HH Wolfsbane: Artwork

[helterskelter]

Here ya go, Russ vs. Horus

 

 

Unfortunately no Blaze Bailey in sight!

Edited November 19, 2017 by helterskelter

[Marshal Loss]

I have literally never been more excited for a HH novel ever. Dear dark gods, that cover!

 

It must be said also, that aside from my horrendous bias for Horus over Russ, I am really looking forward to the dialogue between them. The fact it's written by Haley, who has been brilliant in recent years, means I am absurdly excited for this.

 

edit: unclear on my PC, but the smoking/on fire SoH marines might be Luperci?

Edited November 19, 2017 by Marshal Loss

[Kelborn]

Great cover!

Eager to read it. Haley is really good and he's about to become one of my favourites.

 

Aaaaaaaand: the Spear of Russ!! :O

[Sandlemad]

Liking the sound of a flashback to the finding of Russ, and Horus having to deal with the fact that he's not the only primarch. Russ's early history following his reunion with the emperor - the taking command, the establishment of the Fang, his early campaigns - were some of the most interesting stuff in Inferno, and if this carries on the character arc seen in Wolf King, I'm looking forward to it.

 

The idea of Russ gunning for Horus despite knowing it's not a certain thing speaks to a lot of what I like about his character. It's a big change, plot-wise, and could go badly wrong. Haley's done some good stuff and some poorer stuff so fingers crossed.

[Dantay VI]

Could be interesting, would rather Chris Wraight was writing it though.

 

No wonder Russ hated that spear. The wolf perched on top is stupidly tacky and Horus' pose looks a little awkward.

 

So between Alpharius and Russ, looks like spears are not the best weapons for killing primarchs :p

[hopkins]

hype engaged to beast mode

[Izlude]

Thought Chris would be writing it too but definitely not disappointed that Haley is writing it, he has been on fire.

 

Yeah agree art looks little awkward, you think this is a prelim piece or final? The only pic that did spears right is PoD with alpharius.

[Roomsky]

Not really sure what either of them are trying to accomplish with those stances and swings, but a proper crop should make it a nice cover. Good to see Horus getting some more cover treatment.

[Taliesin]

This shows the actual book cover. I can't make out the subtitle.

 

Edited November 19, 2017 by Taliesin

[Ascanius]

I could read "The wyrd spear", then googled it:

 

The wyrd spear cast

[Taliesin]

So, comments from Twitter

 

• Russ’ character has a pivotal point in this book which helps show the difference between Crusade Russ and post Scouring Russ.
• Books starts on Terra some time after The Khan arrives. Sanguinius has returned. Meanwhile Russ is campaigning against Dorn’s wishes. Russ returns to Fenris to work out how to kill Horus.
• Pre Yarant, lots of references to Beta-Garmin. Linking into various other stories.
• Haley is reading an extract, about the discovering of Leman Russ and Fenris by the Emperor and Horus. Sounds so cool. Horus has to accept the idea that he's not the only one...

Book looks fantastic, most hyped HH book since Master of Mankind IMO. Slaves of Darkness looks just as good I have to say.

Edited November 19, 2017 by Taliesin

[Kelborn]

Sounds very promising!

Instantbuy for me.

 

Is there something else including Russ in between this and Wolfking that would be mandatory?

[b1soul]

I think how Russ ends up in a coma should be addressed in a full HH novel...but I'm not in favour of a Horus vs. Russ showdown in which we know Horus will win but Russ won't die. A bit pointless IMO

[Kelborn]

If this fight leads to Horus going full chaos mode, then it's not that pointless, imho.

 

I assume that Horus realize that he hasn't got enough to own the Emperor if he "struggles" to beat Russ. Or he accepts full power buff during the fight, enraged about Russ' capability to withstand?

 

Whatever it will be, I'm very curious about it. :)

[b1soul]

Horus has already been in full Chaos mode since Molech

 

I doubt an encounter with Russ will lead to further bargains with Chaos. I also don't see how post-Molech Horus will struggle with Russ. It'll be a one-sided curbstomp with Russ miraculously evading death somehow

[Kelborn]

Ah yeah, forgot Molech, my bad.

 

Maybe it'll be more of an origin story between the two Wolves of the Emperor.

Taliesin quoted that Horus has to accept the fact that he's not the only one.

 

Maybe they just face off against each other, Leman stands no chance but to escape somehow, while Horus' being a bad winner or going Anakin mode:

"See how more powerful I am, brother! See that I should have been the only one at his side!"

[Indefragable]

Hmmm...

 

I was under the impression that Sanguinius and the IX arrived like just before the full-blown attack on the Sol system. Like Faramir’s horse entering Gondor ahead of the forces of Morder in the movie version of LOTR: ROTK. This seems to suggest otherwise?

 

So the “purpose” of this book is:

 

-to show Russ and Horus in fisticuffs...is any further explaination needed?

 

-to explain why the VI were not at the SoT?

 

-to give some context into just how roided up Horus is?

 

-where do the Space Wolves go—if not to Terra—after the presumably unsuccessful mission to presumably attempt to kill Horus?

 

I am definitely curious.

 

Speculation on my part. Contains spoilers from all sorts of previous works.

So...basically course of the HH went like this in terms of very wide-reaching phases:

 

1. Isstvaan

1A. Prospero

1B. Calth

1C. Signus Prime

1D. Thramas

1E. Scars

 

2. Molech

2A. Yarant

2B-D. Ruinstorm/Imperium Secundus

2E. Path of Heaven

 

2.5. the Batte of Pluto?

 

3. Sol System

3A. Wolfbane?

3B. Block and tackle for yo bro

3C. Beat feat for Terra

3D. Go nuke some traitor homeworlds

3E. Recover on Terra

 

4A-E. The Siege of Terra

 

That’s my way of trying to put all the pieces together, especially time wise.

 

So basically the first phase of Horus’s master plan was to hit 3x Legions (X, XVIII, XIX), tie up one (I), cut off one (XIII), harass/harry/delay/deplete one (VI), and possibly turn another (IX), and leave one until later (VII)...which leaves the V somewhat a wild card (awesome).

 

Phase 2 revolved around Molech. Rather than immediately striking out for Terra, Horus gathered strength and carved a path through Imperial space while he gained might and resources. While this allowed his enemies to fortify and regroup, it seems all the more crucial a decision, especially given Horus’ famed proclivity for “going for the throat.” Which means that Horus felt the delay was worth the cost...which means Molech was truly that important to his plans. We know that in order to “kill a god, one must become a god”. So via the same portal the Emperor once used, Horus physically entered the Warp for comparative 1000 years subjective time and came out absolutely beastly. ***

 

Phase 3 would see Horus finally turn his attention on Terra itself and begin the full-on spearthrust into the heart of the Imperium.

 

***my guess is that Wolfbane will go delve into this aspect of it, setting up just why Horus prosecuted the war the way he did and just how personally powerful he has become.

 

 

Thoughts/guessing on what the story itself could be:

Russ was the second Primarch rediscovered after Horus. As such there has always been a rivalry and tense relationship of a level not present in others. As such, Russ feels particularly driven and bullish about personally taking Horus down (duh?). More relevantly, Russ knows Horus’s tricks. The clandestine operations in Vengeful Spirit had some trick up it’s sleeve that even the knights errant were not fully aware of. Russ uses this get right up in Horus’s face.

 

The Spear of Russ is a weapon given to Russ by the Emperor with a purpose: like the fulgurite used on Vulcan at Maccrafe, it is a weapon specifically designed to kill Primarchs (has it already been used before?!?!?! Oooo! Mysetery!). This is why it hasn’t been seen before...even Prospero was ostensibly a police action and though Russ knew he would probably kill Magnus, he could not go into it with that explicit purpose.

 

This is different. He’s going to kill a friend. Things happen, stuff blows up, tea is spilled, words are said. And then Russ impales Horus with the Spear....

 

...only for nothing to happen. Horus is pretty much a chaos god and can’t be hurt by mortal weapons, not even something specifically designed to kill a Primarch. Russ is like “wha?” And gets knocked into a coma.

 

He awakes to find that his Wolves were absolutely decimated as they fought to save him. They barely managed to pull Russ away and take off away from Terra in order to escape the full traitor fleets. In a dark reflection of the lesson he tried to teach Angron, Russ realizes his folly of sacrificing the greater cause for his own glory.

 

 

*******

Ok, so as I type that out it paints Russ in a negative light. Sorry, SW fans, not trying to stomp on your dude. Maybe he kicks a few traitor Primarch asses on the way to the bridge? But then again, why wouldnt he just kill them? Anyways, I’m just trying to wrap my head around he purpose of this book and what “needs” to be told in it. Narratively speaking, it makes sense to show just how invincible Horus has become, and Russ is the “perfect” Worf for that purpose. I know SW are (rightfully so to a degree) tired of being the Worfs, but I can’t really see any other way in this story. I mean, what is a positive outcome for the Wolves/Russ in this beyond the whole spitting-in-the-eye-of-chaos-god thing?

 

[Dantay VI]

The only purpose of the is book ,is to bridge the gap between vengeful spirit and weregeld.

 

For me more interestingly would be what happened after Yarant, how and why he teamed up with  the Lion and how the affects of realising that the Wolves should not stand alone or risk being ostracised/isolated, when in the Alaaxes Nebula. Showing the evolution of the Wolves would be much cooler, rather than just another beat-down.

 

As for artwork, Russ is done in his FW model pose but with arm swaps. Not even looking at his opponent. World breaker looks  in an awkward position, plus it looks like they are on the rock fighting (shrouded angels and a checkered banner.

 

Beyond that, looks really cool

[b1soul]

Thoughts/guessing on what the story itself could be:

Russ was the second Primarch rediscovered after Horus. As such there has always been a rivalry and tense relationship of a level not present in others. As such, Russ feels particularly driven and bullish about personally taking Horus down (duh?). More relevantly, Russ knows Horus’s tricks. The clandestine operations in Vengeful Spirit had some trick up it’s sleeve that even the knights errant were not fully aware of. Russ uses this get right up in Horus’s face.

The Spear of Russ is a weapon given to Russ by the Emperor with a purpose: like the fulgurite used on Vulcan at Maccrafe, it is a weapon specifically designed to kill Primarchs (has it already been used before?!?!?! Oooo! Mysetery!). This is why it hasn’t been seen before...even Prospero was ostensibly a police action and though Russ knew he would probably kill Magnus, he could not go into it with that explicit purpose.

This is different. He’s going to kill a friend. Things happen, stuff blows up, tea is spilled, words are said. And then Russ impales Horus with the Spear....

...only for nothing to happen. Horus is pretty much a chaos god and can’t be hurt by mortal weapons, not even something specifically designed to kill a Primarch. Russ is like “wha?” And gets knocked into a coma.

He awakes to find that his Wolves were absolutely decimated as they fought to save him. They barely managed to pull Russ away and take off away from Terra in order to escape the full traitor fleets. In a dark reflection of the lesson he tried to teach Angron, Russ realizes his folly of sacrificing the greater cause for his own glory.

*******

Ok, so as I type that out it paints Russ in a negative light. Sorry, SW fans, not trying to stomp on your dude. Maybe he kicks a few traitor Primarch asses on the way to the bridge? But then again, why wouldnt he just kill them? Anyways, I’m just trying to wrap my head around he purpose of this book and what “needs” to be told in it. Narratively speaking, it makes sense to show just how invincible Horus has become, and Russ is the “perfect” Worf for that purpose. I know SW are (rightfully so to a degree) tired of being the Worfs, but I can’t really see any other way in this story. I mean, what is a positive outcome for the Wolves/Russ in this beyond the whole spitting-in-the-eye-of-chaos-god thing?

If Russ fights post-Molech Horus, he'll get stomped.

 

I don't see why the Wolfsbane should have Horus struggle to win or - even worse - have Russ beat up another Traitor Primarch first...just so that SW fans can feel good about their Primarch. Primarch fights should be more meaningful than that.

 

If Russ and Horus duel, the challenge for Haley is to (1) make this fight meaningful when the power disparity after Molech is immense (I don't like Russ's odds against even pre-Molech Horus) and (2) make Russ's survival believable.

 

I think this is hard, but Haley is a solid writer and might pull it off. Frankly, I would've preferred for there to be no duel between Horus and Russ, e.g. Russ simply gets overwhelmed on the battlefield with extreme firepower.

 

I'll be pleasantly surprised if an encounter between Russ and Horus is less contrived than the encounter between Loken and Horus in Vengeful Spirit.

[Warpmiss]

Whoa, I see something really weird going on in Horus' pose in that illustration. His torso seems too small, I guess. It's probably just a thing of the lighting because it's a photo of the presentation, though.

 

In any case, even if we know the outcome, I do want to read the exchange between these two!

[Runefyre]

 

Thoughts/guessing on what the story itself could be:

Russ was the second Primarch rediscovered after Horus. As such there has always been a rivalry and tense relationship of a level not present in others. As such, Russ feels particularly driven and bullish about personally taking Horus down (duh?). More relevantly, Russ knows Horus’s tricks. The clandestine operations in Vengeful Spirit had some trick up it’s sleeve that even the knights errant were not fully aware of. Russ uses this get right up in Horus’s face.

The Spear of Russ is a weapon given to Russ by the Emperor with a purpose: like the fulgurite used on Vulcan at Maccrafe, it is a weapon specifically designed to kill Primarchs (has it already been used before?!?!?! Oooo! Mysetery!). This is why it hasn’t been seen before...even Prospero was ostensibly a police action and though Russ knew he would probably kill Magnus, he could not go into it with that explicit purpose.

This is different. He’s going to kill a friend. Things happen, stuff blows up, tea is spilled, words are said. And then Russ impales Horus with the Spear....

...only for nothing to happen. Horus is pretty much a chaos god and can’t be hurt by mortal weapons, not even something specifically designed to kill a Primarch. Russ is like “wha?” And gets knocked into a coma.

He awakes to find that his Wolves were absolutely decimated as they fought to save him. They barely managed to pull Russ away and take off away from Terra in order to escape the full traitor fleets. In a dark reflection of the lesson he tried to teach Angron, Russ realizes his folly of sacrificing the greater cause for his own glory.

*******

Ok, so as I type that out it paints Russ in a negative light. Sorry, SW fans, not trying to stomp on your dude. Maybe he kicks a few traitor Primarch asses on the way to the bridge? But then again, why wouldnt he just kill them? Anyways, I’m just trying to wrap my head around he purpose of this book and what “needs” to be told in it. Narratively speaking, it makes sense to show just how invincible Horus has become, and Russ is the “perfect” Worf for that purpose. I know SW are (rightfully so to a degree) tired of being the Worfs, but I can’t really see any other way in this story. I mean, what is a positive outcome for the Wolves/Russ in this beyond the whole spitting-in-the-eye-of-chaos-god thing?

If Russ fights post-Molech Horus, he'll get stomped.

 

I don't see why the Wolfsbane should have Horus struggle to win or - even worse - have Russ beat up another Traitor Primarch first...just so that SW fans can feel good about their Primarch. Primarch fights should be more meaningful than that.

 

If Russ and Horus duel, the challenge for Haley is to (1) make this fight meaningful when the power disparity after Molech is immense (I don't like Russ's odds against even pre-Molech Horus) and (2) make Russ's survival believable.

 

I think this is hard, but Haley is a solid writer and might pull it off. Frankly, I would've preferred for there to be no duel between Horus and Russ, e.g. Russ simply gets overwhelmed on the battlefield with extreme firepower.

 

I'll be pleasantly surprised if an encounter between Russ and Horus is less contrived than the encounter between Loken and Horus in Vengeful Spirit.

 

You seem really focused on Russ getting mauled

 

There isn't much in the way of evidence to compare for either in the novels, but if we compare their rulesets given us by FW Russ has a slight edge against pre-molech Horus. That doesn't mean that Russ alone stands a chance against post-molech Horus (would any other primarch? I think not), but it does seem that Russ comes up with a plan that Haley doesn't think is completely insane (or at least has good reasoning behind it, even if it doesn't work). I trust that Haley will do a good job making it a convincing fight and with great dialogue!

[ChildofFang]

These seem familiar........

 

So, comments from Twitter

 

• Russ’ character has a pivotal point in this book which helps show the difference between Crusade Russ and post Scouring Russ.
• Books starts on Terra some time after The Khan arrives. Sanguinius has returned. Meanwhile Russ is campaigning against Dorn’s wishes. Russ returns to Fenris to work out how to kill Horus.
• Pre Yarant, lots of references to Beta-Garmin. Linking into various other stories.
• Haley is reading an extract, about the discovering of Leman Russ and Fenris by the Emperor and Horus. Sounds so cool. Horus has to accept the idea that he's not the only one...

Book looks fantastic, most hyped HH book since Master of Mankind IMO. Slaves of Darkness looks just as good I have to say.

[Izlude]

I don't think the Russ vs Horus (even post Molech) will be that one sided. Obviously Horus will "win" but I think Russ will make a strong showing for himself. I sort of think it will be like the Angron vs Russ with more dialogue and maybe some interesting "discoveries." I don't think it will really be about "Horus swings Worldbreaker...Russ blocks and stabs with said spear etc." The verbal sparring they will have will be the highlight for me with Russ saying "Horus...your such an ass..."

 

I am totally looking forward to the dialogue they will have in the swirl of their respective legion killing each other. Maybe Abaddon will have words with Bjorn or something to that effect (not that they ever spoke with each other but still be cool to have their commanders interact as well.)

Edited November 20, 2017 by Izlude

[b1soul]

You seem really focused on Russ getting mauled :P

 

There isn't much in the way of evidence to compare for either in the novels, but if we compare their rulesets given us by FW Russ has a slight edge against pre-molech Horus.

 

Perhaps...not sure about the Mathhammer applied to their rules.

 

Regardless, it's not relevant to the likely fight in Wolfsbane as (1) it's Mathhammer and (2) it's pre-Molech Mathhammer.

 

I think BL has been drilling in the idea that pre-Heresy Horus was truly the first among equals, including in direct combat. My opinion is based on that...and Russ' own doubt in Vengeful Spirit.

 

That doesn't mean that Russ alone stands a chance against post-molech Horus

 

Of course he doesn't. Post-Molech Horus rivals the Emperor.

 

making it a convincing fight and with great dialogue!

Hopefully...but it's hard considering one guy is merely a primarch and the other guy is a primarch buffed to Emperor-level power. Seems like a pointless fight with an implausible escape, like Loken's

Edited November 20, 2017 by b1soul

[Warpmiss]

I don't think the Russ vs Horus (even post Molech) will be that one sided. Obviously Horus will "win" but I think Russ will make a strong showing for himself. I sort of think it will be like the Angron vs Russ with more dialogue and maybe some interesting "discoveries." I don't think it will really be about "Horus swings Worldbreaker...Russ blocks and stabs with said spear etc." The verbal sparring they will have will be the highlight for me with Russ saying "Horus...your such an ass..."

 

I am totally looking forward to the dialogue they will have in the swirl of their respective legion killing each other. Maybe Abaddon will have words with Bjorn or something to that effect (not that they ever spoke with each other but still be cool to have their commanders interact as well.)

I didn't even think of that but now I want some banter between Abbadon and Bjorn much more than the one between Horus and Russ. :wub: