‘My quest is a gift from Vulkan himself. I have traded brotherhood for a sacred calling, one for which I shall gladly give my life. May the flames devour any who stand in my way.’
– Forgefather Vulkan He’stan
The ancient history of the Salamanders Chapter is shrouded in myth and legend. According to the scraps of lore that remain, the Primarch Vulkan scattered nine potent artefacts across the galaxy. He did this not only to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemies of Humanity, but also as a test for his gene-sons. In his wisdom, the Primarch realised that even the grandest prize is worth nothing if it is seized without challenge. If his scions were to wield these relics, they would first have to prove themselves worthy of doing so. It is the fate of the Chapter’s Forgefather, currently Vulkan He’stan, to spend his life questing for the remaining relics and returning them to the Chapter’s custody.
The rank of Forgefather came into existence soon after Vulkan’s disappearance and has remained a crucial position ever since. Only the greatest of the Chapter’s champions are considered for the role, such is the determination, endurance and focus required. The quest for Vulkan’s lost relics requires a gift for battlefield strategy and a resilience of mind and body. Most who have held the position have endured a lifetime of searching without success. A Forgefather must accept that the most likely result of centuries of endless searching is failure, and yet retain always a spark of hope. In short, he who holds the rank of Forgefather must be the best of the Salamanders in all aspects of warfare.
Once Captain of the Fourth Company, Forgefather He’stan had served his Chapter for a century when he was selected by the Chapter’s Pantheon Council to take up the mantle. In accordance with Chapter tradition, he abandoned his own forename and took that of his missing Primarch. In the decades since, Vulkan He’stan has crossed the galaxy repeatedly, following clues found within the Tome of Fire. His path has taken him to many worlds in the grip of the Emperor’s foes, be they heretics or xenos invaders. It is the belief of most Salamanders that the recovery of Vulkan’s lost relics will herald the return of the Primarch, and the Chapter, as well as the majority of its successors, will willingly spend copious lives and resources in the furtherance of He’stan’s quest.
Of Vulkan’s nine relics, five have been recovered. He’stan bears three of them at all times. The Spear of Vulkan is a potent power weapon that glows with the heat of the forge and can burn through solid ceramite. The drakescale cloak known as Kesare’s Mantle is almost impenetrable, lending its bearer great protection. The Gauntlet of the Forge, meanwhile, is a piece of masterwork armour fitted with an integral heavy flamer. Thus armed and protected, Vulkan He’stan is rendered even more formidable in battle. The final two recovered relics – the forge ship Chalice of Fire and the defence laser known as Eye of Vulkan – remain in orbit above Prometheus, the moon that hosts the Chapter’s fortress monastery. The remainder are known only by name, their forms and functions having long since been lost to the Chapter’s record – the Engine of Woes, the Obsidian Chariot, the Unbound Flame and the Song of Entropy.
Following the opening of the Great Rift, Vulkan He’stan’s quest took him deep into Imperium Nihilus. There, accompanied by battle-brothers of the Hammers of Nocturne and Covenant of Fire, he was drawn to the planet Zero. Amidst the madness of encroaching warp storms, he sensed the smouldering ember of a clue, one that he believed might lead him to the Unbound Flame. He was not alone in pursuing this line of investigation. Thus followed a brutal conflict between the Forgefather’s forces and those of the Alpha Legion, whose agents had infiltrated elements of the Hammers of Nocturne and swayed much of the world’s populace to their cause. Whilst the Forgefather’s army eventually prevailed, forcing the surviving Alpha Legion to abandon their mortal agents and retreat, no trace of the clue he sought could be found. Marshalling the remainder of his battle-brothers, He’stan now follows the spoor of the Traitors deeper into this benighted region of the galaxy. He had faced such frustration many times before. Perhaps, he reasoned, pertinent information could yet be dredged from the minds of Alpharius’ sons.
The Tome of Fire
More than a simple book, the Tome of Fire is an archive of diverse works crafted by the Primarch Vulkan. Amongst this trove of items are many volumes bound in drakeskin and containing esoteric knowledge now largely lost to the rest of Humanity. The Salamanders believe that the books, trinkets and mechanical devices that comprise the Tome of Fire contain hidden clues as to the location of Vulkan’s nine lost treasures. Each successive Forgefather spends long periods of time inspecting and cataloguing the contents of the collection, tinkering with their arrangement, experimenting with their mechanisms and seeking to glean from them a measure of enlightenment that his predecessors may have overlooked.
