Giving them that holy edge

[Frater Cornelius]

"Hey, who brought this holiness in our forum!" *big fight ensues*

 

But bear with me, this can potentially be interesting.

 

Now, I can say right now that I am not a big fan of worship, especially if the target of the worship is of questionable existence.

However, something I do both agree with and maybe even believe in is a unified cause and conviction. When a band of people unite and make their own 'crusade' to achieve a certain goal. Believe in a cause can really strengthen ones resolve as opposed to aimless wandering.

The main 'faction' that phenomenon can be found are Crusaders, Knights and Templar orders, though in many cases those also bring in religious aspects.

My problem with many of the above organizations is that overblown zeal and fanaticism. However, I have seen a fair few of 'normal' examples and those really appealed to me.

 

How does that fit with Wolves? Well, another thing I like are hunters and trackers. I occasionally go out hunting myself (not for 'fun' but rather animal population control). I had a few concepts lying around about a mix between of hunters and a bit of spiritualism/holiness.

For example a Huntsman's Cloister, a 'sort of' chapel but instead of holy figures and a place for worship that thing is decorated with images of great tales and sculpts of hunters and trophies but not in a visceral manner and more in a calming an serene manner, a place of nature if you will. That place would be a place where every Marine can go and think about his service, duty and clear his mind.

 

Now I have expanded on that idea and here is what I came up with:

 

So, we all know the Great Hunt of the SW. My story would center on a Great Company for which the Hunt has never ended. After failing to find Russ during one of their hunts the Lords were rather dismal, however one of them notably less so. He was always a man who valued inner strength as much as outer and encouraged his each in his company to find an own purpose and reason so excel, because that would strengthen their resolve.

He found his own meaning in the Great Hunt. Most were focused on the ultimate result of the hunt, he however found that the greatest meaning lay within the journey, not the destination and that all those trial and hardship taught him more about himself than any reward would.

So, instead if returning to Fenris, he and his followers continued the hunt with the goal to cleanse the galaxy of the enemies of man and that he would not return until it is done. The other Lords proclaimed it to be a noble goal but a fools errand because one could not hope to complete such a monumental task in ones lifetime.

However, the Lord of the Company had another thing in mind. They were gone and out of reach for such a long time that they were pronounced lost.

 

Many centuries later the some ships entered orbit around Fenris. It was that very company that left so long ago. However, the original Lord passed away and many blood claws that left were now aged Veterans. Impressed that the Company held out so long without any kind of support, they were offered to be integrated in other companies, only to find that the original idea has never been lost within the company and that they were simply passing through. They only had one favour to ask: they needed recruits. Though many disagreed with the companies quest, no one doubted their ideals and ultimately, they have done no wrong. And so they remained wanderers, with only an occasional relieve ship arriving on Fenris carrying a Wolf Priest, that would search for suitable aspirants.

 

The whole idea of that company is that they pursue a monumental quest, but in the end, it is not about that. When a new recruit is inducted, they start to follow that quest. Some may lose hope on their way and flat out not understand what the veterans mean by 'the reward lies within the journey, not the goal' but are always encouraged by the veterans to keep going. But along the way he looks back at his life and notices what incredible feats he has done on his chase for that goal. And they he realizes that the ultimate reward lay in the journey and when his time has come to fall in battle he realizes that their unified conviction lead him to self-fulfillment and he fights until the very end and dies with a smile on his lips because he now realizes that he already earned his price.

That is also where that Huntsman's Cloister fits in very well. It would be the place where the Wolves can think about their journey and their deeds and ultimately find themselves.

 

As for the company itself, it is constantly wandering, either to support others (other SW or imperial organization they have no beef with) or where they believe the greatest darkness lurks. Every fallen brother is buried on the field of battle and services are held right there before moving on. Even when the battle is lost, they will return with even greater fervor just allow their fallen that final peace.

The company also has a high concentration of Wolf Priests, but very few psyker outside of their serfs.

 

Aesthetically I was thinking to add a touch of Dark Angels and/or GK to my Wolves. Very few, but meaningful ones. Imagine a Grey Hunter with a wolf cloak, but instead of a SW head I will put that hooded DA head on him or a golden token on another that symbolizes his quest or conviction. Subtle changes because the aim is not to create a new chapter but add a bit of flair to the wolves. I also had something akin to this in mind: http://i.imgur.com/gKIGF6d.jpg

 

Those are first drafts and not very thought through as of yet, but that is the idea and style I want to go for with my company. What do you think?

[Rune Priest Jbickb]

I honestly think it is a cool idea and definitely not impossible by the fluff, in fact I think it makes sense to be honest. I would say go for it.

[DanPesci]

I like it, id recently bought a load of chaos warrior cloaks to go onto my Wolf Guard (maybe on all my grey hunters if i have enough time/cash - as PAWG seem a bit dud with the new dex)...and think they would look great with the hooded heads....have always thought hoods would suit SW, obvs theyve stayed away in the model design due to hoods/cloaks being 'dark angels thing'...but i can see no reason to not have hoods, especially if you are making them a bit wolfy in some way.

[spjaco]

I really like this idea.  Curious as to where you go with this.

[Kasper_Hawser]

Very cool idea. I'm probably oversimplifying and not very learned on the history of nordic countries, but I think they viking countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, once being Christianized, also tried to channel their fighting spirit towards exploration of the seas, colonization and trade of new lands rather than fight for the sake of a good fight and pillage. I think once upon a time, before Britain's rise as THE maritime power, Sweden almost became a super power on its own right before England and Russia essentially bullied Sweden down.

 

My advice though is go easy on the horned helmets, which tend to look evil and are more the aesthethic of chaotic worshippers. In reality, nobody really used horned helmets anyway apart from ceremonial purposes, tends to unbalance your helmet when swinging your head around. That myth was propagated by many idiots in history, but I blame Dike Browne the most for making everyone think of Hagar the Horrible when they think of Vikings, with horned helmets and comical pillaging here and there. (though the second part is correct mostly).

 

Go forth and create your nomadic/questing wolves. Ain't nothing wrong with robes, we just use tease the Dark Angels about their robes just because they are Dark Angels, not because they wear robes. :) thanks for sharing your idea.

[Fire Wolf]

I like it, id recently bought a load of chaos warrior cloaks to go onto my Wolf Guard (maybe on all my grey hunters if i have enough time/cash - as PAWG seem a bit dud with the new dex)...and think they would look great with the hooded heads....have always thought hoods would suit SW, obvs theyve stayed away in the model design due to hoods/cloaks being 'dark angels thing'...but i can see no reason to not have hoods, especially if you are making them a bit wolfy in some way.

 

Not to sound like I'm polishing my own mead horn, but if you'd like to see an example of that Dan I've got a kitbash in my painting thread that is exactly what you're using if you need a visualizer or tip.

 

Otherwise I support this move with your army 100% Brother Immersturm, do some WiP posts for us when you get everything rolling!

[Frater Cornelius]

Very cool idea. I'm probably oversimplifying and not very learned on the history of nordic countries, but I think they viking countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, once being Christianized, also tried to channel their fighting spirit towards exploration of the seas, colonization and trade of new lands rather than fight for the sake of a good fight and pillage. I think once upon a time, before Britain's rise as THE maritime power, Sweden almost became a super power on its own right before England and Russia essentially bullied Sweden down.

My advice though is go easy on the horned helmets, which tend to look evil and are more the aesthethic of chaotic worshippers. In reality, nobody really used horned helmets anyway apart from ceremonial purposes, tends to unbalance your helmet when swinging your head around. That myth was propagated by many idiots in history, but I blame Dike Browne the most for making everyone think of Hagar the Horrible when they think of Vikings, with horned helmets and comical pillaging here and there. (though the second part is correct mostly).

Go forth and create your nomadic/questing wolves. Ain't nothing wrong with robes, we just use tease the Dark Angels about their robes just because they are Dark Angels, not because they wear robes. thanks for sharing your idea.

Hooded, not horned ;) I not own a single horned helmet :D As for the sea faring guys, I would name the flag ship 'Nehalennia' which was a Germanic goddess of sailing and trade.

Thanks for the support guys. I soon will make my Great Company conversion, fluff and painting log here. I am currently scouring my bitz boxes in search of DA and GK helmets to spice up the looks and I have thrown 5 robed marines amongst 30 PA models and will soon start to wolfify them.

What I want to reach in the end is a mix between the picture I posted in the OP, germanic hunters, vikings with a few crusader touches. That sounds very specific but it gives a very interesting image of a slightly spiritual grizzled huntsmen.

[RikuEru]

Sounds like the start of a really good idea. It seems to catch your own personal prefernce, while still staying true to the Space Wolves' Style.
Keep up the good work, brother, and share some photos as soon as they are presentable ;)

[Frater Cornelius]

I wish I had a use for TDA in my army, because I love Deathwing Knight models. I do not need allies and I sure as hell do not want to start another army but damn, I just love those buggers D:

[Frater Cornelius]

Okay, here is a first sneak peak into my work. You fans of nordic mythology are going to like this a lot

http://i.imgur.com/w5QRWpj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/foE1aMU.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PPYpyuy.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TFtcy9q.jpg

For all those not so well versed in said mythology, allow me to tell you. This is my Wolf Lord and he is a reference to Wodan, or Odin (as he is called in the north). The six-legged horse a reference to his horse Sleipnir. While the original Sleipnir had eight legs, I only made six because I could not fit another 2 at the back. I also saw pictures of it with six legs, but I have no idea if those hold any truth or just mistakes.

But in the end, what people remember the most about Sleipnir are the 2 pairs of front legs, not the rear ones.

The Spear in his hand is a reference to Odin's Spear Gungnir. However, at the side you still see the Krakenbone Sword

The helmet was fairly easy to make, I cut off the bottom half of a MK3 helmet and to top half of a SW head. I put them together, did a bit of liquid green stuff therapy, added wings from my DA bitz box and BÄM. There he is.

"But Immersturm, I saw the Avengers and Thor and Odin has nothing to do with Wandering or Crusading, which is what your Company is about." I hear someone say.

Well, the connection to my Company is actually a rather subtle one and not many will see it a first glance.

There is a tale about how Odin lost his eye.

It is called the Ynglinga Saga. In said saga Odin ventures to Mimir's Well (aka the well of wisdom), near Jötunheimr, the land of the giants. There he sought to drink from the well to gain the knowledge of past, present and future. To do that he sacrificed one of his eyes. It now lies at the bottom of the well as a sign that Odin's wisdom came at a price.

Here comes the reference. When Odin traveled to the well, he did not do it as Odin, but rather as a wanderer called Vegtam the Wanderer.

Beyond that, Odin is often described as wandering the world in disguises.

And this is why I wanted to model my leader after them. They are wanderers and based on germanic and northern mythology. The Jarl himself is called Valdyr the Wanderer, 'Valdyr' being a norse word for 'Wolf'.

Hope you like it

[Leif Bearclaw]

Damn it all, I was expecting more legs on the horse, but I just couldn't see them at first (maybe because I was expecting 8 ).

Very cool idea. I'm probably oversimplifying and not very learned on the history of nordic countries, but I think they viking countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, once being Christianized, also tried to channel their fighting spirit towards exploration of the seas, colonization and trade of new lands rather than fight for the sake of a good fight and pillage. I think once upon a time, before Britain's rise as THE maritime power, Sweden almost became a super power on its own right before England and Russia essentially bullied Sweden down.

Now for a slight History tangent. The majority of the nordic explorations (Erik the Red, Greenland, all that jazz), were still very much in the Viking Age. Sweden did rise to prominence in the 17th Century, during the 30 years war under Gustavus Adolphus, which resulted in Sweden a major European land power. This lasted until the early 18th century, when a disastrous war with Russia damaged Swedish power, and their empire crumbled soon after the Death of Charles XII in 1718. However they were never a Maritime Power, that distinction was the realm of the Bristish, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Dutch for the most part, and Britain didn't really have much to do with Sweden's fall from grace (unlike Denmark, but that was 19th Century).

[FenrisWolf]

Very very well done!

[Frater Cornelius]

 

[...] Charles XII [...]

 

The great Carolus Rex, which incidentally is my favourite Sabaton album :D

[Crusader Bob]

Wonderful idea, and by the looks of the sneak peek, will be an amazing great company.

There's that little crusader-y feel that always manages to warm my heart(s), with less zeal though.

Gave me a pretty nice idea about standards too, no idea why i didn't link Norns with wolves..... expecially since i play both. 

 

Looking forward to more updates.

[Frater Cornelius]

Hehe, I never actually played GW2 but that imagine stuck to me so much that I use it as my desktop background.

 

As for the miniature, thanks. I worked quite a while on it. I even just had to dunk it in acetone and quickly wash it afterwards because I oversprayed it. There should not be any permanent damage unless resin and greenstuff dissolve from pure water :D

 

I am slowly preparing my GH and PAWG for the log am I going to do and the next HQ option that I will make is Ulrik. Here too will I try to make a reference to a favourite part of Germanic mythology and/or Crusaders and/or Hunters. No idea which one though. My Ulrik counts-as will be the second most important character in my Company, second only to the Jarl. After all, he had a long journey and inducted countless new aspirants and saw their struggles. He reached his inner balance and now he tries to teach it to the others.

[Crusader Bob]

Just a thought, what about Logan? Wouldn't he fit with the theme?

The wolves should go in favor of rams if i remember well, but overall i think can be a choice no?

 

I'm partial, fell in love with that thing and probably is the model that made me decide to start my army, but seems rarely if ever mentioned. That bad?

[Frater Cornelius]

Logan? Nah, I dislike his rules and most of the time he is going to be gathering dust because of his Lord of War status.

I want to create an own leader from ground up with his own looks, equipment and rules. Feels boring to just take the actual leader and give him a different name :D

[DanPesci]

I like it, id recently bought a load of chaos warrior cloaks to go onto my Wolf Guard (maybe on all my grey hunters if i have enough time/cash - as PAWG seem a bit dud with the new dex)...and think they would look great with the hooded heads....have always thought hoods would suit SW, obvs theyve stayed away in the model design due to hoods/cloaks being 'dark angels thing'...but i can see no reason to not have hoods, especially if you are making them a bit wolfy in some way.

Not to sound like I'm polishing my own mead horn, but if you'd like to see an example of that Dan I've got a kitbash in my painting thread that is exactly what you're using if you need a visualizer or tip.

Aye id seen those earlier, good work. Can't remember who else it was on here that had used these as well (which is where i originally got the plan from), but had done a whole load of em with cloaks, barely have th etime to sort out the 10 cloaks i got recently though, never mind do my whole company

[Leif Bearclaw]

Just a thought, what about Logan? Wouldn't he fit with the theme?

The wolves should go in favor of rams if i remember well, but overall i think can be a choice no?

 

I'm partial, fell in love with that thing and probably is the model that made me decide to start my army, but seems rarely if ever mentioned. That bad?

 

Nah, if you're going the Thor Chariot route, it should be Goats, not Rams (iirc).

 

It not that it's bad per se. However Logan lost a lot of his utility this edition, being reduced to another beatstick, which combines with a certain distaste for the LoW (at least, as far as I can tell) means he's not favoured in the crunch. This is then compounded by the fact that the sled is, to some of us, another sign of the 'derp wolves', like TWC, a silly concept that doesn't really fit the Sci Fi setting of 40k.

[Crusader Bob]

Fair enough, i understand the reasoning and won't hijack the thread anymore with this. 

 

I just like silly concepts, makes for a funnier table, plus in my small group we think the bigger the better, so lows are more than welcome.

[Kasper_Hawser]

Damn it all, I was expecting more legs on the horse, but I just couldn't see them at first (maybe because I was expecting 8 ).

Very cool idea. I'm probably oversimplifying and not very learned on the history of nordic countries, but I think they viking countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, once being Christianized, also tried to channel their fighting spirit towards exploration of the seas, colonization and trade of new lands rather than fight for the sake of a good fight and pillage. I think once upon a time, before Britain's rise as THE maritime power, Sweden almost became a super power on its own right before England and Russia essentially bullied Sweden down.

Now for a slight History tangent. The majority of the nordic explorations (Erik the Red, Greenland, all that jazz), were still very much in the Viking Age. Sweden did rise to prominence in the 17th Century, during the 30 years war under Gustavus Adolphus, which resulted in Sweden a major European land power. This lasted until the early 18th century, when a disastrous war with Russia damaged Swedish power, and their empire crumbled soon after the Death of Charles XII in 1718. However they were never a Maritime Power, that distinction was the realm of the Bristish, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Dutch for the most part, and Britain didn't really have much to do with Sweden's fall from grace (unlike Denmark, but that was 19th Century).

Noted, I completely forgot about the Vikings Pre-Columbus exploration of Greenland and the Americas. About Sweden being a potential superpower, I kind of assumed that to be one, you HAD to have a powerful navy. All others that you mentioned all strived to maintain a powerful navy, and I thought Sweden was trying to build one until that disastrous war with Russia (which I still think Britain had a hand in). I think that endeavour failed as I remember that there is a famous wreck which sank right after being launched, which was suppose to be the biggest ship at the time but poorly designed and poor seamanship caused it to be the Titanic of that age.

Back to topic, HOLY HECK! HOW DID YOU FIND SLEIPNIR! That is so awesome, and would totally qualify as a "count as" Thunderwolf lord". AWESOME!

Go Germanic of French Crusade era look. But be careful that they don't end up looking like Warhammer Fantasy Empire, which is actually based on Renaissance era Germany. Anglo Saxon might be a good inspiration as well, as they are primarily infantry based and famous for their shield walls.

[Frater Cornelius]

The 6 leg Sleipnir was born out of a Chaos Lord horse, two extra legs from Chaos Knights, half a ton of liquid and solid green stuff, Tyranid Warriors, SW bitz, an acetone bath due to overspraying, a 3 min cold shower, a thorough cleaning and correcting and a respray.
That is how divine horses are born

Edit: while listening to Ensiferum, Powerwolf, Blind Guardian and Tyr. Otherwise the model would not be epic enough. Pro tip

Here you him again after the resprays and with his 2 pet wolves. I think the details and head are seen a bit better here.

http://i.imgur.com/ZOox9Vr.jpg

And yeah, that sort of Germanic/Celtic look as you described, like Anglo Saxons, is basically what I am aiming to do. I just give them heavier armour. Basically 25% Templar Order and 75% germanic huntsmen, all with a Space Wolf aesthetic.

I feel it is refreshing to take a step away from the 100% nordic viking look and explore other regions during that time period, while still staying true to the original idea of Space Wolves.

[Leif Bearclaw]

Damn it all, I was expecting more legs on the horse, but I just couldn't see them at first (maybe because I was expecting 8 ).

Very cool idea. I'm probably oversimplifying and not very learned on the history of nordic countries, but I think they viking countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, once being Christianized, also tried to channel their fighting spirit towards exploration of the seas, colonization and trade of new lands rather than fight for the sake of a good fight and pillage. I think once upon a time, before Britain's rise as THE maritime power, Sweden almost became a super power on its own right before England and Russia essentially bullied Sweden down.

Now for a slight History tangent. The majority of the nordic explorations (Erik the Red, Greenland, all that jazz), were still very much in the Viking Age. Sweden did rise to prominence in the 17th Century, during the 30 years war under Gustavus Adolphus, which resulted in Sweden a major European land power. This lasted until the early 18th century, when a disastrous war with Russia damaged Swedish power, and their empire crumbled soon after the Death of Charles XII in 1718. However they were never a Maritime Power, that distinction was the realm of the Bristish, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Dutch for the most part, and Britain didn't really have much to do with Sweden's fall from grace (unlike Denmark, but that was 19th Century).

Noted, I completely forgot about the Vikings Pre-Columbus exploration of Greenland and the Americas. About Sweden being a potential superpower, I kind of assumed that to be one, you HAD to have a powerful navy. All others that you mentioned all strived to maintain a powerful navy, and I thought Sweden was trying to build one until that disastrous war with Russia (which I still think Britain had a hand in). I think that endeavour failed as I remember that there is a famous wreck which sank right after being launched, which was suppose to be the biggest ship at the time but poorly designed and poor seamanship caused it to be the Titanic of that age.

Turns out Britain did get involved in the war with Sweden, but only right at the end (1717, with the Russian invasion happening in 1709), apparently in an attempt to connect Hannover (whose King was also King of Britain at the time) to the coast, plus the Swedes had been supporting Jacobite rebels in Scotland. But I can find little evidence of direct British involvement in the war.

Sweden did hold some overseas possessions, but not massive amounts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_overseas_colonies#mediaviewer/File:Swedish_Empire.png

As for the ship, I think you may be thinking of the Mary Rose. Which was an English ship in the 1500s that did indeed sink in its first outing, rather embarrassingly thanks to water getting in its open gun ports.

[Frater Cornelius]

This thread just got very educational. And there is people saying Wh40k will never teach you anything :D

[Kasper_Hawser]

Well, it always delights me to discuss history with everyone, but there's always the danger of derailing posts, which is why I always try to speak back on topic after saying my piece on history.

 

Just like right now: Going back on topic, I would suggest trying to get some alternative models for the wolves: I never like the Fenrisian Wolves models, they always looked like overgrown rats to me.

 

Also would suggest that you change the lance to a halberd of some sort, as a Power Lance is only S+1 AP3 on the charge, then S- AP4 rest of the time. Maybe try to shape it like the "guan dao" white scars use.