The Space Wolves
The Space Wolves (also known as Sky Warriors of Russ, Rout, Vlka Fenryka, or Wolves of Fenris in Fenrisian) were the VI Legion of the twenty Legions of the Space Marines. Their Primarch is Leman Russ, and during the Great Crusade, they gained a reputation as the Emperor's executioners and instruments of punishment. Following the Horus Heresy and the resulting reforms, the Legion was split into two Chapters for the first and only time: The new Chapter of the Space Wolves retained the name of their parent Legion, while the second Chapter took the name of the Wolf Brothers. However, the latter suffered from mutations and were disbanded.
The Space Wolves are infamous throughout the rest of the Imperium for their ferocity in battle and their disregard for authorities, including the dictates of the Codex Astartes, which govern the organization and combat doctrines of other Space Marine Orders. They are generally considered the greatest warriors among the loyalist Astartes Orders.
Homeworld
Fenris is a death world located in the galactic north of Segmentum Solar. It is relatively close to the Eye of Terror. It is also the planet where the mighty Space Wolves recruit their ranks and call home.
It is a relentless world of fire and ice, besieged by climatic extremes year-round. Most of the year, the planet is covered by an extreme winter. The planet's temperature drops so drastically that even the oceans freeze, allowing its native Fenrisians to travel between the many islands without needing a longship.
After its long elliptical journey, the planet comes dangerously close to its sun. It is during the short summer months, when the planet is closest, that the planet's crust is broken; vast areas of lava flows burn, the seas churn, and massive tidal waves occur. During these months, known as the Time of Fire and Water, the entire planet changes shape. Islands are both destroyed and completely recreated, houses built during the winter are swept away, leading the population to revert to nomadic barbarian tribes.
These primitives must quickly settle the new lands before supplies and labor are exhausted, or their tribe will not survive the coming winter. This leads to a bloody war among them for new territories. Thus it has always been and continues to be, as ordained by Leman Russ himself to keep his progeny strong and capable. Due to this life of constant war and migration, the birth gift is always the axe. Thus, with birth, the first test has begun, for the child who does not grasp it is quickly thrown into the frozen seas rather than risking the doom of the tribe.
At the planet's north pole lies a single continent named Asaheim, which alone is unaffected by the Time of Fire and Water. This is the only place where many of the planet's unique creatures can survive, including snow trolls, shape-shifting doppegangrels, and giant wyrms that burrow through the landscape. The deadliest of these creatures is the fenrisian wolf, a lethal predator with a mind as sharp as its teeth. Although deadly on their own, they remain true to their namesake and travel in packs through the icy wastelands.
This remote land also hosts the Sky Warriors of Russ and the Hall of the Gods. The ultimate triumph of Fenrisian culture is to become one of Russ's chosen sons and await the final battle at the end of the universe. Although Fenris is the home of the Space Wolves, the Chapter only occupies the island continent. Their fortress, The Fang, lies on Asaheim's highest peak. The peak rises above the clouds and even beyond the atmosphere, where the Rout's spaceships are docked.
Leman Russ
The Primarch Project was the creation of twenty superhumans by the Emperor as he prepared his armies for the reconquest of the galaxy before the Great Crusade. However, the experiment never reached its final outcome, as all twenty infants were scattered across the galaxy by the forces of Chaos. Over time, the Emperor was reunited with his creations, who had all grown to adulthood, and gave them command of their respective Legions as originally intended. Leman Russ was one such individual. After being spirited away, he found himself on the planet Fenris. Found young, he was raised by a tribesman before being taken in and raised by the court of King Thengir. As he grew, so did his legend, and eventually, Leman Russ found himself as the Wolf King.
During his Great Crusade, the world of Fenris was one of the first the Emperor discovered. Upon hearing the legend of the Wolf King, the Emperor left his great ship to meet the man, expecting him to be one of his Primarchs. After a duel between the two, Leman Russ was defeated for the first time in his life. Satisfied that this was one of his generals, the Emperor soon granted him command of the Space Marine Legion that bore his genes. The planet Fenris was claimed as the homeworld of their Order. During the Great Crusade, the Space Wolves, under the leadership of their Primarch, won many victories for the Emperor. Terran recruits were lost. During the campaign against the Noman Xenos, the Space Wolves discovered an STC for a new tank model. The Mechanicum named the new tank design in honor of Leman Russ.
Codex Astartes
Following the end of the heresy, much would happen. With the Emperor confined to the Golden Throne, the High Lords of Terra found themselves as the new leaders of the Emperor's domain. Both the High Lords and the surviving Primarchs became paranoid about the possibility of such events repeating. The Emperor's armies scoured the galaxy once more, searching for all forms of heresy and eliminating even the slightest chance of rebellion. Even the great Legions were not exempt from this. Concerned that they could once again pose a threat with such terrible power, each Legion was to be split into smaller Orders, and a new code was to be created to govern them.
The Codex Astartes was a code developed by the Primarch of the Ultramarines, Roboute Guilliman. This tome would contain everything a member of the Astartes would need to know to function. From recruitment to organization to tactics and beyond, the Codex Astartes became a sacred text for the majority of Chapters. The Space Wolves Legion never fully accepted the new doctrine. Rather, they hold the teachings of their Primarch as sacred. One of the most significant changes within the new Codex was the newly founded Chapters. Where the Legions could number more than 10,000 men, the Orders would be limited to about a thousand. Each original Legion would be split into Successor Chapters as many times as necessary. This division was later called the Second Founding. The remaining thousand bodies in the original Legion would survive as a new Order with the same name, while their newly created Orders would claim their founder's origins and be known as their Founding Chapter. However, the Chapters would operate independently of each other, developing their own namesake, culture, and customs.
One of the few ideals that the Codex implemented and that the Space Wolves Legion actually accepted was the succession of Orders. However, the Space Wolves Legion was never very large. This, combined with the genetic instability of the Legion's gene-seed and painful losses of their gene-seed in the Battle at the Fang of M32, resulted in the Legion founding only one Successor Order, the ill-fated Wolf Brothers. Recently, however, the Space Wolves have received their first stable Successor Chapters in the Ultima Founding, including the Icefangs, Mooneaters, and the Wolfspear. These Successors are linked to their parent Chapter through the psychic forces of Fenris and cultural bonds.
Gene-Seed
The gene-seed of the Space Wolves grants members of the Order enhanced, animalistic abilities, including hyper-acute hearing and smell, and a ferocity in battle unmatched by any other Space Marine. The gene-seed also leads to physical changes in the Wolves that are more extreme than in other genetically enhanced humans, such as elongated canines, shaggy hair that turns grey and then pure white as the Wolf ages, and sometimes pale yellow eyes.
The main flaw in the Wolves' gene-seed is the Curse of the Wulfen, which risks turning the Marine into a wild beast that cannot be controlled. This risk manifests when aspirants are first implanted with the gene-seed before their Morkai test, but even those who manage to control the instability are never entirely free from it. The struggle against the Wulfen can last a Space Wolf's entire life.
With the arrival of the Primaris Space Marines, it was assumed that the negative effects of the Canis Helix could be mitigated. However, after extensive trials by Wolf Priests, it was found that even Primaris scions of Russ will suffer from the Curse of the Wulfen.
Culture
Although undeniably loyal to the Emperor, the Space Wolves are known for their extremely anti-authoritarian behavior. They strongly resist the central command structure of the Imperium and refuse to follow the dictates of the Codex Astartes, which sets the structures and tactics to be employed by all Space Marines. They have a particular disdain for the Inquisition, partly due to the organization's purging of imperial citizens who survived the First War for Armageddon. This culture stood in stark contrast to the Space Wolves during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, where they were known as the Emperor's Sanction and unquestioningly carried out his orders, regardless of what they might be. After the Battle in the Alaxxes Nebula during the Heresy, Leman Russ decided to forge his own path for the Wolves.
Of all the Adeptus Astartes, the Wolves of Fenris consider themselves the ultimate weapon of the Imperium and are proud of it. Where other Orders, such as the Ultramarines, were meant to build empires, the Wolves were brought to murder them and destroy anyone who defied the Emperor's will, including other Astartes. Their unorthodox behavior and organization, as well as their conscious dedication to tearing the enemy, any enemy, apart like a wolf pack taking down deadly prey, reflect this original purpose.
The Wolves are almost as well known for their passion for eating, drinking, and storytelling when not engaged in battle. Unlike the monastic habits of other Orders, they enjoy raucous feasts, consuming enormous amounts of meat and drinking Mjød, a liquor so strong it would eat away the innards of a normal human. To many outsiders, the Space Wolves may seem barbaric and lacking in self-control. But in reality, it takes a great deal of discipline and concentration to be as dangerous and capable as the Space Wolves. Their original, unique, and effective organization does not hinder them but instead gives them the operational freedom to be potentially the most dangerous loyalist Chapter. The Space Wolves pay great attention to planning, coordinating their pack movements in battle, encircling the prey, and the cleanliness of the kill.
Space Wolves in the 41st Millennium
In the 41st Millennium, the Space Wolves have a unique structure that is distinctly different from a standard Codex Chapter. Instead of 10 Companies with 100 Marines, the Space Wolves consist of 12 Great Companies of varying strength. Each Great Company is based in The Fang, the monastery-fortress of the Space Wolves, and is led by a Wolf Lord who answers only to the Great Wolf.
Each Great Company is a fully self-contained army with all the troops, vehicles, and equipment necessary for war, as well as the spaceships required for their own transport. They each have their own forges and customs. The size of each Great Company is unknown, but the Space Wolves Legion is said to be one of the smaller Legions due to the genetic instability of the Curse of the Wulfen within the Chapter's gene-seed. Since each Great Company serves as an independent army, they maintain a much larger number of troops compared to Codex Companies.
Each Great Company consists of a series of Packs that function similarly to a Space Marine squad. However, their tactical deployment is very different. Each squad is unique in that it rarely, if ever, receives reinforcements, making the higher-level squads numerically smaller compared to the lowest Blood Claw Pack. Many Blood Claw Packs begin with up to fifteen Marines. However, losses take their toll, and by the time a Blood Claw squad reaches the level of a Grey Hunter, usually only 9 or 10 remain. This promotion is arguably the most important a Space Wolf will ever receive, as it also welcomes him into the brotherhood. As they age further, additional losses limit the squad size of Long Fangs to only 5 or fewer. Eventually, a pack of Long Fangs will slowly dwindle until only one remains – the Lone Wolf.
Special cases can be made to this process under certain or even dire circumstances. In some situations, reinforcements may be sent as backup to current campaigns. Similarly, a Wolf Lord, if he deems a person worthy and the rest of his pack unworthy, may elevate a Wolf from Blood Claw to Grey Hunter. Usually, he would not act without consulting both his first Sergeant and the current members of the unit to which he wishes to transfer his candidate.
Beyond that, a Wolf may find himself under the guidance of a Wolf Guard or a member of the Great Wolf's household. Some are inducted into the Order's priesthood, Pathfinders, Cavalrymen, or, should terrible wounds take their toll, they might find themselves in a mighty Dreadnought armor.
One of the 12 Great Companies is that of the Great Wolf, the Chapter Master of the Space Wolves. When the former Great Wolf dies, the new chief is chosen from the other eleven remaining Wolf Lords. Upon selection, the new Great Wolf, not his Great Company, immediately takes on the old badge of Leman Russ – the wolf that prowls between the stars. With the new role, the Great Wolf's Company is also expanded to include the household of the Order's priesthood, Wolf Scouts, and Dreadnoughts.
Recruitment
The Space Wolves recruit their new initiates from the natives of Fenris. From time to time, Wolf Priests from The Fang venture abroad to walk among the inhabitants of the savage world and challenge the champions of the natives to contests of eating, drinking, or wrestling. Of course, the gene-enhanced Wolf Priests will invariably emerge as the victors, and with them, they will take their prize: the best of the champion tribesmen, whom they will bring back to The Fang to undergo many grueling trials. Some, however, forgo the contest against the Wolf Priest if they have already proven their skill in battle.
The Wolf Priests keep a watchful eye on the battles and hunts of the Fenrisian tribesmen. Should someone display extreme heroism, bravery, or martial prowess, the Wolf Priest will descend to collect the warrior and spare him from death by giving him the chance to serve the Order. Recruits are brought into the depths of The Fang in an area known as the Gates of Morkai, where their soul is scoured for signs of impurity.
Once they have passed all their preliminary trials, they are subjected to the Test of Morkai, where the initiate receives the first strain of the Canis Helix gene and is thrown into the wilderness outside The Fang. If they overcome the deadly side effects of their Chapter's gene-seed and make it back to The Fang alive, they are welcomed with open arms into the ranks of the Space Wolves, and the remaining procedures are carried out to transform the recruit into a full-fledged warrior of the Emperor.