Jarl Deathwolf Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 So, with the rise of allies in 6th ed, I've been thinking about the Imperial Guard as a full-fledged army, right alongside my Wolves, viking themed to match. This got me thinking: I know the Wolves have their own Imperial Guard, but... who are they? What do they do? I remember reading (Battle of the Fang, I think), that the Wolves do have their own, Fenrisian born and breed army of Guardsmen. Are they, like the Wolves, selected from the tribes, or is it an inherited role, as it was implied in the book (i.e. guard has children, children become Guard)? What are their numbers? Do they provide convenient consist Guard support, or do they just hold whatever the Wolves capture? Hel, what are they called?! Any information would be apprectiated... (I looked at the Space Wolves Comprehensive History, but I couldn't find anything. 'Course, it IS long, so I might have missed it) Thanks in advance. -Jarl Deathwolf Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emptyedens Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 I always thought it was just a standard PDF. Would love to be wrong. I bet V has a whole section on them..... Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3352867 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarl Deathwolf Posted April 19, 2013 Author Share Posted April 19, 2013 Just read through it more thoroughly and the basic troops are called kaerls. So thats a start. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3352869 Share on other sites More sharing options...
maverik_girl Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 The Kaerls number in the thousands. I suggest re-reading Battle of the Fang to learn more. Not to mention the new book, Blood of Asaheim features a few of them. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3352889 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greylocke Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 The Hearth Guard is a great addition to the lore of the Rout. I'm hoping th BL or FW will come out with a piece of literature or rules focused on them. I especially would like to learn more about their fleet units. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3353254 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostwolfalpha Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 If SW got an imperial guard force with rules specific for fenrisians, that would rock. Even if it was just a few slight differences and a named leader, I would buy IG stuff. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3353416 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rift Blade Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 Collect them anyways. My current House Kaerl Guard force is a Company Command Squad with a Master of Ordanace(Orbital Bombardment), a squad of Vets in carapace armour(exceptional House Kaerls get taken in as aspirants) & a Leman Russ Executioner. Allied with my Wolves it has given some of my opponents fits, lets me paint something other then Marines & brings a whole new range of tactics to my game. Looking at adding a Valk if someone in my gaming area decides to get rid of one sometime or break down & buy one new. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3353483 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valerian Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 Emptyedens, on 18 Apr 2013 - 21:49, said: I always thought it was just a standard PDF. Would love to be wrong. I bet V has a whole section on them..... Well, here is something that might help: "The Space Wolves do not dwell alone in the mighty fortress of the Fang. Like all Space Marine Chapters they are too few in number to maintain such a massive organisation. There are numerous tasks that must be done just to maintain the Fang: continual updating of its fabric and weaponry, and the monitoring of its power grid and the thermal wells that draw heat from beneath the surface of Fenris. Like other Space Marine Chapters the Space Wolves keep a large fleet ready for war, and the Fang includes huge dockyards and all the facilities needed to equip and control the fleets. There are countless other things which must be done just to preserve the Chapter in its continual state of readiness. It is hardly surprising that the Fang is home to a large population of the Chapter's bondsmen. The Chapter's bondsmen are loyal members of the Chapter, although they are not Space Wolves. The ancestors of these warrior-retainers came to the Fang many thousands of years ago. Some are descended from Fenrisian warriors who may have been selected as potential Space Wolves, but who were judged unfit to endure the final testing. Such individuals are brought to the Fang to serve their masters in a more humble but equally vital capacity. Every Great Company has its own retainers, and the Great Wolf himself has the largest number. Most of the spacecraft crews, drivers, and the warriors who man Fenris' defences are bondsmen of this kind. When the Chapter goes to war it is these retainers who keep the Fang running and defend the planet against attack." 2e Codex Space Wolves, pg. 60 Valerian Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3353495 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarl Deathwolf Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 So their only purpose is to maintain/protect the Aett, and man the ships and guns? Hm... that is slightly problematic. Do they take some of their retainers as support when they go to war in a particularly drawn-out campaign? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3354043 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growler67 Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 So their only purpose is to maintain/protect the Aett, and man the ships and guns? Hm... that is slightly problematic. Do they take some of their retainers as support when they go to war in a particularly drawn-out campaign? The SW Bondsmen are pilots for their fleet assets among other duties, roles and positions. I imagine that they accompany the Great Companies as deemed necessary based on what equipment is sent for deployment. As for the Kaerls, PDF IMHO, they would remain on the Homeworld as that is their primary function and the Great Company would draw on whatever local assets are available where they venture. In the Ragnar Saga, the local PDF as well as Imperial Guard forces are either there already and the SW's arrive to bolster or similar. No mention is ever made of the Kaerls much less leaving the Homeworld to deploy with a Great Company. As the SW's primary function is to face the enemy, their bondsmen are charged with operating the vehicles to get them into the fight and support them while they are there. Two similar but different entities; Bondsmen and Kaerls. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3354467 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarl Kjaran Coldheart Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Personally I cant see the kaerls of Fenris accompanying the Rout to war. They simply cant keep up with the Warriors of the Rout. As tough and skilled as they are, their being involved in any Rout action would simply be detrimental to the war effort. this is no slight against the kaerls, but they are unmodified humans. the brutal nature of the Rout's warfare would leave them floundering. WLK Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3354489 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarl Kjaran Coldheart Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 if i were to ally Guardsmen to the Wolves, I would add them in as House Belarius (or however thats spelt) soldiers. The Ragnar series mentions multple times of the Wolves leading their soldiers to war. Either that or have the guardsmen be "adopted" by the Rout. Much like the survivors of Armageddon that Grimnar worked to ferry to new homes, they could be soldiers that have become "seconded" to the Rout due to extreme circumstances. WLK Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3354491 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rift Blade Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 What about the various worlds under their direct protection? It is said in the codex I believe that the Wolves receive tribute from various planets that they have protected &/or saved all the time. Why not a PDF or Guard force raised in their honour? Regular Imperial Guard or even Armoured Co. named after the Space Wolves in some fashion as their way of honouring the Wolves for what they have done. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3354512 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarl Kjaran Coldheart Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 i could see a force being raised in their honor, but that wouldnt grant then the inherent "wolfy" traits any native Fenrisian raised force woud possess. and unless the world gets invaded, I dont see the Rout fighting alongside them. They would focus their limited numbers where they are needed. WLK Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3354520 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarl Deathwolf Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 I've heard that the culture of a Chapter is spread across its domains. Like how Ultramar is essentially Rome in Space. So is the Fenrisian culture spread across a few of the planets that the Wolves protect, leading to Fenrisian-type Kaerls? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3354612 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durfast Spiritwolf Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Blood of Asaheim suggests the military organisation of the Imperium is stretched to breaking point. Lesser vessels are likely to have a modest number of brothers on board at best. So it is not unreasonable that kaerls (also called huskearls) are employed for local defence and security tasks across the fleet, as well as serving in the Aettguard proper (meaning Heath Guard), which aided in the defence of the Fang. Aettguard may also be taken to describe the organisation of which all kearls form part. From Battle of the Fang, squads of kearls are armed with skjoldtar carbines and form five hundred strong rivens (battalions) under Rivenmasters. Rivens were assigned to Great Companies, so I see no issue in a riven following it's Great Company into battle nor the kearls of a SW vessel acting in support of a SW assault. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/274323-the-hearth-guard/#findComment-3354739 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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