Wolf's-Head Marines

The Wolf's-Head Marines are a non-Codex compliant Space Marine Chapter created during an Unknown Founding and of uncertain lineage. Despite their liberal use of the wolf iconography in their heraldry, there seems to be no connection to the ancient and feral Space Wolves.

Founding
Unknown but no later than the Eighth. The source of the Chapter's gene-seed is also unknown. The Wolf's-Heads are one of the most stubbornly secretive of the naturally reticent Astartes Chapters and not at all forthcoming about their origins and early history.

The Evacuation of Herculeia (666.M34)
The first recorded appearance of the Wolf's-Head Chapter occurred in the terrible year 666.34 when a vast warp storm erupted out of the Eye of Terror spawning a dozen or so wandering daemon stars to threaten worlds and shipping in the surrounding sectors. It was at this time that a strike cruiser with unfamiliar heraldry appeared unexpectedly in the skies over doomed Herculeia, a civilized world in the Rubicon Sector, which was sliding inexorably into the grasp of an eerie green warp star. The accompanying electrical storms and earthquakes triggered by gravitic stresses were wrecking havoc and complicating evacuation. The Wolf's-Head Captain aboard offered the services of his sixty or so marines to the Governor of Herculeia who, of course, gratefully accepted. The Wolf's-Heads promptly took the over the evacuation, organizing collection centers, performing search and rescue operations all over the globe, and overseeing the loading of the refugees aboard the Imperial Navy and regular merchant ships who had answered Herculeia's call for help. When these proved inadequate to the need the Strike Cruiser White Wolf went out and collected more ships - by force since no captain in his right mind would willingly get any closer to the Green Star. As Herculeia was drawn nearer to its nemesis loops and tendrils of warp-enegy erupted from the star's corona engulfing the dying world and shreding reality. The Wolf's-Heads rallied and led the remainder of the planetary PDF against chaotic incursions as the last of the population was taken off. Their fate remained uncertain until the White Wolf appeared in the Compito system to drop off some thousand or so PDF survivors several weeks after the other Herculeian refugees had arrived. The Wolf's-Heads exchanged a few brief and uniformative messages with the authorities, ferried down their passengers, then vanished into the void.

The Ghost Wars or Seventh Black Crusade (811-881.M37)
The Chapter reappeared during the dark days of the Seventh Black Crusade when the enemy seemed to be everywhere and always a step ahead of Imperial forces. During this terrible time the civilized world of Illios located at a major nexus of the warp currents in the Cordatus Sector came under attack by the fleet of the then Lord Purgator of the Black Legion a Chaos Lord named Khutgore Gorsham. The despairing defenders saw ships emerge from warp, enemy reinforcements they assumed, but then they saw the entire black fleet thrown into confusion as it tried to reorient itself to repel the Imperial force hot on their trail. The rescue fleet included elements of both the Sentinel and the Cordatus fleets led by a battle barge and brace of strike cruisers emblazoned with an unfamiliar heraldry.

The Fall of Hellhome (430.M40)
The Chapter's original Fortress-Monastery was on the aptly named Hellhome, a tectonically active planet with an acute axial tilt leading to spectacularly violent weather and lifeless save for the Marines. It was the second planet of the Bifrost system in the Sentinel Sector right on the edges of the Eye of Terror. The Wolf's-Heads maintained their position as a forward watchpost of the Imperium for some six millenia.

Chapter Homeworld
The Chapter's current homeworld is Wolf IV, an airless rock circling one of the Carrion Stars in the Mandragoran Sector.

Chapter Organisation
The Wolf's-Heads are not a Codex-compliant Chapter. The squad is the Chapter building block and only permanent formation. They usually consist of between ten and twenty marines but some number as many as forty and others as few as four. Like Codex squads they are commanded by sergeants. Each squad has a name, not a number, its own standard and heraldry. When squads are combined for a mission one of the sergeants, not necessarily the most senior, is named Chief. Sometimes such combined units choose to remain together after the mission and the rank of Chief Sergeant becomes permanent.

Command Ranks
Practically non-existent. As noted above there are no permanent companies, temporary formations are created to suit the needs of the mission or campaign and placed under the command of a Captain chosen for his particular skills. Occasionally more than one Captain is assigned with one placed in command and the others to serve as his lieutenants.


 * The First Captain: This is the title of the Wolf's-Head chapter master. He is the first among his peers of the Captain's Concillium rather than the absolute ruler of Codex compliant Chapter Masters. Yet he is not without powers; the First Captain is the final court of appeal and has the last word on any subject raised by his Captains. Any Battle-Brother may approach him at will with complaint or request for counsel. He mediates disputes and sets punishments.


 * The Captain's Concillium: The Concillium is comparable to the general staff of a Guard Army. The Captains plan campaigns, assign missions and commands. They also adjudicate disputes and distribute honors and promotions. As stated above the First Captain is head of the Concillium and his is the deciding vote on any subject.


 * Captains: Head not a company but a 'Command Squad' which can number up to fifty marines. The composition of this super-squad varies according the talents, interests and charisma of the individual Captains but invariably includes an Honor Guard of Terminator marines, one or more Preceptors, several Apothecaries and Techmarines. The rest of the 'command squad' is made up of marines recruited for their deeds or special skills. Captains who specialize in shock battle will have mostly Assault marines in their squads. A Captain interested in covert warfare will prefer Seekers and Scouts and perhaps a team of Reavers, and so forth.

Specialists

 * Preceptors: These specialists combine the roles filled by Chaplains and Librarians in Codex Compliant Chapters. The Wolf's-Heads are notable for having no Librarians or Psyker brothers of any kind. Preceptors are keepers of the Tradition and guides and mentors to the Battle Brothers. Preceptors wear reversed colors and bone colored faceplates.
 * Techmarines: Fairly standard. They have red helmets, red trimmed pauldrons and red insignia.
 * Apothecaries: Similar to those of Codex Compliant Chapters. Apothecaries wear white edged pauldrons.

Squad Types

 * Tactical Squads: Are the most numerous type normally comprising between ten and twenty marines, flexible and versatile. Like Codex squads the marines are armed with both ranged and melee weapons in addition to a heavy weapons team with serious firepower.


 * Terminator Tactical Squads: Normally deployed in a spear formation aimed at the heart or head of enemy resistance. Their Terminator armor is painted dead black relieved only by the squad heraldry.


 * Breacher Squads: As the name suggests this type of squad specialized in creating breeches in the enemy lines and defenses. Such squads are equipped with storm-shields and power weapons.


 * Despoiler Squads: Are specially trained in fire saturation and close combat techniques. These squads are customarily held in reserve until the enemy's weak spots have been identified and then unloosed to overrun them.


 * Assault Squads: Less numerous then the Tactical Squads but often very large with between twenty and thirty marines, melee experts usually equipped with jump packs for mobility. It is their job to strike swift and hard at vulnerable points. They wear black armor trimmed with white, the reverse of the standard livery.


 * Reaver Squads: Special Assault Squad rarely numbering more then ten marines equipped with terminator armor and armed with power fists, chainfists and lightning claws in preference to ranged weapons, intended for harrowing actions and penetrating bunkers and redoubts.


 * Destroyer Squads: Are the Wolf's-Heads' version of Devastator marines. These squads are usually relatively small numbering between ten and five marines. In addition to the usual cannon and missile launchers specially trained Devastators employ ancient and forbidden bio-chemical weapons, relics from the time of the Great Crusade, capable of cracking any defense - at the price of permanently poisoning the ground on which they are used.


 * Seeker Squads: This type rarely numbering more than four or five marines, operate behind the enemy battle lines identifying and eliminating key leaders thus decapitating to command structure. They too wear black armor, for secrecy, and are armed with sniper type weapons.

Chapter Colours
The Wolf's-Head Marines primarily wear white coloured power armour. The left shoulder pauldron is painted black which is emblazoned with the Chapter's sigil, a snarling wolf's head. A black coloured Aquila or Imperialis is worn on the chest guard. The black squad specialist symbol (Tactical, Devastator, Assault and Veteran) indicates a battle-brother's assigned specialty. The black gothic numeral stenciled on the left poleyn (knee guard) indicates company assignment while the gothic numeral stenciled on the opposite poleyn indicates squad number.

Chapter Badge
The Wolf's-Head Chapter badge is a stylised, snarling black coloured wolf's head centered upon a field of white.

Relations
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Allies
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Notable Quotes
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By the Wolf's-Head Marines
"These men are heroes. Treat them as such."

- Wolf's-Head Captain to Compito Control before shuttling down the survivors of the Herculeia PDF

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