Space Wolves
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{{Infobox Warhammer 40,000 Chapters |title=Space Wolves |image= |primarch=Leman Russ |battlecry=Varies between Great Companies; all make a bloodcurdling howl when the assault is launched. |colourscheme=Grey }} The Space Wolves are one of the twenty First Founding Legions of Space Marines serving the Imperium of Man in the fictional future of the tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000. They are considered experts at close-quarters fighting, and their warriors compete keenly for glory on the battlefield.
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History
Leman Russ
The Space Wolves Primarch Leman Russ, like all twenty Primarchs, mysteriously vanished from the Emperor's laboratories in his infancy. He turned up on the distant planet of Fenris, a snow-covered world inhabited by fairly primitive, warlike tribes of humans. He was raised by a pack of the massive Fenrisian Wolves that prowl the snowy lands. Among them, he grew to adulthood in only a few short years.
He was eventually discovered by a man named Thengir, King of the Russ. Thengir had organized a party of hunters to clear the wolf packs from his lands. Most of the wolves were slaughtered, and the young man was captured and brought to Thengir. Thengir took the man into his care, giving him the name ‘Leman of the Russ’. Leman learned the ways of man quickly, and many legends sprung up about him, such as how he could defeat a hundred men in only three minutes, or consume an entire auroch. Upon his adopted father's death, the leadership of the Russ passed to Leman. Leman became a mighty leader, winning many victories, often fighting alongside packs of Fenrisian Wolves, led by Freki and Geri, two of his Wolf-brothers who escaped Thengir's hunters.
Eventually, word of his exploits reached beyond Fenris, and to the ears of the Emperor. He travelled to Fenris, realizing that the exploits could only be the work of a Primarch. Travelling in disguise, he approached Leman Russ’ court during a feast, and challenged the Primarch to three contests of Leman’s choice.
Leman Russ, not recognizing the Emperor due to runes of concealment, boasted that he was far greater than any man, proceeding to win his first two contests (an eating and a drinking competition) by consuming three whole aurochs, then draining the royal cellars dry. Disappointed, the Emperor insulted Leman Russ, calling him nothing more than a drunkard and glutton. Insulted, Leman Russ then challenged the Emperor to a fight.
After a ferocious duel which served to convince the Emperor that Leman Russ was indeed one of his children, the Emperor raised his powerfist, and knocked him out with a single blow that would have killed a lesser man. After coming to consciousness (and his senses), Russ could not believe that he had lost and blamed the alcohol, but admitted defeat and swore fealty to the Emperor.
The Great Crusade
Leman Russ was granted command over the sixth Space Marine Legion, which he renamed the Space Wolves. Primarch and legion fought well during the Great Crusade, gaining a reputation as cunning and fierce, as well as slightly unstable, warriors.
During a particular battle, Leman Russ allowed his rage get the better of him, and wound up in a fist fight with the Primarch of the Dark Angels. The feud was started when a local planetary Governor personally insulted Leman Russ and called him a coward. Enraged, Leman Russ stormed the battlements. Lion El'Johnson wishing to bombard the fortress also wished a swift end to the fighting. Unfortunately for Leman Russ, the Dark Angels reached the governor first with Lion El'Johnson beheading the traitorous leader. Witnessing this for himself, Leman Russ became so outraged that he struck Lion square in the jaw. This began a fight which lasted for many, many hours. Suddenly Leman began laughing for he saw how childish and futile this fighting was. Lion, thinking Leman was mocking him, hit him one last time knocking Leman unconsious. Recent events may finally have led to an end to the rivalry, though it is still customary for selected champions from both sides to engage in a (usually) non-lethal duel.
Just prior to the Horus Heresy, the Space Wolves came into conflict with their brother Space Marines once again. The Primarch of the Thousand Sons Space Marines, Magnus the Red, had ignored the Emperor's command to not dabble with Sorcery.
Upon finding out that Magnus had not heeded the Emperors warning, the Space Wolves were ordered by the Emperor to destroy the Legion. The surprise betrayal upon the Thousand Sons' homeworld of Prospero was furious, however, many of the Sons, including Magnus himself, escaped into the wild region of space known as the Eye of Terror. A blood feud still exists between the Space Wolves and the survivors of the Thousand Sons, who are now dedicated to the Chaos God Tzeentch.
During the Horus Heresy, the Space Wolves were far from Earth, alongside the Dark Angels, and were unable to assist their loyalist brethren in the fighting at the capital world, Holy Terra. Discovering that the two legions were en-route, which would tip the balance in favour of the loyalists, pushed Horus into goading the Emperor into single combat, a gamble designed to decisively end the war before the Imperium could be reinforced. The two Legions arrived just after the battle concluded, with Horus defeated and the Emperor mortally wounded.
After the Heresy
Leman Russ was devastated by his inability to save the Emperor, and threw himself into the campaigns to stabilise the Imperium after the loss of their leader and god. During this time, the Codex Astartes was drawn up, splitting the power of the Legions in the event known as the Second Founding. The Space Wolves refused to conform to the tenets laid down in the Codex, but Russ eventually conceded to some of his fellow Primarchs' demands; allowing for the formation of the ill-fated Wolf Brothers chapter.
One hundred and ninety seven years after the dying Emperor was incarcerated in the life-preserving Golden Throne, Leman Russ vanished. He was last seen by his Legion during the Feast of the Emperor's Ascension, where it is said that Russ climbed onto the oak table on which he duelled the Emperor at their first meeting to give a speech, but froze. After a long silence, where it appeared that he was overcome with a vision, Leman Russ fell to his knees, then turned and issued hushed instructions to his most faithful retainers. He simply announced to his loyal brothers that he would be leaving, but would return "for the final battle, for the Wolftime".
He then vanished, taking all but one of his retinue with him. It is rumoured that they had gone into the Eye of Terror to continue hunting down the traitorous Marines who had fought against the Emperor during the Horus Heresy, but others say that he went into the eye of terror to search for the tree of life, whose seed would revive the Emperor.
For seven years, his place was set at the banquet table, as his legion eagerly awaited his return, but it never came. After seven years, the Wolf Lords of the Space Wolves elected the one remaining member of Russ' retinue, Bjorn the Fell-Handed, as the new Great Wolf. Bjorn decided if Russ was not going to return, his Chapter would seek him out, beginning the first of many Great Hunts. These hunts recovered many relics, including the Primarch’s suit of armour, but none have come close to locating their leader.
Organization
The Space Wolves are known for their fiercely anti-authoritarian behaviour. They strongly resist the central command structure of the Imperium, and refuse to follow the dictates of the Codex Astartes, which lays down the structure and tactics to be used by all Space Marines.
The Great Companies
Instead, of dividing into Chapters as per the Codex Astartes, the Space Wolves Legion split itself into twelve Great Companies, with a thirteenth named in honour of a large group of Space Wolves who had disappeared during the Great Crusade. Each of these is led by a Wolf Lord, who answers to the Chapter Master, the Great Wolf.
Each Great Company is a free-standing body of troops in almost all respects; occupying its own territory in the massive fortress-monastery known as The Fang, possessing its own equipment, forges and spacecraft, and following its own customs and heroes.
Each Great Company takes a lot from its current Wolf Lord, including his name. When the Wolf Lord dies, another is chosen to replace him, causing the Great Company to reinvent itself; with a new symbol from Fenrisian mythology.
The Great Wolf
The current Great Wolf of the Space Wolves is Logan Grimnar, who has held this position for over five hundred years. The Emblem of the Great Wolf has remained constant since the time Leman Russ held the title, The Wolf that Stalks the Stars.
Along with one of the twelve Great Companies, under the Great Wolf’s direct command fall the Chapter’s most venerable heroes; the Rune Priests (shamans and seers), Iron Priests (engineers), Wolf Priests (medics and religious leaders) and Venerable Dreadnoughts.
Progression of a Space Wolf
Most Space Wolves, after receiving the implants necessary to become a Space Marine, and completing several trials, are accepted into the Chapter as Blood Claws, hot-headed warriors who cannot wait to prove themselves, and are still struggling to control the beast within which is unleashed by the canus helix. Blood Claws are the shock troops of the Space Wolves, spearheading the majority of assaults with a joyous ferocity.
If they survive long enough to mature, they are promoted to the ranks of the Grey Hunters, tempered by battle, but always ready to do what is necessary for the Chapter and the Imperium of Man.
When a Space Wolf is fully mature, their hair grey and their canines pronounced, they are inducted into the Long Fangs, veteran soldiers with a reputation for being disciplined and cool-headed in the heat of battle. They are entrusted with the heavy weaponry possessed by their Great Company, watching over and providing fire support for their younger brethren.
Some Space Wolves, having achieved feats of exceptional valour and martial prowess, may become Wolf Guards. These mighty warriors lead small forces of Space Wolves, provide a retinue for the most experienced warrior in the force or lead squads. They are equipped with the best wargear, and are considered almost unstoppable in combat. From here, one may rise to the position of Wolf Lord.
For some, the close knit and boisterous brotherhood of the pack (squad) is not well suited to their personality, yearning for open spaces and isolation. These lone wolves are selected to become part of a Great Company's Scout force, providing reconnaissance and disrupting enemy movements. These Space Marines are often already veterans, as opposed to the raw recruits used in other Chapters.
Furthermore, some Space Wolves are sent to Terra to become Wolfblades. Wolfblades are an honour guard that protect the ancient Navigator House of Belisarius, long-time allies of the Space Wolves. The origins of this pact are lost in legend, but the most commonly accepted version of the story dates it from the time of the Great Crusade and the friendship that existed between Leman Russ and Alexander Belisarius. Belisarius was a Navigator of genius who aided Russ on many of his adventures and is said to have disappeared with him on his last fatal voyage. On the day of the Feast of the Founding, they are said to have sworn a pact of eternal friendship. As a sign of this friendship, the Belisarians agreed to provide Navigators for the Chapter in perpetuam. In return they would enjoy the military protection of the Space Wolves themselves. The pledge of this would be that an entire pack of Wolves would accompany the Celestarch as his bodyguard. Given the fractious nature of the Navigator Houses, and a commercial rivalry which at that time could result in conflicts that can only be described as wars, this was an alliance of considerable importance.
The Thirteenth Company
{{Infobox Warhammer 40,000 Chapters |title=13th Company Space Wolves |image=13thcompanywolves.gif |primarch=Leman Russ |battlecry=An ancient and feral howl. |colourscheme=Grey }} Space Wolf legend states that the group that came to be known as Thirteenth Company was sent by Leman Russ to pursue the Thousand Sons legion, after the failed attempt to eliminate the Chaos-supporting legion. They vanished from Imperial records, and their loss is honoured by a black stone in the Grand Annulus (the record of Space Wolf Great Companies).
Their reappearance at the beginning of the Abaddon the Despoiler’s Thirteenth Black Crusade has brought them back into the spotlight. They appear to still be in pursuit of the goal Leman Russ set for them, and it was believed that Leman Russ himself was their leader, although this was never proven.
The Thirteenth Company's organization departs heavily from Space Wolf norms, due to the lack of reinforcements and 'fresh blood' supplying the Company, the inability to train members in specialist roles, the lack of heavy equipment, and the effect of having to exist within the Eye of Terror for ten thousand years.
The core of a 13th Company warband are the Grey Slayers. Similar to Grey Hunters but far beyond them in skill, they fulfil the same roles in battle.
Because of the impossibility of recruiting new brethen, there are no Blood Claws in the 13th company. Each and every Blood Claw has long since advanced to a higher stage. The 13th company's assault specialists are the Storm Claws. They are equally experienced, but still more hot-headed and aggressive, than the Grey Slayers.
The key to the 13th Company's movement through the Warp are the Rune Priests. Because the Eye of Terror has unlocked hidden psychic powers in many recruits, the 13th Company has no shortage of these highly gifted individuals.
The Wulfen are the most drastic departure from a normal Space Wolf. The Space Marines who mutate into Wulfen bear resemblance to werewolves in the same way as Blood Angels suffering the Red Thirst resemble vampires. Any marine to suffer as a wulfen becomes a half man, half wolf creature with a feral mind. The mutation normally manifests itself in the neophyte stage and Space Wolves must spend time in their training in a scenario designed to out those who have become Wulfen. Though normal Space Wolves sometimes use individual Wulfen in battle, the 13th Company use entire packs. Each and every member of the 13th Company carries the Curse, and it manifests itself in the Space Wolves at different times. Thus even the Wulfen packs do not stay the same.
Appearance
Prior to the Horus Heresy, the Space Wolves Legion wore grey power armour, with a red snarling wolf as the Legion symbol.
In the 41st millennium, Space Wolves power amour is a blue-grey, with other colours as highlights, most commonly red and yellow. The amour is often adorned with tokens taken from wolves, such as furs, tails and teeth. Great Company symbols vary, but are taken from Fenrisian mythology and are always related in some way to the wolf.
Notable Members
- Logan Grimnar - Chapter Master for the better part of the 41st millennium.
- Ragnar Blackmane - Youngest Wolf Lord in the Space Wolves history and protagonist of the Space Wolf novel series.
- Ulrik the Slayer - The Space Wolves' oldest Wolf Priest, and mentor to many of their greatest heroes.
- Bjorn the Fell-Handed - The oldest Venerable Dreadnought in the Imperium. He fought along side Leman Russ during the Horus Heresy. He predicted that Russ will come again.
Background Inspiration
The most recent incarnation of the Space Wolves is described as "a fantasy-style army in a science fiction universe". The backstory and 'character' of the army is inspired by Viking mythology.
They are a primarily close combat army, who enjoy the rush of battle, and are reluctant to use some forms of 'advanced' technology in a perverse desire to fight in the style of their Primarch and homeworld. This is, of course, reflected in the army list and specialist rules used by Space Wolf players.
References
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- The Space Wolf series of novels: