Wolves of Terra

 Space Marine Chapter Articles ---

Wolves of Terra
The Wolves of Terra are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes created during the 4th Founding in the middle centuries of M32. Created from unknown lineage, the origins of their gene-seed has been classified at the highest levels. Savage, highly aggressive and relentless are words that best describe the Wolves of Terra in combat as well as their independent nature, as they are only a semi-Codex compliant Chapter. Since their inception, the Wolves of Terra have garnered a reputation as a bellicose and savage Chapter, ruthlessly slaughtering the enemies of Mankind with the chapter's prefered weapons of chain-axes and chainblades.

Chapter History
Since the Chapter's inception during the 4th Founding after the War of the Beast, this massive Ork WAAAGH! nearly brought the Imperium to its knees. Though the Imperium ultimately emerged victorious, it was a pyrrhic victory at best as they had sacrificed much, including severe losses amongst the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. The newly instilled Lord Commander of the Imperium decreed that the Imperium would raise as many new Chapters as they had gene-seed in the great vaults of Terra to sustain. After several decades, enough gene-seed had been raised for the inception of a new Founding of Space Marine Chapter. The High Lords of Terra intended to create hundreds of Chapter instead of only dozens to ring the Imperium in admanatium and ceramite.

The first Chapters created during the 4th Founding, which included the newly incepted Wolves of Terra, were charged by the High Lords to help re-establish order to an Imperium rife with civil discourse and insurrection, and to restore the rule of Imperial law. The Chapters created during this Founding were brutal and ruthless in the extreme. Ever since the chapter's inception, the Wolves of Terra have garnered a reputation as being highly savage and relentless in combat, prosecuted with extreme ferocity to match the chapter's desire to eliminate all in their path. This is due in part to the Chapter's role as close quarter shock assault and ambush tactics with precise accuracy.

Primaris Brethren
When the Primarch Roboute Guilliman returned to the imperium he introduced the Primaris Space Marines to create new chapters and reinforce existing ones. Initially the chapter outright despise and rejects them viewing them as not only an insult to the honor of all Astartes they also see them joining the chapter as a mockery of the Chapter's traditions and the Primaris themselves as weak as the Primaris made for the Chapter tried to convince their more experienced astarties counter parts to accept them, the only way for the primaris marines to be accepted is to embrace the chapters culture, doctrines and to prove their worth in battle and in the arena but only 200 of the 400 made to reinforce the chapter eagerly agreed to embrace the chapters ideologies and doctrines and agreed to undergo full hypno-doctrination and alterations to be accepted into the chapter while the remanding 200 refuses to join under these conditions and let the chapter either attempt to form their own chapter or been absorbed into another.

When the 200 Primaris Space Marines are being inducted to the chapter they fortunately lack the ragefully blood as most of the chapter do they also lack the heighten aggression and savagery the chapter is known for and so the chapters Apothecaries and librarians under the biomancey discipline  have altered and augment the primaris adrenal glands to reach and occasionally match the heighten aggression and savagery shown by the chapters regular astaries allowing the chapter to maintain its infamous savagery and aggression.

Chapter Homeworld
The homeworld of the Wolves of Terra is a dense forested feral world called Aktriox which is located between the Segmentum Solar and Segmentum Obscurus. It is inhabited by countless deadly predators, tribal humans and a few cities. Their fortress-monastery being the only signs of civilization upon the world on which the chapter steadily acquires its recruits.

Notable Campaigns

 * Pacification of the Kraktion Rebellion (603-606.M35): Located in the Segmentum Obscurus is the pleasure world of Kraktion, which suffered from large and rampant rebellions across the planet and to eliminate the rebellions. The 1st, 3rd and 5th> Companies, along with a detachment of the Emperor's Reapers Chapter, to punish and execute the rebels. Throughout the three-year long conflict the tactics of both chapters complimented one another - the siege warfare tactics of the Reapers' onslaught punched holes into the enemy defences allowing the Wolves to storm in and slaughter their targets, while those who managed to flee were relentlessly pursued by the Wolves of Terra and then executed in a gruesome manner by the Reapers themselves.


 * Defence/Retribution of the Aktrion Hunt (666.M35): In 666.M35, a massive Chaos invasion comprised of warband of the Emperor's Children Traitor Legion raided and assaulted the world of Akriox. With 4 companies from the Wolves of Terra stationed on the world, the rest of their chapter was away, taking part in an unrecorded crusade. Hunt Master Eritus of the 4th Company, led the 5th, 7th and 9th Companies against the traitors, and succeeded in pushing back the warband, though the Wolves sustained serious casualties, with the near elimination of both the 5th and 9th Companies. However, the Chaos warband captured and spirited away 150 innocent Imperial citizens and other resources and fled into orbit. During the initial attack, Axe lord Eritus had the forethought to send an astropathic distress message to the rest of his Chapter. Upon receiving this distress message, the rest of the Chapter immediately dropped out of the crusade to pursue the warband for the next five months, chasing them down across the galaxy, from the Eastern Fringe to the edges of the galaxy itself. Along the way, they withered down the warband until the Warband was eradicated. The skulls of the warband's champions were claimed as trophies. Unfortunately, they were only able to save 17 out of the 150 prisoners, though the Wolves were fortunate enough to reclaim the stolen supplies of ordnance and equipment.


 * Conquest of Iceron IV (097.M36-001.M37): Deep within the Segmentum Pacificus a system-wide human empire, known as the Xeron Empire, was discovered by an Imperial expedition fleet. Unfortunately, the Imperial fleet was met with annihilation by the hostile empire, but not before they managed to send out an astropathic message, warning the Imperium of the new threat. Their warnings did not go unheeded, as the High Lords of Terra gathered multiple Space Marine Chapters to assist either the elimination of the upstart empire or force it into the Imperial fold. The Space Marine Chapters assigned to this Crusade were the relentless Wolves of Terra, the savage Space Wolves, and the unforgiving Iron Hands. These Chapters prosecuted this Crusade for the next four years. Throughout the crusade, the Wolves of Terra helped to draw out and ambushed the Iceron’s defence fleets and boarded an enemy dreadnaught. They claimed this mighty relic vessel as their trophy and used it to turn the tide in the Imperial's favour. With this newly acquired relic of the Dark Age of Technology, the Wolves of Terra help play a pivotal role in conquering the Xeron Empire's capital world of Icreon IV. Following this momentous outcome, the Tech-Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus assisted in the modification of the claimed dreadnaught with authorised Imperial designs. The Chapter later added it to their formidable Chapter fleet as their new flagship and named it the Emperor's Vanguard.


 * Age of Apostasy (200.M36): During the dreaded Age of Blood, known also as the infamous Age of Apostasy, the Wolves of Terra Chapter were primarily in their home system, protecting it from both those Adeptus Astartes Chapters and Brides of the Emperor forces loyal to the rogue High Lord Goge Vandire. The Wolves only managed to send 2 companies to assist other loyalist and the 8th company aid in managing a beach head on terra as a rallying point for other loyal chapters during the Terran Campaign, but were met with heavy casualties until the Apostasy was over, when vandire was decapitated by his own female bodyguard.


 * Xardon Crusade (334.M37): Within Ultima Segmentum a large Ork WAAAGH!, led by a Warboss called Zappa Thrakka, ran rampant through the Tellis Cluster raiding several Imperial worlds. Multiple Space Marine Chapters mobilised and gathered to form a Crusade to halt and eradicate to Ork threat. The Wolves of Terra were the first to heed the call-to-arms and deployed half of the Chapter while the remainder of the Chapter stayed behind to guard their Chapter Homeworld and neighboring systems. Throughout the Crusade, the Wolves engaged in a suppression conflict in an attempt to contain and drive the direction of the WAAAGH! During the final battle of the Crusade, on the world of Itris, Chapter Master Wilius and his bodyguard, dualed the Warboss in single combat and managed to critically injure the massive Ork. Unfortunately, Wilius was severely injured, losing both his legs and right arm, but not before he claimed the Warboss's lower jaw as a trophy, as Imperial reinforcements arrived later to help shatter the WAAAGH! across the Segmentum.


 * Cleansing of Hive City Ixtris VII (802.M38): Within the neighboring Arelius System, located in the Segmentum Obscurus, is the vitally important industrial Hive World of Ixtris VII. This planet is responsible for supplying both bolters and munitions to countless Space Marine Chapters and is often used as the Wolves of Terra's secondary recruitment world, who cull potential aspirants from its gang populations. When the Istrix VII goes silent and ceases all shipments, the Wolves send the 3rd Company investigate. Upon entering orbit the 3rd Company were immediately ambushed by the world's planetary defence forces and engaged in a short battle for orbital superiority. The Chapter discovered that the troopers of the world's PDF was tainted and controlled by a Genestealer infestation, and learned that a bloody conflict continued to rage between those untainted and loyal guardsmen, underhive gangs and members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, against the horde of Genestealer cultists that infested the planet. The Wolves immediately deployed their drop pods and Thunderhawk gunships to partake in this conflict, to cleanse the world of the xenos filth. After calling for reinforcements from the Chapter, in the form of the 5th and 6th companies, they began a 4 month-long campaign of the world's purification of the xenos taint and eventually claimed the skull of the genestealer Patriarch, which was acquired by Sergeant Katos, otherwise known as the 'Bloody-Handed'.


 * The Keteron Massacre (801.M40): An Imperial Crusade was launched, intended to both test the border defences of the Tau Empire and to disrupt their shipments from deploying to their battlefronts and to halt their expansion. The Wolves of Terra sent the 4th and 5th companies, which invaded a Tau agriculture world and began slaughtering the Tau population. When a strike team of 20 battle-brothers were assigned to assault a Tau communications outpost, the Strike Force was ambushed by Tau Stealth Suits. All but one member of the strike team survived, Battle-Brother Azrile Tertros. Fueled by anger and a desire for vengeance, he took pieces from damaged power armor from his fallen brothers and crafted two chain-bound weapons and tracked the Tau ambushers that had slaughtered his brothers to the very same outpost that the strike team was meant to destroy. When he arrived, the 5th Company was engaged in an assault of the outpost. Most of the Fire Cast Warriors diverted to repel the 5th and the remainder of the 4th Companies assault, leaving some sides of the communications outpost undefended. Taking advantage, Azrile infiltrated and butchered those in his way, including the outpost's commander and his guard, leaving the entire cast in a state of disarray. Azrile began his assault at the moment his brothers charged at the enemy. What happened next, can best be described as a literal bloodbath of red mist and shredded flesh. For his actions, Azrile was promoted to both Company Sergeant and earned the title, the 'Red Butcher'.

Officer Ranks

 *   - Chapter Master equivalent.
 * Axe-Lord - Captain equivalent.
 * Centurion - Lieutenant equivalent.

Specialist Ranks

 * Lord Speaker of Skulls - Reclusiarch equivalent.
 * Death-Wardens - Chaplain equivalent. Responsible for administering to the spiritual needs of their fellow Axe-Brothers, these fearsome indiviauls are also responsible for keeping an accurate tally of each warriors' kills on the battlefield. As each Axe-Brother is expected to forge his own path to glory and become worthy of remembrance in the great chronicles, those who have the greatest tallies of enemy kills will be recounted, forevermore, by the Chapter's Death-Wardens during Chapter feasts.
 * Lord Seer - Chief Librarian equivalent.
 * Seer - Librarian equivalent.
 * Lord Sawbones - Chief Apothecary equivalent.
 * Chirurgeon - Apothecary equivalent.
 * Lord of the Armorium - Master of the Forge equivalent.
 * Forge-Wright - Techmarine equivalent.

Line Ranks

 * Dominus-Sergeant - Veteran Sergeant equivalent.
 * Gladiator-Sergeant - Sergeant equivalent.
 * Axe-Brother - Battle-Brother equivalent.
 * Headhunter - Scout Marines equivalent, this elite formation of warriors specialise in infiltration behind enemy lines and identifying a foe's command structure and taking it out in order to cause anarchy within the enemy's ranks.
 * Neophyte
 * Aspirant

Specialist Formations

 * Crimson Sentinels - The Crimson Sentinels are the premier cadre that serve as a dedicated Honour Guard unit for the Chapter Master. In battle, they wear the Chapter's finest relic Terminator Armour and carry the most savage weapons the Chapter possesses. Only the most ferocious and fiercest warriors in the Chapter are selected to join the elite ranks of the Crimson Sentinels, and even then, an appointee must earn his place by defeating a Crimson Sentinel in single combat to the death. Alternatively, in rare circumstances, should a Crimson Sentinel fall in battle against a foe, a successor can be selected by a gladiator content open to all Axe-Brothers in the Chapter. The last warrior standing (or breathing) will earn a place amongst this elite cadre of killers.
 * Headtaker Veteran Squads - Headtaker Veteran Squads are the Chapter's wrath and anger made manifest. Known for their fervour, savagery and unrelenting resolve in the face of overwhelming odds, these warriors make up the finest killers and savage warriors within the Chapter. They are often deployed during Zone Mortalis operations - the most dangerous and suicidal battlefields encountered in the galaxy - and willing face insurmountable odds and enemies that would tarnish the soul and bring the blood-soaked madness and rage the Chapter secretly suffers, roaring to the fore, focusing it like an incandescent flame that cannot be extinguished. Steely-nerved and unrelenting against the foe, no threat or dire fate can turn them from their purpose to take as trophies the heads of mighty champions and charismatic leaders. Once marked for death, there is no escape or respite from the single-minded determination of these merciless and determined killers.
 * Gladiator Assault Squads - Gladiator Assault Squads are near-berserker, elite assault units comprised of the Chapter's most savage and bloodthirsty warriors. To join the ranks of these ruthless killers is considered a high honour amongst the warriors of the Wolves of Terra, and many of their number have gone on to earn their place as Axe-Lords later in their careers.
 * Deathseeker Tactical Squads - These specialist units are utilised as dark judges and executioners. Through their fearful and bloody acts, rebellious Planetary Governors, recidivist cults and rebels alike, are cowed into submission. For those whose crimes prove severe enough to call down the Imperium's wrath so utterly upon them, these savage and ruthless warriors are unleashed to enact punishments intended to be at their most visceral and personal. Deathseeker Tactical Squads are comprised of the Chapter's most coldy dispassionate and darkly imaginative of the Wolves of Terra's Axe-Brothers. These merciless and deadly warriors are the Chapter's finest headhunters, flayers and torturers, who revel in enacting the most ruthless of punishments upon those who would dare transgress against the will of the Emperor.

Chapter Culture
The Chapter prides itself on martial prowess in battle and skillful leadership on the front lines and believes that even those of special rank must fight with one's peers to show that they earned their rank. On their homeworld an arena known as the Blood Pit is where the Astartes of all ranks and companies compete to demonstrate their skills with a chain-axe. It is a means for both as a sport and as a right of passage, to be inducted into the Chapter to prove to the masters of the arena they can spill blood of the enemy and to show no weakness in doing so. Only the most savage and cunning will be selected.

Another tradition that dates to the Chapter's Founding is called the Blooded Mark. Upon becoming a battle-brother the individual Astartes soaks his right hand in the blood of their kill and imprints a bloody hand over the helmet as a sign of them being true members of the Chapter, and is held with high honor and watched over by one of the chapter's Chaplain. Those members of the Chapter who shows great skill and combat prowess are selected to become the Chapter's gladiators units, the Chapter's equivalent to an Honour Guard and Chaplains. A common practice by the Chapter is claiming trophies from their kill and adorning their amour in bone and skulls for cosmetic reasons and to demoralize the enemy and dip said trophies in liquid cerimite to act as additional armor.

Deathwatch Service
Throughout the Wolves of Terra's history, only a handful of their members have joined the ranks of the Deathwatch with the intention to demonstrate their martial skills to others and to bring glory and honour to their chapter. They could also not pass up the opportunity to obtain skulls of various xenos, such as Tau, Genestealers, Aeldari and Orks, in keeping with their Chapter's practices, and was viewed by other members of the Deathwatch as both barbaric and primitive, though they respected the Wolves for their melee prowess.

Combat Doctrine
The Wolves have many deviations of standard combat tactics, ignoring some from the Codex Astartes itself. One is known by the chapter as the 'Iron Lightning Manoeuvre', in which units will force the enemy out of cover and surround them. They then call in a wave of drop pods filled with Gladiator units and the chapter's specialized terminator units, known as the Crimson Sentinals, to attack the enemy from within, forcing their foes to fight a two front conflict with flamers and chain-axes. Another notable deviation from the Codex is that the Chapter's Librarians have a tendency to paint their battle-plate in the Chapter's colors and not in the standard blue of most Librarians of other chapters. Instead, the librarians have both, gauntlets, vambraces and chest guard painted blood red. Another notable deviation is those who hold the rank of Captain are referred as Hunt Master and it is noted that the Astartes of this Chapter have a tendency to carry additional melee weapons, such as extra chain-axes and chainswords, multiple serrated knives and blunt force weapons, which include adding bayonets to their bolters and the final deviation is how the wolves is that of the chapter size and is seen at 1,200 astaries with the 1st and 2nd companies consisting of 200 astatiies.

Chapter Gene-Seed
It is unknown to this day of which legion is the progenitor of the Wolves of Terra and is often debated as at one point it was believes that they were the Sons of Leman Russ, the feral Primarch of the ferocious Space Wolves. But this theory was discarded due to the mutative effects of the Canis Helix, which none of the Wolves of Terra have ever displayed. Few Imperial scholars speculate that the effects of the Chapter's gene-seed is psychological, rather than physical, due to the Chapter's high levels of aggression and savagery, which might somehow link them to the sinister XII Legion of the pre-heresy War Hounds, now known by their darker moniker of the World Eaters, and is noticed before the legion's reunion with their Primarch Angron and the forced surgical implantation of the dreaded cranial implants known as the Butcher's Nails. The War Hounds were known for being extremely aggressive and savage, more so than any other of their fellow Legiones Astartes, before the Horus Heresy. Though highly unlikely, there might be a possibility that the Chapter was somehow derived from this traitor stock. Following the end of the Horus Heresy, the gene-seed of the Traitor Legions was placed under a time-locked stasis seal, although at the time many believed these dangerous gene stocks should have been destroyed. How someone obtained access to such forbidden gene-stock is unknown, but this would explain some of the Wolves' more savage traits.

Primarch's Curse: The Rageful Blood
Unlike many of their fellow Adeptus Astartes Chapters, the Wolves of Terra display a certain heightened savagery and aggression that is considered both a sign of a possible genetic flaw or the first signs of their inevitable fall into blood-soaked madness and eventual damnation. This means that even the most mentally stable and strong-willed of the Wolves of the Terra feels the touch of 'The Rageful Blood', which constantly pulls at their will to give into their blade rage, and step off into the abyss of madness and neverending slaughter. The Wolves constantly feel the touch of their inherent curse keenly, and know that it is only a matter of time before they succumb and the madness takes them completely.

When the Chapter's genetic curse manifest itself in an affected battle-brother, it comes on in three stages:


 * Stage 1 Blood Mania: The Battle-Brother completely loses control when he frenzies and finds it almost impossible to claw his way back to reason as long as there are foes to fight and blades drawn. Even when foes are not near, the madness of this blood mania grips him and he rages endlessly for battle and blood, howling out his anger and striking the ground with his blade. The Battle-Brother must take care, lest he lose control at any moment. Any time the Battle-Brother is wounded, is confronted with a clear threat, or is put in position of great stress, he must summon all his willpower in order to contain his fury for the duration of an encounter with an enemy.


 * Stage 2 Blood Psychosis: An affected Wolves of Terra battle-brother thirsts for the thrill of battle and longs to see blood spilled across the ground in great arcs and gouts. They also crave the feeling of hot blood on their skin and splattering across their armour, staining their battle-plate a darker shade. The Battle-Brother must engage foes in close combat if possible, either attacking them in close-combat against them or shooting point black with pistols so that their blood spills at his feet. When he downs a foe, he must resist the urge to hack or blast the foe's corpse apart. If the Battle-Brother is attacked by a new foe while he is in this state while hacking at another foe, he will turn his attention to his new attacker instead


 * Stage 3 Unfettered Rage: Near the end, an affected Wolf of Terra is little more than an animal filled with fury and madness striking out at all those around him. While he may still have lucid moments where he remembers the warrior he once was, these are fleeting and quickly gone to be replaced with only the thought of killing and the thirst for blood, and he will attack the nearest target (friend or foe) if there is more than one to choose from. At this point, the Battle-Brother is completely within the grip of 'The Rageful Blood' and must be transferred to the ranks of the 11th blood breakers company and uses as fodder to wear down the enemy and to die with honor with their armor recovered and cremated the bodies and stored under the chapters fortress monastery and their name written down in the book of the fallen.

Notable Members

 * Chapter Master Wilius: a venerated and skilled Astartes most present during the Xardon Crusade who gravely injured the Ork Warboss and claimed its lower jaw as a trophy during the Crusade's final days.


 * Axe lord Eritus: Hunt Master of the 4th Company who led the defense of the Chapter's homeworld from an invading Emperor's Children warband and once more as a Dreadnaught during the Age of Apostasy.


 * Sergeant Azrile Tertros ' The Red Butcher ' : A survivor of the Keteron Massacre who avenged his brothers and crafted the blades of vengeance which he used to butcher the Tau Stealth Suits and those in the Tau communications outpost and the stations commander and its defenders earning him his infamous title as 'The Red Butcher'.

Chapter Colours
The Wolves of Terra primarily wear dark grey colored power armor with shades of gold accent on their shoulder pauldron insets with silver trim. Their librarians bear the same color scheme, with the exception of their chest guard, vambraces and gauntlets, which are painted blood red in color. Those Battle-Brothers that belong to the Gladiator Units have a second sigil on their right shoulder pauldron inset that depicts a black skull centered upon two crossed serrated blades with a unique helmet variant expulsive to this unit. Those senior members of the Chapter assigned to the specialist formation of the Crimson sentinals bear relic Cataphractii Terminator Armor painted dark grey with crimson red painted on the chest guard, gorget and both shoulder pauldrons. A white colour squad specialty symbol stenciled on the right shoulder pauldron, vambrace or greave, indicates a battle-brothers assigned squad specialty (Tactical, Devastator, Assault or Veteran), with a small white roman numeral stenciled on the inset of the right pauldron, indicating squad assignment. A white colored roman numeral stenciled on the left poleyn (knee guard) indicates company assignment.

Chapter Fleet
Emporors Vanguard: dreadnaught class vessel from the Dark Age of Technology claimed from the Xeron Empire during the Conquest of Iceron IV and is modified as the chapters mightiest flagship which eclips any ship in the fleet with unyielding size and firepower

6 battle barge

5 strike cruisers

4 gladius frigate

5 nova frigate

3hunter destroer

Chapter Relics

 * Blades of Vengeance: These two serrated chain-bound blades where originally made from pieces of power armor crafted by Sergeant Azrile Tertros, 'The Red Butcher', before his promotion to avenge his fallen battle-brothers and later refined by the chapters master of the forge and reforged the blades to a versatile ranged melee that takes skill to master and those who inherit these blades earn the honorary title of the red butcher


 * Chain-Axe of Wrath: This double-sided battle-axe styled weapon is venerated at a weapon of destruction and being some of the oldest weapons in the chapters arsenal


 * The Iron Throne: Made from melted weapons from the Chapter's fallen enemies and decorated with skulls and gems this thrown is a sign of the chapters masters right to command the chapter and respect that can only be earned


 * The Bludgeon: An ancient saturnine pattern of terminator scavenged by the chapter from an abandon outpost that dates to the great crusade and found it with its paint and heraldry long faded away now refitted with a storm shield and a thunder hammer with a mounted autocannon atop of the armor.

Allies

 * Space Wolves


 * Emperor's Reapers

Enemies

 * Xenos


 * Sisters of Battle: although their not enemies it is noted that the chapter has a deep hatred towards them when bride of the emperors invaded the chapters their home system.


 * Heretic Astartes

By the Wolves of Terra
"The dead demand your head and I demand vengeance!!"

- Sergeant Azrile Tertros, ' The Red Butcher '

"SKULLS FOR THE EMPEROR, GLORY FOR THE CHAPTER!"

- Battle-Cry of the Wolves of Terra