Hrímgard

Hrímgard is an icy Death World located in the westernmost reaches of the Segmentum Pacificus near the borders of the Segmentum Obscurus, not far from the warp rift known as the Eye of Terror, from which the Forces of Chaos come forth to raid and pillage. This world of fire and ice serves as the Chapter homeworld and recruiting ground for the ' Vlka Hrímherjar ' (translated as the 'Wolves of Hrímgard'), more commonly known as the Dusk Howlers, a recently created Ultima Founding Space Marine Chapter comprised entirely of Primaris Space Marines.

Hrímgard is the location of Útgarðar, the Dusk Howlers' massive fortress-monastery, considered by Imperial savants to be one of mightiest bastions of Imperium of Man, almost on par with their progenitor's formidable citadel, The Aett, known by the wider Imperium as 'The Fang'. From their homeworld, the Dusk Howlers maintain their vigil that began during the dawning of the 42nd Millennium and watch over a hundred other worlds besides. Their demesne stretches far and wide across the the scattered stars that girdle the Hrímgardian Sector.

Early History
Hrímgard is dominated by extremes of climate, listed in official Imperial Cartigraphicae records as one of most deadly and turbulent worlds inhabited by humanity. Early Great Crusade expeditions by Rogue Traders deemed this world inimical to life, but as always, the early human settlers of this frozen outpost found a way not only to survive, but to thrive. Before Old Night, this world was originally settled as a mining colony. The world of Hrímgard was rich in many of the ores used in the construction of space faring vessels and technology used at the time. But with the advent of the horrendous warps storms and the Age of Strife, the stranded settlers were cut off from the outside world and were barely able to survive the harsh environment. Only the hardiest survived.

Over the following millennia, the forgotten technology of that era was irrevocably lost and the world became overrun by the denizens of Chaos. The survivors reverted to a barbaric state. This was the state of Hrímgard when this world was rediscovered by Adeptus Mechanicus Explorators in the latter years of M41. They saw a world that reflected the Space Wolves' own savage home world of Fenris. They knew almost immediately, that their search was over, and that the the Space Wolves' successors would easily adapt to the similar environs.

Ultima Founding
In the wake of Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41 and the subsequent destruction of the fortress world of Cadia and the formation of the Great Rift, the newly resurrect Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman decided to enact the ultimate contingency plan, ten millennia in the making, by revealing legions of superior transhuman warriors known as the Primaris Space Marines. Following the events of the Horus Heresy, Guilliman foresaw a time of encroaching darkness when Chaos would threaten the galaxy itself, therefore he had anticipated the need for a new breed of heroes. The result were the Primaris Space Marines, a more powerful corps of transhuman warriors, more potent than even the original Astartes. New armies were raised in breathtaking numbers and new and terrible weapons were developed whose fury even the worshippers of the Dark Gods would be unable to withstand. This host of newly created transhuman warriors were not only created just as reinforcements to existing Chapters, for Guilliman had decreed that new Chapters should be created as well, composed entirely of Primaris Space Marines. This new Founding would come to be known as the Ultima Founding.

The Dusk Howlers were one such Chapter, comprised entirely of Primaris Space Marines, created from the gene-stock of the feral and mighty Space Wolves, led by its first Great Wolf, Bjorn Grimjac Ragnarsson. Once deployed, these newly created Primaris Chapters made their way towards their designated sectors and immediately took the fight to the enemy. Following their victories in the Kaeriolis System, the Dusk Howlers sought to consolidate their gains and established their fortress-monastery upon the newly discovered death world of Hrímgard, a planet of ice and fire. Hrímgard was a comparable world to their genetic forebears, mirroring the Space Wolves own deadly world of Fenris. Located on the outskirts of the galactic west of the Segmentum Pacificus, Hrímgard is also dominated by extremes of climate, and is a deadly and turbulent world inhabited by mankind. The extreme geography of Hrímgard had resulted in the human population of this world in becoming one composed largely of primitive, nomadic, pre-industrial barbarian tribes. The tribes constantly sought to secure territory, and as a result skirmishes and feuds over land between rival tribes were common. The Hrímgardian people were hardened to the changes in temperature and environmental extremes, and so was the fauna.

Claiming the untamed world as their own, with the help of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Dusk Howlers' Iron Priests oversaw the construction of their mighty fortress-monastery of Útgarðar, the ' Wolves Hould ', built within the tallest peak of the mountains of Helgard. The Dusk Howlers had been granted everything they needed to establish themselves as a fully functioning Space Marine Chapter including -- newly forged ships for the foundation of their Chapter fleet as well as new armouries and several Space Wolves' Priests. The Dusk Howlers also had the Adeptus Mechanicus import all matter of Fenrisian fauna, including -- drakes, elk, and great white bears to their new Chapter home world.

Once the Dusk Howlers had firmly established a working foundation for their Chapter and a fully functioning base of operations, they began sending individual Great Companies, or small task forces comprised of several Great Companies, on multiple campaigns to assist several besieged Imperial systems. Though the Dusk Howlers have achieved many notable victories and triumphs, their achievements are but a sliver of light piercing the vast darkness that now covers most of the known galaxy. But despite the odds stacked against them, the Dusk Howlers continue to bring sword and flame to the enemies of Mankind, endeavouring to live up to the legacy of their genetic forebears as true Scions of Russ.

Hrímgardian Culture
The native tribes of Hrímgard prefer to live in the frigid, arctic lands with glaciers and heavy snowfall. Living in a very hostile and isolated region, the Hrímgardian warrior tribes are forced to rely on their resourcefulness and their unwavering courage to survive. They survive the harsh and unforgiving hell-winters by hunting amongst the icy tundra of the Frozen Wastes. They mostly eat meat, which they can hunt or kill for themselves. During the long, cruel winter months the days are short and the nights are unbearably long and snowy. Game becomes scarce, making the Hrímgardian hunter's task of foraging for food a race for survival. But during the long summer months when the snow caps melt and the fjords are free of ice, the Hrímgardian tribes take to their longboats and raid other settlements, plundering them for sustenance and wealth. Despite their savage reputation the Hrímgardians also survive by farming and herding, spreading to colonize faraway lands as opportunities present themselves. Where their intuitive natures and wanderlust takes them, they engage in trade; when other tribes encroach into their territories, they exact tribute. For millennia, the Kaeriolians have dominated the sea lanes and the few lands that possess forests, where wild game is plentiful.

For millennia, the image of the Hrímgardian warrior has engraved itself in the minds of those whom have come in contact with this feral society; the image of the bloodthirsty barbarian with axe, sword and hide-covered armor. They are the epitome of savage fighters and terrifying raiders, sweeping across the continents of their frigid world and the water lanes of the turbulent seas. Although they are considered uncultured and primitive, these fierce people have developed a highly ritualistic and distinctive culture. The Hrímgardian people resemble vikings from ancient Terran history. According to ancient legends, Hrímgard's original space-faring ancestors mixed their blood with that of the Frost Giants, thereby producing a robust and hearty race of humans who possess a near immunity to the cold and an affinity for battle. The origins of these tales are dubious at best, and the veracity of such claims are highly disputed by Imperial scholars as to the identity of this mysterious race of so-called 'giants'. The Hrímgardian males builds are robust; somewhat sinewy and very muscular. They have well defined and rough-hewn features due to the constant exposure to the extreme elements of the harsh Hrímgardian winters. Most of the males possess long unkempt hair (sometimes worn braided), and they grow long, course beards. Hrímgardian males also have somewhat pale skin like those of their supposed distant Frost Giant cousins. The Hrímgardian females builds are somewhat smaller; athletic and well proportioned. They possess a frontier beauty that can only be found amongst such a hardy race of women. Their beautiful locks of hair are often worn in long, braided tresses. Hrímgardians can generally live to 100 years of age or older, although the males generally have shorter life spans than their female counterparts. If they are lucky they may survive to the ripe age of fifty years old if they are fortunate enough not to be killed in battle, by wild beasts, or the notoriously foul weather of their home world. It is a rare thing indeed to meet a Hrímgardan male of venerable age. An elder Hrímgardian is a warrior without peer, who has literally survived hundreds of battles and decades of Hrímgardian hell-winters, due to their fortitude, strength, cunning and intelligence. It is these venerable warriors who become a tribe's chieftain or Jarl. Hrímgardians are robust and outspoken, unafraid to speak or act on impulse. They are somewhat boastful and known to be braggarts, but they will back up their words with either their fists or with the sharpened edges of their battle-axes. ' Einvig ', a duel to the death with no restrictions, are quite common when there are slights of honour. To a Hrímgardian, action literally speaks louder than words. Honour is another concept that the Hrímgardians have a high regard for. Whether it is upon the field of battle, or defending one's pride when someone sullies their family name, honour must be maintained. The warriors of Hrímgard are brought up on the heroic sagas of the ' Einherjar ', the mythical 'Sky-Warriors', maintaining a proud martial tradition. Even amongst the hardy Kaeriolian women, there are those individuals who wish to earn honour and glory in the heat of battle, and thereby, securing themselves a place within the sagas. These female warriors are known as ' Skjaldmær ', or 'Shieldmaidens', fight alongside the men in battle with shield, sword, axe and spear.

To prove one's worth as a warrior to the other members of their tribe, a Hrímgardian warrior must constantly meet any challenge bestowed upon them by the venerable elders and senior warriors within their tribe. A young warrior must prove their battle prowess by acquiring numerous war trophies and battle scars if they are to be judged worthy. Some warriors are so dedicated to achieving this goal that they strive for nothing less than the chance to be immortalized forever in the form of a Hrímgardian epic saga. Years after their death, they will be remembered when the sagas are recited by the old shamans of their tribes during the 'The Feast of The Great Hunt', held every twenty years during the rising of the Hunter's Moon.

When a Hrímgardian has proved his worth or is slain in glorious battle they believe that they will earn a place amongst the honored ranks of the Einherjar. These are the fell-spirits of the warriors whom died in glorious battle and were raised from the dead; chosen to continue fighting by the side of the Emperor, (whom Hrímgardians refer to as the 'All-Father') against the enemies of Mankind. According to the ancient Hrímgardian sagas the 'All-Father' will face Hel, the Goddess of Death and the underworld, and her other three aspects (lust, wrath, and transformation) and her daemonic hordes during the final days of all of creation, known as the ' Ragnarøkkr ', or the 'End-Times'. It is every Hrímgardian's fondest wish to be judged worthy enough to join their God-Emperor in eternal battle. These fanatically devout warriors are constantly trying to prove their worth in battle through insane acts of bravery or by slaying the most enemies.

Útgarðar
At the center of the planet's largest continent, Jǫtnarheim, the great citadel of Útgarðar, the 'Wolves Hould', hewn into the cliff face of the tallest mountain, within Hrímgard's highest peaks. Against the gathering dark of the dwindling atmosphere, tiny lights shine at the distant summit. The Hrímgardian tribes mark this habitation of the ' Einherjar ' - the 'Sky Warriors' - as the abode of the demigods, itself a tiny fraction of the bulk of that vast peak. Lesser summits are clustered around the formidable citadel in the shadow of the mighty peak, ' Forn einn ', the 'Ancient One'. The ways between the peaks are treacherous and known only to those who have trodden its paths as Aspirants. All are scarred with precipitous drops and deep crevasses. Some hunt-ways were built on solid stone, whereas others are on bridges of ice that will crumble to nothing with the first application of weight. Some lead true, taking the hunter from the clefts in the shadow of the summits down to the plains where their prey dwell; others lead nowhere but into darkness, to the caves that riddle the bowels of the ancient landscape, full of nothing but ice-gnawed bones and despair.

Over the long history of its existence, many times has Útgarðar stood inviolable while the Forces of Chaos have dashed themselves against it. Útgarðar is clad in armour of immense thickness and strength and is cloaked by void shields more powerful than those found on even the most mighty of the Imperial Navy's warships. The mountainside conceals potent defence lasers hidden within miles of dark shafts cut into the mountain itself. These ancient weapons, powered by geothermal reactors within the citadel's core, are capable of blasting apart even the most heavily armoured spacecraft from orbit. Even a ground assault would be considered suicidal, as Útgarðar possesses two external gates, known as the Sunrise Gate and the Wolves Heads Gate, built high up on the sheer sides of the mountain. These two gates connect at opposite ends of the internal region of the fortress known as the Vanirhould. The two gates were built to overlook entirely bare approaches, made up of huge causeways of stone, each kilometres wide and worn smooth by the endless gnawing of stone by the Helgard's high winds. If a massed advance upon these approaches was undertaken, they would provoke a slaughter. Even if an enemy were, by some miracle, able to reach one of the gates, which in themselves, are colossal structures comprised of adamantium, granite and ceramite, they bristle with all manner of deadly weaponry - twin-linked bolters turrets, static plasma cannons and missile launchers.