Possible Luna Wolves Story Line

[Demonknight]

I have been wanting to run a Luna Wolves Army for awhile now. I really like the background of the Luna Wolves prior to the Heresy, but it seems most of their awsome units are post heresy. So that got me thinking of a story line. (Yes I am a true "fluff" advocate lol)

What if a contingent of say 100+ Luna Wolves was assigned to test the legions new "strike craft" a gift from the Salamanders as a tribute to Horus newly appointed position of Warmaster. An early predecessor of the now more common Space Marine Strike Cruiser maybe. Perhaps the majority of the contingent were from Terra even.

There was a disastrous event that took place throwing the cruiser into the warp causing it to reappear years later after the events of Istavaan III. They would be appalled at the atrocities committed by Horus. Loken, having discovered there was a loyalist craft close to Terra would reach out. Malcador might even attempt to contact them and assign them a quest to try and interfere with the Horus's plans. Would other "survivors" join them, loyalists pursue them, attacked from all sides even?

I wonder would Loken have joined them for a time. . . .most likely not as he was given a higher task by Malcador. Maybe they even found other small pockets of Sons of Horus who defect once they know the full betrayal of Horus (stationed on far outposts).

They would be armed the basic gear plus whatever they where able to liberate from there missions. Malcador may have given them specialized gear and even have a small team of custodians company them (just in case ).

What does anyone think a good force would be to represent this? I plan on a couple "liberated" Spartans and maybe a termi squad or two.

Thoughts?

[Legionary Pallas]

I had been toying with this idea myself, but every time the whole "lost in the warp" concept seemed kinda cheap to me. However I can't think of any other way to make it fit.

[Dantay VI]

Why can't they be Sons of Horus, who upon realising what Horus has become and the civil war he has brought down on the imperium, decide that they are no longer Sons of a treacherous father & revert back to their original legion colours and name, in order to show loyalty to the Emperor?

 

Doent the "half-hear" in galaxy in flames go back to calling himself a Luna Wolf when he realises what is happening on Istvaan and flees trough the warp with Garro.

 

I would imagine that a lot of Terrans who fought alongside the Emperor, would remain loyal (like Loken and others) and choose the legions former colours to declare their loyalty.

 

Also as mainly Terrans, they would be smaller elite veteran style units in older armour marks (due to being the original inductees before recruitment went full time to Cthonia).

Use the cool rules to represent the veterancy of the "old men of the legion"

[N1SB]

I really like the ideas in this thread.  I read the initial post yesterday and digested the information before replying.  Here's just some thoughts from someone listening, bouncing some ideas back.  My key takeaways from the initial post were:

 

 

+ these Lunar Wolves were on a Strike Cruiser gifted by the Salamanders

+ they were already sent out of the way before Istvaan III

- let's not use the lost-in-the-war trope; it's not wrong, just over-used

 

 

With that, I Forged A Narrative with those elements, just to perhaps bounce some ideas around.

 

 

After being corrupted on Davin, the Warmaster Horus Lupercal "almost immediately began to weave an intricate plan of treachery that would slowly come to bear fruit.  Those he could not trust, he used his authority to send away..."  Such was the case of these Sons of Horus who, despite being from his own Legion, were loyal to the Emperor first and foremost, and thus were assigned on an exploratory mission beyond the very fringes of the galaxy.

 

To ensure their supposed mission and actual exile would have minimal impact on his own military forces, Horus gave them a spare Strike Cruiser that was itself a gift from the Salamanders, preventing them from depriving him of one from his own fleet.  At the time, it amused him that a tribute from those he planned to betray could be used as an asset for that very purpose, but it would later turn out that...due to coincidence or consequence, it would come back to haunt him.

 

Due to the planned length of their expedition, from which Horus never expected them to return, these wayward Sons were put into suspended animation by way of chemical treatment to their Sus-an Membranes, an implant designed for that very purpose.  In order to convince them of this masquerade, the Warmaster promised the outcasts they would be awakened either when they reached their destination or if there was an emergency, he would send a signal to awaken them to be recalled.

 

Of course, Horus arranged for their Strike Cruiser's engines to be cut once they went dormant, and would never send a communique to their ship again...

 

...but unfortunately for the Warmaster, the Salamanders did.

 

In the wake of the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V, the Salamanders who survived delivered a sub-warp broadcast to the rest of the Legion to warn them of Horus's betrayal, using their own proprietary communication system installed on all their ships.  It was a minor, redundant fail-safe system, typical of Vulkan's design standards (like how they master-craft their weapons to re-roll to hit, here's a re-roll to send word of treachery).  Thus, the Salamanders unintentionally but serendipitously triggered the wayward Sons of Horus's revival.

 

The news of their Horus's treachery was a rude awakening.  Even after overcoming their initial denial that their own Warmaster could not have committed such atrocities, these former Lunar Wolves were in a disagreement how they, just enough to man a single Strike Cruiser, could stop Horus's mad scheme.  Their internal debate was especially poignant, even though they were loyal to the Emperor, Horus was not just their Warmaster, but their Primarch.

 

It was a divide between their souls and their very flesh.

 

The wayward Sons nearly came to blows until one of their number pointed out that was not their weakness, but their strength.  More than any other Legion, they knew the Warmaster's methods, his procedures.  They would wage a guerrilla war against their former Brothers, striking precisely where they were afraid to be struck when they themselves were under Horus's command.

 

They soon put this theory to the test to re-supply themselves upon their return, which they were short of...as per Horus's designs for them.  Though their security clearances were revoked, they knew enough to find procedural loopholes to bluff their way into their former Legion's strongholds, like thieves breaking into their former homes.  Though not master infiltrators (like, say, the Raven Guard or Alpha Legion), these new tactics and strategies refined their techniques to conserve resources.

 

Thus, the wayward Sons of Horus, the last, lost Lunar Wolves, finally came home to roost.

 

 

-----

 

 

Tbh, I was drafting the above with the following thought in mind.

 

 

Maybe they even found other small pockets of Sons of Horus who defect once they know the full betrayal of Horus (stationed on far outposts). 

 

 

So basically I was just arranging your own idea...I just found it sometimes helps for your audience to bounce back an idea.

 

As for ideas of an army list framework, obviously a Shattered Legion with the Salamanders probably crossed your mind.  I just want to suggest Chosen Duty, a generic RoW that gets overlooked because it kinda snuck up on us when it was released, would be really ideal.

 

Chosen Duty requires a simple Delgatus Consul (representing a commander Horus chose for the duty of going away) with Veterans as Troops.  With Veterans now getting Veteran Tactics, a really apt one IMHO is Marksman to get Outflank (to show how they can read the Warmaster's moves and cut them off from the side) and Sniper (having to conserve ammo, they are much more methodical in their shooting, foregoing things like Fury of the Legion that uses up too many bullets).  They don't get things like Lords of War (too big for them to "liberate" from their former Legion).  It's a really good RoW that an Ultramarine friend of mine uses, and it was because of how Veterans were buffed that I've removed Castellans from my Ordo Reductor list, such is their effectiveness.

 

Just some ideas to augment your own great one!  I thought the concept was really cool, wanted to help!

[Demonknight]

Thanks for all the feedback! :) 

 

1 Step, all I can say is WOW!  You took the basic idea I have been pondering and took it to a whole new level. I really like your story arch. You have found a brilliant way to circumvent the whole "lost in warp" which was one of many things I have been trying to replace. I am going to start building and painting this force now. Thanks for the inspiration! :)

[Demonknight]

So I started painting up a couple of figs this weekend I have some SoH colored guys for infiltrators. This is my test paint scheme.

 

 

I also started a couple tests of my paint scheme for the Luna Wolves. Its only the main color so far. I usually hate doing "lighter" colors, but I am pretty happy with how these are looking so far.

 

 

I have also started my "counts as" Malonghurst the twisted. I am using the background of a leader who has suffered much in the skirmishes to reclaim there honor.

 

 

 

[Brother Pheidias]

The washes you've used on the white Luna Wolf is a tad blotchy. Next one, try to dab on the wash where you want it, and then load your brush with water, and rinse off the excess wash. Looking good so far though, fluff and painting.

[Demonknight]

The washes you've used on the white Luna Wolf is a tad blotchy. Next one, try to dab on the was where you want it, and then load your brush with water, and rinse off the excess wash. Looking good so far though, fluff and painting.

 

 

Thank you :). I will definitely try this on the next ones.

[foto69man]

Luther stationed whole chapters of Dark Angels around creation and didn't tell The Lion.  Who's to say Malgohurst didn't too?

[Demonknight]

I have been going crazy trying to figure out the best build for a couple squads of veteran tacticals. I have concidered many loadouts and a couple have stuck around. 

 

10man squad, sarg with PF & AA, 6-7 power swords, 2-3 combi-flamers or HF. Maybe a rhino for transport?

 

10man squad, sarg with PF & AA, 3 combi-melta, rhino.

 

10man squad, sarg with PF & AA, combi-plasma, 2 plasma guns, rhino.

 

10man squad, sarg with PF & AA, 2 HF, 2 combi-plasma parked on an objective.

 

I have also been looking at Justarian terminator builds. I am going to do at least 2 10 man squads. One will be painted Luna Wolves and the other SoH (keeping with the "liberated" & infiltrating theme). There armour would be mismatched coming from several variants maybe.

 

I am not sure how to arm them. I know combi-plasma's are awsome. I know I am going to put PF & CF an some of them. I was also thinking of a couple pairs of lightning claws. Maybe in a couple spartans? 

 

Maybe a Mastadon with a couple contemptors?

 

Just some thoughts I am kicking around. I see this force slowly building up its strength (picking off outposts and stock yards) to take a massive decisive strike on there former brothers.

[bluntblade]

I had been toying with this idea myself, but every time the whole "lost in the warp" concept seemed kinda cheap to me. However I can't think of any other way to make it fit.

There's always the Jubal Khan option, where they'd been deployed to some far-flung sector (Jubal went hunting some xenos way above the Galactic plain) and came back to find everything had gone mad.

[Demonknight]

What about throwing in a couple marines from other legions? Maybe when a couple of "fractured" squad members join up when they learn of there direct goal to do as much damage to Horus's forces as possible. Abandoning there former Legion colors. Even those from other traitor legions who were so far removed from the front lines at the time that they look for an outlet for there revenge when they learn of there Primarchs betrayal. Maybe they even give directions to outposts of there former legions giving more supplies to the cause.

 

I wonder if they would even welcome help from the Imperium or go more "Rouge" employing tactics that seek revenge no matter the cost. I imagine if Malcador new of there existence he would send "babysitters" to help/ watch for the slightest hint of betrayal such as a small force of Custodes. Perhaps Malcador would even guide there attacks to reach his own personal goals? He may even send Loken to monitor them. 

[bluntblade]

Custodians are too valuable to use on that sort of venture. On the other hand there are Malcador's mortal agents, his Chosen. Perhaps the other Astartes have pledged themselves to aiding him.

[Demonknight]

Yes, custodes would be a stretch. *sigh*

I have thought about small pockets of other legions that survived and have remained loyal. I remembered reading about the "70" that survived with Garro on the Einstein. There does not seem to be any info on what there fate may have been. . . . . enter possible new recruits. :) They would fit with the revenge thought of these Luna Wolves. They would also be leery of the emperium having been locked up for there heroics? They may also know of pockets of traitor gear ripe for the taking.

I am thinking of painting them up with Dusk raiders colors, keeping with my original legion motif.

Thoughts or other allies?