The Sons of White Legion

The Sons of White, known in their most common dialect of Iacconi as the Seuns von te Hvitt Dier or "Sons of the White Wolf", are one of the original 20 First Founding Space Marine Legions, and are led by their famed and feared Primarch, Logan of the White. Once the II Legion of Astartes raised by the Emperor at the dawn of the Great Crusade, the Sons are renowned for their anti-authoritarian ways and their embrace of their homeworld Lupas' tribe culture as well as their extreme deviation from the Codex Astartes in their organisation. After the Horus Heresy the Sons were expunged from the records due to actions of their Primarch and therefore did not partake in the Second Founding reforms of the Adeptus Astartes, the Sons Legion was not divided into Chapters and remained as a Legion but apart from the Imperium of mankind.
Since the Imperium came into being, the Sons of White fought tooth and nail for the cause of the Emperor. Amongst the most famous of the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, their sagas are told from one end of the galaxy to the other. As tactical as they are fierce, the Sons of White specialise in stealthy tactical assaults meaning they excel at close-quarters fighting as well as accurate gunfire, their warriors vying keenly for glory on the field of battle. The Sons of White live to fight, and death holds no fear for them. Though they specialise in stealth and often use it as an advantage in battle, they do not shy from a head on head battle with any foe.
The legends of the Sons of White are told on countless thousands of worlds yet they are only unofficially spoken, and like the greatest of their fellow First Founding kin, they hold so many battle-honours that it would take a battle-scribe an entire lifetime to commit them all to parchment. The Sons are ruthless and proud, and they seek glory in all they do. Some, especially the Dark Angels, regard the Sons as braggarts and gloryhounds, finding their methods crude and their desire to make a name for themselves vainglorious. In truth, every Son of White warrrior longs for his story -- his saga -- to be recounted by his kin long after he has fallen, and for his name to be spoken in the same breath as the Primarch himself. Their genetic inheritance is at once a blessing and a curse, for although each warrior is gifted with the superhuman senses of Logan himself, their enhanced emotions can be overcome by the anger they also inherit. In organisation, they remain a legion and have never considered the change to fit the dictates of Roboute Guilliman's Codex Astartes, though Logan and Roboute were very close during the Great Crusade. In appearance, the Sons of White are wild and prominent, adorning their armour with a combination of finely-wrought talismans and skins, bones, and teeth taken as trophies from combat. Even in their manners, the Sons differ from most other Space Marines, for they are competitive and headstrong, and at once individualistic and fiercely loyal to their "Pack."
Sons of White seek to write their saga with every deed they perform and every battle they fight, and perhaps more than any other legion, their service is an epic in itself. The rites of initiation that a Son must undergo in order to be accepted as a Neophyte are amongst the most harsh of any legion. Often he must actually fall in combat having slain all of his foes first, a guttering spark of life remaining. His deeds witnessed the young warrior awakens far from his tribe. But this is only the beginning, for so tainting is the gene-stock of White that most who receive it are overcome, their bodies ravaged by anger as they transform into insane feral men that are unlike berserk animals. Those who can contain this anger are judged fit to proceed, and after countless more trials may be accepted into the ranks of one of the wolf packs in the reserve chapters. At this stage in his life, a Son of White is likely to be a headstrong warrior competing with his peers for the approval of his superiors. He is also full of the disdain and reckless overconfidence of youth, convinced that his methods are correct and the older warriors are simply stuck in their ways. Only as he matures with experience, faces more foes and suffers the cathartic tragedy of losing beloved friends does he change, and progress to join the battle ready main chapters of the two battalions. Later in life, having faced every foe and seen all there is to be seen, the Son of White and his few surviving peers might form an immortals pack, where their hard-fought experience and wisdom affords them more freedom and authority on the battlefield. Throughout his service, the Son of White compiles his great saga, not in words, but in deeds. He seeks out the most powerful of enemies and faces the most arduous of tasks. Every Adeptus Astartes Chapter is a cadre of heroes, and the Sons of White even more so than most, so to earn a special place in the annals of his legion, a Son must perform truly epic deeds and face such foes as would give even the mightiest of figures pause. As a result of these deeds, each Son of White carries within him unparalleled expertise, and wears the scars to prove it.
Perhaps more than any other Space Marine, the character of a Son of White Warrior is not defined by his age. Perhaps the changes wrought within him by the Calix Lupi, grant him something of the essence of the Primarch, a potent nature to achieve and strive as well as a struggle to control. Logan White was known as a being of great humours and often contradictory behaviours. At times he seemed sullen but would maintain his comedic tendencies and vice versa. At the conclusion of one battle he might have ordered clemency and mercy, and at another brooked no quarter. To the Sons, there is no contradiction, for the very world that birthed them is subject to such extremes. One side of the land of ice and fire is cold and snow swept, the another the skies pure with sun and beauty ﬂowing throughout the plains. Thus, the nature and character of a Son rarely depends upon his stage in life. The elders can be headstrong and cocksure, like the young, seemingly determined to get themselves killed charging headlong into battle and the youngest can be more mature. The most skilled in battle and leadership could be the youngest of all the Sons, yet it depends on the experiences and personality of the individual . Those that excel in all areas serve in Wolf Guard packs, the guardians of the legion's mightiest heroes. Whatever his station, a Son of White knows that he travels a glorious path, and that thousands of great warriors have trod it before him.
== Chapter History ==
=== The Legions ===
The Legions were created to take part in the Great Crusade, the Emperor's reconquest of the Lactea galaxy that established the Imperium as it is today. Before the Great Crusade, Terra had endured thousands of years of isolation whilst impenetrable Warp Storms seethed and howled throughout the western part of the galaxy. This dark period of history was known as the Age of Strife. Even the Emperor was trapped upon Terra by the Warp's tumult, and could do little other than secure Humanity's birth planet and prepare his armies for the reconquest to come. Without the Emperor to guide them through this terrible age, the rest of the human worlds throughout the galaxy were left helpless against the predations of aliens and the dread creatures of the Warp. One by one, they fell into anarchy and despair. Humanity, it seemed, was doomed. 
During Terra's isolation at the end of the 30th Millennium, the Emperor had striven to create twenty superhuman beings. These Primarchs, as he named them, were made to lead the armies of mankind but they were swept up by terrible forces that dwelt within the Warp and scattered across the stars. Rather than trying to duplicate the long and arduous work through which he had created the Primarchs, the Emperor instead used the raw material developed during the Primarch project to create the Space Marines. He developed a process that would turn any man into the mightiest of them men and the greatest of warriors. It would be these space marines that would make up the base for the legions. 
=== The young blood ===
The origins of the Sons of White Legion can be found during the Unification Wars, though much of their early history was destroyed due to them being expunged from the Imperium. The base human stock for the majority of the first Space Marine Legions raised came from Terra, and in the case of the 2nd Legion, the main bulk of the gene-recruits used were drawn from racial and geographic origins of that of old Oceania, but these would mix well with the tribes from Lupas by the time of the Slyvari Crusade on the cusp of the 31st Millennium. According to ancient records, the Terrans who made up the IIth Legion possessed diverse origins, with "some having the flesh the colour of lightwood, a tanned colour that did not stand out on the plains of their soon to be homeworld." 
=== The White Wolf ===
The Primarch of the Sons of White had landed upon the Death World of Sollem, his incubation pod plummeting down into the innermost of a vast forest. Given the harshness of the Sollemiun wildlife, it is safe to say that a lesser being would have died almost immediately upon his arrival. Emerging from his smoking capsule, the infant Primarch soon encountered a deadly mother bear. He was doomed, yet fate, it seemed, had other ideas. Sensing in the feral youth a kindred spirit, the giant beast did not kill the transhuman child, but instead fled in fear alongside her cubs. The Lupex records concerning Logan of the White's heritage and history owe much to the life's work of Nistgra the Writer, a contemporary of the empire, The Ascension of the White Wolf is the full story of Logan's travels from Sollem to Lupas and then from prisoner to king.
=== Joining the Imperium ===
Unlike the rediscovery of Horus, the first Primarch returned to the Imperium, the reunion of Logan and the emperor is less well documented. What can be said for certain is that Logan of the White was the third Primarch to make an appearance openly at the Emperor's side, doing so a handful of standard years before the rediscovery of Ferrus Manus on Medusa. Found upon the world of Lupas the Emperor himself, disguised in a long, plain robe and cloaked in psychic runes of disguise and confusion who entered the royal hall of White much like he did previously with Leman Russ. Those few natives that were sharp-eyed, as well as White' companion Lupex Wolves, shrunk from this new, powerful presence. White refused to let this man intimidate his people so made him bow before him, this demand was declined by the Emperor who then proclaimed he was Logan's father and the Emperor of all Mankind. White would not accept his proclamation and was angered at his disrespect. Logan drew his spear Todesfall and struck the Emperor down with it. "How are you to be my father let alone the ruler of all mankind if I am able to best you with one blow?" White was able to hold the Emperor to the floor with the butt of his spear, which came much to the surprise of the Emperor. Logan then let him stand and offered the man a staff similar to one that he then picked up for himself. The following duel is quoted to be one of beyond magnificent, that would never be repeated in history, some swear that they saw men with large heads float down from the sky to witness the battle. The conflict ended and the Emperor was barely victorious, he bested Logan after their staffs both smashed from the impact and one of the shards hit Logan and stunned him, after this Logan accepted the Emperor as the ruler of mankind but not yet his father. 
=== The Three Challenges ===
Logan was invited to accompany the Emperor back to Terra, so that the Emperor could present him with a gift and attempt to convince him of their relation. The trip meant that Logan would be off Lupas for 7 months but he knew it to be necessary so he accepted and left Aslak Whitefang, a trusted friend, as temporary king of Lupas. 
Upon arrival on Terra, Logan was instantly convinced that the Emperor was his father as he had a strange flash back of the place. The smells and the other senses of the world felt right to Logan and therefore he placed all his trust into his new found father. After Logan had sworn his life to the Emperor, he was taken to witness the training of the army that he was to be gifted, the young blood as he called them. 
The rest of Logan's stay was less well documented but it is said that he spent most his time reading in the great libraries, learning about anything he could, the history of Terra, war tactics and many other subjects. He also trained with the Emperor and Horus most days which further enhanced his skill as he had equals to train against, yet Logan would always beat Horus which caused a feud between the two brothers. After two full moons had passed Logan headed home with his base stock of the army that he named the Sons of White, it would be these soldiers that would add to his current army on Lupas that would truly become the Sons of White Legion. 
Upon arrival back on Lupas, Logan witnessed that there had been a conflict, Aslak explained that some members of certain tribes had rebelled but he had defeated them gently with no deaths that were unnecessary, he then made the rebels build a holy city south west of Treles. The City was a large ornate one of a high standard as the rebels were all of high skill 
=== NOT FINISHED YET ===
No matter were the Aspirant had come from he quickly became a Son of White and fitted into the culture of the legion. The reputation of the Sons quickly spread after they obliterated their opponents in many different ways, some spoke of their war dance as they approached head on while others spread the stories of how they were like ghosts in the night defeating entire armies without being seen or heard. Their assaults were calculated exercises in ferocity, aimed to tear and rend until the foe lay in ruins or was driven to its death. But it was with the extremes on the World of Lupas, one of the strange and most varied of Mankind's ancient homes, that the II Legion's nature would find its apotheosis and the Sons of White would truly be born. The armour of the Sons became feared and respected across the universe and most recognised the off white and black detailed war gear instantly. 
In the days after the rediscovery of White the Primarch on the world of Lupas, Aspirants to service in the IIth Legion began their initial orientation around Treles, the capital of Lupas. Then they were integrated into the existing army that belong to the White family, rulers of Lupas, yet they quickly surpassed the normal men. Training facilities were developed in towns and cities that were growing around the capital and they specialised in the Aspirants. The initial supply of space marines from Terra were rapidly added to by Logan as he decided to incorporate the White army into his legion meaning they all became space marines. For those who performed well throughout, the instructors were fulsome in their praise, unlike the grudging hard-men of the Luna Wolves who conducted their Space Marine Initiates' training back on Terra. They also worked at maintaining the individuality of each soldier, making sure he created a brotherhood with his fellow soldiers, in this way the Sons of White were unique in regards to the other legions. The cultural ways of the tribes of Lupas quickly spread throughout the army as the non-natives learned the war dance and its meaning as well as learning a lot of history and languages. The non-native Aspirants eventually mastered all there was on Lupas, and before the beginning of their Great Crusade campaign the natives and non-natives were indistinguishable.
thumb|330x330px|The Maori all blacks (an old Terran sports team) perform the Haka war dance of the Sons of White
== Gene-Seed ==
The Space Marines of the Emperor's Legions were genetically engineered, psycho-indoctrinated warriors with superhuman abilities and minds and souls tempered for war. In addition, each individual Legion had its own idiosyncrasies and character -- the product of their gene-seed and unique warrior culture. Renowned both for their brutality and feared across the universe, the Sons of White Legion long stood apart from the other Legiones Astartes. Distant and feared, they were separated not only by bellicose demeanour, but by an almost impenetrable web of myth and allegory which guarded well the II Legion's secrets, not only of who they were but what their tactics and capabilities were. The unique gene-seed of the Sons had both its advantages and disadvantages, making them at once more animalistic and unstable than their fellow Astartes, though not to the level of the Space Wolves but also more readily prey to the power of their own instincts and drives. To their detractors, it made them more aggressive and rash.
=== Physical Appearance ===
The Calix Lupi gene is legendary, and has accounted for the loss of sanity for millions of Aspirants as their brains writhe and stain due to the anger inside. Those it does not kill it transforms significantly. The Calix Lupi gene is necessary, as without this essential part of Logan White's genetics the other gene helices cannot be implanted at all. The genes are first implanted within an Aspirant by drinking from the Calix Lupi goblet
, the genetic sequence will work hideous changes on the warrior's mind and body; they revert to a primal state where their bones split and buckle, thick hair sprouts from across their body and their only desire is to gorge on fresh meat and glut themselves on blood. The warrior's body mass grows by up to eighty percent, many of the bones fuse, and canine fangs sprout from his gums. While in the midst of this radical and severely painful transformation, a warrior must overcome the shadow within himself, lest they are overcome and fall to the Curse of the Wulfen and become a giant, feral creature no longer sane or human. 
As a Space Wolf warrior grows older his hair turns course and wiry, turning a particular shade of grey, and his canines lengthen into true, wolf-like fangs. Even his skin becomes thicker and more leathery like a wolf pelt and all Space Wolf Marines are usually quite hirsuite. These traits in their fully matured form are usually emblematic of a Space Wolf who has become a Grey Hunter, the name given to the Veteran Marines of this unusual Chapter. For those lucky enough to survive the brutal centuries of warfare on hundreds of different battlefields, their hair eventually turns white as the driven Fenrisian snow, and their wolf-like fangs become veritable tusks. These elder warriors, known as Long Fangs, are held in high esteem by their younger kin. For they have mastered the wolf within, and have learned to curb their warlike spirit with a will of iron, having become akin to a stone upon which their foes' blades break.
== Recruitment ==
== Appearance ==
== Organisation ==
== Combat Doctrine ==
== Beliefs ==
== Home world and The Lupex Empire ==
=== Lupas ===
Lupas is the homeworld of the Sons of White, it is a diverse world with half being an icy artic wasteland and the other side, a warm tropical paradise, each side dominated by its own extreme of climate. Most of the surface of the planet is land mass but there are large oceans that separate the four continents. The largest mass of land is the tropical west and is known as Paros. Even though Lupas doesn't have seasons, the west does vary in weather over the year but more unpredictably due to the lack of seasons. Paros is facing the Slyvari star so it has a constant temperature of around 30 to 50°C but can be swallowed up by heavy rain and storms and swept around by deadly fast winds. Austra however never varies in weather, always snowing and always extremely cold, many die after spending just a few days out in the elements even if well prepared. The other two smaller continents have similar weather patterns, they vary from rain, wind and sun but Maphi is colder and is subjected to less rain than the rainforest continent of Occasu.
=== The Lupex Empire ===
== Armoury ==
== Fleet ==
====