13th Great Company
 |
|
|
The 13th Great Company was one of the original Great Companies of the Space Wolf Legion of the Adeptus Astartes. The Great Company disappeared during the Horus Heresy, only to re-emerge from the Eye of Terror during the Thirteenth Black Crusade.
Company Summary
| 65px | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| x160px | x160px | ||
| Founding Chapter: | Space Wolves | ||
| Founding: | N/A | ||
| Chapter Master: | Leman Russ | ||
| Homeworld: | Fenris | ||
| Fortress-Monastery: | N/A | ||
| Colours: | Grey | ||
| Specialty: | Assault | ||
| Strength: | Unknown | ||
| Battle Cry | Legends tell of the howl of the Wulfen: mortal ears have now heard it for the first time in 10,000 years. Eyewitnesses report that the effect is devastating to enemy morale, and often equally unnerving for friendly troops. | ||
| "The Bear shall take up The mantle of Gatekeeper,
And the Lost Kin return To the Realms of the Man. Brother shall slay brother, As at the Dawn of Time, But the Were-kin stand aloof. Their task set in stone before them. The Son of the Traitor shall lay waste - First the Gate, then the Palace. The Children of Russ shall oppose him Or perish, their names reviled for all time. Now is the time, mighty Wolf. Your hunt is nearing its end. Your quarry is set before you. Your saga shall be sung for all time." -The Prophesy of Frode |
History
The 13th Great Company was formed from the followers of Leman Russ from his days on Fenris, before the coming of the Allfather (The Emperor). They were all old men by the standards of the Astartes, having been reavers and sword-brothers to Leman, King of the Rus. When the truth of Leman’s heritage was finally revealed, every warrior in the king’s mead-hall had drawn their iron blades and clamoured to fight at his side, as sword-brothers ought. But they were all too old, the Emperor had told them; not a man among them was younger than twenty years. The trials they would have to endure would very likely kill them, no matter how courageous and strong-willed they were. Yet the men of Leman’s mead-hall were mighty warriors, each man a hero in his own right, and they would not be dissuaded by thoughts of suffering or death. Leman, the king, was moved by their devotion, and could not find it in his heart to refuse them. And so his loyal thanes undertook the Trials of the Wolf, and true to the Emperor’s word, the vast majority of them died. Out of hundreds, almost two score survived, a number that amazed even the Emperor himself. In honour of their courage, Leman – no longer king now, but Primarch of the VI Legion – formed a new company around the survivors. Ever since, the other warriors of the Legion referred to the Thirteenth as the Greybeards. The members of the company, however, called themselves the Wolf Brothers. Immediately preceding the Heresy, the Company was led by the Wolf Lord Bulveye.3.
The Great Crusade
That the 13th Company accompanied Russ on the Great Crusade is known, although the details of the campaigns in which they fought are lost to antiquity. Only the names of actions, long since forgotten appear in the archives, battles such as the First Siege of Methrix and the Battle of the Plains of Mo-Shan, the Fall of the Paramours of the Morpheus Rift, and the Crossing of Hangman's Void.
Space Wolf legend states that the Thirteenth Company was sent by Leman Russ to pursue the survivors of the Thousand Sons, after a failed attempt to eliminate them at their homeworld of Prospero2. The members of the 13th Company swore to hunt their foes down until every last one of the cursed marines was slain, no matter how long it took, nor where the traitors fled. Wolf Lord Bulveye himself casts small doubt over the veracity of these legends with his guarded response to Ragnar Blackmane's historical recount of their mission during the events of Wolf's Honour2 They vanished from Imperial records, and their loss is honoured by a black stone in the Grand Annulus (the record of Space Wolf Great Companies).
Somehow, the hardy Sons of Russ survived their journey through the Eye and emerged, long after they should have perished, in pursuit of Abaddon The Despoiler.1 Given that they vanished before the Emperor was interred on the Golden Throne, they have been missing for approximately 10,000 years
Their reappearance at the beginning of Abaddon the Despoiler’s Thirteenth Black Crusade has brought them back into the spotlight. They appear to still be in pursuit of the goal Leman Russ set for them, and it was believed that Leman Russ himself was their leader, although this was never proven.
One other thing that sets the warriors of the 13th Company apart from the rest of their Space Wolves brethren is the large percentage of warriors who have succumbed to the animal nature that is part of the genetic legacy of their Primarch: the Mark of the Wulfen. This genetic mutation causes their canine nature to manifest itself more fully and, amongst other things, thick hair to grow over all the body and claws to sprout from the hands. These warriors gather together in units and surrender themselves to their animalistic nature, rushing headlong at their foes, eager to use their sharp claws and teeth in close combat. Whether the increased percentage of 13th Company Marines who have succumbed to the Mark of the Wulfen is a result of their exposure to Eye of Terror, or whether it existed before and their increased percentage in the Company is simply due to the fact that their increased stamina and strength has allowed more of them to survive than their brethren is unknown1.
Organization
The Thirteenth Company's organization departs heavily from Space Wolf norms, due to the lack of reinforcements and 'fresh blood' supplying the Company, the inability to train members in specialist roles, the lack of heavy equipment, and the effect of having to exist within the Eye of Terror for ten thousand years. The core of a 13th Company warband are the Grey Slayers. Similar to Grey Hunters, they fulfil the same role in battle.
Because of the impossibility of recruiting new brethren, there are no Blood Claws in the 13th Company. Each and every Blood Claw has long since advanced to a higher stage. The Company's assault specialists are the Storm Claws. They are equally experienced, but still more hot-headed and aggressive than the Grey Slayers.
The key to the 13th Company's movement through the Warp are the Rune Priests. Because the Eye of Terror has unlocked hidden psychic powers in many recruits, the Company has no shortage of these highly gifted individuals.
The Wulfen are the most drastic departure from a normal Space Wolf. The Space Marines who mutate into Wulfen bear resemblance to werewolves in the same way as Blood Angels suffering the Red Thirst resemble vampires. Any Space Wolf to suffer as a Wulfen becomes a half man, half wolf creature with a feral mind. The mutation normally manifests itself in the Neophyte stage and Space Wolves must spend time in their training in a scenario designed to out those who have become Wulfen.
Though normal Space Wolves sometimes use individual Wulfen in battle, the 13th Company use entire packs. Each and every member of the 13th Company carries the Curse, and it manifests itself in the Space Wolves at different times. Thus even the Wulfen packs do not stay the same. It has manifested itself so strongly and so late because it reacts to the influence of Chaos; because of this side of their nature acting as a kind of spiritual defence mechanism, Space Wolves are exceptionally resistant to the malign influence of Chaos. It is believed that the 13th Company have only been able to survive living as Loyalist Marines in the Eye of terror so long precisely because of this trait.
The 13th Company is also distinguished by maintaining the dark grey Pre-Heresy colour scheme of the Space Wolves on what little remains of their original equipment. Much of their armor and weaponry has been replaced with material scavenged from their fallen Chaos foes. Not surprisingly, their Company has almost no heavy equipment such as tanks, Terminators or Dreadnoughts. 1 2
