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White Wolves
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The White Wolves Warband is a large splinter of the Sons of Horus Legion led by the Warlord Darius Malek. Maintaining a strict and high disciplined fighting force of Astartes, the warband has preserved the skill and precision of their Legion's decapitation strikes and the adaptability seen in the XVI's battle doctrine. The White Wolves are known as a fearsome foe, fighting with the ferocity and ruthlessness expected of these Sons of Horus. Launching lightning raids into the Imperium, the warband focuses on pillaging industrial, mining, and forge worlds to capture slaves but more importantly the Wolves steal newer Marks of power armor, power weapons, and heavy battle tanks due to their inability to produce such armaments on their world of Sollaris. Merciless warriors and brutal overlords, the White Wolves are a warband bent on rebuilding the XVI Legion and overthrowing both Abaddon and the Emperor, completing the vision of their Primarch and placing a true Son of Horus on the Golden Throne as master of mankind and the galaxy.

History

Great Crusade

The White Wolves can trace their beginning back to the early days of the Great Crusade and to the planet of Cthonia. With the need for more fighting men to supplement the vastly growing armies of the Imperium, tens of thousands of gangers from the underhives of Cthonia were pressed into service of both the Imperial Army and the Astartes Legions. Thousands of these men would become Astartes of the XVI Legion under the newly found Primarch Horus Lupercal. The Legion would be divided into various expeditionary fleets and the White Wolves descend from the 1213th Expeditionary Fleet which composed the 53rd Battle Company, 115th Tactical Company, and 81st Assault Company. Few Terran born Astartes would be part of the 1213th and most would soon perish in the first campaigns against the vile xenos and defiant human civilizations. It is rumored that these terran war leaders had been slain by their own Astartes who wanted men from their homeworld leading them. Despite this rumor, no serious investigations were made and to replace the recently slain High Captain of the 53rd Battle Company, a young Cthonian Sergeant named Darius Malek was promoted to fill the position.

The Astartes of the 1213th Expeditionary Fleet were no different than their Legion brothers in the other fleets of the Imperial war machine. They had perfected their Primarch's favored strategies of decapitation strikes and usage of rapid and overwhelming force. Dozens of civilizations would be destroyed or brought to compliance by the 1213th quickly and brutally. The Luna Wolves of the Expeditionary Fleet would become highly competitive with one another, especially between the 3 companies but it was a brotherly competition and not one of malice. The warriors of the 53rd, 81st, and 115th would forge a bond of true brotherhood between themselves, their relative isolation to the other Legions and many of their own brothers creating a unique bond between these Wolves.

Darius Malek would prove to be one of the "Sons of Horus" in that he shared an almost identical set of features with his Primarch along with his infectious charisma and love of his men. He was loved by the Astartes under his command and proved to be a renowned warrior and adept commander. However, he too shared the flaws of his Primarch, these being his pride in himself and his warriors which would be the first step down the road of damnation for the warriors of the 1213th Expeditionary Fleet.

The 1213th Expeditionary Fleet would most notably take part in the Aarthen Conquest and the Ullanor Campaign. The Aarthen Conquest was a brutal war of compliance, bring a human empire spanning a small cluster of systems. The 1213th would come out victorious after 3 years of warfare and would shortly be called upon by their Primarch to join him in an assault upon a vast Ork Empire centered around the planet of Ullanor. The 53rd, 81st, and 115th would, after decades of isolation, fight alongside the entirety of their Legion and under the direct command of their Primarch. Fighting on Ullanor with the entirety of the Legion, the companies of the 1213th would rekindle their bonds of brotherhood with their parent Legion. With the Triumph of Ullanor, the Luna Wolves Legion and every Astartes and mortal present would be surprised and saddened by the news of the Emperor's role as commander of Imperial forces ending, but the naming of Horus Lupercal as the Warmaster overshadowed these fillings with great pride and joy, the warriors of the Legion erupting into cheering and chanting the names: 'Lupercal!' 'Warmaster!' 'Horus!'.

With the end of the Ullanor Campaign, so to came the end of the companies attached to the 1213th Expeditionary Fleet fighting isolated, they would now rejoin their Primarch and fight directly under the newly named Warmaster. They would participate in the Compliance of 63-19, Compliance of Murder, Interex Compliance, and every campaign that the Warmaster would prosecute himself since his "coronation". Until the Battle of Davin's Moon, the 53rd, 81st, and 115th Companies felt utterly without equal in regards to the other Legions but the with striking down of their beloved Primarch, the 3 Companies were devastated as was the rest of their Legion. The miraculous recovery of Horus appeared truly a miracle to the Luna Wolves and Captains Darius Malek, Joren Schant, and Traxos Veritan all began to believe that their Primarch was without equal, perhaps even divine. Without question, the captains of their respective companies readily adopted the new iconography and name of the Sons of Horus, willing to do anything their lord commanded. They would also encourage the warriors of their companies to join the Warrior Lodges of the Legion, of which they believed was the will of their Primarch.

Darius Malek and his subordinate Captains noticed the slight change in their Primarch after his recovery but it mattered little to them. They were his sons and it was not a son's place to question their father. These companies would participate in the Destruction of the Auretian Technocracy and the Cleansing of Ariggata alongside their Legion, happily slaughtering these foes of their Warmaster. It came to no one's surprise that these loyal sons of Horus were one of the first to pledge their allegiance to the Warmaster when the Warrior Lodges notified its members of the coming civil war. They were willing to slaughter their brothers in the name of their beloved father and the time would come on Istvaan III.

Horus Heresy

Darius Malek would reform his men and his brother captains' companies into a "Grand Company" which was unusual for the XVI Legion but no unheard of. This change would come about after Ezekyle Abaddon would force Joren Schant and Traxos Veritan to answer directly to him in the campaign against the Auretian Technocracy. This restructuring of his company ensured that there would no longer be no dispute over Darius' command over Joren or Traxos, who both welcomed the change as well. The first time the new Grand Company would act as a single unit would be with the Cleansing of Ariggata but the first real test would be on Istvaan III against the Loyalist forces of the Legions Horus had brought with him into heresy.

Darius himself had become corrupted by the forces of Chaos, his love for Horus being the gateway for which the influence of the Dark Gods could creep in. When Angron and his World Eaters disobeyed Horus and launched a direct assault upon the surviving loyalists, Darius led his 2,500 strong Company after the Red Angel at the angry command of his Primarch. The Astartes under his command were more than willing to slaughter their former brothers and cousins, fighting the slow grinding battle against the fortified loyalist forces, eventually coming out victorious and pleasing their master. The now restructured 10th Grand Company would participate in the forefront of almost every battle the Sons of Horus would fight in the Galactic Civil War. From Isvtaan V to Terra, the warriors of the 10th Grand Company would fight with growing fervor for their lord.

By the time the 10th had reached Terra with their Primarch, they numbered around 1,800 Astartes, but were battle hardened and had become proficient in slaying the loyalists. They would participate in the battles for Mars and later Terra, falling upon the Imperial Fists and the loyalists with reckless abandon. Despite their numerical superiority in both Astartes and Primarchs, the traitor assaults were repelled time after time. The 10th would suffer grievously before the walls of the Imperial Palace but fought on despite such losses...

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The White Wolves are a splinter warband of the former Sons of Horus Legion, the Warband previously being the 203rd Company. Warlord Darius Malek, former Captain of the 203rd Company, has led the Warband ever since its inception on Cthonia. Darius, known as the Lone Wolf, has conquered a small mining world on the fringes of the Segmentum Obscurus which he renamed to Cthonia Secundus and has made it his Warband's homeworld. Using Chaos rituals, the Wolves have been able to hide their world from the Imperium, able to raid and pillage worlds in the Segmentum without the fear of Imperial Retribution forces coming to destroy their home like in the Great Scouring. The White Wolves have a deep seeded hatred for the Black Legion as well as the Emperor's Children, launching numerous raids upon the two Legions when not pillaging Imperial Worlds. The Warband, being scions of Horus, have mastered decapitation strikes with small but potent forces and have also fully engrossed themselves in the gang-like traditions of their former homeworld. Cthonia Secundus is now rife with gangs that harken back to the those found on Cthonia, the Warband using these gangs as recruitment sources for their constantly growing numbers. Darius intends to recreate the Luna Wolves Legion in the image of Horus Lupercal and challenge Abaddon as the true Champion of Chaos. This has led to Abaddon to send the Black Legion Warband of Crimson Skulls on multiple ventures to root out these rivals but to no avail, only resulting in gruesome battles between the two warbands that mostly end in stalemates but occasionally White Wolf victories.

Cthonia; New Blood
With the coming of the Emperor and the finding of Horus on Cthonia, a huge swell of manpower filled the ranks of the Luna Wolves Legion. Darius Malek, a young gang member on Cthonia, was inducted into the Legion and proved to be a gifted warrior and natural born leader. He and many fellow gangers became part of the new 203rd Company of the Legion and he was given the honor of becoming a Sergeant of the new company, under a Terran Captain. The 203rd Company would sport many traditional Cthonian gang symbols and regalia; every man sporting topknots, mohawks, or shaved tattooed heads, customized armor, and additions of personal decoration upon their battle plate.

Great Crusade
The Company would be known to become highly competitive, not only with other Companies of the Legion but amongst themselves as well. Kill counts, the number of honorable/worthy foes slain, brutish battle scars, and the number of victories were all something each Legionary was proud to show off to his brothers. The 203rd Company quickly became known as a ferocious and sometimes unwieldy force once unleashed upon their foes. However, despite this reputation the 203rd was highly disciplined were not like the World Eaters or Sons of Russ. They were ferocious in combat, especially when on the attack, but were able to change pace, adapt to targets, and work with near perfect coordination and precision with other Luna Wolf forces. One notable Astartes within the 203rd Company was Sergeant Darius Malek, who quickly began to gain the respect of his brothers during the early stages of the Great Crusade. He would gain the honorary title of Sergeant-Chieftan within the first few campaigns the Company participated in.

The 1213th Expeditionary fleet was considered to be quite small, only 3 companies of Astartes were part of the fleet, these being the 203rd Battle Company, 115th Tactical Company, and the 81st Assault Company. This meant that the 203rd would always be in the thick of the fighting due to its role as a Battle Company, thus creating a very independent and self-sufficient company of warriors. The 81st and 115th were reserve Companies, supporting the 203rd's efforts. Fighting primarily to the East of Terra, the primary foes the 203rd would be humans, orks, and occasionally other minor xenos races. The 203rd had a particular hatred towards the greenskins and if they came across any infestation, they would swiftly slay as many orks as possible, even if the orks were a significantly stronger force than their own.

The Aarthen Campaign would prove to be one of the bloodiest for the 203rd, the 1213th and the 451st Expeditionary Fleets would assault a System-spanning Ork Empire. The near 8,000 strong Astartes forces and 1,500,000 strong Imperial Army and Mechanicus forces would assault a force of several million Orks in the Aarthen System, a system with 12 planets all under the rule of the Orks. The Aarthen Campaign would claim the life of the respected Terran Captain of the 203rd Company along with hundreds of Luna Wolves and Iron Warriors and Sergeant-Chieftan Darius Malek would be given the honor of Captaincy after proving his ability to lead his Luna Wolves to victory even after the death of his ranking officer. The warriors of the two Legions would grow to admire one another, Darius Malek and Warsmith Gor'Hal forging a bond of friendship during the campaign. The Aarthen Campaign took 7 years to complete and the Luna Wolves and Iron Warriors would prove triumphant over their Greenskin foes but celebration would be cut short once Gor'Hal was ordered to join his Primarch in a Campaign against a xenos called the Hrud.

With the end of the Aarthen Campaign, Darius, an Astartes who had barely been part of the Legion for 27 years, was now formally named Captain of the 203rd Company and, therefore, commander of the 1213th Expeditionary Fleet. Darius was beloved by his men, both Astartes and mortal, sharing Horus' natural charisma and friendliness. He also bore some of his Primarch's flaws for he was known to be very proud and held himself and his men in high esteem. In fact, Darius was quite arrogant and a number of men would die because he did not respect the strengths of his enemies.

Like the rest of the Luna Wolves Legion, the 203rd was able to bring numerous planets to compliance swiftly, albeit bloodily, into the Imperial fold. They did not leave any Astartes behind to garrison like other Legions, leaving such duties to the Imperial Fists, Iron Warriors, or Imperial Army. The 203rd would bring a civilization to its knees in quick successive strikes and move on to new targets, leaving other Imperial forces to clean up the mess and deal with the rebuilding of the planets they brought low. This near constant state of warfare and the usage of swift and overwhelming force would prove to be quite costly to the Luna Wolves of the 203rd, the Company never numbering more than 700 Astartes at one time. Despite the smaller numbers compared to the thousands of Astartes found in other expeditionary fleets, the 203rd pressed on and did not hold back.

Ullannor and the Warmaster
The 1213th Expeditionary Fleet would be called upon by Horus to aid in the subjugation of an Ork Empire known as UIlannor and the fleet would arrive in time for the initial assault upon the greenskin. Darius led his company alongside the rest of the Luna Wolves Legion down to Ullanor to strike at the heart of the Ork Empire. The 203rd fought valiantly for their part in the campaign, assaulting one of the outer Ork fortresses on the surface of the planet. The fortress was defended by a lesser Ork Warboss and numerous nobz, which proved to be difficult foes to deal with on top of the thousands of Orks, their warmachines, and dozens of defense turrets.

Alongside the 81st Assault Company and the 115th Tactical company, the majority of the 203rd launched a direct assault upon the walls of the fortress. Thousands of Luna Wolves assaulted the Greenskin defenders head on and would draw out the main body of Orks while Darius and his personal guard of cataphractii terminators and breacher squads teleported to the 'command center' of the fortress where the Ork Warboss and his nobs were located. Once they teleported in, the Astartes assault force opened fire into the ranks of orks but their happened to be a lot more orks in the command sanctum than expected, so the Astartes honor guard dealt with the nobz and orks in the room in melee while Darius challenged the ork warboss to single combat. In pale mimicry of the battle that Horus fought with the beast of Ullanor, Darius battled the Ork warboss for command of the fortress.

Darius was large for an Astartes, standing around 7'0 ft tall, but the Ork was head and shoulder taller than him. The two war leaders clashed, fresh forged terminator armor against crude ork power plate. The two warriors appeared even in skill, however the ork warboss was significantly stronger, pressing its advantage of brute force against the Astartes. Darius was considered quite strong for Astartes standards due to his large build and was used to being the one with the physical advantage over his foes but in this engagement he was being beaten back into a corner by the green brute. His power fist crashing against the Ork's power claw in defensive action while his twin-linked bolter lay on the floor, crushed by the ork's power claw with his severed hand still clutching to its grip. Darius' armor was badly damaged and the swings with his power fist becoming slower and weaker.

The Ork was able to sweep aside a desperate uppercut made by Darius and reached out with its off hand and gripped the upper ring Captain's chestplate, lifting him off the ground and pounding him into the wall behind. Its numerous overgrown teeth forming a smile as it prepared to gut Darius with its powerclaw. Darius, exhausted by the duel, closed his eyes as he waited for the ork's power claw to gut him, but the blow never came. Rather, Darius' Sergeant-Chieftan, Joren Schant, drove his powersword into the back of the Warboss. Joren saw his Captain losing the duel and abandoned his squad to aid his lord, ignoring all foes around him as he pluged his sword into the back of the Warboss. The beast let out a cry of pain, letting go of Darius who then fell to the floor taking in ragged breathes. The Greenskin turned around with speed unexpected by the Sergeant-Chieftan who saw the rage in the Ork's eyes. The Warboss brought his powerclaw to bear and slammed it into Joren's chest who was knocked across the room by the force of the blow, his battle plate severed damaged with blood flying from the cracks in his armor.

The Warboss let out a cry of triump as the battle still raged within the command deck. The Greenskin would then pull the powersword out of its back then tossed the weapon aside and turned back around to finish off Darius. The Ork expected to see the Captain still prone on the floort but it was surprised when it saw Darius' powerfist coming towards its face. The fist connected with the jaw of the beast before it could react and an audible crack was heard across the room as the power fist slammed into the ork, its head reeling back. Darius did not stop, he pressed his attack, delivering blow after blow into the body of the warboss, its battle plate rending and breaking before his onslaught. The Warboss was unable to defend itself as its bones and armor cracked and shattered, its eyes wide in surprise and pain. Darius was filled wit rage, for Joren had been his closest friend throughout the years of the Crusade and seeing his comrade's body lie limp across the room gave him the strength to fight like a man possessed. His killing blow came when his powerfist drove through the chest of the ork, tearing past its armor and flesh and appeared out to the back end of the beast. The Warboss was slain and the rest of the orks in the room panicked after seeing their commander fall.

The orks within the command center were slain quickly as the panic left the Astartes nearly unopposed in their bloodletting. The orks manning the outer defenses were left in disarray, allowing for the Astartes in the assault drive deep into the orks defenses, cutting them off and swiftly slaying the beasts now that they had no leadership. The 203rd and their brother companies suffered hundreds of casualties in the assault but came out victorious, the Luna Wolves cheering as the corpses of the greenskin were thrown from the battlements and the banners of the Luna Wolves and the Imperial Aquila flew atop the fortress. However, Darius would carry the broken body of his dear friend in solemn silence, the pain from the battle leaving him weak but the death of his friend crippling him. For the next few month Darius was a broken man, his men unable to console their beloved commander. The 203rd would man the captured fortress solemnly, mourning the loss of so many battle brothers but mostly sharing in the pain of their captain until news of Horus' victory reached them. Celebrations and cheering would again be heard throughout the fortress and even Darius couldn't help but feel a sense of joy when the news of his Primarch having slain the Ork Beast reached them.

After some months the 203rd would participate in the Triumph of Ullanor, their armor having been repaired and repainted for the occasion. Darius and his men held their heads high as a degree of awe and pride overcame them at the great show of strength. It came as a huge surprise to the warriors of the 203rd to hear that the Emperor would no longer personally lead the Great Crusade himself but a sense of great pride and honor would sweep the surprise away as the Emperor proclaimed their Primarch, Horus, as the Warmaster and new leader of the Great Crusade. Cheers and the chanting of Horus' new title roared from the 203rd and the rest of the Luna Wolves Legion, Darius himself taken in the excitement joined in with his men, Joren's power blade held high with pride. The love for their Primarch had reached a new zenith but would lead these proud legionaries of the 203rd Company down the road of damnation and heresy.

Sons of Horus - The Road to Damnation
The 203rd would be reassigned to the Warmaster's own Expeditionary Fleet, further cementing Darius and his men's pride and dedication to Horus due to the honor of now being part of the Warmaster's personal force....

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The White Wolves are a splinter warband of the Sons of Horus Legion. Led by their beloved Captain, Darius Malek, the former 203rd Company of the Luna Wolves Legion refused to acknowledge Abaddon's mastery over the remnants of the Sons of Horus when news reached him that the 1st Captain returned from his pilgrimage. During the time as part of the Legions, the White Wolves were Company of pure Cthonian stock and were known for being ruthless and highly competitive as was the nature of the Sons of Horus. Their usage of the Cthonian gang traditions was unfettered by any Terran influence as was their complete and unquestioning loyalty to their Primarch. Their loyalty was never in question when the time to purge the ranks of the Legion came, Darius led his Company against the man he admired, Garviel Loken, on Istvaan III and murdered many of his former brothers. The Company never had felt any loyalty to the Emperor, their Primarch was the only man they would ever pledge themselves to.

Darius despised Ezekyle Abaddon, believing that the 1st Captain to be a fool and not deserving of the position. His bitterness only growing when news reached him that Abaddon had slain Loken. However, despite his obvious disdain towards the 1st Captain, Darius obeyed his ranking officer because of the favor his Primarch placed in him. Darius loved his Primarch and was willing, like the rest of the Legion, to do anything for his master. Leading his Company alongside Horus all the way from Istvaan to Terra, Darius was fighting on the Throne World when news reached him and his brethren that their beloved father had been slain at the hands of the Emperor. An uncoordinated retreat and scramble to the ships was underway and Darius and the surviving members of his Company made their way to their cruiser retreated to the Eye of Terror, broken in both spirit and strength.

The Legion Wars that followed after the retreat into the Eye of Terror would be the 'birth' of the White Wolves who, instead of staying on Maeleum like the rest of their broken Legion, vented their rage and despair on other Traitor Legions. Darius partly blamed Abaddon for allowing Horus to fall and his previous anger towards the 1st Captain grew with every passing day as he became more and more convinced that it was Abaddon's fault that their Primarch had been slain. The 203rd Company, now named the White Wolves in reference to their former title as Luna Wolves, was small; only consisting of some 200 Astartes after the death of Horus. However, their legacy as the Sons of Horus and their inherent abilities when it came to decapitating strike and ability to adapt their strategy similar to their Primarch proved vital for their survival.

Chaos Patron
The White Wolves have devoted themselves to a Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided named Ul'Karan. Ul'karan is considered a young Daemon Prince and compared to his brethren, is quite weak. The White Wolves have dedicated themselves to this minor Daemon Prince because both they and the Daemon have a deep seeded hatred for Abaddon and the Black Legion. It is a Pact of mutual beneficence, wherein the Daemon Prince grants minor gifts and his small host of minions in return for the worship and sacrifices made by the Warband. Ul'Karan is occasionally given form after a long series of sacrifices made by the Warband, allowing the Daemon Prince to enter the mortal realm and cause havoc amongst his enemies. Wielding a daemonic greatsword and armored in daemon-forged battle plate, carried aloft by black wings and his multiple horns protruding from his head, Ul'Karan is similar in appearance to a Bloodthirster of Khorne, but is bigger and more powerful than even those greater daemons of the Blood God. Ul'Karan's "sacred" symbol is that of the Wolf's Head, which makes some believe that it was fated for the White Wolves to take him on as their patron lord.

Homeworld
Cthonia Secundus is the adopted homeworld of the White Wolves warband. Cthonia Secundus is a small mining world in the fringes of the Segmentum Obscurus, close to the Eye of Terror. Like the Cthonia of the XVI Legion, Cthonia Secundus has many hives filled to the brim with humans, choking on crime and corruption. The planet is ruled by Warlord Darius Malek, Champion of the White Wolves warband. He rules with an iron fist, keeping strict rule over the manufacturing and mining facilities of the planet. The rest of the planet is ruled by rival gangs, each important gang being run by Astartes of the White Wolves. The White Wolves are no longer divided into companies but rather, divided by gang loyalties. Each gang is run by a Chieftan and each Chieftan rules over a certain amount of territory on the planet. The gangs fight one another for control over hab-blocks, drug cultivation zones, agri-fields, territory for selling weapons, food, and drugs, as well as for the joy of fighting. Most of the planet's citizens live in fear and are not part of the gangs, but the gangs are the law and most citizens submit without question to their overlords. But every Chieftan submits himself to Darius Malek, for Darius has made an example out of multiple Chieftans who have either challenged him to be Warlord, who have disobeyed his commands, or merely did not pay his fair share of taxes. Cthonia Secundus is a planet where brutality, strength, and loyalty are what matters.

Culture
The White Wolves are still a highly organized and efficient military force, maintaining similar structure to that of the 203rd Company that they used to make up. The number of Astartes within the Warband is unknown but it is guessed that there are a few thousand White Wolves active at one time. They make their home in the upper echelons of the capital hive of Cthonia Secundus, leaving the rest of the hives to be ruled over by various gangs and criminal syndicates. Darius Malek cares little about ruling over Cthonia Secundus, leaving that duty to his Chieftan, his most trusted Lieutenant. Chieftans are tasked with managing the mines and factories on Cthonia Secundus, ensuring the quotas of weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and armor are all met. The Cheiftan ensures that these quotas are met by keeping the gangs in check, keeping them from damaging the facilities or killing any of the workers. To ensure this is done, the Chieftan dispatches several White Wolves and the gangs that have pledged their loyalty to Darius Malek to protect these facilities and ensure that the workers are working at full capacity. The Chieftan allows for the gangs to fight over territory and control of the drugs and street weaponry, since the warband recruits from the ranks of these gangs.

For the majority of the warband that is not involved with the underhive, their days are spent training, sparring, and drilling as though they were still part of the XVI Legion. Hundreds of Astartes march through the hives in white battle plate, bolters and blades held in parade fashion. Mock battles are constantly waged in the waste between the hives and occasionally they venture into the underhives and wipe out entire gangs for practice. Certain gangs are targeted because they are either becoming too dangerous and disruptive but some are merely unluckily chosen for extermination. Thousands of men are butchered in the underhives in raid-like fashion by the Astartes, leaving a power vacuum for new gangs to take their place. The Astartes of the warband despise not fighting or preparing for battle and so these ventures into the underhive are considered sport, but are merely a distraction. The true joy for the White Wolves are when raids into either the Imperium or the Eye of Terror are called. Raiding Imperial worlds are a joy for the warriors of the warband and fighting loyalist Astartes is one of the greatest joys that any of these traitor Astartes can experience. However, the greatest foes they enjoy facing are the warriors of the Black Legion, their despicable and weak brothers formerly of the XVI.

Recruitment
The only mortals inducted into the White Wolves warband are the strongest and best killers of the gangs in the underhives of Cthonia Secundus. Usually the largest and strongest men of their respective gangs, these "recruits" are forced to pass multiple tests of strength, endurance, and will if they are deemed worthy by the various sergeants and lieutenants of the warband. Those that pass then must undergo constant drill, training, and discipline as they start the process of joining the warband. Darius Malek considers the bloody methods of the other traitor warbands and legions to be wasteful and because their geen-seed is not nearly as unstable compared to their cousins, Darius inducts as many of the gangers that are considered worthy into the ranks of his Astartes. The gangers start off as ill-disciplined murderers but become highly disciplined and well drilled Astartes after their training is complete. This does not mean that they are turned into great Astartes warriors, infact, most of these men are considered sup-par compared to the new Astartes of loyalist Chapters due to their lack of experience as scouts and short training period.

Many of these new warriors will die in the first raids they participate in should they encounter loyalist Astartes or face off against the veteran warriors of the other warbands. However, this matters little, for the new warriors usually make up the bulk of the numerous diversionary attacks while the veterans of the warband are the ones that participate in the coordinated surgical decapitation strikes. Because there are no mortal forces that accompany the warband, the entirety of the industrial capacity of their planet is geared towards the armament of the Astartes and therefore these losses matter little in regards to manpower or their armory. However, despite this industrial capacity, the warband is unable to build large warships, heavy battle tanks, terminator armor, newer marks of power armor, or power weapons. This means that these weapons, vehicles, and suits of armor are priceless to the warband and only the most renowned and veteran warriors may wield or command such relics.

Geneseed
The Geneseed of the warband is considered to be fairly stable for traitor standards. During their time in the warp, the geneseed of the warband did suffer and numerous organs do not function. Five such organs have either been removed from the geneseed due to being mutated to a point of irreversability or have just stopped functioning: the Catalepsean Node, Omophagea, Sus-an Membrane, Neuroglottis, and the Betcher's gland. There are two organs that have only mutated slightly and therefore are still implated into new warriors of the warband, these being the Melanochrome and Occulobe organs. The new warriors of the chapter believes these organs to have been warped due to the pact made with the Daemon Prince Ul'Karan. For, the warriors of the warband sport unnaturally thick white hair, their skin becoming tough and leathery, while their eyes change into a golden-hazel color with a slit running vertically through the center.

The lack of both the Catalepsean Node and the Sus-an Membrane have both resulted in dramatically increased numbers of fatalities in the warband during combat, unable to

Blood Hounds
The Blood Hounds warband is a small World Eaters host who have not dedicated themselves to the Blood God. These Astartes were disgusted by what overtook their Legion and have therefore ventured off on their own. The Blood Hounds are little more than Corsairs that plague the outer fringes of the Imperium, their small numbers not allowing for the warband to launch large scale assaults upon entire systems or sectors like other warbands. The Blood Hounds have allied themselves to many other warbands, fighting in joint raids and splitting the spoils of their victories evenly. The Warband is honorable, unlike many of their kin, and only work alongside other traitor warbands that are also known as honorable. They have joined in the Black Crusades, fought alongside the White Wolves, and have been contracted to the Steelblood Legion. The fact that they are World Eaters make them bloodthirsty berserkers in battle and are almost unmatched in melee combat. However, many within the Warband do not have the butcher's nails, for the veterans of these traitors are unable to replicate the device but also refuse to curse the new generations with the nail's bite, which means the new warriors inducted into the exalted ranks of Astartes are not the mad dogs that their kin in service to the Blood God are. The Blood Hounds are like the Wolves of Fenris, still fearsome warriors and barbaric, but able to control themselves to a certain extent. No one warlord has ruled the Blood Hounds like other warbands, many rising and falling in combat over the millennia, for the Warband is not bound together by the a strong leader but rather the bonds of brotherhood and is the reason why not many warriors stand in the ranks of the Blood Hounds.

Crimson Skulls
The Crimson Skulls are a Black Legion Warband known for being ferocious on the assault and relishing in slaying other Traitor Warbands. Led by the infamous Daemon Prince Vladimir the Lord of Bones, the Crimson Skulls are a large warband that are given the task of hunting down and destroying warbands that Abaddon deems a problem. Numerous minor warbands have ceased to exist once the Crimson Skulls have been unleashed and other warbands have been kept in check. Vladimir has ascended to the exalted rank of Daemon Prince and has a large following of Astartes and cultists that he unleashes upon his foes. When not on the hunt for the Warmaster, the Crimson Skulls pillage and raid the Imperium or Daemon Worlds of the other warbands and Legions. They are hated by many followers of Chaos but the Dark Gods seem to enjoy their antics, bestowing gifts on many of the Astartes of the warband. The Crimson Skull have many enemies but their most hated are the White Wolves and Steelblood Legion, the only two warbands that have defeated them outright in combat.

Thessalonika (Dark Forge World)
The Dark Mechanicum of the Forge World of Thessalonika are known for their feudalistic society and remarkably little taint from Chaos. Their extensive use of plasma weaponry and their alliiance with the Heraklian Titan Legion have garnered much interest within the Halo Stars and beyond, making them quite the target for diplomacy, trade, and invasion. The Skitarii of the Forge World are larger, broader, and more ferocious than the average Skitarii of the Adeptus Mechanicum and are armed with various plasma weapons in much greater quantities than normally seen. The forges of Thessalonika are highly sought after by various warbands and empires in the Halo Stars due to the ability to construct many armor, vehicles, and weapon variants, meaning the planet is under constant threat from both xenos and human invasion. This, along with the martial mind of the Arch-Heretek Hadrianus, have resulted in the extensive fortification and defensive preparation of the planet along with the raising of numerous Skitarii Cohorts.

Johann System
Thessalonika is found within the Johann System of the Halo Stars. Thessalonika is one of 3 planets within the system, the others being Cyrius and Aquias. Cyrius is a dead world that is rich in minerals and has been turned into a mining facility by the Hereteks of Thessalonika. Aquias is a frozen world with significant bodies of water, both frozen and liquid, with little landmass, it is deemed usless to the Hereteks of Thessalonika and only a small outpost is maintained to keep vigil over the planet. Johann System is filled with asteroids due to the asteroid belt dividing Thessalonika and Cyrius from Aquias and these asteroids are filled with minerals that are being exploited by the Hereteks. Numerous ports, mines, and battlestations have been built around the asteroid belt to defend Thessalonika by order of Arch-Heretek Parmenias in millennia past and have been maintained ever since. Numerous battles have taken place within the Johann System but it is also known for being a hub of trade activity with numerous renegades, pirate bands, and xenos.

Planet
Thessalonika is an arid and barren planet, very similar to Mars in fact. The landscape is littered with mountain ranges, long dried up riverbeds, vast ocean floors that are now dry, and numerous volcanoes spewing mineral rich magma. The a significant portion of the planet is covered by desert and therefore it is constantly undergoing numerous sandstorms that would cause havoc if not for the various shielding generators that protect the forges and outposts on the planet. Forges can be found throughout the entirety of the planet's surface and there are even numerous forges that have been built onto mountain sides and within volcanoes. Billions of souls live under the shadow of the forges along with the millions of mech-guard that keep constant vigil over the planet and their masters. The Magi of the Thessalonika rule as a council under the leadership of an Arch-Heretek who wields significant power but is checked by the power of the various Magi who each rule their own Forge.

Due to the Forge World not being within the Eye of Terror, the planet is not tainted by Chaos like so many other Dark Mechanicum Forges and this means that life on Thessalonika is far more pleasant compared to that of the other Forge Worlds. However, this does not mean life is easy, in fact, it is still quite brutal and most non-Heretek lives are quite short. To compensate for the loss of human life due to exhaustion, malnutrition, feuds, crime, and war, the Hereteks of Thessalonika have engingeered a geno-birthing program that take the reproductive organs and tissue necessary from deceased workers and breeds children within the gene-labs of the various forges. This, on top of the natural birthing rate of the population, has led to quite the growth in population and, on numerous occasions, there was a need to get rid of numerous people from the planet by sending colonization missions to other nearby planets. The majority of the people the live and die on Thessalonika are of average human stock and these are never incorporated into the Tech-Guard, rather, there are specialized gene-labs that birth gene-enhanced humans that are bred for single purpose, a lifetime of service in the Tech-Guard.

Forges
Thessalonika is covered in Forges of all sizes and specialties. Every forge is ruled over by a Magos who has the sovereign power over his or her own forge. Every Forge has its own Tech-Guard Cohorts and is responsible for keeping birthrates and production rates high. The largest and most vital Forges on the planet are ruled by the Magos of the Ionian Council, the Council of 6 (one member for each of the the great forges), that rules alongside the Arch-Heretek who himself administers over the greatest forge of Bycantinoples. Every Magos on Thessalonika owes fealty to the Arch-Heretek and the Ionian Council and must pay "taxes" in the form of Tech-Guard, labor, resources, and a portion of the overall products. In a sense, every Forge is a city-state and the Hereteks and priests make up the noble class that rule over each Forge. Every Magos has the ability to wage war, sign treaties, and ......

Notable Characters
Arch Heretek Konstatos

Arch Heretek Remald

Arch Heretek Parmenias

Arch-Heretek Hadrianus

"To favor a weapon or tactic due to sentimentality or superstition is foolish. Circumstantial analysis, adaption, and unfettered logic must be the guiding hand in warfare and so too in life. This is the guiding principle of Thessalonika and is the reason we shall prevail over our enemies."

Magos Kasius

Magos Skapion

Magos Markus

Magos Justanio

Magos Flevias

Magos Autrian