What has happened to Russ?

[chaplain belisarius]

easy...hes in the pub...:)

[Rune Priest Ridcully]

Why have we not thought of this sooner?

[Wolf Guard Dansef]

We have a winner ;) Ol' Leman has just nipped off to get the round in :P

[chaplain belisarius]

i mean-where else would he be? (i reckon hes done enough fighting and needs a few pints)

[Rune Priest Ridcully]

Might it be an idea to check the brothels as well, this is russ we are talking about. How did Russ avoid Slannesh? was it because he already had everything (Women, followers, beer, glory) that he could want and so Slannesh had nothing to offer Russ?

If he is in the pub, who's going to pick up the bill? Even if Russ has died, he has a cloak that allows him to pass from this world to the next and back again doesn't he? could he bring back other dead loyalist Primarchs with him, or would it be a bit hard to fit more then one primarch back in that cloak? even if he can't bring the other primarchs back, he has still proberbly come back and proberbly cleaned out a lot of pubs.

[spjaco]

Next time he comes back send Lukas the Trickster with him. Between those two they will find a way to bring back whoever they want. If not and he dont come back, Lukas problably will, just cuz he is like that.....

[Valerian]

Apologize for resurrecting this thread (at least it was only dead for 10 days, so was only "mostly dead"), but I just found some additional evidence.

 

US White Dwarf 246, (July 2000), includes about 15 pages of excellent fluff on the Space Wolves that was not included in the just released 3rd edition "mini-dex". The title of the section is: Codicium Imperialis: Volume VI, part I of the Liber Honorus - The Space Wolves -.

 

In the Space Wolf Glossary, The Great Hunt is defined as the, "Name given to the crusades the Space Wolves have undertaken to seek the final resting place of Leman Russ." (emphasis mine).

 

This whole article was edited by Jervis Johnson, based on the original works of Chambers, King and Priestley.

 

Pairing the search for the "final resting place" of Leman Russ with his "last words", it seems to be quite clear to me that the folks at GW, at least, consider our Primarch to be dead, even if some others do not.

 

Best,

 

V

[Grey Mage]

Or that the SWs do- I couldnt say without seeing the context, but its entirely possible that they think he has passed on, much like they do the 13nth company.

[slmellon]

Maybe he will show up when they change the name to 41k, because its been 40999 forever!!!!

[Tsavong Lah]

I noticed a quotation in the Battle Missions book on page 70:

 

"Here I am and here I shall die."

-Attributed to Leman Russ at the Battle of the Rising Fell

 

So it would seem that the earlier quotation about Russ' "last words" is rather inconsistent at best. But then again, we're working with GW here, whose lore policy is pretty much to make up :) as they go along and hope it all fits together at the end of the day. ;)

[Wildfire]

at least it was only dead for 10 days, so was only "mostly dead"),

 

That's good. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is still slightly alive. With all dead there's usually only one thing you can do...

[Grimtooth]

The following bounced around in my head the other night:

 

A cave opening. The light of a strange planet, half in reality and half immersed within the warp, hints at the coming of whatever is considered nightfall. The last rays of the twin suns creeps into the cave and reveals a immense form, slumbering and curled into the fetal position. Reddish brown hair covers the sleeping giant but does not completely conceal the mass of muscle and sinew. The body twitches in dreams or nightmare and a hairy arm reaches up blindingly fast to snatch at an unseen enemy or prey, taloned claws flex and gleam in the fleeting light.

 

Lost in dream, the beast relives his last hunt. The scent of the prey, oblivious to his stalk, quietly grazing, not knowing that death was only moments away.

 

Suddenly the dream is shattered by strange sounds and then images flutter rapidly through his subconscious. Strange beings, familiar but not quite the same as him. A land covered in ice and snow, billowing fire spewing from mountaintops. Hair does not cover these one, yet from their mouths jut fangs and barely hidden behind their cold eyes the predator can be seen lurking. The sounds issue from their mouths, alien, yet comforting. The tinge of primal instinct flows from their mannerisms and vocal cords and they all stare at him, with wonder and reverence.

 

Suddenly the image changes. He is in battle with a great many beasts. Gibbering and shimmering forms of blood red bodies, horns, talons and weapons descending upon him. His blood flows freely from his body, but not his body. Encased in something other then his fur, a cold hard substance the color of grey slate, his attackers fight to strip him of it. A deafening roar causes him to turn around and a beast greater then any of the others stands before him, body the color of blood, great horns upon his head, a great black weapon in each hand emanating the essence of evil. This is his doom, the place of his death. But within him awakens the primal fury of his heritage. The rock hard skin encasing him splits and cracks to fall to the ground as his body undergoes a violent change and is no longer able to contain his growing mass. The familiar hair covering his body spurts out as quickly as razor sharp talons shred the coverings of his hands as they emerge painlessly. The great horned monstrosity before him stands stunned at his sudden transformation, doubt etched across a face that has never known fear until now.

 

Again the image blinks out of existence. He stands in darkness, suddenly wary of a presence causing his hackles to rise and talons to reflexively curl. His senses reel from the lack of input until his keen eyesight senses a minute shift in light. From the distance slowly approaching a pinpoint of reddish light begins to glow. A snarl of the unknown comes from his throat, he knows no fear, only the bestial fury to fight. The red light advances to him faster, now clearly an orb of glowing red. Bewilderment crosses his face and suddenly understanding as the orb rotates before him to reveal a single cyclopean eye. An unknown name flashes across his mind and utters from his lips in a guttural growl of anger as he leaps with claws outstretched to rend, rip, kill,

 

"MAGNUS!!!!!!!"

 

The slumbering giant jerks awake suddenly in the cave, froth dripping from his fang-lined mouth, claws still reflexively tearing at an enemy whose name he has already forgotten. The howl of frustration from death denied to his foe rips out from his chest, from his soul from his being and out the cave. It's echo not only carries itself across the land, but into the void and the maelstrom surrounding the trapped planet, transmitting itself across the galaxy with it's primal fury and despair.

 

****************************************************************************************************

*************************

 

From within his golden throne an omnipresent being stands as the guiding light for all of humanity. His ethereal form, floating neither in reality or the maelstrom, suddenly cocks his head sensing something only a being of his power could understand. A smile crosses his glorious face,

 

"Patience my Son of Fenris, your "Wolftime" is almost upon us."

 

So yea. Basically, Russ felt the change coming upon him. The death of the Emperor forever changed him and kinda thrust him into the change so he speaks of his death since his fall into wulfen would be considered kinda that bad. He goes off to find death in honor, khornate temple seems like a good place. Except he wulfens out, armor ripped from his body due to transformation (later found), and he goes off to be a wulfen on some planet, somewhere. Oblivious to who he really is until he starts dreaming. He said nothing would stop him from coming back. I would think he would overcome the Wulfen and come back as Russ 2.0. Wulfen + Primarch = OUCHIE!!

[Valerian]

I noticed a quotation in the Battle Missions book on page 70:

 

"Here I am and here I shall die."

-Attributed to Leman Russ at the Battle of the Rising Fell

 

Is there any further info given on that battle? Is it placed in context? Anybody here at the Fang ever heard of this battle before?

 

I've got nothing on this myself, but that quote alone doesn't necessarily mean that there is a contradiction. Russ could have been mortally wounded at the Battle of the Rising Fell (whenever/wherever that was), and then spoke his infamous "last words" to his battle-brethren as he lay dying on the field of battle. Who knows?

 

V

[Night Runner]

I noticed a quotation in the Battle Missions book on page 70:

 

"Here I am and here I shall die."

-Attributed to Leman Russ at the Battle of the Rising Fell

 

Is there any further info given on that battle? Is it placed in context? Anybody here at the Fang ever heard of this battle before?

 

I've got nothing on this myself, but that quote alone doesn't necessarily mean that there is a contradiction. Russ could have been mortally wounded at the Battle of the Rising Fell (whenever/wherever that was), and then spoke his infamous "last words" to his battle-brethren as he lay dying on the field of battle. Who knows?

 

V

The mission in question is 'All Round Defence'. Where a small detachment of Space marines are ordered to hold and defend vital enemy lines (choke points), thus disrupting enemy supplies. When the enemy finds out the defenders are assaults from every quarter. In is in this context that Leman's quote should be taken in. If a massive horde of alien creatures is charging you from every angle and the situation looks hopeless, one might be expected to say 'Here I am and here I shall die!'. It doesn't mean that Russ died there, it is just dramatizing the hopelessness of that particular situation, which would render the victory even more grandiose and heroic.

[Karack Blackstone]

I have won an all around defense game within the past two months. Not hopeless when you have a reasonable mix of shooting and Close-in...

 

On topic, I still support the fact that Russ is in the, "End of the Universe" pub or something like that. I think he'd know by the smell not to order anything but ales, as his food supplies would in this case be safer. *Spaceballs reference*

[Freman Bloodglaive]

The quote comes from The First Book of the Astronomican, back when things were very different.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5559723222_2539f92d2e.jpg

 

They keep it because it's cool.

[MaveriK]

The quote comes from The First Book of the Astronomican, back when things were very different.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5559723222_2539f92d2e.jpg

 

They keep it because it's cool.

old fluff says that there were already a VI legion before Leman Russ was found, ready to do the Emperor's bidding, but they lacked their primarch. I'd like to think that before the Emperor found Leman on Fenris. He had commander Enoch lead the VI legion (terran born space marines) along side chief navigator Alexander Belisarius. Before the Fang was built on Fenris, the terran born VI legion marines lived on the fortress monastery on the planet Lucan. When Leman was eventually found... our fluff truly begins. Once the Fenris born space marines became a majority in the VI legion, the Emperor decided that it was fitting to have Leman Russ and his VI legion tasked in the role as executioners.

[Nrthstar]

It did interest me that in the 6th Ragnar book, they run into what appears to be the 13th but they don't give any indication of Russ himself, except that he hated his spear.

 

I say this with a heavy heart, but Russ is dead. But the part that really keeps us going, is that he will return for the final battle, since Russ just can't stay dead, eventually they'd run out of ale in the afterlife.

 

Let's face it though, it's clear that GW has pulled heavily from Christianity, and a second coming at the end of times is a commonality.

 

Some old threads being brought back today. And I'm happy for it since I missed out the first time.

[Emperors Immortals]

They did draw from xtianity, but xtianity also drew from Nordic lore and saxon (and pre saxon) British isle lore, not to mention ancient persian, mesopotanian and ancient hebrew.At least.

 

In many cultures a hero can come back from death by heroic means, and in this particular mythos Russ apparently has the ability to travel between the world of the dead and the living.Whether or not its a metaphor i do believe theres the chance of Russ second coming.

 

Like Calgars healing or Sanguinis' second coming.Or The emperors rebirth.

 

Cant keep a good man down.

[LUPUS FIDELIS]

Russ is drunk, occupied and ready for his pups to own the fight, until such time as his progeny are worth considering.

[Wolf Lord Hallbjorn]

There are quite a few people on both sides of it. Some say he's alive, some say he's dead. Personally, I feel that he's alive and he'll return when the time comes. If there is anything that can kill Russ, it must be waiting to slip its chains at Ragnarok or else it would have wiped out entire chapters already.

 

If you don't get the reference, have an ale. If you do get it, then have two. :devil:

[xxvaderxx]

Basically as the quoted text states, he is dead, but one has to ask himself wolf brothers, is death our final destiny?.

This quote is a "borrow" from the Arthurian legends that state that in its most dire hour Arthur will return to command and save Britain (even thou he got impaled by a spear). So applied to Russ, my guess is that he is indeed dead in human terms, and he will wake up again to command the Space wolfs to victory in the final battle. Notice that he refers to the death of the chapter, we all know that death on it self does not equal defeat, my guess is that he will lead the wolves in their final battle and sacrifice to defeat chaos once and for all. Until that time comes it is our duty brothers, to protect man kind from heresy, what ever the cost may be, thus honing our abilities and hopping to be worthy of taking the field by his side when the dusk of our chapter comes.

[Niiai]

This might be outdated but in one of the sorcebooks (abbadons black crusade the 13.? The one where they had the eldar army with the WWP and the lost and the damned) they hinted a lott that the 13th company was leaded by Russ.

 

The truth of the matter is that this is good fluf. Is he alove or is he dead? We have been discussing 3 pages already and it is not the first time.

 

Aslo, he states that he will come for the end time.

 

And also, he has a lott of cool gismos, leats of all the cloak, so he could be messing around quite indefenetly. He was also a bit of a mage and regulary read the bones.

[Wolf Lord Hallbjorn]

The quote comes from The First Book of the Astronomican, back when things were very different.

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5559723222_2539f92d2e.jpg

 

They keep it because it's cool.

 

 

Isn't that from the time when "Leman Russ" was just an Imperial Commander and the idea of Primarchs wasn't even around yet? Perhaps i'm wrong, but I know i've heard mention that in the earliest stages of development for the wonderful game that we now all play, "Leman Russ" was not in any way similar to how we know him in the current fluff.

 

I still maintain that our primarch is alive somewhere and is waiting for the cyclops to stick his ugly mug back into the material realm so he can tear it off with his fangs. Call it wishful thinking, but the way that 40k is left so open-ended will always spark this kind of debate until the day that GW explains it one way or another.

[Emperors Immortals]

You know i believe tht too. Ragnar the cunning wolf.

 

Once Magnus pops up, russ will too - and he will destroy him completely.