We’ve seen the hulking new miniatures, and we’ve heard the designation floating around the dark corners of the lore for years, but what exactly is Saturnine-pattern Terminator armour?
The origin of Saturnine technology is a mystery. What we do know, is that unlike most of the Imperium’s arms and armour it was not created on Mars by the Mechanicum, but instead in the secretive tech-enclaves of Saturn.
Towering over all other Legion infantry, a Space Marine enclosed in a suit of Saturnine Terminator armour is an impervious juggernaut of death, equipped with some of the most devastating Space Marine-portable weapons ever conceived.
The Saturnine Dreadnought is even bigger, larger even than the imposing Leviathan Dreadnoughts. Not just any Legionary could be entombed within these formidable constructs. Only a warrior of exceptional willpower and focus can pilot a Saturnine Dreadnought, but for those with the strength of mind fit for the task they become a walking engine of destruction.
Saturnine tech represents the pinnacle of human defensive technology, with stronger shields, more powerful generators, thicker armour, and a more durable warframe. Despite these advantages, complexities of production meant that Saturnine armour quickly became less common than other less-advanced suits, such as the Cataphractii and Tartaros patterns.
Early marks of Saturnine armour saw use in the final battles of the Unification Wars on Terra and during the initial conquest of the Great Crusade, but it was not until decades later, when the Primarch Vulkan took it upon himself to perfect this formidable technology, that it entered wider use.
Saturnine armour incorporated the Saturnine Aquila proudly upon its breastplate, linking the Saturnine tech-enclaves with the wider Imperium.
Teleport synchronisers set into the broad pauldrons of Saturnine pattern plate link to the teleportation transponders carried by senior officers, enabling those wearing this plate to be teleported to the battlefield.
Ever the good brother, Vulkan gifted his creation to every Legion, a generous act he would soon come to regret…
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