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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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Like the Known as [[LibrarianCasters of Runes]]s of during the [[Codex ChapterHorus Heresy]]s{{Fn|8}}, Rune Priests are combatant [[psyker]]s, using their psychic abilities to aid their brothers on the battlefield; off the battlefield, they are the keepers of the [[chapter]]'s [[librarium]] and store of knowledge. The major difference is that Rune Priests do not believe their psychic abilities are derived from the [[Warp]], but rather from the animistic spirits of their [[Adeptus Astartes Homeworld|homeworld]], [[Fenris]], channeled through totems and runes on their [[Runic Armour|armour]].{{Fn|2}}{{Fn|3}}{{Fn|4}} These traditions are descended from the shamanistic rituals of Fenris's native tribes, and have remained unchanged for countless centuries.{{Fn|3}}{{Fn|4}}
===Speakers of the Dead===
During the [[Great Crusade]] and [[Horus Heresy]] the Speakers of the Dead were a specialized Order of Rune Priests, then simply known as Priests of Fenris. These priests were the most strong-willed and self-controlled Priests, serving as masters of discipline, instillers of culture, and wardens of both the gene-seed and memory of the Legion. It was they who encoded the Legion's history within 'sagas' and record and judge the deeds of the living and the dead.
The Speakers of the Dead were also responsible for training new recruits and instilling them with discipline while also keeping watch for any genetic instabilities.{{Fn|8}}
Moved to Priests of Fenris, also, not Librarian equivalent, but Chaplain equivalent, so they were in the wrong article
==Overview==
In a way, the Rune Priests do not consider themselves to be [[psyker]]s at all; during the [[Great Crusade]], [[Leman Russ (Primarch)|Leman Russ]], the [[primarch]] of the Space Wolves, was among the voices in favour of disbanding the [[Librarius (Fortress-monastery)|Librarius]] in each [[Space Marine Legion]] and prohibiting the use of psykers in any of them.{{Cite This}} Yet after the [[Emperor of Mankind]] issued his Decree at the [[Council of Nikaea]], the Rune Priests continued to serve among the Space Wolves, stubbornly insisting that their powers had nothing to do with psychic ability.{{Fn|7}} Much like [[White Scars]] [[Stormseers]] Rune Priests channel their power through the natural powers of Fenris and this serves as a limiting intermediary to protect them from the malign influences of the [[Warp]].{{Fn|10}}
The [[Space Wolves]]' sagas are chanted at their feast days and during the Festival of the Wolf Time which celebrates the Chapter's founding.{{Fn|2}}{{Fn|3}} This festival is held every twelve Great Years and each time great contests of saga-telling and [[psychic]] duelings are held to determine if a new [[High Rune Priest]] will be chosen. The High Rune Priest is the leader of the entire Chapter's Rune Priests and adviser to the [[Great Wolf]].{{Fn|3}} The Space Wolves field one Rune Priest per company, according to the novel Grey Hunter
== Abilities and Equipment ==
Rune Priest 2.jpg|Rune Priest in [[Terminator Armour]]{{Fn|24}}
Rune Priest 1.jpg|Rune Priest of the [[13th Company]].{{Fn|24}}
RunePriestHH.jpg|[[Horus Heresy|Heresy]]-era [[Caster of Runes]]{{Fn|26}}
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*{{Endn|6}}: [[Index Astartes I]] - Psykana Librarius - The Rune Priests of the Space Wolves
*{{Endn|7}}: [[Fear to Tread (Novel)]] by [[James Swallow]], Chapter Three, pgs. 114-115
*{{Endn|8}}: [[The Horus Heresy Book SevenLiber Astartes]] , pg.234203
*{{Endn|9}}: [[War Zone Fenris: Wrath of Magnus]] - pg. 71 ''The Cursed Warriors of Fenris''
*{{Endn|10}}: [[Wolfsbane (Novel)]] Chapter 4
*{{Endn|25}}: [[The Wolftime (Novel)]] - Dramatis Personae
*{{Endn|26}}: [https://web.archive.org/web/20241129051934/https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-us/articles/pzb6o0wj/heresy-thursday-summon-the-winds-of-fenris-to-scour-your-foes-with-the-caster-of-runes/ Warhammer Community: Heresy Thursday – Summon the winds of Fenris to scour your foes with the Caster of Runes (posted 28/11/2024)] saved page, original link: https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-us/articles/pzb6o0wj/heresy-thursday-summon-the-winds-of-fenris-to-scour-your-foes-with-the-caster-of-runes/ (posted 29/11/2024)
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