Nocturne i.e. the non-Astartes do not suffer from this trait as it is, as you quite rightly surmise, a 'geneseed problem'.
And just to preempt the avalanche of dissenting voices on this subject, this DOES NOT mean that Salamanders aren't tribal in terms of their culture, that they don't use scarration rituals and aren't concerned about ordinary humans. I believe the fact that the outward appearance of the Salamanders in fact belies their humanitarian nature is a wonderful dichotomy and one I plan to explore. The Salamanders live amongst the natives they rule; what's more they really care about them. This intrigues me as an author greatly and it will form one of the central themes of the novel (oops, may have said too much there). I daresay the people of Nocturne will be used to these diabolic-looking (not saying they are daemons or evil or have a dark secret or anything silly like that) individuals, these superhumans, but others in the galaxy will not. That in itself presents some interesting opportunities.
The forge and rebirth is something that strikes me as another potential theme for this story, too. The fact that the Salamanders use close range, fire-based, weapons only supports this as does their predilection for thunder hammers and the fact that they are craftsmen and artisans of the highest order. What wonderful warrior values and a culture of strong traditions. They seem like a noble breed to me, who are slightly unlucky to have been landed with such a disconcerting appearance but one that can be used to great effect in terrorising their foes (but then aren't all Space Marines terrifying). One thing I want to examine with Salamanders, perhaps something that can be explored more fully in this narrative context, is the fact that Space Marines are not human. They are a breed apart and above. What better Chapter to test this than with the Salamanders. Their humanity obviously suggests a deep affinity with their charges and why not, they were all human once, but perhaps this unusually high regard for human life implies a deeper connection. As already stated, they live amongst the people of Nocturne. They are rulers of the planet for sure, but they do not do so on high from the lofty parapets of their fortress monastery; they do it in concert with the natives.
Imagine the Time of Trial, who will it be that comes to the aid of the people of Nocturne, who will protect them from the ravages of their own planet - the Space Marines. Living together, working together - it's a unique and compelling image for the Astartes. And the real kicker here for me is the vaunted First Company, the Fire Drakes, those that DO NOT live on Nocturne but remain in their fortress monastery on Prometheus. There's some opportunity there for fascinating character dynamics (and I plan for the First Company to feature quite heavily in this book).
Okay, that's my thoughts so far. The news is that Salamanders DO have jet-black skin and red eyes - there's no getting around it, folks; believe me, I've tried. This only makes me want to embrace the culture of these noble warriors more and makes them a more interesting prospect to write about. I hope you're all looking forward to reading about them.
One last thing. A HUGE thank you to everyone who has got in touch with me over the last few weeks regarding this project. I will be printing out all of the source material you've very kindly sent me and taking all of your points on board. It means a great deal to me that this Chapter means so much to all of you. Your support and even concerns are all very much appreciated.
(And fingers crossed, if I can swing it, I might even have a sketch of the novel's cover art to show in a few weeks - no promises, though...)
posted by Nick Kyme at
19:26
11 Comments:
I want to say good luck. I can't wait for the project to take off.
A lot of us are really waiting for this... and we have been waiting for LONG TIME.
Again, "Oathbreaker" was a great read... and if this novel is anything like it... we are in for a treat. The Sallies will have some of the BEST fluff in Warhammer 40,000.
I also hope that Master Tu'shan is a big part of the book. He is one of the youngest Chapter Masters, and of a founding chapter at that. I hope he is bad ass as the fluff that he has suggest. I hope he is a real hero...
Thanks again and good luck!!!
--Seraph
"And the real kicker here for me is the vaunted First Company, the Fire Drakes, those that DO NOT live on Nocturne but remain in their fortress monastery on Prometheus."
I'm curious as to where this came from (if you don't mind my asking)?
Is this another change that was lost from RT days?
I ask because there are seven great settlements on Nocturne and seven companies (total) in the Chapter - and the IA article says that each Company is responsible for one of them....living among them....etc.
- Capt. T'sen
Hey Capt. T'sen,
Many thanks for the comment on the post. To be honest, this information came from the Wikipedia article on the Salamanders, which says that the First Company inhabits the fortress-monastery on Prometheus (I believe there was a fan comment to this effect too, on an earlier post) with the rest of the Chapter living and working amongst the people of Nocturne. I liked this idea, the notion that the Fire Drakes are slightly more aloof than their battle-brothers as it lends them a little more character. I would suggest too that as the fortress-monastery is described as a settlement (albeit a small one and more-or-less a space port) that someone must live their and defend it - why not the Fire Drakes? To me that seems only logical. Isn't also possible then that some, if not all, of the First Company would not live on Nocturne but on Prometheus instead? I imagine a representative from the First Company would perhaps take up temporary residence on Nocturne to dispense guidance and act as inpsiration for the people, but everything else I've read impiles (directly and indirectly) that the Fire Drakes are a bit of a cut above the battle-brothers from the other companies and think of themselves as such. After all, there is also a Hall of the Firedrakes within the fortress monastery on Nocturne that suggests some degree of permament habitude.
I hope that answers your question.
The IA in white dwarf pretty much contains all the relevant information about this chapter. For a condensed source of info regarding to actual warfare tactics and typical wargear like having lots of terminators and fewer bikes and one of the biggest veteran companies of all chapters (while having the smallest amounts of scouts), the "lexicanum" site is just a click away.
Also, I read a hint about diabolically looking marines being persecuted by other factions in the imperium: that could be a potent but hard to pull of thing to add should your story touch this subject.
Being a first founding chapter with an enormous respect and standing within the imperium would make for some really secret and clandestine plots if someone wanted to throw dirt on the Salamanders.
Chapters like Blood Angels and Dark Angels with their blood drinking and heretical secrets are often prosecuted by individuals in the inquisition but said individuals always end up ridiculed by the imperium so its a hard thing to pull of.
Well, I´m just ranting but its pretty much your own fault for making me overly hyped and excited over this project.
The book cover simply looks amazing and I cant help asking myself, will the scene describe an actual event in the book...?
Possible subplot there Pyriel or fuel for a second novel on the subject of the Salamanders... And feel free to rant - that's what the blog is all about. :-)
As for the cover describing a scene... Well, as I haven't fully plotted it yet it's fairly safe to assume that is a pretty generic picture. I could, of course, incorporate it into the novel, and who's to say that those two characters on the front don't feature in some greater or lesser degree? (They do ;-).)
Ah, the Salamanders.
I'm glad someone is finally giving this Chapter their due. I've always been a big fan of them as they were my first WH40K army when I started this hobby many eons ago. In fact, I still have White Dwarf issue 119 that goes over the first of their four color schemes and Chapter symbols (I've painted my armies in three of them over the years- I hope they don't change it again!).
One of the things I liked best about them is they've always been different from the other Space Marines. The fluff about them being artisans, living amongst their people, and the way they wage war is a welcomed change from the usual aloofness and close-combat superiority of the other Chapters. One of my favorite bits of fluff was how Tu'Shan nearly punched out a rival Space Marine Master after his poor job of protecting the civilians in his charge during the third war for Armageddon.
I question the glowing red eyes bit though, I think I've read all the fluff there is on the Salamanders over the years and this is new to me. Originally, the Salamanders naturally had infravision. They took advantage of by adding patterns to their banner and such that could only be seen in the infra-red spectrum. But if it adds to the story go for it!
I do wish you the best of luck in this project and I look forward to reading your work.
Thanks,
Machinator
Thanks for even considering a novel about the Salamanders Nick, you're a very brave man, and you have my respect.
One of my oft considered aspect to the Salamanders was their ties to manufacture and thus, the adeptus mechanicus. The Salamanders, as I understand it, maintain and craft their own wargear. I've always wondered what the Adeptus Mechanicus thinks about this.
My thoughts on this matter, and why it intrigues me, is due to the odd nature of Space Marines, and how they fit into the Imperium - Marines get all the best wargear and weapons and more often than not get specialist equipment for their unique roll in the structure of the Imperium. No where else do we see, for example, Land Raiders, and the first Predator Annihilator was created by grafting Space Marine Las Cannons onto a damaged Predator Destructor - which to me shows that marines are innovative when the need arises.
As such, would (at least some of) the Cult of the Machine consider the Salamanders (as a prime example) as heretics for "creating" rather than "replicating"? I would have thought that the "puritan" factions of the Ad. Mech. would, at the very least. Perhaps something to explore?
Hey Dan,
All this talk of me being a 'brave man' and 'good luck' is sure making me nervous... Ha, ha - just kidding. I get the real sense that folks have been waiting a long time for this, and I am only too happy to oblige. I don't think it's a brave undertaking, though - I would say it's timely.
In my researches (which are still ongoing, incidentally), I have discovered the Salamanders to be an absolutely fascinating Chapter. There is a LOT to their character, and a comparatively spartan amount of actual background for them.
The Mechanicus point is an interesting one, though it's my understanding that while the Salamanders modify/refine/craft etc they don't actually make anything new (after all, they've got the same STCs as everybody else, right). I can imagine their self-reliance in this area and hone based on extant designs could put the Mechanicus's noses out of joint (at least the puritans, as you mentioned, Dan).
I must say that it's not something I had planned to explore in the novel (but maybe in a sequel or two...). I think it would be impossible to cover absolutely everything in one book that makes the Salamanders interesting an unique. If I glut the narrative with too many themes and plot points, I'll inevitably end up giving one or more lip service, rather than the exposure and limelight it deserves. All good stuff to be filed away for future use, however. And, of course, all of this flavour and character will be part of the overall texture of the piece, and hopefully make it scream 'Salamanders'.
One thing I do plan on doing, as part of finding and massaging my mojo for this piece, is to collect and paint a Salamanders army. If I'm writing about these noble warriors then I should run them out on the battlefield a few times. And as a veteran 40K-player, it's high-time I collected a Space Marine army again.
Once again, many thanks for all your comments - I have a wish list as long as my arm for this novel. I can't include it all, but I hope that this first foray won't be the last for me and the Salamanders...
Thanks for the response, Nick, it's appreciated.
If you need any advice on how the Salamanders play as an army on the tabletop then I am sure everyone here will be able to assist - knowing how all that background information and character translates onto the tabletop is half the battle when trying to get to grips with a new subject - I started Imperial Guard just to help me do some development of the Cadian background when writing some short stories. It helps. :)
On the subject of creating new things, considering how - for lack of a better word - anal the Ad. Mech. where to the Space Wolves about the predator annihilator, I'd imagine at least a few of them would be pretty cheesed at the Salamanders for creating... Re-enforced Ceremite armour, Adamantite Mantles, the Land Raider Prometheus, and to a lesser extent the high amount of Artificer armour they have in their armoury. Sure a lot of these are just modifications rather than true creativity, but I'm sure some of the Ad. Mech would consider it the equivalent of me drawing sunglasses and devil horns on images of Jesus. Technology is sacred to them, and for all intents and purposes the Salamanders are desecrating it - to the Ad Mech you cannot improve on something devine.
Does that make more sense than my previous post?
It sure does, Dan, and this was the route I was planning on taking with the whole Ad Mech aspect to what the Salamanders are all about.
As I said, I don't think it's something I'll deal with to any great degree in the novel, but possible sequels could allow the Ad Mech and their disapproval of the Salamanders' methods to crop up.
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