Wolf Scout -> Wolf Guard

[alfred_the_great]

Is anyone aware of a reason why a WS couldn't be raised to the WG (or indeed, become a Wolf Priest etc)? I appreciate it'd be rare but from what I've read there is no reason why this can't happen. Happily scribling away at a fanfic and want to keep 'in the lines'*.

 

Cheers.

 

 

*noting all there is to say about "canon"......

[Wulfebane]

Wolf Guard are made from all walks of life and are hand-picked by their Wolf Lord, usually after having performed an act of heroism worthy enough to grant favor.

 

If I recall, Wolf Priests utilize a mentor/apprentice relationship which would likely begin way earlier than either Wolf Guard or Scout roles are granted.

 

That said, I could see a Wolf Scout becoming a Wolf Guard.. I'd imagine some WGPLs that infiltrate with Scout packs were at one time a scout themselves. But I don't know about them becoming a Priest for two reasons; As mentioned above, the training for becoming a priest would have occurred sooner, and two, a Hunter is chosen to be a Scout for their Loner personality, not fitting into a pack mentality (all the more reason I wish they'd bring scout unit coherency back). A Wolf Priest, on the other hand, is meant to inspire and rally their pack or company, a trait borne of a natural leader, something seldom in common with our Scouts.

[alfred_the_great]

Sweet, cheers.

[Jagermonster]

a wolf scout to be promoted to either, given enough time and the correct circumstances. As a priest his loner nature would certainly set him apparent and help to cement his authority and sense of power that his brothers hold him in. Also from Battle of the Fang there is a scout i nthat book who commands his own ship in space, showing they are given a lot of freedom and allowed to follow pursuits they wish. The wolf lord in that book also is quite removed from any men he would call himself a pack with, being shown as a loner quite a lot. He enjoys the hunt over comradeship and is happiest by himself, which to me points to him having been a scout at some point in his career

[Valerian]

Certainly don't see any reason that a Scout couldn't be raised to a Wolf Guard for a particulalrly heroic feat. He'd also be a prime candidate to go right back later as a Wolf Guard Leader to those Scouts as his typical battlefield assignment, as best suits his temperament and abilities.

 

Wolf Priests come, however, from the ranks of the Long Fangs with Ulrik being the notable exception (under exceptional circumstances, as well). Thus the Wolf Priest would come from a Marine on a different path than those that populate the ranks of either the Scouts or the Wolf Guard.

 

Valerian

[alfred_the_great]

Wolf Priests come, however, from the ranks of the Long Fangs with Ulrik being the notable exception (under exceptional circumstances, as well). Thus the Wolf Priest would come from a Marine on a different path than those that populate the ranks of either the Scouts or the Wolf Guard.

 

Valerian

 

Where's the fluff for this? Not contesting it, but I have a fairly good handle on fluff* and I've never heard of it; not a problem in any way, just curious.

 

*Unless it's from the HH Novel series, which holds no interest to me!

[Blacksad]

I only remember one Wolf Priest's story of how he became a wolf priest, and that guy was a blood claw before becoming a wolf priest. I'm not 100% certain, but I do believe that's slightly different from a Long Fang.

[Valerian]

Wolf Priests come, however, from the ranks of the Long Fangs with Ulrik being the notable exception (under exceptional circumstances, as well). Thus the Wolf Priest would come from a Marine on a different path than those that populate the ranks of either the Scouts or the Wolf Guard.

 

Valerian

 

Where's the fluff for this? Not contesting it, but I have a fairly good handle on fluff* and I've never heard of it; not a problem in any way, just curious.

 

Wolf Priests

 

Where other Chapters have both Apothecaries and Chaplains, the Space Wolves have their Wolf Priests. The Wolf Priests are amongst the most revered men of the Chapter and are responsible only to the Great Wolf himself. They are hard, grim men, knowledgeable in the sagas of the Chapter's history. They recruit new brothers, oversee their training and minister to their spiritual needs. Wolf Priests are also wise in the ways of medicine. In battle they use these skills to ease the suffering of wounded comrades. They are responsible for performing the benedicto ultimatus and removing the geneseed of fallen Space Wolves.

 

Wolf Priests are chosen from the ranks of the Long Fangs. Becoming a Priest means severing all ties with their former pack-brothers and Great Company. It is a great loss, and they are mourned as dead by those they leave behind. To symbolise this they take on a new name when they don the sacred skull-embossed armour. This is important, for the Wolf Priests must be seen as impartial for they arbitrate in any dispute among the Companies. A convocation of Wolf Priests advises the Great Wolf on matters of Chapter law and discipline.

 

The Wolf Priests guard the Chapter's genetic seed, bio-culturing new implants and maintaining the vigour of the strain by weeding out any weakness or mutation. Their knowledge is deep, and for many centuries they have studied the effects of the cursed Wulfen gene helix in a search for a way to modify it and make safe the Chapter's genetic seed. However, their efforts have only succeeded in preventing the curse spreading, and it is unlikely that the damage can ever be repaired completely.

 

At least one Wolf Priest always stalks the surface of Fenris seeking promising new candidates to recruit into the ranks of the Space Wolves. Wolf Priests perform the ritual implanting of the geneseed and supervise every aspect of training the aspirants. Wolf Priests are the first Space Marines any new recruit has dealings with, and they sternly supervise their development. During training, Space Wolves gain an almost religious respect for these grim old men that never leaves them. A brawl between drunken Space Wolves can be broken up by a single word from a Wolf Priest. It is said that a Wolf Priest's face is the first and last that Space Wolves ever see. They look on it for the first time when they are recruited and for the final time when the Wolf Priest performs the benedicto ultimatus.

 

- Wolves of Fenris article, White Dwarf #246 (July 2000) - released in conjunction with the 3e "minidex"

 

Valerian

[alfred_the_great]

every day is a school day!

[Vash113]

More recent fluff does suggest that Wolf Priests are no longer, or at least not entirely, recruited from such veterans, such as Sigurd from the book Wolf's Honour.

 

In general it should be noted that while the Space Wolves do have a general progression from one rank to the next these are not necessarily as hard and fast rules as in a Codex Chapter and there are several examples in the fluff of individuals moving through the ranks in unusual ways. Ragnar Blackmane skipped from Blood Claw to Wolf Guard technically by way of the Wolf Blade. Ulfric the Slayer was offered promotion to Wolf Lord but declined in favor of the Wolf Priesthood.

[-Volsung-]

Aren't all scouts Grey Hunters?

 

If I recall correctly, that puts them well into the "veteran" category, so I can't see any reason why a scout would not be given a promotion to Wolf Guard if he does something extraordinarily heroic. Although, at the same time, if he is an especially dour and lonely warrior, he might refuse that and stay where he is if he is allowed to, or else he would make one humorless brother at a feast. No good for morae, might start a brawl that gets more personal than friendly.

 

I do agree that, unless he had a revelation or some sort of paradigm shift, a humorless and loner personality would not make for a very good Wolf Priest, who for all else, seems to be the mentor figure to keep the Blood Claws in line.