Brotherhood of the Wolf
The Brotherhood of the Wolf is the name given to those Black Templars of Fulk's Châtellenie who fought alongside him against Hugh and, once defeated, refused to accept his lordship. They fled into the The Damocles Marches and form part of the Imperial Remnant. Deprived of the resources of the Templars their numbers have dwindled over the years and they have been reduced to raiding for arms, armor and materiel. Exile has not diminished their xenophobia and human supremacy, but they have been forced into utilizing T'au technology when Imperial equipment failed and could not be repaired.
Culture
Like all of the Imperial Remnant, the Brotherhood has intensified its adherence to Imperial dogma and is even more xenophobic than the wider Imperium. As Templars their faith in the God-Emperor was strong and it has not diminished. Neither of these philosophies, however, have remained pure in the face of their exile. They have been forced to use xenos technology and weapons as they are cut off from the resources of the Chapter (now controlled by Les Chevaliers d'Outremer) and their faith has become bitter and angry.
Their defeat and exile was initially seen as the God-Emperor's punishment for insufficient zeal and piety, but after months of penance, flagellation, fasting and prayer there was no change in their fortunes. Lead by one of their brethren assuming the mantle of spiritual leader and eventually Chaplain, they came to understand His abandonment of them as cruel caprice. They still profess to worship Him, but they are angry at His callous treatment of them and have become bitter and filled with hatred and disdain towards those who see Him as a benevolent figure. They have taken to referring to Him as the "Corpse-God", sharing His pain after his wounding by the Archtraitor Horus at the climax of the Heresy.
In their penury they have been forced to use xenos equipment - despising and hating it, they nevertheless feel forced to do so and blame the God-Emperor for it, being angry at Him for punishing them with such corruption. A culture of self-reliance has grown up and individual Brothers have turned to blacksmithing and forging to manufacture weapons and armor. They have few members trained in the arts of Mars and so the weapons are primitive with an emphasis on close combat. Similarly when they repair armor they preserve strength in the arms and torso - even willingly sacrificing power in the legs and sophistication elsewhere for raw strength to be used in melee. The martial tradition of the Black Templars, always oriented towards close-combat, has become even-more focused on hand-to-hand combat.
Following the end of the Damocles Crusade Fulk's Black Templars were convinced by Bishop Arnulf that Renaud d'Châtillon was a messianic figure beloved of the God-Emperor, and the Brotherhood still honors him (and took their name from his nickname "The Wolf of Outremer"). Initially seeing him as a noble figure, they now understand his rapacious cruelty within the context of their experience and perception of the God-Emperor - he was beloved of the Emperor because he was like the Emperor; a vicious wolf preying on the weak and foolish. Following in the footsteps of their god and and their saint, the Brotherhood is violent and bloodthirsty, taking whatever it wants in raids and giving no quarter to those who oppose them. Traditional iconography of the Emperor has been replaced with a bestial, wolf-faced humanoid who demands blood and skulls from His followers to prove their worth.
Public Agenda
The Brotherhood seeks to destroy all who oppose the rule of the God-Emperor - xenos, traitors, even those members of the Imperial Remnant who are too weak. Embittered and diminished by their defeat and exile, they use only violence and pride themselves on self-reliance and cruelty - eschewing diplomacy, alliances, and negotiation. The reserve a special hatred for Les Chevaliers d'Outremer and Outremer itself, especially its Queen Melisende.
Assets
The Brotherhood were a fragment of a defeated army when they fled Outremer; their arms and armor were damaged and they could take little material with them. Over the years, their Astartes battleplate has been damaged and weapons destroyed. They arm themselves with whatever they can - including traded or captured T'au firearms - with an emphasis on personally-forged melee weapons. They wear an ad hoc patchwork of Astartes power armor and captured T'au pieces, mixed with more primitive plates, mail and even heavy furs and leather. Like the Mark I armor of the Thunder Warriors of old, the emphasis is on the torso and arms - increasing the wearer's main strength for close combat.
History
When Hugh defeated Fulk and ushered in the Melisendian reforms, assuming leadership of the Templars and renaming them Les Chevaliers d'Outremer, some of Fulk's supporters refused to bend the knee and instead fled into self-imposed exile in the Damocles Marches. Forming part of the Imperial Remnant they adopted the name "The Brotherhood of the Wolf" after Renaud d'Châtillon, who the Bishop Arnulf had convinced them was a messianic figure and blessed by the God-Emperor.
The Brotherhood fought against Outremer, the T'au Empire and its Gue'vesa settlements and even some of the Imperial Remnant who they felt were insufficiently zealous. Over time, conflict took its toll and equipment was damaged or destroyed - forcing them to raid for supplies and even, eventually, to trade with T'au and Gue'vesa for essential technologies.
Type
Military Order
Training Level
Elite
Veterancy Level
Decorated/Honored
Leader
Parent Organization
Notable Members
