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Sons of Steel

“In the strength of metal we place our trust, for redemption and glory are given only through cold fire and iron.” - Bladesmith Harak Hammerhand

Primarch: Leman Russ
Homeworld: Lupra Nord
Solar System: Corona
Sub-sector: Ulidia
Sector: Segmentum Tempestus

[Tribal World]
Population: <500,000
Primary Export: Azurite

926. M39- The Space Wolf strike cruiser ‘Runefang’ stumbles across a previously hidden moon orbiting the agri-world of Ulthor in the Corona system. Upon making planet fall, the native people welcome them as heroes - speaking in an ancient dialect of Fenrisian. When questioned about their language, the tribal chieftains show them the entombed form of a long dead Space Wolf, who they regard as the one who taught them his language and faith and ended the civil war between the two dominant social groups known as the ‘tribals’ and ‘hivers’, both terms that the ‘Lone Wolf’ used for them.

972. M39- A second group of Space Wolves establish a small outpost on the western continent of Balvan. Naming it Fort Lupus, they settle on the moon to garrison the system and keep watch over it.

215. M40- The Corona system is recatalogued by the Administratum explorator fleet ‘Emperor’s Vision’. Lupra Nord PDF mustered and armed, along with PDF regiments on the other worlds of the system, namely Ulthor, Beltain, Kaetrael and Vectran Primaris. Lupran Nordic citizens respond with great zeal to the idea of defending their homeworld.

342. M40- First Imperial Guard regiment raised on the ancient battlefield known as the Plain of Frozen Souls. 1st Lupran Nordic engages what seems to be a number of feral Ork tribes on Ulthor along with their Kroot allies.

345. M40- Orbital defense forts constructed at three points around the moon’s atmosphere. Designated codenames are Fenrir, Jormungandr and Loki, they from a defensive network that becomes known as Ragnarok.

350. M40- Using hijacked transport ships, the early vanguard of an Ork Waagh! led by feral Ork warlord Gitznak Spinesnappa’ sneak beneath the scanners of the Ragnarok network and make planet fall. The Waagh! rages across Lupra Nord for three months.

351. M40- Waagh! Gitznak is halted by his death and his elite bodyguard in a hit and run raid organized by one of the tribesmen, Erik Ravenagh; known as the Mithril Raven. He is awarded several tribal honours and hiver medals, but true to his heritage, melts the medals down and forges them into a local dagger known as a Dhu.

363.M40- The remaining Orks are killed off by a combined force of the sub-zero winters and guerrilla kill-teams lead by both hiver and tribal leaders. Erik’s brutal attitude to the greenskins becomes semi-legendary amongst the people of Lupra Nord. Despite the unity of the leaders of Lupra Nord, there is actually increased tension between the city dwelling hivers and the nomadic tribals. The Adeptus Terra receives late reports of Erik’s actions on the battlefield and views these victories with interest.

365. M40- A new planetary governor is placed in power over Lupra Nord. Iho Zhemir becomes incredibly unpopular amongst both hivers and tribals for his policy of making concessions to the government of Ulthor. He does seem to hold a large sway in the hive nobility, which is viewed by the tribal chieftains with some suspicion. Imperial Guard troops from Beltain and Kaetrael are garrisoned in Fort Lupus for the first time.

370. M40- A new Inquisitor lands on Lupra Nord with the intention of opening negotiations with Ulthor and Vectran Primaris. He goes missing soon after first meeting Governor Zhemir who claims to have fallen ill. A sanctuary-convent of the Order of the Sacred Rose of the Adeptus Sororitas is built adjacent to Fort Lupus, where there are several incidents involving Battle Sisters and drunken Space Wolves. However, upon seeing the remarkable faith displayed by the people, Canoness Maria Delaque recommends that the Adeptus Terra consecrate an independent Space Marine Successor Chapter to garrison the system. A shrine is also erected to the system patron saint; Teila the Hammer.

372. M40- The Adeptus Terra agrees with the Canoness and creates the ‘Sons of Russ’, in honour of the Space Wolves’ initial discovery of the world. The new Chapter keep is built within the already established defenses of Fort Lupus and Erik is awarded the honorary position of Sergeant. Zhemir’s illness is exposed as a horrific heresy by a young member of the hive upper classes named Magnus Aelfric. Zhemir had corrupted a great deal of the ruling families in service of the Chaos god, Nurgle. These cultists sacrifice themselves to plague in order to summon a Great Unclean One known as Mzimdor the Harbinger. In result to this heresy, the Sons of Russ promptly lay siege to the main hiver city of Surtah.

374.M40- The Nurgle War or ’The Plague Time’ as the tribals know it, drags on without an end to the fighting in sight. The characteristic ‘Zombie Plague’ runs rife amongst the hivers in the cities of Surtah, Lukasz and Demoq, but the tribal merchants who were sealed in the cities with them show an advanced immunity to this particular strain of infection.

375. M40- What the tribals call ‘The Darkening Storm’, begins on the Plain of Frozen Souls. Mzimdor the Harbinger challenges the Sons of Russ to battle his ever-growing army of Plaguebearers, zombies, cultists and corrupted beasts. The Sons are defeated through weight of numbers alone, but the casualties are desperately high. The 4th Company lose 93 marines and the first Chapter Master Boru Avan Macha is killed in the fighting. All companies save the 7th ‘Dawn Wolves’ lose between 70 and 80 men in action that day. Sergeant Erik Ravenagh encounters the sworn blood-brothers Harak ’Hammerhand’ Hearken and Duraz ‘Grim-Eyes’ Kraal while on patrol in the forests of the southern continent, Hauin. After witnessing them slaying four score Plaguebearers with their blacksmith‘s hammer and steel axe, he offers to induct them into the Sons. So begins the practice of ‘Remnants’ being given places in the Chapter.

376. M40- Mzimdor’s lieutenant Zhemir is hunted down and decapitated by Magnus Aelfric during the last battle for control of the Cailleach Isles. Hivers and tribals alike unite to drive the Chaos forces from these strategically important islands, which are believed to be sacred ground by the tribals and are also the location for the largest arms manufactorum on Lupra Nord. The adamantine power sword of Boru Avan Macha is recovered from the grave site at the Plain of Frozen Souls by Erik, who has it reforged into a new weapon named ‘Heart of Steel’.

378.M40- Erik gathers the remaining Imperial leaders, including the tribal chieftains, hive guard officers and veteran sisters to a war counsel inside the frozen city known as the ‘Howling Halls’. The voices of the ancestors speak through him, and work these few into a zealous battle fury, which spreads into the rank soldiers fighting in the cities, and from there into the local citizens. In a single night of carnage, hundreds of heretics are killed by civilian mobs which take to the street and destroy any tainted ones found. In the weeks that follow, a clear strategy is outlined by Erik and circulated around the soldiers; if it’s tainted, burn it. Whispers of a rebel army massing within the abandoned Fort Lupus go unheeded by Mzimdor, who views such resistance as ‘futile’ and ‘mildly amusing’.

380. M40- On St Teila’s Day, the gathered Imperial forces form on the snow drifts surrounding the Plain of Frozen Souls, upon which Mzimdor has been camped for the last five years. A great body of the ground forces are mounted on the local wolves and the army charges into the valley, slicing through the heart of the Nurgle encampment just as the sun rises over the drifts. Mzimdor rises up in anger at the ease which the furious charge cuts its way to him against his forces and then strokes a bloody swathe through the Imperial forces. Erik sees the damage being done and quickly calls Harak and Duraz to his side.

Magnus co-ordinates a mass firing squad to distract the Harbinger while the three warriors strike him with the power of their melee weapons. Mzimdor views the group before with hilarity, until Harak caves in his chest; Duraz severs his spine and Erik decapitates him. A ripple in the Warp resounds over the field, eviscerating those in the service of Chaos and wiping them from existence. A great war cry sounds across the plain as the Imperial army celebrates.

385. M40- 5 years later, Erik is elected High Chieftain (the equivalent of Chapter Master) of the newly renamed ’Sons of Steel’ in honour of the metal which destroyed the Harbinger. Magnus is given the title of Captain of the Second Company in honour of killing Zhemir nine years previously. Harak is given the title of Bladesmith (equivalent to Master of the Forge) and Duraz becomes the Grand Slayer (High Chaplain). Rumours of a powerful new warrior living in the wilderness abound amongst tribals and hivers.