The SALAMANDERS Legion in the HORUS HERESY | Legion XVIII: Origins | Warhammer Lore

The Salamanders were always one of the more glorious and human of the Legiones Astartes, but before they were reunited with their Primarch, this desire to protect was taken to reckless extremes.
Support the channel on Patreon for early access vids and other PERKS:
Patreon ► / arbitorian
Get your discount HOBBY FIX (and buy me toys in the process!!)
Firestorm Games ► www.firestormgames.co.uk/?aff...
Elsewhere on the internet:
Twitter ► / arbitorian
Instagram ► / arbitorian
Copyright: Unless noted in the video, all images © Games Workshop 1987-2022. Title music is 'Black Rainbows' by Karl Casey‪@WhiteBatAudio‬
#warhammer #horusheresy #salamanders #vulkan #pyroclast #spacemarines #horus #warmaster #erebus #lorgar #tabletopgaming #heresy #factions #beginnner #review #warhammer40k #warhammerworld #gamesworkshop #warhammer30k #warhammer40k

[@musicalDrebin]

I just wanna say these are probably the best legion videos i've seen so far. not only cause we get kind of an oldhammer view of them as well, but it's a good middle ground, between the excellent long form legion video's of Oculus Imperia, and the shorter 5 to 6 minute videos of other youtubers. can't wait to hear about the Raven Guard and Alpha legion since i'm planning to paint my beakies in their schemes

[@bequakynskagroupie3751]

I concur

[@Michael_Raymond]

These need to be picked up by an official site as a new player portal

[@musicalDrebin]

@@bequakynskagroupie3751 I concur as well, but not with your choice of music lol

[@theaggrokrag]

this is true

[@kiarrclemenson8779]

I 100% agree.

[@klokar21]

"Hub-ris" hurt me, it is "hugh-bris"

[@mrsniffles5417]

As you come to the end of the Legions I'd love to see a similar format covering the non-legion forces of the Horus Heresy, like how the Mechanicum, Dark Mechanicum, Custodes, Sisters of Silence, Solar Auxilia changed over the great crusade and heresy.

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

That'd be cool I never hear about that

[@eater_of_garbage_]

The dark mechanicum doesnt exist in the heresy, its just loyalist mechanicum vs traitor mechanicum

[@johnhoward7069]

@@eater_of_garbage_ how pedantic

[@eater_of_garbage_]

@@johnhoward7069 Yes.

[@eater_of_garbage_]

Also that'd be like if I showed up calling my sons of horus the black legion

[@CyberSammael]

I have been a fan of the Salamanders since they were one of the 'big four' in Epic Space Marine - Salamanders, Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves. They might be the closest to the 'good guys' that the Imperium has!

[@stujm84]

Might be the closest good guys in all of 40k too. Sure, the Imperium, like every other faction is "bad" but these guys at least have a moral compass in wanting to protect those that can defend themselves.

[@Zom13y]

@@stujm84 Tyranids are the ‘good guys’ they’re only doing what is in their nature, so what if that nature is antithetical to human life. They need to eat and humans is on the menu.

[@sonicsucks20]

Nah that's the Ultramarines, the Superman types.

[@bbaii16]

My favorite legion since 3rd Edition. Your literary critique of how little their character has changed between 30k and 40k seems really fair though, Ian!

[@LordyT34]

In a galaxy of soldiers, superhumans and demigods, the Salamanders chose to be human

[@yuliydubovyk3080]

Beautifully put.

[@ScytheNoire]

I'll be sad when this series ends. Hopefully you'll do more lore videos after that.

[@declanlee6894]

Didn’t expect to be a fan of salamanders when I started but I really love them and Vulcan. Well done

[@forgefathervulkanhestan18]

Same

[@Arimmus]

@@forgefathervulkanhestan18 VULKAN LIVES *Stomp STOMP*

[@drinksanddice9528]

Four books into the Horus Heresy and I'm liking how every Primarch's actions are like 20 stages of grief if you found out your dad was a complete jerk. Horus is like, lets get revenge, Mortarion "I didn't like the guy anyway," Angron "im pissed," Robert Gill-man "whatever I guess I'll just go with it," Vulcan "uhhhh I am going to go now."

[@alexsmith7313]

Now I'm kinda confused as to why Vulkan didn't choose to rule in place of The Emperor, if he's a perpetual the same as his father and had the technical know-how to navigate the Webway, why isn't he using The Emperor's Laboratories to map the Webway like The Emperor had originally intended?

[@FyreMagyk67]

Vulkan was scarred by the events of the Heresy, as well as some of his own actions during the crusade. He loathed what he had done and eventually became disgusted by what the Imperium became once the War of the Beast broke out. Because of his caring nature and honor, he vanished and watched over the world of Caldera as a form of penance until he was found by the Lord Commander at the time. Vulkan eventually helped bring an end to the war by fighting the Beast alone and gravely wounding it by tackling it into a massive power generator. But after that, Vulkan disappeared and he has been seen since.

[@lt.branwulfram4794]

Next one is the Raven Guard. Can't wait.

[@giraton1]

Funny how the most segmented legion, the one most likely to have created smaller subsidiaries of the legion that could have split off into chapters, ended up being the one legion who couldn't.

[@paulellington1505]

The way you described the pre-Vulkan Salamanders sounds like they were Iron Warriors just thanked and appreciated. I've always found the Salamanders and Vulkan as interesting characters both as a whole and individually because they are so strikingly different from the other legions and Primarchs in their views of base humanity and how they don't just scrub away the past from each of the legionnaires from before they became space marines.

[@HuevoBendito]

Ah yes, the boys in green. Putting the "human" in "humanity" and the fire on Eldar populations.

[@synthomite405]

Can't wait for the hour long alpha legion video

[@ArbitorIan]

Three Alpha Legion videos which all seem to be the same but actually have subtley different plots, all of which are lies!

[@crimsonknight7011]

* Records Not Found *

[@joenewkirk6136]

Ian has given such an amazing resource to the 40k Community.

[@HereticalKitsune]

Hard to imagine that the 18th, now one of the most beloved and humane chapters, was one of the 3 secret Legions.

[@jarvbricks7422]

Hello, I just wanted to say that having returned to 40K since my 3rd edition army (now sold). I recently brought a space marine combat patrol which i have spent the day building. I have had your Horus Heresy playlist playing most of the day while building which I have greatly enjoyed to help me get back up to date. So I just wanted to say thank you and great job at succinctly telling this huge tale. I have 2 more to watch but i think i need a break as super glue is going to my head i think

[@Mugdorna]

I started playing in 2nd Edition. At that time GW introduced DIY chapters using Legion geneseed. Taking Salamanders as geneseed granted -1 initiative but +1 toughness. With cheaper TDA units. My TearBringers were 7 companies strong with a tenancy to fight alongside Imperial Guard units. Ah good times.

[@Anni3sgotagun]

Can’t wait for the Alpha Legion

[@crimsonknight7011]

* Records Not Found *

[@OmegaLittleBob]

Ya know Ian. When this series is over, if you felt like doing videos in a similar style for the many successor chapters in 40k, I wouldn't argue ;)

[@aitruscolso]

@Arbitor Ian Just wanted to point out: the pic you use at ~9:58 is actually of a Chaos Salamander from an alternative Heresy scenario, not a standard Loyalist. Love the video as always, but that stood out to me as I watched and I thought you'd want to know.

[@pogo8050]

That image of Vulcan holding one of the salamanders dead in his arm while crying out in despair is the most perfect image of the salamanders there is I think

[@nocturnenoble2468]

A fair summary of my favourite Chapter/Legion, thank you. I wish there was more content for them and that what little there is wouldn't bedevil their appearance - I miss their depiction from 3rd Edition (Codex: Armageddon) when they were just Black men who happened to be Astartes with pseudo-African trappings; much like the White Scars are to pan Asian culture to this day. I hold out hope that Vulkan being written into the siege of Terra and the new edition of the HH game will warrant more consideration towards the XVIII with an eye that appreciates equity and inclusivity, beyond mere tokenism.

[@Illindi]

Finally, been waiting for this one. Painting up a 40k army of them, primaris version 😀

[@toomanyminis.]

Ooooh I've been waiting for this one. GREAT

[@Eta_Carinae__]

Honestly I think they'd have gotten along well with the 4th, at least for a time. I remember Vulkan had brought many of Perturabo's clockwork designs to life, and he seemed to have a keener understanding of Vulkan's character than most, remarking to Fulgrim how little he understood his character. Both legions share an affinity with the forge and a willingness to bear overwhelming casualties, and Perturabo usually was able to have a relationship with his brothers who more complimented his temperament in some activity, rather than being similar to him - like Magnus in their quest for ancient lore.

[@markcoroneos7811]

Yeah I wonder that if they had been paired together more often, pert would have had the emotional support he needed in vulkan. Cant stay cranky after a vulkan hug 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@joaquinarias4915]

I’ve been waiting so long for this. Finally a video on my legion

[@jakehinton732]

I keep picturing Vulcan as the big guy on Spartacus that trains the gladiators!

[@VoodooToad]

As it comes to a close for the legions, will you do individual Primarchs and their backstories, crusades and then the Horus Heresy? This chapter videos are a joy for background noise as I study/do chores.

[@shorelessskies]

I love these guys. Couldn't be bothered with Space Marines until I saw Baldermort's video.

[@alejandrochalco6893]

After yio finish with the legion series I would love if you made a video for each of the other factions in the heresy:solar auxilia,mechanicum, imperial army and talons of the emperors.

[@anotherzingbo]

I bought the original edition of Space Marine in 1989 and chose to paint its tiny space marines as Salamanders - Salamanders Black base coat, Salamanders Green all-over drybrush, Boltgun Metal details and done. Ever since I've had a soft spot for them. When I came back to the hobby a few years ago it was nice to see that all those years ago I picked a chapter/legion that turned out not to be as awful as some of the others were, but it was annoying to discover that at some point their contribution to the Heresy got turned into "they got gubbed on day 1 and didn't do much after that". 😞

[@OpalisPissed]

I really love this series... and I am getting weirdly hyped about the Alpha Legion video^^

[@thomasrose5128]

Once this series is done I'd love to see one from you for each legion detailing instances where some members turned to the other side.

[@wagnerlopez9451]

By The Emperor! These lore videos are just too good!

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

FYI: The other Legions that conformed the "Trifoild" with the Salamanders were the Alpha Legion and Space Wolves.

[@crimsonknight7011]

Interesting that it was the pyromaniac who was the most human and most kind hearted.

[@patrickking3124]

There was an error there. Ian referred to the Emperor as a nameless warrior. But the emperors name is known to be Jimmy Space.

[@benmckinlaywilliamson3394]

You're doing a great job on these videos. Great presentation and quality, you're not just reading someone else's work and you have a good personal presentation style. Well done, you deserve every success!

[@sleepvr9873]

dude got killed so many times, like palpatine he always comes back

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Awesome legion. Great video. Really happy to learn the per-legion heresy. Looking forward to the next video. Keep up the good work.

[@justinmaitland7335]

Quality videos, I feel you doing a indepth video on any legion would be amazing. These are full of great lore and well edited.

[@Dracobyte]

One of my favorite Chapter/Legion. Thank you for these fantastic videos!

[@hotfoodman]

Omg I have been waiting for what feels like so long for this video. Love my sallies. Thanks @arbitorian! You rock!

[@vontheunknown7982]

The salamanders now have the successors chapters now, and one of them is called the dark Krakens who hunt dangerous and Powerful creatures feel free to tell me other salamander successors if you want too.

[@dominicvucic8654]

Black dragons were made official during dragon week

[@bxmully]

@@dominicvucic8654 beat me to it!

[@majorchronic81]

Black vipers ,covenant of fire,iron drakes,dragon spears, and maybe possibly storm giant's too.

[@morpheusft7633]

I watched a few of these, it seems every legion is thrown into the most brutal battles.

[@boofusgoofus614]

This series is awesome I hope you find a way to include the different chapters and their back stories in the 40k universe.

[@philhitchings]

Always look forward to these

[@aoneil57]

Finally! I’m addicted to these haha

[@gnomeczar5730]

Would you consider compiling all these into one long video in order of legion number when you’re done?

[@hadeedmalik719]

there is a very nice playlist in the playlist section of dis channel 10/10 would highly reccomend

[@Michael_Raymond]

I love a good lore series that is both a huge spoiler for, and a really good advertisement of, its source books

[@frannyfranfrancis]

Been waiting for this one!

[@AndorianBlues]

Great video. One note, at 8:37 you mispronounce hubris. It's pronounced HYOO-bris (/ˈhjuːbɹɪs/) EDIT: I know some KZbinrs intentionally put errors in videos to increase engagement from people correcting them in the comments, but I trust Arbitor Ian wouldn't do something like that!

[@Crushanator1]

I assumed this was just a weird British pronunciation like aluminum

[@AndorianBlues]

​@@Crushanator1 I'm British and I've never heard anyone say it like that, and I checked dictionaries to make sure it's not an alternate pronunciation. Then again it's obvious what word he meant (especially as the text is literally on screen as he's talking) so no big deal

[@PaulKTomo]

Oh no I thought I'd get to see all 20 and I'm up to this one...

[@tristanlee8495]

When you do Alpha Legion please just make it a 10 second clip saying "got no clue what's going on"

[@bequakynskagroupie3751]

Thanks Ian!

[@stewartinnes8618]

I think as your next project you should do a series on famous captains of the Horus Heresy, or each legions 1st capitan/equivalent. Theres so many great choices, Kharn, Abbadon, Sigmisund, Corswain, it would make a great watch!

[@CrimsonTemplar2]

Vulkan lives!

[@lewissmith5759]

been looking forward to this one

[@Yacovo]

Thanks for the video.

[@JR-dd4ec]

I've been waiting for this

[@nicorepetto5781]

I love your lore videos. Their great

[@NotoriousTim]

Salamanders and Vulkan are my #1 favorite Chapter and Primarch. Vulkan lives...

[@ronanjohnson9718]

Missed opportunity to wear a Guy Fieri shirt on this one Ian

[@bxmully]

Please do stuff on random xeno races like the hrud and the lair and even abhumans and interex

[@Bluecho4]

I've been accumulating spare tactical marines for the last few months - opportunistic buys got at a good price - that haven't been used. I've been focusing my Space Marine efforts on my Fallen force, using models from the Dark Vengeance box (for the Dark Angles iconography). Since anything not of that set wouldn't fit, I've been saving the non-DV tacticals. Planning to make a secondary force, or at least a skirmish warband. It's just I wasn't sure about what chapter I wanted to paint them as. Until now, that is. I've admired the Salamanders for a while. Them being, along with the Lamenters, one of the only almost unambiguously good Space Marine chapters. Plus, the tacticals I have on hand are supplied with flamers and a melta, so they're equipped appropriately for Vulcan's fire-starting sons.

[@normtrooper4392]

I'm going to be sad when this series is done

[@Arctik39]

Another one, Hurray!!!

[@BergerFett]

random question but have you ever done a video showing your display cases and such. I am in the market to update my hobby space and would like to display my armies and am looking to see what others have done. Love the videos.

[@robertflynn4215]

The salamanders are the more human than most of the other space marine legions. Vulcan lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!🐲

[@Dreoni_]

There are a couple of videos missing from your heresy playlist and my ocd is killing me please order them numerically! (awesome videos btw)

[@samm00re]

Video 2 and 11? Records deleted.

[@Dreoni_]

@@samm00re LOL. Nah, Im referring for example to Thousand Sons and Death Guard. (btw he has videos up for the lost legions)

[@WozWozEre]

Was it ever specified if Nocturnes radiation was responsible for Vulkans skin colour or is it just coincidence that his geneseed in his Sons combined with Nocturnes environment turns the Sallies skin coal black?

[@nocturnenoble2468]

During 3rd Edition they were depicted as Black men who would've naturally hailed from a similar homogenous population on Nocturne. Then 5th Edition happened and their appearance became "strange", "unsettling" and "demonic" with their fire red eyes and coal black skin (the latter apparently an oddity in the distant future because reasons and supposedly terrifying to paler people...). GW thought that retconning one of two notable depictions of ethnic diversity in 40K (the other being the White Scars) was better, whether out of ignorance, a hesitancy to appeal to a broader spectrum of consumer or sheer racism, who can say.

[@CaptainMasolino]

Thank u for the 30k version of all the legion please try to give us more when going into the 40k version of the legions or battles ? That each legion was in

[@jansandman6983]

My favorite legion

[@jayrigger7508]

Have you done a video summing up "that great catstophy" that spread the primarks

[@Mugdorna]

It's been dwliberately vague since the late 1980s.

[@ArmouryTerrain]

Being that this series is about to end, would you consider creating a new series on the fates of the Primarchs? What happened to them and when. Maybe in 3 or 4 parts? divided up into died, became deamon lords, dissapeared and we just don't know.

[@vinnythewebsurfer]

A lot of those descriptors make the salamanders sound an awful lot like the Iron Warriors but of course, without the deep levels of bitterness.

[@1polvomagico]

Can you please do one of these introspective videos for the minotaurs chapter. I swear I wanna know more of this guy's but info is hard to come by.

[@garyniusaernasea6698]

Among of all the Space Marines Legions, the Salamanders are the most human and kindest

[@SirWilliamKidney]

I'm curious about how Vulcan and his astartes used the webway to return to Terra, I didn't think that humans had access to it

[@samm00re]

It's in the book Old Earth. It's a bit hocus pocusy, Vulkan has visions and gut instincts and somehow "knows" what to do. He takes along a magic compass type thing which points the way through various Webway points. The reader is lead to believe it is the Emperor guiding Vulkan. Should point out that he only takes 3 of his legion with him, the video makes it sound like more, and whilst his job is to "stand sentinel" there is more to it than what is in the video. Vulkan has to stay in the imperial dungeon and is given control of what is effectively a human kill switch by the Emperor, so if Horus wins, Vulkan will destroy it all rather than let Horus have it. The Emperor says only Vulkan of all the primarchs could be trusted with it.

[@SirWilliamKidney]

@@samm00re Thanks for the info that's really fascinating. I kind of which the videos in this series were a little longer so he could go into more detail!

[@ScooterinAB]

I hear Vulcan has inside him blood of kings, yeah.

[@valdr2286]

Its sad what happened to them in the arcs of omen

[@ethanorange3705]

Vulcan Lives!

[@THCthehempcloud]

I don’t want this series to end. But it’s closing in to its conclusion. So naturally, the next series has to be picking up where this series ends and going through each legion, from the point after the Horus heresy to the present day in the lore, right?

[@sturm9087]

There are other factions besides marines in the horus heresy you know right?

[@sturm9087]

There are other factions besides marines in the horus heresy you know right?

[@joaolucasnascimentoleite2831]

Well all i can say is : VULKAN LIVES STOMP STOMP VULKAN LIVES !!!

[@kienesel7]

At last, my flammy boys.

[@crazzywasp]

VULKAN LIVES

[@marcwittkowski5146]

Where can I read more about this "trifoil"(?)?

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

The Trifoil is conformed by the Salamanders, Space Wolves and Alpha Legion. Nothing explicitly official has been mentioned about it, but given the nature of the combat doctrine in each group (Burn evidence, Execution and Infiltration), their purpose may have to do with eliminating internal problems with effiency and swiftness.

[@patrickking3124]

Were they called space marines during the unification war? Before they went in to space.

[@ArbitorIan]

You tend to find them being called 'Astartes' back then, but since they were created FOR the Great Crusade I doubt Space Marines took long

[@patrickking3124]

@@ArbitorIan yeah that seemed like the most likely. Off topic but if anyone knows it will be you... are there primaris marines in the Legion if the Damned?

[@lonstrickland6571]

Vulkan lives!!!

[@joshuavaldez8418]

What book is being referred to in the video.

[@captain-hooked]

What happened to Vulcan post heresy? He doesn't appear to be active in the lore of 40k (to an outside observer).

[@Crushanator1]

He shows up in the Beast Rises series (which is like M32) but iirc at some point after that goes off to fight Dark Eldar because 1) they're bad 2) the imperium kind of sucks now

[@philipzahn491]

They are such good bois, that they are almost a bit boring. I like them quite a lot, though.

[@klasclaywood2667]

Does any of the HH novels explain exactly what the calamity that scattered the primarchs actually was?

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

Yes, it was basically Chaos scattering them through the warp (or so the lore said until recent novels), but there’s a lot more to it than that! Saturnine goes into it in more detail, but you’d be skipping ahead a long way if you jump right to it

[@sonicwingnut]

I still reckon the Emperor had some kind of bet on with the chaos gods and the scattering was part of the deal. Seems odd that Sanguinius for instance possessed the souls of the twin angels of Baal, implies that this part of their inception happened after their pods landed.

[@wiggy5209]

I love the salamanders so much but they ain't half a Mary Sue

[@davidk6269]

White Scars and Salamanders are the most “humane” IMHO

[@sjewitt22]

what's he reading from at 8:49?

[@johnnyscifi]

Didn't Perturabo drop a nuke on Vulkan?

[@Inquisdrknss]

Almost done.

[@ArbitorIan]

I've ALREADY thought up the next 20-video series though!

[@gran9968]

This but Badab War

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

Successor chapters?