The Aurora Chapter is a Second Founding Space Marine Chapter descended from the Ultramarines, famous for fielding far more tanks and Land Raiders than a typical Chapter. They’re the Imperium’s armoured hammer, and their history stretches back to the Horus Heresy.
What the Aurora Chapter is
Formed during the Second Founding from the Ultramarines Legion, the Aurora Chapter follows the Codex Astartes closely, like most sons of Guilliman. Their homeworld is Firestorm, and their armour is green with a gold aquila.
They operate mainly in the Ultima Segmentum. What sets them apart is their specialty: armoured assault. They keep roughly three times the usual number of Land Raiders and Predators, all built on Firestorm.
- Founding: Second Founding, from the Ultramarines Legion
- Homeworld: Firestorm
- Specialty: armoured assault, with three times the usual tanks
- Colours: green with a gold aquila
Origins in the Horus Heresy
Before the Second Founding, the Ultramarines’ 4th Chapter was known as the Aurorans. They already had a reputation for armour, fielding five times the vehicles of a standard Chapter.
The 4th fought at Calth in 007.M31, caught in the Betrayal of Ithraca alongside other loyalists against the Word Bearers and their allies. They took heavy losses in Ithraca City but rallied under Sub-Captain Mantargo before daemons forced a retreat.
The Aurorans used green to mark veterans and wore the Auroran Ribbon, which later became the Chapter’s symbol. After Calth, the 4th was reorganised into the Aurora Chapter during the Second Founding.
Notable campaigns and feuds
The Aurora Chapter fought in the War of the Beast on Ullanor in 544-546.M32, under Fists Exemplar Master of the Forge Aloysian as part of a force led by Maximus Thane. They also halted an Ork invasion of Grylos in 282.M36 with an armoured spearhead, and clashed with Nurgle daemons on the ringworld of Avatroid.
In 744.M41, they fought the Alpha Legion in the Redemption Rebellion alongside the Knights of the Raven. The victory was costly, and the Aurora Chapter blamed the Knights for their losses, leading to a lasting feud. That feud was ultimately ended by the intervention of Marneus Calgar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines.
They also have a bitter rivalry with the 66th Armoured Company, a World Eaters warband that specialises in the same kind of warfare.
Other battles include the Battle of Thessala in 121.M31, the Tsagualsa Retaliation, the Eukari Insurrection in 330.M41 (where they fought alongside the Emperor’s Spears but then fell into conflict with them), the Goru Heresy in 650.M41, the Necron World Engine in 926.M41, Satys against Hive Fleet Leviathan, the Zeist Campaign with Cato Sicarius reclaiming Augura from the T’au, and the Battle of Raukos around 012.M42. During the Plague Wars, they provided five companies.
The Chapter is also tied to Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn: they saved another Inquisitor from the daemonhost Cherubael after it slew his entire retinue.
| Date | Campaign |
|---|---|
| 007.M31 | Battle of Calth (as the Aurorans) |
| 121.M31 | Battle of Thessala |
| 544-546.M32 | War of the Beast |
| 282.M36 | Ork invasion of Grylos halted |
| 330.M41 | Eukari Insurrection |
| 650.M41 | Goru Heresy |
| 744.M41 | Redemption Rebellion |
| 926.M41 | Necron World Engine |
| Late M41 | Satys vs Hive Fleet Leviathan |
| c. 999.M41 | Zeist Campaign |
| ~012.M42 | Battle of Raukos |
| M42 | Plague Wars |
Heraldry and traditions
The Aurora Chapter wear green armour with a golden aquila. Company affiliation is shown by the colour of a Marine’s pauldron trim, as per the Codex Astartes.
Sergeants are marked with a red skull upon their green helmets, as opposed to an entirely red helmet. The Chapter’s Chaplains wear Rosarii gifted to them by the Ecclesiarchy.
The Chapter’s symbol is a stylised ribbon, an icon already used by the 4th Ultramarines Chapter in the Horus Heresy.
Don’t confuse them with Project Aurora
Project Aurora is a separate thing entirely: a Necron device also called the Psychic Scourge, studied by Inquisitor Drogan and later the Mechanicus. It has nothing to do with the Space Marine Chapter beyond the shared name.
The device’s core is a hand-held Power Source that draws energy from the Warp. In truth, it’s a Necron device that can amplify or nullify Warp powers depending on its alignment. Inquisitor Drogan believed direct handling could lead to corruption. The weapon focuses excessive Warp energy into a selected Xenos race’s specific Warp signature, causing massive injury and hemorrhaging of the central nervous system. The effect leads to the chosen species’ heads exploding violently as a side effect.
Drogan established a base on the Forge World Graia to study the device in secret, conducting successful tests on Ork, Tau, and a Tyranid Lictor specimen. At some unknown point, his work drew the attention of Chaos, and he was killed and became a puppet of the Chaos Space Marine Nemeroth, who intended to use the weapon to break the walls of reality. When Graia came under attack from an Ork Waaagh! led by Warboss Grimskull, the Ultramarines arrived to repel the Orks. The possessed Drogan enlisted Captain Titus’s aid in securing his “weapon”. Titus was reluctantly convinced to use the weapon to defeat the Orks, and the Psychic Scourge was activated. However, this simply splintered the walls of reality, allowing Daemons and The Chosen of Nemeroth to invade the world. Titus ultimately destroyed the device and defeated Nemeroth.
Later, the Mechanicus retained an interest in the device, codenamed Project Aurora. At some point, the Mechanicus acted on orders approved by Primarch Roboute Guilliman regarding the project’s initiation, continuation, or deployment. Tech-Priests under Nozick Beta-12 rebuilt the device, but the entire research team save Morias Leuze were slain by Tyranids on Avarax. Titus and his new squad again became embroiled in a conspiracy surrounding Aurora, and it was revealed that the Thousand Sons under Imurah manipulated the Mechanicus into rebuilding it to use it to open a massive Warp Rift and summon a Lord of Change. Imurah escaped back into the Warp with Aurora, intent on using it to amplify his connection to the Immaterium and receive “divine knowledge”. However, as he fused with the device, Titus was able to reverse its polarity, causing Imurah to shatter.
Key facts
- Second Founding Ultramarines successor Chapter
- Homeworld: Firestorm
- Specialty: armoured assault, with three times the usual tanks
- Colours: green with a gold aquila
- Descended from the Ultramarines 4th Chapter, the Aurorans
- Feud with the Knights of the Raven after the Redemption Rebellion, ended by Marneus Calgar
FAQ
Who are the Aurora Chapter’s Primarch?
They’re Ultramarines successors, so their gene-seed comes from Roboute Guilliman.
What is the Aurora Chapter known for?
Armoured assault. They field three times the usual number of Land Raiders and Predators, all made on their homeworld, Firestorm.
When was the Aurora Chapter founded?
During the Second Founding, from the Ultramarines Legion’s 4th Chapter, the Aurorans.