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Inquisition

2016-05-16T05:24:16Z

2601:240:8101:CFA0:4182:AEE4:16A8:25C2: Added a flavor quote from the medieval witch-hunter's guidebook, Malleus Maleficarum.

[[File:Inquisitorial_Symbol.png|thumb|100px|right|The official seal and symbol of the Inquisition. Variations exist.]]
<center> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf_Y4MbUCLY '''NOBODY EXPECTS THE IMPERIAL INQUISITION!''']
 - ''Lord Inquisitor Ximénez''</center>

''It does not follow that because the devil has been given power over someone on account of his sins, that power must come to an end on the cessation of the sin.''

-Malleus Maleficarum

Also known as the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor]]'s pet psychopaths - at least according to [[Commissar]] [[Ciaphas Cain|Cain]]. Strange how he gets away with this [[heresy]]. (It was because the Inquisitor writing it was his lover, and he was probably dead when it was published.)

MP jokes aside, the Holy Orders of the Officio Inquisitorus, or just Inquisition, are the "secret" police and internal investigators of the [[Imperium of Man]], the eponymous hunters of the alien, the mutant and the heretic. The inquisition is a semi-omnipotent organization that has authority over every other organization and watch every single life in the Imperium for the slightest signs of heresy 1984-Big Brother style. On the plus side, though, literally ANYONE can become an inquisitor if they really impress and win all their FOR THE EMPRAH rolls; really, even hab worker #343332791984. The Emperor and his guards are the only people in the Imperium beyond their jurisdiction; even the High Lords can be (and were) subject to Inquisitorial investigation. Plus they're FUCKING ASSHOLES! (Most of them, but there are a couple that are sympathetic. Key word being COUPLE.)

==History==
[[Image:Inquisitors.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Bet you weren't expecting that.]]

So when it became obvious that the Emperor's plan to starve the [[Chaos Gods]] with [[Imperial Truth|atheism]] was a failure due to the [[Horus Heresy]], the Big E ordered [[Malcador the Sigillite]] with the formation of the Inquisition. Charged with finding "men of character" to seek out the [[heresy|heretic]], the [[xenos|xeno]], the [[daemon]], and the unexpecting, the Inquisition serves as the secret protectors (or murderers) of the [[Imperium of Man]], guarding it from those who would destroy it from within, from without, and from [[Warp|beyond]].

As part of their duties, [[Inquisitor]]s have damn near unlimited power, up to and including [[Exterminatus|the destruction of worlds]]. If they have good cause, they can demand service from anyone, from lowly citizens to the [[High Lords of Terra]]. The only people officially exempt from this are the [[Adeptus Custodes]], who can legitimately say they have a more important job in guarding the Emperor on the Golden Throne. In practice, though, Inquisitors tend to at least say "please" and "thank you" when they require service from the more powerful Imperial organizations, especially [[Space Marines]], since they tend to get turfy about taking orders from any non-Space Marine save the Emprah. Those who don't tread lightly tend to get a close encounter with a [[chainsword]].

"''Innocence proves nothing.''"

Inquisitorial motto

== Organization ==

[[File:PPI.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Heresy]], [[chaos]], and [[xenos]]. These were the most dangerous threats to the [[Imperium]] that were foreseen, but the [[Emprah]] of Mankind suddenly foresaw something more threatening than the three: EXTRA HERESY. Thus, the Inquisition was born! Using their ultra abusive authority, the [[Ordo Malleus]], [[Ordo Hereticus|Hereticus]], and [[Ordo Xenos|Xenos]] have dedicated their lives to defending the Imperium, and killing the enemies of the Emprah!]]

The Inquisition is unique among Imperial departments in that it has no formal definition of a hierarchy or structure. However, [[Inquisitor]]s with common interests tend to band together to tackle issues too large for a single Inquisitor, and over time, these coalitions have coalesced into bodies called ''Ordos'' which specialize in handling a particular class of threat to the Imperium. Inquisitors will also form looser, smaller groups called ''conclaves'' to handle specific threats -- for example, a single [[Tyranid]] invasion, or threats pertaining to a particular planet. Conclaves usually include members of a single Ordo, but there's no rule against having multiple Ordos represented, and some Inquisitors actively form conclaves with experts in diverse fields.

There are three ''Ordos Majoris'' in the Inquisition:

*[[Daemonhunters|Ordo Malleus]] - They are guys who hunt [[daemon|daemons.]] This branch works with the [[Grey Knights]].
*[[Witch Hunters|Ordo Hereticus]] - Guys who like to hunt [[wizard|witches]], [[heresy|heretics]] and [[furry|mutants]]. This branch works with the [[Sisters of Battle]].
*And the [[Alienhunters|Ordo Xenos]] - The guys who fight aliens. All the time. This branch works with the [[Deathwatch]].

Several ''Ordos Minoris'' exist as well, although their exact number is uncertain (especially because an Ordo is only as big as the number of Inquisitors who care about its particular issue -- the factor that separates the major Ordos from the minor ones is that there are always plenty of daemons, heretics, and xenos to go around, while other threats rise and fall in prominence). The best-known (relatively speaking) are as follows:

*Ordo Aegis- They help with keeping the Cadian Gate secure.
*Ordo Astartes- They try to keep some degree of control over the [[Space Marines]], with "try" being the operative word. Some recent breakthroughs have been made with the introduction of [[Vindicare|Ork Sharpshooters]] and [[Minotaurs|dickery]].
*Ordo Astra- They keep stellar maps up to date.
*Ordo Barbarus- They watch over pre-industrial worlds to make sure Chaos cults can't spring up on them.
*[[Ordo Chronos]] - They specialize in the possibility of time travel (particularly because time in the Warp doesn't flow normally), and they sought to deal with temporal anomalies, such as a ship reaching its destination before it actually left its starting point. Unfortunately for them, they just up and vanished without a trace. Nobody knows where they went and as a result this Ordo has been essentially forgotten by the rest of the Inquisition.
*Ordo Custodum- They make sure Holy Terra stays secure and devoid of heretics.
*Ordo Desolatus- Purpose unknown. For some odd reason it only has one member.
*Ordo Excorium- They make sure nobody tries to call in an [[Exterminatus]] without having a good reason for it first. The Imperium could probably use more of them, seeing as Exterminatus seem to happen all the time for things that could probably have been resolved in other ways. They are doing their job since by official statistics, over 90% of Inquisitors who declared a single Exterminatus were stripped of their rank and declared heretics for this exact reason. But they really need to put some effort to prevent such kind of behavior. Print some guidelines or something.
*Ordo Machinum - They ensure that the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] properly integrate STC variants (and the occasional piece of xenos tech) into Imperial technology while also trying to keep their hoarding tendencies to an acceptable level.
*Ordo Militarum - Their role is to ensure that the Imperial armed forces remain loyal. The [[Commissar]]iat is their child organization.
*Ordo Necros- Nobody's entirely sure what they do, but since they apparently needed an entire Ordo to supervise them (The Ordo Vigilus), it must be really important. Something to do with the [[Necron]]s, maybe? (Looking after the [[C'tan|Void Dragon]]?) Something to do with a nature of death and the afterlife? In any case, someone was and is really fucking worried about them and whatever the hell they're doing.
*Ordo Originatus- They act as the Inquisition's historians, attempting to sift through ten thousand years' worth of myths and legends for the few grains of truth that remain.
*Ordo Obsoletus- only mentioned in the fluff a few times, the Inquisitions official department of What The Fuck just happened here? Tends to chase up inexplicable events like the Legion of the Damned turning up. Basically the 40th millennium's X-Files. Tend to be suspicious about miracles.
*Ordo Redactus- The Inquisition's equivalent of the Ministry of Truth, which makes sure that the secrets of the Inquisition's past stay secret. Naturally, this can be quite a problem for the Ordo Originatus.
*Ordo Thanatos - Unknown purpose. Considering though they are named after the Greek word for death, it points to their purpose having some relation to death, perhaps investigating means of immortality?
*Ordo Sanctorum- This branch keeps a close eye on the [[Ecclesiarchy]] so a second Reign of Blood doesn't occur.
*Ordo Scriptorum- Like a grimdark version of the NSA, they examine and investigate written records and communications and try to cut through the Administratum's red tape when doing so would keep the Imperium safe and secure. Occasionally referred to as the Ordo ISO 9000.
*Ordo Scriptus- Oversees official historical records on Terra. Since they only have 6 members, they must be absolutely swamped.
*Ordo Senatorum- Unknown purpose. Perhaps it has something to do with the [[High Lords of Terra|Senatorum Imperialis]] and their staff?
*[[Ordo Sicarius]] - They watch over the [[Officio Assassinorum]] to make sure that they don't try to repeat [[The Beheading]].
*[[Zombiehunters|Ordo Sepulturum]] - They're dedicated to fighting plagues and diseases, but mainly the Zombie Plague and the zombies that result.
*Ordo Vigilus - their purpose is to keep an eye on the Ordo Necros. Someone must have been really concerned by Necros to make an Ordo for the sole sake of keeping an eye on an Ordo.

And nice red uniforms OH DAMN.

(More or less how they act on /tg/ - [[Media:I.png]]

==Hierarchy==
[[Dark Heresy]] gives us a look at the inner workings of the Inquisition in how they operate and recruit people. Many of them come from nearly every other organization of the Imperium, with a few criminals and death cultists thrown in.

*Acolyte - these are the guys who get recruited (or press-ganged) into the Inquisition's service, for the long term that is. While an Inquisitor can commandeer anyone they need for a particular mission, these agents officially belong to the Inquisition and have received training for their part in the organization. Reasons for recruitment can vary between a person's skills being seen as valuable, to the person in question has seen too much but can be put to use instead of purged, or if the person in question is simply expendable. Acolytes are often servants or meatshields for inquisitors, but if a particular agent shows a high degree of resourcefulness, they may be selected for becoming an inquisitor's personal retinue.
*Throne Agent - An Inquisitor's trusted aides, they tend to be more experienced than acolytes and aid in investigations. Throne Agents who are especially talented with a history of success may be recommended to become Inquisitors themselves.
*Explicator - Apprentice Inquisitors, they train directly under an Inquisitor on how to investigate.
*Interrogator - Inquisitors in training sent out into the field. They have their own rosettes and can order people around, but still lack the authority to perform independently. Once they have enough field and leadership experience they get promoted by the approval of three Inquisitors or one Inquisitor Lord.
*Inquisitor - the full monty. These are the guys who get to root out Heresy, order Exterminatus, rope entire armies into service, and so forth.
*Inquisitor Lord - Not a rank per se, rather a title that recognizes the power and influence of an individual inquisitor. Invitation-only and requires the agreement of three existing Inquisitor Lords. They tend to be the oversees of a particular conclave.
*Master - One of, if not the Head Honcho for a sub-sector.
*Grandmaster - Like the master, but for an entire sector.
*Inquisitorial Representative - The elected representative to the [[High Lords]].

==Philosophies==

The Inquisition is a big and complicated place, and many have different philosophies on how to protect the Imperium and stop [[Chaos]]. These are defined as either Puritans or Radicals. Both are fucked up assholes.

===Puritans===
Puritans, simply put, are those who refuse to employ the measures of the enemy, such as xenotech or the Warp. Most Inquisitors start out as Puritans, but a number of them fall into Radicalism (which can be classed as lesser heresy in its most extreme forms). Puritanism can fall among three major philosophies:

*{{anchor|Amalathianism}}'''Amalathianism''': The most conservative form of Puritanism in the Inquisition, Amalathians (named after Mount Amalath, where its tenets were first set down at an Inquisitorial conclave) believe that the Emperor has some sort of divine plan for the Imperium, and the Inquisitions purpose is to protect the Imperium as that plan becomes visible. Change is considered the greatest enemy (which may have [[Tzeentch|some sense to it]]), with the exception that they seek to overcome the factionalism so common within the [[Adeptus Terra]]. The irony that the Amalathians are themselves technically a faction is not lost on them. You'd think that a group which holds the Imperium at present is perfect would be off its rocker, but they're actually a fairly reasonable group who prefer to [[/tg/ gets shit done|get shit done]] rather than bicker and bitch over territorial disputes. [[Gregor Eisenhorn]] was once a staunch Amalathian, but he eventually fell into Radicalism in his later years.
*{{anchor|Monodominant}}'''Monodominant''': The most extreme form of Puritianism in the Inquisition, Monodominants are basically [[Humanity Fuck Yeah]] taken to its illogical extreme. They believe that humanity, and ''only'' humanity, should be allowed to continue to exist. Given that the average inhabitants of the galaxy are [[Eldar|space pansies who would abandon you in a heartbeat]], [[Dark Eldar|space pansies who would torture and rape you in a heartbeat]], [[Ork|green hooligans who would fight and kill you in a heartbeat]], [[Tyranid|giant spacebugs who would eat you in a heartbeat]], [[Necron|undead robots who would atomize you in a clock tick]] and [[Chaos|things much worse]], this is [[Grimdark|an understandable worldview]]. Unfortunately, the Monodominants take things a few steps further, wanting to eliminate all [[mutant]]s, including the [[Psyker]]s ([[Astropath]]s and [[Navigator]]s) that humanity needs to keep functioning, as well even [[Space Marines]]. 
*{{anchor|Thorianism}}'''Thorianism''': The most radical form of Puritanism, Thorians are named after [[Sebastian Thor]], the hero of the [[Age of Apostasy]], and believe that Thor held part of the power of the Emperor within him. The Thorians thus believe that it is possible to reincarnate the Emperor of Mankind into a new body, allowing him to rebuild the Imperium and launch a new [[Great Crusade]]. As a result, Thorians closely study the nature of the human consciousness and the Warp, while also keeping a close eye on individuals that show enough power to be potential hosts for the Emperor's soul (such as Living Saints). They are extremely close to the [[Ecclesiarchy]]. 
**{{anchor|Anomolian Beholders}}'''Anomolian Beholders''': A conservative branch of Thorianism which takes a more passive approach to the resurrectionist ideology; they are more content with observing humanity for signs of the God-Emperor's return than actively trying to bring him back. 
**{{anchor|Ardentites}}'''Ardentites''': A variation of Thorian belief that claims the power of the Emperor was dispersed throughout humanity as a whole rather than being concentrated in any one individual. Derisively referred to as "miracle chasers" by the rest of the Inquisition for their many failed attempts at proving their beliefs.

===Radicals===

<center> "Salvation comes with a cost. Judge us not by our methods, but what we seek to accomplish."
 - '' lord inqusitor "illusive man" cerberus'' </center>
Radicals are those Inquisitors who believe in fighting fire with fire--specifically, using the weapons of the enemy against the enemy. According to [[Gideon Ravenor]], Radicalism is an inevitable product of an Inquisitor's ideology being tested, as the more one learns about the nature of the enemy, the more they realize that the enemy has a lot better toys than the Imperium. However, given that most Inquisitors will face Chaos at some point, and given the inherently corrupting nature of the Warp, Radicalism may lead to one hoping to fight the Archenemy with its own tools before brought into the service of the Chaos Gods instead; consequently, an accusation of Radicalism is only slightly less serious than an accusation of outright heresy. Radicalism can fall into a lot more branches than Puritanism, and the following is merely a list of the most common forms it can take:

*{{anchor|Horusians}}'''Horusians''': One of the most dangerous forms of radicalism, Horusians (named after [[Horus|Horus Lupercal]]) believe that power the Chaos Gods imbued Horus with to fight the Emperor can be used to create a new body for the Emperor. Mostly consists of older Inquisitors who have become angry with the other resurrection theories failing to get shit done.
*{{anchor|Istvaanism}}'''Istvaanism''': One of the most violent forms of Radicalism, Istvaanians (named for the virus-bombing of Istvaan III, which began the Horus Heresy) believe that conflict is desirable, and mankind only grows in a state of violence (while it is said that "necessity is the mother of invention", the culture in 40k minimizes technological advancements). In practice, this leads to various conflicts that would otherwise remain minor suddenly becoming unmanageable because an Istvaanite was covertly funneling resources to one or both sides. Possibly the only group in the galaxy who views the Imperium's biggest problem as too ''few'' wars.
*{{anchor|Recongregationism}}'''Recongregationism''': Radicals who believe that the Imperium has become stagnant and corrupt, and needs to be rebuilt lest it collapse further. Unfortunately for them, they aren't entirely sure about how to do this, or how it should be rebuilt after tearing down the old order. Some of the more extreme Recongregators end up like Lilean Chase, an Inquisitor who fell to Chaos and founded the Cognitae (or at least its ''40K'' incarnation), arguably these inquisitors may be the closest thing to <s>the modern views of western society</s> Inquisitors giving a crap about ordinary people, as shown in a small story one of them used a cadre of Xenos Hunters composed of Space Marines from dubious chapters ([[Black Dragons]], [[Flame Falcons]], etc) to simultaneously stop a [[Necron]] incursion and topple an oppressive planetary government with the hope something better will go out of the consecutive population uprising.
*{{anchor|Revivificationism}}'''Revivificationism''': Essentially the radical form of Thorianism, Revivificators believe in studying the effects of death and dying so that they can reverse the process and revive the Emperor of Mankind. Revivificators have a deep interest in studying the Eldar as a result, and have less ties to the Ecclesiarchy.
*{{anchor|Xanthism}}'''Xanthism''': The most overt and well known form of Radicalism, Xanthians (named after Lord Inquisitor Zaranchek Xanthus, executed for heresy in M32) believe that using Chaotic artifacts such as possessed swords and Daemonhosts are viable weapons against the Archenemy which should be used whenever possible. They hold that only by controlling the power of Chaos can Chaos be defeated. Eisenhorn eventually followed Xanthism after being forced to use Cherubael to save the lives of his retinue. (Most of the time, this ends up spectacularly backfiring when their tools rebel at the worst possible time- or worse, corrupt them into the service of Chaos. The Ruinous Powers hate each other, but they aren't always complete idiots about it, and when you play with fire, you only have to drop it once to set the whole house ablaze.)
**{{anchor|Phaenonism}}'''Phaenonism''': A splinter group of Xanthism, considered extreme even by other Radicals. Their dabbling with tech-heresy alongside the traditional Xanthite methods led them to openly deny the Emperor's divinity and embrace the powers of the Warp, seeking to rebuild the Imperium in their own image. Despite being declared Excommunicate Traitoris, there are still some Phaenonites in the Inquisition, although they have taken great caution to conceal their allegiances from their fellow Inquisitors.
*{{anchor|Libricars}}'''Libricars''': An extreme version of Amalthianism that insists that even the smallest deviations from the status quo warrants purging. Unlike the Amalthians, they will do absolutely ''anything'' to ensure the status quo. Needless to say, the Recongregators hate them.
*{{anchor|Oblationists}}'''Oblationists''': Bizarro Monodominants that insist that the truly righteous (i.e. themselves) must allow themselves to be damned through the use of the Warp, the xenos, and the unclean to keep humanity safe. At the same time they believe that anyone else using these things will be hopelessly damned and ought to be purged. The hypocrisy of this is lost on them.
*{{anchor|Ocularians}}'''Ocularians''': A minor faction obsessed with learning how to predict and divine the future, no matter the cost of doing so.
**{{anchor|Antiquarti}}'''Antiquarti''': A subgroup of Ocularians that seek to predict the future by discovering patterns within events in the past. That wouldn't be hard if anyone allowed them to see the few books on the past, since no one teaches history in the grimdark future.
*{{anchor|Polypsykana}}'''Polypsykana''': A group that believes humanity is evolving into a fully psychic race (which appears to be true) and that it is a good idea for them to do everything they can to accelerate this process (which is clearly arguable). They do this by trying to protect nascent psykers from their Puritan colleagues, though they have also been known to harbor witches and other rogue psykers as well.
*{{anchor|Seculos Attendous}}'''Seculos Attendous''': A minor faction that views the [[Ecclesiarchy]] as an obstacle to mankind's progress and seeks to weaken it wherever they can. They're probably the only group of people in the Imperium who have realized that fact. A shame that they can't agree on what to replace it with on the absurdly tiny chance they succeed.
*{{anchor|Casophilians}}'''Casophilians''': Another branch of Thorianism interested in learning how to summon a deceased soul back to the Materium in the hope that doing so could be the first step to resurrecting the Emperor. (In practice, this would probably resemble a form of "reverse daemon summoning".) Relatively conservative by Radical standards, they are one of the few factions that can be considered open to new ideas and are known to work especially well with the Anomolian Beholders.
*{{anchor|Xeno Hybris}}'''Xeno Hybris''': A small group which sees strict anti-alien policies as being counter-productive to the Imperium of Man. They feel that sometimes Xenos can be useful or be learned from, especially when working against chaos. Many inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus in particular will do this to deal with the forces of chaos every now and again, but the Xeno Hybris makes seeking said cooperation their hat. At the very least, these guys are not tempting fate to the same extent by as other Radicals since their toys are much less likely to eat their souls. Even so, this position would most likely be more popular if the aliens the Imperium deals with on a regular basis were less of a bunch of dicks themselves or consists of [[Slaugth|Humanoid Maggots]] and other horrors that not even the Tau will try to convince to join the Greater Good.

==Song==
([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUMkcBctE7c tune])

The eye that sleepth not.

The Inquisition (Let's begin)

The Inquisition (Look out, sin)

We have a mission

To kill all the Xenos (Xenos, Xe-e-nos)

We're gonna teach them (Wrong from right)

We're gonna help them (See the light)

And make an offer that they can't refuse.

(That the Xenos just can't refuse)

Confess, don't be boring

Say yes, don't be dull

A fact you're ignoring

It's better to lose your schlicktau than your skull (Or your gavalt)

The Inquisition (What a show)

The Inquisition (Here we go)

We know you're wishing that we'd go away

But the Inquisition's here and it's here to stay

The Inquisition (Oh boy)

The Inquisition (What joy)

The Inquisition (Oi oi)

I was posting down in /tg/, I was minding my own business

I was about to post some Loli Daemonette.

Then these Ordos Hereticus plunge in

And they throw me in a dungeon

And they shoved a revved up chainsword up my ass.

Is that considerate?

Is that polite?

And not a tube of Preparation H in sight.

I'm sittin' flickin' daemons

And I'm lookin' through the thickens

When suddenly these guys break down my walls.

I didn't even know them

And they grabbed me by the scrotum

And they started playing Ping Pong with my balls

Oh, the agony!

Ooh, the shame!

To make my privates public by a game!

The Inquisition (What a show)

The Inquisition (Here we go)

We know you're wishing that we'd go away

But the Inquisition's here and it's here to-

Hey, Eisenhorn!

What do you say?

I just got back from the autos-du-fe,

Autos-du-fe? What's the autos-du-fe?

It's what you oughtn't to do but you do anyway!

Skit scat doodlebac doodle be bay

Will you convert?

NO NO NO NO!

Will you confess?

NO NO NO NO!

Will you revert?

NO NO NO NO!

Will you say YES?

NO NO NO NO!

Now I asked in a nice way

I said pretty please

I bent their ears

Now I'll work on the knees

Hey Eisenhorn

Walk this way

We got a new game you might want to play!

Pull this handle, try your luck

Who knows, Eis, you might win a buck! (All right)

Put it in the ship.

(In the ship In the ship!)

How we doing? Any Heretics repent today?

Not a one! Nay Nay Nay!

We've flattened their fingers,

We've branded their buns.

Nothing is working!

SEND IN THE NUNS WITH GUNS

The Inquisition (What a show)

The Inquisition (Here we go)

We know you're wishing that we'd go away

So come on all you Heretics and you Xenos

We got some big news for all of yous

You'd better change your point of views today

'Cause the Inquisition's here and it's here to stay!

(bet you weren't expecting that song, either!)

==See Also==
*[[Daemonhunters]]
*[[Witch Hunters]]
*[[Spanish Inquisition|Their completely serious historical predecessors]]
*[[Alienhunters]]
*[[Zombiehunters]]
*[[Ordo Sicarius]]
*[[Ordo Chronos]]
*[[Dark Heresy]]
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Inquisition|Tactics/Inquisition]]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isw7nLOdYXM A video showing one of the more feared inquisitors]

{{Template:Imperium}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Inquisition]]

Space Wolves

2016-05-16T05:06:58Z

2601:240:8101:CFA0:4182:AEE4:16A8:25C2: Added a flavor quote from the viking poem Havamal to match the Petrarch quote on the Ultramarines page.

{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Space Wolves/ Vlka Fenryka
|Heraldry = [[File:Spacewolveslogo.png|200px]]
|Battle Cry = "For Russ and the Allfather!"|Number = VI
|Founding = [[First Founding]]
|Successors of = N/A
|Successor Chapters = [[Wolf Brothers]]
|Chapter Master = [[Logan Grimnar]]
|Primarch = [[Leman Russ]]
|Homeworld = [[Fenris]]
|Specialty = Aggressive Close-Range Assaults, Teamwork
|Strength = More than 1,000 (fuck the Codex)
|Allegiance = [[Imperium of Man]]
|Colours = Grey-blue and Yellow
}}

''Let a man never stir on his road a step without his weapons of war; for unsure is the knowing when need shall arise of a spear on the way without.''

-Havamal

The '''Space Wolves''' are a Chapter of [[Viking]] [[Space Marines]] and the non-Chaotic 40K counterparts to the [[Warriors of Chaos]], and are as [[Manly Marines|manly]] as the Angry Marines are [[Angry Marines|angry]]. Also, they like wolves, in case you couldn't figure it out from the fucking name. Extremely Nordic, very melee oriented, and perpetually drunk and/or feasting, and of course beating the living hell out of anything that they don't like, real or otherwise. They would probably get along with [[Khârn]], who really is a nice guy, but they're still pissed off over [[Horus Heresy|the whole betrayal thing]], and they'd probably get along pretty well with [[World Eaters]] and followers of [[Khorne]] in general, were it not for the whole betrayal thing again keeping them from what would likely be a successful relationship (also the lack of wolves). Probably more amiable towards the Angry Marines, whom the Space Wolves get many good ideas for insults from (but no wolves). Presently, they refuse to acknowledge the [[Pretty Marines]] as an actual chapter for undisclosed, yet obvious reasons.

Unstoppable, badass [[Vikings]] who gleefully shit on every other Chapter (save [[Blood Angels]] and [[Black Templars]]...6th dropped and the BA and BT get raped by the Wolf Train) when it comes to melee and still somehow manage to retain more versatility than the two aforementioned. Also one of the only chapters that grow facial hair (The others being the [[Imperial Fists]] and the [[White Scars]], who have the only mustachioed Primarchs). That said, they aren't all fun and bar room games, as they have their flaws. They tend to be loud and boisterous, which is all well and good for some, but if you're [[Imperial Fists|mostly concerned with efficiently doing your job]] or [[Dark Angels| a quiet warrior monk]], they can be a bit much. They also tend to be almost hypocritically arrogant, as not only are they fond of boasting matches and ego-stroking stories, they also refuse to admit their own errors. At all. Ever. Even when one of their own [[Ragnar Blackmane|does something horrifyingly dishonorable]], they will still ignore or even attack their accusers. [[Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy)|Remind you of any other GW axe wielding beardy-fellows?]]

==Brief History and Main(ly) Overview==

Leman Russ was basically [[Viking]] Tarzan with wolves instead of apes (So...Mowgli from the Jungle Book then?), he was captured by the humans of Fenris and became adopted son to King Thengir. When Thengir passed, Leman became king, by virtue of being the biggest badass on Fenris. And that's saying something. Ol' Empy came along and said 'JOIN ME!' in his typical dickish fashion. Leman then challenged him to a drinking and eating contest where he showed the omnipotent demi-god up in front of half of Fenris. This was the first instant until the Horus Heresy where the Emperor would be brought down a peg. Angry that someone may have beaten him, he challenged Leman to a duel. Leman almost won until the cheating Emprah cunt hit him on the head with a Power Fist. Nice, Empy, Honour and Fairness and all that. Ok, maybe not completely true, in the fluff the emperor easily penetrated leman's defenses. Leman got up a few days later and had a headache from his hangover. He then became Primarch of the Space Wolves. The rest is history.

One further thing of note is that it is implied the two missing legions were hunted down by the Space Wolves so if it is true then that brings their legion kill tally to three...

The Space Wolves are another example on how Games Workshop lusts after medieval Scandinavian history and mythology. As if the [[Warriors of chaos]] weren't already enough of a tip off to that. Given that they are the only Space Marines to have wolves, beards, wield axes, laugh boisterously, and act like something more than sombre, grim assholes, and because they have names like 'Ragnar', 'Logan' and 'Bjorn' they are instantly considered manlier than all other Spehss Mehreens, including the Chaos ones. Based on their characterization in Prospero Burns and Battle for the Fang, they hold little regard for "mortals", but highly respect bravery in battle. On top of all that, they happen to have the most badass Chapter Masters ever, [[Logan Grimnar]]. Who is one of the few people to actually routinely tell the Ecclesiarchy to get bent and have told the Ordo Malleus of the Emperor's Holy Inquisition that they were a bunch of scum sucking bastards for attempting to wipe out [[Armageddon|Armageddon's]] population on account of potential heresy due to encountering daemons. Which, of course, was bullshit as Logan and the [[Grey Knights]] had already banished Angron to the warp with wolves (do not underestimate the insidious nature of Chaos, all it would take is one latent psyker to have their gift awakened by all the warp activity going on and suddenly you throw the door wide open for yet another daemonic incursion, better safe than sorry, or in other words, better to break a few innocent eggs than risk a swarm of satanic chickens pecking out your asshole). This man essentially gave the Inquisition and the High Lords of Terra the middle-finger and no one could do anything about it purely because he can make people shit themselves just by looking at them funny. Talk about manly!

...actually the Inquisition backed off from their threat of declaring Excommunicatus and Exterminatus on the whole Chapter after Grimnar axefucked the guy in charge, but the Grey Knights were still tasked with tracking down every transport the Wolves helped get away, and exterminated them as well as any worlds, outposts, or settlements they came across... So the Wolves' noble intentions to save a few million lives [[Grimdark|resulted in the deaths]] [[Fail|of untold billions of innocents]] - see Emperor's Gift novel.

If they were in a vidya gaem, they'd probably be voiced by BRIAN BLESSED... or his royal Cinemaness CHRISTOPHER LEE, may he <s>Rest in Peace</s> glory and feast forever in Heavy Metal Thespian Valhalla.

They also once managed to kill an entire [[Void whale|VOID WHALE]]! (If a hideously malformed one) Scary Badass Grampa Werewolf Viking FTW!

Spess Wohlfs, if not already obvious, draw upon a heavy viking theme, an equally heavy werewolf theme, and wolves in general. As such, the Space Wolves, Black Templars, White Scars, World Eaters and Khornate Worshipers in general, are the few people to realize that they all live in a fantasy universe with spaceships.

Another question that might come up if one thought about it is what happened to all of their extra marines. Even between the Burning of Prospero, a brutal void battle with the Alpha Legion straight afterwards and the rest of the Horus Heresy, the Wolves and their descendants were reduced to a chapter strength of about 1200 marines by the 41st Millenium. Even with attrition over the years, they should have been left with thousands of marines to split into different chapters. The main school of thought is that the Wolves split into two chapters, the original Space Wolves as well as the Wolf Brothers. While the Wolf Brothers would eventually be disbanded due to [[Mutant|genetic instability]], it would still leave the Space Wolves several thousand marines strong. It's though that the rest of the Sons of Russ would eventually be brought down to close to Codex Chapter strength by attrition, as their numbers were overcome by casualties, the rise of the Mark of the Wulfen, and alcohol poisoning. Another hypothesis is that there would be other chapters that would split off from the wolves, albeit unofficially or by their origins being proscribed for...whatever reason. However, if the Wolves were indeed left to be several hundred strong after Guilliman got his reform on, it would mean that after Russ's disappearance, the wolves [[Grimdark|were slowly dying out]] after their recruitment numbers dwindled to the dozens per year. (Though the natural ratio of recruits-to-casualties probably reached an equilibrium point at some point a few centuries afterwords, and has hovered right around that point for a long time. [[Grimdark]] doesn't always mean [[Fail|Grimderp]].)

In M32, a small but influential faction within the Rout started experimenting on the Canis Helix, trying to make it less wolfy but preserve the general badassery of Russ' gene seed. This was aimed at realising Russ' dream of Wolves descendants- the reformers saw their Chapter becoming steadily more isolated, making it harder for them to defend the Imperium. Some even claimed that the Imperium would start to question the Wolves' loyalties because of the wulfen issue, putting their existence at risk. They faced lots of internal opposition, but the gene-splicing began to pay off and the Legion's "apotheosis" was looming. Then Magnus heard about it and attacked Fenris, leaving the Fang all but broken and the current Great Wolf dead, along with most of the reformers. Magnus took a thrashing in the process, but finally had a comeback to all Russ' "forever alone" jokes (fuck, even the Salamanders probably have successors these days). As predicted, although the Wolves are still revered throughout much of the Imperium, they're also mistrusted by its rulers and institutions. Inquisition tried pretty hard to bring them to heel over the whole Armageddon fracas- it's a fair bet that they wouldn't have tried this if the Wolves had a few successor Chapters to call on.. Oh, and their attack on the Fang did a similar amount of damage to what Magnus managed.

And now, with a new Black Library novel inbound, it seems that the Wolves big secret is about to get out, and now the Inquisition might just get them opening they were looking for...

==Relationship with the Thousand Sons==
Space Wolves have a talent for [[rage]], and it is thought by some that they pride themselves with the sheer number of enemies they have. But the [[Thousand Sons]] Chaos Legion is by and large their greatest enemy, at least that's what they think. The fact is that the rivalry began when the Space Wolves (with help from Custodians and Sisters of Silence) kicked the living shit out of the Thousand Sons on their home planet, which is like having your country host the Olympics and then getting last place in every event (much like Canada in the 1976 Summer Olympics and again in the 1988 Winter Olympics). Before that, [[Leman Russ]], [[Primarch]] of the Space Wolves, broke the back of [[Magnus the Red]], who is Primarch of the Thousand Sons. TO BE FAIR, Magnus felt that he deserved it and therefore ordered his warriors to deactivate all planetary defenses (he actually deactivated it himself and even killed one of his own captains to hide the coming of the invasion fleet). If the Thousand Sons had their defenses active, the Wolf of the Wolf Wolf Wolves probably would have had a much harder time of it. As it is, even with all the backup the Wolves had, once they ran out of planetary defense forces in parade uniforms to slaughter, and came across the Thousand Sons, the Wolves/Custodians/Sisters were slowed down a little until Tzeench pulled the troll lever (though he might've been bolstering the Sons' powers already, which the Ruinous Powers later did with Horus, and this was just a side effect) and the Sons' greatest psykers started mutating and exploding like Tetsuo from Akira.

Considering the [[Emprah]] basically just asked for Leman Russ to give Magnus a ride to Earth, this is more like your parents asking you to tell your younger sibling to come out of their room and clean up the mess they made, only for you to go in there, shoot off both their legs, take a dump on the floor and set the room on fire, chase them out into the streets, murder his best friends, and then tell your parents that the brat suffered for not taking responsibility for the five or so school books on the couch. Of course, [[Horus]] helped that all along. Just as planned. Chief Custodian Valdor also urged Russ to curbstomp Magnus for good, presumably because he was concerned what kind of damage Magnus could do in person, given how much trouble he caused from millions of light-years away.

. . . Yeah, Horus or no, Leman probably would have done it anyway for the lulz. See: Story time with [[Bjorn the Fell Handed]]

This set the tone for the rest of their unhealthy relationship. The Thousand Sons do something to piss off the Space Wolves, usually some brilliant, convoluted plan, and the Space Wolves just charge and beat the living shit out of them and laugh in their faces when they find out how much work those [[Tzeentch]]ies put into their plots. Sadly, this usually comes at a staggering toll in Space Wolf lives. So [[grimdark]]. Oh, and the Thousand Son's usually accomplish some underlying secret objective.

Many theories are abound as to why the Space Wolves hate the Thousand Sons and their sorcery so much. The most popular amongst fa/tg/uys is that the Thousand Sons Primarch, Magnus, being aware of Russ's [[furry|bestiality]], was always watching him from his magical lookout, riding up and down his sorcerer's tower to observe Russ from every height and depth, intently channeling the power of his one-eyed cyclops to pierce into Russ's most intimate chambers. Understandably, this left Russ very (literally) [[butthurt]] indeed and eager for vengeance. Or because Magnus is a NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD.

One theory disclosed to the Khan, admittedly from the probably-not-very-reliable source of a shade of Magnus left behind on Prospero, suggests that there could be an even more sinister reason for the hatred, suggesting that there is a dark reason why the Wolves put runes of protection on every part of their wargear (other books suggest the Wolves place huge importance on runes and symbolism).

===Ragnar Blackmane===
[[File:Yiff yaff.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Meanwhile, on Fenris...]]

Perhaps the best example can be found in ''The Space Wolf Omnibus'', in which [[Ragnar Blackmane]], who is basically a young Space Wolf, not only fucks over a Sorcerer, but Magnus the Red himself. The Sorcerer, [[Madox]], is so pissed at being foiled by Ragnar that he bitches about it to other Thousand Sons, who find this hilarious, and goes around making plots, which Ragnar manages to fuck up nicely, thereby saving the galaxy. Ragnar even took the spear of his Primarch and hurled it into the eye of Magnus the Red. Do note that this is as much canon as other [[Black Library|BL]] anti-fluff shit.

Because of this, the [[Blood Ravens]] forge a weapon named after Ragnar, who tells them to keep their toys because he doesn't need it (though in all reality he had a suspicion that they were trying to 'fence' their 'gift' by giving it to him to evade Imperial authorities).

He and his pack once fought off 40 odd genestealers in close combat. In the actual game and fluff; fighting this many 'stealers in melee is a one way ticket to massive rending claw induced ASSRAPE for anything short of a vehicle with AV 12 on it backside. Yet somehow he managed to avoid being torn into gory paper thin pieces and come out on top (like this kind of thing is really uncommon with book marines). He manages this without being a [[Mary Sue|Mary]] [[Ultramarines|Sue]]. Why?/How? It's because he's a motherfucking Space Viking ((also the original game this happened in was 2nd Ed Herohammer and he was on [[Cheese|Combat Drugs]], WS8, S6, T5, A9, I10 and Rending didn't exist yet.)), and that's a trillion times better than faggoty Space Bugs that [[Cyrus|cynics and emos]] jack off to. Even if said Space Vikings are a bit too into wolves for comfort.

==The Fate of Leman Russ==
Of Leman Himself, you ask? Legends state that after a great feast, He said unto his warriors:

<blockquote>"Listen closely Brothers, for my time is short. . There shall come a time far from now when our Chapter itself is dying, even as I am now dying, and our foes shall gather to destroy us. Then my children, I shall listen for your call in whatever realm of death holds me, and come I shall, no matter what the laws of life and death forbid. At the end I will be there. For the final battle. For the Wolftime."</blockquote>

And so, Leman departed, with his closest retinue... No, not you Bjorn... Some say he searches for a means to revive His God-Emperor.. But despite the efforts of the Great Hunt, Leman remains beyond the reach of Man... Who knows what great feats of Heroism he undertakes....

. . . Oh, who the fuck are we kidding? Leman got lost in the [[Warp]] and became a Daemon Primarch of Kho-

{{BLAM|//Historitor 109.163.233.200 decommissioned by Inquisitorial decree.//}}

He was, in fact, [[Horo|turned into a small girl]]. (Holy shit! A [[Tzeentch|change]] like that can only mean that Magnus must have gotten revenge.) And if by that you think we mean, "Russ had a shitton of bastard children everywhere and one was a mutant that could shapeshift" then yes; only because Russ's kids turning into [[Werewolf|wolves]] is nothing new. Nobody really knows if this had happened before he went to [[Warhammer Fantasy]] and made the Norscans or not, but since they aren't vikings out of a shoujo anime, we can make a pretty good educated guess. Somehow, he found his way back to the Dark Millenium, still stuck in the form of a [[Horo|small girl]].

(But seriously, we have no idea. There HAVE been sporadic reports of sightings of the 13th great Company with Russ leading them, for what that's worth. And Magnus has mentioned that he knows exactly what happened to Russ, but it's not like he'd ever tell them.)

Actually he has entered Slaanesh's realm of eternal yiff, meaning we will never see him again.

==Organization==
[[File:Tyranid Attack.jpeg|350px|right|thumb|The wolves taking on a [[Tyranid]] horde.]]
Since they only see the [[Codex Astartes]] as a source of toilet paper (when they bother to wipe), the Space Wolves have roles and titles far different from the standard Space Marine chapters. Additionally, while traditional chapters each hold ten ~100-strong companies, the Space Wolves instead have 12 autonomous companies, each of which is in varying strength and since they aren't bound by the Codex, each company may have more than 100 marines on hand. However, the Space Wolf legion was never particularly numerous, pre-heresy, in the first place due to their unstable gene-seed (The fact that [[Magnus the Red]] destroyed the long-sought cure to this during his attack on Fenris for this didn't help). Thus while unbound by the Codex, Space Wolf companies are typically slow to reinforce their numbers due to said unstable gene-seed.

With 12 independent Great Companies (each with their own fleets, logistics support etc), this means that even if each Great Company had 100 brothers, they would outnumber a normal codex-compliant Spess Mehreens chapters by at least 20%. This is corroborated by the latest 7E codex which has rules for playing a Great Company on its own; consisting of eleven squads of varying size.

However since each Great Company doesn't bother to limit themselves to 100 (some Space Wolves great companies sometimes number over 300 brothers) it means that they outnumber codex chapters by an even greater degree, so with that said, the [[Apocalypse]] formation for the same thing has no hard limit on the number of Blood Claw squads that may be taken, so will probably represent a good period of recruitment for the Chapter. Therefore the total numbers will vary over time in response to casualties and recruitment rates but can reasonably reach estimations of 3000 marines or more; several times the official codex strength at peak times. But currently though, [[Logan Grimnar]]'s own company is the largest in the chapter and it totals 200 exactly by 998.M41 ''(not counting the "Great Wolf" assets like Dreadnoughts & Priests)'' whilst [[Ragnar Blackmane]]'s is said to be second, also currently sitting at 162 marines.

===Hierarchy===
The different ranks and assignments for the Wolves are the following:

*'''Great Wolf''': The [[Chapter Master]] of the Space Wolves, the Great Wolf is chosen from among the Wolf Lords by virtue of <s>having the most furry porn</s> being the most badass of an army of space vikings. The Great Wolf is effectively the First Captain of the Space Wolves, commanding an elite Great Company that includes the members of the three Priesthoods and the Chapter's Dreadnoughts. [[Logan Grimnar]] serves as the current Great Wolf.

*'''Wolf Lord''': The [[Brother-Captain]]s of a company in Codex Chapters (although more like a watered-down vanilla chapter master), Wolf Lords lead their Great Companies and charge the Iron Priests with maintenance of its motor pool and the Wolf Priests with recruiting new Astartes.

* '''Wolf Guard''': A cross between [[Veteran Squad|Veterans]] and [[Honour Guard]], Wolf Guards serve as the body guard of the Wolf Lord and leading packs in battle, serving as the Space Wolves version of a [[Brother-Sergeant]]. They also get [[Terminator]] armour. In ''Second Edition'' they also got to take any weapons they liked and could be built from stock parts with an Assault Cannon and Cyclone Missile Launcher. This led to many games being won as Assault Force Dickhead rampaged across the table murdering everything.

* '''Wolf Priest''': Combining the role of [[Apothecary]] and [[Chaplain]], the Wolf Priests do the standard roles of preaching and medical duties, but are also charged with recruiting Aspirants for their companies. Plus they have a secret role on the battlefield, trying to prevent their battle-brothers from turning into Wulfen.

* '''Iron Priest''': The Iron Priests serve the role of [[Techmarine]]s, overseeing the motorpool and equipment of the companies they belong to.

* '''Rune Priest''': Taking the role of [[Librarian]]s in Codex Chapters, Rune Priests are the [[psyker]]s of the Space Wolves. However, instead of seeing their powers as coming from the [[Warp]], they hold that their powers come from the world spirit of Fenris, and consult the runes in a means to divine the future. Trying to explain to the Rune Priests that they're drawing power from the Warp, and that they cannot "draw their powers from Fenris" while being half-Galaxy away from it will usually result in the non-Space Wolf getting a month's stay in the Apothecarion. The ultimate irony of this is that they are, in reality, Sorcerers, which they denounced the Thousand Sons for.

* '''Wolf Scouts''': Each Great Company will have members who shun their pack brothers and are shunned in return, preferring the company of more somber individuals, Wolf Scouts serve to scout out enemy positions and terrain. As opposed to the regular codex, Wolf Scouts tend to be veterans of battle able to rein in their savage rage.

* '''Lone Wolf''': Space Wolves who are the last of their pack. The loss of their brethren drive them to seek a glorious death in combat at the hands of some form a fell enemy. Think of Dwarf Slayers only a few metres tall with powered armour and weapons of doom and destruction. Often the only way out of the Lone Wolf lifestyle is managing to kill something that the individual shouldn't have survived killing and being elevated into the Wolf Guard.

* '''Skyclaws''': Skyclaws are the trouble makers among a Chapter of trouble makers, forced to wear Jump Packs. The Space Wolves view Jump Packs as an insult, reasoning that if the Emperor wanted them to fly, he would have given them wings. Snide comments regarding [[Sanguinius]] result in a short game of tug-o-war involving the offending battle-brother's beard.

* '''Thunderwolf Cavalry''': Space Wolves who function in a manner similar to a [[Bike Squad]], but instead of actual bikes, they use Fenrisian Wolves, which can be the size of a small car.

* '''Long Fangs''': Taking the role of [[Devastator Squad|Devastators]], Long Fangs are veterans who have grown long in the fang. No pun here - Space Wolves' teeth actually lengthen as they age, as an effect of a mutated Betcher's Gland.

* '''Grey Hunter''': Having the role of [[Tactical Squad|Tactical Marines]], Grey Hunters are those Marines who have been promoted out of the Blood Claws.

* '''Blood Claws''': Neophyte Space Wolves who serve in the [[Assault Squad|Assault Marine]] roles of Codex Chapters. Bear in mind <s>Assault is the Space Wolves specialty.</s> <s> Yes, they like to [[rip and tear]] and [[rape]] </s>. No no no. that is the Blood Angels. The Wolves have just made everyone think this to scare the shit out of them, meanwhile getting shit done. Blood Claws are still deciding whether to go along with this, or turn wulfen and reinforce the stereotype - just as planned.

=== Other Assets ===
The Space Wolves have an impressive number of other gadgets and gizmos going for them.

Not least the fact that the Fang (''Aett'') is one of the three most defended locations in the entire Imperium ''(the other two being the Imperial Palace on '''Terra''' and the Keep Inviolate on '''Kolossi''' the homeworld of [[Imperial Knight|House Raven]])'' and is tall enough that entire [[Imperial Navy|battlefleets]] can dock with the fortress.

Speaking of battlefleets; the Wolves themselves have a navy to rival most others, with eight Battle Barges and more than thirty Strike Cruisers, which in terms of logistical support could accommodate over 5400 fighting men. As well as this, they have '''TWO''' Star Forts and over forty escort '''squadrons'''. To let you know how much firepower this counts as, some lesser known chapters would consider themselves fortunate to have even a single battle-barge. Even the [[Grey Knights]] have only four Barges and twelve strike cruisers, so basically when Fenris held off the [[Grey Knights]] during the Months of Shame, they had plenty going for them. They used to have even more ships, and a star-fort network that could put the infamous Iron Circle of Badab to shame before the Thousand Sons attacked Fenris in M33.

They also have '''''over''''' one-hundred [[Dreadnought]]s stored in stasis vaults within their fortress depths, where/how they accumulated them is uncertain and considering that most other chapters tend to have around two or three Dreadnoughts per company, they likely outnumber nearly anyone else by a considerable margin. ''(For comparison, the [[Blood Angels]] have 35 dreadnoughts listed in their rolls of battle)''

Not to mention the packs of feral wulfen that they can scrounge up... Yeah they might happen to have a shit ton of unregistered mutated werewolf murder machines lying around as ''''failed'''' aspirants.

Oh, and all the "actual" Fenrisian Wolves & Thunderwolves that the chapter can muster.

==Combat doctrine==

<blockquote>"The best way to defeat a Space Wolf is to wolf his wolf. You must be careful, though, because if the Space Wolf wolfs your wolf first, then your wolf is wolfed." 
—Attributed to Wolf Rider Volk Wolfclaw, ''On the Weaknesses of the Space Wolf Doctrine''.</blockquote>

<blockquote>"A good way to get into a state of pure wolfness, would be that you shall wolf the wolf until the wolfing wolf wolfs. Then, when the wolf wolfs your wolfness, the wolves of the wild will wolf your wolf up. Wolf!" 
—Attributed to Wolf Master Jonal Wolfhand, "The Call of the Nightblizzard".</blockquote>

<blockquote>"Wolf wolf wolf wolf wolfity wolf. Wolf wolf, wolfo wolfy wolf wolf wolf. Wolf? Wolf!" 
—Attributed to Wolf Lord Egil Ironwolf, ''On the Intricacies of Tactical Wolffare''.</blockquote>

All wolf jokes aside while they do not follow the codex Astartes the Space Wolves do use tactics and strategy. Theirs just involve a lot more choppa to face then the average space marine chapter. Their battle strategies tend to be neglected in favor of localized battlefield tactics. They keep to their wolf theme by working as a "pack", with very "make it up as we go along" tactics. This doesn't bite them in the ass as much as it would other space marine chapters, because they can... "smell" the plan (I can't make this shit up). The books try to base this off of how normal wolves coordinate hunts, with nonverbal cues being premium. The idea is that the wolves can gauge the room by [[Hive Mind|smelling their pack member's moods and thoughts]]. This is actually why most wolves prefer to fight without helmets; headgear makes it difficult to smell their brothers and enemies.

Though they like to stand up for the little guy within the Imperium, the Wolves favour Burn It All tactics when faced with planets which resisted compliance, and later Traitor planets. To be fair when it comes to the latter, they're probably not that different to most Chapters (though the [[Salamanders]] and [[Celestial Lions]] do their best to minimise civilian losses and bring the population back into the fold, even when faced with a planet controlled by Traitor Legions).

==Daily rituals of a Space Wolf==
1300 - Wake Up with Hangover - The Space Wolf awakens from his booze/drug-induced coma and begins the day. Headaches abound. Aspirin is consumed by the ton. 
1310 - Morning Piss - The Space Wolf empties the alcohol that has accumulated in his bladder(s) in the Sacred Alcohol Excretion Grounds. 
1311 - Morning Fart - The Space Wolf empties his intestines. Pissing without farting is like going to a church without praying the Emperor. Heresy. 
1320 - Morning Piss Ends - The Space Wolves have finally finished urinating. 
1330 - Ritual Intake of Alcoholic Beverages - The Space Wolf now cracks open his first cold one of the day. The first of many. Cheerios may be consumed as well. 
1345 - Firing Drills - The Space Wolf consumes another litre of alcohol before going out back and shooting empty beer bottles with his bolter. This takes place far away from the Alcohol Excretion Grounds, after that one time Brother Brynjolf accidentally lit his own piss on fire, and ended up in sickbay until his beard grew back and he was thus fit to be seen in public again. 
1400 - Freeze your Gonads - The Space Wolf sheds his armor and most of his clothing to wander around Asaheim for an hour. 
1500 - Feeding of the Land Raiders - Space Wolf observes a feast with his brothers in honour of the chapter's revered battle machines. Blood Claws are still wandering around outside naked in the snow. 
1530 - Boozing of the Land Raiders - No feast is complete without shittons of liquor. Ale and beer are poured and scrubbed all over the most honoured of the chapter's war machines. Many still have bullet holes, sometimes allowing beer to get into the exhaust ports and make for kickass explosions later. Blood Claws are still wandering around outside naked in the snow. 
1600 - Wolf your Wolf - Grey Hunters and older Space Wolves take this time to play with their favourite 4-legged companions. Blood Claws are still wandering around outside naked in the snow. 
1630 - Save the Blood Claws - Blood Claws are brought in from the cold. Most are frozen blue or black - and hungry for more. 
1700 - Evening feast - Eat. Drink. Start brawls. The usual non-warzone Space Wolf thing. 
1800 - Try to wake up [[Bjorn the Fell Handed|Bjorn]]. 
1810 - Give up, try to find something fun on the Vox Saga. 
1900 - Night shitter break. 
2000 - Night firing drills - Much to the Iron Priest's dismay, the Space Wolves practice writing their names in the snow. With bolters. In runes. In the dark. 
2100 - Ritual Intake of Narcotics and Purging of Testicles - Yiff and blow. 
0500 - Daily Rest - The Space Wolf passes out. 

==Space Wolves in the 5th edition Codex==
These days Space Wolves have developed a slight wolf obsession. Whether they're riding wolves, naming their armor and weapons "wolf" gear, discussing wolf husbandry with the Wolf Priest, or removing [[Nurgle]] from play with their mighty Wolf of the Wolf Wolf power, it's clear that a [[geneseed]] mutation has caused many of the Chapter's members to turn into closet [[furries]]. As a result, any post in /tg/ about Space Wolves used to instantly elicit a dump of Space Wolf furry porn and cries of "yiff," and "wolf!" It might still today if that sort of thing didn't get people [[Mod|banned]].

However, all the same they remain quite popular as an army. Many play them because they still enjoy the idea of Space Vikings, but others play because every unit in their codex comes cheaper than standard [[Space Marine|Spess Mehreenes]]. Long Fangs, for example, come so much cheaper that each squad saves around forty to fifty points or so over their Devastator equivalents, which is pretty fucking sweet for them but leads to crankiness in players of the vanilla Space Marine codex.

Naturally, some Space Wolf players would want to insist that Space Wolves have nothing to do with furries, just as fans of [[wikipedia:Renamon|Renamon]] might want to insist that Renamon isn't responsible for untold mountains of furry porn. However, facts are facts, and granted all the wolves fucking Marines this wikifag has seen posted on /tg/ so far, one would point out that it is pretty much /tg/ [[canon]] (and weall know how rediculous teegee can get) that the Space Wolves have kind of a problem. Nobody has to like it, but we do all have to understand that the Space Wolves have a disease which denial will not make disappear. But, on the bright side, their fixation remains solely on wolves, so at least we know there's kind of an epicenter for the illness. Alongside the Salamanders, the Space Wolves at least ''occasionally'' treat the normal people in their territory well, and stomped the high holy hell out of the Thousand Sons last time they tried to fight them. One wonders how many Thousand Sons are even left at this point.

We just checked. They're still near one thousand, as they have been just after the Rubric, despite all the causalities they've taken after that. Cheating bastards, just come back from dead each time you kill them.

==A Quick Word Out of Character==
The true reason for all this, is that, we at /tg/, in our pathetic, low reaching mastery of comedy, have seen how idiotic it is that every Goddamn Space Wolf codex unnecessarily uses the word; 'wolf' as a prefix or a suffix in every 3rd sentence (similar to the [[Robin Cruddace|tyranid codex]] shoe-horning the prefix bio- into every 3rd sentence). Since /tg/ is an easily angered monster, not unlike an [[Angry Marine]], we attempt to furiously link Space Wolves to furries. As we are as fucked up as [[Chaos Pretty Marines]].

It has been established in the ''[[Horus Heresy]]'' series that the VI Legion don't employ the word Wolf as much as they appear to. Wolf is readily apparent in their motifs, such as Leman Russ's titles as "Wolf-King" and "Great Wolf", as well as the formal name of the Wolf Guard, but it's not as overblown as it's made out to be. Apparently, whoever did the Fenrisian-to-Gothic translation made a few errors. First off, they don't call themselves the Space Wolves. When speaking formally, they refer to themselves as the ''Vlka Fenryka'', which can be translated as "Wolves of Fenris" (<s>which is worse than "Space Wolves", since Fenrir is the name of a wolf in Norse myth</s> this makes it <s>awesome</s> <s>pretentious as fuck.</s> Not if you realise that a bunch of colonists landed on a planet, bred giant dogs from their great, great, grand-children then thought "You know what's better than planet Unicorn? Planet fucking Fenris") The term is more like "folk of Fenris" if Vlka is associated with the Germanic 'Volk.' However, if Vlka is translated as Slavic, then we get the "Wolves of Fenris." Hence, Dan Abnett is using linguistics to reinforce his theme that the Space Wolves are misunderstood by the rest of the Imperium - called the Space Wolves because of a mistranslated word. (So they are actually called "Space People"?) When speaking informally, they refer to themselves as "the Rout", solidifying their purpose as the Emperor's executioners/snowflakes. Additionally, the post of "Wolf-Lord" is also a mistranslation, as they refer to their Company commanders as "Jarl". Finally, they don't call their fortress-monastery the Fang, but rather the ''Aett'', which can be literally translated as "clan home" <s>or "den" (How is "den" better than "the Fang"? It's still a reference to wolves) (It's better because a den is somewhere things live, like the marines live in the monastery. "Fang" is an obvious ass pull to make their wolf references more "hardcore")</s> Aett means "clan" not "den" goddamit. <- This guy won btw.

There's also this in-universe [[meme]] "there are no wolves on Fenris". At all. This was started by one of the primarchs remarking that they should be called xenos, because they're natives of an alien planet, and it quickly morphed into a joke. But it goes a little deeper than that, <s>presenting weird questions about where the whole wolf thing (and the actual wolves they ride/cuddle) come from. Long story short, they are furry cousins yee haah! Seriously</s> No, it highlights that there are no wolves on Fenris, because there are no wolves on fenris. See below....keep up dammit.

With regards to the Fenrisian wolves, the origin a little more freaky than expected: they're not wolves, but descendants of human wolf mutants. Back when Fenris was first settled, the colonists had the ''Canis helix'' added to help them adapt to the harsh environment by adding wolf genes to their genetic-makeup. Unfortunately, it worked a little too well--the ''canix helix'' caused a number of settlers to degrade into wolfmen and wolfwomen. Following this, they bred and produced a new strain of wolf into the environment. So there are no ''wolves'' on Fenris. They're just the descendants of human mutants. Which might explain why, post-Heresy, only Fenrisians can become Space Wolves (assuming that's why the successor chapters couldn't handle Russ' gene seed).

Of course, that means that the Space Wolves are wearing pelts made of [[Fabius Bile|human skin]], but lets not dwell on that - after all it's fairly common in the Imperiums to wear human skulls... WolfyWolfWolf {{BLAM|''' *BLAM*}}.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Lightning2.jpg|'Tis only a matter of time until Steve Blum voices 'em
File:Warlord of Fenris by NachoMon.jpg|Totally not overcompensating...Yeah he's just hiding a massive hardon with the skull
File:Lemanruss39.jpg|Leman Russ. About to mercilessly fuck over the Thousand Sons.
File:Prospero.jpg|Is he carrying a wooden shield? Really? Against a bolt shell?
File:Stormrider.jpg|You better watch out, you better not die, you better not fight, I'm telling you why: Santa Grimnar's coming to town
[[File:http://l.wigflip.com/DucDpDtG/roflbot.jpg]]|Pretty cool guys to hang with.
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Bjorn the Fell Handed]]
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Space Wolves(7E)|Tactics/Space Wolves]]
*[[Warriors of Chaos]] - With whom they get into bar brawls and drinking contests to see who is moar [[Viking]].

== External Links ==

* [http://space-wolves-grey.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/wolf-sister.html Wolf & Sister] Space Wolves webcomic by Nachomon.

[[Category:Wargames]]

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