# The Ruina Mors Crusades - No Wolves on Fenris



## Lupercalian (Nov 21, 2011)

The Ruina Mors Crusades​





_Circa M40, the Ruina Mors system, inner edges of the Ultima Segmentum​_
_M40 – the Ruina Mors system comes under attack during a Chaos incursion into the inner rings of the Ultima Segmentum. No less than three space hulks, accompanied by numerous attack craft and a battle-barge of the Word Bearers, translate from the warp into realspace, bringing with them surging hordes of cultists and renegade troopers that immediately make planetfall on six of the planets in the Ruina Mors system via rudimentary landing ships.
Distress signals from each of the planets’ astropaths reach the nearest Imperial fleet, under control of Admiral Sythomir Baradan. Baradan’s armada has only just finished prosecuting a retaliatory strike against Waagh! Godsmash, and is on route to the forge world Attica Primus for repairs when the distress call is interpreted. 

Having not yet made the warp-jump to Attica Primus, Baradan orders an immediate change of fleet destination from the forge world to the Ruina Mors system. The armada arrives at the edge of the system a miraculous two weeks later and immediately begins the prosecution of the Chaos fleet with extreme prejudice.
However, it is already too late for two of the six planets, which have been completely sequestered by the Chaos hordes and their Traitor Astartes allies. Baradan’s cruisers identify the three space hulks as long-lost Imperial vessels – the Dominus Rex, Lex Talionis, and Contempt, destroyers from pre-heresy eras. Once lost to the tides of the warp, the antiquated relic-battleships are teeming with the clawing remnants of daemons which penetrated the ships’ defences during the intermittent malfunctions of their Geller fields. 

Baradan’s astropaths request reinforcements from any Adeptus Astartes vessels in neighbouring systems – despite the presence of Tallarn regiments, strengthened by PDF troopers, Baradan’s depleted armies threaten to be overstretched. 
His calls are answered within six months by an Astartes battle-barge – the __Eiforr__, a vessel holding the might of the entire Fifth Great Company of the Vlka Fenryka. Baradan requests an immediate war council, which the Wolf Lord Ingvar Haukal Haukalsson readily agrees to. 

At the council, it is decided that Haukalsson’s Wolves will bring the murder-make to the four beleaguered planets of Ruina Mors. The agri-worlds of Ruina Mors are vital to the cantankerous march of the Imperial war-machine, and it is paramount that the Allfather’s executioners bring sanction to the traitors of the XVII Legion. With so much at stake, the system is plunged into the iron grip of total, savage war._

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Hello guys! Lupercalian here from the B&G (also Aspect on Warseer), 16 years old and new to Heresy Online. For quite some time (for the 3 years that I've been in the hobby, actually) I've been deliberating on which army I want to play, and I finally settled on the Vlka Fenryka this year. It was really Dan Abnett's _Prospero Burns_ that did it for me - I know it's had its fair share of criticisms, but it's quite possibly my favourite out of the entire HH series, and it really brought the Wolves to life. That brought me to my decision, so I bought a couple of boxes, ordered some suits of Mk3 and Mk2 armor from Forge World (plus a Ven Dread to boot, heh), and I was on my way.

I've painted one of the Sky Warriors so far, and I intend to put a lot of effort and detail into each of my Astartes, both in terms of painting and fluff. I'm heavily inspired by the works of people such as lilloser and Apologist (both from Warseer), and their fantastic logs were a critical catalyst in setting me on this path.

I do need a bit of advice, though - the reason why the Wolf below is baseless is because I don't know what base to give him. He's in the middle of the Ruina Mors Crusades, and most of the worlds in that system are agri-worlds, meaning a lot of grass and sand and almost no snow. To top it off, if I ever get down to completing this army and play an actual game, I want a base that'll fit nicely with most standard gaming tables.

I don't know whether to base my Wolves on mud and grass, or on snow. I think snow would make a good contrast to the dark-gray armor, but then again, mud-and-grass is quicker to replicate, and blends in better with most gaming tables.

Also, what should I paint next? Should I continue on with the rest of the squad, build and paint a Rune Priest with his Skjald (counts-as Chooser of the Slain), finish Grimnar/Squad Leader (see below), or paint my Ven. Dread? Your opinions, constructive criticism and advice are as always much appreciated!

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Sky Warriors of the _Vlka Fenryka_​_"I name myself Olec Askold, Grey Hunter of Fyf, warrior of the Rout. I name myself also Olec Raveneye, for it is I who seek and mark new souls to send screaming into the Underverse..."​_








_Olec Askold is the newest addition to fyf-tra. Having served with the Blood Claws for two decades, Olec was sent to battle under the watchful gaze of Sleipnir Six-Claw with the third squad of Grey Hunters in fyf, replacing the Sky Warrior who fell before him. Despite his relative freshness, Askold displays a discipline and calmness of mind that is rare among those who have recently ascended from the raucous ranks of the Blood Claws. This unusual - and, some would say, even uncanny - self-control has led to Askold being one of the best marksmen in the squad. Though his low placing in the hierarchy of fyf-tra means that he has not yet earned the honour of wielding one of the squad's heavy weapons, none dispute Olec Askold's lethal accuracy.

Seen painted onto his right kneeguard is Hagarl, the Wurgen rune of Disruption. An alternative to the more common Eye of Aversion, the rune serves as a psychic ward against potent maleficarum. As its title suggests, Hagarl disrupts the foul magicks of enemy psykers at least momentarily - though a moment is all Olec Askold needs to put down a foe._









_Painted on the right pauldron are the howling wolf and crescent moon of Wolf Lord Ingvar Haukal Haukalsson, known also as Ingvar the Far-Travelled. 

Olec Askold, unlike his companions, does not carry a frost-blade or chainsword mag-locked to his thigh plating. He prefers to move unencumbered by the additional weight, and uses his ubiquitous boltgun as a club in close combat instead._









_Although it is customary in other companies of the Rout to have the Wolf Lord's heraldry on the left pauldron, and squad designation on the other, Ingvar Haukalsson dictates the reverse. The freedom awarded to Jarls of the Vlka Fenryka means that the Great Wolf neither restricts nor forbids such deviation from tradition, despite the strong culture of the Wolves.

Jarl Haukalsson has decreed this unique heraldic arrangement out of respect for the previous Wolf Lord to have commanded Fyf, who now sleeps with red snow beneath him. The reversal, known as Aeskil, signifies the protean nature of the Underverse, Uppland, and the mortal world, and is a sign of mourning._









_As is evident from the damaged and heavily-beaten state of Olec's armor, the Wolves tend to spend months - or even years - in the field before returning for repairs and resupply. Though each Wolf is expected to keep his armor in workable condition, wear-and-tear are inevitable. Given the incredibly protracted nature of the Ruina Mors Crusades, it is testament to the meticulous nature of Olec Askold and the rest of his squad that their armour, though weathered and dirty, are still functioning._

*​
And that's all I have for today. Here's a WIP teaser of Sleipnir Six-Claw, squad leader of Olec's Grey Hunter pack, based on the Logan Grimnar mini.








Finecast miniatures are exquisitely detailed, I have to say. The face in particular was a pleasure to paint!


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## Wolfbane (Oct 22, 2011)

Yay for spacewolves! :grin:
My preferred choice at the moment.
And nicely painted as well.
Not being the greatest painter myself, the only advice I can give is to drill out the bolters barrel. Its only a small detail, but it makes the world of difference.
Im doing snow/ice bases for my wolves. Screw everyone else with their grass tables. My guys are bringing the cold heart of fenris along to every encounter. Plus, the display board I build for them will be set on fenris. Im looking forward to doing my first snowy battlefield as well.


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## Farseer Darvaleth (Nov 15, 2009)

Each time I see models like this it makes me want to start a Wolves army.

Must....resist....


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

Very, very nice. There's a bit too much battle damage for my liking, but that's just personal taste. The finished product looks great. Might want to drill out the barrel though. +rep.


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## Wolfbane (Oct 22, 2011)

Farseer Darvaleth said:


> Each time I see models like this it makes me want to start a Wolves army.
> 
> Must....resist....


JOIN US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

We have cookies and beer!:drinks:


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Very nice work man. I love the more muted tone of the armor and the freehand is fantastic. Looking forward to seeing how Grimnar turns out.


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

nice and gritty style you have here, very cool!


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## KjellThorngaard (Oct 4, 2010)

Nice take on the Wolves. I loved Prospero Burns, too, and that book was simply amazing. I love the terminology and character The Master Writer gave the Wolves. Murder-make. That made me grin my most feral grin and I had to stifle a howl.

Remember, there _were_ no wolves on Fenris.


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## Lupercalian (Nov 21, 2011)

UPDATE: The fluff for Olec Askold has been added  Thanks for the rep, everyone!

@Wolfbane: Thanks! I don't have any dremel tools right now, so I suppose a black-painted circle in the middle will have to do 

@Farseer Darvaleth: Wolfbane speaks true, we have cookies and _mjod_  the sons of Russ can always use new additions to the murder-make!

@Khorne's Fist: Thank you! I've always thought that shiny armour without scratches is a bit unrealistic though, so I do like my astartes as gritty as possible 

@Midge913: Thanks! I'm a little bit nervous about Grimnar as I've never painted a power weapon before...up til now I'd always abandoned my projects before I could get to the fun bits such as lightning patterns and such. Oh well, something new to try can't hurt!

@troybuckle: Thank you!

@KjellThorngaard: Thank you, Prospero Burns was a truly fantastic book. There are no wolves on Fenris....except, of course, for the Wolves


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## Hellados (Sep 16, 2009)

I love the battle damage, i'm yet to find a tut that will teach me so if you could show me or point me in the right direction it would be appreciated  +rep


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## Minizke1 (Feb 7, 2010)

I saw 'no wolves in fenris' and got a little excited. Needless to say, I was expecting pre-heresy thousand sons.... D:


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## Lupercalian (Nov 21, 2011)

Thanks everyone! Regrettably, packing for my trip and going out means I haven't had much time to work on the wolves. Still, I've made a little more progress on Grimnar/Six-Claw, so I thought I'd post another teaser pic. Btw, from Tuesday onwards, I'll be on holiday, so I probably won't be able to get much work done on my minis. I am bringing a new Grey Hunter to work on, but how much progress I make depends on our schedule. 

*​
+++INCOMING DATA TRANSMISSION+++
SECURITY LEVEL BETA-KAPPA; PASSWORD ENTERED CORRECTLY. DOWNLOADING INFOLOGS.

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DOWNLOAD COMPLETE. DISPLAY ATTACHED PICT-STEAL?

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DISPLAYING ATTACHED PICT-STEAL WITH INFOLOGS

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>E: So this is a goddamn Wolf, huh?

>B: Yeah, it's one of them, no doubt. You can see it in his eyes. Only the Sixth have that kill-urge burning inside.

>E: Blood of the Emperor, he's huge.

>B: Small for a Wolf, though. 

>E: You sh*tting me?

>B: No, I'm not. This one in particular; he's small. At least, smaller than he should be. You can tell that the Tactical Dreadnought armour is custom-made to fit his frame. Compare it to other picts of Terminators and you'll see.

>E: Well fug me upside down, he still looks like a god in that plate.

>B: That, he does. Anyway, you'd better thank me for this, I risked my fugging life to get you this pict-steal. No one - at my station, at least - is allowed to access picts of the Wolves. It's forbidden. Security level Beta-Kappa if I remember right.

>E: Yeah, yeah, don't forget I'm paying you for this. You agreed to it nonetheless so stop whining like a little b****. I don't understand how you can fugging download this ***** and complain about your sad life instead of admiring the pict. Look at that; I know the Astartes are built for killing, but _just look at that_. These weren't just built for killing, they were built for goddamn murder.

>B: No *****. The pict lists him as Sleipnir Six-Claw. Squad leader of _fyf-tra_ or something.

>E: _Fyf-tra_? The fug is that? 

>B: I'm guessing squad designation, but their battle-cant isn't known to me. I don't think it's known to anyone outside of the Sixth. But Six-Claw; everyone knows Six-Claw. Rumour has it he took out four Traitor Astartes in close-combat in the first hour of planetfall.

>E: Emperor's holy balls.

>B: Wait wait cut off now. I think they're on to us.

>E: What?

>B: Scanner's picking up traces of Administratum signature. Cut, cut, cut connection now!

>E: The fug is going on?

>B: If they know I've been snooping around their pict-files, we're both dead men you fugging idiot! CUT OFF N 

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DATALOG ENDED. ADMINISTRATUM CODE 011014. PURGE ENABLED ACCORDING TO PROTOCOL VI. 


*​
I'm sorry for the poor quality of the pictures, but lighting was absolutely abysmal today. Been raining for the last couple of hours, and the photo is far from faithful to the original contrasts and shades. Still, I'll upload better ones when Six-Claw is finished and I get back from my holiday. Until then!

-Lupercalian


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