Skold Greypelt

"It is the way of Fenris! We stay as long as we can! Fight as hard as we can! Kill as much as we can! Only when we can do no more do we move on!"

- Skold Greypelt of the Space Wolves, summarizing his Chapter's way of life.

Skold Greypelt was a Space Wolves Astartes who was involved in the action on the ice world of Shadrac, and subsequent escape therof. During the engagements against the Tyranids on that world, he rescued and eventually befriended and fought alongside Sergeant Poul Marlin of the 10th Slavok Imperial Guard regiment.

Provoking the Swarm
When the world of Shadrac became attacked by the Tyranids, One of the Space Wolves Great Companies attempted to defend it, and when it became clear this was in vain, Skold Greypelt and his pack decided to remain behind with the assistance of an Iron Priest and his Thunderhawk gunship, to inflict as many losses as possible on the Tyranids, and make them pay the heaviest possible price for the doomed world.

Thirty days after the beginning of the invasion, Greypelt and his pack chanced upon two score survivors of the 10th Slavok regiment. The Guardsmen, weakened and hungry, were proceeding on foot toward one outpost they hoped had not been overrun by the Tyranids. The Wolves immediately began to shadow the retreating Guardsmen, somewhat callously using them as lure to bait the Tyranids swarm into attacking this weakened prey. When a swarm managed to surround the surviving Guardsmen, they intervened, exterminating the swarm of lesser Gaunts before dissapering again, leavin the bewildered Guardsmen unharmed but alone behind.

The Guardsmen eventually reached the outpost they were making for, where one of their numbers got crazy after eating rotten food. The madman escaped in the frozen wastes surrounding the outpost, and was killed by a Hormagaunt. Greypelt intervened and shot the Hormagaunt as he prepared to jump on Sergeant Poul Marlin, who had come out to attempt rescuing his crazed fellow soldier. Again the Space Wolf left without making any other form of contact than the sound of his Bolter and the glimpse of grey Power Armour.

The situation would complicate the next day, for the Guardsmen had found Chimera APC's in the outpost, and one of them had managed to kick-start three of the transports. The Guardsmen moved out at speed in search of the Space Wolves, but this left their protectors unable to follow them, save by exposing their Thunderhawk, which they did not wanted to do just yet, as the Tyranids had only started gathering in numbers to eradicate the stubborn defenders. Skold Greypelt then decided to follow the Guardsmen with two of his brothers mounted on their three remaining Assault Bikes, while the rest of his Pack awaited on board of the Thunderhawk. The Guardsmen ran headlong into yet another large Gaunt swarm, and fought them fiercely, and when the three bikers joined the fray, they quickly routed the lesser Tyranid beasts, only realizing too late they had been led into a simple trap; as the Gaunts had sacrificed themselves to slow the humans down and allow a mighty Carnifex to enter the fray. As the "Screaming Killer" charged forward, Skold Greypelt ordered the Guardsmen to run for it, and turned to face the gigantic Tyranid with his two brothers. The three Space Wolves fought bravely, but without any anti-tank weaponry, they had but slim hopes to slay the mighty beast, and soon, the Carnifex smashed their bikes to pieces, and advanced on the two still-standing Wolves. They were only saved in the nick of time by Poul Marlin, who, refusing to flee, fired the last remaining Krak missile of their rocket launcher straight down the Carnifex' maw.

Showdown on Shadrac
After introducing themselves, the Space Wolves took the remaining Guardsmen to their camp, where they first erected a cairn for the mortally wounded third biker, and then build a large fire and held a feast in the traditional Fenrisian way, with a lot of singing, boasting and downing of Fenrisian Ale tankards in honor of their dying brother. The bewildered Guardsmen were asked to participate, and when an hesitant Sergeant Marlin dared asking if the Wolves weren't afraid of attracting the Tyranids, he was answered with roars of laughter, oaths that Space Wolves weren't afraid of anything and the assurance of Skold Greypelt that attracting the Tyranids in their largest possible numbers was precisely what the Wolves' plan had been all along. Greypelt explained that they wanted to make the Tyranids pay the heaviest possible price for Shadrac, and that with their defiance and destruction of so many lesser swarms, the Tyranids had finally started converging in earnest on the annoyance, and would be there in a matter of hours.

After the feast, the Wolves and the Guardsmen took up defensive positions to hold back the Tyranids for as long as they could. Battle was soon joined, and wave after wave of lesser Tyranids threw themselves at the stubborn defenders, who slaughtered them in droves with volleys from their Lasguns and Bolters, before cutting those few that managed to reach them to pieces.

Soon however, the valiant defenders ran out of ammunition, and Greypelt called in his Tunderhawk, where the surviving Astartes and Guardmen hurriedly embarked. As his brethren departed, the critically wounded Space Wolf lied down on his funeral cairn, and with a last shout of defiance, detonated the nuclear stockpile buried within it. A cataclysmic explosion that was seen by the survivors from orbit ravaged the surrounding swarms, incinerating thousands of Tyranids. and denying their bio-matter to the Hive Mind forever. Shadrac had fallen, but the Swarm had paid a hefty prize for it.

Personality
Skold Greypelt is a typical Space Wolf Astartes, fearless and tenacious in battle, boisterous and easy-going when feasting and fiercely protective of his battle-brothers and friends. Unlike some Astartes of other Chapters, he has no problems nor qualms interacting with normal humans, and readily befriends them and show them respect. The Great Company he belongs to, as his exact rank is unknown, but judging from the fact that he is in command of a large pack, and that even an Iron Priest defers to his authority, it is most probable that he is one of his Great Company's Wolf Guards.