A Volkite Culverin used by a Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought
The Volkite Culverin is a type of Volkite Weapon, and is the heaviest man-portable Volkite Weapon known to have been available to Imperial forces during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy-eras.
Volkite Weapons are a class of powerful thermal ray weapons whose technology is pre-Imperial in origin and dates back to the Age of Strife. These weapons were always difficult for the Imperium of Man to manufacture; even the most able of the Mechanicum's forges had difficulty keeping up with the demand, and as the expanding Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium swiftly overwhelmed the supply of these relic-weapons, they became increasingly uncommon on the battlefield.
Once relatively common within the fledgling Space Marine Legions, Volkite Weapons had fallen largely from favour by the time the Horus Heresy began in the early 31st Millennium. They were superseded by the far more easy to produce Bolter.
The loss of Forge Worlds during the Horus Heresy sped the decline of Volkite weapons in the Imperium. The technology, difficult to manufacture even by the most able of the Mechanicum's forges, was rendered scarce in the aftermath of the great interstellar civil war.
The Volkite Culverin is the heaviest and most potent man-portable iteration of known Volkite technology, and was used by the ancient Legiones Astartes Legion Heavy Support Squads and their Contemptor Pattern Dreadnoughts. The Volkite Culverin, like all Volkite Weapons, was a thermal ray weapon of ancient and unknown provenance, with its beam having a devastating effect on organic matter, explosively burning flesh into ash and jetting fire.
Notable Patterns[]
- Telerac Pattern Culverin - Telerac pattern weapons are far more ancient and ill-omened even those designated 'Proteus', the name implying dark associations with the technological horrors of the deep reaches of the Age of Strife. The shortage of reliable supplies of Volkite weaponry saw many Telerac pattern weapons restored to service in the name of the Emperor, and carefully maintained in the Space Marine armouries.
Sources[]
- The Horus Heresy: Book One - Betrayal (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 233
- The Horus Heresy: Book Four - Conquest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 246
- The Horus Heresy: Book Six - Retribution (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 49
- The Horus Heresy: Book Seven - Inferno (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 148
- The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Crusade Army List (Forge World Series), pg. 85
- The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Age of Darkness Army List (Forge World Series), pg. 129
- Forge World Webstore - Legion Volkite Culverin Set
- Forge World Webstore - Telerac Pattern Volkite Culverins Set
- Forge World Webstore - Contemptor Pattern Volkite Culverin
Gallery[]
