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Uriel Ventris

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This page contains spoilers for: Ultramarines (Novel Series)

Uriel Ventris held the rank of Captain of the Ultramarines Space Marine Fourth Company. He was later exiled from the Chapter for breaching the Codex Astartes during the events of Tarsis Ultra, and sent on a Death Oath with his companion, Pasanius. After successfully completing his mission and returning to Macragge, he had been reinstated to the rank of Captain1.

He is said to be descended in the same family as 1st Company Veteran Sergeant Lucian Ventris (who died on Macragge's northern Polar Defenses during the Battle of Macragge) [Needs Citation].

File:Uriel Ventris.jpg
Uriel Ventris battling Tyranids on Tarsis Ultra

Early life

Born on Calth in 876.M41, Uriel Ventris was raised on an underground farm and worked upon the land since the day he was able to walk. From the age of six, Ventris was recruited by the Ultramarines and trained at the Agiselus Barracks on Macragge; he graduated in 889.M41 and went on to complete his training at the Fortress of Hera. Nine years later, he became a full-fledged Marine in the Scout Company, and was finally inducted into the Fourth Company in 909.M41. During his training, he discovered he had a natural talent for war and swore to become the best warrior Macragge had ever seen2.

History as Captain

At the Battle of Bridge Two-Four on the planet, Thracia, in 999.M41, Captain Idaeus of the Fourth Company fell, leaving Ventris in battlefield command. Shortly there after, he was confirmed as the new Captain of Fourth Company by Chapter Master Marneus Calgar. Ventris' first mission as captain was to put down a rebellion on the Imperial world, Pavonis. It was on this mission that the Ultramarines encountered the Nightbringer, newly awakened from his millennia-long slumber.

Tarsis Ultra

Ventris and the Fourth Company were called out once more in 999.M41 to repel a Tyranid threat, a tendril of Hive Fleet Leviathan, from the planet Tarsis Ultra. After earlier boarding with his warriors and destroying a Space Hulk filled with Genestealers bound for Tarsis Ultra, Astropaths from his Strike Cruiser, the Vae Victus, detected psychic disturbances from the Tyranids moving towards the system. Sworn to honour an ancient oath pledged by his Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, to defend the people of Tarsis Ultra, Ventris through the orders of Marneus Calgar enlisted the aid of a Company from an Ultramarines Second Founding Chapter, the Mortifactors, led by Chaplain Astador. Upon arriving on the planet, the Space Marines were further supported by the 10th Logres led by Colonel Octavius Rebalaq, the 933rd Death Korps of Krieg led by Colonel Trymon Stagler, and the PDF Regiments headed by Major Satria. Inquisitor Kryptman was also present to impart his extensive knowledge of the Tyranids to help the war effort.
When the Tyranids arrived in the system and consumed the planet Barbarus Prime, the Imperials launched an attack in space. Despite an initial victory in destroying a Hiveship, Inquisitor Kryptman wished to invoke Exterminatus upon the world, Chordelis, as it was the next planet in the path of the Tyranids; this was to prevent it from being devoured and swelling the Tyranids' numbers, as planetary evacuation was too slow. Ventris was vehemently against this decision and supported an alternative solution proposed by his Admiral, Tiberius, to slow down the Tyranids by exploding a hydrogen-plasma refinery in space to destroy another Hiveship. However, Kryptman had lied to Ventris and with the assistance of the Mortifactors invoked Exterminatus in spite of the Ultramarines' plan succeeding. The Imperials attempted the same trick again with a second space refinery to destroy another Hiveship. However, the Tyranids adapted to this ploy and the plan backfired on the Imperials, crippling their fleet and forcing the survivors to flee; Tarsis Ultra was left unprotected from space, which allowed the Tyranids to launch their final planetary invasion.
During the Tyranid attacks on Tarsis Ultra, Ventris still found himself haunted by his experiences with the C'tan, the Nightbringer; he managed to move on following spiritual advice from Sister Joaniel of the Orders Hospitaller during prayer in the medicae chapel. Ventris assisted Captain Bannon and his Deathwatch team, who arrived after the destruction of Chordelis, in capturing a Lictor; this proved pivotal during the war, as Kryptman was able to concoct a venom from the Lictor's genetic structure that would send an early generation Tyranid into hyper-evolution, killing the creature. They then decided upon killing the Norn-Queen in order to win the war. Out of respect for Captain Bannon, who had died in an earlier mission in destroying a Hiveship, Ventris joined the Deathwatch team in infiltrating the final remaining Hiveship to kill the last Norn-Queen controlling the Tyranids. This was in breach of the Codex Astartes, as Ventris abandoned his men on the planet; Despite Ventris' sincere belief it was the best action to take, Sergeant Learchus threatened to report this violation to Marneus Calgar. Learchus assumed command of the Fourth Company on Tarsis Ultra in Ventris' absence.
Ventris alongside Pasanius, who also joined the Deathwatch team despite Ventris' objection, managed to finally kill the last Norn-Queen with Kryptman's gene-poison. However, at the last moment Ventris himself was poisoned by the Norn-Queen, causing his whole entire bloodstream to clot within his body. He would have died if it hadn't been for a full blood transfusion contributed by Pasanius, which kept him alive until they got him medical care on Tarsis Ultra. The remaining Space Marine contingent of both the Ultramarines and Mortifactors were down to sixteen men when the Tyranids started to attack each other, as the link with the Hive Mind was lost when the last Norn-Queen died. The psychic shockwave of the overmind's death affected the Tyranids into slaughtering each other senselessly, leaving the Imperials alone. The majority froze to death under the harsh conditions of Tarsis Ultra with a minority surviving and taking refuge in warmer surroundings. At the conclusion of the war, Ventris reaffirmed his faith as an Ultramarine to protect the Imperium from the enemies of Mankind.2

In Exile

Upon the Fourth Company's return to Macragge, Sergeant Learchus reported Uriel Ventris and Pasanius to the High Masters of the Ultramarines Chapter for breaching the Codex Astartes during the events of Tarsis Ultra; they had abandoned their company despite their leadership roles as Captain and Sergeant in favour of leading an Ordo Xenos Deathwatch Squad into a Tyranid Hive Ship. During the trial, Ventris and Pasanius waived their rights to defend themselves, so as to prevent their example from being followed by others, and accepted the judgement of their Chapter Master, Marneus Calgar.

Instead of being given the penalty of death for their heresy to the Codex's teachings, they were bound to a Death Oath and exiled from the Chapter. All insignia of the Ultramarines, which included the symbol on their should guards, were removed. Upon leaving the Fortress of Hera to embark on the March of Shame, they were commanded by Calgar to seek and destroy daemonic womb creatures, the Daemonculaba, seen in a vision by the Chief Librarian Tigurius. Ventris and Pasanius left Macragge on a vessel, as the Imperial Guard regiments aboard, the Macragge 808th were bound to fight against the 13th Black Crusade in the Segmentum Obscurus. 3

Medrengard

During transit in the Warp, the shields protecting the ship from the creatures of the Immaterium inexplicably failed, and all those within the ship perished bar Ventris and Pasanius. A daemon known as the Omphalos Daemonium appeared, and overpowered the Ultramarines, taking them captive on board his Daemon Engine. They were transported to the Iron Warriors homeworld, Medrengard, and charged with the task of retrieving the Heart of Blood from the fortress of Khalan-Ghol. Threatened with the annihilation of Macragge and Ultramar, Ventris complied with its demands. However, after the daemon departed, Ventris assured Pasanius that he will not honour the pact and planned on destroying the Heart of Blood.
Upon their journey, Ventris and Pasanius encountered strange occurrences of skinless corpses, and dead bodies of men and women with vast expanses of stretched skin. They reached a camp of Iron Warriors guarding prisoners whose skin have been stretched like the corpses; they realised that those detained were to be skinned alive. Just as they were about to commence an assault on the camp, they were joined by renegade Space Marines who assisted in defeating the Iron Warriors. Ventris argued with the renegade, Aadric Vaanes, as he intended only to destroy the camp and not to free the prisoners. Before the camp was to be destroyed, the Unfleshed arrived, forcing the space marines to flee and leave the prisoners behind anyway. Ventris was racked with guilt, as those left behind were feasted upon by the monsters.
The Ultramarines followed the renegades to their sanctuary, and met Colonel Mikhail Leonid of the 383rd Jouran Dragoons. His regiment was previously stationed on the Forge World of Hydra Cordatus to defend against an invasion by the Iron Warriors. Ventris learnt that the Warsmith Honsou and his army overcame the Imperials and stole the gene-seed stored beneath the citadel. He also discovered that the Heart of Blood that he was charged to seek, was in fact a powerful daemon. Ventris worked out Honsou purposely stole the gene-seed for his daemonculabu to create thousands of new Iron Warriors. The next morning, Ventris convinced the renegades to accompany him in stopping Honsou from carrying out his plan.
Ventris led the renegades in assaulting the fortress of Khalan-Ghol; they discovered that the Warsmith Honsou was already engaged in war over the stolen gene-seed with his rival Warsmiths, Toramino and Berossus. After an initial encounter with Honsou and his retinue, Ventris led his band inside the fortress only to be captured by the Iron Warriors. On the orders of Honsou, Ventris was to be fed to the daemonculabu and the rest were sent to the Savage Morticians to be killed. Ventris escaped and succeeded in freeing the others, and led them in escaping the fortress through the sewer systems. The foray in the fortress cost them dear, as only four survived with Ventris and Pasanius: Vaanes, Leonid and two other renegades. The survivors were then captured by the Unfleshed and taken to their home.
The Unfleshed were the mutated rejects of the Daemonculaba; born disfigured and without skin, they were cast away by their creators. It turned out that the mass-produced stretched skin was used to flesh newly born Iron Warriors, but those rejected do not get to have skin binded on. Ventris convinced the Unfleshed, who still worshipped the Emperor, to join him in his mission to assault the fortress of Khalan-Ghol. The renegades abandoned Ventris and his mission, but Leonid still joined him in accomplishing his death oath. Ventris and the Unfleshed infiltrated the heart of the fortress, and whilst the Unfleshed fought against the guards, Ventris and Pasanius freed the Heart of Blood. Once freed, the psychic barriers protecting the fortress fell, allowing the Omphalos Daemonium to appear and fight against its bitter rival.
During the battle between the two daemons, Ventris and Pasanius made their escape, and Leonid sacrificed himself to prevent the Sarcomata from stopping them. However, the Ultramarines were cornered by Houson and his retinue who outnumbered them. At the very last moment, the Unfleshed saved them by attacking and killing the whole retinue; Ventris managed to shoot Houson, wounding him who had fled. At the point of being defeated, Heart of Blood conjured up a bloodstorm which killed all nearby, including the daemonculabu. Having been strengthened by the bloodstorm, the daemon went on to defeat Omphalos Daemonium, and collapsed out of exhaustion in the aftermath. The Ultramarines' final action at Medrengard was to board with the Unfleshed, upon the Daemon Engine left behind by the Omphalos Daemonium, to escape imprisonment beneath the fortress. 3

Beyond Medrengard

After departing the Eye of Terror, Ventris and Pasanius arrived on the troubled planet of Salinas. It was here that they established contact with Imperial forces, and were taken to the Imperial fortress to await judgment. The Imperial Guard stationed on Salinas had become corrupt and debased, having killed thousands of innocent civilians just to get to the rebel leader. As such, the remaining rebels constantly attacked the Imperial Guard whenever they could, turning Ventris and Pasanius into prime targets. While there, the Unfleshed were quickly possessed by the souls of those killed, and they turned on the Imperial Guard stationed on the planet. Having detected a strong warp influence on the planet, a detachment of Grey Knights was sent to investigate. They captured Ventris and Pasanius and held trials to determine their loyalty to the Emperor. After passing the trials, Ventris, Pasanius, and the Grey Knights were sent to kill the Unfleshed. After incurring terrible losses, the Grey Knights returned the two to Macragge.

They have been returned to Macragge and Uriel took back command of the Company.

Novels

Uriel Ventris is featured in a series of novels by Graham McNeill and published by the Black Library. Ventris first appeared in the short story "Chains of Command" in Inferno 26 (republished in Words of Blood), and as of June 2009, is the central character of six novels:

Sources

Related Publications