The Demons Within

The Vigil of the Wolves

Fenris, even by the horrifically low standards of an Imperial Death World, was dangerous to the extreme. It is a world of fire and ice, of wolves and dragons. It is one of the most inhospitable planets in the universe, yet the tribes of Fenris not only endure, but thrive. It's star, the Wolf's Eye, a pale red star deprives Fenris of heat during its fierce winters that cause the oceans themselves to freeze over. The volcanoes of the bleak, ice world that erupt from the waters are stilled, so that at the height of the Fenrisian winter a man can walk between the many isles upon which life has sprung up.

After nearly two years of constant winter the planet sweeps close to its sun once more, causing the feeble Wolf's Eye to swell in the sky and the brief spring warms the Death world. During this brief spring, the ice retreats to the world's poles and the gargantuan dwellers of the deep waters emerge to enjoy the bounty of sun-spawned, short-lived aquatic life. As Fenris reaches the point at which it is closest to its sun, the passage of the planet is so near to the star that it produces tidal forces that break and twist the oceanic crust, exposing Fenris' molten mantle to the frigid waters. It is then that the time of fire and water has arrived.

With explosive violence, the world is torn asunder. Blazing islands rise from the steaming sea spewing flames, with lava pouring down their slopes. Below the surface, the waters boil into steam that engulfs Fenris with its noxious fumes. Great tidal waves scour the coastlines of Asaheim and the islands. Islands created in the upheavals of preceding years are cast into turmoil by this global transformation. Some endure, but many are torn asunder or swallowed by the seas, engulfed in the churning waters and casting their unlucky inhabitants into the boiling seas. But the great lump of solid granite known as the Asaheim, is a pillar of stability in the chaos of the fire and ice which houses the great Space marine chapter, the Vlka Fenryka in their Fortress-Monastery of The Fang.

Virtually every living thing on the planet is a predator or capable of fighting predators in its own right, and so nothing weak survives on Fenris for long. Deadly creatures such as the clever Fenrisian Wolves and massive Frost Wryms roam freely. The few invaders to have set foot on Fenris have learned the hard way that there are more ways to die on Fenris than can easily be counted. Despite this a large amount of Human Barbarians and Tribesmen survive on this frozen hellhole. 

Perhaps expectedly, the people of Fenris live short, brutal lives where survival is a constant struggle. The majority of Fenris' population live a largely nomadic existence on the many hundreds of islands dotting the Worldsea. During the Season of Fire most islands sink beneath the waves even as new ones rise up, forcing the tribes to remain almost constantly on the move, taking to the waves each Great Year to find a new place to live. Inevitably the tribes engage in warfare over the ever-limited number of habitable islands and extremely coveted resources.

It is on this cold Death world that our story begins, following a member of the first, and likely last, Imperial Guard regiment of Fenris. This guardsman, once a tribesman of the Grimskull clan, is named Jorvik.
-----------
The Regiment's first assignment, after being taught the 'truest' form of Low Gothic and more modern warfare tactics, was on the War World of Eli Prime, a once prosperous Civilized Workd until a green-skin WAAAGH! attacked the planet. Since then the Imperial Guard and Orks have been locked in a decades long battle, with the Imperium's Forces slowly losing to the green tide, which prompted the recruitment of the 'First Fenrisian Regiment'. If Eli Prime fell then the nearby Forge World and Armories could be pillaged by the Xenos. 

The 'First Fenrisian Regiment' was led by Colonel Bjornolf, a former chieftain on Fenris. He was a just and compassionate leader, who had volunteered himself and his entire tribe to serve the Immortal God-Emperor of Mankind after a devastating plague had killed off all of the children under the age of 9. Bjornolf and his tribe, distraught by their losses, were the first to volunteer when the local members of the Administratum requested a regiment of Guardsmen from Fenris.

The request sparked an intense rage in the Vlka Fenryka, also known as the Space Wolves, as Fenris was their bastion, their home. They were loyal to the Emperor and his loyal sons, no true Astartes would bow their head to anyone else.

Yet cooler heads prevailed, (That in itself was a practically only the Emperor could perform) as the great halls of the Fang were practically empty. The 13th Black Crusade led by Abbadon was the first priority. They could spare no men, even their exalted chapter master, Logan Grimnar the Great Wolf, was on Cadia. Only a token force of Grey Hunters were left to guard their great halls.

So they allowed the draft, even if it was an insult upon their honor.

And so, The Fenrisian Regiment, called by a few who knew of its existence as the 'Broken Wolves', was sent to the fight in the  Frozen carnage upon Eli Prime.
--------
Alright, this is the preview (is that the right word?) of the idea I had suggested a while back. It was mostly just explaining the background but I likely will be write the full story on its own. The only thing I will be changing is the title, it doesn't really fit with what this turned out to be.

Also,eclipse_0 can I recruit you to make another cover for me? I'll talk to you later about it if you want to.