No Deathsworn in 40k?

[Plague _Lord]

I'm wondering why there are no deathsworn in 40k, it's not like the wulfen curse has gone away has it?

 

Mind you I haven't read all the HH books yet so no major spoilers if they are important to the story please.

[Lord Blackwood]

So amusing you should bring this up. 

The Deathsworn and the Wulfen Curse  may have a slight mirror to the Flesh Change in the Thousand Sons , but I  wont get into that much speculation. 

We know that Primaris Marines can be affected by the Wulfen Aura , so theoretically you could assume that you would get something like Deathsworn from them but not a dedicated formation. 

One thing to keep in mind is that Deathsworn are Analogous to the specialist unit Destroyers from the Legion Days , they have Rad Grenades and their specialist Stasis bombs , Destroyers aren't really used much anymore,  and its possible that with the Wulfen curse being more of a physical thing and handled different by the 40k wolves that there is no need for a Deathsworn unit anymore ? 

As a hobby aside , I am glad you bring this up because I am planning to work on some Primaris Deathsworn to run as Wulfen , so cheers for that. 

[Leif Bearclaw]

Deathsworn weren't 'Wulfen' though. They were a facet of the VI Legion that predated the emergence of the Wulfen curse (because in the new version of the HH, that was a new thing that wasn't always present and acknowledged). As such, it seems that they were removed from the Legion's roster in the downsizing and transition to Chapter, along with stuff like the Grey Slayers in favour of the BC/GH/LF progression we know so well in the 40k era

 

The description of the Deathsworn in Inferno is closer to the old 'Mark of the Wulfen' (a real shame that's been minimised/stricken from the SW fluff since Warzone Fenris added Wulfen to the Chapter proper) than the full on wolfmen we have atm. But it's also noted that Marines like the Deathsworn weren't unique to the SW, but that the SW had a very particular way of dealing with such damaged individuals.

Edited May 1, 2020 by Leif Bearclaw

[Plague _Lord]

I'm asking since I love the premise of psycholigically damaged marines forming up into suicide units (and wolf skull helmets are amazing) ala death company and would be quite thematic for our viking marines.

 

I hacen't got to prospero yet so don't know much about SW heresy lore apart from reading some internet tidbits. From what I gather deathsworn had the urge to murser-kill everything in a bestial way so were like wulfen without the physical mutations? Wouldn't they still be around then?

[Leif Bearclaw]

Not really. Deathsworn were an offshoot of the Cult of Markai within the Legion. They were specifically noted to predate the emergence of the Wulfen curse (note, I don't like this fluff, but that's the state of things atm). They're described more like 'shell-shocked Marines' (for want of a better term). Marines that have seen or done things the wider Great Crusade doesn't understand/appreciate. They're the dudes with the 'thousand yard stare' and they're noted in Inferno to not be a phenomenon unique to the VI. But whereas other Legions had their own individual ways of dealing with Marines like this (Inferno notes they provided a lot of Moritats in other Legions), the Deathsworn were the VI's specific solution to this phenomenon. Functionally they served alongside the Destroyers in the 'Black Cull', the guys who were called on when something needed ending with even more extreme prejudice than the normal VI Legion modus operandi. As to why the did not persist into the post-Heresy Chapter structure? Two likely contributory factors (this is my speculation, I'm unaware of a concrete fluff justification). There was no requirement for Destroyers or the Black Cull in the new Astartes Chapters, and the engagements Marines fought post-Heresy were different in nature, produced less psychological damage in the ranks, and so less need for a place to put the shell shocked (this may also tie into the increased levels of hypno-indocrination etc. post-Heresy Marines undergo, they're more hardened/inured to the horrors of the Galaxy than their GC-era predecessors that didn;t even now Chaos was a thing).

 

Now, the question, 'why were Wulfen a thing during the Legions days but they disappeared until late m41?' is a separate question (imo the answer is 'the current GW studio are bad at effective world-building and threw the old Mark of the Wulfen fluff under the bus to sell new derpy wolfman minis').

[Zephaniah Adriyen]

I know the Reivers have a Cult of Morkai thing cropping up nowadays. You could make Primaris Deathsworn if you wanted, using Deathsworn and Reiver parts. Just a thought.

[Guest Triszin]

I know the Reivers have a Cult of Morkai thing cropping up nowadays. You could make Primaris Deathsworn if you wanted, using Deathsworn and Reiver parts. Just a thought.

I hope it is elaborated on and grown.

Reivers need some attention to make them work atm

[Kassill]

I know the Reivers have a Cult of Morkai thing cropping up nowadays. You could make Primaris Deathsworn if you wanted, using Deathsworn and Reiver parts. Just a thought.

 

 

 

I know the Reivers have a Cult of Morkai thing cropping up nowadays. You could make Primaris Deathsworn if you wanted, using Deathsworn and Reiver parts. Just a thought.

I hope it is elaborated on and grown.

Reivers need some attention to make them work atm

 

*Looks at bag of deathsworn helms* Great, now I need to get some Reivers  

 

For me though it just seems a consequence of going back and writing the history after the present. Just a few years ago, we didn't have loads of stuff that the Heresy era has now produced as part of an ongoing and evolving story, as well as a product line. Sicarans, Deredeo's, and hosts of other vehicles and troop options/models. 

 

So a unit that existed 10k years prior not surviving is not that surprising. But perhaps they will resurface in a sense with the Cult of Morkai. And if not, there's absolutely nothing keeping you from including them in your Great Company. 

 

The best part of playing Space Wolves/Vlka Fenryka is seeing the passion for the hobby exhibited by others, IMO

 

 

 

(im not as well versed on the Wulfen or the Curse. Part of me does miss the allure of suspicion and campfire tales surrounding them) 

[Zephaniah Adriyen]

The best part of playing Space Wolves/Vlka Fenryka is seeing the passion for the hobby exhibited by others, IMO

Oh, no question. I don't bookmark good Raven Guard threads like I do Wolves. Everything's always converted, especially the Primaris. You never see stock models unless the player's new or the model's a unique Wolves model anyway. For better, old guard Wolves players, and people like me who got into Wolves later on in their hobby and knew what they wanted to do, eeeeeverything's converted or customized.

[CaptainStabby]

I like the idea of Deathsworn filtering back into Wolves in the current era alot too. Since they were the Legion Destroyer squads basically, my idea was to have my Reivers, Aggressors (with flamestorm) and Wulfen all done up as a modern version of The Black Cull. Sneaky burny, choppy, maybe slightly insane Wolves. No problems here, move along, nothing to see. :D