Space Wolves: A Comprehensive History

[frostclaw222]

Missing or misspelled terminology:

 

Hoggrom, not Hoggorm: venomous serpent. (Emperor's Gift)

Hnefttafl (might only be one t): counter board game popular in the Aett in M31. (Prospero Burns)

Sunfall: Time of day reckoning by Fenrisians (sunset). (Emperor's Gift (I think))

 

Also might want to include the Terran equivalent to a Fenrisian Great Year (check Prospero Burns).

 

In terms of Great Company numbers and basic counting, I'm uncertain, but...

 

11 is likely dekk-onn

12 is either dekk-twa or twa-sesc

13 is likely dekk-tra

 

This based off of other numerical conventions we know, and extrapolated. I could be wrong.

 

I also think that Skitja has a secondary meaning in addition to "tainted or unclean," as many times it's simply used in place of an English term that shares several letters but only comes down to the coarser equivalent of the word crap. (This based on usage inference)

 

Please double-check my spelling on the above terms. We're all still learning, after all.

 

Am not sure how much we want to differentiate M31 belief systems from M41-2 practices among the Rout. A good deal of what Hawser and his buddy discuss about apotropaic symbols seemed to directly translate to not only native Fenrisian lore, but also to the practices of the Rout under Russ (the warding masks and knotwork, especially). The corollary to the warding marks on Fenrisian longships could be mentioned as well, to tie everything together for that matter. The early (non-Wolf, all-native) section of Prospero Burns probably has a lot more to provide if properly mined.

 

Perhaps even just expanding a bit on Fenrisian culture and then stating simply that much of this carries over to practices within the Aett would best serve here. That way, you could also cover clan structure, inter-clan interactions (moots), a short discussion on kennings (like murder-make, red snow, thread-cutter, ring-giver, etc), and just roll the warding stuff up in with that.

 

At some point in the next week or so, I'll do a full review for typos and whatnot, and PM you any suggestions, Vash. It's great, and there's stuff I didn't know in here, so I'm hugely grateful (including for the shout-out), but I also want this to be the best and most comprehensive it can possibly be.

 

That being the case: does anyone know whether Fenrisian flows left-to-right or right-to-left? I'm thinking, that since we have the majority of the numbers for one to thirteen (though, admittedly, the last three are guesswork on my part), we might be able to figure out whose Great Company corresponds to what Fenrisian number. I mean, look at the Annulus, and either count backwards left or right from the Thirteenth, right? Since the Great Wolf is not always chosen from the First Company as is the usual trend in Codex Astartes Chapters, there's no guarantee that Logan's Company was in fact Onn. In fact, there's a better chance it wasn't. The Thirteenth is always the Thirteenth; that should give us a fixed point to calculate the remaining numbers, if we can agree on clockwise or counter-clockwise counting.

 

As I said, I'll look through this in further detail and PM you suggestions, Vash. Heck, I might even toss in a few embellishments of my own.

 

That being said, one critical point:

 

Fenrys Hjolda is almost certainly a traditional battle cry as you say elsewhere, and has been since Dan Abnett's Lone Wolves comics at least, but you've also got it applying to the knotwork masks earlier in the document.

 

 

All this being said, I'm almost tempted to cook up a Wolf Priest that still wears the knotwork masks instead of a wolf skull helm now. You seriously got the fluffhead in me going now, Vash. Very well done.

 

EDIT: Sail colors, too--do we want to add that? I mean, could be fluffy for banner colors, or somesuch.

Edited July 4, 2012 by frostclaw222

[Vash113]

Missing or misspelled terminology:

 

Hoggrom, not Hoggorm: venomous serpent. (Emperor's Gift)

Hnefttafl (might only be one t): counter board game popular in the Aett in M31. (Prospero Burns)

Sunfall: Time of day reckoning by Fenrisians (sunset). (Emperor's Gift (I think))

 

Just double checked and it is Hoggorm in my copy of Emperor's Gift, page 40, halfway down the page. The board game I'll have to double check but that should be added. Sunfall is one of those terms that I've been wavering on, its not really "Fenresian" just a Fenresian term applied to standard gothic and has more to do with the culture than the native language I think.

 

Also might want to include the Terran equivalent to a Fenrisian Great Year (check Prospero Burns).

 

Good point, again I'll have to double check the exact number.

 

In terms of Great Company numbers and basic counting, I'm uncertain, but...

 

11 is likely dekk-onn

12 is either dekk-twa or twa-sesc

13 is likely dekk-tra

 

Considering the previous numbers it seems like multiples are more likely for evens but for the odd numbers I'm unsure as the two number combination should be a multiple, I just don't think we have enough information to indicate the remaining 3 numbers.

 

Please double-check my spelling on the above terms. We're all still learning, after all.

 

Am not sure how much we want to differentiate M31 belief systems from M41-2 practices among the Rout. A good deal of what Hawser and his buddy discuss about apotropaic symbols seemed to directly translate to not only native Fenrisian lore, but also to the practices of the Rout under Russ (the warding masks and knotwork, especially). The corollary to the warding marks on Fenrisian longships could be mentioned as well, to tie everything together for that matter. The early (non-Wolf, all-native) section of Prospero Burns probably has a lot more to provide if properly mined.

 

Perhaps even just expanding a bit on Fenrisian culture and then stating simply that much of this carries over to practices within the Aett would best serve here. That way, you could also cover clan structure, inter-clan interactions (moots), a short discussion on kennings (like murder-make, red snow, thread-cutter, ring-giver, etc), and just roll the warding stuff up in with that.

 

Hmm, interesting idea, I suppose a section on Fenresian culture would not go amiss. Frankly information on Fenris and its culture had been relatively spartan in detail up until the last three books published (Emperor's Gift, Battle for the Fang and Prospero Burns) and has resulted in a lot of sections added about the Fang, language and so forth but focusing on the culture of Native Fenresians is something I hadn't considered.

 

At some point in the next week or so, I'll do a full review for typos and whatnot, and PM you any suggestions, Vash. It's great, and there's stuff I didn't know in here, so I'm hugely grateful (including for the shout-out), but I also want this to be the best and most comprehensive it can possibly be.

 

That being the case: does anyone know whether Fenrisian flows left-to-right or right-to-left? I'm thinking, that since we have the majority of the numbers for one to thirteen (though, admittedly, the last three are guesswork on my part), we might be able to figure out whose Great Company corresponds to what Fenrisian number. I mean, look at the Annulus, and either count backwards left or right from the Thirteenth, right? Since the Great Wolf is not always chosen from the First Company as is the usual trend in Codex Astartes Chapters, there's no guarantee that Logan's Company was in fact Onn. In fact, there's a better chance it wasn't. The Thirteenth is always the Thirteenth; that should give us a fixed point to calculate the remaining numbers, if we can agree on clockwise or counter-clockwise counting.

 

I can't think of anything that would provide definitive evidence of whether Fenresian script goes right to left or left to right, frankly I don't know if it would be very applicable to apply company numbers to the modern era Great Companies. Battle for the Fang provides a nice middle point between the Space Wolves of William King and Dan Abnett where things like the knotwork masks, the aloofness, the company numbers and so forth are all going the way of the dodo and the SW are more and more becoming the rambunctious killing machines of William King's novels.

 

That being said, one critical point:

 

Fenrys Hjolda is almost certainly a traditional battle cry as you say elsewhere, and has been since Dan Abnett's Lone Wolves comics at least, but you've also got it applying to the knotwork masks earlier in the document.

 

Indeed, it seems to have multiple applications. For the primary sense a battle cry but the term is also applied to the masks according to Prospero Burns but I'm not sure exactly how the two correlate so information about that is scarce and I'd rather not delve into conjecture.

 

All this being said, I'm almost tempted to cook up a Wolf Priest that still wears the knotwork masks instead of a wolf skull helm now. You seriously got the fluffhead in me going now, Vash. Very well done.

 

Then the article has done its job. :D

 

EDIT: Sail colors, too--do we want to add that? I mean, could be fluffy for banner colors, or somesuch.

 

Indeed, part of the Fenresian culture, I'll see what I can work up later this evening. The trouble is going to be synergising the material from William King, Dan Abnett, ADB and Chris Wright.

[Lord Ragnarok]

There have been a lot of requests to pin this to Gravis. We will consider it and let all know.

[Lord Ragnarok]

Sticky-ing this. We will delete all comments once complete.

[frostclaw222]

Lord R, I should be done with my feedback in the next twelve hours.

[frostclaw222]

Vash113, do you want me to email you the marked up copy, or just toss up a "wall-o'-revised-and-edited-text" here? I've tried to keep as much of your language as possible, with minor tweaks for grammar and spelling, but I've also included a few things here and there by way of embellishment. However, since the majority of this was your labor of love, I've done my best to make sure your words carry through. Think of it as me being the skald, and you the subject of the saga, if you want, but as a writer, I know that having someone just come in and twist your hard efforts is its own little heresy, so I've tried to keep my touch light.

 

Anyhow, let me know. Working in MS Word 2003, one-lining anything I'm suggesting be excised and marking all my punctuation and diction alterations in highlight. I'd offer to just toss it back up here, but I've no idea how to do all the beautiful formatting and embedding of images you did. The Iron Priests apparently hooked me up to a less reliable tutelary engine. :wacko:

[frostclaw222]

Raw text below, obviously in need of some minor formatting and a few additions. Three things to bear in mind:

 

1) All ship names and book titles (such as the treatises on war penned by the primarch) should be in italics, including the name of the ship class, as (at least in most cases) the first ship of that class gives the class its name (legacy of my decade in the Navy and being an English Writing major).

2) I have included {COMMENTS/REMARKS} like so, in brackets and full-capped, so that they stand out for follow-up. Things like the Inquisitor from Emperor's Gift's last name, the name of the Wolf who survived on Frostborn, a question or two about potential fluff conflicts, and a personal thought or two to improve or add to the overall work.

3) As I said previous, I tried to maintain your voice, and just streamline, remove typos, eliminate sentence fragments, and add a little embellishment here and there. I also worked on front-loading some basic info that you later explicate due to the fact that a newcomer to the Wolves might have trouble adjusting to it. Here and there, just for flavor, I added a little M32 language, like Jarl, Allfather, etc. Grimnar uses it in Gift, so it's probably still in use amongst the Wolves of M41-42, although likely only when they're relating sagas, or addressing the lord directly.

 

All in all, Vash, this was one heck of a task you did. I knew it was big. I knew it was well-nigh everything we knew about the VI Legion. But I did not have a full appreciation as to how long it took you to generate this much material until I went in to tinker with and groom it. I ended up spending about six hours actually working edits and wordsmithing, but I think I've read this thing about seven times over the last week. Herculean doesn't cover it. Very well done on a very big task that people should really give you the nod for.

 

That being said, aside from the gratitude you expressed to me and a few other longtooths in the original draft, this is all the fruit of your labor. All I've done below is give a little polish and a little flair. Full credit where due to you.

 

frosty

 

break-to-text:

 

 

The Codex Astartes is the holy tome of the Adeptus Astartes. However, not all chapters adhere to its tenets completely and there are a few who do not follow it at all. The Space Wolves are one such chapter. In their organization, recruitment, markings, equipment, and even many of their tactics, the Space Wolves function very differently from the practices set forth in the Codex Astartes.

 

The Space Wolves Chapter are not organized along the lines of the Codex, retaining much of its original VI Legion structure from before the days of the Heresy and the promulgation of the Codex Astartes model. Instead, the Space Wolves have thirteen companies in their organization, though only twelve companies have been maintained in the Chapter after the Horus Heresy. The companies of the Space Wolves are known as Great Companies and are not structured along the parameters of the Codex. There is no scout company within the Space Wolves and no Battle or Reserve Companies. Indeed, there is not even a Veteran company. Instead, the command structure and organization of the Great Companies is more fluid. Each Company takes the name and iconography of the Wolf Lord chosen to command it, along with his personal styles and tactics. In this way, every time a new Lord is chosen, the company is re-invented. The size of a Great Company has no upper limit; Ragnar Blackmane’s Great Company rivals the size of Logan Grimnar’s, and is nearly twice the size of a Codex Astartes Battle Company—meaning nearly two hundred Space Wolves fight under Jarl Ragnar’s banner.

 

 

The Great Wolf is also elected to the rank from among the Wolf Lords, and is analogous to a Chapter Master under the Codex Astartes. The Great Company commanded by the Great Wolf is also home to the Chapter specialists, such as the Iron Priests, Wolf Priests, and Rune Priests. This means that the Company of the Great Wolf is changing just as much as the individual companies change. With the lack of a Scout Company or a Veteran Company, that means the recruits and veterans of the Chapter are spread fluidly throughout the Chapter.

 

The Thirteenth Company (during the Great Crusade) was made up by those battle brothers who demonstrated a higher likelihood of manifesting the Curse of the Wulfen. A ferocious fighting force, the Thirteenth Company saw a great deal of combat during the Crusade and the Heresy. As the Traitor Legions fled from their defeat at the First Siege of the Emperor’s Palace, Leman Russ dispatched the Thirteenth Company to hunt down the heretics. Since then, the Thirteenth Company has been retained a place of honor in the organization of the Space Wolves but remains unmanned, and has come to represent all those Companies that have been lost or abandoned their oaths since the Horus Heresy. However, the original Thirteenth Company has very recently been discovered to still be at large in the galaxy (we will get to that in more detail later).

 

As previously noted, the twelve Great Companies of the Space Wolves do not have set numbers. Therefore the total number of marines in the Space Wolves Chapter is hard to pin down. Additionally, each Great Company makes use of the tactics and strategies favored by its respective Wolf Lord. No two Great Companies wage war in exactly the same way; many are significantly different. The following are the Great Companies that make up the Space Wolves Chapter at present and a brief description of their Wolf Lords, their heraldry, and the manner in which they prefer to fight.

 

Bran Redmaw's Great Company

-The Great Company of Bran Redmaw often operates with a hammer and anvil strategy. The furious assault of Bran's Company forces an enemy to retreat into the grip of more Grey Hunters lying in wait behind them. Savage fighters, the Redmaw Great Company will tear any foe unlucky enough to be trapped by them into shreds. Jarl Bran himself personifies his approach to warfare—it is said he succumbs to the call of the Wulfen frequently on the battlefield. Redmaw’s Great Company fights under the sign of the Bloodied Hunter, a symbol often tied to those who bear the Mark of the Wulfen.

 

Engir Krakendoom's Great Company

-A very fast and mobile Great Company, Engir Krakendoom generally prefers to deploy his company in transports, with Swiftclaws and Skyclaws acting as outriders to the main body. Additionally, the Krakendoom Great Company is proficient in ship-to-ship combat and it is usually the forces of Engir Krakendoom that are called upon to lead the way when the Space Wolf fleet goes to war. This Great Company serves under the mark of the Sea Wolf in recognition of their fleet specialization.

 

Erik Morkai's Great Company

-Easily the most unusual in methodology, Erik Morkai's Company are stealth and covert operations experts. None are more cunning or crafty than the warriors of Erik Morkai's Company. Employing many Wolf Scouts, the forces of the Morkai Great Company are even noted to have stalked and ambushed the dreaded Dark Eldar. The symbol for this Great Company is the dread two-headed wolf Morkai, said to guard the gates of Death.

 

Gunnar Red Moon's Great Company

-Gunnar Red Moon's Great Company exemplifies the traits most common in the Space Wolves. Loud, raucous and straight forward, Wolf Lord Gunnar Redmoon favors the veteran Long Fangs, reasoning that the seasoned warriors make for the best companions both on the battlefield and off. Gunnar’s Wolves serve under the sigil of the Wolf of the Red Moon, said to represent a terrible god of vengeance in Fenrisian culture.

 

Logan Grimnar's Great Company

-The Great Company of the Great Wolf Logan Grimnar have is one of both great honor and great responsibility. Fanatically loyal to the Great Wolf and ever vying and competing for positions in the vaunted Wolf Guard, the Space Wolves of Grimnar's Great Company are ever trying to earn their lord’s favor. Grimnar’s personal sigil is that of the Night Runner, but, as Great Wolf, he and his company bears the heraldic arms of Leman Russ himself, The Wolf That Stalks The Stars, as all Great Wolves since the days of Russ the High King have traditionally worn.

 

Harald Deathwolf's Great Company

-Harald Deathwolf rides the mighty Thunderwolf, Icetooth, and his Great Company as a whole is accompanied by a veritable horde of Fenrisian Wolves and Thunderwolf Cavalry. His mark is the Ravening Jaw, said to represent the Wolftime, a eschatological Endtime foreseen by Russ in the years after the Heresy.

 

Bjorn Stormwolf's Great Company

 

- As Bjorn Stormwolf favors anything that makes a lot of noise, his Great Company are primarily employed as frontline assault troops. As a result, the Stormwolf Great Company employs many Vindicators, heavy weapons, bikes, and other weapons and wargear that can cause a lot of destruction and havoc. Stormwolf’s standard bears the symbol of the Thunderwolf.

 

Egil Iron Wolf's Great Company

-The Iron Wolf Great Company goes to war as a rolling mass of Astartes armor, Egil Iron Wolf himself riding at the head of his Company's fighting vehicles in his own personalized Land Raider. Swift transports full of Space Wolves cut off escape and retreat, while Egil leads a crushing hammer-blow of armored might down upon the enemy. Egil’s forces fight under the Iron Wolf, a massive creature said to bear the mountains of Fenris on its back as fur, and the ore within them as its blood vessels.

 

Krom Dragongaze's Great Company

-The Dragongaze Great Company is one where talent and valour are rewarded regardless of source and every opportunity for challenge and glory in battle is seized. Krom’s company battles under the Sun Wolf.

 

Ragnar Blackmane's Great Company

-The Blackmane Great Company contains more Blood Claws than any other and is second in size only to the Great Company of Logan Grimnar himself, boasting almost two hundred warriors. Ragnar's Company excels at Planetary Assaults, and his Company is often picked to spearhead an invasion or counter-attack by the Space Wolves. The Blackmane Great Company's packs have become experts of a form of Drop Pod Assault called the "Claws of Russ." Ragnar’s sigil is that of the Blackmane Wolves, murderous beasts said to serve the Deathwolf Morkai.

 

Sven Bloodhowl's Great Company

-Fierce in appearance and nature, the marines of the Bloodhowl Great Company tattoo themselves with scenes of their accomplishments and runes, Sven himself is covered from head to toe with tattoos depicting scenes from his Saga. It is said that Sven has gone so far as to tattoo his latest deeds upon the skins of his enemies. The Bloodhowl Company is nearly obsessed with flames, the marines of the Company performing daring acts of fire-breathing and fire-swallowing at feasts; it is even rumored that the vanguard forces of the Bloodhowl Company will sometimes breathe flames upon their foes. Not surprisingly, this Great Company bears the mark of the Fire Breather, a legendary volcano in the north of Asaheim.

 

Kjarl Grimblood's Great Company

-The Grimblood Great Company are fierce competitors with the Bloodhowl Great Company and boast no less than 12 Land Raider Redeemers along with many other flame weapons. Kjarl Grimblood is said to have extremely accurate foresight, seemingly reading future events in the flickering of flames. In addition, the Grey Hunters of the Grimblood Great Company have a special rite where warriors who have slain a foe with flame will paint their faces with blood before each battle and become known as "Red Hunters." Kjarl Grimblood’s sigil is the Fire Wolf, a beast that burns with eternal flames.

 

Lost Companies

 

First and most legendary amongst the Lost Companies of the Space Wolves is the fabled 13th Company. Vanished from the dark days of the Horus Heresy the Space Wolves of the 13th Company have hunted the traitors through the Eye of Terror itself for nigh on ten millennia. However, that Company of noble warriors is not the only one counted as a 'Lost' Company by the Chapter. The empty 13th space on the Grand Annulus of the Space Wolves is reserved for all the 'Lost' Companies, and there are many ways these companies come to be lost. The most obvious and disheartening is the damnation of becoming lost in the warp, the ships of the Great Company caught in a deadly Warp Storm or dragged to their doom by a predator of the empyrean, their bodies and souls trapped within the warp for all time, their vessels sometimes surfacing ages after their disappearance as ghost ships or as part of a dreaded Space Hulk, testament to the perils of Warp Travel.

 

The second way in which a Company becomes lost is by choice. This seems strange to some in the Imperium but to the Space Wolves it can be a matter of a difference of interests with the Chapter’s current Great Wolf. At times, a Great Company will find itself so far afield that return to the Fang would take years, if not decades, or a Warp Storm might block any hope of return. In these cases, some Lords choose to forgo any attempt at a return and simply soldier on, campaigning until the last Space Wolf falls. At other times, a Wolf Lord may have a fundamental disagreement with the Chapter’s current Great Wolf, and rather than continue in his service will opt to take those warriors and vessels loyal to him and leave to fight the enemies of the Emperor in whatever way he chooses fit, until his warriors’ strength is expended.

 

The last and most insidious way a Company can become 'Lost' is to turn its back on the Emperor, becoming renegades, or in the worst cases wholly embracing the corruption of Chaos. No Chapter speaks easily about those of their number who have fallen to the grip of damnation, but only the Grey Knights can claim to have never had a marine fall to Chaos. These warriors are hated and reviled by the rest of the Chapter and no sacrifice is too great to see these heretics destroyed and the honor of the Chapter restored.

The Space Wolves recruit exclusively from the Chapter homeworld of Fenris. Therefore, since every Space Wolf is a Fenrisian, much of Fenrisian culture influences the Chapter. The tribal culture of the native Fenrisians call the Space Wolves the Sky Warriors, mystical warriors who battle in the Upland on behalf of the Allfather, a Fenrisian interpretation of the God-Emperor of Mankind. Those mortals chosen by the Space Wolves may are most often young warriors who have been mortally wounded in battle, and are repaired by the Chapter’s technology, to be reborn and have a chance at becoming something more, a Space Marine, a Space Wolf, a son of Russ.

 

The aspirants are taken to training camps such as Russvik, Grimnir and Valksberg, where they will learn and train in the hopes of becoming worthy. Where other chapters simply have aspirants fight until only the strongest stand, the Space Wolves set a more exacting standard. Skill in battle is important, but it is not the only thing that matters in becoming a Wolf. The aspirants are forced to train as teams, to work together as packs, to succeed or fail together, put up against the odds, to face the harshness of nature, the depredations of the wild monsters of Asaheim, and the exacting expectations of the training sergeants. Only those who have proven themselves worthy are brought into the Chapter as Blood Claws. Given the implants that transform them into Adeptus Astartes and trained further still in the facilities of the Fang, the aspirants face one final test: to master themselves, and the gene-curse of the Chapter, the Mark of the Wulfen. Aspirants in their final stages of implantation are taken far from the Fang and left in the wilderness with little to aid them. If they can make their way back to the Fang without succumbing to the call of the Wulfen or falling to the predators of the wild then they will become full members of the Chapter, as Blood Claws.

 

Blood Claw packs are not the scouts typical of other Chapters. Fully armored in power armor and implanted with the Black Carapace, the 19th Implant of the transformation process, the Blood Claws are fully Adeptus Astartes. However, they have yet to master their skills and their lust for battle. After their initiation they are assigned to a Great Company. Should the Wolves survive to temper their lust for battle they will ascend to the rank of Grey Hunter, and cease their existence as initiates, becoming acknowledged veterans of the Chapter. Because of the ferocious lust for battle held by all Blood Claws, their attrition rate is terrible, and not many survive to become Grey Hunters.

 

The Packs of the Space Wolves

 

Instead of organizing into the Tactical, Assault, and Devastator squads as the Codex Astartes dictates, the Space Wolves form their troops into Packs. Each pack will generally be made up of warriors who have fought together for some time and will work together as a pack of wolves on the hunt. For the Space Wolves, their senses of smell and hearing are just as important to them as their keen eyesight, with much communication within a pack is done through body language, threat posture, and scent. Packs will work together to sniff and sound out their foes, hunting their prey like the wolves of Fenris, identifying the locations of their comrades as much by smell as by any technological means.

 

The Space Wolves have four primary organizations of packs: Blood Claws, Grey Hunters, Long Fangs, and Wolf Guard. There are also Wolf Scouts, which are an oddity among the Adeptus Astartes, in that they are not new initiates, but full Space Marines in their own right.

 

Blood Claws

-Blood Claw packs are the initiates of the Space Wolves, the youngest members of the Chapter fresh from their transformation into Space Marines. Blood Claws have yet to fully contain their lust for battle and so are simply encouraged to let it out, and get over their battle frenzy, so that, in time, those who survive will temper themselves and become Grey Hunters, blooded and experienced warriors of the Chapter. In battle Blood Claws are armed to fulfill their battle frenzy. Given a variety of close combat weapons and armed with bolt pistols, the Blood Claw packs are usually at the vanguard of any Space Wolf charge.

 

Swiftclaws

-A subset of Blood Claws, the Swiftclaws are called up from the ranks of the Blood Claws and given Space Marine bikes when the Chapter needs a swift, hard-hitting mobile assault force. The young and ambitious Blood Claws are well-suited to this role. In addition to forming a lightning assault force, Swiftclaws will occasionally be tasked with a dangerous quest to track down and slay a particularly dangerous enemy.

 

Skyclaws

-Skyclaws are another subset of the Blood Claws, formed from the most troublesome and headstrong members of the Blood Claw packs. Promotion to the Skyclaws is considered at best a dubious honor, for after all Russ was always content to fight with his feet firmly on the ground, and many of the Chapter believe no self respecting Space Wolf would fight any other way.

 

Grey Hunters

-The backbone of the Chapter are the Grey Hunter packs, experienced marines who have gotten over their lust for battle and tempered their souls with age and wisdom. Grey Hunters are nevertheless still skilled combatants in close quarters fighting and almost always are armed to do battle both at range and in the teeth of the enemy.

 

Long Fangs

-Long Fangs are small packs of aged Space Wolves who have lived long enough for their canines to grow exceedingly long, hence their name. Long Fangs are armed with a variety of heavy weapons and led by a veteran pack leader who can carefully and expertly direct their firepower to the best effect.

 

Lone Wolves

-Over time, as Space Wolf packs take casualties and they pass through the ranks, eventually the last few survivors may join the vaunted ranks of the Wolf Guard. However, sometimes a pack will suffer particularly harsh casualties, leaving a lone survivor who has not yet earned a place in the Wolf Guard. These last standing Lone Wolves will take on an air of vengeance and doom, determined to regain the honor of their pack in combat or die trying. Those who succeed in their quests to seek out and slay dangerous or potent enemies and survive are accepted into the Wolf Guard, the rest having at least earned an honorable death in combat.

 

Wolf Guard

-Wolf Guard are the last variety of Space Wolves packs. The equivalent of elite veteran cadres in other chapters, Wolf Guard form the bodyguard and trusted lieutenants of their Wolf Lord. Armed to the teeth with all manner of weapons and sometimes even wearing suits of ancient Tactical Dreadnaught Armor, Wolf Guard perform a variety of roles within the Space Wolves chapter, forming bodyguards for Wolf Lords and other officers and specialists, but also from time to time leading other packs into battle, or sometimes leading smaller operations in place of the Wolf Lord.

 

Thunderwolf Cavalry

-Thunderwolf Cavalry units are a sub group of the Wolf Guard. According to official Imperial records, the Thunderwolf Cavalry doesn’t exist, and the Space Wolves keep them as a closely guarded secret.

 

Wolf Scouts

-Wolf Scouts are attached to the Great Company of the Great Wolf and follow his orders, dispatched where and when he wills. Not the recruits of other Astartes Chapters, Wolf Scouts are grizzled veterans, who opt to go without their full suits of power armor to better scout out the galaxy for their chapter. Deployed to gather information on battlefields before and during a campaign, Wolf Scouts provide vital intelligence to their brethren.

 

{SOURCE THE FACT THAT WOLF SCOUTS ARE PART OF THE GREAT WOLF’S COMPANY? POSSIBLY CONFLICTS WITH OTHER STATEMENTS ABOUT GREAT COMPANIES MAINTAINING LARGE CADRES OF SCOUTS WITHIN THEM.}

 

Officers and Specialists

 

Great Wolf

-The Great Wolf is the Space Wolves equivalent of the Chapter Master, generally considered a steward awaiting the return of Primarch Leman Russ. The Great Wolf leads the chapter in Russ’s absence. Chosen from among the Chapters Wolf Lords, the current Great Wolf is Logan Grimnar, who has led the Chapter for over eight centuries.

 

Wolf Lords

-The war leaders of the Great Companies, the Chapter has eleven Wolf Lords beneath the Great Wolf. Much of the time, the attrition rate for Wolf Lords is fairly significant because of the Chapter’s predisposition to close combat. However, some Wolf Lords have seen their thousandth year pass. Ragnar Blackmane is one of the Chapter’s current Wolf Lords and is in fact the youngest Wolf Lord in the Chapter’s history.

 

Iron Priests

-The Iron Priests are the Chapter’s equivalent of Techmarines. After being sent off for apprenticeship training at Mars, the Iron Priests maintain the Chapter’s equipment, and forge replacement wargear. Iron Priests are traditionally attached to the Great Wolf’s Company and re-assigned to other fighting forces on a situational basis. Iron Priests also have a place in the transformation and initiation of new recruits.

 

Wolf Priests

-Wolf Priests are a unique officer class within the Adeptus Astartes. A mixture of Chaplain and Apothecary within Codex Astartes Chapters, the Wolf Priests administer to the physical and mental well-being of the Chapter’s warriors, and also choose the Chapter’s aspirants from among the tribes of Fenris. Ulrik the Slayer is a famous Wolf Priest, who mentored many notable members of the Chapter, including Logan Grimnar and Ragnar Blackmane.

 

Rune Priests

-The Space Wolves do not have Librarians as such, instead maintaining a number of Rune Priests, potent psykers who examine the minds of all aspirants to the Chapter for any sign of taint or treachery. Armed and equipped differently from Codex Astartes Librarians, Rune Priests do not wear the psychic hoods of Librarians, nor do they always carry force weapons, what the Space Wolves call runic weapons. The Rune Priests, however, are potent psykers in their own right and fierce warriors as are all men of Fenris.

 

Venerable Dreadnaughts

-The Dreadnaughts of the Space Wolves are generally ancient and wise warriors, who spend a great deal of time in dreamless sleep beneath the Fang, only awakened in times of great need. The Venerable Dreadnaughts of the Space Wolves may sometimes even lead forces of wolves into battle in the absence of another capable war leader, in deference to their ancient wisdom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like all Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Wolves maintain a sizable army of mortal support staff and specialists who keep the Chapter running. Generally referred to as Bondsmen, the Space Wolves serfs crew the Chapter's warships, man the defences of the Fang, provide medicae support staff, repair crews, and all the various types of labor that allow the Chapter's warriors to travel and fight the Emperor's many foes.

 

Thralls

-The Thralls make up the majority of the Chapter's serfs. These Fenrisians perform menial labor for the Chapter.

 

Grooms

-Grooms are a sub-set of the Chapter's Thralls. Grooms often have more specialized duties than other Thralls.

 

Kaerls

-The Kaerls are the armed serfs charged with the defense of the Chapter's vessels and holdings.

 

Huskaerls

-The Huskaerls are the field officers of the Kaerls.

 

Rivenmasters

-The senior officers of the Kaerls, each Rivenmaster commands a force of five hundred armed Kaerls.

 

Ship Masters

-The mortal commanders of the Space Wolves vessels are known as Ship Masters, charged with commanding the Chapter's warships in the absence of the Space Wolves themselves.

 

Star-speakers

-The Astropaths in service to the Space Wolves are known as Star-speakers.

 

Navigators

-Like all vessels the Space Wolves ships require Navigators to travel the tides of the warp. The Space Wolves have a long standing alliance with the Navigator House Belisarius to provide guides for the Chapter's ships. Twenty-four Space Wolves are assigned to House Belisarius as guards and officers in exchange for the service of an equal number of House Belisarius's most skilled Navigators.

 

Notable Chapter Artifacts

 

The Axe of Morkai

-The Axe of Morkai is a legendary twin-headed axe wielded by Logan Grimnar. The axe is a trophy seized by the Space Wolves from a Champion of Chaos and re-forged into a mighty weapon of the Imperium.

 

The Pelt of the Doppleganger

-Lukas the Trickster is the only individual in the Space Wolves history who has managed to track and slay one of the legendary chameleonic Dopplegangrel. Lukas wears the pelt as a trophy and uses its innate abilities to assist him in battle, and probably mischief.

 

Staff of the Stormcaller

-The Runic Staff wielded by Njal Stormcaller, the Staff of the Stormcaller is a venerable weapon and relic of the Space Wolves.

 

The Cyber-raven Nightwing

-Njal the Stormcaller saved Iron Priest Ulf Blackbrow's life during the battle of Rust World. Blackbrow was not one to owe others favors, and so the accomplished smith crafted a particularly sophisticated cyber-raven named Nightwing for Njal. Nightwing has since saved Njal's life many times and is ever swift to aid the legendary Rune Priest in combat.

 

Runic Terminator Armor of Njal Stormcaller

-Njal alone has the skill to craft Runic Terminator armor and his suit is currently the only one of its kind in the Chapter.

 

Foehammer

-A potent relic of the Space Wolves wielded by Grimnar's Champion, Arjac Rockfist. Foehammer is a rune-inscribed Thunderhammer with an inbuilt teleportation device that returns the weapon to Arjac's hand should he throw it at a foe or—far more rarely—lose it in combat.

 

Anvil Shield

-The Anvil Shield is a large slab of obstinite laced with adamantium wielded by Arjac Rockfist as much as a weapon as a form of protection.

 

Maekr

-Relic Thunder Hammer crafted by Rune Priest Svasund the Golden in M38. Currently borne by Wolf Guard Battle Leader Skallagrim of the Blackbrow of the Redmaw Great Company.

 

Axe Langnvast

-Relic axe borne by Wolf Lord Bran Redmaw.

 

Claws of Andhrimnir

-Relic born by Long Fang Brother Skyhowler of the Redmaw Great Company.

 

Frostfang

-A mighty relic of the Chapter Frostfang was crafted by Iron Priest Fergus Forgrim a famous craftsman of the Chapter. The chainblade teeth of this relic are fashioned from a rare metal whose secrets died with their crafter.

 

The Hood of Gnyrll

-An ancient relic of the Chapter granting any Rune Priest who wears it greater control of their psychic powers.

 

The Helm of Durfast

-This ancient helm was crafted for the legendary hero Durfast, Champion of Mordrak. The helm incorporates a temporal distortion circuit and advanced guidance system, allowing its wearer to detect enemies no matter how well hidden and guide his hand in slaying them.

 

The Wulfen Stone

-One of the Chapter's most ancient and treasured relics, the Wulfen Stone was worked into a suit of armor by Iron Priest Fengri. Within the depths of the gem can be seen an image of the Wolf Within, the Canis-helix found within every Son of Russ.

 

Hrulf's Hood of Darkness

-An ancient device of xenos origin, when activated the hood shrouds its wearer in a cloak of darkness.

 

Torgarl's Plasma Blade

-Similar in function to the Foehammer born by Arjac this ancient blade incorporates a sophisticated homing device and teleport matrix, capable of returning it to its user’s hand after being thrown. The blade itself incorporates a plasma generator in the handle capable of sheathing the knife in an intense plasma field able to penetrate even the thickest armor.

 

Frost Blades

-Frost blades usually take the forms of chainswords or chainaxes. Ancient and masterfully artificed weapons made from the teeth of Ice Krakens, Frost Blades are potent weapons unique to the Space Wolves that can carve through the heaviest armor with ease. Some Frost Axes have blades of energised diamond, giving the weapons the appearance of lethal shards of ice.

 

Belts of Russ

-Each Great Company has in its armory a single Belt of Russ. These are powerful girdles incorporating potent forcefields that protect the wearer. Forged by the master Iron Priest Stef Blacksoul after the disappearance of Russ, the belts are important relics of the Chapter.

 

Wolf Helm of Russ

-The Wolf Helm of Russ is an ancient artifact of the Chapter, said to have been worn by Russ himself. The Helm is awarded to a Great Company after a tournament of champions. The last winner was Ragnar Blackmane, who then presented the Helm to the Wolf Priest Ranek as a sign of respect.

 

{SOURCE RAGNAR PRESENTING IT TO RANEK, AS ULRIK IS WEARING IT IN NEW (AND OLD) DEX}

 

Runic Staffs

-Runic Staffs are mighty artifacts carried by Rune Priests that are imbued with the most powerful wards the Rune Priests can devise, protecting the wielder from the psychic attacks of his enemies.

 

Leman Russ Exterminator

-Normally, Space Marines do not have access to Leman Russ tanks. However, in honor of their primarch, the Space Wolves maintain a small number of Leman Russ Exterminators.

 

Homeworld- Fenris

 

Fenris is the homeworld of the Space Wolves. A planet locked in cold much of each year and wracked by tectonic shifts that change the landscape of the planet greatly each year. {INSERT HERE THE LENGTH OF A FENRISIAN GREAT YEAR IN COMPARISON TO A STANDARD TERRAN YEAR} The constant plate shifts and harsh conditions shape the people of Fenris into a hardy and strong breed. Tempered for battle in the constant war for survival against the elements, the monsters of the great seas, and competing tribes, they are an ideal recruiting pool for aspirants, just the way the Space Wolves like it. Instead of reforming the society of their homeworld as most Legions did, Leman Russ kept Fenris the same, kept the various sea-going, island-dwelling tribes the same as they had always been, to keep them hardy and strong.

 

As the tribes war, the Space Wolves monitor their efforts, and every so often when two tribes wage war against each other, a wolf skull masked priest will appear on a fiery chariot in the sky to watch. Whenever the Wolf Priests of the Allfather’s Sky Warriors is watching, the tribes of Fenris cease what they were doing and re-form their battle lines. If a tribe had been raiding an enemy in swift and merciless butchery, they will instantly cease and allow their foes to be armed. For only in true battle can the Emperor’s chosen see the warriors of Fenris at their best, and choose those worthy of ascension.

 

The seas of Fenris are home to creatures that seem to be straight from the legends and nightmares of the people of ancient Terra, yet they are very real to the inhabitants of Fenris: Enormous and deadly Krakens, sea Dragons that could swallow armored tanks whole, and massive predatory sharks. Once an outsider has seen the fury and power of such creatures, one gains a new respect for the people of Fenris, who challenge such beasts with iron spears and axes, aboard simple longboats called Dragonships that are much of the time barely a fraction of the size of the mighty sea wyrms that the people of Fenris hunt.

 

In opposition to the chaotic change of Fenris’s mighty seas, the massive continent known as Asaheim is home to the Space Wolves themselves. Populated by mighty Ice Trolls, Fenrisian Wolves, and other monsters, the aspirants and Space Wolves often test their skills against the various beasts populating the glaciers, ice plains, and mountains of the continent.

 

The Beasts of Fenris

 

 

Fenrisian Wolves

-Among the most infamous of Fenris's native creatures, the Fenrisian Wolves are legendary for their ferocity and keen intelligence.

 

Thunderwolves

-A sub-species of the Fenrisian Wolf, the Thunderwolves are massive beasts, so large and strong they can be used as mounts by fully armored Space Marines.

 

Blackmane Wolves

-Reputably the largest sub-species of Fenrisian Wolves, the mighty Blackmanes can grow to be as large as a Rhino APC.

 

Kraken

-Denizens of Fenris's mighty oceans, some believe the Fenrisian Kraken to be a Tyranid Bio-form abandoned on Fenris many thousands of years ago.

 

Kroxar

-Predator beasts native to Fenris. Hunted in ritual combat.

 

Ice-Trolls

-Tough, nasty and hard to kill, Ice-Trolls are vulnerable only to fire and heal rapidly, making them fearsome beasts indeed.

 

Fjorulalli

-Great Seal-Mother.

 

Sea-orm

-Sea serpents native to the oceans of Fenris.

 

Saenyeti

-Part bison, part elk mammals native to Fenris. The Saenyeti are massive and aggressive beasts with immense horns that act as sonic sensors.

 

Hoggorm

-Poisonous serpents native to Fenris.

 

Hrossvalur

-Sea creatures native to Fenris. {NEED TO GO INTO MORE DETAIL HERE FROM PROSPERO DESCRIPTION IF POSSIBLE}

 

Carnyx

-Mammal native to Fenris, its horns much sought after for their use as drinking horns and armor ornamentations.

 

Konungur

-A rare breed of beast native to the mountains of Fenris. Extremely hardy, the Konungur have twisted horns, rear legs the width of a man's waist, fused rib cages, spiked spinal ridges and hooves, and no less than four lungs to breathe the thin air of the Fenrisian mountains.

 

Gyrhawk

-Predator bird native to Fenris.

 

The Fang- Fortress of Wolves

 

 

The Fang is the Fortress Monastery of the Space Wolves. Each Great Company keeps a headquarters in the Fang, and the Fang is where new recruits are transformed into Blood Claws. The Fang is also home to many of the facilities of the Chapter, including the majority of the most sacred places to the Chapter, ancient artifacts, and mighty forges. The Fang also happens to be the single tallest mountain in the Imperium, one of the greatest fortresses of mankind. The Fang is so tall that its highest observation room is actually situated above Fenris’s atmosphere. Considered the mightiest bastion of the Imperium outside of Terra, there are few enemies indeed who can challenge the Fang, and though it has infrequently been besieged throughout the ages, it has never fallen to a foe.

 

The Fang is encased in immensely thick armor, with powerful defense lasers as ancient as the Space Wolves themselves, powered by technology long lost to the present-day Imperium of Man. Void shields superior to that found on even the most magnificent of Imperial warships protects the Fang, and the mountain is so vast that its upper reaches actually form docks for spacecraft used by the Chapter. Wards and sigils of aversion fill the Fang in their thousands, preventing chaos sorcerers or psykers from infiltrating the Space Wolves’ fortress with their powers. Even attempting to use warp-spawned sorcery within the Fang is difficult and dangerous for the forces of Chaos. The Fang, despite its immense power, has nearly fallen several times in its history, but despite those desperate hours the Fang has encountered in its long and glorious history, the Citadel of Wolves still stands testament to the power of the Space Wolves, the Adeptus Astartes, and the Imperium.

 

At least one Great Company is always present within the Aett, tending the watch. Other Great Companies return to the Fang to replenish men and materiel, recuperate from their battles, and share the glories of their victories when not battling threats throughout the Imperium.

 

Valgard

-The uppermost region of the Fang, the Valgard includes the Docking platforms, Void Shield Array, and Fleshmaker Laboratories.

 

Jarlheim

-Below the Valgard, the Jarlheim is home to the Space Wolves themselves. In the upper reach of the Jarlheim is the Chamber of the Annulus, while the lower boundary of the Jarlheim is the Fangthane.

 

The Hold

-The majority of the Fang's interior space is taken up by the Hold proper.

 

The Hammerhold

-Beneath the Hold is the Hammerhold, the region of the Fang given over to the Iron Priests and the various industrial workings of the Chapter.

 

The Underfang

-The very lowest region of the Fang, the Underfang is home to the geothermal reactors that provide the Fang with power and the very lowest vaults carved out by the Space Wolves.

 

The Fangthane

-A massive chamber separating the Hold proper from the Jarlheim, the Fangthane is one of the most vital defensive points in the Fang, any invader must pass through the Fangthane to reach the upper levels. Great graven symbols of the Great Companies of old are carved into the walls of the Fangthane. One entering the Fangthane from the west ascends the Stair of Ogvai, named for one of the earliest Wolf Lords that served in the days of Russ the High King himself.

 

Borek's Seal

-The second most critical defensive point in the Fang, Borek's Seal is the only route between the Hold and the under chambers of the Hammerhold and the Underfang.

 

Chamber of the Annulus

-Marking the upper limits of the Jarlheim, the Chamber of the Annulus is where the Chapter gathers for war councils and ceremonies.

 

Forges

-Located within the Hammerhold, the Chapter's forges provide the majority of the arms and armor used by the Chapter.

 

Halls of the Revered Fallen

-Deep within the underlevels of the Fang are the Halls of the Revered Fallen, where the Chapter's Dreadnoughts are interred in deep stasis vaults, sleeping through the ages until roused by the call of war by the Iron Priests.

 

Geothermal Reactors

-Located deep in the Underfang, the Fang's Geothermal Reactors provide all the power the Fang needs to operate its many systems.

 

Sunrising Gate

-One of two mighty gates leading into the Fang. As its name suggests, the Sunrising Gate faces the rising sun.

 

Bloodfire Gate

-One of two mighty gates leading into the Fang. Whereas the Sunrising gate faces the sunrise, the Bloodfire Gate faces the sunset over Fenris.

 

Fleshmaker Laboratorium

-Located in the very upper reaches of the Fang, the Fleshmaker Laboratorium is where the Chapter's aspirants are transformed into Space Marines and the wounded are tended by the Wolf Priests.

 

Chamber of the Watch

-In the upper levels of the Fang is located the Chamber of the Watch, the tactical operations center from which the garrisoning Great Company can oversee the defense of the Fang.

 

The Shrine of Harek Ironhelm

-Situated on the site of the Great Wolf's duel with Magnus the Red on the flank of the Fang, the Tomb of Harek Ironhelm serves as a testament to both his unwavering devotion and the blindness of his ambitions. It is a site of pilgrimage for the Sons of Russ.

 

Docking Platforms

-Far up near the very peak of the Fang are located the Docking Platforms where the Chapter's many aircraft can take off and land. Reaching just beyond Fenris's atmosphere the Fang's docking platforms can even service the Chapter's warships.

 

Void Shield Array

-The upper reaches of the Fang feature Void Shield Arrays of incredible strength. Drawing power from the Geothermal Reactors beneath the Fang, the Void Shield Arrays are capable of repelling the firepower of entire fleets, making it virtually possible for an enemy to attack the Fang from orbit with any hope of success.

 

Defensive Batteries

-The Fang's mighty flanks bristle with massive defensive batteries capable of throwing shells, torpedoes, and energy beams at anything foolish enough to come within range.

 

Peaks of the Asaheim Mountains

 

 

The great mountain chain known as Asaheim by the tribesemen of Fenris is crowned by seven great peaks, the largest and greatest of which is the Fang, whose uppermost peak breaks free of Fenris's atmosphere. The other six peaks ring the Fang on all sides and are familiar hunting grounds and landmarks for the Space Wolves.

 

Ammagrimgul

-The northernmost of Asaheim's great peaks.

 

Broddja

-Situated to the south-west of Ammagrimgul.

 

Krakgard

-The peak of Krakgard was planed off by the early Space Wolves to serve as a site for funeral ceremonies, where the bodies of fallen Space Wolves can either be interred or burned as the case might be. Krakgard stands to the south-west of Broddja.

 

Friemiaki

-Located to the north-east of the Fang.

 

The Fang

-Situated roughly towards the center of the peaks of Asaheim the Fang is undoubtedly the greatest of them and home to the Space Wolves themselves.

 

Tror

-Tror lies to the south-east of the Fang.

 

Asfryk

-Asfryk stands almost directly south and slightly west of the Fang.

 

The Language of Fenris

 

 

The Space Wolves retain the use of the tribal languages of Fenris in two forms: battle-cant, known as Wurgen, and hearth-cant, known as Juvjk. Battle-cant is a crude, direct form of the Fenrisian tongue used by the Space Wolves in combat as a coded form of communication. Hearth-cant is the Fenrisian tongue the Wolves speak among themselves when not in battle. Some common Fenrisian words are:

 

Aesir - Gods or spirits.

 

Aett - Clanhold, hearth, den. The familiar name of the Fang among the Space Wolves.

 

Annelsa – Foreboding.

 

Athame - Sacrificial blade used during a sending feast.

 

Gothi - Shaman, Fenrisian title for Rune Priests.

 

Grooms - Serfs.

 

Hersir - A veteran, core soldier of the Fenrisian Clans.

 

Hiljah kah uhtganjen mev tarvahettan – Greet the end with courage.

 

Huskaerls - Officers of the Chapter's armed serfs.

 

Huscarl - Chieftan's bodyguard, similar title to Wolf Guard.

 

Jarl - Chief, stands in as a title for a Wolf Lord. High Wolf and Packmaster are other alternate titles.

 

Juvjk - Hearth cant or casual language of Fenris.

 

Kaerls - Armed serfs.

 

Lanx - Drinking bowl.

 

Maleficarum - Bad spirits or daemons.

 

Mijagge Kovness An – May I enter.

 

Mjod - Mead.

 

The Rout - Informal title of the Space Wolves.

 

Sammekull – Summons.

 

Sava gudt, hell'ten – A benediction for a hero to rest in peace.

 

Skjald - Storyteller, keeper of the sagas.

 

Skjoldtar - Heavy, armor-piercing solid shot weapons favored by the Chapter's armed serfs.

 

Skira Vordrotta - Translated roughly as System Kill, the term means total war, total annihilation. This is a comprehensive and evolutional battle philosophy attributed to Leman Russ, one in which all conceivable means of attack are used to assail the foe, no quarter is given, and nothing but ruin is left in its wake. Skira Vordrotta has been practiced by the Space Wolves since their inception.

 

Skitnah – Dirty, foul, tainted. Skitnah can mean both accursedly warp-touched or be used as a colorful curse word.

 

Thralls - Serfs.

 

Thread – Life, lifespan. Fenrisians refer to life as a thread, and the taking of life as “thread-cutting.”

 

Valdelnagh – A misunderstanding.

 

Volda Hamarrki - The World Spine Mountains.

 

Vlka Fenryka - Formal title of the Space Wolves.

 

Wurgen - War cant or battle language of Fenris.

 

Wyrd - An individual's fate. Wyrd differs from thread in that thread is the measure of a life’s span, while wyrd is the ultimate end point of the journey.

 

Onn - One.

 

Twa - Two.

 

Tra - Three.

 

For - Four.

 

Fyf - Five.

 

Sesc - Six.

 

Sepp - Seven.

 

For-twa - Eight.

 

Tra-tra - Nine.

 

Dekk - Ten.

 

The Chapter Fleet

 

The Space Wolves maintain fifteen ships in their fleet, one for each Great Company and three in reserve. Each of the fifteen ships is unique unto itself, with the fleet including many different classes and configurations of vessels. Two of the Chapters ships are massive warships akin to Imperial Navy capitol ships. The Iron Wolf is the ship of Egil Ironwolf which he claimed in combat when his Company’s own ship was badly damaged. Slightly larger, The Pride of Fenris is the flagship of the Chapter fleet and personal vessel of the Great Wolf Logan Grimnar.

 

The Fist of Russ was the flagship of Berek Thunderfist's Great Company. Badly damaged after the battle for Hyades, the ship was sidelined for repairs but brought back into service to carry Ragnar Blackmane and a strike force of Space Wolves Blood Claws and Wolf Blades to Charys. The ship and its crew sacrificed themselves to deliver Ragnar and his comrades into the Thousand Sons’ stronghold and save the Chapter from Magnus's vile plot.

 

Like many Chapters, the Space Wolves primarily use Thunderhawks and Thunderhawk Transporters as gunships, dropships, and attack craft. Some Stormbirds likely remain in the Space Wolves arsenal, and a variant craft known as a Dropfalcon saw service during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy but it is unknown whether any remain in service. Other variant gunships and attack craft are likely to be found in the Chapter arsenal whenever the Space Wolves can get them.

 

The Space Wolves utilize a variant of the Imperial Navy Cobra-Class Destroyers known as Hlaupa-Class escorts. The Hlaupa-class is heavily armed and capable of docking with the upper peak of the Fang.

 

The Hrafnkel

-Flagship of the Space Wolves Legion during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. A mighty warship, the Hrafnkel was lost to the Chapter millennia ago.

 

Russvangum

-The Flagship of Wolf Lord Harek Ironhelm. The Russvangum dates back to before the Horus Heresy, and was built using designs and technology now long lost to the Imperium. Only the Hrafnkel was larger or boasted more firepower; even Strike Cruisers are dwarfed by the massive warship.

 

Nidhoggur

-Strike Cruiser in service to the Space Wolves during the Great Crusade.

 

Gotthammar

-Strike Cruiser in service to the 4th Great Company in M32, on long patrol chasing Magnus the Red. The Gotthammar caught nothing but shadows until it encountered the Thousand Sons in the Gangava system.

 

Skraemar

-The only Great Ship left behind to defend the Fang with less than a dozen escort craft when the bulk of the Chapter Fleet departed for the Gangava system in M32. The Skraemar was an old and seasoned vessel that had fought through the Great Scouring in the days after the Horus Heresy, and had earned a hundred and more great honors since. The vessel broke the blockade of Pielos V, outfoxed a squadron of Chaos warships for two weeks in the Aemnon Belt and destroyed the Eldar Corsair flagship, Or-Iladril. The Strike Cruiser fought its last battle in the space above Fenris against the invading fleet of the Thousand Sons, reaping a heavy tally of traitor warships before at last falling apart under the fire of the traitor Legion's flagship, Herumon.

 

Scramaseax

-Battle-Barge of the Space Wolves and flagship of Logan Grimnar during the 1st War for Armageddon. The Gylfarheim suffered significant damage at the hands of the treacherous Inquisition multiple times in the months after the defeat of Angron. Dating back to the Great Crusade the Scramaseax was a mighty relic of the Imperium lost to the Chapter sometime after the 1st War for Armageddon.

 

 

{RECONCILE THE GYLFARHEIM STUFF ABOVE AND SORT FROM SCRAMASEAX}

 

Gylfarheim

-Battle-Barge of the Space Wolves, the Gylfarheim arrived to reinforce the Chapter's fleet at Armageddon, forcing the Inquisition to call off their attack of the Imperial troop transports.

 

The Pride of Fenris

-Flagship of the Space Wolves fleet. The Pride of Fenris is the warship of Logan Grimnar's Great Company, a mighty Battleship and the largest of the Great Ships in the Chapter Fleet.

 

The Iron Wolf

-Second largest ship of the Chapter fleet and former Battleship of the Imperial Navy, under the command of Egil Ironwolf. Captured from heretics the Imperial Navy has repeatedly requested the vessel's return and repeatedly been refused, causing tension between the Chapter and the Navy.

 

Hunter of Fiends

-Strike Cruiser serving the Blackmane Great Company.

 

The Fist of Russ

-Ship formerly commanded by Berek Thunderfist. Lost in the Charys Campaign.

 

The Holmgang

-Ship serving the Thunderfist Great Company during the Charys Campaign.

 

The Stormwolf

-Strike Cruiser in service to Ragnar Blackmane's Great Company.

 

The Wolf Spirit

-Battle-Barge in service with the 13th Company during the Horus Heresy.

 

The Iron Wolf

-Battle-Barge in service to the 13th Company during the later days of the Great Crusade, not to be confused with the present-day Iron Wolf belonging to Egil’s Great Company.

 

The Stormblade

-Strike Cruiser in service to the 13th Company during the later days of the Great Crusade.

 

The Wolf of Fenris

-Strike Cruiser of the Chapter captured in the Parenxes system by the Red Corsairs.

 

Vengeance

-One of the Chapter's ships lost above the world of Jytor.

 

Gate of Garm

-Space Wolves vessel participating in the fleet battle over Fenris after the First War for Armageddon.

 

Kerberaus

-Great Ship of the Space Wolves Chapter during the battle over Fenris that followed the First War for Armageddon.

 

Sky's Hammer

-Great Ship of the Space Wolves Chapter during the battle over Fenris that followed the First War for Armageddon.

 

Retribution

-Unknown class vessel of the Chapter fleet.

 

Runefyre

-Gladius-Class Frigate of the Space Wolves, destroyed in the months following the First War for Armageddon by the Inquisition.

 

Blood Eagle

-Rapid strike Frigate of the Space Wolves that inserted the Scout Teams onto the Forge World of Cambion. Its name possibly stems from a ritualistic execution method dating back at least as far as the Horus Heresy.

 

Sleikre

-Frigate in service to the Space Wolves during the Thousand Sons invasion in M32. Destroyed by the invading chaos fleet.

 

Ogmar

-Frigate in service to the Space Wolves during the Thousand Sons invasion in M32. Destroyed by the invading chaos fleet.

 

Frostborn

-Hunter-Class Destroyer of the Space Wolves, dispatched to bring warning of the invasion of Armageddon to the Grey Knights. Overrun by the forces of Chaos in the warp and found drifting in the Valdasca Caul. Bound for the Jopal and Ruis systems when Inquisitor Annika {NEED HER LAST NAME HERE} departed service with the wolves, two regions bordering the Tisra system in which the world of Armageddon resides. More than twenty Space Wolves were aboard the vessel, including Rune Priest Angriff Blightbreaker, only one survived to deliver the ship's warning {DO WE HAVE HIS NAME?}.

 

Veregelt

-Hunter-Class Destroyer of the Space Wolves, the Veregelt was dispatched to bring warning of Armageddon's invasion to the Grey Knights alongside the Frostborn, as well as possibly other vessels. Though both warships were overrun by the forces of chaos, the Veregelt succeeded in emerging from the warp in the void above Titan, broadcasting its warning on a repeated vox loop before crashing into the surface of Titan. None of the crew survived, dying to the enemy, the crash, or were deemed corrupted and slain by the Sons of Titan.

 

The Nauro

-A vessel of indeterminate classification, too small to be a frigate, but far too large to be a landing craft or gunship. A third of the vessel's length is taken up by plasma drives and its build is sleek and dark, making it a fast, agile, and stealthy warship much favored by the Chapter's Wolf Scouts. The Nauro operates with a small crew of five hundred serfs.

 

Political Relations

 

The Space Wolves are a curious Chapter when it comes to Imperial politics. Logan Grimnar is completely unafraid to defend his Chapter’s autonomy, and will wage war even against other Imperial institutions if he feels it is just. Most particularly, Logan Grimnar has very strained relations with the Inquisition after the First War for Armageddon saw the Ordo round up the planet’s populace in isolated labor camps at the conclusion of the campaign despite Grimnar’s many efforts to shield them from exposure to the corrupting influence of the Chaos forces under Angron.

 

The Space Wolves are also notable in that they have a firm alliance with the Navigator House Bellisarius that predates the foundation of the Imperium. House Bellisarius provides the Space Wolves with twenty-four of their best Navigators in exchange for twenty-four Space Wolves known as the Wolf Blade, who serve as a bodyguard for House Bellisarius’s leadership. A significant number of Space Wolf heroes have at one time or another been part of the Wolf Blade. Since House Bellisarius is an ancient and powerful Navigator house, they maintain a headquarters on Terra, and thus service in the Wolf Blade provides the Space Wolves with inside experience into the politics of the Imperium. Some of the current heroes of the Chapter that have served in the Wolf Blade include Ragnar Blackmane and Logan Grimnar.

 

Outsiders and Remembrancers

 

 

At best the Remembrancers were a barely indulged nuisance by many Legions during the Great Crusade, at worst the Legiones Astartes were openly hostile to their presence. The Space Wolves were among the latter camp. The Sons of Fenris strictly opposed the use of any form of recording during the Great Crusade, preferring the oral traditions of Fenris to more formal records, with the Skjalds of each Company memorizing the sagas of each warrior for retelling during feasts and ceremonies. As the millennia wore on, the Space Wolves have taken to using archives, data-crystals and other recording media to ensure the knowledge and wisdom of the Chapter is passed on, and Bjorn the Fell-handed tests the knowledge of the Rune Priests every millennium. A notable exception to the Space Wolves aversion to outsiders was an Imperial Conservator named Kasper Hawser, also known as Ahmad Ibn Rustah. Hawser was given unique and virtually unheard-of access to the Fang and the Space Wolves themselves during the latter days of the Great Crusade and the beginning of the Horus Heresy, witnessing some of the final battles of the Crusade alongside the warriors of Tra Company and was also present during the Scouring of Prospero. Hawser was ultimately revealed to have been tainted by the powers of chaos for many decades, acting as an infiltrator to the Space Wolves, though this latter part had been known to the Wolves all along and was allowed to continue at Russ’s behest. Despite his loyalty to the Emperor, the Space Wolves put Hawser in frozen stasis for his own and their protection. His current status is unknown.

 

In the 41st Millennium it is not unheard of for visitors to be permitted entry to the Fang. Even rarely an Inquisitor has earned the Chapter's trust. However, such visitors and honored guests are few, and their access limited, as is commonly the case with the more insular Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes.

 

Gene-Seed

 

The Gene-seed of the Space Wolves contains the flaw known as the Curse of the Wulfen. This genetic heritage of Leman Russ gives the Space Wolves continuously growing canines, heightened senses of smell and hearing, as well as low-light vision, but also brings with these boons a terrible curse. For those battle brothers that cannot contain the beast within them, they transform into monstrous werewolf creatures, half man, and half wolf. For this reason the gene-seed of the Space Wolves is never used in the creation of new Chapters and no known successor chapters remain in existence.

 

The Wolf Brothers and Successor Chapters

 

 

The only known successor Chapter of the Space Wolves. Upon their founding, the Wolf Brothers were given fully half of the Space Wolves fleet, armories, and Priests. The Wolf Brothers were led by Beor Arjac Grimmaesson, who made Kaeriol the Chapter's homeworld. Though far from Fenris, the world of Kaeriol was a planet of ice and fire much like the Space Wolves’ homeworld. Genetic instability led to the disbanding of the Chapter two hundred years before the First Battle of the Fang, less than eight hundred years after the Chapter was founded. Some of the Wolf Brothers’ known Great Companies were the Adgr, Gramm, and Beor Great Companies.

 

Originally, the Wolf Brothers were to be one of many, an entire line of successors numerous and strong enough to encircle the Eye of Terror and bottle up the forces of Chaos for all time. The wolf-within put an end to that vision, the source of the Space Wolves strength also serving to make the Space Wolves gene-seed too unstable to copy. The Wolf Brothers fell quickly to genetic instability and were scattered to the points of the compass. Any attempt to splice new growth from the gene-seed of Russ would be doomed to the same fate, preventing the creation of any further successor chapters. The Wolf Brothers now exist only as source of hidden shame for the Sons of Russ. In M32, High Wolf Priest Hraldir Wyrmblade attempted to solve this problem with the Tempering project, the threat of which was enough for Magnus the Red to launch his attack on Fenris and destroy the project utterly. No known attempts have been made to recreate Hraldir Wyrmblade's work.

 

Little is known of the final fate of the surviving Wolf Brothers. An entire Great Company of horribly twisted and mutated Wolf Brothers was encountered on Gangava in M32, when the Thousand Sons laid a trap for the Space Wolves. Harek Ironhelm and his warriors slew each and every one of the twisted Wolf Brothers.

 

The Canis-Helix

 

 

Unique among the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Wolves gene-seed includes a genetic strain known as the Canis-Helix. Little is known of the origin or function of this genetic material other than it is an original part of Leman Russ's genetic material from the Emperor's Primarch Project and has existed within the Space Wolves gene-seed since the Legion's founding on distant Terra. During their initiation into the Chapter, recruits first receive the Canis-helix from a drinking cup, beginning their physical transformation into Space Marines.

 

Beliefs

 

"I recognize my failing and will be sure to correct it."

-Penitent oath uttered by Space Wolf Battle-Brothers after an officer points out a mistake or failing.

 

The Space Wolves are brought up believing in mystic legends and sagas of star-striding wolves, horrendous monsters and mighty heroes. Mistrustful of technology and sorcery, the people of Fenris are a brutal but noble people, and this bearing is brought to the Chapter by the recruits. Central to their belief system is Leman Russ and the Emperor, known to the Space Wolves as the Allfather, whom they see as the greatest pinnacles of mankind and heroes to inspire valor and honor.

 

The Space Wolves’ beliefs are generally regarded with distaste if not outright hostility by the Ecclesiarchy, and seen as backwards, barbarian, and superstitious by many others. The Sons of Russ make no excuse for their ways, however, and have come to blows and at times outright warfare with the Ecclesiarchy and others over their beliefs and ways of life.

 

Space Wolves refer to their own souls as threads, when a Space Wolf dies it is said his thread was severed. In the past, slain Space Wolves were generally burned in a pyre, rather than buried in a crypt. Following the death of a particularly important, high-ranking or respected member of the Chapter, a sending away feast is held in his honor. Before the feast the company skjald learns stories about the deceased of variable length and nature from every member of the Company and artfully retells these tales during a period of ritual feasting with lengthy rest periods between each tale. The sending feast lasts for an indeterminate amount of time—however long is necessary to tell all of the skjald's memorized stories, and as such can last for days or even weeks. During the feast, the feasting chamber is sealed and none may enter or leave until the conclusion of the feast. After the death of Heoroth Longfang in the waning years of the Great Crusade, Tra Company held a feast where four hundred thirty-two separate tales were told. In more modern times, the Space Wolves dead are interred or burned on the flattened peak of Krakgard, or laid to rest in other locations of significance, such as the Tomb of Garm where the Spear of Russ is held, or the Tomb of Harek Ironhelm on the flank of the Fang.

 

<I>

 

Known as the Eye of Aversion, this symbol is used by the Space Wolves to ward away evil and sorcery. In battle it is carved into a wall, support or whatever is at hand to mark an area of great danger or heavy enemy opposition. When the danger has been removed or eliminated the mark is struck out to show the area is clear.

 

Fenrys Hjolda

-Known as Rout-Masks, these leather and bone masks were worn by the Space Wolves and their serfs during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy but had largely gone out of use by the First Battle of the Fang in M32. The masks were intended to scare away Maleficarum. {STILL THINK THIS DOESN’T APPLY TO MASKS BUT IS WARCRY}

 

Primordial Annihilator

-The term used by the Space Wolves to refer to the powers of Chaos.

 

The Runes

 

-The Space Wolves Rune Priests use a form of divination known as the Casting of the Runes to tell the future and advise the Chapter's Wolf Lords and Great Wolf on decisions of great importance.

 

Fengr - The wolf within.

 

Trysk - Ice

 

Gmorl - Fate

 

Adjarr - Blood

 

Ragnarok - Ending

 

Ymir – Wisdom, knowledge

 

The Great Hunts

 

-Occasionally the Great Wolf or Rune Priests will see a vision of the lost Primarch, and declare a new Great Hunt. While none of the Great Hunts have resulted in the discovery of Russ, each has accomplished some significant feat. The Second Great Hunt saw the recovery of Russ’s armor from the Temple of Horus on the world of Rudra situated near the dreaded Eye of Terror. The Fourth Great Hunt lead to the uncovering of the Corellian Conspiracy, which had been close to taking over the Administratum in a bloody coup for power, while the Ninth Great Hunt saw the destruction of the Genestealer infestations in the Gehenna systems. Every time a Great Hunt is called it seems that the lost primarch has a task in mind for his sons.

 

The Wolves of Fenrisian Myth

 

 

Torvald the Far-Sighted

-Torvald is the Wolf whose eyes see all and miss nothing. This Wolf's teachings instruct young Space Wolves to use their eyes and heads before their blades, for sometimes it is in observation and looking ahead that victory is achieved.

 

Freki and Geri the Twin Wolves

-Freki and Geri were the Wolf companions of Leman Russ. These Wolves represent what can be achieved through brotherhood and teamwork, for the strength of a pack is greater than the sum of its parts and, together, can defeat foes no single Wolf would ever be able to tackle.

 

Haegr the Mountain Wolf

-Haegr the Mountain teaches the Wolves to endure the harshest of elements without complaint, for it is those very same things that forged the Space Wolves into the warriors they are. Haegr endures all, and when faced with the worst of environments, it is to Haegr that the Space Wolves look to for example.

 

Thengir the Wolf King

-Thengir represents Fenris and the Fang, the domain of the Space Wolves, the crowning jewel of the Sons of Russ as it towers over the harsh yet majestic domains of Fenris.

 

The Stalker Between Stars, The Wolf That Strides The Stars

-This Wolf was the totem of Leman Russ and is still the icon born by every Great Wolf. The Stalker Between the Stars teaches the Sons of Russ that wherever they walk, no matter how distant, they bring the glory of Fenris with them.

 

Ranek, the Hidden Wolf

-Ranek is the Wolf who stalks the shadows, and teaches the young Wolves the virtues of stealth and hunting, that the fang from the dark is sometimes doubly as wounding as any other.

 

Lokyar, The Lone Wolf

-The Lone Wolf is the aspect of all Wolf Scouts, this wolf teaches that sometimes Wolves must fight and live alone.

 

The Iron Wolf

-The Iron Wolf is the spirit of the Forge and the Iron Priests, this wolf teaches the Sons of Russ the value of craftsmanship and the forge.

 

Lakkan, the Runed Wolf

-Lakkan is the totem of the Rune Priests and teaches the mysteries of Runes to those who seek them and prove worthy of his secret wisdom.

 

The Fire Wolf

-The Fire Wolf heralds the coming of the Season of Fire, when the snows melt and the lands rage, islands sink and new ones rise. It is the coming of the Fire Wolf that heralds either glory or doom to the people of Fenris.

 

Morkai

-Morkai is the twin-headed guardian of the Fenrisian underworld.

 

The Wolf of the Red Moon

-The Wolf of the Red Moon is a terrible stalker of the seven hells of Fenris, a skeletal apparition that claims the bodies of the fallen unworthy of entrance into the halls of Morkai.

 

The Bloodied Hunter

-The Bloodied Hunter is the wolf of the hunt, a feral killer that rejoices in nothing greater than the tracking and killing of prey beneath a full moon.

 

The Sea Wolf

-The Sea Wolf is a beast of the deadly Fenrisian oceans, the totem of all those who sail and do battle on the waves.

 

The Sun Wolf

-The Sun Wolf is the Fenrisian Wolf who makes his lair in the heart of Fenris's sun and arises each day to shine his harsh light on the world.

 

The Fire Breather

-The Fire Breather is a wolf who dwells in one of the largest volcanoes on Fenris and who spews his wrath into the heavens when angered.

 

The Blackmane

-The Blackmane is the deadliest of all Fenrisian Wolves.

 

The Thunderwolf

-The Thunderwolf exemplifies strength and raw power over subtlety or guile.

 

The Wulfen

-The Wulfen is the cursed thirteenth Wolf of Fenrisian lore. Bestial in nature, it is this Wolf that the Space Wolves must ever guard themselves against, lest their feral natures overcome them and lead them into madness.

 

Battle-Cry

 

 

The battle cries of the Space Wolves varies from company to company and commonly the Sons of Russ favor a blood curdling howl the unleashed when they charge into battle. An ancient and common battle-cry used by the Chapter is the cry of "Fenrys hjolda!"

 

Company Markings

 

 

The Space Wolves have no Chapter symbol. Instead, the markings of each Great Company take on the symbol chosen by its Wolf Lord, and as such are constantly changing. The symbols will usually be significant from the sagas of Fenris, and usually include some form of wolf iconography. The markings for squads have to do with their type, and are also varied from squad to squad and company to company. Some traditional colors, however, are red and yellow for Blood Claws, red and black for Grey Hunters, white and black for Long Fangs, and black and yellow for Wolf Guard.

 

History of the Space Wolves

 

Primarch Leman Russ

 

The sagas relating to Leman Russ are known to the galaxy largely due to the efforts of one Gnauril the Elder, a contemporary of the Fenrisian King Thengir of the Russ. The sagas tell how one of the infant primarchs came to rest on a distant world from Terra known as Fenris. Given the harsh climate, it is unlikely that any lesser man would not have survived, but Leman Russ was a primarch, and no lesser man. According to the sagas, Leman Russ was taken in and raised by a Fenrisian she-wolf. Russ’s companion wolves Freki and Geri are believed by many to be his original pack brothers, raised at about the same time as Russ himself. Russ even attested at times to his “lupine parentage," which can perhaps be viewed as the origin of to some of the traditions and unique organizational aspects of the Space Wolves themselves.

 

However the real tale of Leman Russ begins with Gnauril’s saga, “The Ascension of the Wolf-King," which tells the tale of when Russ first met the nobility of Fenris. The tale tells that one fateful Hellwinter, when the young primarch went with his pack to raid a nearby human settlement. The young primarch smashed through the village, breaking into the storehouse to steal great slabs of salted meat, and fighting with immense ferocity against the villagers to allow his pack to escape with their spoils. The villagers were astounded by what they had seen and petitioned their king, Thengir of Russ. The king sent a hunting party within the week armed with the best weapons he could muster, razor-sharp blades and drake-poison tipped arrows.

 

The hunters tracked down and slew many of Russ’s pack, including the venerable she-wolf herself. Russ was found defending the body of his pack alpha against the hunters, even pin-cushioned with poisoned arrows. Despite his insane constitution, Russ succumbed to the sheer quantity of potent poison, and was subdued and gagged. That evening, the wolf-man was brought before King Thengir and told to grovel for his life. Instead, Russ raised himself to his full height and let out a roar that was so loud and lasted for so long that many had to leave the King’s hall rather than hear any more of it. Then Russ spat a huge gobbet of blood and poison straight at the King, un-cowed and with golden eyes shining with pride.

 

After that night, Russ was taken into the personal care of the king and was taught to fight and fish, and very quickly to speak. Russ showed a great aptitude with weaponry and indeed anything he did. Before long, Russ even bested the king’s champion in a contest of battle axes. It was then that the king deemed Russ worthy to receive a name, and so Leman Russ was born.

 

The next years of Leman Russ’s life are mostly hearsay and legends, some of the legends tell of Russ tearing up oaks with his bare hands, others of wrestling a Fenrisian mammoth single-handed and roasting it whole, and of sending armies of King Thengir’s enemies fleeing without sustaining a scratch. Whatever is really true, the fact is that Russ’s fame spread far and wide, and when Thengir died, there was no question as to the succession. King Leman Russ took the throne.

 

The remainder of the saga has never been written, but kept alive through oral tradition within the Space Wolves and every member of the Chapter knows the tale by heart. On every Allwinter’s eve, the Rune Priests tell the tale of Russ. It was during one such feast that Inquisitor Chalfont snuck a vox-recorder to the feast and, at the table of Great Wolf Cormack Wolftongue, a record of the tale was made.

 

In short time, Russ was hailed as King of Fenris, his armies unbeatable and his wisdom unquestionable—none could best the Wolf-King. Within Russ’s kingdom men and wolf lived in truce, and his court was attended by both the fiercest warlords and the fairest maidens. With his deeds spreading to legends, it was not too long before Terra came to call on the King of Fenris. So it was shortly after Russ became King that the Emperor came to Fenris. Cloaked in disguise, both physical and psychic, the Emperor came to Russ as a cowled and bent wanderer, appearing in the great hall of Leman Russ, his aura of power shrouded. The great wolves slunk away at the Emperor’s approach, however, and he walked up to the throne where Russ slouched leisurely, feasting on the roast leg of a boar and with a flagon of fine mead in hand, Freki and Geri lounging at his feet and a pool of blood around his throne. Having recently returned from a hunt, Russ was not pleased to have his feast interrupted, and the feast hall silenced at his growl. Freki stood at his master’s sound but Geri did not, noticing that the stranger met their master’s gaze unflinchingly.

 

It was then that the stranger gave Russ his challenge. Russ would decide the contest, and if the stranger won, he would sit at the right hand of Russ during the feast. Russ proclaimed that if he won, the stranger had to serve him for a year. Grimly, the stranger agreed. The first competition, Russ decided, would be an eating one. With great quantities of roast meet brought forth on brass shields, Russ and the stranger set to eating. The stranger ate a great deal indeed, consuming more than any of Russ’s warriors, but when the stranger looked at Russ, he saw that the primarch was finished with his third auroch already, not a scrap of meat left on the scattered bones. Bowing his head to Russ, the stranger accepted defeat. But Russ was enjoying his sport. So, Russ called for a drinking match, but before the contest could be concluded the entire feast had been drunk dry. It was then that the wanderer had a gleam of anger come to his eyes, calling Russ a drunkard and glutton, at which the entire court went silent. Russ drew his great sword and stepped onto the feast table with a growl to issue the consequences of his last challenge.

 

At the challenge, the wanderer threw off his disguise to reveal his golden form. Clad in baroque armor, the Emperor drew forth a shimmering blade. Russ roared and charged, clashing with the wanderer in a titanic clash of arms. The Emperor’s golden armor reflected the glow of a thousand torches, and Russ’s skin glistened with sweat and blood, his matted hair flying wild as he charged with fury and passion. Russ fought with speed and precision, countered by the liquid grace of the wanderer. The tempered fury and skill of Russ, learned from a lifetime of living by his skill and wits, proved him without a doubt to be one of the Emperor’s lost sons, displaying a martial skill beyond that of any mortal. Finally convinced, the Emperor brought his power fist in a glittering arc to connect squarely with Russ’s face, sending the primarch straight into unconsciousness. Nevertheless, within the hour Russ was back on his feet, his head cleared. Bloody and with broken fang, Russ smiled, and swore fealty to the Emperor.

 

Within weeks, Russ had learned all he needed to, and was proclaimed fit to lead his legion in the Great Crusade across the stars. The Emperor introduced Russ to his legion, and quickly Russ settled into the role of leading the Space Wolves. Soon the legion’s marines became as sons to Russ.

 

Leman Russ was gifted a magnificent suit of armor, thrice-blessed by the Emperor, and his sword was replaced by the magnificent Frost Blade Mjalnar, forged from the teeth of the mighty Ice Kraken Gormenjarl. The blade was said to be able to split the mountains of Fenris in twain.

 

Russ joined the Great Crusade enthusiastically, throwing himself and his legion into the forefront of every battle, striding at the fore of his warriors, slaying all before him, his presence heralded by the howling of his pack.

 

Not all was well with the Great Crusade however. Tension between the Legions was ever present, sometimes resulting in more than a little hostility. One such conflict occurred between the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels, but particularly between Leman Russ and Lion El’Johnson.

 

On the world of Dulan, a traitor commander named Durath insulted Leman Russ, calling him the Emperor’s lapdog. Enraged, Russ vowed to take the head of Durath for his insult to the Space Wolves’ honor. Russ demanded that the Dark Angels, who were also participating in the engagement, stand down and allow the Space Wolves to destroy the traitor. However, Lion El’Johnson had reconnoitered the fortress of the traitor extensively, and had already formed a complex and precise attack plan. Loath to let Russ spoil his plans, Johnson attacked at dawn and slew the traitor Durath in full view of the Space Wolves embattled below the fortress battlements. Furious, Russ confronted Johnson after the battle and punched him, beginning a wrestling match that lasted several days, before Russ realized how ironic and foolish the fighting was and stopped to let out a raucous laugh. Not amused, Johnson, sucker punched Russ, knocking him unconscious and swept away. By the time Russ awoke, the Dark Angels were long gone. Since then, the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves have fought duels of honor over the longstanding feud.

 

Another event of rivalry between the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels occurred while both legions were on their way to Terra after hearing the news of the Horus Heresy. The Space Wolf and Dark Angels fleets encountered each other over the world of Kalidus Secundus. The traitors had captured the orbital defense station and had proceeded to bombard the loyalists on the planet below. Russ wanted to assault the orbital, while Johnson argued they should proceed to Terra. Arguing and fighting over the subject after interrogating a fleeing survivor named Tarus, they only ceased their combat when a marine named Hrothgar blew off Tarus’s head and revealed him to be a daemon.

 

Famous Quotations from Russ:

 

“Do not underestimate the Squats. They survived for millennia cut off from the Imperium and assailed from all sides. Their determination and resilience is an Example to all.”

-Leman Russ, Meditations on Imperial Command, Book XVI

 

“Only in the Space Marines of the Legiones Astartes are courage and expertise perfectly blended. In other troops they are present in varying degrees and proportions, and many scholars have debated their relative merits.

 

“For my own part, I come down on the side of courage. For courage can sometimes make a virtue of inexperience. I myself have commanded Imperial Guard troops whose probitor units have achieved great things, because their courage was infinite and because they were too inexperienced to realise that their goal was impossible.”

-Leman Russ, De Natura Belli, Book XIV

 

“There are those who undervalue the Penal Battalions. But they should consider this: should a man who has wronged the Emperor be allowed to wrong him further? For each man executed is a man who can no longer serve, and to fail in service to the Emperor is the greatest of sins.”

-Leman Russ, Meditations on Imperial Command, Book XXI

 

“Listen closely, Brothers, for my life’s breath is all but spent. There shall come a time far from now when our Chapter itself is dying, even as I am now dying and our foes shall gather to destroy us. Then my children, I shall list’n for your call from whatever realms of death hold me and come I shall no matter what laws of life and death forbid. At the end I will be there. For the Final battle. For the Wolftime."

-Leman Russ.

 

Horus Heresy

 

The Horus Heresy saw the Galaxy drenched in blood and war, as Horus and no less than nine of the Space Marine Legions descended into treachery. While the galaxy was thrown into chaos, the Space Wolves were however not involved in terrible fighting at Terra. Nevertheless, the Space Wolves were heavily involved in the foundations of the Heresy, when they forged their ageless feud with the Thousand Sons Space Marine Legion.

 

Texts and accounts recovered both from the libraries of Prospero and the histories of the Space Wolves have been pieced together to provide accounts of what followed.

 

As the Horus Heresy ripened, Magnus the Red, Primarch of the Thousand Sons, sent a psychic message to the Emperor warning him of Horus’s betrayal. However, in so doing, Magnus revealed the extent of his pursuit of sorcery, affirming Russ’s deepest suspicions about the cyclopean primarch. At Russ’s insistence, the Emperor agreed that Magnus must be brought to account for his betrayals. Gathering his own forces as well as detachments of the Adeptus Custodes and the Silent Sisters, Leman Russ traveled across the stars to bring down the Thousand Sons. His suspicions further affirmed by half-truths and lies spun by Horus Lupercal, Russ swept down on Prospero with the weight of his entire Legion, bombarding the planet mercilessly and tearing a bloody swath across the planet to the very citadel of the Thousand Sons. Prospero had been a paradise of a world, ice and ivory towers scraping the sky, vast man-made lakes and reflecting pools, and magnificent libraries and places of learning. Nevertheless, Russ felt it was simply a veneer of civilization over a tainted heart. The Space Wolves assaulted Prospero without mercy and the fighting against the Thousand Sons was fierce indeed, lasting many days at the cost of thousands of lives.

 

No matter how wise the Thousand Sons were, or how potent their sorcery was, they could not stand against the sheer fury of the Space Wolves on the field of war. At the center of the Space Wolves battlelines was the 13th Great Company, led by Jorin Bloodfang. The 13th Company was comprised of those battle brothers who manifested the curse of the wulfen, transformed into half wolf beasts in the heat of combat. Against such fury and bestial ferocity, the Thousand Sons could not hold, and eventually a massive hole was torn in the lines of the Thousand Sons, as slowly but surely the warriors of Prospero were culled, cut down by the Space Wolves sheer brutality of arms.

 

The loss of every single Space Marine of the Thousand Sons is recorded in Prospero’s Lament, which, while certainly suspect, is the only account of Magnus’s terrible bargain. Watching his legion torn apart by the bestial Wolves, Magnus roared to the heavens for salvation and help came. Magnus’s body was warped by insane power, and ten-fingered hands shot from the soil of Prospero to defend its fortresses. The screams of Magnus drove hundreds of Space Wolves insane and still they fought on, their fury and willpower alone driving them onward to completion.

 

It was then that Magnus charged forth and laid into the Space Wolves, his horrific gaze petrifying anything it fell on, turning even the stoutest Long Fangs to dust. Unstoppable, the Giant crashed through the Space Wolves. Leman Russ disengaged from the swirling melee and lifted a Thousand Sons marine bodily and threw him into the face of Magnus. With the sorcerer temporarily blinded by the attack, Russ smashed into Magnus. Somehow the giant did not fall, and instead delivered a crushing blow to Russ’s chest, sending splinters of ceramite into his heart. Nevertheless, Russ grabbed Magnus’s arm as it drew back for another punch and kicked the primarch in the eye. Howling in pain, Magnus stumbled back and Russ took advantage of his opponent’s weakness to lift Magnus from the ground and break the Cyclops’s back over his knee. Seeing their primarch broken, the Thousand Sons turned and fled, but as Russ prepared to execute Magnus with Mjalnar, Magnus gasped a word of power and vanished into the ground.

 

The reports on how the Thousand Sons escaped Prospero are many and varied. What is certain is that the Thousand Sons were not destroyed, as they continue to plague the Imperium to this day. Magnus himself even managed to survive somehow and even to save a great deal of the Thousand Sons learning and knowledge. However the Thousand Sons escaped, the 13th Company, the Wulfen-kind, pursued them. To this day, the fate of the 13th Company is not known. However, rumors from the Thirteenth Black Crusade and some few eye-witness reports indicate that strange half-wolf marines bearing the colors and iconography of the Space Wolves have been seen appearing on various battlefields to tear into the forces of chaos before disappearing once more.

 

In honor of the lost 13th Company, however the Space Wolves keep one stone blank in the Grand Annulus, the circle of stones depicting the Chapters Great Companies, and the 13th Company has never been replaced.

 

Post-Heresy

 

Following the Horus Heresy the Imperium set out to quell the uprisings and restore itself. The Space Wolves continued to wage the Emperor’s wars. But at one particular “Feast of the Emperor’s Ascension" in honor of the day the Emperor defeated Horus and ascended to the Golden Throne, Leman Russ quieted the great hall to speak, but then froze. In horror, the Space Wolves watched as their lord fell to his knees and called his closest companions and advisors to him, all save the youngest of his Wolf Guard, Bjorn, later known as the Fell-Handed. Giving his closest companions his instructions, Russ turned and left the hall with his bodyguard in tow, leaving only Bjorn behind. For seven years, the Space Wolves waited for their lord to return, but when he finally did not, Bjorn was elected Great Wolf and led the Chapter on the first Great Hunt. The Great Companies dispersed among the stars searching for their lord, and Bjorn took his search to the Eye of Terror itself. There, Bjorn was mortally wounded and entombed in a Dreadnaught as the Space Wolves returned. Over the various Great Hunts, many glorious victories have been won, each hunt beginning when Russ speaks into the mind of a Rune Priest, granting his sons his wisdom from time to time and sending them on new Great Hunts. None have succeeded in their final goal, but Russ has assured his sons with his final words that he will return to them for the final battle, for the wolf time.

 

 

{NEED TO CHECK TO MAKE SURE BJORN WAS ENTOMBED ON FIRST GREAT HUNT}

[Valerian]

{NEED TO CHECK TO MAKE SURE BJORN WAS ENTOMBED ON FIRST GREAT HUNT}

 

Nope, not during the First Great Hunt - it was the Proxima Rebellion:

 

Bjorn walked at the side of Russ himself, and was the first Great Wolf of the Chapter after the Primarch disappeared. He led the Space Wolves on the first Great Hunt, the Chapter's epic but fruitless quest to find Russ, and it was he who reluctantly gave the order to cease the Hunt, when it became obvious that Russ was not to be found. As the first Great Wolf he was instrumental in resisting the attempts of the newly created Administration to force the Space Wolves to accept the dictates of the Codex Astartes, even going as far as to threaten to rebel if the Administration persisted. Such was the fragile state of the fledgling Imperium that the Administration withdrew its demands. Thus was the unique nature of the Space Wolves preserved.

 

Bjorn's heroic career as a Great Wolf was cut tragically short during the Proxima Rebellion when he heroically led a raid to free brother Space Wolves trapped in the embattled Dreadsun Fortress. The raid was successful but Bjorn suffered so many wounds that he was left paralysed and crippled, and not even the best efforts of the Wolf Priests could save him. Eventually, to preserve his life, what was left of his shattered body was transplanted into a Dreadnought.

 

For the next five hundred years or so, Bjorn was constantly in the forefront of battle whenever the Space Wolves fought. He distinguished himself on Algol Nine when he slew the Daemon Thran'saba, and saved the Planetary Governor from sacrifice. On the desert world of Quaran he slew the Ork Warlord Makrina and thus broke the Waaagh-Makrina. On the Hiveworld of Thranx he slew the rogue psyker Vornalan and thus averted a terrible rebellion. Slowly, though, the years took their toll on this proud and ancient warrior, and he took to spending longer and longer periods dormant, in stasis sleep. Given his exemplary record and long history of dedication to the Chapter, his fellow Space Wolves left him undisturbed.

 

WD 246 Wolves of Fenris.

 

Valerian

Edited July 11, 2012 by Valerian

[frostclaw222]

I thought as much.

 

Now, can anyone weigh in definitively on the following:

 

1) Wolf Scouts. Do they belong to the Great Wolf's Company, like the Priests, or do they belong to each Great Company separately. My thought were, since they came from the Hunters, they were already pledged to the Company in question.

 

2) The Wolf Helm of Russ. Somewhere in Vash's stuff, it says Ragnar won it and presented it to Wolf Priest Ranek, yet Ulrik is wearing it in the present day. Did Ranek die? Did Ulrik get it after Ranek? Are there in fact multiples (which I doubt)? I realize some of Ulrik's fluff is contradictory, particularly with regards to him and Logan Grimnar, but would appreciate something settling the matter.

 

I mean, I'm not asking us to permanently decide why "There are no wolves on Fenris" here, but I'd like to settle what should be tried and true fluff.

 

Also, at some point, someone might want to sit down with Battle of the Fang and pick out a few of the more "prestige-worthy" spots within the Fang itself and go into a little more detail, such as Ogvai's Stair, The Halls of the Dead in the far down below, and the like.

[Valerian]

I thought as much.

 

Now, can anyone weigh in definitively on the following:

 

1) Wolf Scouts. Do they belong to the Great Wolf's Company, like the Priests, or do they belong to each Great Company separately. My thought were, since they came from the Hunters, they were already pledged to the Company in question.

 

This one is easier. In the 2e codex, the Wolf Scouts were clearly in the Great Wolf's Company, and a chart reflects this on page 11. In the 3e "minidex", however, they are no longer included, and on page 32 the Company of the Great Wolf is said to include the all of the Chapter's Wolf Priests, Iron Priests, and Rune Priests, as well as all of the Dreadnoughts - nothing is mentioned of Wolf Scouts. The current 5e codex says the same thing on page 14. Additionally, in the descriptions of the other Great Companies, the paragraph on Erik Morkai (page 16), says that his Great Company boasts a great many Wolf Scouts.

 

I'd say that it is pretty clear that there was a retcon between 2e and 3e that moved the Wolf Scouts into the Great Companies, from the Company of the Great Wolf, and this has been pretty consistent for the last 12 years, or so.

 

2) The Wolf Helm of Russ. Somewhere in Vash's stuff, it says Ragnar won it and presented it to Wolf Priest Ranek, yet Ulrik is wearing it in the present day. Did Ranek die? Did Ulrik get it after Ranek? Are there in fact multiples (which I doubt)? I realize some of Ulrik's fluff is contradictory, particularly with regards to him and Logan Grimnar, but would appreciate something settling the matter.

 

If you just look at the Studio fluff, there is no such dude as Ranek. He's never mentioned in anything but the William King novels, as far as I know.

 

In the 2e codex, it simply says that Ulrik wears the famous Wolf Helm of Russ, which according to legend was originally made for Leman Russ. The Wargear Card of the Wolf Helm of Russ doesn't give us much more, just adding that "tradition has it that this ancient helm was fashioned by the Emperor's articifers and given to Leman Russ."

 

On page 50 of the 5e codex, we see that "As High Priest of his order, Ulrik has been gifted with the sacred Wolf Helm of Russ, said to have once been worn by the the Primarch of the Space Marines himself."

 

In none of these is Ragnar even mentioned, and it makes more sense that Ulrik would have the Wolf Helm as a symbol of office, than as a gift from his protege, anyway.

 

V

[frostclaw222]

Valerian, somewhere in the deep dark fluff of the Imperium of Mankind, we might eventually disagree and have to have a knife fight via monkey proxies in an alley.

 

This is not one of those days.

 

Thank you for backing up the ambiguous with fact.

 

Retcon Wolf Scouts to Great Companies.

 

Retcon Ranek's little helm-wearing phase straight to Ulrik.

 

Please disseminate to the Wolf Priests to avoid potential hiccups.

[LoneSniperSG]

QUOTE

Also might want to include the Terran equivalent to a Fenrisian Great Year (check Prospero Burns).

 

 

Good point, again I'll have to double check the exact number.

 

One Fenrisian year is equivalent to two Terran years. I am pretty certain this is stated in our latest codex.

 

Also, Vash I don't know if you really want to include this..

 

The Pride of Fenris

-Flagship of the Space Wolves fleet. The Pride of Fenris is the warship of Logan Grimnar's Great Company, a mighty Battleship and the largest of the Great Ships in the Chapter Fleet.

 

Perhaps there is more than one, but The Pride of Fenris I know of is a fanbrew Emperor class Battleship for the subgame Battlefleet Gothic. She appeared in a fanbrew codex detailing specific rules for playing a Space Wolves fleet.

 

 

Other than that, is it offered in a hardbound book? Lol. I love the project. It's much bette reading than that "Codex Astartes" thing I found in the trash the other day.

Edited July 21, 2012 by LoneSniperSG

[Vash113]

I apologize for not responding earlier I've been very busy for the last couple of weeks. That said I'll try to address some of the comments and questions and see what we can do about getting this thing even better than ever.

 

Anyhow, let me know. Working in MS Word 2003, one-lining anything I'm suggesting be excised and marking all my punctuation and diction alterations in highlight. I'd offer to just toss it back up here, but I've no idea how to do all the beautiful formatting and embedding of images you did. The Iron Priests apparently hooked me up to a less reliable tutelary engine. :yes:

 

Looking through what you've posted your changes look pretty good, as for the formatting and what to do about getting it all together this is a living document and the original is kept in MS Word format on my computer with the BBC code and everything. If you would be willing to PM me your e-mail address I could send you a copy of that document so you could make any necessary changes and send it back to me for any further additions and posting up.

 

Nope, not during the First Great Hunt - it was the Proxima Rebellion:

 

I recall that material but the info in the article was based off of newer stuff about Bjorn but I'm having trouble recalling the exact source at the moment, I think it was either the William King novels or Battle of the Fang, I'll have to double check to be certain though. If I can't find it again I'll consider swapping to the Proxima Rebellion.

 

1) Wolf Scouts. Do they belong to the Great Wolf's Company, like the Priests, or do they belong to each Great Company separately. My thought were, since they came from the Hunters, they were already pledged to the Company in question.

 

2) The Wolf Helm of Russ. Somewhere in Vash's stuff, it says Ragnar won it and presented it to Wolf Priest Ranek, yet Ulrik is wearing it in the present day. Did Ranek die? Did Ulrik get it after Ranek? Are there in fact multiples (which I doubt)? I realize some of Ulrik's fluff is contradictory, particularly with regards to him and Logan Grimnar, but would appreciate something settling the matter.

 

I mean, I'm not asking us to permanently decide why "There are no wolves on Fenris" here, but I'd like to settle what should be tried and true fluff.

 

Also, at some point, someone might want to sit down with Battle of the Fang and pick out a few of the more "prestige-worthy" spots within the Fang itself and go into a little more detail, such as Ogvai's Stair, The Halls of the Dead in the far down below, and the like.

 

Yea Wolf Scouts are now part of individual Great Companies, that does need changed. As for the Wolf Helm of Russ I'm going with the William King novels as those have covered more about Ragnar and the helm than the codex(s) have but really that's a personal editorial decision rather than based off of definitive evidence. I suppose it would be less confusing to switch it to Ulfric.

 

Also might want to include the Terran equivalent to a Fenrisian Great Year (check Prospero Burns).

 

Good point, again I'll have to double check the exact number.

 

One Fenrisian year is equivalent to two Terran years. I am pretty certain this is stated in our latest codex.

 

Prospero Burns indicates more of three to four Terran years to one Great Year but it's not entirely clear, thus I've avoided noting down a definitive number thus far.

 

Also, Vash I don't know if you really want to include this..

 

The Pride of Fenris

-Flagship of the Space Wolves fleet. The Pride of Fenris is the warship of Logan Grimnar's Great Company, a mighty Battleship and the largest of the Great Ships in the Chapter Fleet.

 

Perhaps there is more than one, but The Pride of Fenris I know of is a fanbrew Emperor class Battleship for the subgame Battlefleet Gothic. She appeared in a fanbrew codex detailing specific rules for playing a Space Wolves fleet.

 

Other than that, is it offered in a hardbound book? Lol. I love the project. It's much bette reading than that "Codex Astartes" thing I found in the trash the other day.

 

It was picked up in the Space Wolf novels by William King and that's official enough for me.

 

EDIT:

 

I've also just noticed a few names in the new Codex that I somehow missed so those will be getting added too.

[frostclaw222]

Okay, the good news: I'm done with incorporating my edits into the body text as previously provided.

 

Vash, you've been a busy fella. That only takes me up to page 54 of 138.

 

Will finish it off tomorrow night and email it your way, brother. Jumped up Jiminey, dude: when you get something in your teeth, it's all the way down to the marrow....

 

Frosty

[Vash113]

Okay, the good news: I'm done with incorporating my edits into the body text as previously provided.

 

Vash, you've been a busy fella. That only takes me up to page 54 of 138.

 

Will finish it off tomorrow night and email it your way, brother. Jumped up Jiminey, dude: when you get something in your teeth, it's all the way down to the marrow....

 

Take your time, it's not like there is a rush or anything. And yea it did get a bit long didn't it? Still it's just one of ten Comp Histories to date and I'm working on more...

 

Oh and I picked up Fear to Tread the other day and there are Space Wolf Characters in there so... more material to be added!

[=flashpoint=]

Hi, noob here, however I have noticed one little bitty bit in Vash's big fluff entry. He says that the thirteenth was orderd to follow Chaos after the heretics fled from Terra. Is that right? I thought they were ordered to pursue after Prospero, since they didn't play a part on Terra? Of course, i'm only going from 3rd ed on and the books... I may very well be wrong!

Cheers

[Vash113]

Hi, noob here, however I have noticed one little bitty bit in Vash's big fluff entry. He says that the thirteenth was orderd to follow Chaos after the heretics fled from Terra. Is that right? I thought they were ordered to pursue after Prospero, since they didn't play a part on Terra? Of course, i'm only going from 3rd ed on and the books... I may very well be wrong!

Cheers

 

It's a little unclear as of yet, I've seen a variety of sources say everything from them simply following Magnus and Sons through the warp during the Scouring of Prospero to being ordered to chase the fleeing heretics into the Eye and everything in between at one time or another. Since Prospero Burns and A Thousand Sons weren't clear on the subject it seemed logical to conclude they were likely dispatched after the battle for Terra, but it is a subject open to alteration depending on new material. As the Horus Heresy series continues we may learn more about exactly what happened to the 13th Company.

[frostclaw222]

Vash (and anyone else wondering): I had a major power spike fry most of my CPU. Just got things replaced and files migrated. Will do what I can this weekend, but still piecing things together over here, so it may be a few days before I'm done with that edit. I lost fairly much everything of what I'd gotten done the last few days I could work on it, so still a lot to redo.

[frostclaw222]

Alright, Vash113 has been emailed a proofed copy of the document, with only one or two things highlighted that need sourcing/confirmation. This thing is 139 pages of stuff! A lot of work, but glad I could lend a hand to making it the best it can be.

[Vash113]

I got your email and I appreciate all the effort. I'm currently going over everything and reading through Fear to Tread, which includes some awesome Space Wolf characters. After I finish the novel and update the article with the appropriate information I'll get an up to date version posted up, preferably within the next week.

 

Also guys the Blood Ravens and Raven Guard articles are newly updated and posted in the Index Astartes board and the brand spankin new Dark Angels article is up in the Dark Angels board, check out all the fluffy goodness and let me know what you think.

 

Lastly my signature now includes a link to my new blog on the B&C where I'll post updates to the Comprehensive History series as continuous updates and new articles come out. Thanks for all the help and enthusiasm of everyone on the board, you guys help make these articles possible! ;)

[frostclaw222]

Vash,

 

Have just finished first "OMGmustreaditall" reading of Fear To Tread, but I'll be going back with a more analytical eye here next weekend, as I'll have approximately an entire day of airplanes and airport terminals to deal with. So, if you've got stuff up by then, I should be able to provide a second set of eyes on the updates, too.

 

You've done these for Raven Guard and Blood Ravens, too?! Dude, I just got done hacking through over 130 pages of stuff for the Wolves. When the heck do you sleep and work?!

 

:P

 

Frosty

[Vash113]

Have just finished first "OMGmustreaditall" reading of Fear To Tread, but I'll be going back with a more analytical eye here next weekend, as I'll have approximately an entire day of airplanes and airport terminals to deal with. So, if you've got stuff up by then, I should be able to provide a second set of eyes on the updates, too.

 

By all means, it will still likely be a few days before I've finished collating my notes on Fear to Tread.

 

You've done these for Raven Guard and Blood Ravens, too?! Dude, I just got done hacking through over 130 pages of stuff for the Wolves. When the heck do you sleep and work?!

 

Well let me see, in order of creation there are:

 

Blood Ravens: A Comprehensive History

 

Salamanders: A Comprehensive History

 

Space Wolves: A Comprehensive History

 

Raven Guard: A Comprehensive History

 

White Scars: A Comprehensive History

 

Crimson Fists: A Comprehensive History

 

Imperial Fists: A Comprehensive History

 

Black Templars: A Comprehensive History

 

Iron Hands: A Comprehensive History

 

Deathwatch: A Comprehensive History

 

Grey Knights: A Comprehensive History

 

Dark Angels: A Comprehensive History

 

So twelve so far totaling a bit over 600 pages in Word, many are in dire need of updates though, the Deathwatch and Grey Knights especially. Unfortunately I haven't been able to keep up with the Deathwatch RPG books, there's like a dozen now... anyway those updates are on the way, plus I'm working on Blood Angels next and then Flesh Tearers (since a lot of the same sources so... why not?). One of the reasons I'm reading through Fear to Tread carefully.

 

It is very much a labor of love so to speak, and as for sleep it is way overrated. ;)

 

Also I gotta say the enthusiasm and assistance of the board members is also a huge help and really makes all of this both possible and enjoyable.

[Vash113]

As a quick update, lots of delays have hampered my efforts to update the Comp History articles but the Space Wolves remain top priority. I've done some significant updates and a good bit of re-writing and tweeking the article to update it somewhat to the format of the others and simply make it a little easier to read. I've also added a number of new sources including Doomseeker, Deathwolf, Lone Wolves, and a wealth of information from White Dwarf 233 UK. Now I'm continuing my efforts to polish it up and awaiting the release of Blood of Asaheim and the information therein. Hopefully I'll have the new and improved version of the article up for everyones reading pleasure by the end of March.

[Brother Tyler]

keep