Youth When the Primarchs were scattered from the Emperor's laboratory on Luna, Vulkan arrived on the planet

Nocturne during the Time of Trial as an infant and was soo n taken in by the blacksmith, N'bel. The people of his home town were astounded by this child, for within the space of three years, he was stronger and bigger t han any man in his town. In addition to his massive physical size, he was the qu ickest mind, and the greatest blacksmith anyone knew of. Indeed, it was not long before Vulkan himself was teaching forging techniques to the people that had no t yet been discovered[Needs Citation]. The people of Nocturne were frequently raided by Dark Eldar. They were so used t o this common occurrence, that each person in town had developed their own hidin g place to avoid capture. When the Dark Eldar raided again in Vulkan's fourth ye ar on Nocturne, the Primarch refused to hide and instead stood out in the centre of the settlement, his two smithing hammers crossed over his shoulders. The peo ple of Vulkan's town were so inspired by his example that they joined him and pr epared to defend their town. With a primarch leading the defence, the people of the town decisively defeated the Dark Eldar. Within weeks the leaders of the sev en largest towns on Nocturne had travelled to meet Vulkan, and they soon swore n ever again to hide from the raiders[Needs Citation]. In celebration of the Primarch's victory over the Eldar raiders, a tournament wa s decided to be held. Unexpectedly, a stranger arrived in the middle of the fest ivities. Of pale complexion and wearing outlandish clothing, the stranger asked only to be allowed to compete. When he announced that he could best anyone in th e town, the people laughed at this outlander. Who could possibly beat Vulkan in any feat of intellect, strength, craftsmanship or endurance? Nonetheless, Vulkan and the stranger wagered that whoever lost the tournament would forever serve t he victor. Lasting 8 days, the contest included many tests of strength and endur ance such as the anvil lift (in which the two held anvils above their heads for a half day before the contest was called a tie). The number of contests is unimp ortant, however, for by the end of day 8, Vulkan and the stranger were tied[Need s Citation]. In the final event, both contestants were given 24 hours to construct a weapon, before using said weapon to hunt down and slay the largest salamander they could find. Climbing a high mountain, the two each went out to find a drake. Vulkan q uickly found and killed a very large Fire Drake. However, on his way back, the m ountain he was standing on - which coincidentally was a volcano - erupted, casti ng Vulkan over a cliff. Hanging for dear life over the precipice, Vulkan was det ermined to hang on to his massive Salamander. Thus, he found himself hanging by one hand from a cliff with his other hand clutching the tail of his drake[Needs Citation]. Hanging there for hours, Vulkan's strength eventually ebbed away until he knew h e must decide between the drake and his life. At that moment however, the strang er arrived, carrying his own drake. Even from the edge of the cliff, the Primarc h could tell that the outlander's drake was indeed bigger. Seeing Vulkan in dist ress, the stranger acted quickly, tossing his drake into a lava flow that separa ted them and using it as a bridge to cross to the Primarch. After hoisting Vulka n out of his mortal predicament, the stranger walked with him back to town, leav ing his own drake to burn in the river of molten rock[Needs Citation]. Though the Outlander's Drake had been superior in size, he had thrown it away to save Vulkan, and when he returned to town with the Primarch empty-handed, Vulka n was declared the victor. To the amazement of his people however, Vulkan kneele d before the stranger and said that any man who would value life over pride was worthy of his service. At this moment, the Outlander cast off his illusionary di sguise and revealed himself to be the Holy Emperor of humanity. Thus it was that

the Primarch, Vulkan and his Emperor were reunited[Needs Citation]. Great Crusade It was decided that Vulkan's legion of Space Marines would henceforth be known a s the Salamanders, in honour of the beast that had united him with his father. T he Primarch continued to serve loyally throughout the Great Crusade[Needs Citati on]. Horus Heresy Vulkan was present alongside Ferrus Manus and Corax at the Isstvan V Dropsite Ma ssacre. Little is known about him after this point. There are very few records if any - of him fighting in the heresy after this point. It is also claimed he was one of the Primarchs to oppose the Codex Astartes. This however, would not b e for lack of courage or loyalty, however, but due to the crippling losses susta ined at Isstvan V, where his Legion was cut down in size to but a few. Following the heresy, Vulkan chose to leave the Salamanders, claiming that, like Space Wo lves Primarch Leman Russ, he would return in the End Times. That is the last any one saw of Vulkan[Needs Citation]. The Salamanders believe that he will return after they have found all nine of th e Artefacts of Vulkan[2a] Etymology The name Vulkan is derived from Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, volcanoes and smi thery. Temperament Like his brother Primarchs, Vulkan has a characteristic that sets him apart, his patience. This was likely the result of his upbringing in a small village. He d emonstrates this many time on one-five-four-four. Vulkan constantly gives comman ds in the heat of battle that cause the least amount of casualties to the native population against the advise of Ferrus Manus and even his own men. It is spoke n of among his brothers that Vulkan is the most suited to their Father's vision of a peaceful Empire.[3]