Vulkan (Warhammer 40,000)
Vulkan is a male literary character who features in Warhammer 40,000.
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Biography
Vulkan was one of the genetically engineered Primarchs created by the Emperor of Mankind. When the Primarchs were first created within the gene-laboratories hidden beneath the Himalazian Mountains on Terra, through the machinations of the Chaos Gods the gestation capsules of the nascent Primarchs were scattered across the galaxy. It was said that the pod holding Vulkan came to land on the feudal Death World of Nocturne during one of its tumultuous periods known as the Time of Trial. Among the hardy and stoic people of Nocturne, the infant Vulkan had fallen like a blazing comet, and into the home of a 'Black-Smiter', a metal worker by the name N'bel, in the city-settlement of Hesiod, he had been taken as a foster child. N'bel recognised the child as the one prophesied to be a saviour by the teachings of the Promethean Cult, and named him Vulkan. Like all the primarchs, Vulkan grew very quickly, reaching full adulthood by the age of only three Terran years. He was also highly intelligent, able to vastly improve the already considerable metalworking skills of the famed smiths of Nocturne. Quickly, he had risen in strength and wisdom, embracing the culture which had taken him up, working in his adopted father's forge and hunting the great saurians and other beasts bestirred by the planet's fiery temper, becoming a legendary champion in his world's defence against far more dangerous foes; 'Dusk Wraiths' as they were known in Nocturne. In reality, these creatures were of the most degenerate and vile class of Aeldari slavers that were the Drukhari, nightmarish beings to whom pain and slaughter were as meat and drink, who sought to prey periodically on the hardy people of Nocturne for their own wicked sport. During Vulkan's fourth year, his town was attacked by the 'Dusk Wraiths', who were on a slave-taking expedition. The people of his hometown hid, as they usually did when the decadent xenos came raiding, but Vulkan refused to hide. Armed with only a pair of blacksmith's hammers, he roused the people from hiding and drove back the assault, single-handedly slaying a hundred Drukhari warriors. As word of the battle's outcome spread, the headsmen of the seven most important settlements on the planet came to pay homage to Vulkan, swearing to forevermore crush their foes rather than hiding from them. Against this threat Vulkan became transformed, and his legend spread across his world. He was the 'fire-born' that were an undefeated warrior whose superhuman strength had torn the slave-barges down from the sky and crushed the xenos in droves, and whose granite-like flesh had scorned their poisoned blades unmoved, driving the Dusk Wraiths from Nocturne.
In celebration of the primarch's victory over the Dark Eldar in what was the year 832.M30 by the Imperial Calendar, a tournament of various contests involving tests of strength and craftsmanship common to the people of Nocturne was held. During the opening ceremonies, a stranger appeared. His skin was unusually pale, compared to the dark, swarthy complexions of the people of Nocturne, and his clothes were very strange, made of materials unfamiliar to the pre-industrial Nocturneans. The stranger asked only to be allowed to compete. The stranger claimed that he could best any man at the competitions, causing many people to laugh at the seemingly inadvertent comparison to the superhuman Vulkan. Vulkan accepted the challenge, and the stranger wagered that whoever lost the competition would swear his eternal loyalty and obedience to the victor. With a smile at such effrontery, Vulkan agreed to the outlander's terms. Lasting for eight local Nocturnean days, the contest included many tests of strength and endurance. The people of Nocturne were treated to the spectacle of two godlike beings competing against one another, utterly astonishing the mere mortals around them with their superhuman prowess. Many of the contests had to be called a draw between Vulkan and the fair-skinned stranger, for there was simply no way to determine a victor. For instance, the anvil lift, where the contestants were required to hold an anvil aloft above their heads for as long as possible, ended in a tie when the two superhuman competitors both held anvils aloft for half a day with no sign of tiring, while all the other competitors had given up after mere solar minutes. All the subsequent contests saw similar outcomes, and by the end of local day 8, Vulkan and the stranger were tied in the overall tournament. To break the tie, the elders of Nocturne decided that the winner would be determined by the test of Salamander Hunting. Both contestants were given 24 solar hours to forge a weapon, before using that weapon to hunt down and slay one of Nocturne's reptilian salamanders. Assessing that this task, impossible for any mere mortal, would be but a formality for both godlike contestants, the elders included the caveat that the contestant who brought back the largest salamander would be proclaimed victorious.
In the end, it came down to the final trial: salamander-slaying. Both men had a day and a half to forge a weapon, then go out and slay the largest salamander, that they could find. Vulkan and the stranger worked all day at their forges, neither pausing to rest. As the local day drew to a close, they emerged. Vulkan had forged a huge warhammer, and the stranger a keen-edged sword. They both climbed to the summit of Mount Deathfire, a massive volcano said to be the home of the largest Firedrakes, the most fearsome species of salamander, on the planet. Vulkan found his prey first, smashing its head off with a single blow from his hammer. As he carried the carcass back, the volcano unexpectedly erupted. Vulkan was nearly thrown off a cliff, but managed to grab onto the edge with one hand, stubbornly grasping the tail of his reptilian prize with the other. Vulkan held on for several solar hours, but his hold finally began to slip. It was at that time the stranger reappeared, carrying a salamander larger than his own. The stranger quickly threw his carcass into the lava flow, using its heat-resistant hide as a bridge to cross over and save Vulkan. Vulkan was declared the winner of the contest when they returned home since he had a salamander hide and the stranger had lost his, but Vulkan silenced the crowd. He knelt before the stranger, stating that any man who valued life over pride was worthy of his service. At that moment the stranger at last revealed to the primarch His true nature as the Emperor of Mankind. Vulkan would take his rightful place as primarch of the XVIIIth Legion and ruler of his adopted world. Vulkan's only reservation on departing Nocturne was that he would not leave its people undefended, but in this the Emperor countered that Vulkan's duty was not simply to one Human world but to many, worlds that knew the terror of the darkness and the feasting of alien horrors uncounted as Nocturne had, and that Nocturne itself as the homeworld of a primarch would forever be secured by his gene-sons, the XVIIIth Legion which bore his blood.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Vulkan was one of the largest and most physically imposing of the Primarchs, his stature towering even among his superhuman brothers. His skin was a deep obsidian hue, a mark of his heritage tied to the world of Nocturne, and his eyes burned with a perpetual emerald glow. He bore a mane of dark hair and frequently wore masterfully wrought armor of green and gold, decorated with the imagery of fire and the drake, the totems of his Legion. His weapons, often forged by his own hands, were massive and intricately detailed, embodying both destructive power and sublime artistry.
In personality, Vulkan was compassionate, paternal, and resolute, regarded as one of the most humane of the Primarchs. He valued human life above conquest, and though he was a formidable warrior, he viewed war as a necessary evil to protect rather than dominate. His empathy toward mortals and his strong moral compass often put him at odds with some of his more ruthless brothers, yet it endeared him deeply to his Legion and to those worlds under Imperial compliance. Despite his immense power, he carried himself with humility and sought to guide others with wisdom and patience.
Powers and abilities
As a Primarch, Vulkan’s physiology was far beyond that of ordinary Space Marines or humans. His immense size and strength allowed him to shatter stone and metal with his bare hands, while his resilience made him capable of enduring wounds that would kill lesser beings. Most notably, he possessed the unique trait of being a perpetual, capable of resurrecting even after death, a gift that set him apart from his brothers and granted him an unending presence within the galaxy. This regenerative immortality, combined with the natural adaptations of the Primarchs, made him one of the most indomitable warriors of the Imperium.
Vulkan was the largest and physically strongest of all the primarchs. He is said to be as tall in his power armor as Horus is in his own, much larger Terminator armor, and is capable of overturning Space Marine battle tanks with his bare hands. During sparring matches with his brother Primarchs, Vulkan deliberately held back out of fear of hurting them.
Notes
- Vulkan was created by Games Workshop and featured in the setting of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Appearances
- Warhammer 40,000:
External Links
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