RAVN SØK - The Raven's Search

[RikuEru]

RAVN SØK
Low Gothic Dialect of Juvjk for «The Raven's Search»
Declared a Crusade by the Adeptus Administratum for organisational purposes.

 

▪ GENE-SEED:
          VLKA FENRYKA

▪ PROCLAMATION:
         After the 3^rd Great Hunt (Which allegedly found nothing of note)

▪ CURRENT LEADERSHIP:
         Grand Seer Hargar Frosthand (Rune Priest)
         → Council of Axes (Wyrdstorm Brotherhood)
▪ HOME WORLD:
         Fenris
         Location: Segmentum Obscurum

▪ FORTRESS WORLD:
         „Crow's Nest“ (Cataloged as a Desert World)
         Location: Ultima Segmentum – Between Valhalla and the Maelstrom
         Coordinates: ++REDACTED++

▪ FLAGSHIP:
         Durfast's Longboat – Strike Cruiser, Vanguard Variant

▪ MAIN COLOURS:
         Different tones of Grey, differing from the regular blue-grey of the Space Wolves

▪ SPECIALITY:
         Assault, Adaptability, Stealth, Survivability, Tactical Return

▪ BATTLE CRY:
         Fenrisian battle-chants of many variations, distinct to the usually shouted wolfish howls of the VLKA FENRYKA

▪ CURRENT STRENGTH:
         Fluctuating – Highest during the times of short peaceful periods and before the start of a new Great Hunt

▪ DESCENDANTS:
         Allegedly the genetically-stable Astartes of the Wolf Brothers were secretly incorporated into these forces.
         The Inquisition investigated, as good as possible, but did not find any evidence.
         There are no records that support this.

▪ ALLEGIANCE:
         Imperium of Man – Space Wolves, first and foremost.

 

ORIGIN:

The Third Great Hunt was a fruitless search, despite the effort of all Space Wolves Chapters over a long campaign. After the return of all 12 Companies into the fold of the Aett, Jorin Blackeye, a Rune Priest, looked over the angered and disappointed Space Wolves assembled in the Great Hall with concern. Soon after he was granted a vision:

He saw the great Wolf King himself, marching over the grey, battletorn fields of an unknown world, his most trusted Guards at his sides. They picked up the spoils of war, from fallen brothers and foes alike. Two big ravens, Huginn and Muninn, one black and one white, perched on the shoulders of Russ, were watching over the veteran warriors.
On a desolate hilltop they laid down all these weapons and other equipment, forming a circle with them. And while Russ and his Wolf Guards marched on into a heavy „storm“, the black crow flew away and sat down at the centre of the circle, the white one staying at Leman Russ' side.

Then the vision shifted to the view of a breathtaking, distorted look at the galaxy. In the centre was a large, white orb of light, only interupted by a small, black, flickering speck of shadow – that looked almost like a crow beating its wings.

Immediately afterwards Blackeye sought council among his fellow Rune Priests and his Great Wolf. Due to unknown possibilities he was able to share the vision with his brothers. The next day all Space Wolves were once again assembled in the Great Hall and even some Kaerls were among them, interested to hear what could only be important news so soon after the End of a Great Hunt.
The Blood Claws awaited a huge feast, followed by a bloody battle somewhere far off, just to be celebrated in an even bigger feast. Some Grey Hunters assumed that the Great Hunt would be resumed. The Wolf Guards told the younger Wolves to shut up and respectfully wait for the appearance of the jarls, priests and the Great Wolf, while the Long Fangs waited in grim silence.
It is said that even the many Wolves among them, no matter their age, breed or size, were restless – not in fear, but in excitement.

The Space Wolves were informed of the vision and that from now on there would be forces of the Chapter always assigned to search the content of this vision, as a means to find Leman Russ, any remnants of his Wolf Guards, former Legion fortresses or hints that could be followed in a proper Great Hunt. The first goal would be to find the location of the world seen in the vision.

In the following weeks the Ravn Søk Forces were assembled under the Leadership of Jorin Blackeye. A few Marines from every Great Company felt destined to follow him and asked their Wolf Lords for 'temporary leave' and even a quite big number of Kaerls volunteered. The Forces were supplied with a Strike Cruiser and an accompanying small fleet, aswell as all supplies they could need on their endeavour.

Since then they have followed a single, wise Rune Priest as their Grand Seer and were able to establish a secondary base for the Space Wolves, reclaim many relics of the Chapter and found hints and signs for all following Great Hunts.

 

ARMAMENT AND EQUIPMENT:

The Ravn Søk Forces use everything available in the general Space Wolves Armory. Over the Millenia they were able to retrieve and supply the Aett many lost relics of the Vlka Fenryka.
Due to cooperation with other Astartes Chapters and lucky findings along their way, some unusual weapons, armors and vehicles have found their way into the Armoury of the Ravn Søk Forces.

The wear a special issue paint scheme to distinguish betweeen Astartes in active duty to their Great Company and those that 'follow the Crow'.
All armors are veryfied by an Iron Priest, blessed by a Rune Priest and sealed by a Wolf Priest before deployment. Enables wearing Space Wolves Astartes to ++REDACTED++

 

         Black - Worn by Wolf Priests and Long Fangs
         Dark Grey - Worn by Wolf Lords, their Wolf Guards, Iron Priests and Rune Priests. Also used for most vehicles.
         Grey - Grey Hunters
         Light Grey - Blood Claws
         White - Scouts

 

 

FORTRESS WORLD: Crow's Nest

 

▪ PICTURE:
         ++ MISSING – TO BE RESTORED ++

▪ MAP:
         ++ MISSING – TO BE RESTORED ++

▪ SURFACE:
         Barren, dry, rocky wasteland. Moss, Fern and Lichen survive in sheltered places.

▪ ATMOSPHERE:
         Thin, but O₂ rich. Breathable.

▪ GEOLOGY:

The planet has a large, diagonal fissure over almost a third of its circumference, called „The Maw“.
Due to the cataclysmic event that must have caused this rift, large amounts of debris were ejected into the planet's orbit. Due to an unregular magnetic field the debris did not form rings.
The planet's inside is hollow, reachable through the large rift. Under the surface's outer crust (120 km thick) lies a thick layer (180 km thick) of black crystal, followed by a, by now cooled and hardened, (210 km thick) layer of former mantle rock.

The black crystal material is classified as Corvanium.
Corvanium does not react to force, heat, energy or tools of any kind known to human kind. It has a high gravitational pull. It apparently blocks the warp off aswell, being as impenetrable in the Immaterium as in the Materium.
According to the Adeptus Mechanicus' research there are no noteworthy deposits found anywhere else in the Galaxy. It is assumed that the worlds closer to the Galaxy's Core could contain traces of the material, but there is no hard evidence for this in the archives of the Mechanicum.
While it has interesting properties, the Mechanicum stopped all experiments and research regarding Corvanium due to the futility of such efforts.

▪ HISTORY:

Sometime during the Dark Age of Technology this world at the Core of the Milky Way Galaxy was settled by, possibly stranded, humans, who learned to survive on the barren world, able to mine for minerals and grow simple weeds and feed domestic animals. Both the outside and parts of the inside were settled by them.
During the Age of Strife the local warpstorms cut the planet of from the rest of humanity and changed the system's sun's hue to a blue-white colour, causing slightly lower temperatures on the Planet's surface.
But the settlers were able to adapt to this with ease.

Somewhen during the early days of the Great Crusade, Leman Russ and the Space Wolves Legion found this world merely 'by accident' and brought them into the Imperial fold. The thankful humans native to „Crow's Nest“ celebrated the Space Wolves coming in a large scale.
While Leman Russ was humbled, he did see the world's strategic value. Counseling with his father, plans for transforming the world into a large Fortress and Port were made – both as a second base at the center of the galaxy for the VI Legion and an emergency hideout. A small number of each and every kind of Astartes weapon, armor and even some vehicles, even Legion-specific ones, were to be put in stock here aswell, for analysation and training purposes – so the Space Wolves would know every weakness of the other Legions, would they be ordered to act against them.
Due to this, it was kept secret from their brotherly Legions, even the later Warmaster Horus, and the Imperium as a whole.


Soon after, the planet was hollowed out even further. The Canyon leading into the planet's inside was fortified with bastions, weapon batteries and macro cannons.
On the inside halls, bunkers, workshops, hangar bays and landing platforms were built. All of these were manned by both Fenrisian Kaerls and natives of Crow's Nest (who were deemed equal to Kaerls hailing from Fenris in the Eyes of the Legionnaires.)
A whole fleet of ships would've been able to be housed within the planet with ease. The VI th Legion used this secondary port extensively during the Great Crusade and the beginning of the Horus Heresy.
All the while, the settlements and the cities on the outside were left almost unchanged, looking like a normal feudal world.

But during the high days of the Heresy, while the Space Wolves were fighting their way to Terra itself, Warpstorms lashed out from the Maelstrom, seemingly send by the Chaos Gods themselves. The planet's surface was ravaged by waves of warp energies, all of the settlers present on the surface dying with agony.
...but on the inside, nothing had happened. Everything was kept intact and all the garrisoned forces of Kaerls, settlers and a handful of Legionnaires survived unharmed – but were cut off from the rest of the Imperium once more.
Knowing what happened outside, they stayed where they were.

Over hundreds of years, they survived, due to their sturdy nature and simplistic, but efficient hydroponic plants.
Only few more than a dozen Legionnaires were among the survivors on the inside.
Even though disconnected from their Primarch and Legion, they stood guard at a small shrine at the edge of the Maw, for every day, getting older than some of the oldest Long Fangs.

The Kaerls looked upon these Legionnaires with the utmost respect, as they were their symbol of unending hope. For as long as the Space Wolves would stood guard, there was still hope that the Imperium would not forget them and that the Crusade Fleets would one day return to save them.

Little did they know that the Empire layed in shambles and it only slowly gained back some of its control. Sadly, this little feudal word was declared lost to the Warp and became all but forgotten.
In it, many old weapons and armors, even old vehicles and dreadnought chassis, that were stationed there, waited to be reclaimed.

...only close to the end of Jorin Blackeye's lifetime, did the Ravn Søk Forces finally find Crow's Nest and re-established it as a Fortress and Port of the Space Wolves Chapter. Almost all surviving descendants of the former settlers and fenrisians joined the forces as civillian volunteers.

 

PRESENT ACTIVITIES:

 

Very few, due to the 13^th Black Crusade and other crises needing the Space Wolves' attention in the 41^st Millennium.
But they are still active and many Space Wolves put every available time to be off- duty into the „Search for the Raven“, in preperation for the Wolftime, which is believed to be close.

„They are right on the heels of the Wolf King. Just like finding fresh footprints of someone going right infront of you in a Blizzard. You can't see, hear or reach him, but you know he's there.“ - Logan Grimnar

 

COMBAT DOCTRINE:

 

         Fly In, Secure the Objective, Leave.
         Safety and Secrecy First.
         Differing from normal Space Wolves standard tactics.

 

ROLL OF HONOR:

 

Aiding the Black Crusade

Description missing

 

Nightly Raid on Do'Min

Description missing

The Relic and the Swarm

Description missing

Saving the Expedition of Clarity

Description missing

 

RECRUITMENT INTO THE FORCE:

 

Single battle brothers or even units that dwell in the Aett, in between engagements, are blessed by a rune priest, who saw them march into the snow storm in a vision, or are recommended by a Wolf Priest due to their accomplishments.
This allows them to ask for 'temporary leave' from their Great Company, if the Wolf Lord accepts this. In rare cases even Astartes interred into dreadnoughts are joining the Force. Even rarer still Wolf Lords accompany the Ravn Søk.

 

FLEET ASSETS:

 

Fluctuating – Depending on demands and availability all parts of the Space Wolves fleet can be put into use.

 

 

BELIEFS:

 

Center to their mission is the belief that, if they embrace the mythical power of Huginn and follow the white spectre of Muninn, they can find Leman Russ himself, who forever marches on against the oncoming storm of enemies.

If he is to be found, the Wolftime would come, which could be the salvation and saving grace for the Imperium.

Some further belief that Leman Russ not only entered the Eye of Terror in an attempt to find the Tree of Life, to heal the Emperor, and collect all his missing fragments needed to fill him with life once again, but that he will emerge from the Maelstrom when he returns – hence the relatively close location of Crow's Nest to the Maelstrom.

 

LOCAL RITUALS:

 

The Shrine of „Eternal Lookout“ at the edge of the Maw is holy to both Kaerls and Astartes. It is said that Astartes that newly joined the Ravn Søk Forces visit this shrine as their first action, after landing on Crow's Nest.

 

FORCE EMBLEMS:

 

Many banners and emblems of the Ravn Søk Forces depict one or both of the black and white ravens, Huginn and Muninn.
But all regular Fenrisian symbols and runes common among Space Wolves can be found among them.

 

HONORS, RELICS, DECORATIONS AND AWARDS:

 

++ LOST ARCHIVE – NEEDS EXPANSION ++

 

BATTLE CRY:

 

"We follow Huginn, to find Muninn and the Wolf King!“

 

GENE-SEED:

Standard Space Wolves Gene-seed

 

CHAMPIONS OF THE RAVN SØK:

Skarin, Weaponmaster of the Aett



________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Creator's Note:
This is a collection of the notes I put down during the last year, now finally in one place, as an entry for both Olis' Liberalia Martiale 2016 and Grand Master Belial's THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ANGELS 2016

This is the first full iteration of my personal head-canon to explain...
...why my Space Wolves are painted in differing tones of grey, depending on their rank/unit – and not „The Fang“ Blue-Grey
...why Lukas the Trickster works alongside Krom Dragongaze, Ulrik the Slayer, Logan Grimnar or even mighty Bjorn himself.
...why there are so many (B@C) MKIV armors, Cataphractii TDAs and even a Contemptor Dreadnought among them
...why I have to face off against Novokh Dynasty Necrons, a special (splinter-) Hivefleet of Tyranids, two different Tau Forces, Eldar and Dark Eldar, soon Demons and CSMs too, and other forces among my playgroup so often.
...why I now and then have to ally with Blood Angels, Black Templars, Adeptus Mechanicus forces or even... Dark Angels, played by my OWN, REAL brother! Ugh!
...why I am building and constructing Kaerls
...why I will paint and convert stuff normally not in the Space Wolves Armoury (Helfrost Centurions? Yes or YES!!?)
...why I sometimes would like to throw my dice at my enemies and then melta both of them.

I know this is very RAVEN and CROW focused and I had to name-drop them quite often. But neither do I want to trade in the wolfy wolf wolves wolfiness for ravenous raven crowing crows, nor do I want a Fenrisian Raven Guard.
Huginn and Muninn are just the inspirational core to set this thing off, and they are the ones the Ravn Søk Forces are actually seeking to find Leman Russ. But they are not the only stylistic element I will put into my army, to thin the Wolfiness a bit.
...there will be Bear Claw wielding, burly Marines aswell.
And other elements, if I get around to do them.

I'll expand on this over time.
I'll post pictures of what's already finished as soon as I can.
(Maybe even one day story telling pictures...)

Of course I'm very open to criticism or further notes and ideas. (Especially because I'm still a whelp when it comes to WH40k lore)
If you can expand on it or have ideas and inspirations for me, please tell!

((Safely reserved for further expansion!))