The Wolfspear is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter comprised entirely of Primaris Space Marines, created from the lineage of the Space Wolves and raised during the Ultima Founding of ca. 999.M41.
Like their ancestral Chapter, the Wolfspear do not conform to the dictates of the Codex Astartes, but instead make use of many of the same customs and organisational designations as the Space Wolves.
The Wolfspear's intimidating pack-hunting tactics permeate every strategic strata of their Chapter combat doctrine. Packs of stealthy killers swiftly destroy the enemy's vanguard, squadrons of swift vehicles encircle macro-cities, and prowling rapid-strike vessels gut larger spacecraft in the void.
The Wolfspear's precision strikes sever avenues of escape, sowing confusion. Static-laced howls fill enemy vox-nets or echo within foes' skulls as the Chapter's Iron Priests and Rune Priests unleash tempests of terror.
As the foe desperately try to repulse attacks on multiple fronts, flinching at half-seen blurs, suddenly the Wolfspear strike hard. At a single point from multiple directions, their packs tear the throat from an enemy already in fear.
The Wolfspear was originally created as an understrength, fleet-based Chapter by Lord Commander of the Imperium Roboute Guilliman from the ranks of his Unnumbered Sons when he brought the Primaris Marine creation technology to the Space Wolves of Fenris.
After the end of the first phase of the Indomitus Crusade, they were tasked with guarding the Pit of Raukos to prevent any further use of that Warp rift by the forces of Chaos to assault the nearby Imperial worlds.
The Astartes of the Wolfspear were not happy with being placed permanently on garrison duty, hoping to remain on the frontlines of battle, as befit true sons of Leman Russ.
The Astartes of the Wolfspear suffer from a deep burden -- though they know their progenitors, the Space Wolves, have accepted Primaris Space Marines like them into the ranks of their Chapter, there are still many within the Space Wolves who have not yet decided whether to accept Primaris Marines as true inheritors of the legacy of the Wolf King despite the acceptance of the Wolfspear by the Great Wolf Logan Grimnar.
Chapter History
Origins
The Wolfspear Primaris Marine Intercessor Igurd Bryn, 2nd Battleline Squad, Halga's Jarldom, proudly displaying his Chapter's colour scheme.
Through the bloodshed and horror that spreads from the Great Rift, the enemies of the Imperium are stalked by the fearsome Wolfspear. Their brooding mien reveals a dark mindset and their grim brotherhood of dedicated hunters seldom laugh.
One of the Ultima Founding's most unsettling Chapters of Primaris Marines, the Wolfspear are proud inheritors of the genetic legacy of the Wolf King. Founded during the early years of the Era Indomitus, the Wolfspear are blood brothers of the fabled Space Wolves and like them descendants of the Primarch Leman Russ. Cold and taciturn, they are nevertheless possessed by a powerful wyrd, a spiritual force or destiny that makes them excellent hunters. Some may even say predators...
Despite their relatively recent foundation, the grim Space Marine brotherhood known as the Wolfspear have already proved themselves to be fearsome and ruthless hunters, honouring the genetic legacy of their primarch. Wherever they stalk, the Wolfspear prey upon the enemies of Mankind with a dark hunger intensified by blood-sworn battle oaths and a fierce loyalty to kith and kin.
The Wolfspear Chapter owes its origin to Roboute Guilliman's arrival on Fenris at the head of an Indomitus Crusade fleet. Responding to the calamity of the Great Rift, the Ultramarines primarch and lord commander of the Imperium came in person to the Space Wolves, bringing with him Primaris Space Marines drawn from the Chapter's own gene-seed and the technological means to forge more of their kind.
Some, he proposed, would join the ranks of the Space Wolves themselves, while others could be used to form new Chapters, furthering the lineage of Leman Russ while adopting the new weapons and doctrines that characterised the Ultima Founding.
Guilliman's gifts evoked complex emotions from all of the Chapters they reached, but few responses were as fractious and fiery as those voiced in The Fang. Though the Great Companies had been severely depleted by recent campaigning, the Primaris warriors presented to the gathered Wolf Lords were not initially embraced as pack-mates.
Lips curled and hands tightened around weapon grips at the scent of the newcomers. The Space Wolves had not fought alongside these warriors; they had not welcomed them back, bloody but unbowed, from the Lone Hunt, nor shared fireside tales and flagons of burning mjod with them in the halls of The Fang.
As such, some Wolf Lords argued for the outright rejection of the reinforcements. When Gunnar Red Moon roared that he would sooner hunt his quarry alongside a dozen true Sky Warriors than a hundred others with whom he had never feasted, there were several growls of agreement. Others held their tongues but brooded warily, distrusting what they saw as an effort to curb the independent tactical traditions of Fenris, but sensing in the Greyshields the keen instincts and proud bearing of true sons of Russ.
As Great Wolf, it fell to Logan Grimnar to rule on the matter. Having sternly counselled his Wolf Lords to respect the will of Guilliman as the Imperial Regent during his visit, Grimnar afterwards voiced the Kin-pack Declaration -- a formal recognition of the Space Wolves' successors. Whether forged in The Fang or otherwise, all were scions of the Wolf King, and all should be permitted to prove their mettle in battle or earn the scorn of their battle-brothers.
However, it was also the Great Wolf's duty to safeguard the ancient fighting creed and customs of his kin, and Grimnar's declaration made clear that the new Successor Chapters -- and any Primaris Marine warriors joining the Space Wolves themselves -- should uphold the ancient customs of the Space Wolves, not an Ultramarian ideal. Thus each Primaris pack assumed the traditional roles of Blood Claws, Grey Hunters and so on, as befitted their tactical strengths and experience.
First-Slain
The newly formed Wolfspear Chapter began life as an under-strength, fleet-based Space Marine force combining Primaris Marine brethren who had voyaged with Roboute Guilliman and other Firstborn Fenrisian initiates elevated to the status of Sky Warriors in the traditional way, the Wolf Priests being unwilling to close off the recruitment path they themselves had once walked.
Before Roboute Guilliman's crusade fleet reached Fenris, the Primaris Marine warriors that voyaged with him faced the flames of battle many times. From ambushes in the void to full-scale confrontations on planets of high strategic worth, Greyshields drawn from many genetic lineages fought side by side at the primarch's command. Nonetheless, in these early hostilities the scions of Leman Russ quickly gravitated towards each other, forming hunting packs with those they instinctively trusted as brothers and keeping others at a measured distance.
In the course of these bloody conflicts, there were many Greyshields who fell before their Chapter service could begin. To the Primaris sons of Russ, those lost from their bloodline came to be known as the "First-slain," held in great honour for the feats of arms that bought their kin passage to Fenris. This is particularly true of the Wolfspear, and for them an oath sworn upon the First-slain is as sombre and binding as any they can utter.
Indeed, it is thought that the pale grey livery of the Wolfspear may owe something to the colourless plate in which the Greyshields fought, and though often embellished with runic detail and furs, it serves to remind them of the grey-clad heroes who await them in the realm of Morkai.
Amongst these warriors, those of a similar disposition found further common ground, forming bonds that endured within the Space Wolves' Successor Chapters. Hence many of the psychically-inclined amongst them became the nucleus of the esoteric Icefangs Chapter, while the grim-faced huntsmen who preyed from the shadows found a natural home in the Wolfspear.
Dark Terror
A Wolfspear Primaris Marine Intercessor in Mark X Tacticus Power Armour.
These first Wolfspear warriors showed clear signs of their ancestry: keen-eyed and hungry for the hunt, their pointed canines marked them out as sons of Leman Russ. They bared these fangs only rarely, however, showing little emotion behind their cold predator's poise.
To those amongst the Space Wolves accustomed to bullish camaraderie, this brooding mien made the Wolfspear seem aloof and untrustworthy, but the more calculating of the Wolf Lords looked beyond the coldness of their new kin and saw a fiercely loyal spirit.
Erik Morkai was particularly struck by the focus and killer instinct the Wolfspear displayed during their early deployments. The Chapter showed a preference for swift terror tactics and brutal executions such as Erik Morkai favoured himself, and in a rare gesture of respect the taciturn Wolf Lord seconded some of his most experienced Wolf Scouts to the Wolfspear to impart their deadly hunting methods.
The Wolfspear also found favour with Logan Grimnar, who saw much in them that the Wolf King himself would have praised. The dour warriors of the Wolfspear possessed a strong wyrd -- even Njal Stormcaller spoke of it. They would be the "Grimwolves," the "Dark Terror," sent into the void to slaughter without mercy.
To bolster their numbers, Grimnar granted the new Chapter additional warriors drawn from his own Great Company. A small number of these were hoary Firstborn veterans who stoically crossed the Rubicon Primaris to guide their new packbrothers in battle; others were Space Wolf initiates originally earmarked for Grimnar's own Champions of Fenris Great Company, who became some of the first Fenrisians to receive the gifts of Belisarius Cawl and be transformed into Primaris Marines at the hands of the Wolf Priests in the Fang.
This influx of warriors young and old forged close bonds of brotherhood between the Wolfspear and their parent Chapter, and being as yet lacking a homeworld of their own, the Wolfspear began to regard Fenris in a totemic sense; a primal presence reaching out to them across the stars, like a moon obscured by cloud but known by its diffused light.
Many Fenrisian customs are maintained by the Wolfspear aboard their vessels and during battle, and though pride in their own pack identity comes first, the Chapter's Rune Priests and Wolf Priests speak well of the Space Wolves as their elder kindred.
Grim Starfarers
Since their inception the Wolfspear have been predominantly an itinerant hunting force, prowling the stars without a homeworld to call their own. This absence of a permanent planetary headquarters suits their combat doctrine well; those who dwell in shadow can choose their battles, encircling their foe unseen before leaping for the kill. Drawing parallels with the denizens of ancient Fenris, the Chapter's Wolf Priests assert that the ocean-borne kraken is a more elusive foe than the ice bears who dig their dens all too predictably in the mountains.
Nonetheless, prolonged campaigning puts logistical strains on even the most resourceful commanders, and like other roaming Adeptus Astartes Chapters the Wolfspear have established clandestine outposts in a number of key strategic star systems.
Whether veiled by inhospitable cloud storms or delved deep into the rock of seemingly barren moons, these secret hunting lairs allow the Wolfspear to re-arm and plan their next excursions far from the gaze of their enemies. In rare cases these scattered sites also serve an additional purpose as recruitment points, when the Human populace is deemed rugged and strong-willed enough to yield potential aspirants.
Not by chance was the Chapter's name chosen. The Wolf Lords of Fenris had agreed that a force should be formed that could be cast like a javelin deep into the Imperium Nihilus and other forsaken reaches, ranging far ahead of the war zones prioritised by the Indomitus Crusade fleets.
The name also held a deeper resonance for some, evoking the legendary Spear of Russ gifted to their primarch by the Emperor. Just as Leman Russ had received that artefact reluctantly but learnt to respect its great power, so now Roboute Guilliman offered the Primaris Space Marines to the Wolf King's sons; a potent new weapon at a time of peril.
Hunters in Darkness
Founded beneath Fenrisian skies stained by the fell light of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the Wolfspear have never known respite from the war to salvage and renew the Allfather's realm. They are the grim scions of the Era Indomitus, bred for a desperate hour and well adapted to hunt in the darkness.
The earliest deployments of the Wolfspear Chapter were vanguard strikes ahead of major Indomitus Crusade offensives. Before the massed forces of the Astra Militarum and other Imperial agents made impact, the Wolfspear would seek out and destroy the enemy's deadliest assets, severing chains of command and sowing disarray before leaping back into the shadows.
In these missions the the Chapter's jarldoms competed with each other to demonstrate their prowess, mocking their peers for any operations they deemed too slow, too scattered in their application of force. Imperial allies soon found the Wolfspear to be restless of spirit, quickly jaded by protracted battle; sooner rather than later, the wilderness of space would call them away, and a fresh pursuit would begin.
Before long, this fact turned the gaze of the whole Chapter towards the Imperium Nihilus. This benighted expanse had been proposed as the Wolfspear's eventual hunting ground even while Guilliman still sat in the hall of the Great Wolf on Fenris, but few had foreseen the draw that region would so quickly exert upon the Chapter.
In a rare mustering of their full strength, the seven jarls of the Chapter gathered their fleets at the mouth of the Nachmund Gauntlet, the primary known passage through the Great Rift from the Imperium Sanctus to the Imperium Nihilus, and prepared to hunt on an unprecedented scale. Carving momentous oaths upon their blades and battle-plate and howling the Wolf King's name, they embarked into the abyss beyond the light of the Emperor.
How the Wolfspear have fared on this perilous voyage can be gleaned only from distorted fragments and nightmarish echoes. All that is certain is that the jarls' fleets soon became separated, and that the Chapter's scattered sons now stalk the Emperor's foes in numerous sectors cut off from the Astronomican's light. Whether they remain the hunters or are now hunted themselves by horrors untold, nothing but death will break the oaths they have sworn.
Notable Campaigns
- Guardians of the Pit of Raukos (Unknown Date.M42) - During the Indomitus Crusade, Roboute Guilliman and his forces fought a major battle against the forces of Chaos who had emerged from the Pit of Raukos, an ancient Warp rift located in the star system that orbited the dying sun designated 108/Kapalus-9. The Pit was an old anomaly, predating the violent turbulence in the Warp that had created the Great Rift and was located in a region of Wilderness Space that had never been claimed by the Imperium during the Great Crusade. The Pit of Raukos was a deep rift in realspace that was used frequently by both Daemons and Chaos Space Marine warbands to launch raids into the surrounding Imperial space with relative impunity. Guilliman's Greyshield Astartes defeated the forces of Chaos near the Pit, finally clearing the system of all the servants of the Archenemy. In the wake of the Imperial victory and after the end of this first phase of the Indomitus Crusade, Guilliman ordered the Wolfspear Chapter of Primaris Space Marines originally created from among the Unnumbered Sons of Leman Russ' genetic lineage to take up permanent garrison duties near the Pit of Raukos. Their purpose was to prevent the Warp rift from ever being used by the servants of the Ruinous Powers again. This was an unpopular decision with the Primaris Marines of the newborn Wolfspear, who sought always to remain on the front lines of the Imperial counteroffensive as they believed proper for true scions of Leman Russ.
- Cordon Impenetra (Unknown Date.M42) - The Dark Krakens Chapter and elements of the Wolfspear are currently fighting a tendril of Hive Fleet Leviathan in the Pankallis Sub-sector of the Octarius Sector. The Dark Krakens 5th Company and other Dark Krakens forces under the command of Captain Krijeni Luceior known as Strike Force Luceior were despatched by Chapter Master Mezonkyi Reio to the three planets in the Bianzeer's Hollow System to clear them of the Tyranid scourge. They were aided by the Wolfspear, which also joined the fighting on the frozen Death World oddly named Death of Bianzeer.
Chapter Organisation
Wolfspear Chapter badge
For all their ties of brotherhood with the Space Wolves, the Wolfspear organise themselves in a highly independent fashion, modelling their practice on neither the Great Companies of Fenris nor the tenets of the Codex Astartes. The Chapter functions as a heptarchy, grouping its warriors into seven distinct battle hosts known as "jarldoms." These trace their origin to the earliest engagements fought by the Greyshields of Leman Russ' genetic lineage who were later sworn to the Wolfspear.
Battle by battle, they gradually gathered into seven hunting packs, each small and agile enough to pursue elusive targets and fight on the move. Never recognised officially while attached to the Indomitus Crusade, these seven packs grew tighter as they hunted and bled together, and when addressing the matter of the Wolfspear Chapter's organisation, Logan Grimnar recognised that only a fool would prise apart such battle-forged loyalties.
While he sanctioned the Wolfspear's chosen unorthodoxies, Grimnar ruled that each hunting pack should formally elect an alpha from amongst their number -- a proven warrior who would marshal their kin in the same manner as the Wolf Lords of Fenris. Like the Space Wolves' Wolf Lords, these leaders were granted all the resources needed to wage war in an autonomous way, and each now sails the Sea of Stars with a powerful arsenal of weapons and war machines at his disposal, along with enough Primaris Marines to at least equal the fighting strength of a conventional Codex Astartes company.
Due to the wide-ranging nature of the Wolfspear's mission and fighting style, the Chapter is highly decentralised in its command structure, and each jarl -- as its Wolf Lords choose to be known -- leads his own warriors as he sees fit, consulting with the Wolf Priests, Rune Priests and Iron Priests who accompany him. Only at times of utmost need do the jarls look to a higher authority to govern their actions, and in these circumstances a "high jarl" is nominated from amongst the seven: one tasked with uniting the jarldoms to bring down a formidable foe or lend the full weight of the Chapter to wider Imperial objectives.
Like much of Wolfspear custom, this practice is rooted in pragmatic spoken oaths rather than codified law, and may yet evolve as the Chapter grows longer of tooth. To date, the fraternal instincts of the Wolfspear have proved stronger than any differences of character or personality between the jarls, and the Chapter has shown an almost preternatural ability to coordinate their scattered forces when the need arises.
Officer Ranks
- High Jarl - The "high jarl" is the title granted by the Wolfspear to their Chapter Master.
- Jarl - A "jarl" is the title used by the Wolfspear for the officer rank the Space Wolves call "Wolf Lord" and Codex Astartes-compliant Chapters refer to as a captain, essentially the commander of an Astartes company-sized formation, though the Wolfspear call their companies "jarldoms."
- Battle Leader - "Battle leader" is the term used by both the Space Wolves and the Wolfspear for a Space Marine Lieutenant, the commander of a demi-company.
Specialist Ranks
- Wolf Priest - Like the Space Wolves, the Wolfspear possess Wolf Priests who combine the roles of Chaplains and Apothecaries found in Codex Astartes-compliant Chapters.
- Rune Priest - A Rune Priest is what the Wolfspear call a Librarian, a title they inherited for Space Marine psykers from their progenitors.
- Iron Priest - An Iron Priest is the term that the Wolfspear use for a Techmarine, much like their Space Wolves progenitors.
Line Ranks
- Pack Leader (Sergeant) - A "pack leader" is the term used by the Wolfspear, like the Space Wolves, for what other Chapters would name a Space Marine sergeant.
- Battle-Brother (Initiate)
Training Ranks
- Neophyte
- Aspirant
Specialist Units & Formations
- Wolf Guard - Some Wolfspear, having achieved feats of exceptional valour and martial prowess, may become members of the Chapter's version of the Space Wolves' Wolf Guard. These mighty Astartes can lead smaller forces of Wolfspear drawn from other jarldoms (companies), serve as the Wolfspear's version of an honour guard for the most experienced warrior in a deployed Wolfspear force or serve as the pack leader for a jarldom's squads, imparting their knowledge and experience to their younger charges and serving as the equivalent of standard Space Marine sergeants.
- Thunderwolf Cavalry - Thunderwolf Cavalry units are a sub-group of the Wolfspear's Wolf Guard. According to official Imperial records, the Thunderwolf Cavalry doesn't exist and the Space Wolves and their Successor Chapters keep them as a closely guarded secret. Thunderwolves are giant Fenrisian Wolves that stand about the height of a Terran rhinoceros and are used as mounts by the most elite members of the Wolf Guard. Thunderwolves are used in the near-mythical Thunderwolf Cavalry, and are often augmented with adamantium jaws, Imperial bionics, and back-jointed metal limbs that end in razor-sharp blades. The havoc that these creatures are capable of wreaking is said to be startling to even a hardened Veteran Wolfspear. The taming of a Thunderwolf is often used as a ritual trial for a Wolfspear Astartes who wishes to rise into the ranks of the Wolf Guard.
- Wolf Scouts - For some Wolfspear Astartes, the close-knit and boisterous brotherhood of the pack (squad) is not well-suited to their personality, as they yearn for the open spaces and isolation of the Sea of Stars. These Space Marines are selected to become part of a jarldom's Wolf Scout force, providing reconnaissance and disrupting enemy movements. These Space Marines are often already Veterans, as opposed to the raw neophytes commonly used in other Chapters' Scout Marine squads.
Rune Priests and Hounds of Morkai
A Wolfspear Rune Priest conjuring his powerful elemental gifts in battle.
Amongst the Wolfspear and most other Ultima Founding successors of the Space Wolves, there are a select few who possess tempestuous psychic abilities. Like the Rune Priests of Fenris, these powerful Astartes battle-psykers wield their mental might to aid their brothers and call down ruinous storms upon their foes.
Wolfspear Rune Priests are particularly sinister specimens of their kind. Often wreathed in billowing shadow through which only their ice-blue eyes can be seen, they use their elemental gifts to strike terror and panic into the enemy, plunging the battlefield into eerie darkness before wreaking havoc with flensing blizzards and deadly lightning blasts.
The Wolfspear also make frequent use of the psyker-hunting packs known as "Hounds of Morkai." Marked beneath their Phobos armour with powerful runes of warding, these specialist killers are a formidable threat to enemy Warp-wielders, and their chilling presence has been known to reduce their psychic quarry to whimpering wretches even before their knives and pistols complete the kill.
Chapter Combat Doctrine
Personal markings and variant helmet designs are common across the Chapter.
The warriors of the Wolfspear are master packhunters, every aspect of their combat doctrine focused on the coordinated tracking, pursuit and destruction of their quarry. The first scent of the foe can be picked up in many ways -- sometimes a single psychic ripple will reach a Wolfspear Rune Priest and give rise to a chase, while other trails may arise by following signs left amidst the rubble of broken cities or the wreckage of ambushed fleets. Whatever the initial trace, the Wolfspear close upon their enemy in complete stealth, observing their behaviour and movements until their weaknesses become clear.
Phobos-armoured Infiltrator packs excel in this role, prowling behind enemy lines to probe defences and quickly silence threats that would slow the main Wolfspear assault. Next, Eliminator packs begin a campaign of terror that relents only when the battle is won, sowing panic and confusion with long-ranged assassinations from the shadows.
With the enemy wrong-footed and bleeding, the full Wolfspear attack begins. Utilising speed and surprise, squadrons of Outriders and swift anti-gravitic transports strike from multiple angles, severing avenues of escape and drawing valuable targets away from the protection of their allies. Thunderwolf Cavalry and other close support packs then encircle their isolated foes and move in for the killing bite, capitalising on the fear their battle-brothers have instilled in the prey.
As much as possible, the Wolfspear translate these same tactics to the void, terrorising and outmanoeuvring larger fleets and launching precision strikes to tear the throats from the most vulnerable targets. Where such clashes can differ markedly from ground operations is the pursuit phase, however, owing to the vastness of space.
Once the Wolfspear have made contact with enemy vessels, they will gladly chase those who attempt to evade them. Whether the trail spans star systems, sectors, or even the nether-realms of the Warp, the Wolfspear regard such pursuits as a test of their stamina and patience, knowing that their targets will eventually tire or succumb to the wounds dealt to them at the battle's outset.
Bled dry and haunted by spectral pursuers they cannot shake off, many targets lose the will to flee, and yield easily when the Wolfspear boarding craft finally make impact.
Chapter Beliefs
Longing for a Hearth
Though they would be quick to deny it, the lack of a permanent homeworld colours the psyche of the Wolfspear on a subliminal level. As sons of Leman Russ they are innately territorial beings, and their deployment deep into the Sea of Stars offers the Chapter scant opportunity to claim long-term hunting grounds or win victories in the name of a planetary fastness of their own.
Amongst other genetic descendants of Russ, there are those who scent in their Wolfspear kin a silent yearning tor a hearth that will one day be theirs to fortify and defend with the same ferocity that the Fang is defended by the Space Wolves; a stronghold that, like the Fang, will echo with the chanting of sagas and the remembrance of the battle-slain.
Perhaps for this reason, Wolfspear forces have been known to punish dug-in foes without mercy, razing fortifications and butchering their garrisons far beyond the needs of victory. Outwardly they would explain this savagery as retribution against static foes who robbed them of the thrill of pursuit, but equally likely is that they view any attempt to hold fortified positions against them as a mockery of their nomadic state.
The Oathbound
Like their parent Chapter, the Wolfspear place great importance in tradition, and the ancient practice of oathmaking is central to their culture. As the Chapter's saga grows more lengthy with each passing battle, the deeds of their fallen heroes weigh heavier upon those that still live -- valorous acts must be honoured with yet greater heroism, and the slain must be avenged.
To bind themselves to this duty, Wolfspear warriors make solemn vows before battle and carve runic representations of them into their weapons and armour, often inlaying these with burnished metal or the powdered bones of lost comrades. Some warriors also ink their oaths into their very flesh, so that to look upon the bared face of a Wolfspear Veteran is like viewing an ancient runestone covered in sigils.
When several Wolfspear brethren are pledged to a similar cause, they will sometimes form into sub-packs dedicated to their shared oath. Whether sworn to hunt down the killer of their fallen alpha or to destroy a fastness used by heretical cults, these Oathbound drink together in firelit halls and salute their common purpose with raised horns of mead. Though ever loyal to their jarl and the broader goals of the Chapter, few factors can stay the wrath of such transhuman warriors when their sworn objective comes within reach.
Chapter Gene-Seed
The Wolfspear are proud genetic sons of the Primarch Leman Russ, and feel a strong sense of kinship with all who share the Wolf King's genetic legacy. Like their forefather, they exhibit the keen senses and instinctive aggression of born hunters, and though they rarely show the fiery emotions that mark out many of their kin, the Wolfspear's struggle to contain their inner beast is no less intense.
When the Primaris Marine creation technologies were first presented to the Space Wolves, Ulrik the Slayer proposed that they might be the key to overcoming the bestial genetic flaw that resides within every son of Russ: the Curse of the Wulfen. The Wolf High Priest's hopes were not borne out, however.
In the Wolfspear and all other Primaris descendants of Leman Russ, this genetic anomaly lives on, and from the moment aspirants receive the Canis Helix, a lifelong physical and mental battle begins. Like unnumbered Space Wolves before them, any Wolfspear warrior may become overwhelmed by his inner savagery during the heat of battle, and descend into a berserk frenzy.
For some this state subsides with the ceasing of combat; for others the transformation is too complete, and they serve the Wolfspear as feral Wulfen from that point onwards.
Chapter Recruitment
Test of Morkai
As a fleet-based Chapter with no single recruitment source, the Wolfspear have yet to establish fixed initiation rites akin to those practised for millennia on Fenris. While the Space Wolves test their aspirants in the wilderness beyond the Fang after gifting them with the Canis Helix in what is known as the Test of Morkai, the Wolfspear must be adaptable, and conduct their own Tests of Morkai across various secret, inhospitable environments.
One such proving ground is the Death World of Zordion, whose parched deserts are a far cry from the icy terrain of Fenris. Those cast into this desolate place must master the monstrous transformations triggered within them by the Canis Helix and fight their way back to the Wolfspear drop zone, hewing a path through the xenos horrors that erupt from the sands around them.
Other aspirants struggle through landscapes more comparable with the Space Wolves' frigid homeworld, such as the perilous ice moon of Xindos II. Wherever they are tested, these warriors face the same gauntlet as their counterparts on Fenris, and only the strongest progress into the elite brotherhood of the Wolfspear.
Chapter Homeworld
A Wolfspear fleet conducting a raid against a Chaos Fleet during the Indomitus Crusade.
Unburdened by a home planet to protect or a wider battle line to support, the Wolfspear are free to track their prey into the furthest wilds of the galaxy, pausing only to seize what supplies they need from the beleaguered planets they find.
The strike cruiser Umbral Claw is the closest thing to a Chapter flagship that the Wolfspear possesses. This vessel bears High Jarl Irik Stianolf himself through the void, acting at once as the armoury, spiritual sanctum and lordly court of his jarldom.
While several of these forces will gladly work in concert to harry and bring down high value targets, each Wolfspear jarl's flotilla is fully autonomous, capable of hunting alone for standard years if need be. This has inevitably led to subtle variations of culture and fighting style between the different roaming fleets of the Wolfspear, and on the rare occasions when the Chapter convenes in full, the warriors of each jarldom gather to exchange hunting tales and scrutinise the deeds of their peers.
Chapter Relics
- Elemental Shroud - The weave of this Cameleoline Cloak emulates the movements of the elements. As a gust of wind passes, as rain falls across the battlefield, as the haze of heat shimmers the air, the bearer's form flickers in and out of perception. If the bearer remains stationary, they are clouded entirely, a ghost lost to the wilds.
- Totem of Storms - This runic totem empowers the Rune Priest who bears it. As they channel their psychic energy, the totem awakens, gathering a tempest overhead. Its presence is a reservoir of psychic energy the psyker draws from, giving them mastery of psychic powers manifested in the battle.
- Blacktooth - Blacktooth is a power sword kept under the watchful eye of the Chapter's Rune Priests, for it is whispered that dark spirits empower its edge. It is bestowed only to warriors who hunt alone, for the bind between blade and bearer takes a toll on the bonds of brotherhood. When the bearer is seemingly lost to the hunt, the Rune Priests reclaim Blacktooth and return it to the Chapter's vaults as the bearer is brought back into the fold.
Notable Wolfspear
- High Jarl Irik Stianolf - Irik Stianolf was the first Wolfspear jarl raised to the position of overlordship in the Chapter, having won the respect of his pack-mates while fighting as an unliveried Greyshield warrior in Roboute Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade fleet. His nomination came as the entire Chapter prepared to brave the Nachmund Gauntlet and hunt in the haunted void beyond. What fragmentary reports escaped the Imperium Nihilus spoke of nightmarish conditions and blasphemies beyond count, and the jarls agreed that one amongst them should be their chief, should a coordinated assault prove possible. Sparing with words but always at the forefront of ambushes and precision strikes, he showed an uncanny ability to direct those around him, executing encirclements and kill missions as though his brethren were extensions of his own will. Irik himself attributes his successes to the hunting traits innate to every son of Leman Russ, which he simply directs towards the destruction of the enemy, leading by example. To those outside the Chapter, Stianolf is an unsettling character who seems to draw unnatural sustenance from the fear elicited from his foes. While it is true that the scent of panic does stoke cold fires in the high jarl's eyes and intensifies his battle lust, he views the tormenting of his enemies as simply a means to an end, and derives no pleasure from it; the more fearful the prey, the more easily they can be outwitted and slain.
- Jarl Halga Hyrdred - Halga Hyrdred is a jarl of the Wolfspear and the commander of one of its seven jarldoms. Battle-Brother Igurd Bryn served in Halga's Jarldom after being recruited into the Wolfspear from Fenris.
- Battle Leader Rakmeyr Bluewolf - Bluewolf was among the Wolfspear forces that were sent to defend the Pankallis Sub-sector from Hive Fleet Leviathan. Bluewolf fought to cleanse the Tyranids from the world of Death of Bianzeer.
- Sergeant Bjarni Arvisson - Bjarni Arvasson was originally a sergeant in command of an Inceptor Squad in the Unnumbered Sons, the nine Legion-sized forces created by Roboute Guilliman which comprised half of the Primaris Space Marines created during the Ultima Founding who were not placed within the normal Adeptus Astartes Chapter structure. He, along with many of his Space Wolves-derived brethren, were initially formed into the Wolfspear Chapter to guard the Pit of Raukos.
- Igurd Bryn - A stern and stalwart warrior of the Wolfspear battleline who serves in the 2nd Battleline Squad of Halga's Jarldom, Igurd Bryn has served his jarl with honour since the earliest days of the Chapter's formal foundation. Bryn was born on Fenris and passed into the service of Jarl Halga Hyrdred after his physical elevation as a Primaris Space Marine was completed in the Fang. Though he now hunts in the galactic darkness far from his birth world, Bryn wears beneath his armour many ritualistic reminders of his Fenrisian heritage. Jagged runes and oath-sigils pattern his pale skin in red and black ink, attesting to his descent from Russ while also marking his deeds as a Wolfspear warrior. Bryn’s battle-plate is more reserved in its ornamentation by comparison -- bold, practical markings signify his role within the Chapter -- but this too will likely become graven with further totemic signs of his own choosing as his war-voyage goes on.
Chapter Fleet
The Wolfspear maintain no single capital ship that can be likened to the mobile fortress-monasteries of some Chapters, prioritising stealth and agility over sheer tonnage or firepower.
Instead, each of the Chapter's seven jarls -- the alpha warriors largely comparable to Wolf Lords or Primaris Captains -- operates from a personal strike cruiser, accompanied by a fleet of smaller escorts and attack craft.
Notable Vessels
- Umbral Claw (Strike Cruiser) - The Umbral Claw is the closest the Wolfspear come to possessing a flagship or a mobile fortress-monastery, a tradition generally eschewed by the Wolfspear who prefer that their fleets remain highly maneuverable. This vessel bears High Jarl Irik Stianolf himself through the void, acting at once as an armoury, spiritual sanctum and the lordly court of his jarldom.
Chapter Appearance
The Wolfspear are one of the few Successor Chapters of the Space Wolves. Though they were forged alongside other Primaris Space Marines in the Ultima Founding by Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl, the warriors of the Wolfspear still bear the genetic code of the Primarch Leman Russ and, as such, have much in common with both him and their parent Chapter.
Like their illustrious forebears, the Wolfspear flout the tenets of the Codex Astartes, ignoring Codex-approved insignia in favour of their own tribal markings and heraldry.
Most feature stylised claw or fang marks, while others resemble the spearhead of the Spear of Russ -- a potent artefact wielded by the Allfather during the days of the Horus Heresy. Squad numbers are similarly replaced with Fenrisian runes.
Chapter Colours
Example Wolfspear Chapter badge and tactical role insignia. From left to right: Chapter badge, battleline, close support and fire support tactical insignia. The Chapter badge is featured on the left pauldron. Other insignia are featured on the right.
The Wolfspear predominantly paint their power armour in a dull gray livery, similar to the light bluish-gray of their progenitors, with the exception of their backpacks and insets of their shoulder pauldrons, which are black, as well as their faceplates, which are white. A dull, golden Imperialis or wolf-variant chest decoration is worn upon their chest plate.
The Chapter icon is proudly born on the left shoulder pauldron while the right bears a unique red Chapter insignia that indicates a battle-brother's assigned battlefield tactical role; a lozenge (diamond) for battleline; a lightning bolt for close support and a triangle for fire support.
Veteran Markings
Example Veteran markings utilised by the senior formations of the Wolfspear.
Veterans, Wolf Guard Battle Leaders, Honour Guard and Ancients all replace the battlefield tactical role iconography with bespoke pack-marking designs in a combination of white, black and red on their right shoulder plate.
A jarl may use similar designs in their own personal heraldry.
Jarldom Markings
Markings used by the different jarldoms of the Wolfspear; the eighth "all black" insignia is used by Wolfspear Scout Squads.
The Space Wolves use a radically different system of markings than that used by Codex Astartes-compliant Chapters.
Rather than using the company markings as laid down in the Codex Astartes, the Space Wolves use a number of different wolf badges to denote the different Great Companies that make up the Chapter. These include some form of a stylized wolf sigil denoting some aspect of the native Fenrisian mythology.
The Wolfspear are similar to their progenitors, as they also do not utilise the same system of standard markings found within the Codex Astartes. The Chapter is comprised of only seven "jarldoms" (companies), each the equivalent of a Codex Chapter's Battle Company.
They are led by an officer called a "jarl" (a captain or Wolf Lord equivalent) who possesses close to full autonomy over the direction of his jarldom. In lieu of the usual wolf iconography utilised by their progenitors to indicate company assignment, the Wolfspear instead utilise various jarldom insignia.
The eighth "all black" emblem is used by Scout Squads across all seven jarldoms. Jarldom markings are always featured on the right knee plate.
Pack Runes
Common Fenrisian pack runes used by Wolfspear battle-brothers.
Every battle-brother in a unit bears the same pack (squad) rune somewhere on their armour or equipment. These runes, identical to those used by the Human tribes of Fenris, are similar to the High Gothic unit numbers used by Codex Astartes-compliant Chapters, though the Wolfspear do not specify where they must be placed.
Knee guards, tasset plates and backpacks are all common places for the pack rune to be found. Also, Wolfspear battle-brothers do not display squad numbers. Instead they have runic pack markings, which are often displayed on their leg armour or backpack.
Chapter Badge
The Wolfspear's Chapter badge is a large white wolf's head face on, fangs bared centered above a piar of two red spears crossed behind it, pointing downwards, centered upon a field of black.
Canon Conflict
In the novel Dark Imperium by Guy Haley, it was originally stated that the Wolfspear established their Chapter homeworld upon the planet of 108/Beta-Kalapus-9.2, which lay near the Pit of Raukos, an old, isolated Warp rift located in a region of Wilderness Space never claimed by Humanity.
According to this source, following the defeat of the forces of Chaos during the Indomitus Crusade, the newly-established Wolfspear Chapter were charged by the Primarch Roboute Guilliman with standing eternal vigil over the 108/Beta-Kalapus-9.2 System for any further Chaos incursions.
However, with the release of White Dwarf 468, "Index Astartes: The Wolfspear - the Dark Terror," newly established canon states that the Wolfspear are now a fleet-based Chapter as they are predominantly an itinerant hunting force, preferring to dwell in the shadows, able to pick-and-choose their battles as they see fit.
This source also states that the Wolfspear, like other roaming Chapters, have established several clandestine outposts in a number of key strategic systems in order to re-arm and plan further excursions, which implies that 108/Beta-Kalapus-9.2 is but one of many such existing outposts.
Sources
- Dark Imperium (Novel) by Guy Haley, Chs. 6, 10, 15
- Codex Supplement Space Wolves (9th Edition), pg. 15
- White Dwarf 466 (July 2021), "Flashpoint: Octarius - Blood and Snow", pg. 23
- White Dwarf 468 (Sept 2021), "Index Astartes: The Wolfspear - The Dark Terror", pp. 16-25
- Guy Haley Twitter Feed - Shows Fan Made Chapter colours and badge