Kvalnir Silverclaw
Kvalnir Silverclaw was one of the longest serving[1b] and respected Wolf Lords in the Space Wolves Chapter.[1a] He was the second commander of the Silverclaws Great Company, which Kvalnir led for five distinguished centuries after the passing of its first Wolf Lord, Jaegar Silverclaw.[1a]
History
Kvalnir is known to have served with honour and valour as a Blood Claw and Grey Hunter in the Silverclaws under Wolf Lord Jaegar Silverclaw's command. However, the spirit of the Space Wolves' Primarch, Leman Russ, seemed to flow through Kvalnir when he became a Long Fang and went on to quickly earn the right to command his own pack. They became an awe inspiring sight on the battlefield and Kvalnir's pack not only led other Long Fangs to greater deeds of heroism, but they also defeated many foes due to his inspired leadership. Kvalnir's Long Fangs were noted as serving as a vital rallying point for their Battle Brothers as well and when the Space Wolves needed to, they reformed behind his pack. Kvalnir never stepped back once though or lost a member of his pack in the century he led them. To this day, the Chapter's Fortress Monastery, The Fang, still echoes with many tales of his Long Fang's exploits.[1b]
However, disaster would strike the Silverclaws when Jaegar Silverclaw was killed by the Thousand Sons, during the Space Wolves' Fifth Great Hunt. At that time, Jaegar and the Silverclaws were taking part in their Chapter's invasion of a world that was held by the Traitor Legion, when the Daemon Primarch Magnus suddenly appeared from the Warp. Magnus then created a Warp Rift in front of Jaegar and his Wolf Guard, just as the Wolf Lord been leading the Great Company to victory over the Thousand Sons. This ended in mere moments, though, when the forces of Tzeentch emerged from the Warp Rift in overwhelming numbers and killed the Wolf Lord. Magnus' trap nearly undid the Silverclaws then and there, as Jaegar's death and the sudden wave of new foes caused the Great Company to begin retreating. Kvalnir's quick thinking, though, prevented a disaster from occurring, as he ordered his pack and the Silverclaws' other Long Fangs to stand firm. This was because Kvalnir knew the Space Wolves' entire Hunt could be at risk if the Great Company lost their battlefield position. Their combined firepower began to cause Tzeencth's forces to retreat into the Warp Rift and rallied the Silverclaws to Kvalnir. The Great Company's Rune Priests were then able to successfully close the Rift and the Silverclaws regrouped to drive the Thousand Sons from the world.[1b]
In the aftermath of the battle, it was discovered that Jaegar Silverclaw's entire Wolf Guard died with him, and this complicated the matter of choosing his successor: normally it would from their ranks that a new Wolf Lord was chosen, but this was no longer an option for the Silverclaws, and so the Great Wolf, Logan Grimnar, intervened on their behalf. He ultimately decided to bestow Kvalnir with the honour of succeeding Jaegr, due to the Long Fang's leadership during the battle, which saved the Space Wolves from certain defeat. After becoming a Wolf Lord, Kvalnir decided against changing his Great Company's Wolf Totem, the Silverclaw: it was the Silverclaws he led to victory against Tzeentch's hordes in the Fifth Great Hunt and so the Silverclaws they would remain. The Great Company's Wolf Guard was then rebuilt and due to their devotion to Kvalnir, all four original members of his Long Fang pack joined it. He would go on to serve as a Wolf Lord for five centuries[1a] and one of his most notable victories was single handily defeating an Asuryani Avatar of Khaine in hand to hand combat.[1b]
Wargear
As a Wolf Lord Kvalnir wore Terminator Armour and wielded a Storm Bolter, along with a mighty[1b] modified Chainfist known as the Long Fang. Forged on Fenris, the melee weapon's creation was commissioned by Kvalnir's former Long Fang pack members and was given to him in tribute for the century he served as their leader.[1c]
Trivia
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- Kvalnir Silverclaw, Jaegar Silverclaw, the Silverclaws and the Long Fang[1b] were created by the Games Workshop employee Ian Pickstock.[1a] They appeared in The Citadel Journal 2.[1b]
