The Bloodpack

The Bloodpack is a Chaos Warband dedicated to Khorne and composed by warp-tainted brothers of the IVth Legion, the Space Wolves. They are led by Grom the Gorewolf, a Wolf Guard fallen to Chaos during the Skarath Crusade in M36.

The warriors of the Bloodpack are raiders and pirates all, consumed by lust for battle and wealth. After a successful raid they hold feasts where they consume meat and mead, as well as the flesh and blood of the vanquished. The goods they plunder they barter for equipment, slaves, and weaponry.

For millennia they have been a blight upon the Galaxy, and their only goal is to war and prey upon the Imperium of Man, and whatever Xenos they come across. Though never great in number, their savagery and fearlessness make them dangerous opponents.

Founding
When Grom the Gorewolf betrayed his Great Company some Brothers where seduced by his offer of power, plunder, and eternal glory. Fleeing the revenge of the Space Wolves, the Gorewolf led them to the Daemon-twisted world of Urd. There the traitors underwent a Ritual of Initiation, binding their souls to the Blood God Khorne in exchange for his blessing and his madness, ceasing to be Space Wolves and becoming the Bloodpack.

Over the following years, in the world of Urd, they would set thousands of captured slaves to the task of building a fortress for the Traitor Astartes. Deep within the icy mountains of Urd a gigantic pit was constructed, the Runewell.

Battles
Escape from the Great Company 922.M36 - After Grom the Gorewolf bested Bjorn Doomhowl, the Great Company's Wolf Lord, a vicious battle broke out among the fleet. Though the Traitors were disputing control of the Coldspear, the Strike Cruiser leading the fleet, the remaining vessels where in Loyalist hands. After suffering heavy bombardment, the Coldspear was able to enter the Warp. Once inside, the corridors where filled with blood as brother killed brother. The battle ended when the Gorewolf beheaded Aesjar Stormclaw, the Rune Priest who was leading the remaining Loyalists.

Grom the Gorewolf
The specifics of Grom's past are nebulous at best, as he is not prone to boasting about the days when he was a lapdog for the Empire. He was, however, a Wolf Guard for one of the Space Wolves' Great Companies at the time of the Skarath Crusade, serving Bjorn Doomhowl. During a pitched battle, as the Company was surrounded by heretics and rebels, Grom's position was overrun. Later, when the newly conceived Predator Annihilators routed the enemy, his body was no where to be found.

The retreating forces had found the Wolf Guard, and had taken his broken body with them as they fled. When he awoke he was a prisoner, confined behind plasteel bars with other Brothers, some Space Wolves and some from other Chapters, and Xenos of diverse origins. He was forced to fight warp-tainted beasts, crazed pit-fighters, and even broken Astartes who no longer remembered what they were, in an arena dedicated to the Ruinous Powers. The Gorewolf, as they came to call him, became a crowd favourite for his fierceness and ruthlessness, and his fame grew.

He awoke one night to a field of gore. Broken bodies covered the ground for as far as the eye could see, the sky was crimson, and in it hung a great, burning eye. Turning, Grom saw a great tree made of bone, its leaves skulls, its sap blood. A voice rung out "You have sight but not vision. Sacrifice to me!". Ripping a jagged bone from one of the slain, Grom gouged out his left eye. Blood streaming down his face he looked around once more, and the field was filled with daemons. They stalked amongst the fallen, and battled each other endlessly, shedding blood in prayers unending. "You have vision but no knowledge. Sacrifice to me!". A Daemon fell upon Grom, wielding a black spear, and the two struggled atop the bodies. He savaged the Daemon but, even as its black blood burned him, it did not fall. Understanding, Grom opened his arms wide, and allowed the Daemon to pierce his chest. At once, an axe was in his hand, a fell thing with a wicked blade that cleaved through the Daemon effortlessly. A black pit now yawned around the tree, a chasm deep as eternity. A bronze collar attached to a chain dropped at Grom's feet. "You have knowledge but no power. Sacrifice to me!". He set the collar around his throat, and the chain went taught, hanging him amongst the branches of bone, over the abyss. There he remained, gazing into the darkness, until it's power and madness overcame him.

When he awoke, he cried "Blood for the Blood God", and ripped through his restraints. Axe in hand, no one could stop the one-eyed warrior. He fought his way to a small vessel, slaughtered the crew, and set off for Fenris. Over the long years of travel, he raved alone, waiting for the day he would see the Fang again, and take his rightful place amongst the Wolf Lords.

He was welcomed by his former Brothers, his return feeding their own pride and hubris as to the strength of the Space Wolves. He regaled his Brothers with his tales of battle and glory, and some with greater knowledge, knowledge dearly earned by sacrifice. When the day came, events unfolded quickly. Once the Fleet was well away from Fenris, Grom positioned his Traitor Brothers, and confronted Bjorn Doomhowl. He cut the Loyal Wolf Guards down, and engaged the Wolf Lord in single combat. The fighting was fierce, as Doomhowl was an experienced veteran of many battlefields. His sword, Blackfang, cut bitterly into the Gorewolf, but Grom's daemonic axe cut the Wolf Lord's legs from under him. Grom beheaded Doomhowl, and christened his axe with his name to honour him. The mutiny began, and the Traitors made their way to Urd.

Once there, the Gorewolf led his new Brothers in a Ritual to bind their souls to Khorne. From there he would lead raids into normal space, plundering and looting, sacrificing all enemies to the Blood God, save for Space Wolves. Whenever possible, Space Wolves were captured, and brought back to Urd to be corrupted. This continued until the Battle of Taeria, which concluded when Grom was betrayed and left for dead by Reinhardt Bloodeye.

After regaining consciousness, Grom dragged himself into one of the shelters built by the planets human population, and hid until the last of the ork warbands had moved on to other areas. It was years before he could leave the ravaged world, but everyday became a sacrifice to Khorne as the Gorewolf consumed orks and humans alike in his butchery.

When Ferdinando de Palentia, a Rogue Trader and slaver landed in Taeria to replenish his stock, Grom cut a deal with him; Grom would crush the Trader's enemies, and Ferdinando would convey him back to Urd. The voyage was long and winding, but twenty years after he was left for dead, the Gorewolf was back on his world.

Grom donned the guise of a wanderer, and stepped into the Runewell. The Bloodpack was feasting after a great victory, and the slaves had no mind to stop the stranger. He flung open the doors to the Great Hall, and the merriment waned. He held Doomhowl up, and shouted a challenge to Bloodeye, calling him a coward and a dishonour to the name of the Blood God. Bloodeye lept from his throne enraged, and fell upon the cloaked figure. Grom revealed himself, and engaged Bloodeye, axe against axe. The battle was bitter, and blood flowed freely from both of them, but in the end Grom crushed Bloodeye's axe, and sunk Doomhowl into his chest. Laying him atop the table, the Bloodpack feasted on his remains, and Grom took his rightful place once more, feeling the mantle of Khorne's power laying heavy upon his shoulders.

Since then, Grom has led the Bloodpack, with almost no champions rising up to challenge him.

Reinhardt Bloodeye
Most warbands have at least two characters, the warband leader, and his subordinate who is constantly planning for the day he will assassinate the leader and take control.

Bannulf Fellborn
Most warbands have at least two characters, the warband leader, and his subordinate who is constantly planning for the day he will assassinate the leader and take control.

Torbjon Deathmaw
Most warbands have at least two characters, the warband leader, and his subordinate who is constantly planning for the day he will assassinate the leader and take control.

Relations
Who do they hate above all others? Who can they barely tolerate long enough to work with?

Enemies
Of course the Imperium, but anyone in particular; also, any xenos or other chaos bands who don't like them.

Allies
Other Warbands, maybe Chaos-worshipping Xenos.

Cult and culture
Talk about your warband here: who they are, what they do, what makes them unique amongst the unnumbered hordes of Chaos.

Favored Tactics
What do they do well? How do they wreak havoc on their puny enemies?

Recruitment
Where do they get replacements from?

Home planet
If applicable; describe the place, and the warband's place in it.

Source Code
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